Trip Down Memory Lane

[Murph]

Yes, maybe Oracle.  I went back through the archives, and couldn't find many posts on Mitchell.  I remember I was opposed to Mitchell because he was not listed as a PG, but rather a 6'2 SG.  All I could think of was another Ben Gordon.   Man, I missed big on that one.

Don was advocating for just about everyone...Tatum, Jackson, Fox, Smith, Markkanen, Ferguson and Giles.  In one post Don did advocate for Mitchell.  But after Kennard was selected, Don was happy with the Kennard pick.

In another post, Don also advocated for a PG to be drafted, but his first two PG selections were Fox and Smith.  Don did not want Ball or Fultz.


Good call for everyone who advocated for the Rubio for Jackson trade.  And now that you mention it, maybe it was Deus who was the biggest advocate for that trade.

[Sparma]

It was Oracle, as I remember, who really pushed for Mitchell, and I do think he was the only one who expressed that STRONG preference.  I remember hoping for the Kennard pick, thinking of him as a safer pick and better fit.

Where'd I agree with Don's recollection is that we almost all saw a problem at PG. That's not the same as almost all of us having advocated for Mitchell, because that didn't happen. If memory serves Oracle's been the most enthusiastic of us about Reggie J, yet he was the one championing Mitchell.

As I remember, several of us advocated for the Jackson for Rubio trade, including Deus, me, and BallinD too.  Can't remember where Don fell, but he's been so anti-Reggie J that I'd think he sided with that trade too.

Similarly, I think several of us wanted more time for Bullock.  My recollection here is that Don was quite critical of Bullock going into the season (citing the drug issue), and that he consistently pushed for time for Stanley J insofar as there was a competition for minutes between him and Reggie B.

That's for what it's worth, without delving into the archives!

"Almost every poster wanted the Pistons to draft a point guard and Mitchell was still on the board."

Don...we have a archive.  I challenge you to produce just one of your posts where you advocated taking Mitchell.

There was one poster who was strongly advocating for Mitchell.  I can't remember who is was.  Was it BallinD?  

Also, was it BallinD who was strongly advocating the Reggie Jackson for Ricky Rubio trade?

And BallinD was advocating for Bullock to get more playing time also.

BallinD has some real basketball insight...not some pretend, hindsight, insight, like Don.

[Murph]

"Almost every poster wanted the Pistons to draft a point guard and Mitchell was still on the board."

Don...we have a archive.  I challenge you to produce just one of your posts where you advocated taking Mitchell.

There was one poster who was strongly advocating for Mitchell.  I can't remember who is was.  Was it BallinD?  

Also, was it BallinD who was strongly advocating the Reggie Jackson for Ricky Rubio trade?

And BallinD was advocating for Bullock to get more playing time also.

BallinD has some real basketball insight...not some pretend, hindsight, insight, like Don.

[cool breeze]

In the article: Detroit Pistons passing on Donovan Mitchell isn't like Darko. It's worse

They show how and more importany why Stan Van Gundy blew drafting Mitchell.

What's worse is why they blew it. 

Remember, Stan Van Gundy and his front-office staff had Mitchell in for a workout … and loved him. Yet still couldn't roll the dice.  

They got caught in a classic front-office dilemma:  

Draft for the present? Which usually means selecting the player you think fits the most critical need. Or draft for the future? Which means taking the player you think is best. 

The issue gets trickier when the person making the decision is also coaching the team. And that's the problem Tom Gores is grappling with now.  

The Pistons' owner, according to ESPN reports, is willing to let Van Gundy return to coach for at least one more year. But he wants new voices in the front office leading the way. 

What Gores knows is that Van Gundy and the front office cost themselves a potential superstar. Because instead of thinking about the team they might one day be, they thought about the team they already had. And how Luke Kennard — in theory — fit those pieces better. 

If Van Gundy truly thought Kennard had a higher ceiling than Mitchell, then the logic of choosing Kennard would've been fine. But he chose Kennard because of fit.

And he's paying for it.  

Though that isn't the only mistake Van Gundy's front office has made.  

Spending $63 million on Jon Leuer and Langston Galloway was problematic. Without those contracts, the Pistons would have more room to maneuver around Blake Griffin's massive deal and try to find better complementary pieces.  

Oracle the interview after the Utah win with Mitchell is like many others this season. How anyone could have passed on Mitchell who is in charge of the Pistons after what happened after Reggie Jackson returned two seasons ago is staggering. Almost every poster wanted the Pistons to draft a point guard and Mitchell was still on the board. Mitchell interviews extremely well and did a great job after the game last night. He is smart, knows the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates and understands how to attack opposing defenses in playoff situations. He is a remarkable young basketball player. You would have to be an idiot to have passed on Mitchell last summer.

So again why did SVG pass on this rookie point guard? AD loves RJ. Tom Gores loves AD. SVG is a politically correct decision maker and doesn't to offend the mouth who feeds him. Even with Reggie Jackson's horrible display of basketball in that season where it sure looked like he might be finished as a player in the NBA, the final decision made was not logical to draft Kennard instead of Mitchell. The biggest need at the time was lack of a ligament point guard. So Mitchell's great workout last summer and his outstanding interviews leading up to draft day meant nothing to the owner, Bower or SVG. They were all on the same page. AD is the franchise player. The owner gets AD's advise before doing anything still today. AD is not the bad guy in all of this. If he loves Reggie then it is only normal for him to speak his mind. The problem is that they all listened to him. This is no different than the comments Tom Gores made two weeks ago relating to his proposed meeting with SVG. I will contact Andre Drummond to get his view of things. Then a week later it was I will contact AD and Blake Griffen to get their view of things. The problem is that this owner has no vision and SVG does what he thinks the owner wants no what should be done regarding using an offense to fit the players or selecting the best overall player during the draft.

Removing any competition for protected pet players has become a habit. Joe Dumars did it and now the same type of lame thing has happened to the Pistons under SVG. Nobody has a vision who is in charge of the Detroit Pistons. That much is clear and that is what frustrates Piston fans most of all. Nobody who follows the Pistons as a fan has confidence that the owner or whoever he selects to run the front office or coaching staff will do the right thing or the smart thing. Looking at the Pistons roster at this point in time is shocking after so many years after the Billups led team had so much success. Looking at the teams in the playoffs, we can all see effective point guards who the Pistons could have picked up at one time or another. Rondo, Darren Collison, George Hill, Mitchell etc etc. But this owner and the Piston front office never flinched. They had their man who was Reggie Jackson the weakest defensive starting guard in the NBA who is not a point guard. He is a shooting guard. Reggie Jackson doesn't have a clue as to what it takes to run a basketball team. He is a clutch player in crunch time with the ball in his hands or at least was that type of player at one point in time. Now his cardio and legs are not up to the level of a current starting NBA point guard. Reggie has never been a play maker or a guy who makes teammates better. But when it comes to playing playoff style basketball, Reggie Jackson is a clear liability on defense. Ish Smith is also a defensive liability relating to playoff style basketball. Both would be targeted by opposing teams at the weak link.

Over the summer fans start getting confident that their team will be much better next season. For sure they will make the playoffs this next season. I usually feel that way. Not this summer though. I do not believe the Pistons can make the playoffs next season. If by chance they do make the 8th seed, they will be the weakest team to make the playoffs. The roster is extremely flawed. The coaching staff might be the worst in the NBA. The owner is not a smart man when it comes to ownership responsibilities relating to providing a vision of the future. The Pistons have no vision and that is what hurts the most.

[Murph]

Is there any doubt Brad Stevens is the best coach in the NBA?  The Celtics are missing their best player, Kyrie Irving, and two more top players in Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, and they still have a very good chance of eliminating the much bigger and more physical 76ers.

It really doesn't matter which players Stevens plugs into his system, whether it's Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier or Marcus Smart...the Celtics win.

Now compare that to SVG and the Pistons.  When the Celtics lose their All Star starting PG, it's a hick-up.  When the Pistons lose their mediocre starting PG, it's a calamity.

Stevens is the Gregg Popovich of the new generation.

[WTF]

A couple of things jump right at me!

1. The theory is that we need a running game.  I don't follow this line of thinking unless you're saying we need a super star running back, like a Barry Sanders that can carry the team by himself, and we aren't going to get that back here any time soon. The fact is that a running back is NOT the problem.

The Lions offense is designed to do one thing... Pass protect so that Stafford can have time to dissect the defense. Run blocking is an after thought, and until and unless that changes, runners can't run if there are no holes opened. So yes, we can upgrade our running game, but it likely won't help until the offensive line focus is altered.

2. The schedule is tough. Yes it is... so what! If you want to be the best, you have to play and beat the best. Good teams don't fear the schedule, they look at as a challenge, and if that's not how the Lions view things, then they need to be in another business.

I wouldn't call it a theory because we definitely need a run game.  I don't think it simply tied to just needing a great back because I think we need a run scheme as well.  There need to be an creative balance to the run and pass game we don't really need another Barry but we need a workhorse back there on 3rd and short that can get those critical 1st downs.

It's almost like the opposite of Barry with Stafford where teams load up the secondary and dare him to beat them because they know we're not running, with Barry they stacked the line with 8 and 9 defenders because we didn't have a strong passing game more time than not.  IMO Stafford has come a long way not to have a complimenting run attack.

[Phil-Good]

This Tome Gores guy is A FREAKING PHONEY and A F.U.C.K.I.N.G BUM dumb azz guy!

He afraid to fire his F.U.C.K.I.N.G boy-friend.

Yet A great coach like the former ATL coach is sitting around looking for A job!

[deusXango]

The emphasis being placed on keeping Stan Van Gundy in Detroit, in some capacity, more than moving on (front office and the bench are the obvious steps to take in making this team better) now, has me feeling a certain sort of way. What's to be accomplished and is an 8th seed, after 5 years of total control, what Pistons expected? Sh!!!!!!!!t.

[Oracle]

In the article: Detroit Pistons passing on Donovan Mitchell isn't like Darko. It's worse

They show how and more importany why Stan Van Gundy blew drafting Mitchell.

What's worse is why they blew it. 

Remember, Stan Van Gundy and his front-office staff had Mitchell in for a workout … and loved him. Yet still couldn't roll the dice.  

They got caught in a classic front-office dilemma:  

Draft for the present? Which usually means selecting the player you think fits the most critical need. Or draft for the future? Which means taking the player you think is best. 

The issue gets trickier when the person making the decision is also coaching the team. And that's the problem Tom Gores is grappling with now.  

The Pistons' owner, according to ESPN reports, is willing to let Van Gundy return to coach for at least one more year. But he wants new voices in the front office leading the way. 

What Gores knows is that Van Gundy and the front office cost themselves a potential superstar. Because instead of thinking about the team they might one day be, they thought about the team they already had. And how Luke Kennard — in theory — fit those pieces better. 

If Van Gundy truly thought Kennard had a higher ceiling than Mitchell, then the logic of choosing Kennard would've been fine. But he chose Kennard because of fit.

And he's paying for it.  

Though that isn't the only mistake Van Gundy's front office has made.  

Spending $63 million on Jon Leuer and Langston Galloway was problematic. Without those contracts, the Pistons would have more room to maneuver around Blake Griffin's massive deal and try to find better complementary pieces.  

[Oracle]

A couple of things jump right at me!

1. The theory is that we need a running game.  I don't follow this line of thinking unless you're saying we need a super star running back, like a Barry Sanders that can carry the team by himself, and we aren't going to get that back here any time soon. The fact is that a running back is NOT the problem.

The Lions offense is designed to do one thing... Pass protect so that Stafford can have time to dissect the defense. Run blocking is an after thought, and until and unless that changes, runners can't run if there are no holes opened. So yes, we can upgrade our running game, but it likely won't help until the offensive line focus is altered.

2. The schedule is tough. Yes it is... so what! If you want to be the best, you have to play and beat the best. Good teams don't fear the schedule, they look at as a challenge, and if that's not how the Lions view things, then they need to be in another business.

[Sparma]

Tough Lions' schedule, I agree, Wise, with all the Central foes looking significantly improved. I've got the sense that the Lions have been playing it smart this off season, addressing needs prudently. I heard one commentator say they had the worst draft of all. Dangerous feeling that they've been playing it smart given my 50 year history of following them. Further, I've got the sense that they may get better without having a better record to show for it, due to the schedule. Fingers crossed though.

Don writes: "I am not buying into the idea that Tom Gores would now be thinking of cost relating to making his decision on SVG's guaranteed contract. $7 Mil to this owner is just written off as another expense." I'm not saying $$ would be THE reason for Gores keeping SVG [and again I think he'd be making a mistake to do so] but that it would be A reason. He's not "thinking" about saving millions? Wow, that seems like an overstatement. Pre-Gores we saw a number of coaches brought in where I felt saving $$ was a significant motivation: Curry, Kuester, Frank, and Cheeks. With Gores saving millions is something not even thought of? Wow.

That said, I do think you bring up a great point about book keeping. I'd be inclined to primarily apply that point elsewhere though. I wonder if depreciation of assets may have been a consideration when trading for Blake Griffin. Don't think that would apply to SVG qua coach & Prez so long as his health didn't collapse. It's possible that Gores would be eligible for a major tax break on Griffin (weird as it is to think of persons as assets) that made him more willing to take on an injury-prone player. That wouldn't help the team with salary cap (unless we land in a Leuer-like situation), but it may have made some difference to him personally. And there could just be some kind of insurance too. Just for the record: I clearly I don't know the ins and outs of tax laws and sports franchises. But the intricacies probably do make a difference to decisions at times.

Not a good time to be a Detroit fan more generally, with the Lions our best shot now. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about them, but the early Vegas 8 win prediction sounds fair.

That schedule is a BEAST the year I'm a little worried if we go into the season without a run game.  They can't keep putting on the arm of Stafford nor keep relying on the defense.  Both get worn out over the course of a season and I don't think it's fair that Stafford is expected to carry the offense alone and the defense gets tired by mid season.

The Pistons are just simply doomed as long as SVG stays here, fans seriously need to bailout on them nd hurt Gore's pockets.

[cool breeze]

It's not a good time to be a Pistons fan, even though I expect improvement, indeed playoffs, next year.

Philip asked what might possess Gores to retain SVG.  Murph mentioned the 7 mil due to SVG next year.  Beyond that, they'd need to pay a different coach next year if SVG left.   Let's say that's 5 mil.   I wasn't getting the saving right in an earlier post.

Scenario 1: SVG is coach & Prez next year: 7 mil cost.

Scenario 2: SVG is replaced as coach: the extra cost would simply be for the cost of the new coach, say 5 mil, as Gores would be on the hook for SVG's 7 mil anyway.  He just would get no benefit (?) from SVG's work.

Scenario 3: SVG stays as coach, but has a reduced front office role.  Harder to figure if Bower's out, maybe Tellum gets a pay boost, or someone else comes in.  

In any case, forcing SVG out early would cost real money, even for a billionaire.  And Stan's been here as the value of the franchise has skyrocketed, an important fact for Gores, as Murph points out.  

Sadly, I agree with Murph that our misery likely doesn't end with letting Stan stay, but that a playoff berth leads to a re-signing of SVG.  Misery in that I foresee a continuing low ceiling accompanied by ongoing financial constraints.

Weirdly, if Stan stays, the best thing for me as a Pistons fan might be if the team gets off to a bad start and he gets axed.  Do I need to start rooting against my team if I want to retain genuine hope in the long term?  Odd stuff.

Not a good time to be a Detroit fan more generally, with the Lions our best shot now.  I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about them, but the early Vegas 8 win prediction sounds fair.

You know what it is?  Gores doesn't really care about winning.  What he really cares about is his bottom line.  With Van Gundy, the team has tripled in value, and Gores saves himself $7 million by bringing SVG back.  Geesh.

Not only that, if the Pistons make the playoffs next year, which they should, Gores is going to re-sign SVG to a new contract.  We're stuck with Van Gundy.

I feel trapped as a Pistons fan.  

I am not buying into the idea that Tom Gores would now be thinking of cost relating to making his decision on SVG's guaranteed contract. $7 Mil to this owner is just written off as another expense. The guaranteed contracts he has agreed to relating to his 5 highest paid players should make him angry and question the sanity of his management team. What if Mr. Gores hired an independent expert to provide an analysis of the facts comparing other teams in the league with the Pistons relating to payroll and effectiveness. If the Piston organization was being run like a business then the Board of Directors would fire the entire coaching staff and the entire front office. Does anyone disagree with the obvious conclusion anyone could make who has followed the NBA since SVG his crew arrived? He has failed. No business big business enterprise would be worrying about paying $7 Mil if it looked like that business was going in the wrong direction. Just the thought that this owner hasn't hired an outside party to review the current state of the Pistons is mind boggling unless he believes that he knows when he obviously doesn't know squat about running an NBA team. Instead Tom Gores is still appeasing his players who failed him. Who would do that unless they have developed a personal attachment with their employees which is the kiss of death where logic and reason is not factored into business decisions. How much happier can the owner make these Piston players? If the owner fires this coach and GM will certain players become moody to the point where the new coach will question their "engagement" when it comes to game preparation, skill improvement and effort equal to the players Tom's players play against. How many times did Greg Kelser make statements about how important it is to prepare yourself before tip off instead of just showing up. Also, Greg would show replays where our players were not sharing the basketball or failing to go after loose balls. There is a fine line between winning and losing. Things like effort have nothing to do with coaches. Players are expected to show why their teams are paying them a lot of cash. But it seems this owner still doesn't have a clue. Instead he consults with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Do you like the coach?

Now I ask you what if Isiah Thomas had been hired to do all of SVG's jobs. Wouldn't Zeke say keep your damn money. Does this owner know the difference between running Kmart and an NBA team. Let's see I am the owner of Kmart so I think I will ask the cashier what she or he thinks about the store manager. Is he a prick or a nice guy who let's the cashier take a smoke break? This world has gone crazy with the customer surveys and employees evaluating each other instead of the owner or their superior.

This owner is not serious about providing a winning culture relating to the Pistons. It is obvious that this team needs a new set of eyes to evaluate what should be done. But I am thinking that Mr. Gores is going to retain SVG as head coach and fire Bower who makes no decision without SVG's OK. If SVG hasn't had his dog chew off his balls, then he should resign if the owner insists on blaming Bower while trying to avoid firing SVG because of his contract. Does Bower have a guaranteed contract as well? Nobody seems to be talking about that. No the owner is incompetent in my estimation and he has caused a lot of the current problems. Ins't it important to consider that Tom Gores was behind the Blake Griffin trade. Every source I look at indicates that Bower and SVG advised against the trade. There is no way that during the negotiations both men tried to take Mr. Gores out of that deal when the Clippers wanted the Pistons to include the Pistons number one pick.

The bottom line is this. This owner is playing a waiting game. He is testing the waters holding up a finger trying to figure out public opinion. He knows many fans do not like what has happened since SVG arrived. They do not like his offense designed around AD and RJ while the other 3 players stand in place. They don't like the shoddy defense displayed in crunch time when game are decided. They don't like the volume of turnovers committed by Piston point guards. Did I miss anything?

What if Isiah Thomas agreed to take over the responsibilities that SVG currently is in charge of relating to coaching and being a decision maker on player personnel. Would Zeke have given Leuer a multi year $10Mil contract? Would Zeke be running the 4 out and 1 in to appease two players? Would Zeke form personal attachments with players to the point where his judgment was clouded? Who is the smartest Piston that has ever worn a Piston uniform? Who is the smartest analyst in NBA TV? Who would not submit to the whims of this owner when it comes to allowing players to go behind his back and call the owner when they are critisized by their coach? That is why Zeke will never be hired by this owner and no other person like Zeke would even take the job because they are driven to be involved with WINNING. This owner tolerates losing. SVG is a politically correct puppet for the owner. He should resign if the owner fires Bower. This will be interesting to watch relating to SVG. Isn't it funny to hear the owner go on and on about SVG's skill as a coach? SVG was effective at one time in his career but not as the Pistons coach. His team is seldom prepared to play basketball. His team shows lack of effort. His team has shown poor discipline especially in the long winter months when all the players start feeling the effects of playing too many games. Lack of mental discipline results in point guard created turnovers. Center created turnovers. Failing to react properly within the defensive rotation system. On and on it goes. SVG has failed. His players have failed. Meanwhile, the owner continues to provide fans with smoke and mirrors. The owner is not serious. He is using deception so as to not lose more Piston fans again this year. There are many casualties among the fans. It is going to get worse.

The only thing that could inspire fans is to see Zeke's face either in person at the arena or feeling comfort that he is in charge while watching the pistons on television. We know that Zeke has a heart. That he is not full of crap like the others currently involved with this organization. Zeke's spirit is amazing. He would bring out the best in this group of players or find a way to remove them. But the fans who know Piston history would come out in droves because they love Isiah Thomas and trust his judgment. Most of us do not trust the basic judgment of the owner, the coaching staff or the current front office. WE WANT ZEKE! WE DEMAND ZEKE! I hope fans will pick up on this and cause this owner to head for LA if he maintains the status quo.

[WTF]

Not a good time to be a Detroit fan more generally, with the Lions our best shot now. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about them, but the early Vegas 8 win prediction sounds fair.

That schedule is a BEAST the year I'm a little worried if we go into the season without a run game.  They can't keep putting on the arm of Stafford nor keep relying on the defense.  Both get worn out over the course of a season and I don't think it's fair that Stafford is expected to carry the offense alone and the defense gets tired by mid season.

The Pistons are just simply doomed as long as SVG stays here, fans seriously need to bailout on them nd hurt Gore's pockets.

[Sparma]

It's not a good time to be a Pistons fan, even though I expect improvement, indeed playoffs, next year.

Philip asked what might possess Gores to retain SVG.  Murph mentioned the 7 mil due to SVG next year.  Beyond that, they'd need to pay a different coach next year if SVG left.   Let's say that's 5 mil. I wasn't getting the saving right in an earlier post.

Scenario 1: SVG is coach & Prez next year: 7 mil cost.

Scenario 2: SVG is replaced as coach: the extra cost would simply be for the cost of the new coach, say 5 mil, as Gores would be on the hook for SVG's 7 mil anyway. He just would get no benefit (?) from SVG's work.

Scenario 3: SVG stays as coach, but has a reduced front office role. Harder to figure if Bower's out, maybe Tellum gets a pay boost, or someone else comes in.

In any case, forcing SVG out early would cost real money, even for a billionaire. And Stan's been here as the value of the franchise has skyrocketed, an important fact for Gores, as Murph points out.

Sadly, I agree with Murph that our misery likely doesn't end with letting Stan stay, but that a playoff berth leads to a re-signing of SVG.  Misery in that I foresee a continuing low ceiling accompanied by ongoing financial constraints.

Weirdly, if Stan stays, the best thing for me as a Pistons fan might be if the team gets off to a bad start and he gets axed. Do I need to start rooting against my team if I want to retain genuine hope in the long term? Odd stuff.

Not a good time to be a Detroit fan more generally, with the Lions our best shot now.  I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about them, but the early Vegas 8 win prediction sounds fair.

You know what it is?  Gores doesn't really care about winning.  What he really cares about is his bottom line.  With Van Gundy, the team has tripled in value, and Gores saves himself $7 million by bringing SVG back.  Geesh.

Not only that, if the Pistons make the playoffs next year, which they should, Gores is going to re-sign SVG to a new contract.  We're stuck with Van Gundy.

I feel trapped as a Pistons fan.  

[Murph]

You know what it is?  Gores doesn't really care about winning.  What he really cares about is his bottom line.  With Van Gundy, the team has tripled in value, and Gores saves himself $7 million by bringing SVG back.  Geesh.

Not only that, if the Pistons make the playoffs next year, which they should, Gores is going to re-sign SVG to a new contract.  We're stuck with Van Gundy.

I feel trapped as a Pistons fan.  

[Oracle]

Here's the picture I found:

[cool breeze]

What has happened shows signs that the owner is weak. He should never consult with players especially players who have a history of losing. Andre Drummond has a history of being on losing teams. Fire SVG and the front office staff. HIRE ISIAH THOMAS. Zeke is the only man who could turn this franchise around. Just his presence would sell tickets. Do the fans support SVG or the Piston front office? NO! This owner is part of the problem He is not a strong leader. We need a strong leader. That man is Zeke. This owner is just thinking of ways to keep SVG because he will have to pay him if he is fired. Look at the results. The results are not good. The financial position is horrible. The roster is horrible. The leadership is horrible. Piston fans will not support this nonsense. The arena will be empty. The fans have already disappeared. What is left but the owner, SVG and his family members, the players family members and the owner's family members who will attend the games.

[cool breeze]

Of course there is no good news for Piston fans. The only news left now is to conjure up stories about the big meeting between Tom Gores and Stan Van Gundy. Tom consults with AD who gives a thumbs up or down. We don't know what Andre's decision was but maybe AD wants SVG back as his head coach but doesn't like Bower because he was thinking about ways to trade AD. Does SVG allow AD to sit on the bench during suicides in practice? We know AD doesn't have to listen to the shooting coach. Could be AD did that because he saw what happened to Stanley Johnson when we was forced to change his jump shot release. Maybe AD is allowed to practice his free throws as the rest of the players are spilling their guts doing the conditioning work. Most likely Reggie Jackson is also held out of the suicides as nobody wants him to suffer another injury. Can't have that. You can't be too careful. Meanwhile, Labron James is leading his team in suicides as he knows it takes hard work to get in better physical condition than any other NBA player to be successful during playoff games. Maybe AD and RJ are happy to miss playing in the playoffs but both really want to be named to the All Star team.

If SVG is retained as head coach but doesn't get to keep his buddy Bower, then SVG will be lonely when he attends eating addiction prevention meetings next winter. Tom Gores may nsist on Bower being the scapegoat even though everyone knows Bower makes no decisions without SVG's OK. But perhaps SVG would approve of the firing his brother Jeff could step in as the GM. If that happens NBA fans will most likely celebrate knowing Jeff will not be back as an announcer where he tells the audience his opinion on all foul calls. " No that wasn't a foul". "Yes that for sure was a foul". Can you imagine getting paid to provide you subjective thoughts about NBA officials decision making skills? On the one hand there is Hubie Brown who intelligently breaks down to fans what offense is being run and why a team is running that specific offense. Hubie sees a lot of stuff the normal person never understands. Then there is Dick Vitale and Jeff Van Gundy. I always turn off the sound whenever they are announcing games. He is a dapper dandy! Look at that dunk! Maybe we better be careful what we wish for. Maybe if both Stan and Jeff are fired, we will get Dick Vitale as head coach and Jeff Van Gundy as the new GM and President. Holy hell why not do it? This team has no chance with the current payroll and so much money being paid out to AD, RJ, BG, JL, and LG. Any new coach for the Pistons will be forced to play those 5 players a lot for the next two to four years.

I have been hard on the Piston's owner. He is learning the hard way. Years from now Tom will look back and shake his head wondering how things got so screwed up. The quick decisions to sign Jon Leuer and Galloway for so much money for sure was pretty insane when you think about what the Pacers got with one year contracts this past season. Now they can decide on which players they want to keep. The Pistons do not have that option. Ownership is stuck with the Big 5. All they need to do to get their fat paychecks is show up. The NBA is not do or die. You just need to show up. And for many years the Pistons have suffered because they have too many players who just show up with no thought at all about the game ahead or the practice ahead and have no goals set to attempt improvement. So I feel for the sports reporters who are forced to come up with something positive about the Detroit Pistons. This summer the Pistons are lower than they have been in a very long time. The Pistons are known as a dumb team that lack spunk or "engagement" at times. They lose because of poor decision making and lack of effort.

Watching Zeke put his finger in his birthday cake while remembering his Mother on NBA TV reveals that Isiah Thomas still has that same personality that he had as a player. He is fun to be around and shows his excitement about basketball clearly. Why in hell is Zeke on the outside looking in relating to the Pistons organization? If there ever was a time when the Pistons needed a leader it is now. The Pistons need Isiah Thomas as their front office leader and as their head coach. If Tom Gores has any brains he will be begging Zeke to take over the entire operations of the Pistons. Just let him so his thing with no owner interference.  Zeke never just showed up for a regular season or playoff game. He was always thinking ahead to what needed to be done to get his team ready to play the next game. There is no doubt about his leadership abilities or his high basketball IQ. We fall back on memories of the Bad Boys and Zeke as their leader as we try to block out the reality now where the Piston roster is inferior to most every current roster in the NBA. Many teams have worse records but are for sure in a better financial position and have planned ahead to make sure they have some good picks available in the draft. The Pistons have no first round pick AGAIN. How could that be? How dumb are they? Are the front office people dumber than our players? That would be a good suggestion for the Detroit sports writers to work on. I believe the front office and coaching staff should get the award for being the most mentally deficient relating to the sport of basketball. Fire SVG and everyone in the front office who has decision making ability along the the entire coaching staff. The Pistons need a shake up. WE NEED ZEKE! Would he take on this project? Any front office leader or head coach will have difficulty making changes because of the player contracts. But I would not bet against Zeke. He can still perform miracles.

[WTF]

Yes Gore is a dumb ass but this things doesn't sound like its etched in stone though.  I'm hoping SVG is too stubborn to come back in Lame Coach status with forced changes and he quits.  Sounds like a lot of control is being taken away but not enough or in the right area because it's the coaching that screwing this team more so than his front office decisions.  

This is just plain stupid!!!!

[Oracle]

Yes, the X-Rays are in,


Based on this evidence, Gores has been certified as having...

This is my question for all the Piston fans.

Today is May 1st 2018. The time is 1:18 PM Eastern time.

HOW IN THE F.U.C.K does Stan Van Gundy still have A job on this date?

Tom GORES is A F.U.C.K.I.N.G S.H.I.T for brains, dumb azz, PRICK!

Good day all!!

[Phil-Good]

This is my question for all the Piston fans.

Today is May 1st 2018. The time is 1:18 PM Eastern time.

HOW IN THE F.U.C.K does Stan Van Gundy still have A job on this date?

Tom GORES is A F.U.C.K.I.N.G S.H.I.T for brains, dumb azz, PRICK!

Good day all!!

[cool breeze]

I know they didn't teach you much at Arizona.  I mean after all, you were an athlete.  I'm sure you didn't even have to go to class.  

Or maybe your high school coach football banged your head against the bus window one too many times.

But even a U of A grad should be able to look at a stat sheet and see that Stanley Johnson sucks.  It ain't rocked science.  

Sounds like you work for the main stream media Murph where Arizona's head coach was vilified by ESPN based on some fake leads allegedly from the FBI. I don't know who the dirty individuals are from the many schools identified so far and am not worked up about anything. I do not believe DeAndre Ayton took any money to play at Arizona. My complaint would be why the coaching staff and Arizona guards could not figure out a way to get him the ball more. I will leave the politics to you. But you are a nasty man Murph. You try to hit players and posters below the belt. Did you kick out your leg to hit opponent defenders in the testicles if you did ever play organized basketball?

By the way I was raised in the state of Michigan and moved to Arizona for a great job opportunity. Plus Arizona was attractive because you can run here year around and I have been a long distance runner not a basketball player since my college days. I did play basketball for a college in Michigan and I get more pumped up watching the Michigan college football and basketball teams from Michigan then I do for the Arizona schools. But it is cool to go to McHale Arena to watch the U of A basketball games. Maybe you don't approve because after all U of Arizona fans should feel shame as you say. What did the fans have to do with the FBI probe which also includes Michigan State and possibly other Michigan schools. My thought on this entire matter is who cares. Why would the FBI spending mega resources on college basketball where poor kids are monitored on their iPhones and computers when violent gangs are taking over our country? Read the book published in the Detroit News about my old hometown Detroit. Pretty scary stuff to know Detroit has taken over first place as the most violent city in the USA.

As for Johnson obviously you didn't read my posts. Contracts rule so the Big 5 mean Johnson has to go. The Pistons have no money to keep him so why do you have such a need to smear him? Johnson has never had any clout relating to what offense would be run for this Piston team in the past. He was the guy standing in the baseline corner getting rust for his stay on the Piston team. He will blossom. Johnson can play defense unlike most of the players on the Piston team regardless of the bogus stats you keep pulling out relating to AD. RJ and AD have controlled the Pistons. That is why the Pistons have run the 4 out and 1 in offense. Take a look at other successful teams and then look at the Pistons roster. That is what you should be concentrating on not me or Stanley Johnson. But USA is a free country to bring it on.

[Murph]

I know they didn't teach you much at Arizona. I mean after all, you were an athlete. I'm sure you didn't even have to go to class.

Or maybe your high school coach football banged your head against the bus window one too many times.

But even a U of A grad should be able to look at a stat sheet and see that Stanley Johnson sucks. It ain't rocked science.

[Murph]

We know Stanley Johnson is stupid.  I mean after all, he can't even figure out that he can't shoot.  I mean the freaking moron continues to shoot 29% from the 3 point line, but this year, he shot even more 3 pointers.

And we know Arizona is a crappy school.  I mean they accept almost everyone who applied.  79%

Coinkidink?  I hardly think so.   Stanley Johnson is as dumb as a box of rocks.  And he's Don's favorite player.  

[Oracle]

How many more years will we hear how good the Bucks are... they SUCK!

Beaten by a Boston team they should be able to eliminate in 5-6 games at most! Boston down two major players, and losing another in game 7!

With for sure the best player on the floor and arguably the two best players on the floor!

While they do lack coaching and a PG that fits the team, just like we do, that's no excuse for getting beaten by a team that will be lucky to win another game in the playoffs.

This Buck team hasn't ever gotten as good or better than the team that had Knight as their PG.

Please, I'm sick of hearing how much better they are than us, but I loved how Morris and Baynes are key players for Boston.

Idiot SVG let KCP walk(when he could have gotten something) and traded Morris to Boston for the horribly inferior Bradley.

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