BLOG: Jennings Injury Is the First True Test of SVG's Era
By: Martin Weiss
@martinweiss22
Tired of the revolving chair of head coaches in Auburn Hills, the Pistons invested heavily in Stan Van Gundy, giving him unprecedented control in the front office. This is his first chance to see the job he's done.
Pistons fans had just started to peek their heads from behind the curtains. Piston Coach/President/Everything Stan Van Gundy released Josh Smith, citing a desire to develop young talent for the future. Releasing Smith turned on the light at the end of the tunnel, a light that grew brighter with each win as they climbed the Eastern Conference rankings.
But when Brandon Jennings tore his Achilles tendon Saturday, the light dimmed. Jennings had improved across the board since Smith left Detroit, and was just a few days removed from dismantling the Orlando Magic with 24 points and 21 assists (The last player with 20-20? Steve Nash, in 2009). He was a key contributor to the Pistons win streak, but his season-ending Achilles injury shouldn't have Pistons fans screaming "Tank! Tank! Tank!"…
…if you trust in Stan Van Gundy.
SVG drew early criticism for not trading Smith in the summer, but his reputation kept most from questioning to loudly. Bringing in unheralded free agents like D.J. Augustin, Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler did not bring excitement to the dormant basketball fans in Detroit and the downright ugly start to the season did even less. The only Piston discussion was Van Gundy playing Augustin quarter crunch minutes, choosing to leave Jennings, the starter, on the bench.
Augustin is now the team's primary ball-handler with Jennings injured. It's a position he's comfortable with: he excelled in Chicago as a primary scoring threat, contributing greatly in the second half of the year, filling in for injured Derrick Rose. Down that stretch, Augustin flourished running a Chicago team which earned a four seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season. SVG trusts him and he makes good decisions with the basketball.
Jodie Meeks, another SVG hire, will have to take a few of Jennings' shots as well. Meeks missed the first 22 games of the season, but his return roughly coincided with the jettison of Smith. He had a career year with the Lakers last year, shooting 40% from 3 and 15 points per game. The Pistons need him to build on last season and be a contributor.
However, Van Gundy's first move could turn out to be his most important. Second round draft Spencer Dinwiddie has had very little experience since tearing his ACL in his junior year at Colorado, but was widely regarded as a first round talent before his injury. I expect the Pistons to acquire another guard to bolster the backcourt but Dinwiddie will get first crack at rotational minutes.
Jennings' injury forced two parallel situations for the Pistons. It gives Dinwiddie his first opportunity to show he belongs in the NBA, and also gives Van Gundy his first opportunity to prove he can be successful evaluating, selecting, and developing talent found in the draft – the cornerstone of any contender.
No one thought this team would make the playoffs two month ago. Even the most optimistic fans looked for an anomaly for the team's recent success. Much of the praise for this stretch of success went to Jennings and Van Gundy. Now, with Jennings down, Van Gundy will have the perfect opportunity to develop his young talent. It'll also be the perfect opportunity to show he can evaluate talent –- one of the problems Detroit has had in recent years.
