Re: FORUM

[Linwood]

did i miss something? is he on the block again?

No, he's not on the block. I was speculating that if the Pistons don't get the number one pick (Anthony Davis), then they might be better off trading the pick and a player (Gordon? Prince? Villenueva?) for DeMarcus Cousins.

He has struggled with the Kings (although I think management fired the coach instead of trading Cousins) and maybe, just maybe they would be willing to let him go for a lottery pick and a guard/SF.

If they would, I would make that deal. The best big men in this years draft outside of Davis look to have the same upside as Cousins, but Cousins is an already proven NBA commodity.

His "emotional issues" are mostly just immaturity, and he is already growing up. He's not a headcase, or a goofball, he's just a young kid. No big deal.

[merc]

Ha, I got banned from PF for saying "Lee can suck it cause he hates all coaches" ... it's cool, Roscoe once told me I had to wipe my feet because it's his house... control freak...he can't handle real world confrontations... several posters took issue with Lee's constant self promotion and degraded comments ...sorry for helping Roscoe promote a sheltered Disneyland after he got banned from the News. Fuck off queeny lol
Free speech

Wow, you got banned for that? Seems like a true statement. Lee does hate all coaches. And I find the comment "suck it" far less insulting than "Gee, if you bothered to learn anything about basketball..." or, "If you had actually watched the game..." etc.

I get a kick out of Lee, but the crying over being insulted is pretty silly, considering how many passive little insults he has typed on forums.


I guess it can be a tough task balancing out the rules. I remember the old DetNews forum being page after page after page of flame wars and personal attacks that made it difficult to discuss basketball at all.

On the other hand, taking all the fire out discussions chases off some of the stronger opinions...

Spoken like a true vet that knows what's going on...
I hope we can draw some of the old heads over here... bringing back the true spirit of open discussions.

[merc]

ESPN did a piece on Future allstars... what they say about GM

"2. Greg Monroe, PF, Detroit Pistons
Scouting report: Monroe possesses a very unique skill set for a big man. He is a left-handed face-up/high-post player with the ability to put the ball on the floor and beat defenders off the dribble. This year he's averaging 16.7 ppg and 9.8 rebounds. One of the most efficient big men in the NBA, Monroe is an excellent decision-maker and possesses tremendous court vision and passing skills. He also is an excellent rebounder with a real nose for the ball, rebounding out of his area as well as on the offensive glass.
Defensively, Monroe has quick feet but also quick hands, which allows the unique ability to slap down and strip opponents, averaging 1.2 spg over his career.
What he must improve: One of the biggest knocks on Monroe since college is he is unselfish to a fault. Simply, he needs to be more assertive and learn how to dominate offensively. Monroe worked hard in the offseason to develop more lower-body strength, which is essential to his growth as a player because it will allow him to fight for position in the low post. His jump shot and face-up game still need polish. He is a consistent pick-and-pop guy but needs to improve his drive game versus high-level defenders."

[WTF]

ESPN did a piece on Future allstars... what they say about GM

"2. Greg Monroe, PF, Detroit Pistons
Scouting report: Monroe possesses a very unique skill set for a big man. He is a left-handed face-up/high-post player with the ability to put the ball on the floor and beat defenders off the dribble. This year he's averaging 16.7 ppg and 9.8 rebounds. One of the most efficient big men in the NBA, Monroe is an excellent decision-maker and possesses tremendous court vision and passing skills. He also is an excellent rebounder with a real nose for the ball, rebounding out of his area as well as on the offensive glass.
Defensively, Monroe has quick feet but also quick hands, which allows the unique ability to slap down and strip opponents, averaging 1.2 spg over his career.
What he must improve: One of the biggest knocks on Monroe since college is he is unselfish to a fault. Simply, he needs to be more assertive and learn how to dominate offensively. Monroe worked hard in the offseason to develop more lower-body strength, which is essential to his growth as a player because it will allow him to fight for position in the low post. His jump shot and face-up game still need polish. He is a consistent pick-and-pop guy but needs to improve his drive game versus high-level defenders."

Which is why at best we need only to stick a serviceable defensive center next to him. He could eventually put the same numbers as Love and Griffin, he certainly has better fundamentals then both.

[deusXango]

ESPN did a piece on Future allstars... what they say about GM

"2. Greg Monroe, PF, Detroit Pistons
Scouting report: Monroe possesses a very unique skill set for a big man. He is a left-handed face-up/high-post player with the ability to put the ball on the floor and beat defenders off the dribble. This year he's averaging 16.7 ppg and 9.8 rebounds. One of the most efficient big men in the NBA, Monroe is an excellent decision-maker and possesses tremendous court vision and passing skills. He also is an excellent rebounder with a real nose for the ball, rebounding out of his area as well as on the offensive glass.
Defensively, Monroe has quick feet but also quick hands, which allows the unique ability to slap down and strip opponents, averaging 1.2 spg over his career.
What he must improve: One of the biggest knocks on Monroe since college is he is unselfish to a fault. Simply, he needs to be more assertive and learn how to dominate offensively. Monroe worked hard in the offseason to develop more lower-body strength, which is essential to his growth as a player because it will allow him to fight for position in the low post. His jump shot and face-up game still need polish. He is a consistent pick-and-pop guy but needs to improve his drive game versus high-level defenders."

Which is why at best we need only to stick a serviceable defensive center next to him. He could eventually put the same numbers as Love and Griffin, he certainly has better fundamentals then both.

Wise Man, I'm of a different opinion. We need better than a "serviceable" center (that brings to mind Nazr Mohommad, and Kwame Brown) but the very best we can lay our hands on. Love and Griffin? Blake Griffin is an above the rim freakish athlete, probably the best in the NBA, who the sky is the limit in terms of how he may grow; I'm sorry but as much as I'm dedicated to the home team, I'd take Kevin Love over the "Moose." Love would have no problem blending in with DeMarcus Cousins.

[g-man]

Cousins will take away from everyone's game not just Monroe, JMO I could be way off base.

He did pretty well playing with John Wall and Patrick Patterson. John was the number one draft pick, Cousins was number five, Patrick Patterson went number fourteen, and Eric Bledsoe went 18.


I don't see how he took away from those guys game, and I don't see how he would take away from Monroe and the gang.

well said linwood. we often forget that these are basically kids thrown into the limelight without a training manual. people are way too quick to make judgements on scant information. then when they do, and the subject matters grows, they're way too slow to acknowledge the wrongness of their prior proclamations. they dig in deeper instead of acknowledging the fact that their own impatience biased their earlier stated opinion. the only sure thing in life is everything changes if you wait a bit. i think some of the naysayer pundits have gotten too far out in front of cousins. and i think monroe is the man regardless of who they play next to him. (at least that's what i think right now)

[Murph]

Ha, I got banned from PF for saying "Lee can suck it cause he hates all coaches" ... it's cool, Roscoe once told me I had to wipe my feet because it's his house... control freak...he can't handle real world confrontations... several posters took issue with Lee's constant self promotion and degraded comments ...sorry for helping Roscoe promote a sheltered Disneyland after he got banned from the News. Fuck off queeny lol
Free speech

I have to say, Roscoe was never one of my favorite posters at the Detroit News, so I never saw the point of following him to Pistons Forum.

And while Lee occasionally offers some good insights, his personality is so grating and contentious that it really isn't worth reading his stuff either.

[deusXango]

Wise, when you made mention of Barnes being better than Tay or Austin, I didn't mean to ignore that statement when I commented on your post; I agree with you 100% for various reasons, bottom line being he'd boost the quality of play on the team going forward. I can't think of a more mentally fragile player in the NBA than Austin Daye, and even at his best Tayshaun Prince has never been the consistent offensive juggernaut for us when the teams needs called for it, plus Barnes is younger and cheaper.

It's time for Dumars to do something with Ben Gordon in the days to come and I'm not talking about making a decision either (that's something that should have been done), but parting company with Gordon is a must A.S.A.P. That "value for value" arguement is a bunch of crap. Gordon has negative value to this team but maybe that'll be different elsewhere. I'm not going to speculate on different scenerios, just trade his ass for whatever or whomever that makes some sense for the betterment of the team. It's utter nonsense to pay what we're paying for what he's providing, and all during a rebuild! He has no historical connection to the team and a one dimensional bench player, but the highest paid?! If Joe never makes another trade this is the one he needs to make.

[g-man]

couldn't agree more. i'd dump him for an expiring contract and future picks if nothing more.

[Murph]

i just saw (Ezeli) for the first time yesterday.
he looks like he could really develop.
very raw, but he is a legitimate 6'11" 245 lb athletic guy with good hands.
very intriguing. he doesn't have the timing on his shotblocking that you would like, but he is aggressive. he reminds me of a bigger, slightly less athletic version of ibaka from okc. right now, he is looked at as a late 1st rounder, but i'd keep a close eye on him.
i'd like to see the team get a second first round pick, say, mid first, and take a gamble on him. if he works out, your big man woes are solved.

There seem to be several potentially decent big men in the 2nd round. I mentioned Aldemir from Turkey several weeks ago, and DX recently mentioned Withey out of Kansas. Withey is averaging 3.3 blocks a game for the 4th ranked team in the nation, and he's listed as a 7'0, 235 lb center.

[Linwood]

DX recently mentioned Withey out of Kansas. Withey is averaging 3.3 blocks a game for the 4th ranked team in the nation, and he's listed as a 7'0, 235 lb center.

I haven't seen this guy play, but I think I would definitely roll the second round dice on a guy who averages 3.3 blocks a game. Guess I will try to check out a Jayhawks game.

Just looked up his stats. Doesn't seem to be a great rebounder...

[frankied]

i might try to pry sanders away from milwaukee.
he's had a mixed 2 years there, but his skill set would work very well, imho, with monroe.
this is what john hollinger says about him. one of his biggest weaknesses is his tendency to try to shoot it from midrange. with monroe feeding him lobs and high/low passes, he could stay at the rim where he shot a great 64.8%.
with monroe as a partner, he could concentrate on those types of shots, blocking shots on defense and just cleaning up whatever rebounds monroe missed. and because of his excellent lateral movement, he could defend big guys on the pick and roll much better than monroe.
lots of times, one guy doesn't work with some players, but he excells with others. because of sanders' strengths and liabilities, it seems as though he'd work well with monroe. he's caught in a numbers game at milwaukee now, and with the right offer, they might be willing to move him.
this is hollinger's analysis:


"+ Athletic big man who can run floor. Excellent shot-blocker. Can finish at rim.

+ Bad outside shooter who shoots jumpers anyway. Below-average rebounder.

+ Foul-prone defender who lacks strength. Has no post game or handle.

Sanders shot 64.8 percent at the rim and 30.9 percent beyond 10 feet. Guess which shot he took more often? Despite being more than twice as accurate around the basket, Sanders seems determined to become a pick-and-pop guy. As a rookie, he wasn't any good at it, and you'd wish he'd dive to the rim instead of trying to shoot 15-footers. The result was the fourth-worst shooting percentage among centers and an abysmal free-throw rate. He's not in danger of any of John Stockton's records, either, after sharing just 16 assists all season.

Until he figures out how to play offense, Sanders' main value lies in his shot-blocking skill. Sanders ranked fourth among centers in blocks, rejecting 3.3 every 40 minutes. Defensively, he was especially good at the 4, where his lack of strength is less of a liability. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find him minutes at that spot due to his offensive limitations.

As a center, he's slim and can be overpowered, but he moves well laterally and can run the floor. Synergy Stats graded Sanders highly anyway, but the other metrics had him as a middle-of-the-pack performer. That's still darned good for a rookie, and he should be effective as he fills out."

[merc]

couldn't agree more. i'd dump him for an expiring contract and future picks if nothing more.

This would certainly be the preferred course (vs. Am-Nasty)... We haven't yet got the feel for Gores willingness to loosen the purse strings (re eat big contracts)... but it makes more sense to deal BG for a one year player then follow up with a similar deal for CV or Amnesty him.... the goal being a clean slate and young talent ready to make a playoff push in a couple years.

[frankied]

the blazers released armon johnson today.
he's a big, strong point guard who might help the team defensively. he's not as big as stuckey, but he is a very strong, solid guard who is good defensively. he is more of your classic combo guard defensively, but he seems like a smart player who could develop.
johnson never got a fair shake from nate. he earned a spot in the rotation his rookie year, right out of training camp, but made a few typical rookie mistakes and nate buried him on the bench.
he's a talented, athletic player who might just develop, given a real shot. at the very least, he's a guard who can play good man defense on both point guards and smaller shooting guards. stuckey is really the only good defensive guard on the squad, and when he is tied up with one offensive player, another one is often running free.
johnson is exactly the type of player i've talked about signing on a non-guaranteed contract, checking him out and if he works out, great...if not, nothing has been lost.
when you rebuild, getting as many good young players is always the name of the game.

[frankied]

the blazers released armon johnson today.
he's a big, strong point guard who might help the team defensively. he's not as big as stuckey, but he is a very strong, solid guard who is good defensively. he is more of your classic combo guard defensively, but he seems like a smart player who could develop.
johnson never got a fair shake from nate. he earned a spot in the rotation his rookie year, right out of training camp, but made a few typical rookie mistakes and nate buried him on the bench.
he's a talented, athletic player who might just develop, given a real shot. at the very least, he's a guard who can play good man defense on both point guards and smaller shooting guards. stuckey is really the only good defensive guard on the squad, and when he is tied up with one offensive player, another one is often running free.
johnson is exactly the type of player i've talked about signing on a non-guaranteed contract, checking him out and if he works out, great...if not, nothing has been lost.
when you rebuild, getting as many good young players is always the name of the game.

i just took a look at the game stats from last year to see if there was an identifiable reason for nate to have buried johnson last year.
sure enough, there is one game that marks a real turn in his season.
he'd actually earned PT in the regular rotation, which is extraordinary for nate cause he normally just does not play rookies. but johnson was playing between 10-20 minutes per game, from the start of the season, as the backup to andre miller.
but he had one game where he had 4 turnovers and after that, he was out of the rotation, and saw very little regular PT after that. he'd had one other rough TO game before - 6 - about ten games before, but that was the last straw for nate. since then, he's never really played during a game that was contested, other than to spell someone for 30 seconds here or there.
as i've noted before, nate is brutal on young players - his worst trait as a coach - and i think that johnson might actually be worth more than nate was giving him credit for.
he earned PT at the beginning of the year because he was very good defensively, and he had a nice, midrange offensive game.
again, he might be a guy that detroit might want to take a look at. even though he is definitely more of a combo guard. but a combo guard with a nice handle and the ability to guard PGs.

[FlyDog]

We've already got Uncle Walker at backup PG. And Gary Coleman. We're set.

So............did ANYBODY watch the game last night? I did........kept dozing off though.

[frankied]

We've already got Uncle Walker at backup PG. And Gary Coleman. We're set.

So............did ANYBODY watch the game last night? I did........kept dozing off though.

russell is 29 years old, and 6 foot, 175 lbs.
johnson is 22, 6'3", 195 pounds, with a physical profile better than the most athletic point guards out there. if you look at his draftexpress profile, and compare it to the rest of the other athletic point guards, he is either superior, based on measurables, or very close. for instance, he bench pressed 18 times, has a 38.5 vertical leap. no one else has that kind of athleticism. no one...not rose or westbrook or any of those guys. (rose has a slightly bigger vert, but johnson is superior otherwise, especially in terms of strength.)
signing a guy like russell is a problem because it prevents you from bringing in a guy like johnson, who might just develop into something very nice.
the only reason they released him is because they needed a big guy and had to sign pryzbilla. their choices were to release oden or johnson and they aren't ready to cut ties with oden just yet.
i'd say bring johnson in, and let russell go, if it works out that way. a bigger, younger, stronger player at the point is something the team needs. too many midgets back there now.

[merc]

Nope... passed on the "look at me I don't D" game for re-runs

[frankied]

"One of the most impressive athletes in attendance, Johnson sports an outstanding frame for a point guard to go along with great explosiveness and quickness, both of which he makes full use of with his aggressive style of play. More impressive in scrimmages than drills, Johnson showed off a ton of intriguing qualities here, and looks to be making the most of going up against this tough competition every day."


From DraftExpress.com [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

i watched him in college and here in portland. he is truly a special kind of athlete, one of those guys who does eyepopping things. he is exactly the kind of guy you take chances on.
bring him in and check him out. that is what rebuilding is supposed to be about. i'm sure portland didn't want to let him go. despite the fact that he was buried, they've kept him - as a former second round choice - because of the impressive athleticism he brings. sometimes guys get caught in a numbers game, and johnson might be one of those guys.
i'd sign him as quickly as possible.

[deusXango]

is the last thing we need look at now. Sorry Frankie, as I know that you've seen a lot of this guy and know more about what he brings to the table than I do but this ain't about you vs me it's about real team business now. We're a little more than two weeks away from the trade deadline and Dumars need to have his fat ass on the phone! Let's dump some "worthless" guards first ie. Bynum, Gordon, Russell, and Daye (I call Daye a guard because I feel foolish calling him anything else) before we start looking at new blood in the backcourt.

G-Man, Linwood, I'd love to hear you guys opinion on what's the deal with Vernon Macklin not being able to get the PT that I'm sure he's earned. Have you all caught a glimpse of him play? Young, big, strong, basketball smart, and everything we're supposed to be looking for in the upcoming draft. I need some fresh insights.

[deusXango]

DX recently mentioned Withey out of Kansas. Withey is averaging 3.3 blocks a game for the 4th ranked team in the nation, and he's listed as a 7'0, 235 lb center.

I haven't seen this guy play, but I think I would definitely roll the second round dice on a guy who averages 3.3 blocks a game. Guess I will try to check out a Jayhawks game.

Just looked up his stats. Doesn't seem to be a great rebounder...

Linwood, Jeff Withey is the consumate team role player with an extremely high motor for a big man and he possess some remarkable skills also. This is the "perfect" backup center for our team. You turn him and Jerebko loose off the bench and it's chaos for the opposing team. Starters are one thing but we need some long term, reliable bench players also.

[frankied]

DX,
you know, i agree with you in the sense that it is not a priority. there are bigger problems.
but the problem is that the team has a real hole in the lineup, even though it has lots of guards. basically, gordon, bynum, daye, stuckey and even knight are the same type player. and stuckey is the only one who has the size and strength to defend bigger point guards and SGs. it's becoming a huge problem. because if stuckey is already on the one tough offensive guard, but the other guard starts to get off, there is no one who can really defend that second guard. that has happened several times this year. the cleveland disaster was just one of the latest examples.
johnson is the kind of guard who can step in and defend both PGs and SGs. he definitely fills a hole. if the team needs a good defender out there, and if stuckey cannot do the job for whatever reason, you have a second option with size.
now, what i would like to see is for joe to clean out the backcourt. get rid of bynum and gordon. do what you have to do to trade them. and i'd bet there is even a market for russell. say, a contender like LA desperately needs a real point guard. a guy like russell may be just what they are looking for to come in and play 15 minutes a game.
so, if i was god and could make the decisions, i would sign johnson, play him and see if he fits. if he does, keep him. if he doesn't get rid of him. nothing ventured, nothing gained.
and if i keep him, i trade bynum and russell...and gordon, if it is possible.
the other thing about the pistons' situation is that they need to upgrade just about every position on the team.
(they need help at every position, including center and PG, which, with monroe and knight, you'd think they'd be set. but they need someone with a defensive presence at center. and they need someone who can really defend at the point guard spot also. knight tries like heck, but he's just not up to defending the better PGs yet. at 175 lbs, he just doesn't have the bulk to play the big boys.)
because they are rebuilding, my view is that you bring in as many talented young players as possible, regardless of position and let them compete. throw them in the mix and see what happens. and if a guy like johnson works out, there is definitely a need for what he brings to the table.
one of the pistons' problems has been the lack of that kind of real competition, as joe has always had his favorites and he's taken care of those guys. same thing happened with russell. he wasn't the best point guard prospect out there, but he'd been in camp and his dad was friends with joe and so they signed him. bringing in guys, letting them fight for positions, that is exactly what the team needs...at every position.

[g-man]

is the last thing we need look at now. Sorry Frankie, as I know that you've seen a lot of this guy and know more about what he brings to the table than I do but this ain't about you vs me it's about real team business now. We're a little more than two weeks away from the trade deadline and Dumars need to have his fat ass on the phone! Let's dump some "worthless" guards first ie. Bynum, Gordon, Russell, and Daye (I call Daye a guard because I feel foolish calling him anything else) before we start looking at new blood in the backcourt.

G-Man, Linwood, I'd love to hear you guys opinion on what's the deal with Vernon Macklin not being able to get the PT that I'm sure he's earned. Have you all caught a glimpse of him play? Young, big, strong, basketball smart, and everything we're supposed to be looking for in the upcoming draft. I need some fresh insights.

i think he'll get his shot. consider this, lawrence frank has coached 33 games as a pistons coach, baby steps. he's got a brand new team with essentially two almost rookies (knight/monroe), jj who is basically a 2nd year guy and a mix of vets that dumars and company are going to make some decisions on, cv, gordon, daye & max. i don't think there's any doubt that dumars has four guys he really likes, knight, JJ, monroe and stuck. and he's got singler a polished sf waiting in the wings for next season.

if they make the playoffs, it's a bonus. i think he's letting franks get his sea legs with this crew with the intent of thinning them out but isn't overly concerned with playing past the 3rd week of april. there's a fine line between throwing all young guys out there with a brand new coaching staff (losses pile up) or playing a mix and hoping to collect enough wins to keep some butts in the seats. macklin isn't going anywhere regardless of his playing time because he's such a cheap purchase. he'll get his time just not as quick as some of ya'll want. i think they've wanted to get cv in the mix but it's been misfortune so far. in my mind cv is worth a longer look than gordon. if cv can get healthy and give them 15-17 games for a solid look at how he and monroe's chemistry falls then we see macklin worked in as maxiells replacement.

max has been so inconsistent over the life of his career it's tough to believe they'll keep him if macklin duplicates his lines but is younger and has more ups. i think the summer league games are where the rubber starts hitting the road. i'm sure no one wants to hear that but i think it's probably closer to being right than being wrong. i think they go for a big in the first round and another pg in the 2nd - bynum & russell being 30 and 6'0 (if they can get a commitment from singler). not much to say about big ben or wilkens - both being rent-a-players..

[deusXango]

G-Man wrote:

"if they make the playoffs, it's a bonus. i think he's letting franks get his sea legs with this crew with the intent of thinning them out but isn't overly concerned with playing past the 3rd week of april. there's a fine line between throwing all young guys out there with a brand new coaching staff (losses pile up) or playing a mix and hoping to collect enough wins to keep some butts in the seats. macklin isn't going anywhere regardless of his playing time because he's such a cheap purchase. he'll get his time just not as quick as some of ya'll want. i think they've wanted to get cv in the mix but it's been misfortune so far. in my mind cv is worth a longer look than gordon. if cv can get healthy and give them 15-17 games for a solid look at how he and monroe's chemistry falls then we see macklin worked in as maxiells replacement.

"max has been so inconsistent over the life of his career it's tough to believe they'll keep him if macklin duplicates his lines but is younger and has more ups."

Thanks for the feedback and fresh perspective G-Man. You mentioned some things that I'd not thought of like playing a rotation aimed at keeping up fan interest at the Palace. We didn't have a summer league last year due to the lockout so it's really too early to make a decision on Macklin. And lastly, as long as Maxiell is on the team there's hope for a spot waiting for Macklin. I'm back to watching the Kansas game because it has two of my "wish list" players playing (T. Robinson and J. Withey).

[Grizz]

DX,
you know, i agree with you in the sense that it is not a priority. there are bigger problems.
but the problem is that the team has a real hole in the lineup, even though it has lots of guards. basically, gordon, bynum, daye, stuckey and even knight are the same type player. and stuckey is the only one who has the size and strength to defend bigger point guards and SGs. it's becoming a huge problem. because if stuckey is already on the one tough offensive guard, but the other guard starts to get off, there is no one who can really defend that second guard. that has happened several times this year. the cleveland disaster was just one of the latest examples.
johnson is the kind of guard who can step in and defend both PGs and SGs. he definitely fills a hole. if the team needs a good defender out there, and if stuckey cannot do the job for whatever reason, you have a second option with size.
now, what i would like to see is for joe to clean out the backcourt. get rid of bynum and gordon. do what you have to do to trade them. and i'd bet there is even a market for russell. say, a contender like LA desperately needs a real point guard. a guy like russell may be just what they are looking for to come in and play 15 minutes a game.
so, if i was god and could make the decisions, i would sign johnson, play him and see if he fits. if he does, keep him. if he doesn't get rid of him. nothing ventured, nothing gained.
and if i keep him, i trade bynum and russell...and gordon, if it is possible.
the other thing about the pistons' situation is that they need to upgrade just about every position on the team.
(they need help at every position, including center and PG, which, with monroe and knight, you'd think they'd be set. but they need someone with a defensive presence at center. and they need someone who can really defend at the point guard spot also. knight tries like heck, but he's just not up to defending the better PGs yet. at 175 lbs, he just doesn't have the bulk to play the big boys.)
because they are rebuilding, my view is that you bring in as many talented young players as possible, regardless of position and let them compete. throw them in the mix and see what happens. and if a guy like johnson works out, there is definitely a need for what he brings to the table.
one of the pistons' problems has been the lack of that kind of real competition, as joe has always had his favorites and he's taken care of those guys. same thing happened with russell. he wasn't the best point guard prospect out there, but he'd been in camp and his dad was friends with joe and so they signed him. bringing in guys, letting them fight for positions, that is exactly what the team needs...at every position.

Frankie .. Good find on Amon Johnson .. Took a look at his stats and in 38 games last seaon, shot OK ... great at 3pt fgs .. bad at FTs ... didnt defend well though ... decent number of assists ... 22 years old .. HELL YES .. I would take him over Russell or Wilken as a spot on the roster ... But .. Joe D has made his decisions and wont reverse them even though they are pure lunacy .. Developing a team with bad AND over the hill players ?Those guys have no right to be on the roster ... And it goes without saying .. playing time is a must .. be it only 7 or 8 minutes a game ... Johnson hardly played this season by the way ... Jeremy Lin .. maybe not .. but heck .. some chance is better than none .. and Joe D has made plenty of decisions where there is no chance of it working .. Wilken and Russell being 2 of those .. When you need a PG, and some other team finds Jeremy Lin for nothing and we are holding 2 roster spots for absolute zeroes who are NOT young and developing in any sense .. I get sick to my stomach ... Dumars .. Shame on you!

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