The Pistons aren’t replacing Stan Van Gundy as president of basketball operations with Arn Tellem.
Whom might Detroit actually hire?
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Sources: Among candidates that Detroit is showing interest to run its basketball operations: NBA’s Kiki VanDeWeghe, Memphis’ Ed Stefanski, Houston’s Gersson Rosas, Brooklyn’s Trajan Langdon. Brent Barry and Miami’s Shane Battier have been targeted for roles in front office too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2018
GM Jeff Bower remains a candidate to ascend to top basketball decision-maker with Pistons too, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2018
Kiki VanDeWeghe ran the Nuggets (2001-06), and Ed Stefanski ran the 76ers (2007-10). There’s a fine line between being a retread and experienced, but neither VanDeWeghe (now best known for issuing fines and suspensions from the league office) nor Stefanski (now with the Grizzlies) is inspiring.
Gersson Rosas has worked his way up with the Rockets, who are known for their quality front office. A short stint with the Mavericks broke up his time in Houston and raises questions.
Trajan Langdon is the least experienced of these candidates. He played at Duke, in the NBA and overseas, gaining a variety of experiences in the process. He became a Spurs scout and now works for the Nets. Is he ready?
Jeff Bower, general manager under Van Gundy, is still working for the in-flux Pistons until his contract expires this summer. Given how Van Gundy’s tenure as president-coach ended, Bower would be an odd choice.
Shane Battier and Brent Barry were smart players with good interpersonal skills. They have promising front-office futures, though not the requisite experience necessary to be considered to run Detroit’s basketball operations. That they’re still the most exciting names mentioned says something about the pool of candidates.
