Let's Go Piston's

[Sissy1946]

Oracle: After careful consideration & hoping that Jodie Meeks when he comes back & SVG will help this team I'm going to go with them being: 42-40.

[Oracle]

Member	Wins	Average	41.5
Lemonpen	49
Stones	45	Std Dev	4.3169855
Oracle	44
Wise	44	Median	42.5
Cool Breeze	44
Phil1980boy	44
DX	41
Fennis	41
Sparma	38
Murph	38
Merc	36
Sebastian	34
Others
David Mayo	37
Brendan Savage	35

[Oracle]

Hi, I'm Greg Monroe, center and sometime PF for the Detroit Pistons!

I want to say to you loyal fans that I have learned from my experiences on the court, in the community, and from local law enforcement, and I'm taking that experience and using it for the good of all!

I'm announcing a coalition of several groups with a like mind to come together to solve some of the most vexing societal  problems.

I'm calling for all chronic bed wetters, pants pee'ers, epileptic masturbaters, 21 year old ladies that like to dress up as school girls(with no underwear), and old people with bug problems to come together under our new banner. Trust me, we want you even if you're a virused up cumguzzling ebola sh!tstain(hey, if that describes you, we may even want you more)! We know that you need love too!

When the Pistons get into the playoffs, on center court, we plan to expose ourselves... and then run like hell!

Just remember...

[Phil-Good]

Nobody will say it but the Pistons are in A mini, rebuilding mode.

The Pistons will only make trades that help them win now and in the future.

I see some type of trade going down for the Pistons. If the deal makes sense, look for the Pistons to get in the mix.

Anybody on the team can be had for the right price other then  KCP, Monroe..because of the Q.O. he signed, and Drummonds.

Trades are coming. It's almost guaranteed.

[Oracle]

So that puts the Pistons in the fourth spot of the Central.

With a new coach one would hope a new door will open and the Pistons will be that once respected organization again. New coach Stan Van Gundy must be looking to build a powerhouse team around young star Andre Drummond.

Drummond is currently one of the leagues best Centers in the game and with pieces like Jodie Meeks and Joel Anthony this team shows some exciting promise.

I don’t think they make the playoff this year but I wouldn’t be surprised if they sneak into the last spot of the Eastern conference. This season as a fan of the team I’m honestly excited to see how this team looks.

There were two parts that made me question the writers sanity, and I'll do them in reverse order.

As a FAN of the team? Ok, a real fan of this team knows the roster and how they relate to the past, present and future!

So how in the world does a real fan of this team write that we're going to be exciting because we've surrounded Drummond with great pieces like Meeks & Anthony... WTF????

Is this what the Piston talking heads have come to

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

[Sebastian]

Tony Mitchell dodges another bullet.

Hey look...both Monroe and Jerebko are unrestricted free agents next year.  It's very possible, maybe even likely, that both of them will move on.  That leaves a big hole open at the reserve PF position, next year.  Mitchell has another opportunity.  Let's see if he can take advantage of it.

You're right, Mitchell made it through yet another cut!

Maybe with Anthony on board and showing that he has some gas left in the tank doomed Grey!

Whatever the reason, I agree with the move, but PLEASE SVG, let us see what these splinter lovers have(Datome & Mitchell).

These cats are barely getting Darko victory cigar minutes!


This is also more evidence of a rookie GM making epic blunders!

SVG waives Grey, but he stays on the books for 2 effing years! Cutting Datome or Mitchell would have only had a one year hit!

The bottom line is that it was beyond dumb to sign Grey for 2 years in the first place! You don't sign stiffs to multi-year contracts until they've proven themselves!

I reluctantly agree that this is the right move because Grey is likely done and will never play again, so why keep him active... dumb move SVG!

The only bright side is that he's cleaning up the mess, but the down side is that he's costing the boss money and limiting the flexibility of the team for 2 years!!!

These guys have proven to not be very good forward thinkers, when it comes to the roster/personnel signings.  Like Oracle has stated you don't go give a guy (Grey) a two year guaranteed contract, when the only thing that he can guarantee over a two year-period is that he knows how to put on a Pistons warm-up and sit at the far end of the bench.

You don't offer a 600% pay increase on the first day of free agency to a guy (F@ckin Jodie Meeks), who can't put asses in the Palace seats or who is not a stat-sheet stuffer, like Josh. Oh, and OUR prize shooting guard, FA signing has a bad back.

And, you don't continue to pay two dudes (Linguine and T. Mitch), who don't even see the floor and not even consider signing  a young, stud (Quincy Morgan) who is only making around $950,000, this year and next season.

I will admit, though, signing D.J. Augustine should prove to be a smart move. D.J. is a highly, qualified backup PG. The Cartier Martin signing should prove to be an inarguable signing, too.

I must admit that it is difficult for me to support all of the decisions that GM Stan has made, because they are not all very rational. Now, Coach SVG has decided to start Singler at the Forward position against the Nuggets on opening night. Damn!

[Oracle]

Tony Mitchell dodges another bullet.

Hey look...both Monroe and Jerebko are unrestricted free agents next year.  It's very possible, maybe even likely, that both of them will move on.  That leaves a big hole open at the reserve PF position, next year.  Mitchell has another opportunity.  Let's see if he can take advantage of it.

You're right, Mitchell made it through yet another cut!

Maybe with Anthony on board and showing that he has some gas left in the tank doomed Grey!

Whatever the reason, I agree with the move, but PLEASE SVG, let us see what these splinter lovers have(Datome & Mitchell).

These cats are barely getting Darko victory cigar minutes!


This is also more evidence of a rookie GM making epic blunders!

SVG waives Grey, but he stays on the books for 2 effing years! Cutting Datome or Mitchell would have only had a one year hit!

The bottom line is that it was beyond dumb to sign Grey for 2 years in the first place! You don't sign stiffs to multi-year contracts until they've proven themselves!

I reluctantly agree that this is the right move because Grey is likely done and will never play again, so why keep him active... dumb move SVG!

The only bright side is that he's cleaning up the mess, but the down side is that he's costing the boss money and limiting the flexibility of the team for 2 years!!!

[Murph]

Tony Mitchell dodges another bullet.

Hey look...both Monroe and Jerebko are unrestricted free agents next year. It's very possible, maybe even likely, that both of them will move on. That leaves a big hole open at the reserve PF position, next year. Mitchell has another opportunity. Let's see if he can take advantage of it.

[Oracle]

Down 21 to 0, they win 22-21... WOW!!!

London — Matt Prater went from zero to hero in one of the most thrilling games of the first half of the 2014 NFL season as the Lions overcame a 21-0 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 22-21, on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

After missing a 43-yard field goal, Prater had another chance thanks to a delay-of-game penalty against the Lions. From 48 yards, Prater was pure as the Lions' third field-goal kicker of the season made the biggest kick of the season on one of the world's most historic soccer fields.


The Lions trailed 21-0 at halftime and lost one of the their top defensive players, tackle Nick Fairley, for the game. But the Lions' defense held the Falcons to just 90 yards in the second half, and Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate and Theo Riddick led the offense to 22 points in the final two quarters.


Stafford was 24-for-47 for 325 yards, two touchdowns and interception. Tate has seven catches for 151 yards and a touchdown, and Riddick caught eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.

[Oracle]

NBA Comparison: Austin Daye

Strengths: An incredibly skilled prospect, Miller has ideal size and a ridiculously lengthy (7'3) wingspan for a scoring small forward ... Displays precise footwork, making every step a purposeful one ... Despite previous ACL surgery, Miller is a mobile athlete that can slip and slide off his defender ... With the ball in his hands, Miller is a crafty shot-creator on the perimeter, doing most of his offensive damage in the midrange ... Uses impressive handle on the ball to create shots off the dribble on the perimeter, showing a high awareness of his defender's positioning and an understanding of how to take advantage of that ... Possesses balance after using effective pivots to get his shot off ... Effectively uses off-ball screens to get open ... As a finisher and scorer down low, Miller's scoring instincts allow him to convert in a number of different ways despite lacking the strength and explosiveness to get easier buckets ... Mentally tough , competitor ...

Weaknesses: Miller looks to have lost some speed and explosiveness after tearing his ACL as a senior in high school, which could make it difficult for him to free himself for open looks and shoot a respectable percentage at the next level ... Not very impressive on the break and in the open floor ... He gets little elevation on his jump shot with a low release, leaving his three-point shots easier to contest ... Over his last 12 games, Miller shot 2 for 18 from downtown, making you question whether his hot shooting start was flukey (finished at 34%) ... Needs to add bulk to his wiry frame ... Not a force on the glass ... Inconsistent from a game to game basis as a freshman ... Only averaged 3 free throw attempts per game ... Appears lackadaisical at times defensively, and could be vulnerable defending stronger, faster players in isolation situations ...

Overall: Miller had a rough end to his freshman year, averaging only 6 points in four NCAA tournament games ... As a prospect, his ceiling remains high due to his pure basketball talent and unique physical attributes for a small forward ... But the gamble for teams will be whether his physical abilities will improve after surgery ... Miller's decision to enter the draft after one year gives the impression he's been told he'd be a first round pick, because returning as a sophomore seemed like the appropriate move ...

In just two seasons with the Nuggets, Miller rarely displayed flashes of his upside but when he did the fans were elated. Appearing in 52 games last season - and starting in 16 of those - Miller averaged 4.9 ppg and 2.8 rpg in about 15 minutes per game. But regrettably Miller shot just 36.7% from the field, unacceptable for a 6'9" forward.

Miller's two best games as a Nugget came on January 11th versus Orlando (16 points, 11 rebounds) and late in the season on April 6th versus Houston (19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks). But while starting the final 12 games of the 2013-14 campaign, Miller failed to produce for head coach Brian Shaw, connecting over 50% of his field goal attempts only twice in that span.

I might argue to keep the young / raw Miller over the five-year veteran Gee given that Miller might - just might - have more upside long term whereas Gee's ceiling is pretty much known at this point. But, really, we're grasping at straws here if you want to get into a Miller versus Gee debate.

And for the record, I miss the good ole days when NBA teams saved the 15th roster spot for a big, white Stiff rather than someone athletic who can actually play. With the Nuggets making seemingly astute decisions like these for the end of their bench, how will ever elect newcomers to the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame?

[Oracle]

"There is no substitute for talent. Miller seems to have it, in spades. Most of the clips were during relevant times of the game, against starters and solid rotation players, not garbage time.

I threw up all types of caveats regarding Q. Miller off court. You're right, no one waives good players. As GM isn't Stan or Jeff obligated to investigate.

Yes "young" KG. Offensive skills only. Before 2 MVPs.

For the record, Singler is just "OK". He is a good glue guy for a 29 win team, that's all. There are much better glue guys" - Lemon

I did have an objection to the KG comparison, but will accept the pre MVP offensive part.

However, with the caveats you specified and the recognition about waiving and us doing proper investigation, this is a very intelligent answer!

That's really the important point, investigation before leaping, because even a blind man can see he's more offensively talented(and bigger, 6'10) than Singler, but will he hurt us in other areas!

[lemonpen]

Seb, how can facts be compared to dreaming, and you call it a bias?

Fact, Singler has been a starter!

Singler has never been waived!

Obviously Singler has skills, even if you say he's a 8th-9th man, which may be the case, it puts him in the lineup!

So right now, this kid isn't remotely in Singlers class unless you close your eyes, get some tissue and collect the stuff a wet dream produces

BTW, both you and Lemonpen fail to look at the facts... a poor team waived his ass! Somehow, that appears to mean nothing to you... something is REALLY wrong with this kid!!!

Lemon, Kevin Garnett? Wow, that's a lot of dreaming

You guys can zip up your pants now

There is no substitute for talent. Miller seems to have it, in spades. Most of the clips were during relevant times of the game, against starters and solid rotation players, not garbage time.

I threw up all types of caveats regarding Q. Miller off court. You're right, no one waives good players. As GM isn't Stan or Jeff obligated to investigate.

Yes "young" KG. Offensive skills only. Before 2 MVPs.

For the record, Singler is just "OK". He is a good glue guy for a 29 win team, that's all. There are much better glue guys.

[Murph]

I was perusing the 2015 mock drafts this morning, and there are a number of intriguing athletic SFs that might be available at around the 15th pick, should we be so lucky as to play around .500 this year.

Stanley Johnson, a 6'7, 240 lb freshman from Arizona

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a 6'6, 210 lb sophomore from Arizona

Justise Winslow, a 6'6, 220lb freshman from Duke

Kevon Looney, a 6'9, 220 lb freshman from UCLA

I'm sure Don could give us the inside track on Stanley Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson. Heck, Don probably helped recruit them.

[Murph]

Hey...if SVG can find a SF better than Singler, Butler and Martin, he should definitely go for it. Quincy Miller?...why not?...sign him up!

I'm just looking forward to Wed night. The Pistons have played well enough in preseason to fan that last glowing ember of hope that remains in every sports fan, that this might be the year their team competes.

Let the season begin.

[Sebastian]

Wise, I don't understand how you can be on the fence with this; you know how weak we are at SF and why! How can you side with people who've made case after case against Josh Smith, citing his main "competitors" youth as a major selling point," but are completely overlooking the age difference between Singler and Miller. Not only is Miller younger, but longer, taller, more athletic, and offensively aggressive. I guess those things don't matter when you're in love.

Lemon, I'm on board with your assessment of what you saw in an undoctored video; if we didn't know what type of career awaited Kevin Garnett and we saw a 8:56 minute video of him before he was fully exposed to NBA fans, he wouldn't be good enough to replace Singler on a perpetual 29 win team. We forget Singler was apart of those 29 win teams, but let his fans tell it, his invisible intelligence would have saved the day if only.........

Oracle, m'man, you've been highly confrontational and testy of late, what's the deal? You know too damn much about the game and your razor sharp mind always cuts through the nonsense, and you bring balance where there's lopsided, irrational, reasoning. ......."that kid can't carry Singler's jock strap from the bench to the locker room!" Really. Making football references and bringing Mitchell into the conversation is beneath your skillset. The eye test should have shown you, without a doubt, that Singler can't guard Miller successfully, but Miller can guard Singler. Miller is the superior athlete and can attack the rim much better than Singler...he has a better handle and ambidextrous when finishing, but you choose to treat it as if the video evidence is all smoke and mirrors. Oh well.

Don, you I understand; you've consistently championed Singler and he's your home away from home boy. You've got an insight into Singlers humble beginnings as a player and that totally unexpected (it really was unexpected) MVP award he earned during Dukes championship run has blinded you to where he stacks up against the next level of players....NBA players. Singler should be a Piston and he's a valuable player, but he's not to be looked at as an immovable fixture in the starting lineup. All the great things you point out about his game would make our bench that much more potent.

I sense the abandonment of common and rational thinking is taking place, but for those inclined to be fair minded I suggest you consider that Denver is not a loser compared to what we've done lately; Denver is overstocked with SF's that are highly paid and at the peak of their powers, which makes Miller expendable, not his character, basketball I.Q., or lack of skills, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why didn't Denver trade him? I don't know. Why are we against him coming here? I don't know other than we find Singler to be indispensable. What I do know is if we dropped Mitchell and Datome to add Miller to our roster, it wouldn't hurt.

[deusXango]

Oracle, m'man, perhaps I've got a problem that I've turned my back on; there's so much excitement and anxiety in me anticipating the start of the season, I just want something to cheer for THIS year and not waste another season watching a talented team underachieve....I'm a homer and for the last half decade I've been pissed!!! Wednesday can't get here fast enough.

I never was one to endorse the slow dismantling of the 2004 championship team....why rebuild when you can reload? Joe Dumars did some bone chilling things with the Pistons and fans felt he could do no wrong for the longest; I'm still flinching at the thought of player movement (keep the sh!t and dump the potential was the order of the old regime), and I really don't have faith in this franchise developing talent. I've watched some of the laziest, dumbest players wear the red, white, and blue, I find myself overly concerned with the quality of the roster....turn this around today Van Gundy!!!

This is a game and it's fun to watch; I'm really enjoying the passionate discourse we all share on this site....where the hell is Flip? As a matter of fact, where's Grizz? Sometime I wonder if he misbehaved and ended up being caned in Japan and they took his laptop. Fly Dog is running along the shore, playing in the surf; there's more exciting things to do than deal with the Pistons? I remember the empty seats at the Palace last year, and remember how many passionate posters that were here, but not any longer; I want this to be an exciting, competitive season so that things can go back to the way they were. It'd be nice also if my 41 win projection turned out to be too low.

[Oracle]

Oracle, m'man, you've been highly confrontational and testy of late, what's the deal? You know too damn much about the game and your razor sharp mind always cuts through the nonsense, and you bring balance where there's lopsided, irrational, reasoning. ......."that kid can't carry Singler's jock strap from the bench to the locker room!" Really. Making football references and bringing Mitchell into the conversation is beneath your skillset. The eye test should have shown you, without a doubt, that Singler can't guard Miller successfully, but Miller can guard Singler. Miller is the superior athlete and can attack the rim much better than Singler...he has a better handle and ambidextrous when finishing, but you choose to treat it as if the video evidence is all smoke and mirrors. Oh well. - DX, I wasn't testy, I was making jokes all through that post. This is hardly anything to be testy about, IMO! My only point is one you just made, you need to believe you own eyes! Sure, I know you guys think that you know WAY more than the Nuggets basketball brain trust, but my eye test sees an unemployed "Kevin Garnett"( ) capable dude that nobody wants except you guys!

Please just spend some time focusing on reality and realize that the stuff you're taking as fact is the kind of stuff all over youtube about guys that THOUGHT they were NBA material. Fantasy is beneath you, because it's amazing that nobody that gets PAID to make these decisions and judgments agrees with any statement you guys have made on this subject!

Now that doesn't mean that the experts are right, but to launch into this and totally ignore the FACTS on the ground shocks me! So I'm not testy, I'm just floored in disbelief that this is a real conversation to pursue!

Singler is by far the superior player at this point, and it isn't even close! Your guy does have the better athletics, but since when does that alone make you a good player? BTW, good players are TRADED, not waived!

Finally, and this is the biggie! To focus on Singler ignores basic basketball!

Sure if we were looking to be in the ECF or the finals, then I would be right on board with you, but we're not!

What bothers me even more is that this conversation ignores not only the facts, but where we're at, where we're going and what it takes to get there! Seriously, we need a better SF to make the playoffs????

We had enough talent last year to be a 3 seed, and we have enough talent this year to be a 4th or 5th seed!

The fact is that talent is important, but it's what you do with that talent that's more important. Last year we didn't have the WILL to win, our will was easily broken!

We played dumb in addition to not even playing together. These changes are WAY more important that getting a high powered player at a position where we don't want that player to be powerful! We want and need a glue guy there, ala Prince! Now Singular can't carry Prince's jock right now, but he's in that mold!

BTW, you could look at the Spurs roster and think you need to replace almost the whole team with better positional guys, but they win! Why?

It's about system, heart and will!

Always remember what Zeke said: It's not a battle of skills, it's a battle of WILLS! Of course this only applies when the talent levels are close, but you get the picture!

BTW, if KCP starts at SG, my pick for starting SF is Cartier Martin because he EARNED it on the court, IMO!

[deusXango]

Wise, I don't understand how you can be on the fence with this; you know how weak we are at SF and why! How can you side with people who've made case after case against Josh Smith, citing his main "competitors" youth as a major selling point," but are completely overlooking the age difference between Singler and Miller. Not only is Miller younger, but longer, taller, more athletic, and offensively aggressive. I guess those things don't matter when you're in love.

Lemon, I'm on board with your assessment of what you saw in an undoctored video; if we didn't know what type of career awaited Kevin Garnett and we saw a 8:56 minute video of him before he was fully exposed to NBA fans, he wouldn't be good enough to replace Singler on a perpetual 29 win team. We forget Singler was apart of those 29 win teams, but let his fans tell it, his invisible intelligence would have saved the day if only.........

Oracle, m'man, you've been highly confrontational and testy of late, what's the deal? You know too damn much about the game and your razor sharp mind always cuts through the nonsense, and you bring balance where there's lopsided, irrational, reasoning. ......."that kid can't carry Singler's jock strap from the bench to the locker room!" Really. Making football references and bringing Mitchell into the conversation is beneath your skillset. The eye test should have shown you, without a doubt, that Singler can't guard Miller successfully, but Miller can guard Singler. Miller is the superior athlete and can attack the rim much better than Singler...he has a better handle and ambidextrous when finishing, but you choose to treat it as if the video evidence is all smoke and mirrors. Oh well.

Don, you I understand; you've consistently championed Singler and he's your home away from home boy. You've got an insight into Singlers humble beginnings as a player and that totally unexpected (it really was unexpected) MVP award he earned during Dukes championship run has blinded you to where he stacks up against the next level of players....NBA players. Singler should be a Piston and he's a valuable player, but he's not to be looked at as an immovable fixture in the starting lineup. All the great things you point out about his game would make our bench that much more potent.

I sense the abandonment of common and rational thinking is taking place, but for those inclined to be fair minded I suggest you consider that Denver is not a loser compared to what we've done lately; Denver is overstocked with SF's that are highly paid and at the peak of their powers, which makes Miller expendable, not his character, basketball I.Q., or lack of skills, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why didn't Denver trade him? I don't know. Why are we against him coming here? I don't know other than we find Singler to be indispensable. What I do know is if we dropped Mitchell and Datome to add Miller to our roster, it wouldn't hurt.

[Oracle]

Seb, how can facts be compared to dreaming, and you call it a bias?

Fact, Singler has been a starter!

Singler has never been waived!

Obviously Singler has skills, even if you say he's a 8th-9th man, which may be the case, it puts him in the lineup!

So right now, this kid isn't remotely in Singlers class unless you close your eyes, get some tissue and collect the stuff a wet dream produces

BTW, both you and Lemonpen fail to look at the facts... a poor team waived his ass! Somehow, that appears to mean nothing to you... something is REALLY wrong with this kid!!!

Lemon, Kevin Garnett? Wow, that's a lot of dreaming

You guys can zip up your pants now

[cool breeze]

Better than Singler? Please, that kid can't carry Singler's jock strap from the bench to the locker room!

You could probably put together a 8 minute segment of Mitchell's highlights and think he had potential too!

Ok, I'll give you that the kid looks good on film, unfortunately for you guys, they don't play games on film, and the Nuggets don't waive future stars either.

There is something that this kid is doing wrong, and it's likely stuff that hurts a real team!!!

Having said that, I wouldn't object to SVG dumping both Mitchell & Datome and taking a flyer on some kid with potential, I just don't know who that might be!

In football, there is real gold in the waiver wires, but in the NBA, it's mostly trash and vets on their last legs!

The Nuggets aren't so talented that they can afford to let good players go, they ain't the 2004 Pistons, brimming with talented starters and a bench so rich in talent we couldn't hold them all!

The kid has a major flaw, the only question is can it be fixed and how much time and energy would it take to get him there!

Bottom line, we have a 3 year player that many coaches see as talented enough to start at multiple positions, and has played out of position for most of those 3 years! Why you guys object to seeing and allowing him to adjust to playing his natural position before blowing taps on his ass is beyond me !

Oh well, it probably makes no difference, and we'll all be focused once the real games get started, and our posting will increasingly get into game shape by then

Miller can't carry Singler's jock strap. Hell, Singler can't catrry his own jock strap. Have you ever noticed how fatigued and disassociated Singler plays. Where some of you think that Singler is a floor spacer, he is more like taking up space. Oftentimes, Singer is on the floor gobbling up minutes while not doing a damn thing but running to the corners.

Singler is an 8th to 9th-man at best. Quincy Miller would take Singler's lunch money everyday of the week.

Oh, and Tony Mitchell doesn't have 8:56 second of NBA-level basketball footage.

Some of you have forgotten that Singler was MVP on a NCAA Championship team when he was a Junior in college. Singler has always been known as an extremely smart player since his high school days. Now we have Spencer Dinwiddie who also is extremely smart basketball player. It is good that SVG is not falling into the foolishness some of you show with your evaluation of Singler. Singler has been a two year NBA starter while starting at times at two different positions. Didn't Singler score just under 20 points in this last pre season game? And after watching Singler in the pre season, he looks stronger and in better shape than last season.

I am glad that SVG has identified the number one problem with this current group of Pistons that has plagued the team now for 6 years. Piston players have not learned how to play smart basketball. They play the Q. Miller syle of ball or the Mitchell style of basketball. In fact Mitchell had the big flaw of playing stupid during his days in college. He has been given all the physical tools but can't get his mind to concentrate well enough to get playing time. Coaches and especially this Piston head coach need to have trust in the players they put on the floor. In my mind, both Miller and Mitchell have the same problem. Singler is going to have a great season this year. He is the least of Detroit's problems. We have highly paid vet players who have had the reputation of playing dumb. It so happens that some of those players who have had the reputation also are poor free throw shooters. It is like a 5 foot 3 inch women who weighs in at 275 lbs looking in the mirror and thinking she is pretty. She doesn't see the fat. Some of our players refuse to work on their weaknesses thinking they are great players who have just been screwed because they are not selected as All Stars. Singler is a guy who works on his weaknesses and has a great feel for both offense and defense. He knows how to listen to his coach put up stuff on a black board and can remember what was said and execute what the coach has diagramed. You would be surprised at how many NBA players can't do that. And that is why our Piston teams have been losers for so long. So please don't mention any more low IQ basketball players for replacements for Kyle Singler.

[lemonpen]

I fired up the video with my mind made up that I was about to watch another soon to be out of the league buster.  Mind Changed !!!!
After about 5 minutes all I could think of was "offensive skills of a YOUNG KEVIN GARNETT".   He shot with poise, touch, solid form.  He moved well.  As indicated he finishes naturally with both hands around the rim.

Videos can lie big time.  You don't know how many times he looked like horse manure to achieve the highlight moments.  But keep in mind these moments were against NBA competition, not Euro and D-leagers.

He lacked a little strength.  The video doesn't speak to his on ball D for any sustained period.  Nor does it tell us if the kid goes airborne 20 times for 1 sensational block.  Lastly I would want Stan to understand his work ethic, locker room demeanor, professionalism and how good a teammate he is.

Would I take a chance ??  Probably if I were comfortable with answers to the last question.

[Sebastian]

Better than Singler? Please, that kid can't carry Singler's jock strap from the bench to the locker room!

You could probably put together a 8 minute segment of Mitchell's highlights and think he had potential too!

Ok, I'll give you that the kid looks good on film, unfortunately for you guys, they don't play games on film, and the Nuggets don't waive future stars either.

There is something that this kid is doing wrong, and it's likely stuff that hurts a real team!!!

Having said that, I wouldn't object to SVG dumping both Mitchell & Datome and taking a flyer on some kid with potential, I just don't know who that might be!

In football, there is real gold in the waiver wires, but in the NBA, it's mostly trash and vets on their last legs!

The Nuggets aren't so talented that they can afford to let good players go, they ain't the 2004 Pistons, brimming with talented starters and a bench so rich in talent we couldn't hold them all!

The kid has a major flaw, the only question is can it be fixed and how much time and energy would it take to get him there!

Bottom line, we have a 3 year player that many coaches see as talented enough to start at multiple positions, and has played out of position for most of those 3 years! Why you guys object to seeing and allowing him to adjust to playing his natural position before blowing taps on his ass is beyond me !

Oh well, it probably makes no difference, and we'll all be focused once the real games get started, and our posting will increasingly get into game shape by then

Miller can't carry Singler's jock strap. Hell, Singler can't catrry his own jock strap. Have you ever noticed how fatigued and disassociated Singler plays. Where some of you think that Singler is a floor spacer, he is more like taking up space. Oftentimes, Singer is on the floor gobbling up minutes while not doing a damn thing but running to the corners.

Singler is an 8th to 9th-man at best. Quincy Miller would take Singler's lunch money everyday of the week.

Oh, and Tony Mitchell doesn't have 8:56 second of NBA-level basketball footage.

[Sebastian]

We talk about this, but this article looks at the stats to see who earned the spots!

5) Preseason-Earned Starting Five

If we ignore everything else and only looked at preseason production, who would be Detroit's starting five for the regular season? Ladies and gents, your All-Preseason Team:

Center: Andre Drummond - I was a hair away from bumping Drummond from this pretend starting lineup in the first place. He was a letdown this preseason, as he shot poorly in increased usage and was pretty poor on the defensive end. Dre, you made it in by a hair, my friend. Amazingly, you were only a hair more productive on offense than Josh Smith was in terms of offensive rating. I am disappoint.

Power Forward: Greg Monroe - A perfect preseason. Starter, bench, center, power forward, it doesn't matter. You did every job you were asked to do on both ends of the court. You were Detroit's best player in the preseason hands down.

Small Forward: Cartier Martin - You were hot from deep, and that's precisely what this team needed to see from you. Small forward was a clear point of weakness in the preseason, but you did admirably. Caron Butler approached your heels by the end of the preseason, but your involvement on defense gives you the slight edge.

Shooting Guard: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - Despite missing much of the preseason, when you were on court, you were a hair behind Greg Monroe in productivity. You shot a blinding 0.642 TS% and stepped up your game from three-point range. I'd love to see the stat-stuffing game you played in college, but that still hasn't come close to materializing in the NBA yet. In the mean time, however, I'll applaud such efficiency 7 days a week.

Point Guard: DJ Augustin - I explained this case above, but you won the preseason my good man.

Full article here - Detroit Pistons Preseason Review: 5 Key Takeaways for 2014-15

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