Deus/ Jennings

[Sparma]

Thanks for the compliment!

I have an idea on your question about Jennings, but bear with me as I try to make a connection with a Piston.  Jennings partied with Nick Young of the Lakers, who's dating Iggy Azalea.  Iggy performed Problem with Ariana Grande, who in turn co-starred with Jennette McCurdy in Sam & Cat.  As we all know (drum roll!) Andre Drummond hung out with McCurdy for an ill-fated week.  

That's the most direct connection that occurs to me between Jennings and a teammate.

[Oracle]

Sparma, that twitter observation was absolutely great man! The brotherhoods inside the fraternity of professional basketball players is one that's largely ignored, which brings me to Brandon Jennings; what brotherhood has he shown to be a member of? - DITTO

Oracle, I don't think Gores undermined Joe and Cheeks at all; they both got what their games were calling for! Cheeks was a detached, unimaginative coach, with hints of senility setting in, that Joe hired...Joe hired him! Joe knew he was on a short lease, so why did he make the roster decisions he did? Billups, Bynum weren't sound signings IMO. After acquiring Smith to pair with Monroe (one would think) he shot himself in the foot by bringing in a PG (Jennings) who had no respect for the offensive post play of his big men and Monroe's stats suffered from that move; those 15 points could/should have very easily been 20+ in his contract year. - That senility remark is the word I've been looking for since Cheeks arrived! IMO, that's really what was going on, early signs of senility, Cheeks just wasn't the guy I used to know!

Murph, I think Gores has learned from his past mistakes and will be less involved in team matters (beyond keeping his purse open); this is the trust he's placed in Van Gundy that I don't think he felt comfortable placing in Joe. Joe had gotten too big for his britches and allowed complacency to set in as a result of that and left Gores with no reliable basketball mind to lean on, hence the hated Phil Jackson showing his face in these parts. Disgusting. - I don't really think Gores was ever comfortable with Joe, that's the definition of somebody being undermined! Joe was going to have to WOW him to keep his job, and that's very hard to do! SVG doesn't have to produce, even with the same personnel! So if it was fair, SVG should get fired too if he doesn't make the playoffs! Hell, there isn't even a playoff mandate... WHY NOT?

Wise, everybody, including their neighbors lame cat, knows Monroe is a center, why is he continued to be referred to as a PF? Every time I read an article or post somewhere when he's called a PF, it's a call to trade Josh. Why do these so-called fine basketball minds keep pitting a center against a PF? They represent two different skill sets, if for no other reason, they have two different titles. IMHO as long as this confusion of what Monroe is bringing to the table, he's going to be that much harder to trade, if it comes to that, because he's been consistently over-matched by PF's during the one year Cheeks had him out of position and the talking heads are allowed to continue with this mislabeling of the man. I can go to war with Drummond and Smith starting but, weak as water at SF and no quality backup center leaves me with doubts that we can compete this year.  - Not only a center, but a throwback center at that!!!

Overall, this was just an on target post!!!

[deusXango]

Sparma, that twitter observation was absolutely great man! The brotherhoods inside the fraternity of professional basketball players is one that's largely ignored, which brings me to Brandon Jennings; what brotherhood has he shown to be a member of?

Oracle, I don't think Gores undermined Joe and Cheeks at all; they both got what their games were calling for! Cheeks was a detached, unimaginative coach, with hints of senility setting in, that Joe hired...Joe hired him! Joe knew he was on a short lease, so why did he make the roster decisions he did? Billups, Bynum weren't sound signings IMO. After acquiring Smith to pair with Monroe (one would think) he shot himself in the foot by bringing in a PG (Jennings) who had no respect for the offensive post play of his big men and Monroe's stats suffered from that move; those 15 points could/should have very easily been 20+ in his contract year.

Murph, I think Gores has learned from his past mistakes and will be less involved in team matters (beyond keeping his purse open); this is the trust he's placed in Van Gundy that I don't think he felt comfortable placing in Joe. Joe had gotten too big for his britches and allowed complacency to set in as a result of that and left Gores with no reliable basketball mind to lean on, hence the hated Phil Jackson showing his face in these parts. Disgusting.

Wise, everybody, including their neighbors lame cat, knows Monroe is a center, why is he continued to be referred to as a PF? Every time I read an article or post somewhere when he's called a PF, it's a call to trade Josh. Why do these so-called fine basketball minds keep pitting a center against a PF? They represent two different skill sets, if for no other reason, they have two different titles. IMHO as long as this confusion of what Monroe is bringing to the table, he's going to be that much harder to trade, if it comes to that, because he's been consistently over-matched by PF's during the one year Cheeks had him out of position and the talking heads are allowed to continue with this mislabeling of the man. I can go to war with Drummond and Smith starting but, weak as water at SF and no quality backup center leaves me with doubts that we can compete this year.

[Sparma]

I think you may be making an important point about Brandon Knight, even though I agree that Monroe's main itch for leaving is wanting to play center. Knight and Monroe do sound somewhat alike personally. Beyond what you mention, both are evidently devout Christians. Similarly, Monroe and Drummond have a mutual admiration society going. Drummond prominently features "Live by GOD" on Twitter. Perhaps for good reason, that kind of thing is given little attention by the media. It's a real sensitive topic, but worth noting in that there may well be strong bonds based on shared commitments.

So it's possible that Knight's leaving was jarring to Monroe as you suggest, Don. I do give some credit to Gores for writing a letter to the Milwaukee owner praising Knight both as a player and as a person. Whatever personal ties there may be among players, it still falls to Piston leadership to try to make good basketball decisions about the direction of the team [and I now regard the acquisition of Jennings as a bad basketball decision]. But there's much more going on between the players than what we observe on the court. Oddly, the universally available medium of Twitter provides insight into their inner state, at least much more so than the non-communicative post-game interviews.


Cool wrote: "Sparma perhaps the Brandon Knight trade had a huge impact on Monroe's love for the Pistons. Knight was a good smart guy with a great work ethic and team first mentality. Too bad we can't fire the owner for making this deal. Monroe is a center not a power forward anyway you cut it. He knows that Drummond is going to play center for as long as he remains in Detroit. The Knight tread is just another reason to leave. It appears that our owner and Joe Dumars had very little contact with the players. It seems obvious to me that the owner and the GM should feel out key players to see who they like playing with over a long season. Instead our previous GM and current owner just pulled the trigger on that stupid trade with the Bucks."

[Oracle]

The other problem our Pistons are going to have this year is that the EC is much much stronger, and will continue to get stronger for several years.  We may have missed our window of opportunity to sneak into the playoffs by grabbing the 8th seed with a record of around .500.

I see the following teams making the playoffs:  Indy, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, Washington, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Cleveland, not in that order.

Indy and Miami will be much worse this year, but should still have enough talent to make the playoffs.  Toronto, Washington and Charlotte are young teams that are quickly improving.  Cleveland just landed two of the best players in the NBA.  Chicago will get Rose back and should be better.  

Which leaves Brooklyn as the only team the Pistons might have a realistic chance of beating out.  But keep in mind that we finished 15 games behind the Nets last season.  That's a lot of ground to make up.  And the Nets have a wealthy owner who will spend lavishly on their payroll.

And then we have our own problems.  With Moose headed out the door, no 1st round pick, and uninspired free agent signings...our roster seems less talented than last year.  Maybe improved chemistry or improved coaching will make up for the loss of talent, but I doubt it.  We may be missing the playoffs for several more years.

Which brings into questions Tom Gores' management style and competence, at least when it comes to running a sports franchise.  Gores' decision to very publically blow up the front office in the middle of last season by firing Cheeks after 50 games, pushing Dumars out, and hiring SVG to take over both jobs may prove to be a huge mistake.

Came to the exact same conclusion, that's why he wants out!

While I think most of what you say is correct, I can quibble with a few points.

Indy, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, Washington, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Cleveland - Some of those are shaky! Indy, Toronto, Washington & Brooklyn are all on the edge IMO. 3 are first time playoff makers in recent years, and I'm not convinced that they can repeat, until they do it!

The comments on Gores are right on! His swing from undermining Joe & Cheeks to giving SVG an almost blank check is more than odd!! It could work, but it is risky and dangerous! Having said that, the stability is something refreshing for a franchise that couldn't keep a coach for more than 2 seasons is new!

One last thing, we don't have to make up 15 games against the Nets, every year is different! The one thing I do worry about with the Nets is that Lopez will be back... yet another center to frustrate Drummond defensively

[Murph]

The other problem our Pistons are going to have this year is that the EC is much much stronger, and will continue to get stronger for several years. We may have missed our window of opportunity to sneak into the playoffs by grabbing the 8th seed with a record of around .500.

I see the following teams making the playoffs: Indy, Miami, Toronto, Chicago, Washington, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Cleveland, not in that order.

Indy and Miami will be much worse this year, but should still have enough talent to make the playoffs. Toronto, Washington and Charlotte are young teams that are quickly improving. Cleveland just landed two of the best players in the NBA. Chicago will get Rose back and should be better.

Which leaves Brooklyn as the only team the Pistons might have a realistic chance of beating out. But keep in mind that we finished 15 games behind the Nets last season. That's a lot of ground to make up. And the Nets have a wealthy owner who will spend lavishly on their payroll.

And then we have our own problems. With Moose headed out the door, no 1st round pick, and uninspired free agent signings...our roster seems less talented than last year. Maybe improved chemistry or improved coaching will make up for the loss of talent, but I doubt it. We may be missing the playoffs for several more years.

Which brings into questions Tom Gores' management style and competence, at least when it comes to running a sports franchise. Gores' decision to very publically blow up the front office in the middle of last season by firing Cheeks after 50 games, pushing Dumars out, and hiring SVG to take over both jobs may prove to be a huge mistake.

[cool breeze]

There is a good article on Monroe in the Washington Post (now posted to the right).   I'm plundering a few things from Michael Lee's article.

First, he reminds us that Monroe stayed at Georgetown an extra year, risking injury and diminished status [sounds familiar!].  Lee writes: "Or five years ago, when Monroe was projected to be a lottery pick after his freshman year at Georgetown and elected to return for one more year despite the possible risks of injury or drop in draft stock."

Also, Lee -- stationed in Washington as is David Falk, as is the USA Today guy who got the big scoop [?!] about Monroe and the q.o. -- passes along a rumor/ piece of information with which I was not familiar, namely that the Falk camp tried to arrange a sign and trade with OKC.  Also, at this point, I'd say SVG'd better get busy lining up his own trade, because that will be better than the q.o..  I'm getting the suspicion that SVG's been way too passive in this process.  Time to try to make something good happen, Stan, rather than hoping that the unfair RFA process will do your dirty work for you!

Lee says: "Monroe and his agent, David Falk, never sought an offer sheet from another team but pursued sign-and-trade proposals with at least five other teams, including Portland and Oklahoma City, according to person familiar with the discussions."  

[If it were just about money, Monroe would have sought an offer sheet, using that as leverage to get Detroit to give him an inflated contract.]

Finally, Lee portrays Monroe as a bright person, who isn't acting vindictively: "Monroe appears to be eager to leave, no matter what. His decision isn’t being made out of frustration with negotiations or haste.  The 24-year-old has always been measured and intelligent, a quality that endeared him with previous coaches. His college decision came down to Georgetown and Duke and he has returned each summer to Washington to complete his theology degree."

Sparma perhaps the Brandon Knight trade had a huge impact on Monroe's love for the Pistons. Knight was a good smart guy with a great work ethic and team first mentality. Too bad we can't fire the owner for making this deal. Monroe is a center not a power forward anyway you cut it. He knows that Drummond is going to play center for as long as he remains in Detroit. The Knight tread is just another reason to leave. It appears that our owner and Joe Dumars had very little contact with the players. It seems obvious to me that the owner and the GM should feel out key players to see who they like playing with over a long season. Instead our previous GM and current owner just pulled the trigger on that stupid trade with the Bucks.

[Oracle]

I too picked Jennings as the player that may surprise us most next season!

But I also agree with Merc, and would love to see this new weigh that Don is talking about!

20 pounds is a LOT of new weight, and would be very visible!

[Oracle]

Because of my addiction for making fun of Charlie V, here is my latest fix

Charlie Villanueva's  Top Eleven  Limited  Employment Opportunities

11. A Nestle's salesman in Hershey, Pennsylvania
10. Chairman of the "Zombie Apocalypse Committee"
9. A spokesman for "The Jamaican Ganja Growers Association"
8. Third string small forward for the Minsk Midgets of the "Backward Countries League"
7. Maitre'd' at "In and Out Burger"
6. The new voice of Pepe Le Pew  in the  Loony Tune cartoons

5. Kim Kardashian's personal  booty trainer
4. Ball boy for Dennis Rodman's All Stars in North Korea
3. Playing a Wookie at Comic-Con
2. Vladimir Putin's only non-gay bodyguard
1. A birth control salesman in Intercourse, Pennsylvania

No doubt that CV has tried all of the above, but word out of California is that Charlie has landed his dream gig!

He's now the new spokesman for the Hair Club® For Men, special victims unit of the MRI radiation facility!

It doesn't pay anything, but unlike condoms, colostomy bags and dog hair are given away for free!

[Fennis Dembo]

Because of my addiction for making fun of Charlie V, here is my latest fix

Charlie Villanueva's  Top Eleven  Limited  Employment Opportunities

11. A Nestle's salesman in Hershey, Pennsylvania
10. Chairman of the "Zombie Apocalypse Committee"
9. A spokesman for "The Jamaican Ganja Growers Association"
8. Third string small forward for the Minsk Midgets of the "Backward God Forsaken Countries League"
7. Maitre'd' at "In and Out Burger"
6. The new voice of Pepe Le Pew  in the  Loony Tune cartoons

5. Kim Kardashian's personal  booty trainer
4. Ball boy for Dennis Rodman's All Stars in North Korea
3. Playing a Wookie at Comic-Con
2. Vladimir Putin's only non-gay bodyguard
1. A birth control salesman in Intercourse, Pennsylvania

[Fennis Dembo]

Because of my addiction for making fun of Charlie V, here is my latest fix

Charlie Villanueva's  Top Eleven  Limited  Employment Opportunities

11. A Nestle's salesman in Hershey, Pennsylvania
10. Chairman of the "Zombie Apocalypse Committee"
9. A spokesman for "The Jamaican Ganja Growers Association"
8. Third string small forward for the Minsk Midgets of the "Backward Countries League"
7. Maitre'd' at "In and Out Burger"
6. The new voice of Pepe Le Pew  in the  Loony Tune cartoons

5. Kim Kardashian's personal  booty trainer
4. Ball boy for Dennis Rodman's All Stars in North Korea
3. Playing a Wookie at Comic-Con
2. Vladimir Putin's only non-gay bodyguard
1. A birth control salesman in Intercourse, Pennsylvania

[Sparma]

There is a good article on Monroe in the Washington Post (now posted to the right).   I'm plundering a few things from Michael Lee's article.

First, he reminds us that Monroe stayed at Georgetown an extra year, risking injury and diminished status [sounds familiar!].  Lee writes: "Or five years ago, when Monroe was projected to be a lottery pick after his freshman year at Georgetown and elected to return for one more year despite the possible risks of injury or drop in draft stock."

Also, Lee -- stationed in Washington as is David Falk, as is the USA Today guy who got the big scoop [?!] about Monroe and the q.o. -- passes along a rumor/ piece of information with which I was not familiar, namely that the Falk camp tried to arrange a sign and trade with OKC.  Also, at this point, I'd say SVG'd better get busy lining up his own trade, because that will be better than the q.o.. I'm getting the suspicion that SVG's been way too passive in this process. Time to try to make something good happen, Stan, rather than hoping that the unfair RFA process will do your dirty work for you!

Lee says: "Monroe and his agent, David Falk, never sought an offer sheet from another team but pursued sign-and-trade proposals with at least five other teams, including Portland and Oklahoma City, according to person familiar with the discussions."  

[If it were just about money, Monroe would have sought an offer sheet, using that as leverage to get Detroit to give him an inflated contract.]

Finally, Lee portrays Monroe as a bright person, who isn't acting vindictively: "Monroe appears to be eager to leave, no matter what. His decision isn’t being made out of frustration with negotiations or haste.  The 24-year-old has always been measured and intelligent, a quality that endeared him with previous coaches. His college decision came down to Georgetown and Duke and he has returned each summer to Washington to complete his theology degree."

[merc]

Don, it could happen if he gained enough strength without adding body fat... his biggest issue was bouncing off rubs... the kid was seriously afraid of contact.... I recently looked at his draft rating from nbadraft.net... he was rated 10 for athleticism... so he has the tools to defend, just not the heart.
As much as I want his weak mentality off the team I'm willing to see if he can step up with the right coach and conditioning...
At this time...expecting the worst.. hoping for the best.

Merc...with all due respect, I don't agree that Jennings' biggest problems are his lack of strength or lack of heart.  IMO, I think his biggest problem is his lack of BB IQ, which is a fatal flaw in a PG in the NBA.

I'm with you Murph that it's more mental than it is physical with Jennings but he could stand to gain a little more strength (upper body)

I'll certainly agree that BJ lacks the intellect to make good decisions... he also has to be willing to fight thru screens which is more than coaching & IQ... maybe this extra 20 lbs (have see it to believe it) will give him more confidence to be more like the windshield vs. being the bug.

[WTF]

Don, it could happen if he gained enough strength without adding body fat... his biggest issue was bouncing off rubs... the kid was seriously afraid of contact.... I recently looked at his draft rating from nbadraft.net... he was rated 10 for athleticism... so he has the tools to defend, just not the heart.
As much as I want his weak mentality off the team I'm willing to see if he can step up with the right coach and conditioning...
At this time...expecting the worst.. hoping for the best.

Merc...with all due respect, I don't agree that Jennings' biggest problems are his lack of strength or lack of heart.  IMO, I think his biggest problem is his lack of BB IQ, which is a fatal flaw in a PG in the NBA.

I'm with you Murph that it's more mental than it is physical with Jennings but he could stand to gain a little more strength (upper body)

[WTF]

If I was coaching this team next season, I would be sitting Drummond and starting Monroe with Josh Smith because that's the BEST combination of frontcourt players possible right now!

As I've stated previously, last year Drummond should have been given more playing time than Lil' Larry gave him during his first year but, by no means should he have been tapped as a starter ahead of Monroe; Josh was brought in to be the defensive, athletic PF that Monroe never had by his side. Josh was to replace Maxiell and Drummond would have completed the big man rotation, coming off the bench; I blame the dumb ass move of not doing this on Mo Cheeks! I stand with your statement 100% that you don't start Drummond ahead of two veteran big men the caliber of Monroe and Smith but, after Drummond gave the fan base a taste of him as a starter, there was no turning back without rioting in the streets. That would have been a "nuclear option" right?   

For all any of us know, that may be the way SVG sees things; Drummond needs more seasoning than he's gotten, so far, before he's ready to start on a contending team. For all we know, SVG may envision Drummond as the most devastating PF to ever play the game if he's brought along properly. What we do know is mistakes were made in the past and things remain at as yet an unexplained standstill. I'm hoping for the best because I don't know how to prepare for worse than another 29 win season.

dX remember that Smith signed his big contract with the Pistons because he was promised that he could play small forward. Smith doesn't like playing against the big power forwards in the NBA. It hurts to bang night after night and Josh is getting older. He loves playing the way he played last season. He wants to be on the outside looking in towards the paint shooting the long ball much like Charlie V. Last season Smith didn't listen to any of his coaches and played the game HIS WAY. The difference between Smith and Labron James is glaring. James since being a young kid knew the biggest thrill in basketball is playing for the team not himself. Even in the 8th grade James loved making the extra pass or playing his ass off on defense. James continues to evolve into the best basketball player of all time while Josh Smith still plays the game for himself and doesn't want any punk coach telling him what do do or where to play or when to shoot the ball. The Josh Smith Fan Club must not bother to watch may of Smith's games or they see some weird potential that he might somehow change his approach to his work ethic. Smith is capable of being a great player but he is content to keep playing like an idiot. SVG will have his hands full this season with not only Smith but several players on this roster. I long to see another players like I. Thomas playing for the Pistons. Cleveland has Labron. Those Cleveland fans have something to get excited about not us Piston fans. We have the rejects.

Damn where do you come up with this stuff! PLEASE I BEG OF YOU TO SHOW ME THIS IN AN ARTICLE QOUTING SMITH SAYING THIS NONSENSE!

[cool breeze]

If I was coaching this team next season, I would be sitting Drummond and starting Monroe with Josh Smith because that's the BEST combination of frontcourt players possible right now!

As I've stated previously, last year Drummond should have been given more playing time than Lil' Larry gave him during his first year but, by no means should he have been tapped as a starter ahead of Monroe; Josh was brought in to be the defensive, athletic PF that Monroe never had by his side. Josh was to replace Maxiell and Drummond would have completed the big man rotation, coming off the bench; I blame the dumb ass move of not doing this on Mo Cheeks! I stand with your statement 100% that you don't start Drummond ahead of two veteran big men the caliber of Monroe and Smith but, after Drummond gave the fan base a taste of him as a starter, there was no turning back without rioting in the streets. That would have been a "nuclear option" right?   

For all any of us know, that may be the way SVG sees things; Drummond needs more seasoning than he's gotten, so far, before he's ready to start on a contending team. For all we know, SVG may envision Drummond as the most devastating PF to ever play the game if he's brought along properly. What we do know is mistakes were made in the past and things remain at as yet an unexplained standstill. I'm hoping for the best because I don't know how to prepare for worse than another 29 win season.

dX remember that Smith signed his big contract with the Pistons because he was promised that he could play small forward. Smith doesn't like playing against the big power forwards in the NBA. It hurts to bang night after night and Josh is getting older. He loves playing the way he played last season. He wants to be on the outside looking in towards the paint shooting the long ball much like Charlie V. Last season Smith didn't listen to any of his coaches and played the game HIS WAY. The difference between Smith and Labron James is glaring. James since being a young kid knew the biggest thrill in basketball is playing for the team not himself. Even in the 8th grade James loved making the extra pass or playing his ass off on defense. James continues to evolve into the best basketball player of all time while Josh Smith still plays the game for himself and doesn't want any punk coach telling him what do do or where to play or when to shoot the ball. The Josh Smith Fan Club must not bother to watch may of Smith's games or they see some weird potential that he might somehow change his approach to his work ethic. Smith is capable of being a great player but he is content to keep playing like an idiot. SVG will have his hands full this season with not only Smith but several players on this roster. I long to see another players like I. Thomas playing for the Pistons. Cleveland has Labron. Those Cleveland fans have something to get excited about not us Piston fans. We have the rejects.

[cool breeze]

Don, it could happen if he gained enough strength without adding body fat... his biggest issue was bouncing off rubs... the kid was seriously afraid of contact.... I recently looked at his draft rating from nbadraft.net... he was rated 10 for athleticism... so he has the tools to defend, just not the heart.
As much as I want his weak mentality off the team I'm willing to see if he can step up with the right coach and conditioning...
At this time...expecting the worst.. hoping for the best.

Merc...with all due respect, I don't agree that Jennings' biggest problems are his lack of strength or lack of heart.  IMO, I think his biggest problem is his lack of BB IQ, which is a fatal flaw in a PG in the NBA.

Murph I was not trying to state that Jennings had the ability to become an All Star player in the NBA. He was once the number one prospect for college prospects or number one guard in the nation as a high school player. AAU does not translate to anything special by NBA standards. I only mentioned my pick as the Piston player who had the best chance to be greatly improved this season compared to last season. As I see it though, the current players on this Piston roster are not capable of playing well enough together to beat many teams. Maybe with SVG running the team, he will get more out of the players than they gave last season. But I will never forget the lack of interest or effort provided by the returning players and cannot imagine how any fan could get excited about them coming back. I don't even like thinking about which combinations should play together. Other NBA teams have leaders who give much more to their teams than any of our players are capable of giving. The only news in Piston land is about Monroe who gave us very little last season and doesn't even seem interested in staying in Detroit. I along with most Piston fans cannot get excited about which contract Monroe will sign. Bringing up Monroe only makes us realize how far down in the basement our team as gone. Monroe is so confident that he has his game down that he decided to take the summer off to travel in Africa. Meanwhile Labron James is not satisfied with his game and works his butt off everyday during the off season. Does anyone wonder how Josh Smith spends his time in the off season?????What a downer for the Piston owners to see no lines for season tickets forming any time soon. SVG will sort out the lazy asses and remove them one by one but who will replace those players but rejects from other teams. Still that may be better than what we currently have on this team. Our players showed me last season that they are a group of low basketball IQ guys who fail to provide average effort from game to game. How they can make the money they are making is a crime. We need to lose big this season and get a high draft choice. Losing this number one pick this summer has cost the team more than post fans think.

[deusXango]

Has anyone thought about a workable starting lineup and rotation? It's getting close to training camp, so gentlemen, start your engines!!

Here's hoping Monroe comes to his senses and comes on in (3-years @ $13 million per is a win-win) and the honest round table discussion Drummond talked about between the Big 3 having to work things out takes place....with positive results!

Drummond can only be relegated to the bench, without a stink, unless he publicly demotes himself for the betterment of the team. That'd make life so much easier for Van Gundy, strengthen the relationship between Monroe and Smith, start building team chemistry, and most importantly, establish Drummond in a leadership role. If he is willing to step back in favor of seasoned veterans I'd imagine other young pups would follow his lead.

With Monroe in the fold I'd start:
PG Jennings
SG Meeks
SF Butler
PF Smith
C Monroe
and completing the rotation;
Augustin
Caldwell-Pope
Singler
Jerebko
Drummond
pick two towel wavers from, Mitchell, Gray, Bynum, Datome, and Martin because Dinwiddie will be on I.R. sporting a classy suit to compliment the "stash." Oops, that's 16 on a 15 man roster.

Without Monroe would mean a sign & trade has taken place and there's no telling what that would do to the roster; I hope he gets his panties out of a bunch!

[Murph]

Don, it could happen if he gained enough strength without adding body fat... his biggest issue was bouncing off rubs... the kid was seriously afraid of contact.... I recently looked at his draft rating from nbadraft.net... he was rated 10 for athleticism... so he has the tools to defend, just not the heart.
As much as I want his weak mentality off the team I'm willing to see if he can step up with the right coach and conditioning...
At this time...expecting the worst.. hoping for the best.

Merc...with all due respect, I don't agree that Jennings' biggest problems are his lack of strength or lack of heart. IMO, I think his biggest problem is his lack of BB IQ, which is a fatal flaw in a PG in the NBA.

[Murph]

Houston, ugh, Detroit, we have a dilemma!

Monroe is actually the BEST center on this team by a long shot! Sure Drummond has more potential, but as we've seen from Team USA, when it counts, you don't play potential, you play players that can play!!!

Drummond does garbage WAY better than Monroe, but Monroe is by far the better scorer, better FT shooter, and sadly is only slightly a poorer defender, because Drummond is just about as bad!

That's the reason I fear losing Monroe, because in 3 years when he hits his prime, he should make Jefferson look like a puppy dog! Monroe will be a LOT bigger and stronger and a LOT more polished than the player we see today!

If I was coaching this team next season, I would be sitting Drummond and starting Monroe with Josh Smith because that's the BEST combination of frontcourt players possible right now!

And YES, I'm still pissed at Monroe, but I also know it's not all his fault that we're where we're at!

Oracle...good post.  I agree in theory.  The problem is what DX pointed out.  The fan base is going to be calling for Drummond to start and play the majority of the minutes at center, even though it would probably be better for the team to bring Drummond off the bench.

[Oracle]

As I've stated previously, last year Drummond should have been given more playing time than Lil' Larry gave him during his first year but, by no means should he have been tapped as a starter ahead of Monroe; Josh was brought in to be the defensive, athletic PF that Monroe never had by his side. Josh was to replace Maxiell and Drummond would have completed the big man rotation, coming off the bench; I blame the dumb ass move of not doing this on Mo Cheeks! I stand with your statement 100% that you don't start Drummond ahead of two veteran big men the caliber of Monroe and Smith but, after Drummond gave the fan base a taste of him as a starter, there was no turning back without rioting in the streets. That would have been a "nuclear option" right?   

Love that comeback!!!

You're right, the genie is out of the lamp, and that bitch ain't going back in easily!

Although, getting dumped like a 50 cent whore by Team USA, will likely humble and motivate Drummond!

My money is on humble early, but motivate him to kick some ass this coming season!

Drummond may be loaded for pachyderm...

[Oracle]

Okay but isn't it a little overly sensationalized using the term nuclear why not simply say worse case scenario, bad decision, anything but nuclear because it give that impression of doom when it's really not.  It makes it seem as if signing the QO is the worst thing in the history of the organization and in my mind nothing would ever be as bad as drafting Darko not even this dummy signing a QO.   **** if we want to call something Nuclear Option that would be his ass signing a long term deal and having to watch his lazy ass for the next 5 seasons.  

It not like there would be no sight of recovery if he does even if everyone character takes an hit if he signs it.  Really all it does is give the media more to chirp about, dumbass will still likely end up getting his money somewhere and SVG has more cap space to look forward to. More importantly I won't have to look at his punk ass in a Pistons uniform   

Point taken, it does make it sound like going to hell in a hand basket

[deusXango]

If I was coaching this team next season, I would be sitting Drummond and starting Monroe with Josh Smith because that's the BEST combination of frontcourt players possible right now!

As I've stated previously, last year Drummond should have been given more playing time than Lil' Larry gave him during his first year but, by no means should he have been tapped as a starter ahead of Monroe; Josh was brought in to be the defensive, athletic PF that Monroe never had by his side. Josh was to replace Maxiell and Drummond would have completed the big man rotation, coming off the bench; I blame the dumb ass move of not doing this on Mo Cheeks! I stand with your statement 100% that you don't start Drummond ahead of two veteran big men the caliber of Monroe and Smith but, after Drummond gave the fan base a taste of him as a starter, there was no turning back without rioting in the streets. That would have been a "nuclear option" right?   

For all any of us know, that may be the way SVG sees things; Drummond needs more seasoning than he's gotten, so far, before he's ready to start on a contending team. For all we know, SVG may envision Drummond as the most devastating PF to ever play the game if he's brought along properly. What we do know is mistakes were made in the past and things remain at as yet an unexplained standstill. I'm hoping for the best because I don't know how to prepare for worse than another 29 win season.

[WTF]

Okay but isn't it a little overly sensationalized using the term nuclear why not simply say worse case scenario, bad decision, anything but nuclear because it give that impression of doom when it's really not. It makes it seem as if signing the QO is the worst thing in the history of the organization and in my mind nothing would ever be as bad as drafting Darko not even this dummy signing a QO. **** if we want to call something Nuclear Option that would be his ass signing a long term deal and having to watch his lazy ass for the next 5 seasons.

It not like there would be no sight of recovery if he does even if everyone character takes an hit if he signs it. Really all it does is give the media more to chirp about, dumbass will still likely end up getting his money somewhere and SVG has more cap space to look forward to. More importantly I won't have to look at his punk ass in a Pistons uniform   

[WTF]

How is Greg Monroe being sold on the open market, as a center, PF, or combination of both? With the exception of last year, he's always been a center but, the local media either refers to him as a big man or PF. I ask because I think the comparisons between he and Josh Smith (who's a historical PF) may be hurting his marketability...he's a back to the basket center, who plays beneath the rim and is a poor defender. I'm not knocking him because he's the mirror image of Al Jefferson, game wise, and look at what Big Al just meant to Charlotte. Then too, Jefferson has never had a positional conflict.

Houston, ugh, Detroit, we have a dilemma!

Monroe is actually the BEST center on this team by a long shot! Sure Drummond has more potential, but as we've seen from Team USA, when it counts, you don't play potential, you play players that can play!!!

Drummond does garbage WAY better than Monroe, but Monroe is by far the better scorer, better FT shooter, and sadly is only slightly a poorer defender, because Drummond is just about as bad!

That's the reason I fear losing Monroe, because in 3 years when he hits his prime, he should make Jefferson look like a puppy dog! Monroe will be a LOT bigger and stronger and a LOT more polished than the player we see today!

If I was coaching this team next season, I would be sitting Drummond and starting Monroe with Josh Smith because that's the BEST combination of frontcourt players possible right now! Agree 100%

And YES, I'm still pissed at Monroe, but I also know it's not all his fault that we're where we're at!

No doubt I don't like Monroe but have to agree that Josh and Monroe today is currently the best pairing option. It was always my mind that Drummond should have came off the bench last season before they even attempted that line up. Point in case as he struggles to make the USA roster.

I also agree that Monroe didn't create this situation, Joe created this and now it's up to SVG to fix it so I can hardly point a blame finger at him on this as well no matter how it turns out he's cleaning or attempting to clean up one of Joe messes.

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