Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy continues to stand up for his Eastern Conference adversaries.
Before the Pistons played the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Van Gundy said he didn’t understand the criticisms of the Celtics for not making a move at this year’s trade deadline.
“Really?” Van Gundy said, per Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “I don’t get that. I think they’re in great position.
“And their window is far from closing,” continued Van Gundy. “It’s one thing if you’re a team that’s really up there in age and you’ve got to do something right now, but they don’t. Plus, I look at it with the injuries Cleveland’s had and everything else, I mean, why can’t they make a run? They’re the No. 2 team in the East right now. Why can’t they make a run?”
On top of that No. 2 seed, the Celtics have a homegrown core of young talent and elite defenders plus an emerging superstar in Isaiah Thomas and the possibility of selecting at the top of the next two drafts with their possession of a pair of unprotected Brooklyn picks. Van Gundy has always been one to give love to his fellow Eastern counterparts, so his optimism about Boston’s future is neither surprising nor misguided.
