The Big Lead

Chris Broussard's Terry Stotts Take Sends Stan Van Gundy Over the Edge [UPDATE]

By Liam McKeone

Stan Van Gundy
Stan Van Gundy / Dylan Buell/Getty Images
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Stan Van Gundy got a Twitter account a few weeks ago. Whenever he's not calling games for TNT, Van Gundy has spent a lot of his time very Online campaigning for various social justice initiatives and calling for change in America. He also tweets about basketball, sometimes.

One of those times came on Saturday morning. Van Gundy, apparently tired of the hot take complex in sports media, said FOX Sports needs to "dump" Chris Broussard after he suggested the Portland Trail Blazers fire Terry Stotts.

As a former coach, I'm sure this particular take hit close to home for Van Gundy. In his decades on the NBA sideline, he has been the target of such declarations many times. Add that to the fact that Broussard's main issue with Stotts is the offense, and Van Gundy was sent over the edge.

I'm inclined to agree that Broussard's take is bad. Broussard argues that Portland has reached their ceiling with Stotts and a new offense would do them wonders, as it did Golden State in 2014 when Steve Kerr came in. Say whatever you might about Portland under Stotts' watch, their offense has never been the problem. It's defense and injuries that have sunk the Blazers in playoffs past, in addition to being unlucky enough to be competing at the same time as the Golden State Warriors in the midst of their dynasty.

While fresh blood could make the Blazers better, it's anything but a sure thing. Even a defensive maestro like Tom Thibodeau can only do so much for a team that features two relatively undersized guards as their foundational pieces. It's also, again, a disservice to Stotts to not mention the injuries the Blazers have dealt with constantly over the last few seasons. The time may come for Stotts to leave, but that isn't this offseason.

Hopefully Van Gundy doesn't come for me next!

UPDATE: Broussard responded and told Van Gundy to not call for his job, because he would never call for another coach's job while he was coaching. So why would he call for another media member to be fired as a member of the media?