SVG Sucks

[Murph]

So I was looking at the box score of the Charlotte Hornets game this morning, and it struck me, do you realize Dwight Howard is still only 31 years old? That means Van Gundy ran the future HOFer out of Orlando at the absolute prime of his career at the age of 26, after 6 straight All Star appearances.

Since then, Orlando has experienced 6 losing seasons in a row, during which time they've averaged 26 wins a season. And there is no end in sight to the misery in Orlando.

So please tell me again why was Van Gundy qualified to be President, GM and Head Coach of the Pistons?

[BallinD]

Zach Lowe LEAGUE Pass Rankings
Zach Lowe on the Pistons

So it seems one of the league's top analysts, who is usually insightful and accurate, doesn't see much change, improvement, new scheme stuff, breakout players in Detroit Land. Well, Damn!!! More of the Same???
18. DETROIT PISTONS (30)

It seemed like the over-choreographed Pistons ran one of two sets on every possession: high pick-and-rolls with Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, or plays on which Kentavious Caldwell-Pope zoomed into a handoff at the left elbow.

There was no room for freelancing, in part because the Pistons lack playmakers savvy enough to freelance. Avery Bradley is a better shooter than Caldwell-Pope, and a hair better driving and dishing, but he doesn't up the playmaking quotient much. Stanley Johnson has shown flashes, and Detroit will give him every chance to earn the starting small forward spot. The frontcourt rotation will evolve all season.???

Detroit will be more watchable if Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond, both healthy and presumably motivated, get back to wrecking stuff on the pick-and-roll. It's old-fashioned and predictable, but a spread pick-and-roll -- even with blah shooting around it -- can do damage if the central actors are dynamic. Jackson and Drummond did good work in 2015-16 before sputtering last season.

Nobody does shoulder-sagging agony like Van Gundy. When a play goes wrong, he grimaces like an artist watching someone deface his painting. I would watch a Stan Cam.

Also: UNLEASH THE BOBAN. I am sick of hearing how he dominates in practice, and watching him pile up ungodly numbers in garbage time. Let's see what he can do with real minutes.

The court and uniforms are snazzy, and George Blaha is a legend on play-by-play. Long guns off the high glass forever.

[deusXango]

Okay all the right things are being said but I won't be convinced until I actually see it first hand.  If Andre is renewed and committed as he claims then what we won't see from him this season is a bunch of games off and all that BS Pouting he does when yanked from games.   Okay so he has the surgery to correct his breathing, he lost 30 pounds but has he improved defensive and what of his horrid FT shooting. Seeing is believing.

Okay Reggie gets the all clear but I am far less optimistic than I am about Andre that he has change or will change.  I'm still say that Reggie will be traded before the season starts.  That if SVG truly believes all the BS he's been spouting off he has to find a means of getting both Kennard and Ellenson on the floor for consistent PT if this team is truly committed to getting to the next level.

Stan Van Gundy is one helluva politician, con artist, and snake oil salesman, all rolled into one. I join Wise in waiting for the pudding to yield the proof. After Mo Cheeks & John Loyer...a couple of years of "Lil Larry" Frank, preceded by a lost and stumbling John Kuester, the hiring of Van Gundy gave hope that the futility was over, particularly with the power he was given, but damn if his three years here his winning average is less than Michael Curry's lone season as Pistons coach. MICHAEL CURRY! Who in their right mind would call Michael Curry a great coach? His record as a Pistons coach says he's not, but he outperformed Stan Van Gundy. I've got to see something this year, not hear about it.

[WTF]

First things first how freaking crazy is this world becoming 50 people dead 200 injured in Vegas shooting.   Seriously people somewhere we lost our senses that we've become so disconnected with valuing life.  It's only going to get worse if we don't find a reason, a means and a way to just love each other real soon.   You don't have to subscribe to a religion, a faith or a cause just to a idea or realization that we're all human and deserving of love and compassion. 

Like it or not we are Our Brother Keepers, We're All One !!!!!



Okay all the right things are being said but I won't be convinced until I actually see it first hand.  If Andre is renewed and committed as he claims then what we won't see from him this season is a bunch of games off and all that BS Pouting he does when yanked from games.   Okay so he has the surgery to correct his breathing, he lost 30 pounds but has he improved defensive and what of his horrid FT shooting. Seeing is believing.

Okay Reggie gets the all clear but I am far less optimistic than I am about Andre that he has change or will change.  I'm still say that Reggie will be traded before the season starts.  That if SVG truly believes all the BS he's been spouting off he has to find a means of getting both Kennard and Ellenson on the floor for consistent PT if this team is truly committed to getting to the next level.  

Lions should be sitting 4-0 but I'm cool with 3-1. If they can go 3-1 every 4 games I'm happy that would put us 12-4 at season end.  I think they can do it! Smell like Home Field, Bye Week, and 2nd Round of playoff.

[cool breeze]

Thanks for your responses, Cool and Oracle.

It'd be interesting to see how a more free market would play itself out, but it's clear that the current system's got big problems, especially related to the Detroits of the league.  I wonder if some of the top of top guys (those you mention, Oracle, like LeBron, Durant, and Curry) might be willing take a low offer, and just enjoy their endorsement deals.  You hear of Brady accepting lower pay (at some point) but has that happened at all in the NBA?  I know some lesser/ aging stars have taken low deals (like Ray Allen).  I guess there'd be big player union pressure against that happening.  So far, there hasn't been much incentive for the superstars to manipulate the system by cutting into their own deal because they've been able, along with their agents, to form super teams anyway, but in the new system SVG proposes, you might see some weird things happen.  Maybe a bunch of rookies (sans draft) would be willing to sign cut rate deals to play with the Lakers?

Can't see either of SVG's proposals going through.  

Wish he were such an innovative boundary pusher when it comes to our own tactics!!  I'd like to see SVG being the Stoic focusing on what's in his control rather than outside of his control than the speculative (and impractical) visionary!

btw, I see Drummond as getting around what he would in a more open market, where LeBron and Durant would get maybe twice that, and still be underpaid (but you'd need to be able to put a team around them, with a cap).

The European soccer market's gone berserk, especially this past summer, with Brazilian superstar Neymar going to Paris for $263 mil.  There are "fair play" regulations, but they have little bite, so that gives you a sense of what a more free market system looks like.  And parity's not a byproduct, contra SVG! (although minnow Leicester City did miraculously manage to win the English title a couple of seasons ago going up against financial giants.)

Excellent post Sparma, you summed it up better than I tried to do, and covered all of the important bases.

However, you read my mind on SVG's calling to remove the draft, that's just plain crazy, and would lead to ridiculous dynasties in the major markets, but removing the artificial MAX salaries would do a world of good for the league.

It would guarantee that guys like LeBron, Curry, Durant, etc., would get the top dollar they deserve and guys like KCP(who deserved a raise), would get more modest raises like the one SVG offered him. It was the crazy MAX system that makes players think that good offers are trash(although some people will continue to blame players for a corrupt system).

Along with standing reservations, I've got hope for SVG going into this season, based in part on what I think I've been hearing from him that he'll:
a) emphasize distributing the ball, using multiple ball handlers.
b) stress getting the ball to a variety of shooters in optimal situations, paired with placing less emphasis on pick and roll.  
c) use a longer rotation, using more situational subbing.
d) give increased opportunities to young players, like Kennard.
e) continue to emphasize D, with increased prospects for success, partly due for a reinvigorated Dre.

Tis the season for hope!

ESPN says SVG calls for doing away with the draft (> no tanking) and max salaries (> harder to form super teams).  I think he's got a point about max salaries.  If markets, rather than a created ceiling, dictated the highest salaries, it'd be harder to collect superstars.  

The crazy Neymar deal was something I thought about after responding to your post Sparma. Amazing how you brought that into today's entry. Guaranteed contracts for players playing professional team sports will never go away. When will middle class fans start pulling back from it all as the prices keep going up and the games become more one sided as in the NBA now? How many middle class fans can attend one Laker game if tickets were available? Television advertising is dependent on the middle class or middle upper class spenders. Guaranteed salaries and the high amount of regular season games needed to make things work financially all factor into the final product that is getting worse each season. There were so many mindless minutes played throughout the league where blowouts were created in the first quarter. Imagine parents taking their 3 or 4 kids to one Piston basketball game last season to witness what happened to the home team in the first and third quarters of most of their games in the last half of the season. Will they ever come back? The Visa card with all those charges will not be forgotten and the drive home after watching dull uninspired basketball from the Piston players along with mindless coaching does have an impact. I personally enjoy going to professional tennis matches much more than an NBA regular season game. You can watch the professional men and women on the practice courts. They are fully focused knowing that their performance when their next match comes up will not allow for any slacking. Meanwhile, some NBA players can sit back and chuckle knowing that they can give minimum effort for perhaps half of their games during a season. Because the NBA has so many games, players need to fake it to physically make it through a complete season without a lot of physical issues. I would like to see a reduction losing three NBA teams and then placing a limit on the amount of games any one team can play within a month say perhaps 12 to 13 games max. The games would be much more spirited and fans would enjoy a more exciting experience. But the way things are going all big time professional sporting events regardless of the quantity will cost too much for the normal citizen. Will watching on television be enough to keep the bond fans have with professional sports?

Good reports today about the Pistons first week of practice. Hopefully the coach will be playing fair when he decides on who plays and how many minutes each guy will get. Go Henry!

[BallinD]

LINK Ben and Draymond

It is touching to hear of Draymond's relationship with Big Ben, but never a word  about Dre's relationship with him or any of our legends or for that matter, anyone on the current team.  That Hurts!

I can assume it is SVG's arrogance..."I'll do it my way, dammit.  We have Aaron Gray."   Who???????

But then I have to remember Dumars never got any of the Bad Boys back here to do anything of substance with the team so it is not just Stupid Van Gundy, but also Fat Joe.    

Hoping Stanley Johnson can hop on some of that old Motown Mojo.  I hope Bradley will somehow help him, but it still begs the question, Why can't we have any of our legends associated with this team.  Well, hell, maybe this team is not worthy of that, but it sure rankles.  We kicked Sheed off the staff and never looked back.  Color me angry, frustrated, embarrassed.  SMH.

EXCERPT: “If you’re not going to put in the effort, your size is not going to take you so far,” Wallace said. “As long as you go out there and grind and go hard, good things will continue to happen to you.”

As good things continued to happen to Green, he received mixed praise and criticism on how he played. He won praise for his fiery emotion jumpstarting his team, while overwhelming his opponents. He sparked criticism on how that emotion could derail his own focus. Instead of telling Green to calm down, Wallace explained why others should calm down about his play.

“I’d rather have a guy that I carry to a fight and have to pull him back than a guy that I carry to the fight and I always have to push him,” Wallace said. “I tell him to go out there and play hard and wear your emotions on your sleeve. You’re supposed to be emotionally connected to the game. When your team needs you to fall back or your coaching staff needs you to fall back, they’re going to pull you back a little bit.”

Soon enough, Green shared his emotions about Wallace. He wrote an editorial in the Detroit Free Press on Jan. 15 2016 about what Wallace meant to him growing up. A day later, Green witnessed Wallace’s No. 3 jersey retirement when the Warriors visited the Pistons.

[Sparma]

Thanks for your responses, Cool and Oracle.

It'd be interesting to see how a more free market would play itself out, but it's clear that the current system's got big problems, especially related to the Detroits of the league. I wonder if some of the top of top guys (those you mention, Oracle, like LeBron, Durant, and Curry) might be willing take a low offer, and just enjoy their endorsement deals. You hear of Brady accepting lower pay (at some point) but has that happened at all in the NBA? I know some lesser/ aging stars have taken low deals (like Ray Allen). I guess there'd be big player union pressure against that happening. So far, there hasn't been much incentive for the superstars to manipulate the system by cutting into their own deal because they've been able, along with their agents, to form super teams anyway, but in the new system SVG proposes, you might see some weird things happen. Maybe a bunch of rookies (sans draft) would be willing to sign cut rate deals to play with the Lakers?

Can't see either of SVG's proposals going through.

Wish he were such an innovative boundary pusher when it comes to our own tactics!! I'd like to see SVG being the Stoic focusing on what's in his control rather than outside of his control than the speculative (and impractical) visionary!

btw, I see Drummond as getting around what he would in a more open market, where LeBron and Durant would get maybe twice that, and still be underpaid (but you'd need to be able to put a team around them, with a cap).

The European soccer market's gone berserk, especially this past summer, with Brazilian superstar Neymar going to Paris for $263 mil. There are "fair play" regulations, but they have little bite, so that gives you a sense of what a more free market system looks like. And parity's not a byproduct, contra SVG! (although minnow Leicester City did miraculously manage to win the English title a couple of seasons ago going up against financial giants.)

Excellent post Sparma, you summed it up better than I tried to do, and covered all of the important bases.

However, you read my mind on SVG's calling to remove the draft, that's just plain crazy, and would lead to ridiculous dynasties in the major markets, but removing the artificial MAX salaries would do a world of good for the league.

It would guarantee that guys like LeBron, Curry, Durant, etc., would get the top dollar they deserve and guys like KCP(who deserved a raise), would get more modest raises like the one SVG offered him. It was the crazy MAX system that makes players think that good offers are trash(although some people will continue to blame players for a corrupt system).

Along with standing reservations, I've got hope for SVG going into this season, based in part on what I think I've been hearing from him that he'll:
a) emphasize distributing the ball, using multiple ball handlers.
b) stress getting the ball to a variety of shooters in optimal situations, paired with placing less emphasis on pick and roll.  
c) use a longer rotation, using more situational subbing.
d) give increased opportunities to young players, like Kennard.
e) continue to emphasize D, with increased prospects for success, partly due for a reinvigorated Dre.

Tis the season for hope!

ESPN says SVG calls for doing away with the draft (> no tanking) and max salaries (> harder to form super teams).  I think he's got a point about max salaries.  If markets, rather than a created ceiling, dictated the highest salaries, it'd be harder to collect superstars.  

[Oracle]

Excellent post Sparma, you summed it up better than I tried to do, and covered all of the important bases.

However, you read my mind on SVG's calling to remove the draft, that's just plain crazy, and would lead to ridiculous dynasties in the major markets, but removing the artificial MAX salaries would do a world of good for the league.

It would guarantee that guys like LeBron, Curry, Durant, etc., would get the top dollar they deserve and guys like KCP(who deserved a raise), would get more modest raises like the one SVG offered him. It was the crazy MAX system that makes players think that good offers are trash(although some people will continue to blame players for a corrupt system).

Along with standing reservations, I've got hope for SVG going into this season, based in part on what I think I've been hearing from him that he'll:
a) emphasize distributing the ball, using multiple ball handlers.
b) stress getting the ball to a variety of shooters in optimal situations, paired with placing less emphasis on pick and roll.  
c) use a longer rotation, using more situational subbing.
d) give increased opportunities to young players, like Kennard.
e) continue to emphasize D, with increased prospects for success, partly due for a reinvigorated Dre.

Tis the season for hope!

ESPN says SVG calls for doing away with the draft (> no tanking) and max salaries (> harder to form super teams).  I think he's got a point about max salaries.  If markets, rather than a created ceiling, dictated the highest salaries, it'd be harder to collect superstars.  

[cool breeze]

Along with standing reservations, I've got hope for SVG going into this season, based in part on what I think I've been hearing from him that he'll:
a) emphasize distributing the ball, using multiple ball handlers.
b) stress getting the ball to a variety of shooters in optimal situations, paired with placing less emphasis on pick and roll.  
c) use a longer rotation, using more situational subbing.
d) give increased opportunities to young players, like Kennard.
e) continue to emphasize D, with increased prospects for success, partly due for a reinvigorated Dre.

Tis the season for hope!

ESPN says SVG calls for doing away with the draft (> no tanking) and max salaries (> harder to form super teams).  I think he's got a point about max salaries.  If markets, rather than a created ceiling, dictated the highest salaries, it'd be harder to collect superstars.  

Sparma if the changes that you have listed are the true goals of the roster players and the coaching staff then who can't be happy with that? I hope this is not all talk and everyone is committed to playing that way throughout the long season. If they do and can avoid injuries, the Pistons position as a playoff team should be pretty good.

Thanks for sharing this Sparma. NBA fans might not agree with SVG on eliminating draft night that excites bottom feeders for at least one summer for those to get lucky with the ping pong balls. But something needs to stop the bleeding of the small market teams. The biggest problem for the NBA is greed of the players, front office and the owners. Scheduling too many games cheats the families who happen to select one game a year to attend due to ticket pricing and the cost of concessions. Scheduling back to back games on those long road trips guarantees the rested home team will have a huge advantage if both teams are the same quality wise. The effects of expansion is has hurt the overall product as well. There are too many NBA teams and not enough experienced and talented basketball players to go around. Eliminating up to three teams would greatly increase the long term health of the NBA.

A lot of fans want to predict total Piston wins this season. What about fan attendance? Moving downtown Detroit might cause fans to turn out for awhile. If the team plays the right way and has improved success maybe fans support will be better this season. Last season I don't think the low attendance figures was because the games were played at the Palace. Fans liked the Palace or at least I really did. The players, owner and coaches got what they deserved last season for the most part. The team was hard to watch and who wasn't disappointed during the last half of the season? I wonder how many season ticket holders the Pistons lost. Fans could not bond with that team. It will be up to the players to earn the respect of the fans this time around. If the players make that list you wrote down relating to changes they are making part of their core values throughout the season, then the downtown arena should be rocking and near full capacity come spring. If AD and others start slacking in the tough part of winter, then the announcers will be able to hear a pin drop on some of those cold nights.

[Sparma]

Along with standing reservations, I've got hope for SVG going into this season, based in part on what I think I've been hearing from him that he'll:
a) emphasize distributing the ball, using multiple ball handlers.
b) stress getting the ball to a variety of shooters in optimal situations, paired with placing less emphasis on pick and roll.
c) use a longer rotation, using more situational subbing.
d) give increased opportunities to young players, like Kennard.
e) continue to emphasize D, with increased prospects for success, partly due for a reinvigorated Dre.

Tis the season for hope!

ESPN says SVG calls for doing away with the draft (> no tanking) and max salaries (> harder to form super teams). I think he's got a point about max salaries. If markets, rather than a created ceiling, dictated the highest salaries, it'd be harder to collect superstars.

[cool breeze]

The re-emergence of Reggie & Drummond, our two true stars. When these guys are right, we win, maybe not in the best way, but we are a very dangerous team. 

Add to that the effect of Stanley & Bradley assisting by limiting the penetration to the basket and a better rim protector in Drummond, we should win games at a good clip even if we don't shoot particularly well.

Here's what's driving my optimism...

AUBURN HILLS – Reggie Jackson came through his first no-holds-barred training camp practice with flying colors Friday, but all he wanted to talk about was Andre Drummond.
Two bits of good news for the Pistons in that:

[*]One, Jackson wasn’t particularly unburdened by clearing that hurdle in his return from last year’s nagging left knee tendinosis because that’s how confident he is in the results of the deliberate off-season protocol Pistons trainers established for him, and …

[*]Two, Drummond’s been downright dominant in camp so far.
“He’s been a freak amongst men out here,” Jackson said. “Every rebound is his. He’s trying to break the rim every time he gets it. He’s trying to protect the paint. He’s running hard. … He’s been playing tremendously well.”

Drummond is a lean 280 pounds after losing 35 pounds, he said, over the summer. He had surgery to repair damage to his nose that limited his breathing to one nostril and that – coupled with what he called off-season “soul searching” – has him dialed in to a greater degree than at any time in his five-plus years since the Pistons drafted him.

“I feel fantastic,” he said. “The two-a-days aren’t grueling on my body. I’m taking the necessary steps to take my recovery a lot more seriously than I did in previous years. It’s really boiled down to I’m being a professional. I’m taking the necessary steps to make sure I’m at my best.”

There’s a different vibe in training camp this year by unanimous anecdotal evidence and Stan Van Gundy feels Drummond’s influence is a contributing factor.

The comments have all been positive relating to AD and it appears RJ has improved since his return last season. Like you said time will tell but as long as Reggie plays like the old Reggie for the first 3 quarters until the last 3 minutes, we will most likely see a dysfunctional team on offense again. I just wish Reggie would be the old Reggie in crunch time and become a ball sharing point guard who will pay attention to detail on defense for the other times that he is on the floor.

One comment from someone in the press struck me. AD has lost 30 pounds and is not a lean 280 or 285 pounds. So that means our franchise player last season played the entire season at around 310 pounds?? Exactly when did he gain all of that weight? Last fall comments were all positive as well where all the reporters were saying AD looked real fit and his concentration was great. SVG appeared to be real happy with AD as well even though he refused to use the shooting coach. SVG backed AD up saying players can get confused when more than one coach is working with them. Look how that worked out as AD regressed further into the toilet relating to his free throw shooting. Every fan should be skeptical of anything SVG says about his franchise player. We shall see how consistent AD's effort is in December, January and onward. But at least all of the reports are positive about AD. He must be doing something right in training camp. Keep it going AD. Show us you really care about the fate of the Pistons. Then we will trust you.

Sure wish Zeke was coaching this team. He isn't getting any younger but has so much to offer young players especially the guards. There would be no question that Zeke would be starting Bradley at point guard. RJ would be coming off the bench and playing in crunch time depending on matchups. SVG sure mentions Galloway a lot in his press conferences. Galloway shares the ball and has a good basketball IQ. Too bad he will not be playing point guard unless Jackson or Smith are injured. Nothing is mentioned in the goings on in training camp that Bradley is playing some at point guard. Must be SVG wants to shoot that idea down real quick so he can make sure his ball dominate point guards have no competition. We must remember that two seasons ago, RJ shoot the ball way too much. Because of the make up of the roster, there were no complaints. Now we have some young players who are ready t shine and want a point guard who can help make them successful. I can't imagine that they will not stand up and be counted if RJ hogs the ball to the extreme or fails to see players who have worked hard to get open. RJ has always been knows as a player with selective vision. And past players have wondered if his basketball IQ is high enough to actually run a half court offense the right way. So as you said again - time will tell if anything will be different when the Pistons get into the meat of the season where the strong take over and the weak become dysfunctional.

[Oracle]

The re-emergence of Reggie & Drummond, our two true stars. When these guys are right, we win, maybe not in the best way, but we are a very dangerous team. 

Add to that the effect of Stanley & Bradley assisting by limiting the penetration to the basket and a better rim protector in Drummond, we should win games at a good clip even if we don't shoot particularly well.

Here's what's driving my optimism...

AUBURN HILLS – Reggie Jackson came through his first no-holds-barred training camp practice with flying colors Friday, but all he wanted to talk about was Andre Drummond.
Two bits of good news for the Pistons in that:

[*]One, Jackson wasn’t particularly unburdened by clearing that hurdle in his return from last year’s nagging left knee tendinosis because that’s how confident he is in the results of the deliberate off-season protocol Pistons trainers established for him, and …

[*]Two, Drummond’s been downright dominant in camp so far.
“He’s been a freak amongst men out here,” Jackson said. “Every rebound is his. He’s trying to break the rim every time he gets it. He’s trying to protect the paint. He’s running hard. … He’s been playing tremendously well.”

Drummond is a lean 280 pounds after losing 35 pounds, he said, over the summer. He had surgery to repair damage to his nose that limited his breathing to one nostril and that – coupled with what he called off-season “soul searching” – has him dialed in to a greater degree than at any time in his five-plus years since the Pistons drafted him.

“I feel fantastic,” he said. “The two-a-days aren’t grueling on my body. I’m taking the necessary steps to take my recovery a lot more seriously than I did in previous years. It’s really boiled down to I’m being a professional. I’m taking the necessary steps to make sure I’m at my best.”

There’s a different vibe in training camp this year by unanimous anecdotal evidence and Stan Van Gundy feels Drummond’s influence is a contributing factor.

[Oracle]

Yes, yes, a million times yes... you understand SVG!

His goal is to change NOTHING! He fully believes his schemes will work with better shooters, of course, everything appears to work with better shooters, but, IMO, it will just hide for awhile the flaws in SVG's schemes.

His plan is clear:
1. Play Bradley EXACTLY how he played KCP... long and hard and preferably hanging out on the 3 point line to jack up that last minute off balanced shot that appears to be what his offense is designed to generate.
2. Talk up the youngsters! Hey, why not, that's the only bone they can expect to get unless there's a sh!t load of garbage time this year.
3. SVG doesn't over pay scrubs for nothing, he plans to use them early and often

I have two hopes with SVG. First I hope he does play Kennard with the respect he gave Stanley in his first year, and secondly that he learned something about this team last year as it relates to guard play and ball movement.

It won't be long before we start to get some answers...

Take a look at the article "Five Goals for Langston Galloway". Here we have the truth of what SVG must have penciled in way before training camp began. No matter what happens in training camp SVG will have blinders on. He signed Galloway for $7 mil a year. Therefore, Galloway will be the backup 2 guard this season and the next two seasons unless Bradley signs elsewhere next summer. SVG will work Bradley to death playing him 35 minutes a game so he will be warn out by playoff time. Galloway will get the scraps. SVG will tell the press that Luke like Henry is not ready. Of course all of this line of bull is orchestrated to protect his two amazing ball hog point guards Jackson and Smith. We will see them slowly dribble the ball up the court and look for a small opening for themselves if AD is not immediately open. Ball dominate point guards make me cringe. There is no way the Pistons can win with those two point guards. Both are inferior defenders. Neither point guard is capable of organizing the offense so the team plays both sides of the court. Neither point guard can think two plays ahead. That is why they need to dribble so much. Meanwhile this team will not grow at all being that the best players will seldom touch the basketball.

SVG is a fraud. He is not objective. Every decision he makes involves what he does as the guy who picks and signs free agents. They get the playing time. There will be no development of the young players. There will be no development of the other 4 players who get on the floor with SVG's designated point guards. This team needs Avery Bradley to play point guard. They need Luke, Stanley, and Tobias to be key offensive players. If they do not touch the ball then we will not see any screening, movement without the basketball of the ball going from one side of the court to the other. This is Tim Hardaway style of basketball. SVG has him handling the guards. Remember how ball dominate he was as a player? Sorry Piston fans but this Piston organization has a rigged system. Get ready for our players to get their asses kicked. Nobody will play aggressive defense if those talented defensive players seldom touch the ball unless the shot clock is expiring.

So Galloway will suck up the 10 minutes or so minutes left after Bradley plays 30 plus minutes at the 2 guard. He might be able to do it though because he will be standing in the baseline corner much like Pope and Johnson did last season. He will wait and watch not having a clue what in hell the scatterbrain point guards are trying to do. That is because neither guard knows in advance what they will do. They will read and react. Everything within the offense will depend on them. How stupid can you be SVG? You think fans want to see that nonsense. No Michigan basketball fans know when you are trying to sell them a circus act.

[cool breeze]

College Basketball is gone to hell in a hand basket and it's a damn shame.


Greed is the biggest part in this and as Barkley stated all is to blame (Shoe Companies, Sport Networks, and the freaking NBA)   


First things first the NBA needs to stop the one and done and require players to go the full 4 years of college, colleges should not have multiple shoe contracts (pick one , Nike, UA or Adidas) 


Secondly put these games back on local TV networks

WTF Tucson is the home of the U of Arizona. This is a basketball city like none I have ever lived in. Everyone is attached to the college basketball program in an emotional way. Attendance is as high as any place in the country despite a crapy list of home games over the past 6 years. Arizona was ranked number 1 in many polls. Everything looked bright. Then the hammer hit with the FBI arrest of a long time assistant coach of Sean Miller. Richardson makes over $225,000 a year in salary. He claims to be a people person. But he was caught moving money around to the Mother of one kid and keeping some of it in his own pocket. I think it was around $15,000.00. Now the question is how many players if any on the current team have received or greedy parents received from a shoe company. Many believe that football is more corrupted than basketball but basketball is easier for the FBI to create sting operations relating to agents who create this corruption. But to break the rules for chump change by this U of A coach is amazing.

Even when I coached high school basketball and we had conference meetings, I was always amazed by the fact that so many high school basketball coaches were clearly doing the job to promote themselves. It was about them not the players who play and decide the outcome of the games. What can they make in the summer camps. How they did this or that in coaching made by want to skip those meetings. Some didn't have egos but most were A holes who I would not enjoy playing for. Being a coach is like being a Father. It is not about you. Your role is to do your best to help make kids successful. Your only reward is to be a witness after putting in long hours of work to see the kid become successful and to have the good fortune to witness what happens because you were there as a mentor. The sports networks or television networks, shoe companies, AAU corrupt coaches, and some of those coaches who move up to the college ranks as assistants acting like they really have the best interest of the player have caused this ugly mess. And of course some of the parents of the players show their true colors too has they latch on to their kids and try to suck they dry asking for handouts from college recruiters to get their sons or daughters to sign. This not only goes on in football and basketball but even girls softball where girls who are in the 7th grade are followed and courted by all the major universities. College coaches in girls softball make amazing money now. What kind of money is being passed on to parents in that sport?

I agree with you regarding the NBA too. Let 18 year old kids go from high school to the NBA. Doing that will weaken that sport even more and the quality of play will continue to drop as the NBA front office adds more meaningless games to the schedule to increase their revenue. At some point fans will walk away from this game. And fans following their favorite college team are tired of those 5 star athletes getting so much attention and then leaving after one season. I think a lot of fans appreciate watching smaller college teams play because they can watch young kids develop and form a bond with those players knowing they will be developing before their eyes for 4 years.

[cool breeze]

Take a look at the article "Five Goals for Langston Galloway". Here we have the truth of what SVG must have penciled in way before training camp began. No matter what happens in training camp SVG will have blinders on. He signed Galloway for $7 mil a year. Therefore, Galloway will be the backup 2 guard this season and the next two seasons unless Bradley signs elsewhere next summer. SVG will work Bradley to death playing him 35 minutes a game so he will be warn out by playoff time. Galloway will get the scraps. SVG will tell the press that Luke like Henry is not ready. Of course all of this line of bull is orchestrated to protect his two amazing ball hog point guards Jackson and Smith. We will see them slowly dribble the ball up the court and look for a small opening for themselves if AD is not immediately open. Ball dominate point guards make me cringe. There is no way the Pistons can win with those two point guards. Both are inferior defenders. Neither point guard is capable of organizing the offense so the team plays both sides of the court. Neither point guard can think two plays ahead. That is why they need to dribble so much. Meanwhile this team will not grow at all being that the best players will seldom touch the basketball.

SVG is a fraud. He is not objective. Every decision he makes involves what he does as the guy who picks and signs free agents. They get the playing time. There will be no development of the young players. There will be no development of the other 4 players who get on the floor with SVG's designated point guards. This team needs Avery Bradley to play point guard. They need Luke, Stanley, and Tobias to be key offensive players. If they do not touch the ball then we will not see any screening, movement without the basketball of the ball going from one side of the court to the other. This is Tim Hardaway style of basketball. SVG has him handling the guards. Remember how ball dominate he was as a player? Sorry Piston fans but this Piston organization has a rigged system. Get ready for our players to get their asses kicked. Nobody will play aggressive defense if those talented defensive players seldom touch the ball unless the shot clock is expiring.

So Galloway will suck up the 10 minutes or so minutes left after Bradley plays 30 plus minutes at the 2 guard. He might be able to do it though because he will be standing in the baseline corner much like Pope and Johnson did last season. He will wait and watch not having a clue what in hell the scatterbrain point guards are trying to do. That is because neither guard knows in advance what they will do. They will read and react. Everything within the offense will depend on them. How stupid can you be SVG? You think fans want to see that nonsense. No Michigan basketball fans know when you are trying to sell them a circus act.

[WTF]

College Basketball is gone to hell in a hand basket and it's a damn shame.


Greed is the biggest part in this and as Barkley stated all is to blame (Shoe Companies, Sport Networks, and the freaking NBA)   


First things first the NBA needs to stop the one and done and require players to go the full 4 years of college, colleges should not have multiple shoe contracts (pick one , Nike, UA or Adidas) 


Secondly put these games back on local TV networks

[WTF]

While it won't prevent tanking, it does limit the incentives to tank a little.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the NBA Board of Governors passed new rules for draft lottery reform and player resting.

Wojnarowski noted that the new lottery system meant to curb tanking will be in place for the 2019 NBA draft.
As part of the reformed lottery, the team with the NBA's worst record will no longer have sole possession of the best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, as seen in this chart tweeted by Wojnarowski:

Each of the three worst teams will have an equal chance to get the first pick at 14 percent, whereas the worst team used to have a 25 percent chance followed by the second-worst at 19.9 percent and the third-worst at 15.6 percent.

Not sure if it would slow teams from tanking 1,2,3 still isn't bad.  If they want to truly avoid tanking then reverse the odds completely by giving team #15 the better odds.  Teams should be penalized for tanking and it make sense to give a team on the cusp of making the playoffs better odds especially if they are perhaps a lottery pick away from the next level. JMO

[WTF]

While it won't prevent tanking, it does limit the incentives to tank a little.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the NBA Board of Governors passed new rules for draft lottery reform and player resting.

Wojnarowski noted that the new lottery system meant to curb tanking will be in place for the 2019 NBA draft.
As part of the reformed lottery, the team with the NBA's worst record will no longer have sole possession of the best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, as seen in this chart tweeted by Wojnarowski:

Each of the three worst teams will have an equal chance to get the first pick at 14 percent, whereas the worst team used to have a 25 percent chance followed by the second-worst at 19.9 percent and the third-worst at 15.6 percent.

No reason that at least two these three shouldn't get major burn, I never really gave SJ much praise I still have issues with his mechanics on his shot as well as his shot selection.  But Kennard and Ellenson are fundamentally advanced as stated it obvious when you look at the film prior to being drafted you could see that both are naturally gifted with HIGH BB IQ's.

Sure it wouldn't hurt if Ellenson puts on a little more strength but SVG should have seen enough of Tayshuan whipping on his Orlando team not to be overly concerned with that.  Not many dum dums are coming from Kentucky, Duke and NC especially those that are not your 1 and done flash in the pan.  

AS a coach it seems stupid to sell us on players you draft and then don't play them especially when you're picking lottery players.

[Oracle]

While it won't prevent tanking, it does limit the incentives to tank a little.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the NBA Board of Governors passed new rules for draft lottery reform and player resting.

Wojnarowski noted that the new lottery system meant to curb tanking will be in place for the 2019 NBA draft.
As part of the reformed lottery, the team with the NBA's worst record will no longer have sole possession of the best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, as seen in this chart tweeted by Wojnarowski:

Each of the three worst teams will have an equal chance to get the first pick at 14 percent, whereas the worst team used to have a 25 percent chance followed by the second-worst at 19.9 percent and the third-worst at 15.6 percent.

[Oracle]

You're getting excited and prepared for this coming season, and here's something that should excite ALL of us.

Kennard continues to display the things that moved the Pistons to take him in June’s lottery, poise and an advanced offensive feel to go with a deadly shooting stroke.

Absolute Music to my ears!

I dare SVG to treat Kennard badly, this forum knows where to find the pitch forks and torches to get his Frankenstein Ass run out of town 

[deusXango]

@DX - You made a sweeping statement and put down some to elevate others. You may be right, I'm not sure, but I was taught that if I have to put others down to make something else look good, I have the problem... just saying!

Talk about addition through subtraction, just as we subtracted KCP and Morris from the roster, it increased the quality of the team, I.Q. wise, the subtraction of Jackson will do the same for the improved play of Drummond. It'll give him a team to anchor and play to his strengths. Every guard we have is capable of running the P & R so that alone isn't a reason to overly depend on an asthmatic, gimpy kneed, $15 million PG, who may not deliver...it's time to move on, if you love the home team.

As I said, you may be right, but there is another way to look at this. Does SVG's system encourage and drive bad decision making? What happens if the system works such that Bradley HAS to take bad shots because the clock is exhausted and he has to take an ill advised shot? That tends to happen a lot in SVG's system as well as a lot of other dumb things because movement is poor.

But why is movement poor, is the question you should ask. It's poor because game after game of watching Reggie and Drummond dance together, what's the point of moving... pull up a chair and pick your nose(since Drummond's nose is clear now, the pickings will be slim).

But thanks for the info, Morris and KCP were the problem, so everything will be alright...

@Ballin - Yes, I'm coming around because I think Drummond & Reggie will be alright. I'm also stoked about seeing our new rookie get the PT he deserves and seeing if my faith in him is justified. I already believe that we will make the playoffs, the only outstanding question is at what seed. Stanley got generous PT as a rookie, and I expect to see the same for Kennard.

@Wise - SVG does have two sides of his mouth and he is also capable of talking out of his arse as well! One is just a bit more odorous that the others

Yeah, I have a problem.

[WTF]

Reggie situation reminds me of Jodi Meeks situation where SVG was reluctant to admit he fucked up.

[Oracle]

@DX - You made a sweeping statement and put down some to elevate others. You may be right, I'm not sure, but I was taught that if I have to put others down to make something else look good, I have the problem... just saying!

Talk about addition through subtraction, just as we subtracted KCP and Morris from the roster, it increased the quality of the team, I.Q. wise, the subtraction of Jackson will do the same for the improved play of Drummond. It'll give him a team to anchor and play to his strengths. Every guard we have is capable of running the P & R so that alone isn't a reason to overly depend on an asthmatic, gimpy kneed, $15 million PG, who may not deliver...it's time to move on, if you love the home team.

As I said, you may be right, but there is another way to look at this. Does SVG's system encourage and drive bad decision making? What happens if the system works such that Bradley HAS to take bad shots because the clock is exhausted and he has to take an ill advised shot? That tends to happen a lot in SVG's system as well as a lot of other dumb things because movement is poor.

But why is movement poor, is the question you should ask. It's poor because game after game of watching Reggie and Drummond dance together, what's the point of moving... pull up a chair and pick your nose(since Drummond's nose is clear now, the pickings will be slim).

But thanks for the info, Morris and KCP were the problem, so everything will be alright...

@Ballin - Yes, I'm coming around because I think Drummond & Reggie will be alright. I'm also stoked about seeing our new rookie get the PT he deserves and seeing if my faith in him is justified. I already believe that we will make the playoffs, the only outstanding question is at what seed. Stanley got generous PT as a rookie, and I expect to see the same for Kennard.

@Wise - SVG does have two sides of his mouth and he is also capable of talking out of his arse as well! One is just a bit more odorous that the others

[WTF]

Don't worry folks Reggie is all but gone before the season starts I promise this 


SVG has no choice but to get rid of Jackson just a damn shame that he's not coming to this conclusion in a proactive manner but instead out of desperation and no other options.  


SVG lets his stubbornness and emotions gets in the way of rational thinking. Pride sucks when it keeps you from doing the right thing like starting Kennard at and perhaps Ellenson  at PF.

We Elllenson may not be the better defensive option he certainly makes the most sense.  I don't think he's a horrible defender but he's being punished because Andre is a worse defender at center but you have 25 million a season committed to his ass.  A lot money for a guy that can't pick up the slack defensively nor carry a team offensively. Just why are we paying him again?


How in the **** do you sing the praise of Kennard and not start him?  I asked this question once and I'll ask again, so can someone tell be outside of never playing in an NBA game what has anyone seen about his game from college to SL and early praises of training camp that say's he doesn't deserve to start come the beginning of the season.   I recall a lot of you Gun-ho about Knight Starting as a rookie and IMO Kennard if far more advance IQ and ability wise than Knight ever was.  I can also say he more advance than SJ as well who some thought was worthy of starting.  

[cool breeze]

Y'all, I look at Kennard as our prized rookie, because from what I see he does not play like a typical lottery rookie, what with his handles, feel for the game, poise and of course shooting!!  I have not been this excited about a Pistons rookie since Drummond, and I expect him to be an impact player on the perimeter, from the eye test.  He just looks like a "Player."

Kennard: “Avery is such a smart player, so to go against a guy like that every day, you feel like you learn so much every possession against him or with him,” Kennard said Wednesday. “He’s a competitor and plays so hard, you follow that because he gives everybody a sense of urgency when he’s on the floor.

“Being able to watch him (on defense) and what he does on the floor and what he thinks about the game while it’s going on, you can take part of what he does and put it in your own game.”

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Reggie; I love the Pistons. I was there for the dark and frustrating days in Cobo, to the tough minded "Bad Boys" days. I watched one of the best players of his time leave it all on the floor, in that ugly ass teal, before bolting to the sunny skies of Florida and out of the ashes rose up another champion, we fans could embrace for representing the spirit of Detroit, the "Going to Work Crew" of 2004. I love the Pistons, but the recent Pistons haven't brought me the pride I so enjoy!

BallinD has taken me back to, what I believe is a most logical and intriguing suggestion, starting Bradley and Kennard. What's the difference in starting a backcourt that's high scoring and defensively sound vs. a backcourt that the #1 defender is the smallest man in the starting lineup and the PG is the weakest? The answer should be obvious. Sight unseen, I believe Kennard is a stronger defender than Jackson right now. How many lottery teams are searching for minutes for their prize rookie, regardless of what imaginary shortcomings their coach finds? The real question is, who has the highest I.Q. and more team oriented at PG, Bradley or Jackson? Both are sound ball handlers, but defense is the mantra of the coach, who plays the stingiest defense? Every great backcourt that the Pistons have had (Isiah and Joe/Chauncey and Rip), spent a lot of time together and shared a great rapport; Kennard seems to be Bradleys' man (positions aside) more so than Jackson. Bradley PG and Kennard SG!

Next year sign Avery to what he's worth to us and remember Luke is playing on a rookie contract. Galloway should be what he was signed to be...a bench player. IMHO he's potentially a great 6th man, completing a formidable three guard rotation; if all goes well, Galloway and Bullock should "kill" opposing 2nd unit backcourts. We've got shooters and scorers, who can defend, in the backcourt.

Talk about addition through subtraction, just as we subtracted KCP and Morris from the roster, it increased the quality of the team, I.Q. wise, the subtraction of Jackson will do the same for the improved play of Drummond. It'll give him a team to anchor and play to his strengths. Every guard we have is capable of running the P & R so that alone isn't a reason to overly depend on an asthmatic, gimpy kneed, $15 million PG, who may not deliver...it's time to move on, if you love the home team.

Well done dX. I wonder how much of an impact Bower has in influencing SVG. There is no question that SVG's GM has a high regard for Galloway. But you are correct dX. Kennard is our number one draft pick and he is special because of his ability to quickly adapt because of his strong will and amazing basketball IQ. Reggie Jackson gave us his heart and sole and was mostly responsible for Detroit making the playoffs two years ago. But teams now know how to play Reggie and there is much more involved with Reggie's health problems than management is letting on. His cardio conditioning was horrible last season. He was always out of breath and that made it impossible for him to give much of an effort on defense. As he tried to work himself into game shape last season, nothing improved regarding his stamina. There is no way Reggie Jackson should be handed a rotation spot now. He was perhaps the worst guard in the league last season who got playing time based on results.

The idea of Bradley handling the ball and setting up the offense is the smartest thing SVG could do. He seems to be fighting that idea perhaps because he wants to find a way to play Reggie so he can trade him. But that is the problem of head coaching having a duel role. SVG needs to concentrate completely on doing the right thing regarding coaching. The combination of Bradley, Kennard, and Johnson could be incredible. We would have three high IQ skill players going into the playoffs for the first time in years. Perhaps during the first few months, Galloway will be a very valuable player. When Detroit plays a team like Washington, Kennard is going to struggle going up against Beal. But eventually Luke will be less of a liability on defense for sure. And you are correct that right now Kennard makes the team much better if he is on the floor instead of Reggie. I just don't see based on Reggie Jackson's style of play where he is only effective dominating the basketball that he can fit in with the current roster players.

It seems that Ellenson might take a back seat again this season because he has been labeled as a defensive liability. I think all he needs is regular playing time. He is a superior player to Leuer. He is smarter, stronger and can become an outstanding scorer. SVG will be making a big mistake keeping Ellenson out of the rotation for another season. Henry can play either center or power forward. Leuer cannot play center based on his inability to defend any power forwards in the league. If Boban is unable to keep up with up tempo teams or suffers injury early on, Ellenson must be ready. I have confidence in Moreland as well. One writer suggested that AD will be on a shorter leash this season. Any signs of slacking around December and January, SVG has to remember that short leash idea and get both Ellenson and Moreland ready for the big time.

Without Reggie, unless Reggie creates a new Reggie, this team should be fun to watch. Ish Smith must change his ball dominate style which I think he will do and he must improve on defense. But the options are there for this coach. Galloway is a tough minded defender. Tolliver is very excited about his return to Detroit and his impact on the team will be impressive even if he plays limited minutes. There is a lot to be excited about including the rumor that AD has lost 30 pounds and is playing more attention to detail in this camp.

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