NBA Draft

[Murph]

I think we have to prepare ourselves for the very real possibility that both Suggs and Cunningham will be gone by the time the Pistons pick in this years draft.  First off, we have the 3rd worst record in the NBA, and we still have to deal with the ping pong balls.  We could very realistically pick as low as 5th.  

I would take Suggs snd Cuningham in that order, but if both are gone, I think a safe pick would be Moses Moody out of Arkansas.  

Moody is a 6’6 SG.  He’ll be 19 years old at the time of the draft. He’s rated as one of the best shooters in the draft, and he’s also rated very highly defensively. He won’t be a franchise player, but he could develop into a very solid starter for years to come, similar to KCP, maybe even better than KCP.  

It will be something of a lost year if we miss out on Suggs or Cunningham.  But those are the breaks when you tank, and Moody would be a nice addition to the starting lineup, while we wait for a superstar to fall into our laps, one of these drafts.

Too bad we didn’t take Halliburton last year. With LaMelo’s injury, Haliburton could very well end up as ROY.

[Sparma]

Agreed, Lemon, that was the worst watch of the season. I started watching at 14-1 (it had been 14-0). Wish they could bundle about 20 of those points and start with a deficit against the Thunder in a couple of games, the lowest currently ranked team at 528. They've gone into full tank mode since that Shai injury. Too much competition at the bottom for them to catch the worst teams, including us.

The main point of interest for the game was Killian. Statistically, the only notable thing he did was collect rebounds at a good rate for a guard. That will be an ongoing strength. Was I delusional, or did he look a little more sprightly after his sugar free diet? He got a couple of good passes in, including a great up the gut bounce pass to Stewart (that didn't result in a score). He continues to be tentative (and off) as a shooter, even though I think he's got the most promise as a shooter of the young PGs (Lee, Smith, Jackson). He's got outstanding skill as a passer, but I don't know if he can get where he needs to be to be consistently effective. So far, no. Plumlee is more effective as a passer, even though not as skilled, because he's consistently in a good position from which to deal. In all, I recovered a bit of my hope in Killian yesterday. Maybe too early to write a 19 y.o. off as a bust after all? As long as I don't remember he was picked at 7, ahead of ....

NYK game:   uggggg.  Worst watch of the season.

[lemonpen]

NYK game: uggggg. Worst watch of the season.

[cool breeze]

There is no question.  The Pistons need one of the top 2 point guards in this upcoming draft, either Cunningham or Suggs.  

The Pistons do not need a 7'0, 215 pound center, like Mobley.  He's going to be a project.  It's going to be years before he's even as good as Plumlee.  Plumlee would school Mobley in practice 'til Kingdom come.

Murph I agree 100%. My original opinion on Mobley after watching him perform up to mid season in the PAC12 was that he should not be listed anywhere in the top 10 spots in this coming draft. However, late in the season he seemed to show more energy and a high basketball IQ right up to the Elite 8 game against Gonzaga. He was out played in the paint for most of the game by opposing Bigs. He appeared weak and tired in the 2nd half of that game failing to run hard in transition or having the ability to recognize and adjust to how opposing players were attacking the paint. He has blocked a lot of shots before that game but it seems he just could not react quickly enough on defense to offer any resistance to opposing players getting layups or easy shots within 2 feet of the basket. In time Mobley might gain enough weight and get physically fit enough to complete with big men in the NBA but does he have endurance issues at the college level against elite teams let alone coping with the amazing speed of the NBA game now. He can make jump shots beyond the college 3 point line but I doubt that he could defend power forwards or centers in the NBA effectively at this point in his career. Maybe Mobley was ill in this last game but he seemed to be lost much of the time when his team needed him. I would place Mobley more in the middle of the first round.

I was disappointed with Cunningham"s performance as well in his last game of the tournament. He seemed to have similar issues that Mobley has as a two way player. His ability to summon high energy on both offense and defense was lacking in that game.Most of his energy is spent on offense so for me there is a huge question mark relating to his ability to defend NBA guards. He lacked intensity times that really good guards need to possess. It is amazing relating to how energy level affects winning and losing. Great high school players go to college and find out that everyone they play against has that special gift of speed, quickness and endurance. Remembering how Isiah Thomas played at Indiana where he never appeared to be tired regardless of how hard he played makes me think that for NBA decision makers on draft prospects, that needs to be a huge factor when comparing players. For guards, that gift of fighting off fatigue and having superior cardio ability is amazing. Fans have no idea how difficult it is to run, jump, start, stop and still have the strength and energy left to concentrate mentally and be able to get the the get those thighs bent when coming to a jump stop and then to be able to get accurate shots off.

Where does Thompson of Oregon State fit in with this draft? He was almost a one man show for his team for the last half of the season and especially in this NCAA tournament. He was the MAN bringing up the ball against good pressing defenses when none of his teammates could do it. He did that after spending a lot of energy guarding opposing team's best players. He used a lot of energy breaking those difficult presses and yet his shooting stroke was perfect with no sign at any time at the end of games that he was not getting the same height on his jump shot. Thompson has a solid NBA body and he doesn't make dumb mistakes like turning the ball over. He understands situations and exploits them when opposing defenders are out of position. How many other players are getting almost no attention who showed high skill levels when it mattered most in this NCAA tournament? I go back of Stanley Johnson and now wonder how he could have been selected so high in the draft. He was a better college player and jump shooter in college but when it mattered most in big games especially in the NCAA tournament, Johnson did not perform well at all. I thought because of his size and speed he would develop a reliable jump shot but with the help of Stan Van Gundy's assistant coaches, Johnson became much worse at hitting mid range jump shots where he should have had a lot of success. Often when players leave college too soon before they become the best player on their respective teams ( Johnson wasn't ) then they get lost in the heard and never gain the confidence needed to be a successful NBA player.

Suggs is the closest college player to a sure thing relating to NBA success. He really has that ability to think 3 plays ahead. Suggs loves winning most of all and plays for the TEAM. He is not a ball hog and forces mis matches and gets the pass to his teammates at the right place and time. That is a God given gift. His defense is very good as well. He also has been to this point a player who when needed the most hits big shots in real games. Will this be the Pistons lucky year they haven't had for so long relating to draft success?????

[Murph]

There is no question. The Pistons need one of the top 2 point guards in this upcoming draft, either Cunningham or Suggs.

The Pistons do not need a 7'0, 215 pound center, like Mobley. He's going to be a project. It's going to be years before he's even as good as Plumlee. Plumlee would school Mobley in practice 'til Kingdom come.

[Murph]

Agreed.  The opposing defense is going to be so worried about Lebron and Davis that Drummond is going to score 18 ppg on lobs and ally-oops.  His FG% will drift upwards of 55%.

And on defense, Vogel needs to figure out some kind of 1-3-1 zone defense, where Drummond remains in the paint at all times, while Davis, Kuzma, Lebron and others switch out to guard Drummond's man on the perimeter.  Vogel need to keep the defense simple, where Drummond is involved.  Drummond needs to stay in the paint to protect the rim and collect defensive rebounds.

When you see LeBron James and Andre Drummond coming at you in a pick and role, I don't know how you stop that!

Just bend over and kiss your azz goodbye... it's over!

Their only competition would be the Nets, and that would be a good series, but if everyone is healthy, it's likely a 7 game affair with the Lakers having a slight edge due to LeBron's high BBallIQ.

[Oracle]

When you see LeBron James and Andre Drummond coming at you in a pick and role, I don't know how you stop that!

Just bend over and kiss your azz goodbye... it's over!

Their only competition would be the Nets, and that would be a good series, but if everyone is healthy, it's likely a 7 game affair with the Lakers having a slight edge due to LeBron's high BBallIQ.

[Murph]

Congrats to Andre Drummond. Hopefully, when Lebron and AD get back, the Lakers will go on another title run. Hopefully, Drummond will get a shot at a ring with the Lakers, and then sign a 5 year contract in the off season with a team like the Knicks.

If anyone can brow beat Drummond into playing the right way, it's Lebron. Drummond needs to play like a poor man's Rudy Gobert, not a poor man's Joel Embiid. Needless to say, Drummond needs to stay in the paint on defense, and defer to Lebron and AD on offense.


Congrats to Michigan. It's been long time coming, but it looks as if they have a shot at the NCAA Finals this year. Michigan has a 5'10 PG, Mike Smith. Smith is a 5th year graduate transfer from Columbia. I watched him lead the Lions for years, it's good to seem him play for such a great team and contribute as a starter. Who would have guessed?

About to sign with the Lakers, per his agent (via Woj).  Good choice.  I hope it works out for him.

I anticipate that his doubters will try to discredit him even if he wins the championship with the Lakers, but it's worth noting that right now 538 assigns a 7% chance to the Lakers to win the championship.  If they win and he plays well, he will have made a real difference, as opposed to being a mere bandwagon jumper.

[Oracle]

I am totally impressed with what Howard has done with this team!

Michigan is not that talented, IMO, they're playing a more talented Florida State team, but Michigan is so well coached, they have a good shot to win.

They have good talent and solid offensive execution while playing pit bull defense. which is always a plus.

[Oracle]

Been waiting for this!!!

I'm in heaven with all of these ex Pistons out here on the coast!!!

   

About to sign with the Lakers, per his agent (via Woj).  Good choice.  I hope it works out for him.

I anticipate that his doubters will try to discredit him even if he wins the championship with the Lakers, but it's worth noting that right now 538 assigns a 7% chance to the Lakers to win the championship.  If they win and he plays well, he will have made a real difference, as opposed to being a mere bandwagon jumper.

[Sparma]

About to sign with the Lakers, per his agent (via Woj). Good choice. I hope it works out for him.

I anticipate that his doubters will try to discredit him even if he wins the championship with the Lakers, but it's worth noting that right now 538 assigns a 7% chance to the Lakers to win the championship. If they win and he plays well, he will have made a real difference, as opposed to being a mere bandwagon jumper.

[Sparma]

Ha, ha! Yes, Weaver's got about a perfect record so far in his talent evaluation. Amazing.

OKC did make it to the finals way back when the big 3 where together as youngsters. And then, down to the two superstars, they nearly beat one of the all-time great teams. We all know what happened next.

There are so many teams that I don't think we can judge franchise success strictly by championships anymore, as seemed fair when I started following the NBA in the sixties.

Sadly, for OKC, and for us, the problem's gone well beyond strictly a numbers problem. One chance in 30 in a lottery's tough enough.

As you know, Lemonpen, the competitive balance problem's gone way beyond a numbers issue for many teams. I'm thinking that OKC has the biggest competitive disadvantage in the league.

Toronto, no small town but at a competitive disadvantage, won by running a good organization and going all in on maybe the best player at that moment when the opportunity presented itself.

Milwaukee struck gold in the draft at #15, and then have worked really hard to keep their superstar in town.

It's looking like Ball really was the guy to draft. But if we'd drafted him I think the rumors about where he'd go next would start nearly at once.

And then there's OKC. I applaud Presti for trying something creative, something unprecedented as far as I know (also in their history (I'd need to check on the picks Philly accrued)).

Where Sam Hinkie aimed for generational talents, I see Presti trying to do something different, trying to gather hitherto unseen numbers of picks. They're not really tanking. Neither do they seem to be hoping that the next big thing, maybe Cade for us, will transform the franchise. They know transcendent stars will want to leave OKC in the long run.

Will it work? What does that even mean for a franchise at such a disadvantage?

Being good for a long time is really tough for a small market team under these circumstances. I do see that as a measure of success, and one that they'll attain.

Beyond that, who knows? Clearly, they've put themselves in a position, down the road, to make a Toronto like bid for the best, or one of the best players, for the short term. If they time such a move well, maybe they'll hit it big.

I've long thought that the way to compete for a disadvantaged team is to build a deep roster, using creative strategies on the floor. The easiest time to outperform the contract is when on a rookie team. OKC can try something like that, leading to contention.

In assessing franchise strategies just using a standard of perfection (championships) no longer seems fair. Beyond it, it doesn't seem fair to compare OKC to the teams and cities with the greatest attraction (granted, plenty of teams have blown such opportunities). Realistic comparisons look at apples and apples.

Maybe a comparison of OKC and Detroit is pretty fair presently among franchises? If anything, I'd think Detroit would have a significant advantage as a destination site (maybe Grant is a first fruit?) If so, I like the approach taken by Presti more than the approach taken by Weaver, and think it will prove to be more successful in the long run, even with Weaver's terrific talent evaluation skills.

Detroit's best chance is that lightning strikes in the draft, as it did in Milwaukee.

via nbcsports: "the Thunder have 34 picks over the next seven drafts, 17 in the first-round and 17 in the second (they will trade a lot of those, but they are stocked for a rebuild)"

That's quite a war chest.  Too bad we have their talent evaluation guru.  

Seriously though, Harden, Westbrook,  Durant,  Ibaka, Adams, yet no Larry O'Brian to show for it.  How much of a threat are they really?

[lemonpen]

via nbcsports: "the Thunder have 34 picks over the next seven drafts, 17 in the first-round and 17 in the second (they will trade a lot of those, but they are stocked for a rebuild)"

That's quite a war chest. Too bad we have their talent evaluation guru.

Seriously though, Harden, Westbrook, Durant, Ibaka, Adams, yet no Larry O'Brian to show for it. How much of a threat are they really?

[Oracle]

We're 100% on the same page!!!

I didn't consider his a core piece to build around, but EVERY team that wants to win needs a player like Wright to come off the bench and do the kind of damage he seems uniquely qualified to inflict.

And you're right, he's in his prime with at least 4-5 more very productive years left in the tank.

I would have preferred to deal Ellington for some 2nd rounders, The picks help soothe some of the pain, but I feel like we lost this deal, and lost some future as well. 

[Sparma]

Way back, I was worried that Delon would be blocking Killian, but then that didn't happen, and it turned out I'd been pinning far too high hopes on Killian. As the season progressed, Delon became my favorite Piston, along with Plumlee. It's a pretty ruthless move by Weaver after Delon expressed how happy he was to be reunited with Casey. Unfortunately it's the kind of ruthlessness that fans like me approve of when it bolsters the rebuilding effort, which I think this trade does. And Delon's been around long enough to understand the NBA's a business. Still, I was hoping for him that he'd be traded to a good team like Philly (who seem to have gotten robbed in the George Hill trade).

Yes, no G-league team this year. I ascribed that to Gores being cheap, but that's probably not fair. It seems to have been a complicated story about Gores wanting to bring the G-league team to Detroit (which will happen next season), and Grand Rapids not being willing to budge. They seem to be a profitable outfit and likely will become associated with a different NBA team.

I wouldn't think there'd be more than about a 20% chance of Joseph being back next season, with his partially guaranteed contract. And I'd give MacGruder with his partly guaranteed contract even less chance to return. That means more dead money (bad), but also that Weaver will have a decent amount to spend this year. This year, if he could bring in a 26 y.o. about to burst into stardom for 20 mil that will align pretty well with the overall rebuild.

At the same time, I would expect Coach Casey to play Joseph plenty during the rest of the season, and Ellington too.

As mentioned, I'm also a big Plumlee fan, but after the Delon trade I'm thinking there's quite a good chance of him being dealt over the summer.

You'll find this funny/ridiculous I think, Don, but at Detroit Bad Boys someone brought up Sugg's ordinary wingspan for his height (as I remember, it's one inch longer) as a reason Weaver may steer clear of him. Weaver does seem to go for guys whose wingspan well exceeds their height.

Orlando joins Houston as a team totally bottoming out after today's three trades. I keep thinking Minny will pick it up a bit, but they've been dreadful. Unfortunately for us, our terrible record so far is no kind of guarantee of a great pick.

I just hope Brooklyn can beat us next (with two stars out), after losing badly to us, and then looking shaky against us the next game.

I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68).  His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild.

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off.

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil.  Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation.  Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster.  Oh well.

Sparma I was predicting seeing the Pistons make the playoffs next season but my thought at the time I wrote that post was that Wright would still be a Piston. This player was refreshing after watching the likes of Ish Smith, Will Bynum, Reggie Jackson and the point guard who came to the Pistons years ago from Orlando in the Ben Wallace trade (forgot his name for the moment). Wright had size to see his teammates better in the half court offense. He was a guy who got players in their spots to start the offense and he was not a dribble happy self indulged guy who was only looking for his stats. Wright was a team orientated point guard and those kind of players are almost obsolete.
Wright is just coming into his prime and and we need players like him. He showed no signs of aging. If I were the head coach, there is no doubt that I would have put up a fight to keep him but maybe Casey didn't like Wright's style. Casey seems to love the AAU style of basketball where coaches don't have to create a real offense and can just show up for games. Shoot the 3 in transition and the coach will be happy. Wright was a good defender and player who recognized situations where help was needed and then provided that help. So many current NBA players have no mental concept of making that type of effort. Also Wright was pretty crafty when defending opponents on fast breaks. I give Weaver an E on this trade. Wright was worth the price of keeping him on this Piston team. I bonded with Wright as a fan as many others did so it looks a lot like the Pistons are going to be cannon fodder again next season. Bring on the fake basketball circus act for one more go around. Piston fans are stupid according to the brain trust we had in the past. Piston fans will take anything they can get.

The only way Weaver can redeem himself is to force Casey to keep Joseph at the end of the bench along with Ellington. But Casey is going to be thrilled now almost as much as when Langston Galloway was playing for him. Weaver must step in and control what Casey does. It was clear that Stan Van Gundy did as much as possible to destroy the future of the Pistons and now it is Casey's turn. What Weaver must do now is draft Suggs. Suggs has a high basketball IQ and is a clutch shooter who also embraces playing defense. He can run a half court offense. I hope Piston fans have been watching the NCAA tournament. I would say Suggs is the only high profile point guard listed high in this draft who is really rated properly. If you watched the Oklahoma-Oregon State game how could anyone be comfortable drafting Cade Cunningham? Just like the insanity of placing 9 overrated Big 10 teams in the tournament, it appears that the so called experts had no clue as to who the really good college players are this season. Maybe it is because of COVID or something else. Cade looked so casual in his demeanor on the court on a do or die situation that makes the NCAA tournament so great. He played lackluster defense for almost the entire game and although he scored points, I expected to see him show off a high basketball IQ, leadership and team first mentality. Not so according to my eyes.His energy level appeared to be average to below average. He looked tired to me in the first half.  Yet one player stood out in that game and his name was Ethan Thompson on Oregon State. He has a strong NBA type body and broke the press, saw the court in the half court offense where that team runs a much more complex offense. Thompson has been doing that all season and making critical shots to keep his team in games. Maybe there are no real NBA stars on that Oregon State team but I it was clear to me that when Thompson went to the bench and his team suffered trying to set up their offense and deal with defensive pressure that he was the leader who destroyed OKS after he came back into the game. The sweet thing was his emotion and effort. Maybe Oregon State has had it's amazing run but how fun was it to see some of the forgotten teams kick ass and take names in this tournament. Maybe perhaps 4 Big 10 teams should have made the tournament and for sure Stanford should have been selected. The PAC12 was supposed to be weak this season yet I watched a lot of Big 10 and PAC12 games and thought the PAC12 had better coaching and teams that executed with a higher basketball IQ. Dana Altman always amazes me. It doesn't matter who plays for him. They will struggle early and even to the middle of the season at times but by the end his players are capable of playing several types of defenses full court with high energy and they can execute against any defense it seems. This season their leader is a really good player - Duarte. I hope he has a good game this weekend and gets noticed.E. Mobley of USC  was not high on my list in the draft from watching him earlier in the season but now I believe he is going to be a star player in the NBA. Again he has a high basketball IQ and so does his older brother.

Most likely the Pistons fate is sealed again. How can anyone have confidence that the Pistons brain trust will be smart enough to lose every game for the rest of the season? Will the Pistons blow it again in this draft and be picking up the scraps at numbers 5-8? How could we fans have stuck around during this long drought where we had to pull for below average NBA players for so long only to see our one chance slip through our fingers again because of a head coach? Now it appears Ellington is staying on to combine his talent with that of Joseph to secure just enough wins to place the Pistons in oblivion.

[cool breeze]

[quote="cool breeze"]

I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68).  His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild.

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off.

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil.  Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation.  Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster.  Oh well.

Sparma I was predicting seeing the Pistons make the playoffs next season but my thought at the time I wrote that post was that Wright would still be a Piston. This player was refreshing after watching the likes of Ish Smith, Will Bynum, Reggie Jackson and the point guard who came to the Pistons years ago from Orlando in the Ben Wallace trade (forgot his name for the moment). Wright had size to see his teammates better in the half court offense. He was a guy who got players in their spots to start the offense and he was not a dribble happy self indulged guy who was only looking for his stats. Wright was a team orientated point guard and those kind of players are almost obsolete.
Wright is just coming into his prime and and we need players like him. He showed no signs of aging. If I were the head coach, there is no doubt that I would have put up a fight to keep him but maybe Casey didn't like Wright's style. Casey seems to love the AAU style of basketball where coaches don't have to create a real offense and can just show up for games. Shoot the 3 in transition and the coach will be happy. Wright was a good defender and player who recognized situations where help was needed and then provided that help. So many current NBA players have no mental concept of making that type of effort. Also Wright was pretty crafty when defending opponents on fast breaks. I give Weaver an E on this trade. Wright was worth the price of keeping him on this Piston team. I bonded with Wright as a fan as many others did so it looks a lot like the Pistons are going to be cannon fodder again next season. Bring on the fake basketball circus act for one more go around. Piston fans are stupid according to the brain trust we had in the past. Piston fans will take anything they can get.

The only way Weaver can redeem himself is to force Casey to keep Joseph at the end of the bench along with Ellington. But Casey is going to be thrilled now almost as much as when Langston Galloway was playing for him. Weaver must step in and control what Casey does. It was clear that Stan Van Gundy did as much as possible to destroy the future of the Pistons and now it is Casey's turn. What Weaver must do now is draft Suggs. Suggs has a high basketball IQ and is a clutch shooter who also embraces playing defense. He can run a half court offense. I hope Piston fans have been watching the NCAA tournament. I would say Suggs is the only high profile point guard listed high in this draft who is really rated properly. If you watched the Oklahoma-Oregon State game how could anyone be comfortable drafting Cade Cunningham? Just like the insanity of placing 9 overrated Big 10 teams in the tournament, it appears that the so called experts had no clue as to who the really good college players are this season. Maybe it is because of COVID or something else. Cade looked so casual in his demeanor on the court on a do or die situation that makes the NCAA tournament so great. He played lackluster defense for almost the entire game and although he scored points, I expected to see him show off a high basketball IQ, leadership and team first mentality. Not so according to my eyes.His energy level appeared to be average to below average. He looked tired to me in the first half.  Yet one player stood out in that game and his name was Ethan Thompson on Oregon State. He has a strong NBA type body and broke the press, saw the court in the half court offense where that team runs a much more complex offense. Thompson has been doing that all season and making critical shots to keep his team in games. Maybe there are no real NBA stars on that Oregon State team but I it was clear to me that when Thompson went to the bench and his team suffered trying to set up their offense and deal with defensive pressure that he was the leader who destroyed OKS after he came back into the game. The sweet thing was his emotion and effort. Maybe Oregon State has had it's amazing run but how fun was it to see some of the forgotten teams kick ass and take names in this tournament. Maybe perhaps 4 Big 10 teams should have made the tournament and for sure Stanford should have been selected. The PAC12 was supposed to be weak this season yet I watched a lot of Big 10 and PAC12 games and thought the PAC12 had better coaching and teams that executed with a higher basketball IQ. Dana Altman always amazes me. It doesn't matter who plays for him. They will struggle early and even to the middle of the season at times but by the end his players are capable of playing several types of defenses full court with high energy and they can execute against any defense it seems. This season their leader is a really good player - Duarte. I hope he has a good game this weekend and gets noticed.E. Mobley of USC  was not high on my list in the draft from watching him earlier in the season but now I believe he is going to be a star player in the NBA. Again he has a high basketball IQ and so does his older brother.

Most likely the Pistons fate is sealed again. How can anyone have confidence that the Pistons brain trust will be smart enough to lose every game for the rest of the season? Will the Pistons blow it again in this draft and be picking up the scraps at numbers 5-8? How could we fans have stuck around during this long drought where we had to pull for below average NBA players for so long only to see our one chance slip through our fingers again because of a head coach? Now it appears Ellington is staying on to combine his talent with that of Joseph to secure just enough wins to place the Pistons in oblivion.

Sparma I had no idea that the Pistons no longer have a G-League team. That is crazy if you are a team actually dedicated to building through the draft isn't it? What do I really know about the NBA? You are proving that I don't know as much as I should if I am going to continue posting here. If the Pistons are dropping out of the tank competition more Piston fans will be dropping out of Piston Land.

[cool breeze]

[quote="Sparma"]I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68).  His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild.

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off.

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil.  Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation.  Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster.  Oh well.

Sparma I was predicting seeing the Pistons make the playoffs next season but my thought at the time I wrote that post was that Wright would still be a Piston. This player was refreshing after watching the likes of Ish Smith, Will Bynum, Reggie Jackson and the point guard who came to the Pistons years ago from Orlando in the Ben Wallace trade (forgot his name for the moment). Wright had size to see his teammates better in the half court offense. He was a guy who got players in their spots to start the offense and he was not a dribble happy self indulged guy who was only looking for his stats. Wright was a team orientated point guard and those kind of players are almost obsolete.
Wright is just coming into his prime and and we need players like him. He showed no signs of aging. If I were the head coach, there is no doubt that I would have put up a fight to keep him but maybe Casey didn't like Wright's style. Casey seems to love the AAU style of basketball where coaches don't have to create a real offense and can just show up for games. Shoot the 3 in transition and the coach will be happy. Wright was a good defender and player who recognized situations where help was needed and then provided that help. So many current NBA players have no mental concept of making that type of effort. Also Wright was pretty crafty when defending opponents on fast breaks. I give Weaver an E on this trade. Wright was worth the price of keeping him on this Piston team. I bonded with Wright as a fan as many others did so it looks a lot like the Pistons are going to be cannon fodder again next season. Bring on the fake basketball circus act for one more go around. Piston fans are stupid according to the brain trust we had in the past. Piston fans will take anything they can get.

The only way Weaver can redeem himself is to force Casey to keep Joseph at the end of the bench along with Ellington. But Casey is going to be thrilled now almost as much as when Langston Galloway was playing for him. Weaver must step in and control what Casey does. It was clear that Stan Van Gundy did as much as possible to destroy the future of the Pistons and now it is Casey's turn. What Weaver must do now is draft Suggs. Suggs has a high basketball IQ and is a clutch shooter who also embraces playing defense. He can run a half court offense. I hope Piston fans have been watching the NCAA tournament. I would say Suggs is the only high profile point guard listed high in this draft who is really rated properly. If you watched the Oklahoma-Oregon State game how could anyone be comfortable drafting Cade Cunningham? Just like the insanity of placing 9 overrated Big 10 teams in the tournament, it appears that the so called experts had no clue as to who the really good college players are this season. Maybe it is because of COVID or something else. Cade looked so casual in his demeanor on the court on a do or die situation that makes the NCAA tournament so great. He played lackluster defense for almost the entire game and although he scored points, I expected to see him show off a high basketball IQ, leadership and team first mentality. Not so according to my eyes.His energy level appeared to be average to below average. He looked tired to me in the first half. Yet one player stood out in that game and his name was Ethan Thompson on Oregon State. He has a strong NBA type body and broke the press, saw the court in the half court offense where that team runs a much more complex offense. Thompson has been doing that all season and making critical shots to keep his team in games. Maybe there are no real NBA stars on that Oregon State team but I it was clear to me that when Thompson went to the bench and his team suffered trying to set up their offense and deal with defensive pressure that he was the leader who destroyed OKS after he came back into the game. The sweet thing was his emotion and effort. Maybe Oregon State has had it's amazing run but how fun was it to see some of the forgotten teams kick ass and take names in this tournament. Maybe perhaps 4 Big 10 teams should have made the tournament and for sure Stanford should have been selected. The PAC12 was supposed to be weak this season yet I watched a lot of Big 10 and PAC12 games and thought the PAC12 had better coaching and teams that executed with a higher basketball IQ. Dana Altman always amazes me. It doesn't matter who plays for him. They will struggle early and even to the middle of the season at times but by the end his players are capable of playing several types of defenses full court with high energy and they can execute against any defense it seems. This season their leader is a really good player - Duarte. I hope he has a good game this weekend and gets noticed.E. Mobley of USC was not high on my list in the draft from watching him earlier in the season but now I believe he is going to be a star player in the NBA. Again he has a high basketball IQ and so does his older brother.

Most likely the Pistons fate is sealed again. How can anyone have confidence that the Pistons brain trust will be smart enough to lose every game for the rest of the season? Will the Pistons blow it again in this draft and be picking up the scraps at numbers 5-8? How could we fans have stuck around during this long drought where we had to pull for below average NBA players for so long only to see our one chance slip through our fingers again because of a head coach? Now it appears Ellington is staying on to combine his talent with that of Joseph to secure just enough wins to place the Pistons in oblivion.

[Sparma]

via nbcsports: "the Thunder have 34 picks over the next seven drafts, 17 in the first-round and 17 in the second (they will trade a lot of those, but they are stocked for a rebuild)"

[Sparma]

Ellington was outstanding yesterday, and not for the first time.

At this point, I hope the team buys him out, but that seems unlikely.

62 minutes left to eliminate Ellington.   You can't allow him to shoot us to another meaningless W.  
Top 3 pick please.

[Sparma]

Can't say that I've been watching Joseph, but I'm sure he is a lesser player than Delon.  That's why we get two second rounders and cap relief, which is what makes it a good trade.  Along with creating time for the youngsters, in spite of Casey sending Delon in at the point of attack at the end of the game just yesterday (what the heck happened in the last minute or so?).  Could it have been better, with us landing a late first rounder?  I would have hoped so, but I'm content with how it turned out.  I doubt that Joseph is long for this team from Weaver's point of view, although Casey may see things differently.

I'm gaining confidence in Weaver, as he seems to be coordinating the team's timeline, really looking ahead to the youngsters carrying the team.  If something like 18-20 mil is clearing for the summer due to the Blake buyout and bringing in a contract guaranteed for only 2.4 mil, I'm confident that Weaver can put that to good use with a younger player.

I'm disappointed though that we couldn't pick up a 2nd rounder for Ellington, even of the 2027 variety.

I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68).  His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild. He's played great for us

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off. - Always good to restock on picks

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil.  Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation.  Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so. - The money works in our favor, with Cory getting less, so there's that.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds. - Yeah, but for the wrong reasons.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster.  Oh well.

Cory is basically a year older, 2 inches shorter(6'3 vs 6'5), and he's slightly worse on every stat across the board.

I also find it hard to believe he has Delon's ability to attack the basket, which I loved, and is likely a poorer defender due to height.

As a player, he needs to be moved way more than Wright. Sadly you're probably correct that Casey may have had some input in this one, and may be inclined to get him PT, if for no other reason than to help him get moved to a better situation(which doesn't help us, IMO)

[lemonpen]

62 minutes left to eliminate Ellington. You can't allow him to shoot us to another meaningless W.
Top 3 pick please.

[lemonpen]

3 months ago DW was Mr. Irrelevant. Today he is 2 second round picks, $6 mil worth of cap room, and maintains PT for 2 rookie PGs.

Pardon my French, screw Casey. Play all of the dang youngsters. No more play hard W's.

[Oracle]

I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68).  His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild. He's played great for us

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off. - Always good to restock on picks

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil.  Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation.  Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so. - The money works in our favor, with Cory getting less, so there's that.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds. - Yeah, but for the wrong reasons.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster.  Oh well.

Cory is basically a year older, 2 inches shorter(6'3 vs 6'5), and he's slightly worse on every stat across the board.

I also find it hard to believe he has Delon's ability to attack the basket, which I loved, and is likely a poorer defender due to height.

As a player, he needs to be moved way more than Wright. Sadly you're probably correct that Casey may have had some input in this one, and may be inclined to get him PT, if for no other reason than to help him get moved to a better situation(which doesn't help us, IMO)

[Sparma]

I like Delon Wright, and he's played well for us (16.68). His age (29 in a month) and salary don't sync well with a genuine rebuild.

Glad to get a couple of second rounders back, even though one won't be high and the other is far off.

The Curtis Joseph deal is only guaranteed for 2+ mil for next year, whereas Wright would cost circa 8.5 mil. Freeing cap space may have been Weaver's biggest motivation. Combining with the $$ Blake gave back should clear 18 mil or so.

Should help keep our poor record too, which is good for draft odds.

Joseph's a former Raptor so Casey may want to play him before every youngster. Oh well.

[Sparma]

He'd be a great fit there, and I hope he does go there. LeBron could keep him in check, and it could be a career pivoting move.

Just saw a story though that the Knicks are very much in the run. They'd offer him a prospect of a longer term deal after the season, and he's from the area. Worse for his career, but maybe better for his bank account.

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