Cap Space

[Murph]

The other thing that happened is that by taking on Snell's contract of $11 million a year, we reduced our cap space by that much.  At the end of this coming season, we now only have the contracts of Jackson ($18 millon), Galloway ($7 million) and Josh Smith ($5 million) coming off the books.  

That's a total of $30 million coming off the books. But we still have to give Drummond a contact extension and a raise, which will account for probably $7 - $9 million.  That means we will only have something like $21-$23 million with which to lure a starting free agent PG.  

Needless to say, we are not going to sign any kind of superstar for only $21 million a year.  We will probably be able to sign a good veteran, who is not much better than Reggie next year.

[Murph]

I don't really buy into this two tiered strategy that Stefanski is supposed to be employing, of trying to win now and building for the future all at the same time.

IMO, Blake Griffin has a lot of miles on him and is quickly aging.  Because of that, this team has a short window of opportunity.  If I had been Stefanski, I would have drafted a lot of players who could have helped right away.  I would have drafted PFs and SFs who could have stepped right into the rotation and contributed immediately, not 18 year olds who are still learning English or who we need to "stash" in Europe.  What's the point in that?  

And while Jordan Bone looks as if he has potential, as a third string rookie PG, he probably will not contribute this year either.  It takes rookie PGs a long time to learn the NBA game.

I would have taken PF Kabengele, SF Okpala and SF Roby, with the hopes that they could have all contributed this season, because they all speak English and played at least 2 years of college ball, proving themselves at a high level in the NCAA.

And I would have gone into the season with a rotation something like this:

Jackson, FA PG, Brown
Kennard, Brown, Thomas/Svi
Snell, Okpala/Roby, Roby/Okpala, Svi
Griffin, Maker, Kabengele, Roby
Drummond, Maker, Kabengele

Instead, we can't really count on Sekou right way. Who knows what's going on with the surprise Euro who's is connected to Tellum's son, and who's never played a minute in the US.  And Bone will probably take a year of 2 years to acclimate to the PG position in the NBA.

I'd give this draft a B-.  And it only gets that grade because Sekou could eventually develop into a very good player in several years, based on his potential and athleticism.   IMO, Stefanski drafted no one who can help now.

[cool breeze]

Embedded within a good PP story about the draft is a tweet by Vince Ellis (see below) that gives me a better sense of why the Pistons may have given up three 2s to move up eight spots in the second: a link of Deividas Sirvydis with Arn Tellum, by way of Tellum's son who represents Sirvydis.  The link seems significant, although I don't know how to interpret it: a) did Michael Tellem provide such a glowing report that they just had to act on it, or b) was it something closer to nepotism?

Another item of note in the PP article ("Pistons draft recap: Making sense of it all"): evidently Detroit committed to pick Jordan Bone at #45, then picked him at #57, by way of the trade of $$ and the one #2 pick that is so heavily restricted as to appear virtually worthless.

Elsewhere, it was reported (Ellis?) that with the #30 pick they acquired they really had their eye on Darius Bazley who landed with OKC at #21.  Once he was gone, they wanted to trade out of #30 [seems odd just to have one focal point for a pick].

Picking back up with PP, they report that the Pistons tried to trade into the high second round as early as #32.  [That suggests to me that there principal motive was to get out of the guaranteed contract at #30.]

"Western Conference exec on Sirvydis: Elite shooter, but needs to toughen up.
https://
twitter.com/Vincent_Ellis5
6/status/1142079398583185408
…
Vince_Ells56

@Vincent_Ellis56

Note on Deividas Sirvydis: He's represented by Michael Tellem, the son of #Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem."

Is this brewing scandal any different than our political leaders going on a government paid trip to Switzerland while staying in the most expensive hotel in Zurich negotiating trade with foreign countries that end up putting American citizens out of work in the spirit of Globalism. deals where the (lead man) usually a Secretary of State from either party either gets the big kickback usually in diamonds or negotiates a deal for his son or daughter for millions. The deal might be that the USA will provide loan guarantees for foreign leaders so they can build factories to produce products that our workers had been producing. The wire transfers are leaked and the media only has a small story on the back page of the paper for one day. The voters continue to vote for whoever promises them southing which of course never happens. The rich get richer. So why shouldn't our Piston's executive draft whoever his son might represent? Please do not take me seriously with this post. Yet would any of you ever dream up doing this type of thing? I think not. It takes a special person.

[Sparma]

I'm sure you're right that this incident illustrates how things routinely get done in this country.

Best case scenario for Pistons' fans: Michael Tellem's working with a hidden gem that we just drafted well into the second round.

Also, if it were the other way around, I doubt that eyebrows would be raised. If Arn were still a super agent and Michael was in Pistons' organization, no one would be surprised by an intersection.

Still...

If Michael pointed out his client to his father, would that already be some kind of issue (insider trading?) or is that the kind of thing that agents are supposed to do. Probably no big deal.

Two issues strike me as more dicey though. Looking up "Tellem agent" on Google I come up with about ten articles on Arn Tellum as (super)agent before arriving at a LinkedIn entry on Michael Tellum with a mention of sports. Could the Piston be acting so as to give a related fledging a leg up? Problematic.

The overpay is a related issue. I could be wrong but I would have thought that our #45 and one additional second rounder (from Cleveland) would have sufficed to get to #37. I'd seen several comments of puzzlement about the price before reading Vince Ellis's tweet about Michael Tellem. I'd infer that the Pistons were bound and determined to draft Sirvydis. Was the overpay entirely motivated by basketball considerations? If not, again there's a problem.

Kudos to Ellis for his tweet, and to the PP author for passing it on. Where's our Detroit "Post" to get to the bottom of the issue? Maybe small fries, but my sense is that in another market there'd be a deeper look than a tweet.

I saw that last night, and it was a bit strange to me.

IMO, the Pistons should avoid the appearance of this sort of corruption because it sends the wrong message.

Then again, it's no secret that in America, it's not what you know, it's who you know... the Pistons just confirmed it.

[Oracle]

I saw that last night, and it was a bit strange to me.

IMO, the Pistons should avoid the appearance of this sort of corruption because it sends the wrong message.

Then again, it's no secret that in America, it's not what you know, it's who you know... the Pistons just confirmed it.

[Sparma]

Embedded within a good PP story about the draft is a tweet by Vince Ellis (see below) that gives me a better sense of why the Pistons may have given up three 2s to move up eight spots in the second: a link of Deividas Sirvydis with Arn Tellum, by way of Tellum's son who represents Sirvydis.  The link seems significant, although I don't know how to interpret it: a) did Michael Tellem provide such a glowing report that they just had to act on it, or b) was it something closer to nepotism?

Another item of note in the PP article ("Pistons draft recap: Making sense of it all"): evidently Detroit committed to pick Jordan Bone at #45, then picked him at #57, by way of the trade of $$ and the one #2 pick that is so heavily restricted as to appear virtually worthless.

Elsewhere, it was reported (Ellis?) that with the #30 pick they acquired they really had their eye on Darius Bazley who landed with OKC at #21.  Once he was gone, they wanted to trade out of #30 [seems odd just to have one focal point for a pick].

Picking back up with PP, they report that the Pistons tried to trade into the high second round as early as #32.  [That suggests to me that there principal motive was to get out of the guaranteed contract at #30.]

"Western Conference exec on Sirvydis: Elite shooter, but needs to toughen up.
https://
twitter.com/Vincent_Ellis5
6/status/1142079398583185408
…
Vince_Ells56

@Vincent_Ellis56

Note on Deividas Sirvydis: He's represented by Michael Tellem, the son of #Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem."

[Oracle]

Keith Langlois's personal favorite in this draft was Jordan Bone. He saw something special in him and a desire to beat the odds, what we call heart. He wrote this article about a week before the draft.

Tennessee’s Bone dazzled at combine and expects NBA will draw out his athleticism


Then there's our #1 Pick, Sekou Doumbouya...


The Night Sekou Doumbouya Became a Piston—and Maybe the Next International Star

[Oracle]

Ballin, it's great if we can get players like Sekou, who is naturally a 2 way player, that's a huge bonus. However, I believe in what Zeke said.

Zeke believed that in the early stages of a young players career that you should teach defense, but let them flex their offensive muscles first, then later mandate that they play defense.

His lesson came from the Bad Boys, who in the early stages were never accused of playing great defense, if they played it at all. They prided themselves as a high octane scoring machine... until they kept losing in the playoffs to teams that played defense.

I think there needs to be a balance, I think if you have EITHER, very good defense or very good offense, that should be your ticket to play. Devin Booker probably would have rotted on the bench here. Bonzi had to leave to blossom. We need to have more respect for offense. Let good offense keep you in the lineup as well... Svi anyone???

There, finally we are drafting two-way players with size athleticism and upside (the magic word).  It takes rookies a minute or two  to grasp the nuances of NBA Defense, but with the athletes we drafted in Bone and Doumbouya, youth, speed, leaping, and effort can go a long way toward returning Deeetroit basketball.  

I expect them to mirror BB’s development, but they should be way better offensively as well and I won’t be surprised to see 20 and 15 mpg by rhe end of the season as we become a top ten defensive team.

Plus we can play with more pace, potentially with these two speedsters.  I like it..

[BallinD]

There, finally we are drafting two-way players with size athleticism and upside (the magic word). It takes rookies a minute or two to grasp the nuances of NBA Defense, but with the athletes we drafted in Bone and Doumbouya, youth, speed, leaping, and effort can go a long way toward returning Deeetroit basketball.

I expect them to mirror BB’s development, but they should be way better offensively as well and I won’t be surprised to see 20 and 15 mpg by rhe end of the season as we become a top ten defensive team.

Plus we can play with more pace, potentially with these two speedsters. I like it..

[Oracle]

First let me thank DX for his excellent post and my brother, I can feel the Piston love coming from you. I'm also happy that DX's post gave Don some hope as well.

The bottom line is that for us, we aren't going to get a star FA coming here any time soon, our best way to get one is to swing for the fences in the draft, and that's what this FO has done! They didn't just take a wild swing, this was a solid opportunity, and when it presented itself, they jumped all over it... color me impressed!

Now to the main post:
During the presentation of Sekou, Casey made this statement. He said that when Drummond and Sekou were standing together, they were about the same height, and he called Drummond an undersized center.

One thing I've noticed is that Drummond really struggles against centers that are taller than he is, so after Casey's comment, I decided to look at what Drummond's true height was.

He clocked in at:  6'9.75 in socks, and 6'11.75 shoes - Source with a LOT of other interesting 2012 measurements: Tale of the Tape: Combine Measurements Analysis

Now, those aren't small numbers, but needing shoes to pick up 2 inches seems like a lot to me, I always assume only 1 inch added by shoes, 1.5 at most.

So when Drummond faces off against the 7 footers, he's likely at a disadvantage, which is why he struggles.

However, Sekou being near Drummonds height is good news to this poster. 

Maybe Drummond wasn't wearing his elevator shoes the day he was standing next to Sekou 

[cool breeze]

As I had a melt down after the draft suspecting the Piston front office had passed on sure rotation players in the first round, dX and some of the latest reports might prove me wrong. When thinking about how recent players from outside the USA have stuck in a big way on their teams and had huge impacts, what could be going on to cause this to happen? On a run this morning it all came to me of course after reading the post from dX which was so positive. Maybe I have the answer.

AAU basketball is destroying USA basketball. Only the small high schools keep their star players for 4 years and are coached with someone who knows what they are actually doing. The AAU is now full of self proclaimed player agents and advisors. Parents are allowing strangers to handle their kids future and may be influencing them in a corrupt way. Did any of you watch the McDonald's All Star game this year? U of Arizona had two signees who played in that game. What I saw was stupid basketball for the most part. It was impossible to watch after a few minutes. Who likes hot dogs who don't pass the basketball or play defense? It appeared to me that many of those players were not coachable type players. Good luck college coaches. You are getting players who don't have a clue how to play unselfish team orientated basketball. Where I work out there is a former AAU coach holding private workouts with high school kids. He is teaching the step back Stephen Curry 3 point shot. All of the drills involve isolation 3 point shooting. I am not against those drills but it is clear that this guy is not teaching the fundamentals of playing defense. Players like Bill Russell came from high school into college knowing every facet of how a defense needs to be a team thing where all 5 players know their roles on defense. AAU ball is run and gun. Watch the opponent score a layup on you and then you run full blast back in transition to get your moment of glory. This is a turn off to any former player who has ever played the right way. It is not fun to watch.

Perhaps a guy like Sekou who played a lot of soccer before he starting playing basketball has a huge advantage. soccer requires a huge dedication to conditioning and positioning. It is a very painful sport. You are not just going out on your free time shooting the step back jumper. You need to develop stamina and you can't play soccer well unless you have quick feet and fast acceleration darting, stopping and starting and going to puke up mode on a big field. This is what guys like Sekou experienced starting as extremely young kids. They never experienced all those pats on the back spoiled players receive when they play on the travel clubs in AAU basketball. I thought some of the latest film on Sekou was pretty positive stuff unlike what I saw on draft night watching ESPN. I hope the Pistons have hit a home run with this guy and the other foreign pick as well. The Pistons need a young star caliber player. I would like them to have tanked two years ago and hit a home run in last years draft. But the past is the past.

[cool breeze]

Ex-Pistons president Joe Dumars back in NBA with Sacramento Kings

Crazy! I wonder if Joe will still call Michael Jordan for advise before he selects his first round draft picks. (Hey Joe I really like Rodney White). Make sure you don't draft Joe Johnson. And who can forget Charlie V and Ben Gordon as culture changing free agent signees? I imagine Joe has pondered what went wrong at the end of his tenure with the Pistons but cannot imagine why any owner would hire him. But what an outstanding Piston player he was!

Oracle thanks for providing the Pistons summer league schedule. I cannot forget how last year's summer league games impacted Henry E and his career with the Pistons. Bad summer league performance and out you go and don't let the door hit you in the rear. Henry became Casey's bench bitch. The pressure will be on the 2nd year players this time around if Casey makes his final judgment on their performances like he did with Henry. i still say Ellenson might have had a different experience if he had been able to spend two years playing in every G League game with a lot of individual coaching instead of sitting and getting rusty.

[deusXango]

Granted two of the greatest shooters I had the pleasure to watch play were college players, but razor thin as well...their slight builds didn't adversely affect their NBA careers; George "The Ice Man" Gervin and Kevin Durant. When the negatives come up regarding our Euro draftee, Deividas Sirvydis, I think of what the talents of those two could mean to todays Pistons...okay, half the talent; we're fortunate enough to have two tall skinny Euro shooters.

If only the likes of would stop knocking the unseen players and promoting them, we'd have different heroes on the Pistons to root for.

[deusXango]

Pistons Final Draft Grade.
1. Sekou Doumbouya:  B+. Top 10 lottery pick and we get him at 15? A
2. Deividas Sirvydis:  D. The Euro shooters that come into the NBA are among the best! B+
3. Jordan Bone:  B. He's gonna surprise and impress...a guard that actually plays "D"!

Overall Grade C due to the confusing move for the 37th pick.


I said it before and I'll say it again, this front office is strategically remaking this club and they're doing a good job of cleaning up SVG's mess. Which is not to say that SVG didn't do good things, it's just that the things he did bad(over paying), overshadowed the good. I personally feel he did more than over pay players when it comes to setting this franchise back, but that was yesterday.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm more sure about Bone surprising than Sekou, even though I think both will surprise. Bone gets the early nod because I've seen him and he's going to help somebody. I haven't seen enough of Sekou to be sure, but what I've seen, I'm leaning more towards Greek Freak than anyone else. He's also 18, and may grow another inch or 2, ending up at 6'10/6'11.


Here's a video, but remember he's raw. Even though he's raw, I see 
1. Real touch with the ball
2. Ability to finish in traffic and through contact
3. Good mechanics on his 3 point shot
4. A high motor and defensive intensity

All of which will get a lot better when developed, there's a lot to like about this kid.

Oracle, this is an on point assessment of the draft, IMHO and I'm stunned with how our brain trust is handling their business. As a Pistons fan I'm overjoyed this morning.

All this rawness I keep reading about our newest rookie seems so out of order; what seasoned veteran did we have playing SF last year that could touch this unproven rookie? It's almost like we can't have anything decent or good. Of course Sekou, has a lot to learn; the Greek Freak is still learning and he's in the running for league MVP!

Deividas Sirvydis, is an out cold, lengthy, Euro sniper, who I'd prefer spotting up behind the 3 line than Galloway...him or Svi. I know some naysayer is going to jump up with "they don't play defense!" like Galloway is a defensive wizard. Let them learn to play together and gel with Kennard, Brown, Thomas, Doumbouya, and Drummond (who's certain to be here 4-5 years from now). Rebuild/reset, whatever, let's not name call whatever the process is we're going through to dig out of this CAP hole and appreciate what management is doing and play ball.

Let's leave Griffin out of our trade scenarios because of his contract...he's brought something to this team that it sorely needed...toughness and true leadership, things money can't buy. Some would rather talk about how fragile he is, I want to see what year two with Drummond yields and what positive impact he has on the young'uns.

I love the way this management team is operating, from Big Ed to Casey, with Arnie quietly working his magic in the background. Can't wait for Summer League where this FA backup PG won't be playing.

GO PISTONS!!!

[Sparma]

Thanks Don.

I appreciate your insights concerning Bennie Boatwright. Not too surprising I suppose that an undrafted player, big and a good shooter, struggles on D.

CBS gives the Pistons an overall grade of an A-, not even including Bennie. I concur, except for the stumble of giving up 3 2nd rounders to move up eight spots in the second. Seems like a case of easy come, easy go.

When checking Wikipedia to see if Drummond was a teen when drafted, I found out that they identify Joel Embiid as his father. No kidding (on my part). I guess that source still has some wrinkles.

Beginning with an undrafted signee, and moving to the front: I really like the signing of 6’10” USC forward Bennie Boatwright who shoots 42.9% (!) from three.  Of course, there are risks, including limited athleticism, but we need shooters, and we’re bringing in another shooter (reported by Duncan Smith at Forbes).  He’s a first team All-Pac 12 picked, described in the LA Times as having “size and skill.”

I’m also pleased that we picked up Tennessee’s PG Jordan Bone at minimal cost late in round 2.  He’s praised in a site devoted to Tennessee as potentially THE steal of the draft.  They characterize his combine performance as superior to those of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.  What’s really noteworthy to me is that this (otherwise biased?) site sees his NBA future as potentially greater than of the other two Tennessee players drafted, including one at #22.  Another site draws a comparison to Ish Smith, as a super athletic guard who needs to show he can produce enough offensively to stick.  But he’s already shooting 35.5% from 3, which is solid.

Our pick at #37 is the puzzler, even though the kid, Deividas Sirvydis, can already really shoot.  Sounds like he’ll be doing that in Europe for the foreseeable future.  I’ve got nothing against picking a prospect with a major skill at #37, but adding 2 rounders to our #45 to move up 8 spots, strikes me as a steep prize.

I wasn’t too keen on the trade with Cleveland out of #30, but I guess Stefanski didn’t think highly enough of any of the guys available there to be stuck with a second guaranteed 1st round contract, as Murph mentions.  Four second round picks sound like a lot, although at least the one sent on to Philly looks unlikely to even become a real pick, giving the restrictions.  It’s my understanding that we’re left with one of those 2nd rounders.

You all probably know more than me about Sekou Doumbouya, who looks like he’s got major potential and sounds quite polite (in his limited English) on the ESPN interview.  I’m happy with that pick.

The draft looks to me like further confirmation that Stefanski’s trying to run a double tracked program, both going for it with Griffin, but also building for the future.  A delicate, precarious, operation, but I prefer it to going all in with the future.  If the team can develop some young and cheap talent, that would help the roster greatly even now, given our budget restrictions (once again laid out by Langlois in the Mailbag).  His actions suggest that Stefanski himself is aware of our limited ceiling now, and he’s challenging Casey to do his thing in fostering young talent.  Circling back to the start, Bennie Boatwright cited Fred Van Vleet, brought along by Casey, as an inspiration; I wouldn’t be surprised if that provided a reason for his signing.

I like how you research things so well Sparma and provide us with all this information. I am more emotional and tired of the type of Piston team that is far different from the two championship teams or the team I admire the most in current times, Golden State. GS players come out every night and provide their fans with exciting basketball. I long for that with our team.

You mentioned Boatwright. i have watched him play a lot of ball in the PAC12 not only on V but in person.  Boatwright played well towards the last half of last season carrying his team as far as he could by making high pressure shots against strong pressure at times.  My issue with Boatwright is how he performs on defense yet how could he be any worse than the current perimeter defenders that Casey has in the rotation? Maybe he comes into training camp feeling confident that he can out perform well enough to not only make the team but be a solid scorer in the rotation. Considering the players who were drafted by the Pistons this season, there is no doubt in my mind that Boatwright if given a fair chance by Casey, will be the surprise player. And he fits Casey's style really well.

How many other undrafted players will end up being big contributors in the NBA? Somehow I wonder why so much stock is placed on the Chicago Combine and individual workouts instead of how the players performed in real game circumstances with the ups and downs every team has over a long college season. This is what Joe Dumars was guilty as charged for not putting in the necessary hard work to determine the character of players he drafted.  One draft pick stands out for me where a highly paid staff got lazy with not only Darko but the bogus decision to draft Rodney White who was a guy who changed teams for three straight years before the draft. A simple phone call to White's coach could have raised a red flag. The owner trusted that Joe's staff would do some work in exchange for millions of dollars. What did the prospects teammates say about him as a teammate? No common sense questions about White's character could have been asked at the time.What kind of background check was completed?  What was the players role on the team? Did the player guard the best opposing player? Was the player the go to guy at the end of games. Did the player embrace the team concept?  Did the Piston front office consult with coaching staffs on the players they are interested in drafting during Joe Dumars tenure? Relating to drafting foreign players how much real information can you get compared to what is available by doing your homework with American college players? The Pistons picked two foreign players. Why take such chances? Were they trying to throw away their draft picks? How can we forget how Tom Gores threw in our number one pick last season in a really strong draft class? There is not one person who thinks that was necessary that I can find so far. How people who make millions of dollars really operate is fascinating. Money doesn't always bring out the best in people. Maybe they get lazy and cocky. Who knows what really goes on and how decisions are really made relating to the Pistons. I believe other NBA clubs have solid leadership. And it shows.

[Oracle]

Sekou will play in Summer League! 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Oracle]

Ex-Pistons president Joe Dumars back in NBA with Sacramento Kings

[Oracle]

Pistons Final Draft Grade.
1. Sekou Doumbouya:  B+.
2. Deividas Sirvydis:  D.
3. Jordan Bone:  B.

Overall Grade C due to the confusing move for the 37th pick.

Still that's a GOOD draft because they balanced the future with the present. They did this by building for the future with picks that will take time to develop, leaving them the ability to work on developing our current youngsters. This is important because we need to know what they can and can not do to make good decisions as to who the next core players will be.

I said it before and I'll say it again, this front office is strategically remaking this club and they're doing a good job of cleaning up SVG's mess. Which is not to say that SVG didn't do good things, it's just that the things he did bad(over paying), overshadowed the good.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm more sure about Bone surprising than Sekou, even though I think both will surprise. Bone gets the early nod because I've seen him and he's going to help somebody. I haven't seen enough of Sekou to be sure, but what I've seen, I'm leaning more towards Greek Freak than anyone else. He's also 18, and may grow another inch or 2, ending up at 6'10/6'11.

Lemon, the difference between him and Darko is that all we had on Darko was some shoe phone workouts in private with a jelly donut intoxicated Joe Dumars to go on.

Here's a video, but remember he's raw. Even though he's raw, I see 
1. Real touch with the ball
2. Ability to finish in traffic and through contact
3. Good mechanics on his 3 point shot
4. A high motor and defensive intensity

All of which will get a lot better when developed, there's a lot to like about this kid.

[cool breeze]

Beginning with an undrafted signee, and moving to the front: I really like the signing of 6’10” USC forward Bennie Boatwright who shoots 42.9% (!) from three.  Of course, there are risks, including limited athleticism, but we need shooters, and we’re bringing in another shooter (reported by Duncan Smith at Forbes).  He’s a first team All-Pac 12 picked, described in the LA Times as having “size and skill.”

I’m also pleased that we picked up Tennessee’s PG Jordan Bone at minimal cost late in round 2.  He’s praised in a site devoted to Tennessee as potentially THE steal of the draft.  They characterize his combine performance as superior to those of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.  What’s really noteworthy to me is that this (otherwise biased?) site sees his NBA future as potentially greater than of the other two Tennessee players drafted, including one at #22.  Another site draws a comparison to Ish Smith, as a super athletic guard who needs to show he can produce enough offensively to stick.  But he’s already shooting 35.5% from 3, which is solid.

Our pick at #37 is the puzzler, even though the kid, Deividas Sirvydis, can already really shoot.  Sounds like he’ll be doing that in Europe for the foreseeable future.  I’ve got nothing against picking a prospect with a major skill at #37, but adding 2 rounders to our #45 to move up 8 spots, strikes me as a steep prize.

I wasn’t too keen on the trade with Cleveland out of #30, but I guess Stefanski didn’t think highly enough of any of the guys available there to be stuck with a second guaranteed 1st round contract, as Murph mentions.  Four second round picks sound like a lot, although at least the one sent on to Philly looks unlikely to even become a real pick, giving the restrictions.  It’s my understanding that we’re left with one of those 2nd rounders.

You all probably know more than me about Sekou Doumbouya, who looks like he’s got major potential and sounds quite polite (in his limited English) on the ESPN interview.  I’m happy with that pick.

The draft looks to me like further confirmation that Stefanski’s trying to run a double tracked program, both going for it with Griffin, but also building for the future.  A delicate, precarious, operation, but I prefer it to going all in with the future.  If the team can develop some young and cheap talent, that would help the roster greatly even now, given our budget restrictions (once again laid out by Langlois in the Mailbag).  His actions suggest that Stefanski himself is aware of our limited ceiling now, and he’s challenging Casey to do his thing in fostering young talent.  Circling back to the start, Bennie Boatwright cited Fred Van Vleet, brought along by Casey, as an inspiration; I wouldn’t be surprised if that provided a reason for his signing.

I like how you research things so well Sparma and provide us with all this information. I am more emotional and tired of the type of Piston team that is far different from the two championship teams or the team I admire the most in current times, Golden State. GS players come out every night and provide their fans with exciting basketball. I long for that with our team.

You mentioned Boatwright. i have watched him play a lot of ball in the PAC12 not only on V but in person. Boatwright played well towards the last half of last season carrying his team as far as he could by making high pressure shots against strong pressure at times. My issue with Boatwright is how he performs on defense yet how could he be any worse than the current perimeter defenders that Casey has in the rotation? Maybe he comes into training camp feeling confident that he can out perform well enough to not only make the team but be a solid scorer in the rotation. Considering the players who were drafted by the Pistons this season, there is no doubt in my mind that Boatwright if given a fair chance by Casey, will be the surprise player. And he fits Casey's style really well.

How many other undrafted players will end up being big contributors in the NBA? Somehow I wonder why so much stock is placed on the Chicago Combine and individual workouts instead of how the players performed in real game circumstances with the ups and downs every team has over a long college season. This is what Joe Dumars was guilty as charged for not putting in the necessary hard work to determine the character of players he drafted. One draft pick stands out for me where a highly paid staff got lazy with not only Darko but the bogus decision to draft Rodney White who was a guy who changed teams for three straight years before the draft. A simple phone call to White's coach could have raised a red flag. The owner trusted that Joe's staff would do some work in exchange for millions of dollars. What did the prospects teammates say about him as a teammate? No common sense questions about White's character could have been asked at the time.What kind of background check was completed? What was the players role on the team? Did the player guard the best opposing player? Was the player the go to guy at the end of games. Did the player embrace the team concept? Did the Piston front office consult with coaching staffs on the players they are interested in drafting during Joe Dumars tenure? Relating to drafting foreign players how much real information can you get compared to what is available by doing your homework with American college players? The Pistons picked two foreign players. Why take such chances? Were they trying to throw away their draft picks? How can we forget how Tom Gores threw in our number one pick last season in a really strong draft class? There is not one person who thinks that was necessary that I can find so far. How people who make millions of dollars really operate is fascinating. Money doesn't always bring out the best in people. Maybe they get lazy and cocky. Who knows what really goes on and how decisions are really made relating to the Pistons. I believe other NBA clubs have solid leadership. And it shows.

[cool breeze]

Maybe the Pistons management team was so worried about signing AD to the surprise mega new deal that they cut costs by not hiring scouts to travel around the country to attend college games last winter. For sure it appears that they didn't visit the West much. There were some really good players even though the PAC 12 was pretty weak. Looking at the game film ESPN showed regarding our number 1 pick, I couldn't help but laugh. Have they done it again? Do we have another Darko? Did any of you notice that game film where the players appeared to be playing in slow motion compared to the fast paced NBA game we have now? This kid did not undergo the riggers of playing in a college program for at least one season. Players have a rude awakening because they have to conform to the team concept in college and they have to give a big effort playing defense. This kid looks as if he doesn't have a clue how to play 5 on 5 against the best players in the world. After watching the playoffs and the Pistons flop in that venue, what did you all get out of that experience? I believe what I see with my own eyes and do not have to have this silly Piston's owner telling me that this playoff experience was a building block. The Pistons lack toughness. They were bullied for 4 straight games and lost all of them by a wide margin. Where was the pride? The announcers were identifying how soft the Pistons were by saying the Bucks like to take advantage of players who do not work hard enough to get out on shooters.The energy was not there. Who was fully engaged maybe Luke?

Tony Snell was not a factor in the rise of the Bucks as a real threat to win a championship last season. He was not on the rise in his career and now he is going to start for the Pistons. Will the 18 year old draft pick back him up? Take a look at Snell's stats for those stat lovers and then scratch your head and say how is this an improvement from what the Pistons had with Marcus Morris. Not that I really liked Morris but the Pistons keep taking a step backwards every year it seems. Then on draft night, the Piston brain trust went out of their way to find the softest type of players they could find in my opinion. There were some really tough guys who were drafted after the Pistons in the first round. By making that trade of the 30th pick Detroit wasn't even good enough at negotiating to land a top five 2nd round pick. The owner took the cash though maybe again to get that new contract signed with AD.Got to make him a Piston for life. Everyone will be happy.

Maybe the reality is that the Pistons owner is just not sold on the idea of building a team through the draft. Maybe he is right because as Chauncy said last night, to win you need to secure the top talent. The teams with the top talent who also play all out all the time do win. I know that Charlie V still believes that when he played for the Pistons he had was a top tier talent and was not responsible for being on a losing team. He blamed the coaches. But you have to not only be talented but toughness and desire to win at all cost is a must as we always see in the playoffs. So I wonder how this owner believes that by signing Tony Snell and not selling off assets that continue to lose in real games to get a top 3 pick in the draft will get his team to the promise land.

Murph now I see the old Murph who tells it like it really is today in Piston land. The Pistons did nothing to show fans that they have a clue what they are doing. All this nonsense about the financial complications of this or that is a smoke screen for utter failure of using common sense in building a real basketball team. This has gone on for 11 years. The Pistons suck in being successful in building a hard nosed in your face basketball team that Detroit citizens and Michigan citizens crave to see. We don't like low IQ basketball either. We have a players coach who is not a tough guy. This team needs a tough in your face coach to challenge the players who got their asses handed to them in a big way in the playoffs and a coach who demands tougher and better all around players so the coach has a chance to change the Teal culture. All the teams that are beating the Pistons now are improving. The Knicks did a good job on draft night. And they have big money to a game changing player this summer. Atlanta has been creative and will quickly form a team that will kick the Pistons asses as Blake's window narrows. The Pistons have a backcourt that is soft relating to perimeter defense and poorly disciplined in lowing the turnover rate on offense. The Pistons front court is the worst in the entire league in providing basic energy on defense and especially transition defense. Our team gives up a lot of layups and 2nd and 3rd chance opportunities due to lack of engagement by our big men on defense. The Pistons could have drafted Goga but passed for Darko Jr. or Rodney White Jr.. I hope that is not true but this was a mega gamble with our number 1 pick where the Piston front office appears to believe that this Piston team has no holes. What has been done to address those issues that killed the Pistons in the playoffs? For sure nothing has been addressed through the draft this season. Should we expect more from the Pistons front office or accept and agree with their bogus decisions? This group of draftees have an extremely low percentage chance of ever making a rotation unless this head coach, just to save face, puts them in the rotation without earning the playing time like he did last season by playing Galloway, Jackson and Smith together at the same time. Casey sat Johnson the lone solid perimeter defender and paint help defender. The Pistons were a weaker team without Johnson and with Maker who often looked horrible as the season wore on. Who doesn't get the real picture here? The Pistons are a weak minded or soft team not a high energy team full of strong hungry athletes like a lot of other teams. What hurts the most is that the people who make the decisions don't care about the core things that make a team successful.

I am so disappointed with this draft I hate to think what is coming next. But the Pistons GM has stated that he is going with the Big Three once again. Yes Blake will shoot the ball 27 times a game to the point of exhaustion. AD will come in and out out of consciousness mentally and physically maybe thinking about a new rap song while jogging back in transition. And of course our ace at point guard, Reggie Jackson ,will be walking the ball slowly dribbling the ball and plotting a way where he can get AD the ball a lot while only playing one side of the court. The coaching staff will of course be busy doing something other than creating a real half court offense but won't have any time to teach the rookies. Will the coaches work hard with the new players like they did with Henry E. who sat in street clothes instead of playing every night in the G League. That was a great development plan. Stanley Johnson was traded at the tender age of 21 because he just didn't fit the Casey offense which nobody could figure out. How do you win when you don't have plays featuring the mid range game or force players to move without the basketball and play both sides of the court or set any screens? What kind of coach can live with himself or herself if they can't get players to do the basic things that create a winning atmosphere? Maybe sign the Bulls former All Star point guard who should have retired two seasons ago because of his knee issues. Yes this might be the secret Piston management is waiting to announce. WOW!

Maybe the NBA is not like high school and college. Perhaps it doesn't matter what the plan might be. This is a players league. You have to have the top players and the Pistons have no chance in hell of  getting any of them. We will get the rejects and the press and front office will build them up as real champions. I wonder if the Bucks expect big things from Jon Leuer next season and would stoop to doing what the Pistons do. And I wonder how can I tolerate another dull boring season of Piston basketball where we seldom see real fire in the eyes of our players who are all playing for their own stats. Got to keep the 3 point scoring average up or you will be benched. Good luck cracking the lineup if Draymon Green was playing for the Pistons now. He would be sacrificed. But of course we have one thing going for us. We have a players coach. He is a nice guy who gets along with all the players and the owner. Isn't that sweet? Don't worry about getting out on the shooters. I know you guys are tired. Is that what Casey said in the locker room against the Bucks? Let's play pin the tail on the donkey guys. No worries.

[lemonpen]

DIAMOND in the rough, or ........................ DARKO in the rough?

[lemonpen]

ran across this example of cap mismanagement.

Lakers Fail to Prioritize Cap Space

[lemonpen]

Tom Gores is worth like $4 billion, and has made a freaking billion dollars on the Pistons already.  He can afford to go over the cap on a 1st round pick.

Furthermore, where was Gores' concern about the cap when he let that moron SVG sign Leuer for $40 million and Galloway for $21 million?

My head still hurts...


Here's a trivia question.  In the history of the franchise, can anyone name one single teen aged kid that the Pistons have drafted that has worked out?  I mean for us.    Darko?...no.  Amir?...no.  Stanley Johnson?...no.  

Executives follow a specific methodology in determining the order that assets are signed to contracts. Doing it out of order can reduce the available cap room for FA signings, and potentially eliminate an opportunity to exceed the cap. You ever notice that teams tend to ink outside FA's before resigning their own FAs. We must have cap room to absorb the outsider, but not our own.

[Sparma]

I'd like to think it's Stefanski who didn't want to commit another guaranteed contract to a project at 30, rather than Gores wanting to save some $$. I don't know though. My hunch would receive some confirmation if Stefanski pulls off a trade for an expensive player (PG) using at least Reggie and Galloway, a trade that would stretch the room for an incoming salary (that can exceed the outgoing salaries by 25%?) so that all savings in committed salaries would be needed.

I did squirm hearing that $$ (5 mil?) was part of the trade out of #30 (even though some cash (2 mil?) when the other way in acquiring #57. If $$ was the motive, I'm not happy about that.

You make a good point about the Pistons' general track record with teenagers, except that Drummond was a teenager when drafted. Of course, elsewhere teenagers have been massive successes (eg LeBron, Kobe), even though the majority have failed.

Tom Gores is worth like $4 billion, and has made a freaking billion dollars on the Pistons already.  He can afford to go over the cap on a 1st round pick.

Furthermore, where was Gores' concern about the cap when he let that moron SVG sign Leuer for $40 million and Galloway for $21 million?

My head still hurts...


Here's a trivia question.  In the history of the franchise, can anyone name one single teen aged kid that the Pistons have drafted that has worked out?  I mean for us.    Darko?...no.  Amir?...no.  Stanley Johnson?...no.  

[Murph]

Tom Gores is worth like $4 billion, and has made a freaking billion dollars on the Pistons already.  He can afford to go over the cap on a 1st round pick.

Furthermore, where was Gores' concern about the cap when he let that moron SVG sign Leuer for $40 million and Galloway for $21 million?

My head still hurts...


Here's a trivia question. In the history of the franchise, can anyone name one single teen aged kid that the Pistons have drafted that has worked out? I mean for us. Darko?...no. Amir?...no. Stanley Johnson?...no.

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