Vince Ellis

Detroit Free Press

CHICAGO – Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t one to shy away from criticism, even when it’s time for self-assessment.

Van Gundy, who also serves as team president, is aware he has to provide answers as the franchise nears the end of a disappointing season and is mired in a horrific stretch of basketball.

“I’m not separated from this, obviously,” Van Gundy said Wednesday night following his team’s zombie-like performance in a 117-95 loss to the Chicago Bulls, the team’s fifth loss in six games.

“I think it’s pretty clear from these six games, I’m not finding the answers and not doing a very good job. It starts with me. I’m the person in charge. I selected everybody in that locker room. I’m the one that wanted them in there.

“I decide who plays. I put lineups out there. I decide on defensive coverages. I call plays. It’s all on me. I’m not running from that. Right now, we’ve gotta find a way to get it back.”

Van Gundy isn't thinking of the NBA draft lottery after the team's recent dive.

The Pistons (34-38) still are in the playoff hunt, although they sit 1½ games behind the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot.

Before this skid, the Pistons had reached .500 and appeared to be trending in the right direction. The tailspin started when they were crushed at Cleveland last week.

“We haven’t bounced back,” Van Gundy said. “We had one game. It’s like we took that one hit and have not recovered at all. We haven’t played a good game since then. This is six bad games in a row. It’s mind-boggling to me that six games ago we were playing OK and at .500, and now not even competitive.”

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.

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