National Basketball Association

Stan Van Gundy not overwhelmed in preseason return to Orlando

Published Oct. 17, 2014 6:48 p.m. ET

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Walking down the hallway between the locker rooms Friday night at the Amway Center was not like a trip down memory lane for Stan Van Gundy.

"It's like being away in any arena, really. It's no different," Van Gundy said in a pregame question-and-answer session with reporters before the Detroit Pistons took on the Orlando Magic, the team he coached for five seasons and led to the NBA Finals in 2009.

The Pistons hired Van Gundy on May 14 as their head coach and president of basketball operations. After compiling a 259-135 regular-season record with the Magic from 2007 to 2012, he is back in the coaching ranks with a team which has not made the playoffs for five consecutive years.

His assistant coaches include Bob Beyer and Brendan Malone, both of whom were on his staff in Orlando. And when the Pistons opened training camp earlier this month, Van Gundy was reunited with former Magic general manager Otis Smith, who now serves as the coach of Detroit's affiliate in the developmental league.

"We had stayed in touch over the last two years and seen each other occasionally," Van Gundy said. "It's nice to have him up there."

Pat Garrity, who was among the former Magic players honored last season during the franchise's 25-year anniversary, is also working for the Pistons as their director of strategic planning.

With the waiving of Jameer Nelson over the summer, no one on the current Magic roster remains from Van Gundy's tenure. Although the Magic, like the Pistons, have struggled in recent years, Van Gundy spoke highly of center Nikola Vucevic and said the Magic have the potential to be one of the league's top offensive teams once the regular season begins.

"They've got a lot of skilled guys," he said. "I think it's a very talented, young team. And when they need to slow the game down a little bit, they've got a great offensive anchor down low in Vucevic."

The only member of the Pistons who played for Van Gundy in Orlando is forward Brian Cook. When asked how Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and the rest of his players are adjusting to his often-blunt approach, the 55-year-old Van Gundy was his typical candid self.

"All I know is that they have worked extremely hard and been extremely committed to what we're doing," he said. "How they feel about me, I don't have any idea. We obviously don't sit around and talk about that. If it's like most situations, some of them like me, some of them hate me, and some of them are undecided."

You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.