Stan Van Gundy: A Timeline
Everyone's favorite mustachioed basketball coach is back.
Veteran bench boss Stan Van Gundy was hired by the Detroit Pistons as their head coach and president of basketball operations on Wednesday, so what better time to take a look back at some of the highs and lows of his career as an NBA coach.
1995-96
Fired after one season as the head coach of the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team, Van Gundy was hired as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat under legendary NBA head coach Pat Riley.
The Heat made the playoffs that season but were swept in the first round by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who would go on to register the second of their two three-peats.
2003-04
Promoted to head coach after the Heat failed to qualify for the playoffs and Riley stepped down to focus on being general manager, Van Gundy led Miami back to the post-season, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 42-40 record.
After beating the New Orleans Hornets in seven games, the Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers in the second round but made significant improvements thanks to Van Gundy and the rise of 2003 fifth overall pick Dwayne Wade.
2005-06
Van Gundy led Miami to one of its best seasons in franchise history, but rumors of Riley wanting to get back in the coaching picture persisted and Van Gundy ultimately resigned in December 2005 after a tough start to the season.
Thanks in large part to the great play of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in six games to win their first NBA championship with Riley at the helm.
2007-08
Leaving Miami with a bitter taste, Van Gundy was hired as the head coach of the Orlando Magic and promptly led the team to an Eastern Conference playoff appearance before being stopped by the Detroit Pistons 4-1 in the second round.
2008-09
Van Gundy led the Magic to their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history after posting a regular season record of 59-23 and finishing third in the Eastern Conference.
Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu all contributed to the Magic's success in the post-season but the team ultimately fell short against the Los Angeles Lakers, who defeated Orlando in five games.
2011-12
Following a five-game loss to the Indians Pacers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals - Orlando's second straight first-round exit - Van Gundy was relieved of his head coaching duties in May 2012.
Making things especially awkward was the fact that, just over a month before his dismissal, Van Gundy claimed people in his management staff told him that Howard wanted him out of Orlando. He couldn't proved that Howard wanted him fired, but it ended up happening anyway.