Be careful what you wish for....

[deusXango]

You know quietly I was jealous looking at that arena last night and I remember when we use to try to pack 80 thousand into the Silverdome and consistently fill up the Palace.  Even the Teal Years would nicely fill up the Palace but watching the last home game and I swear there wasn't 5 thousand fans at the Palace.  

It's not just the losing, but this team has no flare and no star appeal, it has no identity, nothing that fans can identify with and cheer for.  This team has no personality beside being considered a bunch of dummies talented or not they have no real charisma, no attitude or style for flair.

When I think about the Teal Years we had a super star in Grant Hill, we had Joe who connected us to the 80's, the flair of Stackhouse, and mystery of Bison Dele.  There was Houston and Hunter young players, Grant Long, and Terry Mills local hero's.  How many times did the Teal Team make the playoffs?

This current team sucks on so many levels that it need to be totally blown the fu@k up! from owner to towel boy there need to be a complete do over.  I mean everything from a new name, new mascot, new uni's and new colors to renaming the Palace.  New announcers both TV and Radio change everything about this team please!

Wise, it sounds like you're reading Gores mind...a new city and show a profit in doing it!

[WTF]

You know quietly I was jealous looking at that arena last night and I remember when we use to try to pack 80 thousand into the Silverdome and consistently fill up the Palace. Even the Teal Years would nicely fill up the Palace but watching the last home game and I swear there wasn't 5 thousand fans at the Palace.

It's not just the losing, but this team has no flare and no star appeal, it has no identity, nothing that fans can identify with and cheer for. This team has no personality beside being considered a bunch of dummies talented or not they have no real charisma, no attitude or style for flair.

When I think about the Teal Years we had a super star in Grant Hill, we had Joe who connected us to the 80's, the flair of Stackhouse, and mystery of Bison Dele. There was Houston and Hunter young players, Grant Long, and Terry Mills local hero's. How many times did the Teal Team make the playoffs?

This current team sucks on so many levels that it need to be totally blown the fu@k up! from owner to towel boy there need to be a complete do over. I mean everything from a new name, new mascot, new uni's and new colors to renaming the Palace. New announcers both TV and Radio change everything about this team please!

[Oracle]

We took it in the ass tonight   

Onwards and downwards

[Oracle]

Wow, nice pick up by the Lions.  I like it that he's statistically so sure-handed.

Back in the playoffs next year, if they get some major help in the draft (Justin Gilbert?), as they should?

Now get one of the free agent CB or S think there are a couple of good ones to be had.  I wouldn't object to Revis for the right price.

Great move, and CB or Safety are high on my list as well.

Will Stafford and/or Megatron do what it takes to restructure their deals to get the the Super Bowl? Depends on how good a selling job management can do!

[Sparma]

Drummond's leading the team in FT% at 50% -- never a good sign.

[WTF]

Wow, nice pick up by the Lions.  I like it that he's statistically so sure-handed.

Back in the playoffs next year, if they get some major help in the draft (Justin Gilbert?), as they should?

Now get one of the free agent CB or S think there are a couple of good ones to be had. I wouldn't object to Revis for the right price.

[WTF]

All need to restructure their contracts so that the Lions can make a legit play at Golden Tate or Decker.  Any case the Lions better draft wisely they need a corner, safety and a wide-out that can come in and have a immediate impact. The good thing is that this team is mostly set with exception of the three position I mentioned and they also need to get Shuan Hill resigned quickly.  

Would you trade Suh for Revis?

All of the weapons in the world will be useless until the QB wraps his mind around the idea that he MUST improve.  Significantly improve.

Yo lemonpen! I'm banking on Caldwell getting him righted and now his ass has a QB coach.  And I see we just picked up Golden Tate I was hoping for either him or Decker.  I honestly think Caldwell would bench his ass something Schwartz was afraid to do

[Sparma]

Wow, nice pick up by the Lions. I like it that he's statistically so sure-handed.

Back in the playoffs next year, if they get some major help in the draft (Justin Gilbert?), as they should?

[Oracle]

Stones, you're seriously dreaming   

Jennings better than BK7? At what? He's not even in the conversation defensively, BK7 can buy you 3-8 seconds of defense against top flight PG's, Jennings is gone on the first move, if not backed down for a layup!

Being a Piston fan, that would usually end the conversation there, but there's a hell of a lot more. BK7 is a lot faster, can get to the hoop better, and is a more dangerous perimeter scorer.

Jennings does see the floor a lot better and has better pure PG instincts, but he has no delivery system to make them work! He's too easily stopped, and easy to trap or harassed into bad decisions. And while BK7 wasn't a great play maker, Jennings is just a poor, maybe worse in the half court!

Jennings is truly bad news and should be dumped!

Josh: Ok, I was for signing Josh, but I'm clear eyed now... dump has ass ASAP! He has no fit in our present because he can no longer play PF nightly, and he's a terrible SF! But the worst thing is that he's too old to keep around unless he brought more value to the table.

I thought the minimum we'd get was GREAT defense, but the defense is worse! Now you can't lay all of that at Josh's feet, Monroe gums up the works, but the results aren't good.

We need a younger PF to play with Dre, and we need Monroe to be the backup center, and if he can't deal with reality, then we have to do the trade. If he thinks he can beat out Dre, more power to him!

@Phillip - Yeah posting is slow when the news is bad, and the Pistons winning is bad news! They finally found their mirror image in Sacto! A team with a potentially great center and a questionable supporting cast! Unfortunately, they proved more heartless than the locals last night!

@Stones again - Good post on making the playoffs and keeping the pick... it never crossed my mind  

@Lemonpen - Absolutely! Stafford seriously needs to get a hell of a lot better or they aren't going anywhere! One great season doesn't cut it in the NFL!

[Go Stones!]

This team sucks b/c they threw a bunch of new players together and then didn't give the proper leadership. The team is too young for anyone to lead the team from a player's point of view. Coach Cheeks didn't do much. Chauncey side-stepped recently after he got injured (that and his most recent comments let me believe he is over with leading this team). We have all young players except for Smith, who was new this year. This is a volcano ready to explode!

Jennings: He is better than many of the PGs out there. I do believe he is better than BK7, so quit whining about that trade. For 8M/year you will not get a perfect PG like Chauncey in his prime. However, you get someone who (when he tries, and is NOT rebelious) can make an impact on the team. I've seen that Jennings bought into the team until his mentor/hero Cheeks got the boot. He has been off ever since. Is he bipolar? I think so! Since Loyer took over, he has only played 20-28 minutes a game and Bynum plays a lot more....especially in the 4th. That is humbling and he is eating some serious pride flakes. He is in a funk b/c he is not being catered to. I still think he is better than BK7, however, he is going through a situation right now. I think if he pulls out of it you can see that he is a great piece to the future. I'd personally rather have Jennings as the backup PG.

Smith: He is a good player, but not a max player. Why do we expect him to be the next best thing since Sheed then? He provides scoring, rebounding, blocks, offense and defense. He can play SF and PF. Either he or JJ were playing center the other day. If we had him instead of Prince in 2005-8 we would have ROLLED! If you see him as your saviour, he is not. If you see him as one of the "big 3" along with Dre and someone else...well, maybe. He is getting a bad rap, for no reason. Yes, he "takes a long deuce" too often (anyone else feel uncomfortable when the announcer says that?), but he also has been told to spread the floor for Dre and Monroe.

Monroe: He is NOT a PF...he has no mid-range...yet. Still in progress. He is a center, but Dre plays that. He has no vertical! He was highly unathletic at the combine for the draft. If we had someone to run and gun better than Monroe with more vertical and a mid-range the Pistons could keep Smith at SF and Dre at center and we would ROLL! I'd rather have Monroe come off the bench to cover PF/C as needed.

Fix: Get a legit SG and get a PF that spreads the floor (Ryan Anderson, Kevin Love, etc). Smith is too small at PF, but can overpower many players at SF. It is not that he is bad, it is the surrounding players that he is covering for.

Dumars is taking his last run around town and he will be out (via no contract extension). I wouldn't be surprised if the Bad Boys reunion is when they promote Dumars in a different category of the team...and announce Phil Jackson (he is using Knicks against Gores for money) as his replacement. It is also the same night the Heat play...3 potential free agents who would love to play for Jackson. I'd love to be right, but am convinced I'm only dreaming at this time.

[lemonpen]

All need to restructure their contracts so that the Lions can make a legit play at Golden Tate or Decker.  Any case the Lions better draft wisely they need a corner, safety and a wide-out that can come in and have a immediate impact. The good thing is that this team is mostly set with exception of the three position I mentioned and they also need to get Shuan Hill resigned quickly.  

Would you trade Suh for Revis?

All of the weapons in the world will be useless until the QB wraps his mind around the idea that he MUST improve. Significantly improve.

[Sebastian]

We got J-Smoove, Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Chauncey Billups, and Will "the Thrill" Bynum....so what?! Throw the guards out with the bath water.

I was for signing Smith as a FA, and still welcome him in a Pistons uniform...he's yet to be put in a position to succeed or coached properly. More on that later.

The dumbest thing this regime did this last year was to pass on Burke and Carter-Williams...MCW would've been the ideal choice because of his size and skillset. This team desperately needed a PG and floor leader to compliment Drummond going forward, and still does after all the sacrifices made, not a f#cking SG!! We passed on Burke because of his size...where have I heard that crap before? Ty Lawson, too small. Kemba Walker, too small. I'd take either one of them over Brandon Jennings right now, so it was a fool ass move to pass on Burke, because of his size, but again I say, MCW was the pick.

If size mattered all that much, WTF was Joe thinking when he traded Knight and Middleton for Jennings?! His game liabilities far outweigh his assets, and when you compare him to what we "lost" in BK7 and Middleton, it's a crime & shame! This team would be so much better with Burke/MCW, Knight, and Middleton (as far as floor spreaders go) than we are with Jennings, KCP, Billups, and Bynum...too many guards for nobody to play defense or smart basketball.

Now back to Josh. To fully understand what could/should/would work, we must be honest about the assembled frontcourt talent...Drummond is the franchise player and best center we have, as raw as he is, and without a doubt, J-Smoove is the best PF on the team....to start Monroe with Andre & Josh throws everything out of whack!!! Haven't we learned anything yet about playing players out of position? Is/was it necessary to play players out of position? I think not. If Monroe had signed an extension, I could see molly-coddling him, but when he refused to commit to the Pistons during a rebuild, he shouldn't have been given the opportunity to hamstring a coaches rotation by starting! IMHO the starting frontline should have been Drummond, Smith, and the Euro MVP, Datome, from day one...we still don't know what Gigi could do with confidence, confidence that's been all but destroyed with his experience in Detroit. Say what you will, but Popovich would have found more time for Datome, if he had decided to sign with San Antonio, than he's gotten from two Detroit coaches this year...look at the difference between the teams before you start knocking an unknown commodity that we've just ignored. Moose should have anchored the bench that would've included Stuckey, Singler, Harrellson, and Middleton. That's not taking anything away from Monroe, but adding to the strength of the Pistons. Monroe is not a better frontline fit than Drummond and Smith, and what Datome can do as a full time SF is yet to be determined....look at how patient we were with Singler and KCP, waiting for their games to come around.

Yo, DX, I will not let you hang out there by yourself, I too, was in favor of the J-Smoove signing and still remain resolute in him staying on the team. The thing I think that has hurt Josh the most is the trade that brought B. Jennings to the team. Josh Smith is a commodity that has not been implored, properly.

Maybe, just maybe, he (Josh) and whoever the GM will be at season's end can work some sort of deal to acquire Rajon Rondo. Smith has to play with a "real" PG.

It is true that his play at the SF position has looked inadequate at times, but if WE could get the right player at the PF position and a real PG, then I think WE would be much, much better; even playoff better.

Somehow, WE have got to get US a bonifide PG and an above average PF, because I believe that Josh's offensive game is much better closer to the hoop, but the dude has hit some jumpers and I don't think that he is a full-time PF, anymore.

Most of all, the next GM or it it still Joe which I seriously doubt, must find a way to trade B. Jennings for something positive.

I really don't like B. Jennings' game.

[Sparma]

Good one, Stones! That would be amazing.

Moose, NY won't tank because they've given up their pick to Denver for Melo (btw, when you look at Tankathon.com it's remarkable how many teams will be giving up their pick or are in danger of doing so. Misery loves company). The Knicks have won 4 in a row, as I remember. They need to pass us for sure, but then we need to get by another team. Cleveland? And Atlanta's losing relentlessly to pose a threat to us.

[Go Stones!]

The Pistons are going to try to do BOTH get in the Playoffs and get the top 8 pick. (Joke, but it is possible...ALL of the Western teams would have to have better records than the Pistons. With the Eastern Conference sucking and the Western Conference so good, it is currently really close and could actually happen). You heard it here first!

[WTF]

All need to restructure their contracts so that the Lions can make a legit play at Golden Tate or Decker.  Any case the Lions better draft wisely they need a corner, safety and a wide-out that can come in and have a immediate impact. The good thing is that this team is mostly set with exception of the three position I mentioned and they also need to get Shuan Hill resigned quickly.  

Would you trade Suh for Revis?

[WTF]

There's still hope I smell a 6 game losing streak coming. New York and Cleveland are about to really start tanking so the Pistons better start stinking it up even more.

[Sparma]

Three teams are out of Detroit's reach in the race for best odds in the lottery draw, but Detroit's three behind #4 (shared by several teams including two who share more championships between than than the rest of the league combined (I think)). We're 2.5 games ahead of #12. It's anybody's ballgame down the stretch. I still think Detroit's too good to slide into the #8 slot (reverse psychology's my form of superstition), let alone the truly safe #7 slot.

Should I care? No, but I do.

[Phil-Good]

WOW! I posted at 1 or 2 PM in the afternoon and the Pistons have played and won A game and it's not 1 post about it. LOL! Nobody give A **** anymore about the low life Pistons.     

[Phil-Good]

Everybody knows BK7 is going to be A solid NBA player. The Pistons made A mistake moving this kid for A street basketball player in Brandon Jennings. Especially with Michael Carter-Williams sitting there. But hindsight is always 20-20.

But nobody knew MCW was going to be as good as he is. NOBODY!!! In summer league M.Carter-Williams looked like OFFICIAL TRASH!!!!! Then the win now or else, made the trade for A PG with experience look even more necessary.

But the Pistons do have G.Monroe and Andre Drummonds. So nobody around the NBA is crying poor Pistons. The Pistons need to get they leadership together because the Pistons do have some really good players who other teams In the League would DIE to have.

[deusXango]

We got J-Smoove, Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Chauncey Billups, and Will "the Thrill" Bynum....so what?! Throw the guards out with the bath water.

I was for signing Smith as a FA, and still welcome him in a Pistons uniform...he's yet to be put in a position to succeed or coached properly. More on that later.

The dumbest thing this regime did this last year was to pass on Burke and Carter-Williams...MCW would've been the ideal choice because of his size and skillset. This team desperately needed a PG and floor leader to compliment Drummond going forward, and still does after all the sacrifices made, not a f#cking SG!! We passed on Burke because of his size...where have I heard that crap before? Ty Lawson, too small. Kemba Walker, too small. I'd take either one of them over Brandon Jennings right now, so it was a fool ass move to pass on Burke, because of his size, but again I say, MCW was the pick.

If size mattered all that much, WTF was Joe thinking when he traded Knight and Middleton for Jennings?! His game liabilities far outweigh his assets, and when you compare him to what we "lost" in BK7 and Middleton, it's a crime & shame! This team would be so much better with Burke/MCW, Knight, and Middleton (as far as floor spreaders go) than we are with Jennings, KCP, Billups, and Bynum...too many guards for nobody to play defense or smart basketball.

Now back to Josh. To fully understand what could/should/would work, we must be honest about the assembled frontcourt talent...Drummond is the franchise player and best center we have, as raw as he is, and without a doubt, J-Smoove is the best PF on the team....to start Monroe with Andre & Josh throws everything out of whack!!! Haven't we learned anything yet about playing players out of position? Is/was it necessary to play players out of position? I think not. If Monroe had signed an extension, I could see molly-coddling him, but when he refused to commit to the Pistons during a rebuild, he shouldn't have been given the opportunity to hamstring a coaches rotation by starting! IMHO the starting frontline should have been Drummond, Smith, and the Euro MVP, Datome, from day one...we still don't know what Gigi could do with confidence, confidence that's been all but destroyed with his experience in Detroit. Say what you will, but Popovich would have found more time for Datome, if he had decided to sign with San Antonio, than he's gotten from two Detroit coaches this year...look at the difference between the teams before you start knocking an unknown commodity that we've just ignored. Moose should have anchored the bench that would've included Stuckey, Singler, Harrellson, and Middleton. That's not taking anything away from Monroe, but adding to the strength of the Pistons. Monroe is not a better frontline fit than Drummond and Smith, and what Datome can do as a full time SF is yet to be determined....look at how patient we were with Singler and KCP, waiting for their games to come around.

[WTF]

Can be a doctor with a college degree? can I be a leading scientist without a college degree. I could become a programming wizard or a world class musician without the benefits of a former education but that would place me in a rare minority. Kobe, Lebron, KG are rare exceptions and to a degree Josh Smith because I think having the benefit of 2 years of college would have done him wonders.

My point I guess is that I'm sick and tired of these kids with the one and done thing with the NBA. IMO this kids should be required to do no less than 4 years of college in sports especially basketball. Baseball is IMO the easiest and football isn't complex as basketball is so I can be receptive football players entering the NFL. I think with football its more instinctive and physical based but basketball is a thinking man game almost at every position and I'm just so tired of these fundamentally unsound players coming in the NBA early because we think they have a right to make money once turning 19.

The NBA sucks largely in part because the players coming in are dumb as rocks and overly hyped because they all think they're part of that rare group of talent. They need to fix this issue before they become an even bigger joke. Basketball players should be required to get a 4 year college degree in the "Fundamentals of Basketball" Seriously they need to create this career degree that at the end of 4 years these player could be qualified to coach the game they play.

Again I can go perform heart surgery without a degree because ESPN seen be slicing lemons and now think I can become the next Kobe or MJ.

[WTF]

Yeah you'd trade BK7, and would want Burke, who can't carry MCW's jock strap in the NBA, and even like Josh Smith, who I would trade to get back BK7 & Middleton, but the numbers won't work.

Here's what MCW did... another triple double, the dude is obviously a much better pro than Burke, and it isn't even close!

And Knight & Middleton? Here's what the AP says,

MILWAUKEE -- For about a three-minute stretch of the second half, Milwaukee's Brandon Knight just could not be stopped.

A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. A back-breaking 3 from the wing.

Knight scored 11 straight points during a stretch between the third and fourth quarters to help the Bucks erase an 18-point deficit and defeat the Orlando Magic 105-98 on Monday night.

The Bucks fed off their lead guard once Knight got going.

"He was attacking, finishing, finding guys and making plays for us," said Khris Middleton, who added 21 points and three crucial 3s in the fourth quarter.

Talent shows, Heart shows, and it's sorely missing on this clown act led by Josh Smith & Blow Job Jennings!

I can't argue that MCW came out of the gates flying with back to back Triple-Doubles and he's having a great rookie season better than 9 other players drafted before him including Burke.  Still I think over time Burke will be better than all of them and that includes MCW but I won't take away anything MCW is doing right now it will only make him better.  Burke started out slow missed the first 12 games, didn't immediately start when he did returned but I don't think there are many that are thinking MCW will be better than Burke when it's all said and done.

My glasses are still foggy I guess, because I'm still not sold on Knight even though I convince trading him for Jennings was a bad idea but only because I think we should have drafted either Burke or MCW so it's more about passing on those 2 than it is Knight being better than Jennings.  I probably would have still eventually traded Knight because I'm still not impress with him.  BTW that dunk was alright at best, I've seen both Stuckey and Will Bynum performed far far far better dunks than that.  Just Saying. Stuckey had 2 in 1 game this season when he was on a roll earlier in the season.

I will say Knight has improved since leaving but not in terms of becoming an elite PG because as a PG he's still playing like his rookie season (mentally) anyway! He has gotten bigger and stronger since last season but he still can't grasp the concept of being a true PG which has been my biggest issue.  While I think that the team would have been better served to keep him and play him exclusively at SG his PG play is right there with Jennings PG play.

[cool breeze]

Oracle Knight is a sure thing to become an All Star basketball player. He has the work ethic and the brains to do anything on the court that he desires. That first step of his is amazing. He has spent a lot of time building up his body to dish out punishment to his opponents. How happy would all of us fans be now if we had the opportunity to watch him play for the Pistons? He was my favorite player on this team and that has been taken away forever thanks to our idiot leaders. If only we could find out how Dumars and the owners make decisions on trades. The Bucks made a fool out of Joe and Gores but long time Piston fans feel the pain more than people like Joe. He will walk away and forget about the Pistons. We have to live with Will Bynum and Brandon Jennings.  There is no current player on the Piston team that has the spunk or fight to succeed that Knight has. It is a good thing that Joe Dumars isn't taking any interviews about how he feels about the way his team plays defense. Any fool could have predicted what would happen after making this foolish trade. 

And keep fighting hard for the playoff spot Joe and make sure we don't get to keep out first round pick because of that other insane trade you made. Dumars has to take the blame but our owners have their heads in the sand as well when it comes to having any insight about basketball players and what they are capable of doing.

[Oracle]

If you get a chance to see this dunk by Knight as he bullied his way to the rim for the MASSIVE TommyHawk Slam, it was impressive!

We don't have a guard on this team capable of throwing it down like I saw him do! Maybe Stuckey, but Stuckey never seems to do thunderous dunks like that!

Knight has bulked up, and he has a blazing first step which makes him a tough cover!

Give this kid 1-2 more years, and he'll be right up there in the dangerous guard territory.

24 points & 6 assist... a good night's work on Afflalo and that Ola-Deep-Ho!

[Oracle]

Yeah you'd trade BK7, and would want Burke, who can't carry MCW's jock strap in the NBA, and even like Josh Smith, who I would trade to get back BK7 & Middleton, but the numbers won't work.

Here's what MCW did... another triple double, the dude is obviously a much better pro than Burke, and it isn't even close!

And Knight & Middleton? Here's what the AP says,

MILWAUKEE -- For about a three-minute stretch of the second half, Milwaukee's Brandon Knight just could not be stopped.

A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. A back-breaking 3 from the wing.

Knight scored 11 straight points during a stretch between the third and fourth quarters to help the Bucks erase an 18-point deficit and defeat the Orlando Magic 105-98 on Monday night.

The Bucks fed off their lead guard once Knight got going.

"He was attacking, finishing, finding guys and making plays for us," said Khris Middleton, who added 21 points and three crucial 3s in the fourth quarter.

Talent shows, Heart shows, and it's sorely missing on this clown act led by Josh Smith & Blow Job Jennings!

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