Lemonpen

[Oracle]

Part of that article I liked, and the reason Stuckey is still here is to see if KCP develops!

In the backcourt, you have a particular lack of shooting prowess, though Brandon Knight is better from long range (37 percent) than you think.

(I honestly have no idea what to expect from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at this point. Given that the Pistons picked up Rodney Stuckey's option, I'm guessing Detroit has no idea what to expect from a rookie KCP either. Long-term, he projects as a hard-working shooter. We'll see.)

And that's where this all leads: Detroit can be really good if Drummond is not a mirage, if Monroe can round out his game as a defender and if Knight can follow Mike Conley's path from near-bust to near-All-Star predicated predominantly on smart, restrained offensive play and good defense. Conley struggled his first three seasons, but improved a lot in Year 4. Like Knight, he entered the league at quite a young age, and arrived on an awful team with little direction. In Detroit, the direction is beginning to take shape. Let's hope that Smith's arrival, a new coach in Maurice Cheeks (who is even comparable to Lionel Hollins in style, strengths and weaknesses) and more seasoning helps Knight reach toward his potential.

If he does, and if Drummond and Monroe continue to develop, the Pistons could be our next Grizzlies: a weird little high-defense, low-shooting competitive team bucking the league's trends.

[Oracle]

Vincent Goodwill @vgoodwill

Josh Smith: "we'll be a playoff team this year." #Pistons
10:11 AM - 10 Jul 2013

Keith Langlois @Keith_Langlois

My Italian exec said Datome can run and jump, too. Huge hands. Can finish above rim. Guy said he has "no fear." Other source said he's tough
6:26 AM - 10 Jul 2013

Vincent Goodwill @vgoodwill

Josh: "I still feel like I haven't reached my ceiling. I look at an organization like Detroit who's won multiple championships."
10:17 AM - 10 Jul 2013

Vincent Goodwill @vgoodwill

Josh on Atlanta: "It's hard to look around you and nobody has won anything."
10:17 AM - 10 Jul 2013

[Oracle]

Was checking out his You-Tube highlights.

shoots with classic form.  No funkieness to his stroke.
showed deep range and mid-range.
seemed pretty confident his shot was going in after the release.
puts the ball on the floor for one dribble to improve his shot
puts the ball on the floor to attack the rack (against soft D)
seems to like dunking when the opportunity presents itself  (standing and running)

no evidence of defensive or rebounding or passing ability.


Hope he isn't Delfino part dux.

Walter Herrmann anyone? Ponytail included!

[Oracle]

Per Wise, the only conclusion is that Burke is obviously the worst PG in Summer League by a long shot, and Joe passing on MCW was the real mistake since Burke can't shoot or pass the rock effectively! Let's not make excuses for such a poor performance... sheesh, where's the consistency?

@Lemon/@Don - If you can find a player as good with this team as Bynum at that price, I'd be surprised(more like shocked)! Don, you can't keep blaming Bynum for what a coach does! Bynum is a player that is always ready to produce off the bench, but he only needs to see the floor in a VERY limited capacity, and as you pointed out, probably never in a playoff game unless we're getting blown out!

But he is a GREAT insurance policy if Knight, Stuckey or Siva goes down! I'm amazed that we can get upset at a player making so little!

@Lemon - That article is a historical mess! We're not like the Grizzlies, we're like a weaker version of the Bad Boys

@Seb - First of all, I love the Stuckey(Fitty) & KCP(Baby) pics, good call  .

Who is the best PG? On balance Knight wins by a hair, but is basically in a tie with Stuckey! On Stuckey's best days, he's by far the best PG on the team, IMO, but he doesn't have enough of those best days!

Here is one of the most balanced articles I've seen on Knight - Brandon Knight probably thinks he’s the Pistons’ best point guard

BK7 needs to walk the talk if he's going to be the best PG for this team! He has the tools but he needs to honestly assess where he's at and where he needs to go!

[lemonpen]

Was checking out his You-Tube highlights.

shoots with classic form. No funkieness to his stroke.
showed deep range and mid-range.
seemed pretty confident his shot was going in after the release.
puts the ball on the floor for one dribble to improve his shot
puts the ball on the floor to attack the rack (against soft D)
seems to like dunking when the opportunity presents itself (standing and running)

no evidence of defensive or rebounding or passing ability.


Hope he isn't Delfino part dux.

[lemonpen]

Dang, fitty is a pretty close likeness.

[lemonpen]

Murph Siva is the kind of player this team needs to come off the bench. He is a point guard with defensive skills and passing skills and can break down a defense well after getting to know his teammates. But Dumars just killed that kids future with Detroit by signing his guy, Will Bynum. There is no damn way Bynum could have received half of what Dumars offered Will from any other team. Bynum cannot defend, cannot pass, cannot break down any defense with way a point guard needs to do it and he cannot shoot the long ball well. But he can dominate the basketball on offense and he can go out of control to the rim. Big Joe didn't watche closely how Bynum performed during crunch time situations last season where opposing team coaches called him Mr. Turnover. English and Siva are a better fit for the Pistons than Bynum. But Bynum is not a good fit for any NBA team. This Bynum signing smells to me. How tight is go with Bynum's agent. You have to look at that when something this bogus happens. Past playing history means nothing.

As long as Gores is pressing for a playoff spot Ya gotta expect them/us to hold on to a guy like Bynum.  Granted Andre was the stick that made our bench VERY intimidating for a significant stretch last season Bynum was surely the mestro (sp).  There is a chance Will might be able to repeat that feat with some combination of these young legs.   I too am not ectatic about his return but Joe has to give Mo some options beyond the unproven.

[lemonpen]

The following is a take on why this poor shooting team may succeed.

The Pistons as the funky new Grizzlies

[lemonpen]

Psycho T goes to Toronto
Tyler Hansbrough agreed to a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors, and although terms were not initially disclosed, Sportsnet's Holly MacKenzie reports that the deal is worth $3 million per season with a team option on the second year. The Raptors used a portion of the mid-level exception to secure Hansbrough.
Hansbrough initially received a qualifying offer from the Indiana Pacers, but it was then rescinded, making him an unrestricted free agent. The big man will bring some more toughness to the Raptors, and SB Nation's Raptors blog Raptors HQ believes that Toronto could have one of the toughest frontcourts in the league next year.
Dude didn't even make it to the end of his rookie contract.

Bynum not ready to make decision
The Cleveland Cavaliers recently offered Andrew Bynum a two-year, $24 million contract, and they were hoping the oft-injured big man would make a decision by the conclusion of the July moratorium on Tuesday night. However, Bynum still plans to meet with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, with no official decision appearing imminent, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
I thought the new CBA was structured to protect owners from themselves.  Will the old saying apply about a fool and his money.

Dallas adds Ellington
The Mavs and Wayne Ellington agreed to a two-year deal worth more than $5 million. Ellington was traded to Cleveland in the middle of last season, where he made 17 starts and averaged 10.4 points.
Dallas needed some bench help, and SB Nation's Mavs blog Mavs Moneyball is happy with this move:
Is it official now that Dallas is striking out.

[Sebastian]

[Sebastian]

Trey had 2 assists and 4 turnovers!

I don't put too much stock in the performance in summer league, but it is a data point that's not totally useless!

BTW, I post this because it illustrates what Knight endured, but the Trey Burke folks didn't think it made any difference!

Assists depend on who the heck is on your team!

Burke delivered a lot of possible assists to some who just had butter fingers, others that got their shot blocked, and others who just couldn't shoot!

There's almost no other way a PG of his talent gets 2 freaking assists even in SL! Now the turns are all his, he's struggling with pesky defenders that aren't backing off like they did in college! He's going to have to adjust to NBA speed and the strength of PG's.

So remember, assists are NOT an individual statistic!

Knight should have a field day assisting our 3 big men... WOW! Those dudes will be like hungry birds chirping for a meal every trip down the court!

Listen to me Knight... FEED THE BIG DOGS!!!!

Oracle wrote: Assists depend on who the heck is on your team! And, the same applies to my boy, Stuckey, too.

Stuckey can be a more than adequate starting PG or first guard off the bench (PG), now that there are better players who will be on the floor with him.

Folks, WE need to give both, Stuckey and B. Knight a chance to succeed at the Point.

[WTF]

Do it!

[WTF]

First let me address the newest addition to the coaching staff. Wow! what a plus all three starting big men should benefit greatly from Sheed. I love it!, I love it!

Wow! Wow! Pulling off Josh Smith without breaking the bank was spectacular GMing on Joe's part likely one of the biggest Free Agent signings he's done since landing CB. Say what you want folks but this just mad us the 4th best team in the East IMO. 1. Miami, 2. Chicago, 3. Brooklyn 4. Detroit. Yes this definitely puts us in front of Indy and New York.

Wish Joe would have held out on Bynum and pursued CB as valuable veteran back up. I won't say that the Smith signing makes up for not drafting Burke in the least. In the end this will be a big mistake on Joe's part. Like I said Pope better be Rip-Reggie like.

Knights issue wasn't bad shooters it was more often his poor delivery and indecisiveness so stop making excuses for him.

[cool breeze]

So is Bynum more valuable than Kamen? Bynum will never be a point guard so how many short 2 guards are there in the world who can command over 5 mil for two seasons of work? We all know that there are not many big guys who can do much more than put on their jock straps when it comes to playing in the NBA. So why did Joe have to give Will a two year deal? What was it that worried Joe to the extent that thought Detroit would be in big trouble without Will? This puzzles me. Bynum has been a guy who contributed to all the losses. We have been able to watch him play for a long time now. He is not a young guy who anyone can expect will get a lot better. Will he become a better defender for example? Did Joe think Will was an adequate defender? Is that what sold Dumars on Bynum? Does anyone in the North American continent believe that Bynum would not have taken a one year deal with any NBA team? As Joe has this crystal ball and knows that Bynum will turn the Pistons into a contender this season, how does he know that Will can be an effective player in two seasons? It seems that he played at Arizona about 20 years ago before he had to transfer because he couldn't play defense at the major college level. We trust in Joe so it must be that Bynum will be even better in two years and much more valuable than a guy like Siva. This has to be a situation where Joe Dumars has some relationship with Bynum's agent. It makes no damn sense. Now that we have smith, we need guards who can pass the ball and spread the defense with outside shooting. Bynum has only one thing he can do well and that is drive to the hoop. He does not pass well in pick and roll situations. Will Joe now agree to tear up Stuckey's contact and give him a raise and another 4 years? No team who is serious about making a splash in the playoffs would sign Bynum to a two year contract. There are young players in this summer league who are much more gifted than Bynum and yet they are not going to get any contract at all in the NBA. Is it true that it is who you know rather than how many things you do well on the basketball court that determines which fringe players get contracts? Joe knows Will and Will's agent so we fans will see Will play again this season game after game of the same damn thing. Dumars must have really worked hard and put up a great fight with Bynum's agent to get this deal done.

[cool breeze]

Detroit might be the worst team in the summer league.

KCP looked a lot better in this game. He is real fast and a pretty good defender. And he has a quick release on his shot and in this game he shot the ball well.

Siva looked like a real point guard which is what many of you have been asking for. He also showed that he can hit 3 point shots. I like how calm he acts on the floor and his foot speed. It is very difficult to play point guard in a summer league game where everyone is trying to show off their stuff. Siva can break down a defense and that is what has been missing with the Pistons for several years. However, Dumars has signed Bynum again and being that he will make almost 3 mil for two seasons, how can Siva make the active roster? They will have to play Bynum. So there goes the defense and we will have to keep our fingers crossed when he is in the game that his shots go in because nobody moves without the ball when Bynum is on the floor. Watch for that this season Bynum fans. He is not the Microwave. He cannot play in a playoff game because the other team will stop the Pistons cold if he plays. That is a fact. So this signing is insurance in the event that the Pistons tank again management can bring out the circus act.

Peterson can shoot the long ball well and he set some great screens. But he was slow to rotate several times on defense and got beat baseline once.

Drummond has issues defending the pick and roll plays. He was out of position watching the action much of the time after the first quarter. Drummond is only 19 years old. He will be up and down at least for this this next season for sure. Rasheed should help him out just keeping the game fun for him.

I feel for English. He is a hard worker and this set of games has hurt him.

[Oracle]

Trey had 2 assists and 4 turnovers!

I don't put too much stock in the performance in summer league, but it is a data point that's not totally useless!

BTW, I post this because it illustrates what Knight endured, but the Trey Burke folks didn't think it made any difference!

Assists depend on who the heck is on your team!

Burke delivered a lot of possible assists to some who just had butter fingers, others that got their shot blocked, and others who just couldn't shoot!

There's almost no other way a PG of his talent gets 2 freaking assists even in SL! Now the turns are all his, he's struggling with pesky defenders that aren't backing off like they did in college! He's going to have to adjust to NBA speed and the strength of PG's.

So remember, assists are NOT an individual statistic!

Knight should have a field day assisting our 3 big men... WOW! Those dudes will be like hungry birds chirping for a meal every trip down the court!

Listen to me Knight... FEED THE BIG DOGS!!!!

[cool breeze]

'Yo Don, I want to be the first to tell you that your boy Solomon Hill is the real deal; I'm glad that Indy gave him a shot, because that young man does work!! The comparison to Draymon Green was a little off, as based on what I've seen in Summer League, he may be a more complete player than Green, and for his size, he's a beast. I witnessed an interview with him and the issue of his weight loss came up; he said he trimmed down to compete with the SF's in the league because his overall size demanded that he do so (that's taking the game seriously IMHO). I'm going to keep an eye on this kid throughout the year, and I can't help but pull for him; smart and humble kid.

Thanks for the update dX. Hill is a worker and he is smart. I love it that he was drafted in the first round when the experts didn't even have him on their boards in the 2nd round. Hill played point guard in high school and immediately became a power forward when he arrived at Arizona. As I said before, this guy was asked to guard all five positions in college and he did it well including point guards. I read an interview with the Indiana Pacers GM who advised that he kept in close contact with coach Sean Miller thoughout the basketball season last year. He watched Hill play and also did the extra work of interviewing Hill's coach. That was the GM talking not a scout. Hard work by a team's management can pay off. Slowly the idiot lazy GMs of old are being retired.

[deusXango]

'Yo Don, I want to be the first to tell you that your boy Solomon Hill is the real deal; I'm glad that Indy gave him a shot, because that young man does work!! The comparison to Draymon Green was a little off, as based on what I've seen in Summer League, he may be a more complete player than Green, and for his size, he's a beast. I witnessed an interview with him and the issue of his weight loss came up; he said he trimmed down to compete with the SF's in the league because his overall size demanded that he do so (that's taking the game seriously IMHO). I'm going to keep an eye on this kid throughout the year, and I can't help but pull for him; smart and humble kid.

[cool breeze]

Coaching Hire:           C+  Let's hope for the best.

Free Agent Signings:  A+     Josh Smith is the best FA the Pistons could have signed.  He adds size, toughness, rebounding and offense.  If Smith can mesh with the starting line-up as a SF, the Pistons are going to have a formidable front court.

Draft:                     C    Not taking Burke will prove to be a huge mistake.  But Mitchell and Siva were great pick-ups, especially considering where they were drafted.

Over-all Grade:         B+   IMO, the Josh Smith signing more than makes up for the mediocre coach and passing on Burke.

Murph Siva is the kind of player this team needs to come off the bench. He is a point guard with defensive skills and passing skills and can break down a defense well after getting to know his teammates. But Dumars just killed that kids future with Detroit by signing his guy, Will Bynum. There is no damn way Bynum could have received half of what Dumars offered Will from any other team. Bynum cannot defend, cannot pass, cannot break down any defense with way a point guard needs to do it and he cannot shoot the long ball well. But he can dominate the basketball on offense and he can go out of control to the rim. Big Joe didn't watche closely how Bynum performed during crunch time situations last season where opposing team coaches called him Mr. Turnover. English and Siva are a better fit for the Pistons than Bynum. But Bynum is not a good fit for any NBA team. This Bynum signing smells to me. How tight is go with Bynum's agent. You have to look at that when something this bogus happens. Past playing history means nothing.

[deusXango]

DX wrote:  ... we're looking pretty good just where we are, and I'm glad with what we got as a team!

Yo, DX, are you alos considering keeping Stuckey on the roster, either starting at the PG position or being the first guard off the bench. I personally, think that WE are set at the PG position with B Knight, Stuckey, Will B., and Mo' (former PG) as the coach; not to mention that most desirable PGs are already set with their current rosters. Only Teague and Jennings have yet to be settled with their prospective teams, pending the reported S&T that the Hawks and Bucks are considering involving the two.

Oh, and if the Italian League MVP is anything like the 01:39 YouTube video demonstrates, then WE should be able to open the floor with he, B. Knight, KCP, Singler, Middleton, and I dire say Charlie V.

Sebastian, I wasn't considering doing anything with Stuckey, other than trying to parlay him and Jerebko into a 2014 first round draft pick, but for the sake of shared joy, keep the ball hogging dummy. You do realize that Mo Cheeks won't be starting him don't you? He's too slow getting the team into it's offense, and with the players sure to be on the floor, even Joe won't want that. I also think the days of Stuckey being protected by Joe are over. Keep him on the team until he goes into diva mode, then trade him.

[cool breeze]

Coaching Hire: C+  Let's hope for the best. - IMO, this will be critical! The performance of the team will be directly proportional to how good the coach is!

Free Agent Signings:  A+     Josh Smith is the best FA the Pistons could have signed.  He adds size, toughness, rebounding and offense.  If Smith can mesh with the starting line-up as a SF, the Pistons are going to have a formidable front court. - Oh Yeah, Joe is BACK!!!

Draft: C    Not taking Burke will prove to be a huge mistake.  But Mitchell and Siva were great pick-ups, especially considering where they were drafted. - Too early to call! IMO, Burke is going to be better than KCP, but it's more about fit, and that's something that will take time to see!

Over-all Grade:   B+   IMO, the Josh Smith signing more than makes up for the mediocre coach and passing on Burke. - I agree, I really thought we had no chance of getting Smith!

By not taking Burke in the draft, Joe Dumars was able to get his man, Will the Thrill Bynum, back for another 2 years to run the point. The guards on this team suck with the exception of Brandon Knight. He is the only guy who is willing to play tough defense. It is beyond my imagination that Detroit management would start the season again with Bynum and paying this guy over 5 mil is insane. Remember when Nate Robinson ate Bynum alive last season? Bynum has no idea how to play the point. He is a weak defender and a 2 guard who cannot hit outside shots. Oh, I forgot that great chemistry he had with Drummond last season. That chemistry lasted for about 4 games and after that every team in the league knew how to stop that lob pass.

We have added the new Euro player who I was told cannot play a lick of defense. But this guy reminds Dumars of Daye. He is, therefore, a rotation player. With that CAP space left after signing Smith, Joe has once again shown me he has no idea what he is doing as a GM. Remember why we lost so much over the past 4 years Joe? Yes it is because you stocked the team with weak defenders. Great job!

[Oracle]

@DX - With the signing Bynum, which was fantastic at the low price and the signing of Datome, that pretty much signals the end of English here in Detroit!

Speaking of English, he's showing almost nothing in the SL games, which is sad because I know he's better!

Drummond does make the team better just being on the court, but outside of rare occasions, Don may be right to wonder if the simple offensive moves a big man needs is going to be a problem. I see absolutely no progress in that area or FT shooting.

I'm also concerned that Sheed is teaching anybody back to the basket moves, because nobody could get his arse down there often enough to do much! He may already be impacting Drummond as Drummond took a 3 pointer!

Ok, the 3 pointer was a late in the shot clock heave, but WTF was Drummond doing that far away from the basket?
 
KCP breaks out of his slump to show some of the skills we expected to see out of the 8th overall pick!

Siva had a very good game, and we absolutely need to keep this kid! The Bynum signing was great, but the coach should use him situationally, not like Frank did on a regular basis! Once Siva adapts, you could use him more often because the kid has all of the right instincts!

[Sebastian]

Who is this dude? Any international watchers around?

HELL YES!! Oracle, he's our Manu Ginobili. Stop the talk of "spreading the floor" and we need a shooter, and we need to trade Monroe for Rondo; we're looking pretty good just where we are, and I'm glad with what we got as a team!

The intelligence level, of the team, has jumped tremendously, so a lot of the concerns voiced will be worked out by the team playing together. This is the type off-season I was hoping for.

DX wrote:  ... we're looking pretty good just where we are, and I'm glad with what we got as a team!

Yo, DX, are you also considering keeping Stuckey on the roster, either starting at the PG position or being the first guard off the bench. I personally, think that WE are set at the PG position with B Knight, Stuckey, Will B., and Mo' (former PG) as the coach; not to mention that most desirable PGs are already set with their current rosters. Only Teague and Jennings have yet to be settled with their prospective teams, pending the reported S&T that the Hawks and Bucks are considering involving the two.

Oh, and if the Italian League MVP is anything like the 01:39 YouTube video demonstrates, then WE should be able to open the floor with he, B. Knight, KCP, Singler, Middleton, and I dare say Charlie V.

[deusXango]

Who is this dude? Any international watchers around?

HELL YES!! Oracle, he's our Manu Ginobili. Stop the talk of "spreading the floor" and we need a shooter, and we need to trade Monroe for Rondo; we're looking pretty good just where we are, and I'm glad with what we got as a team!

The intelligence level, of the team, has jumped tremendously, so a lot of the concerns voiced will be worked out by the team playing together. This is the type off-season I was hoping for.

[Oracle]

Who is this dude? Any international watchers around?

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