Murph: Johnson

[Oracle]

Murph, you nailed it, the Pistons, in a move that I wish I understood, have signed Joe Johnson.

The reason I don't get it are two.
1. Anybody that's played the game knows that 3 on 3 is really easy. 4 on 4 gets a bit tougher, but when you add that 5th guy, it's a totally different ball game from many perspectives, spacing being high on the list. Everything gets harder, lanes don't exist that are there with less than 5 on 5. So Joe Johnson doing well in 3 on 3 ball doesn't impress me in the least!

2. Yes, we dumped Beasley, but that still leaves us one man over the limit, so who are we going to get rid of?

I really agree with this statement below.

[Murph]

I'm not a big fan of signing Joe Johnson this late in his career. At 6'7, 240 and 38 years old, he's bound to be a huge defensive liability. And let's face it, he was never a good defender to begin with. I guess the hope is that if the Pistons sign him, he can still come off the bench and chuck 3 pointers at a 40% rate.

My other hope is that if he does make the team he replaces Beasley, and not one of the youngsters, such as Svi. Don't get me wrong, I would prefer Beasley over Joe Johnson, but at least we wouldn't lose a player with potential, like Mykhailiuk.

[Sparma]

I've been intrigued by Stefanski's mixing of youth and experience, but now it's increasingly looking like the vets are winning out. If I were coach and my life depended on the results of this season, I'd probably be playing Johnson, Beasley, Morris, and Rose over the youngsters myself. The one youngster who's really earned major minutes is Kennard. And Bruce Brown, sort of, because as you note he needs to be in there to cover for Reg, even though he's got big flaws. Still, as a fan, as someone hoping for a better tomorrow, this leaning on ok vets gets hard to take after a while. Maybe Casey will find the balance yet; his Toronto record's promising in that respect.

Vince Ellis: “Guess you saw stuff where #Pistons favored, but they would have roster decisions to make. Gather Dwane Casey will have a lot of say over the last couple roster spots. Hear he is a fan of Joe Johnson.”

From Langston Galloway to Jose Calderon (that was reportedly a Casey call too, and now Joe Johnson!?!

@ Sparma. They seem to want to have it both ways, with youth and vets in equal measure, which makes sense. It could be a helluva juggling act this year, But Joe Freaking Johnson, come on Casey, wake up!

I saw somewhere that our avg roster age will be 24 yrs, and even iff we sign JJ it will be only 25, but daaayuuum!

[BallinD]

Vince Ellis: “Guess you saw stuff where #Pistons favored, but they would have roster decisions to make. Gather Dwane Casey will have a lot of say over the last couple roster spots. Hear he is a fan of Joe Johnson.”

From Langston Galloway to Jose Calderon (that was reportedly a Casey call too, and now Joe Johnson!?!

@ Sparma. They seem to want to have it both ways, with youth and vets in equal measure, which makes sense. It could be a helluva juggling act this year, But Joe Freaking Johnson, come on Casey, wake up!

I saw somewhere that our avg roster age will be 24 yrs, and even iff we sign JJ it will be only 25, but daaayuuum!

[Oracle]

U.S. upset by France at FIBA World Cup, first major loss in 13 years

[Oracle]

A tripling of young talent on Stefanski’s watch bodes well for Pistons future

[Sparma]

Thought we had a decent youth movement going. It's looking like we're really all in for this season.

I can't believe the avariciousness of these players who have made millions and there's nothing they can prove by coming to Detroit that's positive, and shame on the local media outlets all the way up to Big Ed Stefanski for indulging these clowns. There are some young men who're doing their best to get professional basketball careers started in Detroit and indeed there may be a jewel or two in the bunch that won't get to be appreciated by the fans in Detroit because of their presence.

If ISO Joe sticks and stays and "Bad News" Beasley makes it through training camp it'll be at the expense of possibly Christian Wood, Khyri Thomas, and Svi Mykhailiuk, players who may go the way of Khris Middleton as soon as a franchise rewards them with a fair chance. There's already been innuendo about trading Sekou because he's so young I guess. This "win now" mantra Gores is spewing is creating more frustration among fans than inspiring hope; I'm sick of waiting through off season after off season, watching fruitless scuffles to get an 8th seed and when we make it....get swept! These old MF's may stumble across the finish line into the playoffs but, how will they do?

PLAY THE YOUNG'UNS AND LEAVE THE OLD FOLKS ALONE...treat Galloway like old folks.

[BallinD]

@DX...Should be a hella competitive camp. I can’t imagine JJohnson, on the team at 38, though I could see Beasley getting buckets for us as needed, just not at the expense of Wood!

Casey appears to be a veteran’s coach, based on the Galloway vs Kennard dynamic last year, I do not trust him to find the youth/vet balance, but OTOH he started a rookie over Luke. Though that was questionable in the extreme based on his inability to finish at the rim or anywhere else. SMH. I know, I know, somebody’s gotta guard Weggie’s man.

[deusXango]

I can't believe the avariciousness of these players who have made millions and there's nothing they can prove by coming to Detroit that's positive, and shame on the local media outlets all the way up to Big Ed Stefanski for indulging these clowns. There are some young men who're doing their best to get professional basketball careers started in Detroit and indeed there may be a jewel or two in the bunch that won't get to be appreciated by the fans in Detroit because of their presence.

If ISO Joe sticks and stays and "Bad News" Beasley makes it through training camp it'll be at the expense of possibly Christian Wood, Khyri Thomas, and Svi Mykhailiuk, players who may go the way of Khris Middleton as soon as a franchise rewards them with a fair chance. There's already been innuendo about trading Sekou because he's so young I guess. This "win now" mantra Gores is spewing is creating more frustration among fans than inspiring hope; I'm sick of waiting through off season after off season, watching fruitless scuffles to get an 8th seed and when we make it....get swept! These old MF's may stumble across the finish line into the playoffs but, how will they do?

PLAY THE YOUNG'UNS AND LEAVE THE OLD FOLKS ALONE...treat Galloway like old folks.

[Oracle]

[lemonpen]

I hope they go 0-15-1.

Someone explain how the absolutely WORST football organization over the last half century felt entitled to jettison their only coach with a winning record since 1973. A guy who was better than 0.500 in 3 of 4 yrs, with 2 playoff appearances, put up the winningest season in 28 yrs, even helped Pad Statsford put up the best QBR of his mediocre career.

I won't even go into how the fans treated Caldwell.

I'm soooooo done with that f'ing team.

[lemonpen]

My vies of Griffin has definitely mellowed over the years.  At first, I couldn't get over his contract.  $35 million a year for 4 1/2 years seemed like an absurd amount of money to pay a frequently injured, aging superstar.  But as the years have gone by, Griffin's contract no longer seems absurd.  Now he seems fairly paid.  And yes, he continues to sustain injuries at an alarming rate, but his heart and determination have won me over.  I'd like to see Griffin play out his contract here in Detroit, and the Pistons rack up a couple of 50 win seasons and 2nd round appearances with him as the focal point of the offense..  

Then we could look back on the Griffin era, as being much like the Grant Hill era.  Not a championship era, but moderately successful nevertheless.

BallinD, that was one great post about our resident Superstar. Blake Griffin goes largely unappreciated and he's criticized for past health failings; it's all about the money he makes by people who aren't paying him. The man clearly works hard and genuinely loves the game. I don't know where or how you gathered the information but, thank you for presenting it.

"….if you have a Superstar you don’t dump him for picks (crapshoot) or cap space, also a crapshoot."

-BallinD

I'm getting all misty.

[Murph]

My view of Griffin has definitely mellowed over the years.  At first, I couldn't get over his contract.  $35 million a year for 4 1/2 years seemed like an absurd amount of money to pay a frequently injured, aging superstar.  But as the years have gone by, Griffin's contract no longer seems absurd.  Now he seems fairly paid.  And yes, he continues to sustain injuries at an alarming rate, but his heart and determination have won me over.  I'd like to see Griffin play out his contract here in Detroit, and the Pistons rack up a couple of 50 win seasons and 2nd round appearances with him as the focal point of the offense.  

Then we could look back on the Griffin era as being much like the Grant Hill era.  Not a championship era, but moderately successful nevertheless.

BallinD, that was one great post about our resident Superstar. Blake Griffin goes largely unappreciated and he's criticized for past health failings; it's all about the money he makes by people who aren't paying him. The man clearly works hard and genuinely loves the game. I don't know where or how you gathered the information but, thank you for presenting it.

"….if you have a Superstar you don’t dump him for picks (crapshoot) or cap space, also a crapshoot."
-BallinD

[Sparma]

For very different reasons, Michigan and Detroit are really nerve-racking teams to root for. I've seen some positive predictions for the Lions locally (10-6, 9-7), but I'd settled on 7-9. But then somehow they create the sense that they may not be far away. Heard a guy on a national radio station say that they were his sleeper team for the NFL, generally underrated.

And it feels so self-indulgent to struggle with rooting for Michigan, the biggest winner ever with numerous national championships (and a shared one not that long ago). Still.... Both super frustrating teams.

By way of Brady, I do get to be favorably disposed towards the Patriots. But not with passion.

Maybe others will disagree, but it's pretty easy being a Tigers fan these days. The games don't matter (other than to secure the top picks). They're annoying to follow, but not agonizing. History's all there is, along with mild hope for the future.

The Pistons do get under my skin because I've followed them so closely, especially the past two decades. But not so much, because I don't have high hopes for them. They'd need to start winning consistently before they could really get to me.

Two good football teams to watch! The Rams are the best team in LA, a championship contender, but the Chargers are good as well, and a playoff contender.

Then there are my Lions... Up by 18 points in the 4th quarter(against a rookie QB), they blow the lead and let the Cardinals tie the up at 24 to force OT.

In OT, the both manage FG's and it ends up a effing tie! A tie for the Lions is so much worse than kissing your sister, it's kissing your sisters, Dogs... TURD!

I don't care what Wise says, Stafford is a POS!

All of that and Michigan nearly forced me into a change of shorts until they won in OT over the United States Army... at the effing Big House!!!

Anybody got any extra heart medication? I can't take too many weekends like this 

[Oracle]

Two good football teams to watch! The Rams are the best team in LA, a championship contender, but the Chargers are good as well, and a playoff contender.

Then there are my Lions... Up by 18 points in the 4th quarter(against a rookie QB), they blow the lead and let the Cardinals tie the up at 24 to force OT.

In OT, the both manage FG's and it ends up a effing tie! A tie for the Lions is so much worse than kissing your sister, it's kissing your sisters, Dogs... TURD!

I don't care what Wise says, Stafford is a POS!

All of that and Michigan nearly forced me into a change of shorts until they won in OT over the United States Army... at the effing Big House!!!

Anybody got any extra heart medication? I can't take too many weekends like this 

[BallinD]

@DX. Glad you enjoyed the Bleacher Report article. They are usually fluff or hot take so it was great to see an objective analytical review of Blake Superior. Despite his brilliance, he is hated and ignored here in the D.

Detroit vs Everybody...BTW, DRose is provoking giggles with his statement that he wants to win a chip here. Love it!! In keeping with the political season upon us I’m thinking of lawn signs: Kander For Prez. Who’s with me?

[Sparma]

Thanks for your compliment, Deus. Much appreciated!

Reggie's a conundrum in that he's the best we have there, but that best's not enough to lead us to major success.

'Yo Sparma, it's your history of well thought out and fact based contributions that I called on you; got mad respect for your particular skills. I seriously thank you and enjoyed reading your great post!

Now on to my particular brand of madness; I'm back to bashing Reggie, not because I hate him but, because he just doesn't fit with this collection of talent and he makes Griffin and Drummond look bad more than helping them. This whole team can get out and run while Reggie, as PG, is playing "drag ass ball" because he can't consistently run due to physical restrictions...gimpy knees, ankles, asthmatic bronchitis, offset his athletic skills, and in no way does this excuse him not pushing the ball up court...he'd rather dribble it than pass it. He's an inadequate defender and the FO needs to stop looking past these overwhelming flaws. He played all 82 games last season. Whoopee! His trade value will never be higher than it is now...it's never been this high since he signed that contract! It's time to trade him, not Griffin or Drummond.

Casey has got to stop "pussy footing" around and play the best he's got and allow the prospects play and be seen by other than the coaching staff. Stop feeding the fans sh!t about they're raw, don't have a three point shot, don't play defense, and other misleading statements to keep them hidden from view all while we pay to watch Galloway and Maker; I'd personally rather watch Svi shoot corner threes than Langston and don't believe there's any other facet of the game that Svi is not superior. I fully expect Wood to beat Maker out in training camp because not only does he match Maker in size and length but, his athleticism is far more advanced! Training camp competition shouldn't be between Wood and Beasley and it's a professional insult to Wood and all the hard work and dedication to the game he's put in to make it this far. Why not Beasley/Snell? Why not Beasley/Doumbouya? Will someone tell me again, what was the logic behind signing Michael Beasley to a full roster? Makes a much sense as jacking off that #30 pick.


Has the Pistons FO done their due diligence in pursuing a sign and trade for Bradley Beal? Please don't try to lead the fans to believe it'd take Griffin, Drummond, and half dozen first round picks to get the job done. That's Ellis talk. If not acquiring Beal, what about Alex Caruso of the Lakers? Certainly we can rid the roster of Jackson and improve our PG play someway, somehow.

[deusXango]

BallinD, that was one great post about our resident Superstar. Blake Griffin goes largely unappreciated and he's criticized for past health failings; it's all about the money he makes by people who aren't paying him. The man clearly works hard and genuinely loves the game. I don't know where or how you gathered the information but, thank you for presenting it.

"….if you have a Superstar you don’t dump him for picks (crapshoot) or cap space, also a crapshoot."
-BallinD

[BallinD]

Good article on Blake’s career, career year and outstanding HOF prospects. “Is Blake Griffin already a HOF Player?”

I’m of the opinion that we can only go as far as our best player(s) will take us and if you have a Superstar you don’t dump him for picks (crapshoot) or cap space, also a crapshoot. We’re not gonna get in return a highly-productive former or current No. 1 pick in his prime.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2852006-is-blake-griffin-already-a-hall-of-famer

“Griffin is coming off only one of the most well-rounded seasons by a big man in NBA history.

He posted a career-high 24.5 points per game with a 46.2/36.2/75.3 shooting split while also adding 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest. He was one of four players to average at least 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists last season, joining LeBron, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George.

Griffin, Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic and Ben Simmons were the only players 6'9" or taller to average at least five assists last season. Of that group, only Griffin and Durant shot 35 percent or better from three-point range.”

“Put those per-game numbers and three-point proficiency together—24/7/5 while shooting 35 percent or better from deep—and you're looking at nearly unprecedented production. Joining Griffin on that list are LeBron, Durant, Larry Bird, Tracy McGrady and DeMarcus Cousins.

In other words: two Hall of Famers (Bird and McGrady), two surefire future Hall of Famers (LeBron and Durant) and a four-time All-Star who could be on a similar trajectory if not for awful injury luck.”

“If you set some benchmarks around Griffin's season totals—let's say 1,800 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 150 threes—the only other player to meet that criteria last season was James Harden. All-time? It's Harden, Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Antoine "Shimmy On 'Em" Walker.”

“Creating From Everywhere

Griffin has made the rare shift from play-finisher to play-initiator at the 4.

“Via Synergy, he led all bigs with 464 possessions as the pick-and-roll ball-handler (passes included). That mark was nearly double the amount posted by Giannis (253) and more than three times as many as Jokic's 137.

“Griffin's 1.004 points per possession (PPP) ranked 25th among the 72 players to log at least 400 such possessions. He edged out stars such as Mike Conley (1.003), Bradley Beal (1.00), George (0.997) and Westbrook (0.952).“

Griffin's Place in History

Though his numbers were only rivaled by MVP candidates, Griffin's season went a bit under the radar. You can attribute a solid chunk of that to the Detroit Pistons being an uninspiring team. They won just 41 games, and even that came on the back (and injured knee) of Griffin.“

His season was good enough to earn an All-Star berth and an All-NBA third-team selection.

But that begs the question: How good is Griffin historically?

Through nine seasons, he has already compiled an impressive resume. He's made six All-Star appearances, earned five All-NBA selections and was the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year. He's one of 25 players averaging at least 20 points and nine rebounds for their careers. Twenty of those players are retired; 18 are in the Hall of Fame. The other two are Chris Webber, who probably should be in, and Alex Groza, who was banned from the NBA for point-shaving in 1951.

If you add Griffin's 4.5 assists per game, the list shrinks to him and Larry Bird. Even if you drop that number to 4.0, only four more players—Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Billy Cunningham and Webber—show up.”

He also matches up fairly well against the bigs among this year's Hall of Fame inductees.

“His six All-Star appearances would rank second behind former Seattle SuperSonics star Jack Sikma (seven) and well ahead of Vlade Divac (one). Neither Sikma nor Divac made an All-NBA team in their careers, while Griffin has five selections and counting. Their career per-game numbers—15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists for Sikma; 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists for Divac—similarly fall short of Griffin's.“

[Oracle]

Article: 5 bold predictions for Detroit Pistons’ 2019-20 season

1. Derrick Rose plays at least 70 games: Hard to call. While this should be possible, he may not get the chance to play in 70 games due to load management in one way, in another, he could see limited minutes in a lot of games, and therefore could play 70+ games.

2. Andre Drummond makes All-Defensive Team: Reality! If Drummond just improves slightly on his numbers, he's in, IMO.
Drummond was the only player in the NBA who was top 10 in the league in both steals per game and blocks per game last season.

3. Tony Snell doubles his career points average: Partial Kool-Aid, he should improve, doubling is going to be difficult with Drummond, Blake & Reggie eating up most of the possessions.

4. Luke Kennard wins Most Improved Player: Kool-Aid! Kennard will do good, and I hope this happens, but right now, I don't see it unless he gets a lot more assertive on that 2nd unit.

5. Pistons win 50+ and finish Top 4 in East: Kool-Aid! Yes, I'm drinking this brand, and even though I'm a homer, that won't be my prediction. Having said that, it's not out of the realm of possibilities, because this is a much better team than the experts have predicted. If we get some breaks, a great season will make it easier to move people, make bigger deals, making the future even brighter.

[deusXango]

'Yo Sparma, it's your history of well thought out and fact based contributions that I called on you; got mad respect for your particular skills. I seriously thank you and enjoyed reading your great post!

Now on to my particular brand of madness; I'm back to bashing Reggie, not because I hate him but, because he just doesn't fit with this collection of talent and he makes Griffin and Drummond look bad more than helping them. This whole team can get out and run while Reggie, as PG, is playing "drag ass ball" because he can't consistently run due to physical restrictions...gimpy knees, ankles, asthmatic bronchitis, offset his athletic skills, and in no way does this excuse him not pushing the ball up court...he'd rather dribble it than pass it. He's an inadequate defender and the FO needs to stop looking past these overwhelming flaws. He played all 82 games last season. Whoopee! His trade value will never be higher than it is now...it's never been this high since he signed that contract! It's time to trade him, not Griffin or Drummond.

Casey has got to stop "pussy footing" around and play the best he's got and allow the prospects play and be seen by other than the coaching staff. Stop feeding the fans sh!t about they're raw, don't have a three point shot, don't play defense, and other misleading statements to keep them hidden from view all while we pay to watch Galloway and Maker; I'd personally rather watch Svi shoot corner threes than Langston and don't believe there's any other facet of the game that Svi is not superior. I fully expect Wood to beat Maker out in training camp because not only does he match Maker in size and length but, his athleticism is far more advanced! Training camp competition shouldn't be between Wood and Beasley and it's a professional insult to Wood and all the hard work and dedication to the game he's put in to make it this far. Why not Beasley/Snell? Why not Beasley/Doumbouya? Will someone tell me again, what was the logic behind signing Michael Beasley to a full roster? Makes a much sense as jacking off that #30 pick.


Has the Pistons FO done their due diligence in pursuing a sign and trade for Bradley Beal? Please don't try to lead the fans to believe it'd take Griffin, Drummond, and half dozen first round picks to get the job done. That's Ellis talk. If not acquiring Beal, what about Alex Caruso of the Lakers? Certainly we can rid the roster of Jackson and improve our PG play someway, somehow.

[cool breeze]

History proves that decision makers for the Pistons have lacked basic common sense for too long. This should be a time for reflection by all Piston fans. We should demand more attention to detail from front office leaders and the ownership group. Here is why.

The Detroit News article reveals that Reggie was not himself as a basketball player after his first season. Maybe Reggie is making excuses but I think a lot of what he has said might be true. It was clear for those of us to watched the games after his first season when he was outstanding many nights that something was wrong with Jackson or more than the Piston front office would tell us. It was true that opposing teams played Jackson differently than in his first Piston season. However, he not only had a bum knee but there was something more relating to his lack of cardio stamina that some attributed to asthma. So for a long period of Reggie's current contract, he was not fit to play the way he needed to play to help his team. My issue is why didn't SVG come to terms with Reggie's condition and make adjustments he needed to make as the President and head coach? Why didn't he change the overall team strategy when pick and roll plays between RJ and AD no longer worked? My thought is that Stan Van Gundy didn't look well himself during this period of time. So who was in charge of the asylum? SVG brought in Ish Smith and some other fringe players to play in the back court. Being paid millions of dollars and fielding teams that had no chance to be successful should have made the owner wonder what was going on with the man he hired to run the organization? There was this feeling that any fan could detect that the team with AD and RJ as leaders was not worth watching anymore. That was the period of time where thousands of Piston fans dropped out and stopped following the team. The owner was frustrated but forgot about the back court issues or under estimated how weak his back court actually was before he made that trade for Griffin.

My question is what if someone else had been in charge such act Isiah Thomas during those dark days after SVG was hired? Don't forget the drama SVG and the owner created after the players only meeting was held. The players who organized that meeting were tired of getting blown out of games. The players they had identified as the problem happened to be Jackson and Drummond. Players like Morris, Harris and Johnson wanted change. Instead SVG and the owner put out that fire and closed the door relating to any possible improvement for the rest of the season. This wasn't Reggie's fault. He should not have been playing. The coach should have long before taken Reggie out of the lineup but he didn't and the owner only wanted to protect AD from any criticism. So can we conclude that the ownership group and SVG had no real interest in winning or making things better for the players who were trying to win against all odds? Fans who dropped out noticed that neither AD or RJ should have been appointed team leaders by the owner and SVG. Tone ws injured and the other was still trying to figure things out himself. How could those two players be placed in the role of team leaders? I feel for them because it must have been embarrassing for them to be placed in such a situation. Blake is ready to be a leader. The two players this owner and SVG selected was so wrong and yet the press never wrote a negative article about the inner workings of the organization. This still puzzles me that just because those two players had the biggest contracts at the time it had to be written in stone that they would also be the team leaders. Lack of common sense leads to failure in any organization. So how long would it have taken for Zeke to sort things out and get the Pistons back on the right path? I say less than one minute.

Fast forward, was there any fan who thought the Pistons had any chance at all to win even one game in the playoffs last season? I would assume that you would all say no way in hell could they even keep one game close. Just looking at the back court players that Casey trusted the most after the first half of the season has to make us all skeptical that this coach has any more insight into what it takes to win in the NBA today as SVG had. Casey groomed several back court player combinations that were composed of players who were not really complete basketball players. Maybe you could fit one of that type of player in but who plays 3 of them in the same rotation? Who does that who has any common sense relating to playing basketball the right way? None could play effective defense. There was no player who he could select to come off the bench and stop a hot shooter or driver. He traded one play who could defend 4 positions in Johnson. Did he find a replacement for him before trading him? Casey was content to go with the same players who proved they were not real playoff caliber players at all early on in the season and throughout the regular season.Does that prepare a team for playoff action? Anyone could see it but the coach much like SVG seemed to be in a fog. And the funniest thing of all is that SVG has now been hired as an analyst. Maybe that is what Casey is looking forward to after he gets fired. Shouldn't that make any basketball fan question why they would want to spend their time or money watching regular season NBA games unless your team is blessed with a smart owner, GM and head coach? Sports networks are hiring alleged experts who lacked basic common sense as decision makers themselves. That is funny.

With that said, I predict that Reggie Jackson is going to have a really good season if he can avoid injuries and as long as his role is not being the primary ball handler. Jackson loves Arnie as most players do. Why did he ever leave?

RJ needs to play off the ball as a 2nd option shooter. Save his energy by cutting down on his dribbling and the spunk it takes to initiate the offense. He can be a dead eye shooter and can finish in the paint. He must stop being a patsy on defense. If so he might have a better season than AD when all is said and done. The Pistons have way too many older players who have histories of injuries. The head coach will need to get a lot smarter and groom at least two backcourt youngsters into taking on a major role for the team. Perhaps it will be Luke and Bruce.

Fans should be skeptical because our team might have the worst back court in the entire NBA again but worse, perhaps the lack of common sense by non basketball players will sabotage any chance of success. Too bad we didn't have Rose before his severe knee injury. Too bad Reggie Jackson has had a lot of bad luck regarding his body. We could all see that Reggie was limping around and looked like he was suffering but somehow SVG was not able to confront real problems. Many hundreds of high school coaches could have done a better job. in my opinion. Just what does it take to be a good NBA coach? You need to do more than just show up with a nice suit. I wish Casey's assistant coaches could be given complete authority to make player combination decisions and all game time adjustments. The coach who made those decisions in the summer league games should be in charge.

[Phil-Good]

[/quote]


Good video clip Oracle.


Drummonds and Dwight Howard are A very interesting pair.

Still to this day, Dwight Howard is in great shape, he's very athletic and fierce defender. Everything that we wish Drummonds could be but he never will be


Drummonds has A great personality, works well with others and people all around the NBA like Drummonds. Everything Dwight wish he could be.


Overall, I think Dwight Howard is the way better basketball player over Drummonds. But Howard is A major D.I.C.K and that leaves the door open for Drummonds to be the favorite over Howard.


Howard and Drummonds are limited basketball players. But at least Howard was the best defensive players and shot blocker in the NBA for like 3 or 4 years in A row.

[Sparma]

Deus: "I'm going to require your help with this Sparma; what would the numbers be for Kenneth "Manimal" Faried, versus Markieff Morris? Both are PF/centers. The reason I ask is Faried is unsigned, not recovering from injury, and to my knowledge, has never been a problem, on or off the court. This isn't meant to be a knock on Morris but...."

Nice of you to think I might have something to contribute on the topic, Deus. I'm confined to my one team NBA pass, so my observational knowledge of the NBA beyond the Pistons and their opponents is pretty limited.

Just reading up on Faried a bit at Wikipedia, it looks like he hasn't been the same since a back injury in 2016-17. His games and production totals have been down since then. Looking a little more deeply, I see he had a shockingly high PER of 21.62 last season (but only playing 37 games), that is, higher than Blake's 21. I guess not too much weight should be put on PER! Still, it's notable that he's consistently been in that high range, with a 19.7 career average. Given that high PER, I became curious about his per 36 minutes averages; last year's averages look pretty consistent with his career averages.

Markieff's career PER (14.6) is well below Faried's, while his PER from last season is barely half of Faried's. We know that he, too, has struggled with injury recently. Wiki: [Jan. 19] "Morris was ruled out for six weeks following a bout of neck and upper back stiffness that led to him being diagnosed with transient cervical neuropraxia." No doctor, but doesn't sound good! His 33.8% from 3 is respectable for a big man, but below league average. With Drummond around, it's probably pretty important that Faried can't shoot a lick from distance (.222 lifetime), and that he hardly ever shoots from distance.

Interesting comparison to raise, Deus. It looks to me like Faried's the better player, both past and present, but that Morris might have been seen as a better supplement, with Drummond in town.

[Sparma]

That's true, Murph, those are the odds if Drummond never played before. In baseball, I'm familiar with career projections, that ordinarily allow for a more accurate assessment of the HoF of active players.

If he remains healthy, he'll do well in career rebounding. I value offensive rebounds (generally) more than defensive rebounds, because I think they contribute heavily to team defense (just as Dean Smith contended). Since his rookie season, he's averaged just over 400 offensive rebounds over the past six seasons. At that rate, in another six seasons he'd be second all time behind Moses Malone in offensive rebounds (well, always with the caveat that guys like Wilt and Russell, and maybe others like Thurmond, probably totaled a higher, but unknown, number). That would be a HoF feat!

Good exchange on the HoF.  Thanks for posting that list, Lemonpen.

Interesting stuff (even though their detailed posting of probabilities indicates they think they have a far more precise sense of the exact [actual rather than theoretical] criteria than strikes me as available.)  

Billups comes in at 84.4%, nearly twice as good as the odds assigned to Ben Wallace (44.3%).  They opt for an odd calculation in that Billups is given higher odds than Rodman, who at 75.3% is already in.  Still, it's interesting to see the odds/ merits of folks already in assessed.

Blake just over 51%.

Drummond's currently sitting at 1.34%, a hair above DeMarcus Cousins.

Yes, but those HOF odds are calculated based on if the player were to retire TODAY.  Barring injury, Drummond is going to have 10 or 12 more productive years.  His career isn't even half over.

It's interesting to see that Blake is already at 51%.  Again, barring a career ending injury, Blake is going to play at least 3 more productive years, until his current contract expires.  By the time Griffin logs 3 more years in the league, his HOF odds are likely to rise to 60% or higher.

Joe Johnson's HOF odds are 50.6%, and his career is almost over.  I hope the Pistons don't sign Johnson.  I can't for the life of me see how he fits into the current rotation or roster.

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