Stan Van Gundy Had A Couple Thoughts On The Election
(Source) - Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy noticed the quietness on this morning’s bus ride to Talking Stick Resort Arena.
He wondered whether his team was still thinking about its embarrassing 32-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers two nights ago. But backup center Aron Baynes let him know that wasn’t it. He told Van Gundy that the players’ thoughts were on Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential electionTuesday night.
That result disgusted Van Gundy. In a six-minute diatribe today, Van Gundy unloaded on the unconventional candidate who rose from being an underdog in GOP primaries to occupying the most powerful office in the world.
“I don’t think anybody can deny this guy is openly and brazenly racist and misogynistic,” Van Gundy said. “We have just thrown a good part of our population under the bus, and I have problems with thinking this is where we are as a country.”
After he finished his rant, he said he didn’t feel like discussing tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns (9, FSD).
There’s way more stuff in the actual article, so definitely give it a read to hear SVG’s comments in full. Not a guy known for keeping his mouth shut, his comments are actually a bit surprising, if only because usually we don’t hear a peep from coaches about politics. At the same time, it’s no secret SVG is a players coach. In 2016 if you coach an NBA team and your players tune you out, you’re cooked. Take the politics out of what he said, and understand why he said it. He coaches a primarily black team in a primarily black league. The results of last night directly impact his players, his coaches, his family. The fact that SVG spoke out the way he did shows a lot to his players, and lets them know that he has their back. Being an NBA head coach isn’t so much about the Xs and Os as it is managing the different personalities on the team. The worst thing that can happen to a coach is when his players quit on him, so whether you agree with what he said or not, just understand that SVG was simply sticking up for his guys.
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