Re: FORUM

[merc]

i do, however, have a sneaking suspicion that ben will be back next season. if it is handled correctly, it could be a great situation. (have been act as coach/emergency big man who coaches until some strange muscle pull sidelines one of the regular rotation guys.)

Goodwill Tweet Today "Source tells me it's a pretty good chance Ben Wallace returns next season ‪#Pistons‬"
Later in the day "Yes...Big Ben back. ‪#Pistons"‬

[Phil-Good]

Xango, Everybody want to dump Prince...WHY??
There is not A player on this Pistons roster who is better then T.Prince at the small forward position.

Until that guy is present then Prince is the man at small forward.

When the Piston have that cap money in 2013 summer I expect them to go get that super small forward.

The First Summer League game was cool. B.Knight has got bigger, Daye still plays soft and has added no weight, Drummonds looks special, Singler has A basketball IQ off the charts, English is A aggressive scorer, and the future looks bright!

[frankied]

i do, however, have a sneaking suspicion that ben will be back next season. if it is handled correctly, it could be a great situation. (have been act as coach/emergency big man who coaches until some strange muscle pull sidelines one of the regular rotation guys.)

Goodwill Tweet Today "Source tells me it's a pretty good chance Ben Wallace returns next season ‪#Pistons‬"
Later in the day "Yes...Big Ben back. ‪#Pistons"‬

i hadn't seen the goodwill quotes - i never read the detroit sports writers who cover the pistons; there is much, much better info here - but it definitely doesn't surprise me that ben is returning. and like i said, it could be a great situation. but it has to be handled correctly or else ben will just end up stunting the growth of the pistons' young big guys.
unfortunately, i can easily see frank throwing ben out there for 17-20 minutes a night, to the detriment of the young guys.
he should come back specifically as the player/assistant coach who will suit up for only a certain number of games and minutes.

[Oracle]

@Phillip - I totally agree about Prince, he's by far the best SF on the team... for now! However, having said that, I'd trade his arse in a NY minute if the deal was right, and I'm sure you would too. Failing that, we can really use his experience with the young SF's on staff right now.

@DX - We're on the same page about the coach! Frank will really have to prove himself this year, because it will be a tough coaching assignment.

He faces the Paradox of Choice. Choice gives you many options, but it also gives you many ways to fail. He'll need to get the combination of vets and youth right, but not just right for winning, right for developing the future.

It's not going to be easy, but if he keeps one principle in mind, he'll be alright. That principle, IMO, is that if you are going to err, err on the side of developing the future.

Easy for me to say, a lot tougher for a coach that despite what Joe says, will be judged on wins more than anything else.

[Oracle]

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[Grizz]

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Daye for Blair .... Nice doing business with ya, Spurs .. see you chumps later ..

The STUPID THING is that if Dumars had his SHIT TOGETHER THEN, he could have drafted DAYE AND BLAIR .. BUT NO . Dumars wanted SUCK ASS SUMMERS on the team .. Boy was Dumars a LOSER for about 4 straight seasons .

[Grizz]

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Really enjoyed watching this ... Drummon has size, speed, court sense, quick reactions ... Oh yeah .. this guy is going to be overpowering sooner or later .. English looks sharp too .. Mr. Dumars .. Thank you..

[Murph]

Drummond, and the Euro (forgot his name), Monroe, Villanueva, Maxiell, Prince, Maggette, Singler, Jerebko, Stuckey, Knight, English, Daye, Bynum, and probably Wallace are the 15 players that will be Pistons in the 2012-13 season; Macklin, Gates, and Middleton will be the odd men out. Just enough youth to claim rebuild, and just enough veterans to make a charge to the playoffs; Mr. Gores will be happy and that's all that matters....he scratches the checks!

DX...yes, right now, that does look like how it's shaking out. If the Pistons bring back Big Ben for one more season, that doesn't leave enough roster spots for Middleton, Machlin and Gates baring a trade. So long guys...

The problem is, that would leave us with 3 centers, 3 PFs, 4 SFs, but only 2 SGs, 2 PGs...and Austin Daye (whatever he is). I just can't see Joe going into a season with only 4 guards on his roster...Knight, Bynum, Stuckey and English.

Joe's going to have to make some kind of trade to open up a roster spot for at least one more PG. IMO, Joe needs to trade Austin Daye for a reserve PG. That should be easy enough to do.

So hopefully, the Pistons are show-casing Daye in Summer League in order to trade his skinny butt.

[Grizz]

[Oracle]

Well, let me offer my services to guard our precious Piston Dancers! Oops, wrong post about guards... oh well, Grizz, let's get this party started!!!

[frankied]

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Really enjoyed watching this ... Drummon has size, speed, court sense, quick reactions ... Oh yeah .. this guy is going to be overpowering sooner or later .. English looks sharp too .. Mr. Dumars .. Thank you..

even in college, he played good defense.
i saw a stat over on his draftexpress profile that indicated that he gave up the fewest points of any low post defender in the country, last year.
and when you watched connecticut play last year, his presence was a huge factor in their games, defensively. he had some stinker games, but for the most part, he was an extremely solid, effective defender who clogged up the middle and when he was not in the game, you could easily notice the differencre.
and remember, kantor was the 3rd pick in the draft last year, a stud prospect, supposedly one of the strongest guys around. the utah papers are all agog because of the ease with which drummond dispatched him.
drummond will be, if he gets the chance, an impact player defensively. i love his quick hands and feet. the guy is just a freak. he kind of reminds me of a bigger, stronger dennis rodman.
i just hope the team gives him the chance to play and make mistakes and learn. if they do that, by the end of the season, he will be a monster, defensively.
that being said, he is a horrible rebounder and it is easy to see why. he has no fundamentals. it is like he has never learned how to box out. someone should show him a bunch of rodman and laimbeer tapes, cause those two guys were masters at boxing out. but is it not good to see drummond completely ignore his man and just stare at the ball as it heads to the rim. no wonder his rebounding numbers are mediocre and i am sure nba pros will exploit his lack of awareness. i hope the team works with him on that and doesn't sit him down, as i am sure frank will be steaming mad when guys start stealing rebounds because drummond forgets to box out.

[Sebastian]

I realize that WE are still paying a hefty portion of Rip's salary, as part of the remaining year of the buyout. But I am curious to determine, if the Bulls trade Rip are WE still responsible for the remaining portion of the buyout and if not shouldn't that remaining amount come of of the Pistons books.

[WTF]

Murph I think Maxiell and Daye will be traded before the training camp starts and I don't think Ben is coming back this season.

DX, yeah if Joe is smart enough he could and should be able to parlay a combination of Maggette and JMax into a lottery pick and at least get a late 1st rounder for Tay.

Sissy, agree this is the most I've been excited about an upcoming season in a very long time and like you I won't say Joe is out of the woods, I still think he's an idiot. Sure he'll get credit for selecting Drummond, Monroe and Knight who all magically fell into his laps, as if he masterd-minded it when picking these guys took about as much common sense it take to pick up an umbrella on a rainy day.

[Grizz]

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Really enjoyed watching this ... Drummon has size, speed, court sense, quick reactions ... Oh yeah .. this guy is going to be overpowering sooner or later .. English looks sharp too .. Mr. Dumars .. Thank you..

even in college, he played good defense.
i saw a stat over on his draftexpress profile that indicated that he gave up the fewest points of any low post defender in the country, last year.
and when you watched connecticut play last year, his presence was a huge factor in their games, defensively. he had some stinker games, but for the most part, he was an extremely solid, effective defender who clogged up the middle and when he was not in the game, you could easily notice the differencre.
and remember, kantor was the 3rd pick in the draft last year, a stud prospect, supposedly one of the strongest guys around. the utah papers are all agog because of the ease with which drummond dispatched him.
drummond will be, if he gets the chance, an impact player defensively. i love his quick hands and feet. the guy is just a freak. he kind of reminds me of a bigger, stronger dennis rodman.
i just hope the team gives him the chance to play and make mistakes and learn. if they do that, by the end of the season, he will be a monster, defensively.
that being said, he is a horrible rebounder and it is easy to see why. he has no fundamentals. it is like he has never learned how to box out. someone should show him a bunch of rodman and laimbeer tapes, cause those two guys were masters at boxing out. but is it not good to see drummond completely ignore his man and just stare at the ball as it heads to the rim. no wonder his rebounding numbers are mediocre and i am sure nba pros will exploit his lack of awareness. i hope the team works with him on that and doesn't sit him down, as i am sure frank will be steaming mad when guys start stealing rebounds because drummond forgets to box out.

[Oracle]

Murph I think Maxiell and Daye will be traded before the training camp starts and I don't think Ben is coming back this season.

DX, yeah if Joe is smart enough he could and should be able to parlay a combination of Maggette and JMax into a lottery pick and at least get a late 1st rounder for Tay.

Sissy, agree this is the most I've been excited about an upcoming season in a very long time and like you I won't say Joe is out of the woods, I still think he's an idiot. Sure he'll get credit for selecting Drummond, Monroe and Knight who all magically fell into his laps, as if he masterd-minded it when picking these guys took about as much common sense it take to pick up an umbrella on a rainy day.

Ok, I can agree that Joe isn't out of the woods yet, but not the way you guys are saying it.

IMO, he's been STELLAR!!! Unfortunately, that's only half the battle, all of this good stuff can be screwed up by additional front office screwups, and bad coaching.

But let's be fair, Joe gets, and deserves all the credit for what's happening! If you can blame CV & BG on him, he should get credit now.

(Joking coming up, so don't get upset)
Wise, Joe doesn't mastermind, he masterbates those picks into his lap. Obviously you don't know nothing about how to work NBA mojo(insert visual of NBA GM's tossing off for picks, lol)!

[Oracle]

I missed it, but it looks like NBATV may repeat it later, if I'm awake.

Three things I noticed in the boxscore.

1. If Austin Daye is being showcased, he REALLY helped his cause today... 24 pts, 1 steal, 1 block, and 6 boards in 22 minutes!

2. Gates is looking really good! This dude is built like a Mack Truck, and weighs more than Drummond! 10 pts & 5 boards is fantastic for a guy that gets absoutely no plays run for him!

3. Middleton had another totally nothing game.

Right now, I'd rather have Gates on the roster than Middleton. Let's see if he can change any minds.

[deusXango]

Joe Dumars has done, to the best of his ability, the majority of the things I felt he should if he were to get this franchise back on track. My hat's off to him. The heavy lifting involved getting rid of Ben Gordon at all costs; Joe moved Gordon early at minimal cost. Drummond falling to us at #9 was a stroke of luck, sure, but Joe called his name and not Henson's, like a lot of fans wanted him to. I'm liking the pick more and more. Why he passed on O'Quinn, I don't know, but he has Mr. Yancy Gates in the summer league, and this guy is really a beast that Joe can get on the cheap. Going back to the departure of Gordon; Joe upgraded that roster spot 1000% with the drafting of Kim English at #44! Cheaper, taller, much better defender, and with a better outside stroke. The man's a team player also. Joe Dumars is not "out of the woods" yet, but he is methodically reconfiguring that frankenstien of a team he constructed, and the summer ain't over yet. I didn't believe he had it in him, so I've got to give him the credit that's due; he's doing a damn good job so far.

When Gates is on the team and Maxiell is gone; when he's gotten rid of Daye and replaced him with a talented backup PG, and when he puts a foot up Lil' Larry's a$$ and tells him to stop coaching for his own personal glory, and start coaching with the future of the team in mind, I'll know Joe Dumars is all the way back, and we're on our way back to the top.

[Grizz]

Joe Dumars has done, to the best of his ability, the majority of the things I felt he should if he were to get this franchise back on track. My hat's off to him. The heavy lifting involved getting rid of Ben Gordon at all costs; Joe moved Gordon early at minimal cost. Drummond falling to us at #9 was a stroke of luck, sure, but Joe called his name and not Henson's, like a lot of fans wanted him to. I'm liking the pick more and more. Why he passed on O'Quinn, I don't know, but he has Mr. Yancy Gates in the summer league, and this guy is really a beast that Joe can get on the cheap. Going back to the departure of Gordon; Joe upgraded that roster spot 1000% with the drafting of Kim English at #44! Cheaper, taller, much better defender, and with a better outside stroke. The man's a team player also. Joe Dumars is not "out of the woods" yet, but he is methodically reconfiguring that frankenstien of a team he constructed, and the summer ain't over yet. I didn't believe he had it in him, so I've got to give him the credit that's due; he's doing a damn good job so far.

When Gates is on the team and Maxiell is gone; when he's gotten rid of Daye and replaced him with a talented backup PG, and when he puts a foot up Lil' Larry's a$$ and tells him to stop coaching for his own personal glory, and start coaching with the future of the team in mind, I'll know Joe Dumars is all the way back, and we're on our way back to the top.

[Grizz]

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[Murph]

I didn't watch the game, but it looked like a good one.

I have a couple of observations from the box score. First, congrats to Autin Daye. He seems to have found his stroke, at least for one game. Hopefully, that performance will make him easier to trade for a PG.

Second, it seemed as if Singler was the glue guy yesterday. He played almost the whole game. He started and played with the 1st unit, and then stayed in the game and helped lead the 2nd unit, with Middleton, Macklin, Gates and Ware. And while the 1st unit struggled, the 2nd unit out-scored the Magic when they were on the court. Singler also pitched in 12 pts and 5 rbds.

[Grizz]

I missed it, but it looks like NBATV may repeat it later, if I'm awake.

Three things I noticed in the boxscore.

1. If Austin Daye is being showcased, he REALLY helped his cause today... 24 pts, 1 steal, 1 block, and 6 boards in 22 minutes!

2. Gates is looking really good! This dude is built like a Mack Truck, and weighs more than Drummond! 10 pts & 5 boards is fantastic for a guy that gets absoutely no plays run for him!

3. Middleton had another totally nothing game.

Right now, I'd rather have Gates on the roster than Middleton. Let's see if he can change any minds.

Oracle, good points about Gates .. He does look strong! I am tired of the Pistons being a bunch of sissies. Lets go back to a team that will hurt anyone who gets in our way ala Bad Boys .. Joe D.. Screw gaining any respect from the NBA .. Tis better to be FEARED.

[Grizz]

[WTF]

I missed it, but it looks like NBATV may repeat it later, if I'm awake.

Three things I noticed in the boxscore.

1. If Austin Daye is being showcased, he REALLY helped his cause today... 24 pts, 1 steal, 1 block, and 6 boards in 22 minutes!

2. Gates is looking really good! This dude is built like a Mack Truck, and weighs more than Drummond! 10 pts & 5 boards is fantastic for a guy that gets absoutely no plays run for him!

3. Middleton had another totally nothing game.

Right now, I'd rather have Gates on the roster than Middleton. Let's see if he can change any minds.

I just can't get excited about anything Daye is doing in the 2 Summer League games so far. 1. Because he's doing this against rookies and 1 year players and 2. because he's doing this against rookies and 1 year players heading into his 4th pro season I'm simply not impress.

If these were preseason games maybe I could think differently, I wasn't impress when Maxiell pulled this same crap before signing his extension with the team. I just don't think anything he does in Summer League will carry over to regular season games.

Don't get me wrong if this somehow is to showcase him for a trade then wonderful but he's not needed on this team

[WTF]

Joe Dumars has done, to the best of his ability, the majority of the things I felt he should if he were to get this franchise back on track. My hat's off to him. The heavy lifting involved getting rid of Ben Gordon at all costs; Joe moved Gordon early at minimal cost. Drummond falling to us at #9 was a stroke of luck, sure, but Joe called his name and not Henson's, like a lot of fans wanted him to. I'm liking the pick more and more. Why he passed on O'Quinn, I don't know, but he has Mr. Yancy Gates in the summer league, and this guy is really a beast that Joe can get on the cheap. Going back to the departure of Gordon; Joe upgraded that roster spot 1000% with the drafting of Kim English at #44! Cheaper, taller, much better defender, and with a better outside stroke. The man's a team player also. Joe Dumars is not "out of the woods" yet, but he is methodically reconfiguring that frankenstien of a team he constructed, and the summer ain't over yet. I didn't believe he had it in him, so I've got to give him the credit that's due; he's doing a damn good job so far.

When Gates is on the team and Maxiell is gone; when he's gotten rid of Daye and replaced him with a talented backup PG, and when he puts a foot up Lil' Larry's a$$ and tells him to stop coaching for his own personal glory, and start coaching with the future of the team in mind, I'll know Joe Dumars is all the way back, and we're on our way back to the top.

Trading Ben Gordon is Joe's most recent triumph, but you can't give credit for not calling Henson name when the obvious thing to do was to select Drummond. I never subscribed to that getting an A for effort type of thinking which is what that sound like when you say he gets credit for not selecting Henson. Rest assure if Drummnd wasn't there Joe was selecting Henson.

[deusXango]

I just can't get excited about anything Daye is doing in the 2 Summer League games so far. 1. Because he's doing this against rookies and 1 year players and 2. because he's doing this against rookies and 1 year players heading into his 4th pro season I'm simply not impress.

If these were preseason games maybe I could think differently, I wasn't impress when Maxiell pulled this same crap before signing his extension with the team. I just don't think anything he does in Summer League will carry over to regular season games.

Don't get me wrong if this somehow is to showcase him for a trade then wonderful but he's not needed on this team

Wise, truer words were never spoken; there's nothing exciting about a big boy (more experienced) bullying kids (rookies and 1st year players), and that's essentially what Daye's doing, and not very well at that. If someone sees something they like and want him, Joe should give him up. We don't need a player (unless he's packaged with Maxiell or Bynum), just be free of the foolish commitment Joe prematurely made by picking up the team option.

Speaking of Maxiell, he's the next one that should go while the memory of last years illusionary outstanding effort is fresh in the minds of many; if we wait until he rolls his fat a$$ into camp we may suffer depreciated value, even with an expiring contract. With proper packaging he could be a first rounder.....maybe, or not. The fact is, he's worth $5 million coming off the books.

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