Van Gundy Unfazed By Frequent Disagreements With Drummond

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

In a recent ESPN feature on the Pistons, it was made clear that Stan Van Gundy and Andre Drummond don't always see eye to eye.

Not a good look for the organization's president-coach and its star player.

But Van Gundy suggested on Tuesday it's nothing to worry about.

"I don't think I've coached anybody in 35 years that I see eye to eye with all the time, so that wouldn't be a revelation," he said. "I would say I have 15 guys (out here) that I don't see eye to eye with all the time."

"So yes," Van Gundy went on, referring to the notion that he and Drummond aren't always on the same page. "I would say that's probably true."

Drummond has seemed to frustrate Van Gundy on both ends of the floor this season. On defense, the fifth-year pro hasn't shown the aggressiveness the coaching staff is asking for, preferring to stay in his comfort zone near the rim. On offense, where the coaches want him to attack the basket, he has settled too often for fadeaway hook shots.

"There's a tug of war going on between us," Van Gundy told ESPN.

On top of their strategic discord, it seems Van Gundy and Drummond aren't always compatible personalities. The latter is demanding of his players, the occasionally-lethargic Drummond more than most, and told ESPN, "Sometimes, he's more willing to hear hard coaching than others."

Asked on Tuesday if he and Drummond indeed have disagreements, Van Gundy replied, "Absolutely. All the time."

Still, he doesn't see their seemingly strained relationship as a problem.

"You don't work with people on an everyday basis and always see eye to eye," said Van Gundy. "I don't even think that's possible, number one, so I don't know what that means. 'They don't always see eye to eye.' You can say it about anybody in this building — (general manager) Jeff (Bower) and I don't see eye to eye all the time. That's almost a ridiculous statement in my estimation."

As to whether the lack of harmony between Van Gundy and Drummond could drive the 23-year-old center away from the organization that drafted him, Van Gundy replied, "I don't think were anywhere near to that point."

Still, though Van Gundy told ESPN he thinks he and Drummond "like each other personally," he left open the possibility of the opposite in an interview last month with 97.1 The Ticket.

"Here's the thing on coach-player relationships that I think is the most important: These are business relationships that need to result in performance. Thats what matters. If the performance is good, the relationship is good. If the performance is not good, the relationship's not working. So it's not a matter of how much people get along or like each other," said Van Gundy. "It's whether or not it works."

"That relationship works," he added later. "I think people miss the point on coach-player relationships."

Still, it's not working as well as it has in the past. And though Van Gundy pointed out that Drummond has "taken a jump forward in the time we've been here," it's also true that he's more recently taken a step back. 

After averaging 16.2 points and 14.8 rebounds and making the All-Star Game last season - his second under Van Gundy - Drummond is down to 14.7 points and 13.9 rebounds this season.

"This year he hasn't been bad," Van Gundy said, "he's pretty well just leveled off."

How much of that is attributable to the differing philosophies between player and coach can be debated. But Van Gundy believes such tensions are natural in the NBA.

"I guarantee you this on (others) teams, too, they've got 15 guys that don't always see eye to eye with their coach," he said. "I don't even know what that means, 'You don't always see eye to eye.'

"I mean, c'mon. That is a dumb-ass statement."