Jeremy Tyler Gets Partially Guaranteed Deal For Opportunity With Knicks

[Sebastian]

I wished that WE could have signed this kid, Jeremy Tyler. He would had been a good player to add to the 15th spot.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/229288/Jeremy-Tyler-Gets-Partially-Guaranteed-Deal-For-Opportunity-With-Knicks

I think Joe should go after Kyrylo Fesenko. He's a good big body to have come off the bench in certain situations. He also is from the Ukraine.

If signed, I can go back to referring to one of OUR players as, "the Ukraine".

Going to miss you Slava. Sorry, I never got to know you. 

[Sebastian]

I'm going to give Joe some credit here which I rarely do.  This team just with the addition of Smith, Jennings and CB instantly put the team in the playoffs IMO.  A 7th and 8th seeds I a forgone conclusion, it's a done deal unless this team suffers from major injuries.  The Pistons can go  high as a 4th seed.
 
1. Miami:  You simply have to conclude they're the best team right now being the "Defending Champs" But they're still only a three man team.
 
2. Chicago: Should be pushing for the #1 spot in the East with a healthy D. Rose back in the mix.  I'm starting to question Rose toughness right now ad where his heart is at.  Most "Elite Players" would have played last season
 
3. Indy: Is a tough team and experience is key with them.  They're learning how to win games and sooner or later they are going to push Miami and Chicago t of the picture.
 
4. NY, Brooklyn, Pistons:  As loaded as Brooklyn is I honestly don't think they'll have the right chemistry to pull it all together to beat out the top three.  Kidd is a wildcard an this hire only proves the owner is looking to fill seats and not all about winning.  New York simply can't d it with Anthony alone and don't see them being any better than the Pistons an don't think NY will finish with a better record.   This definitely put us at a 5th seed

Yo, Wise, I'm with you, man. I see US as a 5th or serious as threat to be a 4th seed in the much, much tougher East. I do however, respectfully, disagree with the final seeding at the top, as I think the Heat will finish third and the Pacer will finish second, with the Bulls finishing with the #1 Seed. It will be scrappy all season long at the very top of the East, though.

[WTF]

I'm going to give Joe some credit here which I rarely do.  This team just with the addition of Smith, Jennings and CB instantly put the team in the playoffs IMO.  A 7th and 8th seeds I a forgone conclusion, it's a done deal unless this team suffers from major injuries.  The Pistons can go  high as a 4th seed.
 
1. Miami:  You simply have to conclude they're the best team right now being the "Defending Champs" But they're still only a three man team.
 
2. Chicago: Should be pushing for the #1 spot in the East with a healthy D. Rose back in the mix.  I'm starting to question Rose toughness right now ad where his heart is at.  Most "Elite Players" would have played last season
 
3. Indy: Is a tough team and experience is key with them.  They're learning how to win games and sooner or later they are going to push Miami and Chicago t of the picture.
 
4. NY, Brooklyn, Pistons:  As loaded as Brooklyn is I honestly don't think they'll have the right chemistry to pull it all together to beat out the top three.  Kidd is a wildcard an this hire only proves the owner is looking to fill seats and not all about winning.  New York simply can't d it with Anthony alone and don't see them being any better than the Pistons an don't think NY will finish with a better record.   This definitely put us at a 5th seed

[Oracle]

Oracle, Knight was the second biggest PG on the team, and given his youth, he should get bigger and stronger in the next 2-3 years; hopefully his game will grow as much as his physical stature will. He's gone now, and I do wish him well; I wish we could have kept him and he excepted the 6th man role for us. A 6th man on the Pistons is better than a starting PG on the Bucks! Fo' real.

Maybe, but I'm not totally sure that's true!

I thought the Bucks were in tanking mode, but I took a look at their roster, and the only thing keeping them out of the playoffs is coaching and experience!

The main reason I looked was because the Bucks I knew last season had no business saying that they didn't need Slava! However after a review of their roster, their frontcourt is BIG & LONG!

Don't look now, but their backcourt isn't anything to sneeze at either! With Knight & O.J. Mayo, that backcourt is at least as good as what we have, and probably better unless either Stuckey or KCP can get to Mayo levels real quick!

However, the difference with us is that NOBODY can boast players in the 3,4 & 5 spot anywhere close to the quality and potential of Smith, Monroe & Drummond(SMD)!

But, IMO, we aren't contending for the 8th slot, that would be kind of a bad season for us, we really need to be above that to call the season a success unless we make it to the 2nd round(unlikely with the 7th or 8th seed)!

The 6th seed is the magic one for us because it gives us a team that we have a chance to beat in the first round!

So the Bucks aren't a bad team with a 7'1 280lb center and 6'11 forwards, with Middleton at SF, Mayo at SG, and Knight at PG! Middleton & Mayo(M&M) are going to be hell to defend because both can shoot or put it on the floor(and we know Knight can shoot), Knight's assists will be something to watch now!

That's a fast athletic team that can do some damage if they can get the coaching and youngsters to come along! In addition to being fast and athletic, the starting lineup boast 3 solid shooters!

[deusXango]

Oracle, Knight was the second biggest PG on the team, and given his youth, he should get bigger and stronger in the next 2-3 years; hopefully his game will grow as much as his physical stature will. He's gone now, and I do wish him well; I wish we could have kept him and he excepted the 6th man role for us. A 6th man on the Pistons is better than a starting PG on the Bucks! Fo' real.

[Oracle]

Just an effort to get you guys ready for Shark Week! You simply have to know your Sharks!

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

Basketball people know who & what he is!

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA

I still believe in Brandon Knight’s upside. Smart, high character guy with talent will figure it out. Detroit likely gave up too soon.
7:20 AM - 6 Aug 2013

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA

Re: My Brandon Knight point, saying I believe in his upside doesn’t mean, I think he will be a full time starting PG
7:38 AM - 6 Aug 2013

 

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA

But Knight has a hell of a lot of talent and is smart and as dedicated as they come. He will find a nice niche.
7:41 AM - 6 Aug 2013

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA

JET wasn’t a full-time starting guard either, but never had a doubt he’d find his niche in the league. Too talented and dedicated not to.
7:43 AM - 6 Aug 2013

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA

@[b class="p-nickname"]vgoodwill[/b] I'm not a HUGE fan, per say. I just believe in giving young, talented, smart players a chance to figure out things.
8:19 AM - 6 Aug 2013

Nate Jones @JonesOnTheNBA
@[b class="p-nickname"]vgoodwill[/b] I don't think Jennings contract is that cap friendly. It can be if he figures things out. Still very inefficient guard.
8:22 AM - 6 Aug 2013

[cool breeze]

I've had Frankie D, Sissy, and Grizz sightings on that other network, anyone know why they don't have input here anymore?

dX my best guess is that too many posters here have thrown Knight under the bus too many times. Fans can turn their emotions off and throw Knight into the garbage like a 10 days old half eaten pork chop. Fans are cold hearted when it comes to the departed. Also, I think that Grizz at least might be upset that few posters here are worried about our guards ability to defend this coming season especially the circus act Will Bynum. I can take it and will keep reading everyone's take on the current Pistons as Murph instructed me to "get over it" regarding Knight. Seriously, I am puzzled as well relating to those posters because I really enjoyed what they had to say as I do with everyone here who bothers to stay involved. For sure we are in for a more interesting season this year and I am really excited but am not expecting Detroit can compete with the best teams in the NBA yet.

[cool breeze]

No matter how you try to shape it Knight was the worst combo guard at either position last season.  There is a reason why Knight got traded and why so much talk has been placed on Stuckey by both Cheeks and Joe.

I don't think anyone will conclude that Stuckey has had a stellar season the past 3 seasons but he is far more closer to becoming a PG much in the way of CB.  

Boy I can recall when many was making the argument for Stuckey that it would take him 6 seasons with all the Billups comparisons.  Well here we are year 6  

Back to Knight.  His biggest issue was all of his Brain Farts on the court in doing the basic things and his inability to lead on the court.  

That is a puzzling statement Wisefan. From what I saw of Brandon, he did look like a leader type player. He was emotional when things were going wrong. At times he took over games to get the Pistons back so they had a chance to win. At no time in Stuckey's career have I ever noticed that he was upset with himself by letting players go around him to the rim on defense to driving into the lane during crunch time when there was no lane. Think of this before you throw Knight into the sewer Wisefan. Knight was the best defensive guard on the team last season and Singler was the second best player when he played the 2 guard. The head coach who had his job on the line trusted Knight and Singler but didn't trust Stuckey as a player. After Knight has 6 years of experience as an NBA player will he show zero improvement as a player in any area which is the true history of Stuckey. Billups is not a guy who you can compare with Stuckey either. Billups worked on his game and became a much better all around player with the Timberwolves before he was signed with Detroit. Much is said about Larry Brown developing Billups but that is nonsense. Brown was a basket case when he became the Piston's coach. He was never the same Larry Brown of earlier days. Billups developed himself through hard work and as a Pistons gave the team what they needed. He had good concentration as a defensive player before he became a Piston and his outside shooting ability was really good before he signed his first contract with Detroit. Remember those early games with Billups playing point guard for Detroit. He shot the long ball in crunch time at critical moments and made all of his free throws when it counted. This was new stuff for us fans. We had a real Piston who made great plays when it counted. So far Stuckey is at his worst during crunch time. His outside shooting has never improved. His passing skills have never improved. He could be a good defender but he still has concentration issues. The reason whey Stuckey sat the bench a lot with three different coaching staffs is his inability to concentrate and get the defensive rotations down. That is what Knight and Singler do really well but fans never notice. Those two players are smart and they care about the team being successful. They both hate losing. Stuckey has never hated losing or at least I have never seen him look out of sorts when the Pistons lost. He never went into the coaching office and told the coach that he wants to play and was willing to play within the system. Opponents of the Pistons had players who were willing to do that and that is why they always kicked Detroit's ass. It was because of players like Stuckey and Charlie V and Austin Daye. Those guys had their own system. I am amazed that any Piston fan would enjoy watching those players perform.

Don...Knight is gone.   He had his chance.  He was drafted over an NCAA Champion and the NCAA Final Four Player of the Year, and he was handed...handed...the starting PG position in Detroit, and he crapped out.  Get over it.


Good signing of Siva.  I hope he gets some minutes here, and doesn't end up like most of our other late 2nd round draft choices who never got a legitimate shot, such as English, Middleton, Macklin, White, Summers, Buddinger, Acker, etc.

You sound like my commanding officer after a scary night Murph. Can't I have a few more days or sadness after losing my favorite Piston for the past 2 years? Please Sir!

[cool breeze]

I like what he said which is what I have been saying about Knight while he played for Detroit. Jennings felt like he had to attempt those low percentage shots over the last two seasons with the Bucks obviously because of shot clock situations and the players he was on the floor with. For Knight it was his turnovers and last ditch shot attempts but while others want to place the entire blame on Knight, it just isn't the right thing to do. Just as the offense was dysfunctional when Michael Curry started at the small forward spot and Ben Wallace was center and Billups had to fire up those 3 balls a lot, many point guards take all the blame when things go wrong. But often it is the other players around the point guard who just don't have it. It is also interesting as to how many fans think Bynum did a good job at the point while I saw him as a player who was out of control most of the time and only could connect with Drummond early on when Drummond caught many opposing players by surprise. This year Smith will make all the difference for any point guard who is half way capable. Knight didn't have a guy like Smith. Jennings was in the same boat. Jennings got lucky and Knight was dealt a bad hand. I sure wouldn't want to play point guard for the Bucks this season.

I am happy that the Pistons signed Siva because he really impressed me in the Summer League games. Thank you Joe Dumars! Siva is a tough minded point guard who somehow has that ability to make something happen when nothing is there. And he is a good defender. I think that coach Cheeks will really like him.

[Oracle]

The Interview
I kinda like this kid already! He said all of the things I wanted to hear and he said them convincingly!

He addressed the bad shots he takes, saying that he won't have to do that anymore now that he has the kind of talent around him he's never had!

Standing next to Joe, he didn't look as short as I feared, so I hope he can surprise us with better defense, but overall, this was a STELLAR move by Joe no matter how it turns out, it was just smart!

Just remember that Jennings = Stuckey! They're the same in that Jennings NEEDED a change of scenery, and Stuckey would benefit from one as well!

@Murph & @DX - Murph, Knight didn't crap out here, and DX, Knight isn't basketball dumb! We did the best thing for the Pistons, and for Knight at the same time!

I don't know what Knight did to deserve this venom that keeps coming out, but IMO, the kid played his heart out, and we should be wishing him well.

BTW, Knight = Afflalo! Both hard workers and good defensive players from great programs, but for whatever reason, we simply can't wait for them to develop. I think the reasons for making the change with Knight were more well thought out than Afflalo, which was stupid, but there it is!

Jennings is ready right now, Knight is still probably 2 years away, and we don't have 2 years at the PG position with Smith being 27! We need to get this done while he's on the sunny side of 30, so the Jennings move works best for us!

@Seb - I'll be rooting for Stuckey coming off the bench, where if he's playing right, should push Chauncey into a situational supporting role, or better yet, push Chauncey into a backup SG role(do what's right for the team CB!)!

IMO, Stuckey is the ideal 1st PG off the bench, and a fierce change of pace from Jennings. Chauncey, IMO, should be simply a spot-up shooting guard at his advanced age!

So folks need to jump on the Stuckey bandwagon, and the CV bandwagon as well!

This is where CV is actually useful, on a team going somewhere, where he can come off the bench and dominate 2nd units down low, while dropping 3 pointers when he can't go down low!

CV may surprise! Throw in a little Bynumite(sorry Don), and we're cooking!

[deusXango]

Sebastian, I appreciate the feed to the press conference, introducing Jennings to the city, as I really wanted to see that; thanks a lot good buddy.

[Sebastian]

Stuckey is going to be allowed to play out the remaining year of his contract, as a Piston, much to the chagrin of 95% of Pistons fans. So, I suggest that everybody root for my boy, Stuckey, doing this his contract season.

An above average '13-'14 Rodney Stuckey, will make for an above average '13-'14 Pistons.

Here's the link to the B. Jennings Press Conference, if it still available - http://www.nba.com/pistons/multimedia/pistons-press-conference.

[Murph]

No matter how you try to shape it Knight was the worst combo guard at either position last season.  There is a reason why Knight got traded and why so much talk has been placed on Stuckey by both Cheeks and Joe.

I don't think anyone will conclude that Stuckey has had a stellar season the past 3 seasons but he is far more closer to becoming a PG much in the way of CB.  

Boy I can recall when many was making the argument for Stuckey that it would take him 6 seasons with all the Billups comparisons.  Well here we are year 6  

Back to Knight.  His biggest issue was all of his Brain Farts on the court in doing the basic things and his inability to lead on the court.  

That is a puzzling statement Wisefan. From what I saw of Brandon, he did look like a leader type player. He was emotional when things were going wrong. At times he took over games to get the Pistons back so they had a chance to win. At no time in Stuckey's career have I ever noticed that he was upset with himself by letting players go around him to the rim on defense to driving into the lane during crunch time when there was no lane. Think of this before you throw Knight into the sewer Wisefan. Knight was the best defensive guard on the team last season and Singler was the second best player when he played the 2 guard. The head coach who had his job on the line trusted Knight and Singler but didn't trust Stuckey as a player. After Knight has 6 years of experience as an NBA player will he show zero improvement as a player in any area which is the true history of Stuckey. Billups is not a guy who you can compare with Stuckey either. Billups worked on his game and became a much better all around player with the Timberwolves before he was signed with Detroit. Much is said about Larry Brown developing Billups but that is nonsense. Brown was a basket case when he became the Piston's coach. He was never the same Larry Brown of earlier days. Billups developed himself through hard work and as a Pistons gave the team what they needed. He had good concentration as a defensive player before he became a Piston and his outside shooting ability was really good before he signed his first contract with Detroit. Remember those early games with Billups playing point guard for Detroit. He shot the long ball in crunch time at critical moments and made all of his free throws when it counted. This was new stuff for us fans. We had a real Piston who made great plays when it counted. So far Stuckey is at his worst during crunch time. His outside shooting has never improved. His passing skills have never improved. He could be a good defender but he still has concentration issues. The reason whey Stuckey sat the bench a lot with three different coaching staffs is his inability to concentrate and get the defensive rotations down. That is what Knight and Singler do really well but fans never notice. Those two players are smart and they care about the team being successful. They both hate losing. Stuckey has never hated losing or at least I have never seen him look out of sorts when the Pistons lost. He never went into the coaching office and told the coach that he wants to play and was willing to play within the system. Opponents of the Pistons had players who were willing to do that and that is why they always kicked Detroit's ass. It was because of players like Stuckey and Charlie V and Austin Daye. Those guys had their own system. I am amazed that any Piston fan would enjoy watching those players perform.

Don...Knight is gone. He had his chance. He was drafted over an NCAA Champion and the NCAA Final Four Player of the Year, and he was handed...handed...the starting PG position in Detroit, and he crapped out. Get over it.


Good signing of Siva. I hope he gets some minutes here, and doesn't end up like most of our other late 2nd round draft choices who never got a legitimate shot, such as English, Middleton, Macklin, White, Summers, Buddinger, Acker, etc.

[deusXango]

I've had Frankie D, Sissy, and Grizz sightings on that other network, anyone know why they don't have input here anymore?

[deusXango]

Oracle, I appreciate your in-depth explanations for the questions I raised, and after reading your responses I realized that we've got more going for us than we've got going against us; Joe's still flying by the seat of his pants (a long ship size sail) and making knee-jerk reactions on important matters, Rondo is only an issue to be discussed by the ignorant right now, and Stuckey will do what he does best.....hang around and sulk.

The three avenues of rebuilding a franchise that's on it's knees is the draft, free agent signing, and trades; IMHO Joe scored high on all those fronts! I was stunned when Joe drafted Caldwell-Pope, when Burke was still on the board, but after watching the progress this young man made in Summer League, I see that he can play the game, not just score the ball. Ben McLemore and Shabazz Muhammad got all the press, but this guy may be just as good, if not better, in the long run. Joe signed the third best free agent (which was the #1 possibility for 95% of the league) and I'll go to my grave thinking Josh Smith is the best signing for our young big men, and their future development. I refuse to poke holes in Smith's game and find all sorts of reasons for our trio of big men to fail; I'm genuinely excited about Pistons basketball again. The trade for Brandon Jennings made more sense to me than the one for Jose Calderon; Jose is gone away, and Jennings is here to stay! I always had the knowledge that Knight's place on this team would be as 6th man, but he wasn't sold on that, so bring on Jennings; he has that "it" that Knight lacked, that swagger, the insane handle, the no-look passes, and that city attitude for a team that appreciates city swagger. Cheeks and Chauncey have a more receptive student to work with in Jennings than they would in Knight; BK7 is book smart, but strikes me as basketball dumb. Joe went "yard" on all fronts!!

The good fortune that's due Joe has shown up in the form of Datome, Mitchell, and Siva. They're not frontline news items, but over the course of a long season, I think they'll be great foot soldiers, when called on. The remarkable thing is, I get the feeling that KCP, Smith, Jennings, Mitchell, Siva, and Gigi all want to be Pistons and not just collect a paycheck. If the team was to be built around Monroe/Drummond, what better players to place around them? I don't think they'll have any problem jelling with each other and team chemistry should develop easily. If Cheeks had to rely only on those eight players as rotational players, we could make the playoffs, but we have Singler, Jerebko, Billups, Stuckey, Villanueva, and Bynum, who will probably play major roles in this upcoming season, which ain't bad. I've got so much more to be glad about, than to piss and moan about, and engage in endless speculation.

GO PISTONS!!!

[Oracle]

Great signing of Siva! I knew Joe wasn't going to let this kid get away!

Slava Dreaming? Forget it, I believe this is the Lindsey Hunter rule!

Keith Langlois @Keith_Langlois

Lots of #PIstons Mailbag questions on Slava Kravtsov, if he's waived by Bucks, returning. Can't happen for 1 year per new CBA.
8:58 AM - 5 Aug 2013

[Oracle]

Oracle, I raise my cup with yours in toasting Stones, he consistently brings it, and is a great replacement for those who seem to have abandoned the site. Hail and welcome to Go Stones!!

Oracle, I have a few questions that I believe you can answer for me and apply some logic to the reasoning of why things played out the way they have. The obvious is why didn't Joe draft a PG if a natural PG was what this team needed? Okay, KCP was a better choice at #8, so why didn't Joe acquire Greivis Vasquez instead of Jennings? I think his production was more efficient than Jennings, he's certainly bigger, and plays much better defense; I don't know if we would have had to give up as much (Middleton) to trade for Vasquez. - I'm not 100% sure of this, but I have pieced together enough facts to hazard a guess!

I think Joe initially thought Knight was going to work, but after Knight started to get disgruntled, he took a 2nd & 3rd look at the situation, and he was forced to do something!

I also think Joe was pissed that Knight would feel that way because the biggest vote of confidence Joe gave him was passing on two pure PG's, and when word was leaking out to the press that Knight was pouting about the Chauncey signing, Joe knew he had to move.

So the bottom line is that this is a reaction, not a plan, and therefore all of the logic you try to apply to it won't work!

Do you think we'd be acquiring Rondo from Boston, or would Boston be dumping Rondo on us; I know what his history has been, but I look at the injuries he's had over the last few years (the bent over backwards elbow, back problems, and now the ACL), and the quality of being nurtured on playing with the Big 3 of the Celtics, who he didn't get along with, and I wonder what exactly does the future hold for him? Would he be the fit for this team that many hope he'll be? Given the average age of our core group, would he be ready to gel with them and lead for the next 10 years? Why is the Pistons the only team prominently associated with Rondo trade rumors, on the national scene? Why not the Lakers, or the Knicks, or the Heat? These are just a few of the major market teams that need a PG more than we do, but they're never mentioned! I ask this question simply because Joe D has been the victim of bad basketball decision making over the last half decade, and every GM worth their salt knows this. - Rondo is only worth talking about if he's fully recovered or Jennings is a bust! If Jennings doesn't work out, the Knight trade will look really bad, and I mean UGLY! I don't see that happening, but anything is possible. Joe will not move on Rondo unless he's fully recovered, it's just too dangerous!

I'm going to end with a touchy subject, Rodney Stuckey; these flashes of talent were what exactly? I remember him coming back from an injury during his rookie year and having a great, albeit brief, playoff series, when Chauncey went down. Since that series I haven't seen any evidence of him attempting to improve on his overall game; how many years does it take to develop a mid-range jump shot? Why hasn't he learned when to drive, and when to pull up? Where's the "tear drop?" For a ball dominate PG, for years, why hasn't he averaged 20 pts. yet? Is it because he's been setting up his team mates with pinpoint passes? My eyes tell me that "wildly inconsistent" is occasionally consistent (he has a run of 4-5 games where he plays great, preceded or followed by 15-16 games where he sucks). I don't know the man personally, so these are not hate based questions, but I know what I like to see in a basketball player representing the home team and he's let me down for the last 5 years, in many areas, and that has nothing to do with his coaches, team mates, the placement of the stars, nothing but Rodney Stuckey, and I'm done. - I'm surprised you can't remember how Stuckey was viewed by everyone as a budding star! In his 2nd year he was making Rose look like a chump signing, Stuckey was CLEARLY getting the better of his regularly.

But remember, our team was only decent, and once defenses figured out that Stuckey didn't have a jumper, floater, or pull up jumper, he became the easiest PG to defend in the NBA!

The thinking is that if you surround him with one athletic big, then he could compensate for the lack of the tools mentioned and since he's a good assist man, he could lay off the charging stuff.

Ok, a lot of "if's", but there's only two positions to have on Stuckey!
1. If he's here, you have to hope he turns in a stellar season, or
2. Just hope he gets traded before he [email=f@#ks]f@#ks[/email] stuff up!

[cool breeze]

I do know, why WE have 1/5 (there is still one spot remaining on the 15-man roster) OUR roster represented by three guys 6' or shorter.

Jennings, I understand, but Will B. and Peyton Siva.

I am a happy man again. I love the way Payton Siva plays and am happy he will get his opportunity to play for the Pistons. Now if only Dumars could trade Bynum for a draft pick.

[Sebastian]

I do know, why WE have 1/5 (there is still one spot remaining on the 15-man roster) OUR roster represented by three guys 6' or shorter.

Jennings, I understand, but Will B. and Peyton Siva.

[cool breeze]

[quote="WISEFAN"]No matter how you try to shape it Knight was the worst combo guard at either position last season.  There is a reason why Knight got traded and why so much talk has been placed on Stuckey by both Cheeks and Joe.

I don't think anyone will conclude that Stuckey has had a stellar season the past 3 seasons but he is far more closer to becoming a PG much in the way of CB.  

Boy I can recall when many was making the argument for Stuckey that it would take him 6 seasons with all the Billups comparisons.  Well here we are year 6  

Back to Knight.  His biggest issue was all of his Brain Farts on the court in doing the basic things and his inability to lead on the court.  

That is a puzzling statement Wisefan. From what I saw of Brandon, he did look like a leader type player. He was emotional when things were going wrong. At times he took over games to get the Pistons back so they had a chance to win. At no time in Stuckey's career have I ever noticed that he was upset with himself by letting players go around him to the rim on defense to driving into the lane during crunch time when there was no lane. Think of this before you throw Knight into the sewer Wisefan. Knight was the best defensive guard on the team last season and Singler was the second best player when he played the 2 guard. The head coach who had his job on the line trusted Knight and Singler but didn't trust Stuckey as a player. After Knight has 6 years of experience as an NBA player will he show zero improvement as a player in any area which is the true history of Stuckey. Billups is not a guy who you can compare with Stuckey either. Billups worked on his game and became a much better all around player with the Timberwolves before he was signed with Detroit. Much is said about Larry Brown developing Billups but that is nonsense. Brown was a basket case when he became the Piston's coach. He was never the same Larry Brown of earlier days. Billups developed himself through hard work and as a Pistons gave the team what they needed. He had good concentration as a defensive player before he became a Piston and his outside shooting ability was really good before he signed his first contract with Detroit. Remember those early games with Billups playing point guard for Detroit. He shot the long ball in crunch time at critical moments and made all of his free throws when it counted. This was new stuff for us fans. We had a real Piston who made great plays when it counted. So far Stuckey is at his worst during crunch time. His outside shooting has never improved. His passing skills have never improved. He could be a good defender but he still has concentration issues. The reason whey Stuckey sat the bench a lot with three different coaching staffs is his inability to concentrate and get the defensive rotations down. That is what Knight and Singler do really well but fans never notice. Those two players are smart and they care about the team being successful. They both hate losing. Stuckey has never hated losing or at least I have never seen him look out of sorts when the Pistons lost. He never went into the coaching office and told the coach that he wants to play and was willing to play within the system. Opponents of the Pistons had players who were willing to do that and that is why they always kicked Detroit's ass. It was because of players like Stuckey and Charlie V and Austin Daye. Those guys had their own system. I am amazed that any Piston fan would enjoy watching those players perform.

[cool breeze]

This baffles me as to why fans would be saying this as if it is a true statement. The only problem with Knight is the fact that he is so young and his coach didn't run pro type plays relating to offense. Is Knight a starting point guard caliber player when you think defense? That is important to teams like the Spurs or Indiana. But it seems that all anyone is interested in relating to the Pistons is that Knight didn't play the pick and roll plays very well and his instincts didn't look good. Well Calderon's point guard instincts were missing as well last season because he was playing offense a lot with Maxiell and Monroe two players who don't play pick and roll plays well. But the real silly thing about this argument that Knight is not capable of being a good point guard is the fact that he arrived in Detroit at age 19 with a coach who never had a pick and roll play in his system. How many years does it take to become a good point guard in the current way the NBA is set up? NBA teams do not play like the teams of old where there was always a big center and the game was played at a much slower pace. Now NBA teams play a lot of zone to clog up the middle of the paint. I can't cry over spilled milk because like the Billups trade, several years ago, it is too late now to change things. What I see in Knight is the makings of a great player. He should be playing his first season as a pro this year. He is smart as hell and has great quickness and he works hard. That combination is a sure thing in my way of thinking because most NBA players do not have that drive to be the best. In whatever position Knight ends up in within the next 2 years he will be a force much like those guards who are playing now for Golden State. I read where fans got excited about the statement that Knight was a starter last season but couldn't do it now with the upgrade in talent on the team. I don't see the talent at the guard spots. I do believe that Knight would have sure looked a lot better playing with a guy like Smith this season. Knight is a pass first unselfish type player. We need at least one guard who is like that but we don't have one. And none of our guards with the exception of possibly Pope as any interest in playing defense. You don't win games unless you have guys who like playing tough defense. Why do fans choose to ignore the real facts about the Piston guards just to justify the trade Dumars made out of panic for his job. This trade will hurt Detroit in the future unless another trade involving guards is done. And I am not very excited about Rondo at this point in his career. Rondo did not play well before his ACL injury last season. Dumars should get tapes of those games before his injury to determine how well he would fit in with the current Piston team. Rondo has had significant back injuries before the ACL and few really recover from an ACL who play the point guard position. My final take on Knight is this. He will have a tough time with this Bucks team because his teammates are not very good players. But my best guess is that he will continue to work on his game and improve until he can become a free agent. At that time he will sign with a good team and become a star player in the league. We will all be saying damn it all Knight was not a 6th man after all.

[deusXango]

Oracle, I raise my cup with yours in toasting Stones, he consistently brings it, and is a great replacement for those who seem to have abandoned the site. Hail and welcome to Go Stones!!

Oracle, I have a few questions that I believe you can answer for me and apply some logic to the reasoning of why things played out the way they have. The obvious is why didn't Joe draft a PG if a natural PG was what this team needed? Okay, KCP was a better choice at #8, so why didn't Joe acquire Greivis Vasquez instead of Jennings? I think his production was more efficient than Jennings, he's certainly bigger, and plays much better defense; I don't know if we would have had to give up as much (Middleton) to trade for Vasquez.

Do you think we'd be acquiring Rondo from Boston, or would Boston be dumping Rondo on us; I know what his history has been, but I look at the injuries he's had over the last few years (the bent over backwards elbow, back problems, and now the ACL), and the quality of being nurtured on playing with the Big 3 of the Celtics, who he didn't get along with, and I wonder what exactly does the future hold for him? Would he be the fit for this team that many hope he'll be? Given the average age of our core group, would he be ready to gel with them and lead for the next 10 years? Why is the Pistons the only team prominently associated with Rondo trade rumors, on the national scene? Why not the Lakers, or the Knicks, or the Heat? These are just a few of the major market teams that need a PG more than we do, but they're never mentioned! I ask this question simply because Joe D has been the victim of bad basketball decision making over the last half decade, and every GM worth their salt knows this.

I'm going to end with a touchy subject, Rodney Stuckey; these flashes of talent were what exactly? I remember him coming back from an injury during his rookie year and having a great, albeit brief, playoff series, when Chauncey went down. Since that series I haven't seen any evidence of him attempting to improve on his overall game; how many years does it take to develop a mid-range jump shot? Why hasn't he learned when to drive, and when to pull up? Where's the "tear drop?" For a ball dominate PG, for years, why hasn't he averaged 20 pts. yet? Is it because he's been setting up his team mates with pinpoint passes? My eyes tell me that "wildly inconsistent" is occasionally consistent (he has a run of 4-5 games where he plays great, preceded or followed by 15-16 games where he sucks). I don't know the man personally, so these are not hate based questions, but I know what I like to see in a basketball player representing the home team and he's let me down for the last 5 years, in many areas, and that has nothing to do with his coaches, team mates, the placement of the stars, nothing but Rodney Stuckey, and I'm done.

[Oracle]

"You bring up a good point. I think on the Bucks team and the Pistons last year that Knight was of starting caliber. The future Piston's teams would have Knight as a 6th man." - Stones

Stones that thought was buried somewhere in my head, but when you said it, I thought... WOW, he's nailed the essence of the argument!

You're right, Knight was absolutely starting PG material on last years team because PG wasn't the position that was limiting the team. Improving the position with statistically the 2nd best PG in the league, resulted in slightly worst performance!

On a better team, you couldn't start Knight because at that point, the PG position could limit the success of the team, and that's EXACTLY what Joe knew and why he had to move Knight for both his and the club's best interest.

With the Bucks, Knight again will be of starting PG caliber and in a position to get better as the team grows, and that's why he lucked out going there!

Players develop on different timetables, and Jennings got a LOT better than he was in his first year, I just wish he was 2 inches taller!

Knight handled the top young PG's we'll have to face in the east defensively, although he didn't have to defend a healthy Wall, he handled Jennings and Cleveland's Erving. I'd like to know how Jennings did against those guys.

The good news for Jennings is that we have a much more solid defensive frontcourt that will erase his mistakes!

BTW Stones, you've proved to be a good addition to the board, keep up the good posts!

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