Things Crossing My Mind and Going Hmmmmmm

[WTF]

Okay what if the Knicks offered us Melo in a trade for Meeks, Jennings and Morris would you do it.  Just thinking after reading the article on whether we should trade Meeks or not.    No doubt I think we should trade Meeks and Jennings and no doubt I think the Knicks would be better off to rid themselves of Melo.  It has to be at least partly attractive to the Knicks considering they find themselves back in the rebuilding mode.  


Melo would definitely be the SF we've been looking for if SVG can control his ball hogging and fit him into his offense.   Imagine a lineup of Jackson, Stanley, Melo, Ilyasova and Drummond.   If Granger was able to give us a solid 20 minutes from the bench then I can live with him and Dinwiddie, KCP and Tolliver off the bench.   Keep in mind I would also consider sending the Knicks KCP as well if need be.  

Melo, should welcome the move because this would be the best roster he played on since leaving Denver IMO,  Detroit will likely make a serious run in the playoffs before the Knicks will.  If his mind is into he'll likely make us a contender by next season if not sooner.

[WTF]

OC, yeah I'm willing to roll with the current squad also... Not even counting out Granger yet (if he's got the gumption to put in the rehab).
The X-factor in my eyes is E.I.... a lotta folks are sleeping on him because of his injuries... when he's right he can be a triple threat (including perimeter D).
Let's just see what we've got.

I'm so not counting out Danny Granger at this point,  clearly at 32 he's on the down side of his career after 10 seasons and a few injuries.  But I agree if he's taking the rehab seriously the only thing different is that if he's 100% healthy then we're looking at a potential 6th Man and he may be the teams X-Factor.   He's a 10 year veteran with less than 7 years of actual games played he just needs to get healthy first and I mean completely healthy.  We all know this cat can shoot the rock and likely is the only catch and shoot player on the roster we all seen this guy score in bunches and he was at a time the star player in Indy (Reeks of the Dice Story)  somwahat in a player left for dead because of a major injury but manages to salvage career.  

I'm pulling for this dude though many of you think he's done but I don't think so.  It's not like he's counting a **** load against the cap at 2.1 Million and like Marcus I think he has something to prove as well. He has three things we need, 1. he's a leader, 2. veteran, and he know how to win games and 3. he can shoot like crazy. Defensively???????? TBD

[WTF]

This is a cautionary article on Marcus Morris! From our perspective, we have to believe that a player learns from situations and adversity and matures, but the facts can't be denied!

I believe that the twins being together "enabled" each others bad behavior, behavior that wouldn't happen if they were separate, but that's just a theory!

The article is interesting, but the comments after the article really lets you know what the active fans think... a lot of hate just below the surface, but there was one funny sequence.

This trade was a steal for us.
I think we should trade Markieff for a cheerleader plus a hot dog to be named later. That would be another good McD trade. Seriously, there’s no chance that guy suits up for us again. He doesn’t have the heart.
by Tribal Fury on Jul 10, 2015 | 9:46 PM reply


  Get over it,
  Kentavious.
  
  by Lugubrious Tenebris on Jul 11, 2015 | 9:08 AM up reply

Anyway, here's the article: Marcus Morris' comments as he leaves Phoenix demonstrate why he had to go

Reads and smells like Sour Grapes on part of the Phoenix Media and fans. Granted Marcus is still growing up and acts a tad-bit immaturely but at 25 who doesn't? Certainly the Phoenix Media does because this article itself was quite immature of them to write (example: Let's say Sharpe decides to write an article saying it was best the Pistons part ways because he was bound to piss his pants again) taking this cheap shot at Marcus is not that far removed from behavior Morris displayed.

I don't care what player it is they all feel slighted when traded, underpaid, and under used because they all feel they could be helping the team more if given more opportunity. There is a **** load of guys making 5 million not producing nearly what Marcus produces so perhaps he is under paid by that standard.

My hopes is that separating the two helps him grow, and I hope it does put a chip on his shoulders but more importantly I hope his legal issue and immaturity becomes a thing of the past. This guy has been promised a starting job here so SVG sees something in him, likely there are some factions of the Phoenix Fan Base hating he got traded since they failed to land Aldridge and now regrets the move but need to spin it as a good thing. The BS reeking from this is obvious.

[lemonpen]

This is a cautionary article on Marcus Morris! From our perspective, we have to believe that a player learns from situations and adversity and matures, but the facts can't be denied!

I believe that the twins being together "enabled" each others bad behavior, behavior that wouldn't happen if they were separate, but that's just a theory!

The article is interesting, but the comments after the article really lets you know what the active fans think... a lot of hate just below the surface, but there was one funny sequence.

This trade was a steal for us.
I think we should trade Markieff for a cheerleader plus a hot dog to be named later. That would be another good McD trade. Seriously, there’s no chance that guy suits up for us again. He doesn’t have the heart.
by Tribal Fury on Jul 10, 2015 | 9:46 PM reply


  Get over it,
  Kentavious.
  
  by Lugubrious Tenebris on Jul 11, 2015 | 9:08 AM up reply

Anyway, here's the article: Marcus Morris' comments as he leaves Phoenix demonstrate why he had to go

I've been waiting for some kind of separation anxiety to appear. Coach Stan can use this opportunity to begin constructing the PLAYER we need Marcus to become. The situation with Phoenix provides us a "foil" for the reality check Morris was needing, and a powerful motivational tool for SVG going forward. I can here it now:

- This is a grown mans league
- there is no more hand holding
- use this opportunity to step out of your brothers shadow and blossom.
- yada yada yada

Do your thing Stan.

[Oracle]

This is a cautionary article on Marcus Morris! From our perspective, we have to believe that a player learns from situations and adversity and matures, but the facts can't be denied!

I believe that the twins being together "enabled" each others bad behavior, behavior that wouldn't happen if they were separate, but that's just a theory!

The article is interesting, but the comments after the article really lets you know what the active fans think... a lot of hate just below the surface, but there was one funny sequence.

This trade was a steal for us.
I think we should trade Markieff for a cheerleader plus a hot dog to be named later. That would be another good McD trade. Seriously, there’s no chance that guy suits up for us again. He doesn’t have the heart.
by Tribal Fury on Jul 10, 2015 | 9:46 PM reply


  Get over it,
  Kentavious.
  
  by Lugubrious Tenebris on Jul 11, 2015 | 9:08 AM up reply

Anyway, here's the article: Marcus Morris' comments as he leaves Phoenix demonstrate why he had to go

[merc]

Morris has a chip... and so?... what successful Piston didn't?

[merc]

OC, yeah I'm willing to roll with the current squad also... Not even counting out Granger yet (if he's got the gumption to put in the rehab).
The X-factor in my eyes is E.I.... a lotta folks are sleeping on him because of his injuries... when he's right he can be a triple threat (including perimeter D).
Let's just see what we've got.

[Murph]

Man, to hear Mark Cuban whine about Deandre Jordan is really tiresome.  I mean, cry me a river, you freaking billionaire.    I wonder how many people Cuban stabbed in the back on his way to the top.  

[Oracle]

And bring back one of the truly signature teams the NBA has ever known!!! Marcus Morris was wearing a bad boys hat!



Here's a 2'fer, Baynes kicking Markieff's arse, then Marcus kicking Baynes arse

[Oracle]

And nobody wants a goat...


But SVG doesn't give you any effing goats, he's delivered the goods, and I'm ready to roll into the season as soon as we can get a beefy PF added to the team and let go a couple of slugs(Granger & Martin?)

He wants the Pistons to be a more difficult team to play against next season and by adding Johnson and Morris – who at one point referred to himself as "a Bad Boy" in a nod to the Pistons' glory years – Van Gundy thinks it will shore up one of the positions where the Pistons lacked a physical presence.


"We need more guys who can challenge guys physically and get into guys and that small forward spot was one of the biggest," Van Gundy said. "Caron (Butler) certainly was willing to challenge guys but he's a little bit older. Some of our other guys really were at times a little overmatched at being able to play that spot.(Ya think???)


"Now I think we've got two guys with size, strength and quickness that can get in there and battle at that spot. Physically, we've gotten a lot tougher. We wanted to add some toughness and I think with Marcus, with Stanley, with (Aron) Baynes, with (Ersan) Ilyasova ... we've added tough, physical guys and great competitors so I feel really good about that.

Seriously, we've improved the SF position by leaps and bounds, and we've gotten better defensively, so much so that IMO, it will help Drummond get better defensively since he won't always be on an island!

Housekeeping Note: Wise, I heard your win prediction, but I won't start taking them down until the roster gets fully settled, but I like what you said, and if you take away the bad start and the loss of Jennings, we could have easily had 44 wins or more!

[Oracle]

Murph, you can't say a lot on twitter, but here is what I sent to that dumbass!

@drewsharp Mediocrity? Wow, what a detailed analysis! So you expect injury to the lead PG & a 5-23 start again, when a split makes playoffs!

The Pistons, IMO, were a playoff team last season, and it would take a real lack of critical thinking to believe that they shouldn't be one this season.

Drew Sharp didn't analyze the situation, he's just blowing hot air, there's no basis for his statements. but here are a few things that dummy didn't think about.

1. Record: We certainly won't be starting the year off 5-23! If we had won only half of that 23, we would have been 5th or 6th seed in the playoffs, and winning brings confidence, so who knows where we would have ended.
   
2. Injury: In order for us to be that bad again would require an injury to a major piece, and while nobody knows when injury will strike, the probability of losing a key player shouldn't factor in the analysis.
   
3. Normal Growth: If we had a team of guys in their prime, the expected growth would be closer to a flat line, but with the young players we have, bigger year over year growth is to be expected up and down the lineup.
   
4. Chemistry: The two headed beast! Chemistry is developed between players in a complex fashion on one hand, and on the other, it's players meshing with the coaching system. BOTH of these elements will be in full play next season.
   

Does this guarantee a playoff berth? No, but that's not what analysis is all about, it's fixing a probability on success based on rational measures.

By any rational measure, this Piston Team should not only be a playoff team, but is possibly on the verge of surprising a lot of people. I don't expect that analysis from outside media, simply because even if they do agree, with our track record, they'd be afraid to go out on a limb and make the prediction.

But a local Piston fan or writer should be willing to look at the analysis and see the possibilities. Drew Sharp is a clown, IMO!

I think the argument really boils down to KCP vs Morris in the starting line-up, not whether Johnson is capable of playing SF at 6'6.  Johnson can probably play SF well.  But as Wise pointed out, we might be better off with a starting line-up of Jackson, Johnson, Morris, Ilyasova and Drummond, or even Jackson, KCP, Johnson, Morris and Drummond.

SVG is going to have some flexibility with his rotations this season.


Man, Drew Sharp is on the war path:

"They still look like a lottery team next season.

Their relatively pedestrian free-agent signings and the three players acquired from a trade with the Phoenix Suns basically amount to driving around a neighborhood on the morning of the weekly trash pickup just to see whether anybody threw away anything salvageable.

This summer hasn't exactly been Plan A for Stan Van Gundy … or Plan B … C … or even D."

[lemonpen]

I think the argument really boils down to KCP vs Morris in the starting line-up, not whether Johnson is capable of playing SF at 6'6.  Johnson can probably play SF well.  But as Wise pointed out, we might be better off with a starting line-up of Jackson, Johnson, Morris, Ilyasova and Drummond, or even Jackson, KCP, Johnson, Morris and Drummond.

SVG is going to have some flexibility with his rotations this season.


Man, Drew Sharp is on the war path:

"They still look like a lottery team next season.

Their relatively pedestrian free-agent signings and the three players acquired from a trade with the Phoenix Suns basically amount to driving around a neighborhood on the morning of the weekly trash pickup just to see whether anybody threw away anything salvageable.

This summer hasn't exactly been Plan A for Stan Van Gundy … or Plan B … C … or even D."

Drew Sharp is still pissed that his number one source Joe Dumars is no longer President. Is he helping the Pistons in any way by writing this nonsense? Drew's number one goal is to convince Piston fans not to attend games at the Palace. My thought is that if there was one thing that could help Detroit make the playoffs, it would be to get better fan support. Attend Piston fans and give these young players some support. Stop reading the crap written by Drew Sharp. Drew never seemed to see the negative side when Joe was AWOL during those long winters when his chosen players refused to attend a pre game shoot around. This was in my opinion one of the darkest days in Piston history. And our leader, Joe Dumars, did nothing to address that event when the players showed such a lack of professional discipline. Around that time, Dumars even allowed Charlie V to address the press to state that losing games has to do with the players talent. Charlie was one clueless idiot being paid $8 mil. at the time. Somehow Charlie managed to run the court better last season working on that vet's minimum contract than he did when making 8 mil. But to Charlie running the court and getting back on defense to lift those lazy arms was too much for any coach to ask. Joe and Drew were OK with Charlie's work ethic. They were OK with Stuckey's attitude as well. While playing for the Pistons, Drew Sharp never said anything about Stuckey or Charlie V making all that money but never putting forth an effort to make themselves or their teammates better. Somehow I have a difficult time reading posts from loyal Stuckey and Charlie V supporters who wish those players well. They never gave a crap about making the Pistons a better team. They never got better in any area of their games through hard work in the off season. Maybe Stuckey will find more success in Indiana but I will never pull for him.

What Drew Sharp failed to mention is the fact that we now have players who are committed to winning and getting better individually. I doubt that Drew Sharp has watched one summer league game. He makes comments based on speculation not fact. I hope the Piston players make him eat his words so the world will know what a fool he has become.

Drew may be the Prince of Darkness but he did not lie in his observations. We haven't added any homerun hitters to speak of. Our hope thus far has been for marginal improvements in talent here and there, along with pieces that may mesh better. Every one of these improvements will undoubtedly be accompanied by flaws leaving us compromising on net upticks. You know, not as good as we hoped but better than the last guy.
As far as Stanley goes, so far so good. He is better than D-Leaguers. Our 2nd round pick though, not so much.

IMO our greatest boost will be in having a fresh start with a core proven to play 0.500% ball.

[WTF]

They could very well still be a lottery team if it all doesn't mesh quickly for them. IMO I say this team is 10 games better simply with the absence of Monroe from the roster.

1. Ilyasova and Drummond is a far better pairing and the outside shooting from that position has improved leaps and bounds. My only issue I think right now would be depth at both the PF and center position because I would like to see players behind Ilyasova and Drummond that will push them.

2. I say this excluding Stanley Johnson from my assessment of the SF position. First will get more out of Morris defensively then we gotten from any of the slugs we plugged in last season. Also that salvageable junk from garbage pickup would be Granger so I really wouldn't sleep on him returning close to form. If we can get a solid 15-20 minutes out of Granger then we've are far better than what we been in the past.

3. My only issue with the PG is leadership both Jackson and Jennings are very talented, might even say extremely talented players. Jenning is steal too much of a street baller for my liking and Jackson tends to got that way at times as well and the only real leader at that position is basically still a rookie in Dinwiddie but I've been impress with his poise in the half-court.

4. I like what I've seen thus far of Johnson, just on pure ability he should get the start almost immediately over both Meeks and KCP. I agree that the most logical starters should be Jackson, Johnson, Morris Ilyasova and Drummond. Jennings, Granger, Anthony KCP or Meeks should round out the rest of the rotation. How the SG position play itself out will also impact the success of this team, it's a crowded busy position and the last thing I want to see happen is it impacting how ell and quickly the team can gel. It's tough to gel a starting unit, even tougher to gel 9 players so I don't want to see 10 and 12 players in and out of the rotation. This is one of the reason players can't stay consistent. Our PG should be guessing who's on the court every game. There should be a solid 9 guys cemented into the rotation period.

I predicted 44 wins last season I'll go ahead and get an early start and predicted it again 44 wins and playoff birth. This team success or failures will fall largely on SVG coaching.

[cool breeze]

NBADRAFTNET lists Detroit as being the 8th worst team in the NBA next year. Many experts along with Drew Sharp believe now that Greg Monroe is gone, the Pistons will be cannon fodder again. I have my doubts this will happen again. It is true that it takes time for players to mesh and form the necessary chemistry to win in the NBA. And Detroit is going to have a lot of new blood coming in this fall. While we cannot discount this fact, winning has a lot to do with character, talent and effort. I think that Stan Van Gundy's staff has thought things through well and might have selected certain players to add because of the chemistry factor. There is going to be great competition for playing time this year. The players are more athletic and driven. We fans are going to see a huge upgrade in defensive effort and basic ability to play solid defense. It has been a long dry spell for Piston fans who have been waiting to see players who give a solid defensive effort consistently. I think we will see it this season and that alone will trigger much better togetherness which leads to creating a winning chemistry. We have young players at every position who have the desire to prove the experts wrong. It seems that every key players is going though torture to get themselves in better playing condition. They are going to come in extremely physically fit while becoming more confident in themselves because they have worked on their weaknesses. I can't think of any player who is a potentially bad apple in the sense of being a player like Charlie V who set the tone as a Piston for being a guy who made a lot of money but offered very little effort. When you have players with large contracts who are not on the right program mentally, it kills team chemistry in the NBA. I am so excited to watch this group pull together and form something really special. While some of you are skeptical of the impact of Stanley Johnson, I believe that he is the one guy who has a long history of winning and you never win by accident. Johnson is a driven individual who loves to help create great team chemistry. He might be only 18 years old, but this guy is serious and mature way beyond his years. He will make mistakes but will learn from them. I suspect that if Van Gundy keeps this core group and adds one more guard and power forward to the mix, we will be watching our Pistons kick ass and take names within two seasons. This season will set the tone for toughness which all of the previous Pistons teams have lacked since Billups was traded for Iverson.

[cool breeze]

Hey, I could be wrong. The kid will end up being A player one day.

Phil that is what good old Joe thought back in the day. Maybe if Joe were still around, Drew Sharp could write an article about Piston prospects for the coming season spinning things in a positive way with the news that Joe had recently traded Stanley Johnson for two future 2nd round picks before announcing that he had just signed Rodney White, Darko, Maxiell who only signed because Joe brought back Austin Daye. Then to cause even more excitement, Dumars could steal Stuckey from Indiana offering him a max contract along with offering a 14 mil deal to Charlie V. Joe had to give away two number one picks to make those deals. Now according to Drew Sharp view of the world, The Pistons would right in the thick of the playoff picture next season. Stuckey and Charlie V showed some real toughness playing for the vet's minimum contracts. Just imagine what they will do now after being rewarded with more money. Joe beat a lot of teams out of those players by calling at midnight when the free agency signing period started. Drew was right there with him staying up all night listening in the the phone conversations while Joe was making those deals.

[cool breeze]

I think the argument really boils down to KCP vs Morris in the starting line-up, not whether Johnson is capable of playing SF at 6'6.  Johnson can probably play SF well.  But as Wise pointed out, we might be better off with a starting line-up of Jackson, Johnson, Morris, Ilyasova and Drummond, or even Jackson, KCP, Johnson, Morris and Drummond.

SVG is going to have some flexibility with his rotations this season.


Man, Drew Sharp is on the war path:

"They still look like a lottery team next season.

Their relatively pedestrian free-agent signings and the three players acquired from a trade with the Phoenix Suns basically amount to driving around a neighborhood on the morning of the weekly trash pickup just to see whether anybody threw away anything salvageable.

This summer hasn't exactly been Plan A for Stan Van Gundy … or Plan B … C … or even D."

Drew Sharp is still pissed that his number one source Joe Dumars is no longer President. Is he helping the Pistons in any way by writing this nonsense? Drew's number one goal is to convince Piston fans not to attend games at the Palace. My thought is that if there was one thing that could help Detroit make the playoffs, it would be to get better fan support. Attend Piston fans and give these young players some support. Stop reading the crap written by Drew Sharp. Drew never seemed to see the negative side when Joe was AWOL during those long winters when his chosen players refused to attend a pre game shoot around. This was in my opinion one of the darkest days in Piston history. And our leader, Joe Dumars, did nothing to address that event when the players showed such a lack of professional discipline. Around that time, Dumars even allowed Charlie V to address the press to state that losing games has to do with the players talent. Charlie was one clueless idiot being paid $8 mil. at the time. Somehow Charlie managed to run the court better last season working on that vet's minimum contract than he did when making 8 mil. But to Charlie running the court and getting back on defense to lift those lazy arms was too much for any coach to ask. Joe and Drew were OK with Charlie's work ethic. They were OK with Stuckey's attitude as well. While playing for the Pistons, Drew Sharp never said anything about Stuckey or Charlie V making all that money but never putting forth an effort to make themselves or their teammates better. Somehow I have a difficult time reading posts from loyal Stuckey and Charlie V supporters who wish those players well. They never gave a crap about making the Pistons a better team. They never got better in any area of their games through hard work in the off season. Maybe Stuckey will find more success in Indiana but I will never pull for him.

What Drew Sharp failed to mention is the fact that we now have players who are committed to winning and getting better individually. I doubt that Drew Sharp has watched one summer league game. He makes comments based on speculation not fact. I hope the Piston players make him eat his words so the world will know what a fool he has become.

[lemonpen]

I guess you & Lemonpen are right! When you put it like this...

Oracle, true it was a cowardly way of handling this on thing and I agree but again is it really any different that walking into practice and found out you been traded. Remember how Joe played Chauncey when he traded him to Denver or how Knight initially felt being traded to Milwaukee. Yeah teams are making business decision, but often players are making personal choices that abruptly get alter when their traded and a team decides to make that business decision.

You're right, it's no different!

I could say two Wongs don't make a Right, but it's a bad joke!

I don't like either, but if management gets to do crap like that to players, go ahead and let them crap all over each other

Oracle, for the record I think your points regarding Jordan were correct though harsh. By not exercising their right to rescind over the many years and opportunities within, I believe the players established an implicit ground rule of unquestioned trust in the handshake.

[Murph]

I think the argument really boils down to KCP vs Morris in the starting line-up, not whether Johnson is capable of playing SF at 6'6.  Johnson can probably play SF well.  But as Wise pointed out, we might be better off with a starting line-up of Jackson, Johnson, Morris, Ilyasova and Drummond, or even Jackson, KCP, Johnson, Morris and Drummond.

SVG is going to have some flexibility with his rotations this season.


Man, Drew Sharp is on the war path:

"They still look like a lottery team next season.

Their relatively pedestrian free-agent signings and the three players acquired from a trade with the Phoenix Suns basically amount to driving around a neighborhood on the morning of the weekly trash pickup just to see whether anybody threw away anything salvageable.

This summer hasn't exactly been Plan A for Stan Van Gundy … or Plan B … C … or even D."

[lemonpen]

The following article presents perspectives from various sources including the players association and league office regarding the moratorium.

Jordan's change of heart has some questioning moratorium

[Oracle]

Hey, I could be wrong. The kid will end up being A player one day.

Yup, he'll submerge as a real player one day when he's planking underwater with Charlie V...

[Phil-Good]

Hey, I could be wrong. The kid will end up being A player one day.

[merc]

We already have Austin Daye... his name is Quincy Miller... this year for sure he's bigger and stronger... where ya heard that one b4?

[Sissy1946]

I think Detroit should bring in Austin Daye. I think Daye can help the Pistons with his shooting ability.

The substance of this statement suggests drugs are involved.

Hey Guys, What Up?
I'm with Deus & Oracle on bringing back Daye, are you crazy? For What?
And on the bring back Maxiell, I barfed in my mouth, No Maxi-Pads wanted around here, drugs would have to be involved for just the thought of those two back on this team. Good call on those two.

[WTF]

HELL NO TO DAYE!!!!!!!!!

Enough already with complete failures though I thought about resigning Maxiell on the cheap (vet minimum) but who do we let go to make it happen? I think I'm 80% okay with the roster only because all these 6'6 guys running around have me confused right now.

QM has yet to get any PT in SL what's up with that? I would love to trade Meeks right now for another big even one much older is Ryan Anderson still available was he a free agent or can we work at trade for him.

Truthfully I would get rid of both KCP and Meeks. I'm disappoint that KCP was above SL this summer largely in part because I'm interested in seeing him Dinwiddie and Johnson at the PG, SG and SF together. But I'm be damn if he thinks he's arrived as a player thus electing not to participate IMO or IMG I don't think SVG actually care for him. It'll be be year three if this isn't a breakout season for him and he's not more consistent he's as good as gone by trade deadline.

Not sure how I feel about the Anthony resigning either, I like his hunger but can he stay hungry and play with the energy he did last season while Monroe sat on the sideline.

I guess I'm concern with how well this team gels.

If Jennings ready by training camp I can see him being moved by the start of the season if no visible signs of not being completely recovered are noticeable. Keeping my fingers cross because if we can turn Jennings and Meeks into a bonafide PF that would be great.

[Oracle]

I think Detroit should bring in Austin Daye. I think Daye can help the Pistons with his shooting ability.

The substance of this statement suggests drugs are involved.

I'll be damned if anybody can turn me around to wanting Daye back!!!

A fella has to have some standards

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