After parting ways with the Detroit Pistons a couple of months back, former Motor City coach Stan Van Gundy has emphasized how good the Pistons could be last year if they were just healthy.

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press recently wrote an article about SVG, mentioning his comments on his former team.

“We showed last year – early and late – when we were healthy, we were good,” Van Gundy said. “I understand injuries are a part of it and we didn’t overcome injuries as well as other teams and I get all of that.”

Indeed, the Pistons had a roster good enough for a playoff spot last season. They have the deadly inside-and-out combo of speedy point guard Reggie Jackson and bruising big man Andre Drummond. The team also snatched up superstar Blake Griffin in a midseason trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately for the Van Gundy-led team, they never got the chance to fully build up a chemistry because of injuries to its key players.

But ‘good enough' is still not enough for any NBA team to book a postseason spot, even in the weaker eastern conference. The Pistons wound up in the 9th spot, missing the playoffs with its first season with Griffin.

But Detroit fans should have plenty of reasons to get excited this year. The Griffin-Drummond partnership will now have a full offseason to jell, and the arrival of last season's Coach of the Year in Dwane Casey will definitely bolster the team's chances to become one of the darkhorse contenders in the east coast.