$$$$$$$$$

[WTF]

If we could land Smith in a sign and trade we're basically swaping out mostly salaries (Stuckey's 8.5 Moose 3.5) that goes toward whatever it is we would pay Smith so we're not completely tossing away Cap Space. Keep in mind Smith is only 26 years of age so locking him up for 5 seasons shouldn't be an issue with Cap Space. Trust me I would rather pay big money to Smith than to pay over Moose for his inconsistent play later down the road. We draft correctly and use the remaining cap space wisely we could contend next season.

Close your eye and think about this Burke Knight Smith, Aldrige and Drummond all starting next season and then ask yourself if we just didn't become the 2nd best team if not the best in the East for the next 3 or 4 seasons

[deusXango]

Close your eye and think about this Burke Knight Smith, Aldrige and Drummond all starting next season and then ask yourself if we just didn't become the 2nd best team if not the best in the East for the next 3 or 4 seasons

That's the sh!t I'm talking about Wise, and the bank ain't broke!!!!

[deusXango]

Then you qualify to get the "Dunk of the Year" credit that Jordan is getting for dunking over Knight!

A 7 footer dunking over a 6'3 dude is a dunk of the year?

I admit it looked great if you're Jordan, but really, I wouldn't try to ride that one too far!

Oracle, the most impressive thing about that "Dunk of The Year" hasn't been mentioned yet and, that's Lil' Brandon coming off an injury, trying his damndest to play defense against a man that size...he was closer to another injury than impeding Jordan's progress but, there he was. I'm beginng to really like this kid.

[cool breeze]

It's sad that because he's such a good player and will contest anything he gets slammed, but Twitter was ABUSIVE on him after that posterization!

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

I hope Knight was equally abusive on Monroe and CV in the lockerroom for not being the ones challenging the play. Little fella plays with tons more heart than the others.

Sorry that wasn't CV fault he was on the perimeter guarding his man Odom like he was suppose to do. That play falls squarely on the shoulders of Moose, Jordan was his man on that play. Like I said earlier the nerve of Moose questioning anyones effort beyond his own. Yeah Knight should be all in his grill.

Yeah, Charlie wasn't really at fault. It was my iinner "cool breeze" coming out. I guess I don't like his socks when he is guarding someone on the perimeter. BUM!!!

That was an easy mistake to make because Charlie's nickname is "Perimeter man". But he was not at fault that time. Monroe likes it out on the perimeter on defense as well maybe because he has been able to steal the ball a few times and likes to show off his ability to dribble. But Monroe is a young guy who has brought it as much as any player this season at least on offense. He is young and will get better. Charlie is not so young and has no chance of improving on defense because that is not his thing. He is "Perimeter man" and "Shadow Boxer Basketballer". When Dumars saw Charlie run the court for the Bucks was he drunk? The guy ran like a girl from the 1960s back then. Feet kicking out to the sides with the look on his face that he missed his bowel movement before the game and now is ready to explode in his pants. Yep, that was Charlie in that Bucks uniform way back when Joe.

[Oracle]

We aren't better than our record, we're WORSE!

This was a very winnable game early in the 4th, but the 3 stooges couldn't have done a better job than the Pistons at throwing away a game!

Bright spots? JJ & Middleton continue to impress me, and are getting better each game! Of course if Frank returns, that level of performance guarantees a benching!

Singler continues to unimpress me, and for sure has hit the rookie wall!

CV just plain smelled tonight, but has been pretty decent this year!

[Oracle]

"Salt Lake City — If given the benefit of hindsight and knowing the reaction that would come from the outside world, most would take a step back as DeAndre Jordan launched his 7-foot frame near the rim for a thunderous dunk, especially if you're eight inches shorter.

But Brandon Knight? Nah. He'd go after Jordan again because in his mind and heart it was the right play.

He took things personally. Not the reaction from the public, which used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make fun of Knight becoming a poster, but of the Los Angeles Clippers clowning the Pistons on Sunday night without much resistance.

"When I step on the court, I don't take people dunking six, seven or eight times and not attempting to stop it. It's personal to me," said Knight with crutches under his arms after sustaining a "severe" ankle injury in the first quarter of Monday's 103-90 loss to the Utah Jazz.

"Where I'm from and where I grew up, you just don't let that happen."
" - BK7 on the Dunk

Amen Brandon, where I come from we don't take that crap either!!!

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

[lemonpen]

"Salt Lake City — If given the benefit of hindsight and knowing the reaction that would come from the outside world, most would take a step back as DeAndre Jordan launched his 7-foot frame near the rim for a thunderous dunk, especially if you're eight inches shorter.

But Brandon Knight? Nah. He'd go after Jordan again because in his mind and heart it was the right play.

He took things personally. Not the reaction from the public, which used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make fun of Knight becoming a poster, but of the Los Angeles Clippers clowning the Pistons on Sunday night without much resistance.

"When I step on the court, I don't take people dunking six, seven or eight times and not attempting to stop it. It's personal to me," said Knight with crutches under his arms after sustaining a "severe" ankle injury in the first quarter of Monday's 103-90 loss to the Utah Jazz.

"Where I'm from and where I grew up, you just don't let that happen."
" - BK7 on the Dunk

Amen Brandon, where I come from we don't take that crap either!!!

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Little fella's act is getting some support.

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

[WTF]

Brandon is going to get riding to the ground on this no doubt yet it took a lot of heart to do what he did more than you can say about half the players in today's game. But lets not get overly sensitive about this because yes it made for some great comedy and keep in mind if this was Maxiell doing this to some 6'0 guy we would be laughing.

My only issue with what Brandon did was that he didn't foul Jordan hard enough, perhaps the size differential had much to do with it I don't know but next time he needs to be thinking flagrant 1. Watching Cantor whip on Monroe's ass last night make you even more proud of what Brandon attempted. I hate the hype job Blaha and Kelser does especially with Monroe, he got his ass kicke all night if Jefferson wasn't kicking it then it was Cantor kicking it or Favors. Monroe side stepped, ducked, ran and coward most of last night game.

Kudos to Knight, now only if he can get that brain to catch up with his heart.

[Murph]

I agree. I can't believe the media hung Brandon Knight out to dry on that stupid dunk by Jordan, who wan't even remotely Knight's defensive assignment. Typical of our ever vigilant media.

I sure hope the Pistons don't ruin Knight, the way they ruined Stuckey. (And for that matter, I hope they don't ruin Monroe either).


I can't believe how badly this season is melting down. It feels as if this organization took a huge step backward this year. We aren't even competitive in any of these games.


It's always a lot easier to fire the coach, than fire the players.


And where the hell is Grizz??? There's no escaping this hellish season. Misery loves company. Get your ass back here, Grizz.

[deusXango]

Trey Burke, Big 10 Player of The Year!!!
Victor Oladipo, well, I made myself seen.
This years NCAA's should be fantastic, truly March Madness, and just the stage for some of the country's best talent.

Congratulations Trey Burke.

[WTF]

Trey Burke, Big 10 Player of The Year!!!
Victor Oladipo, well, I made myself seen.
This years NCAA's should be fantastic, truly March Madness, and just the stage for some of the country's best talent.

Congratulations Trey Burke.

Burke joins Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, Georgtown’s Otto Porter and Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk on the first team. Earlier Monday, Burke was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.

[deusXango]

While reading one of the national rags spiel on where the "Top 25 Free Agents" were headed this off season, I noticed that Jose Calderon was expected to sign with Utah....reading a little further, I saw that O.J. Mayo was expected to sign with Utah as well. I'm so hoping that backcourt ends up in the "D" and not in Utah.

I see that Josh Smith is expected to join up with James Harden in Houston to give them another scoring option; that'll be two players that some didn't want in Detroit who would be playing for my 2nd favorite team. I'm so much in favor of Detroit drafting Otto Porter Jr. and signing Smith to play along side of Drummond.

"How is all this FA signing going to take place" some of you are asking, well, this is where the sign and trade comes in (where the losing team is forced to except players they wouldn't ordinarily trade for straight up). What's really wrong with Knight coming off the bench? Calderon, Mayo, and Knight would make a tremendous 3 guard rotation, and Knight would be the lynchpin. Who's got a problem with Monroe coming off the bench? Monroe, Kravtsov, Middleton, and Knight is potentially the best 2nd unit in the east.

The way the Pistons are sucking, we should be in a lottery position to draft Porter Jr.
Joe re-signs Calderon for a CAP reasonable price over 4 years.
Target two real FA's this time out; O.J. Mayo and Josh Smith, and pay them realistic contracts!! (Realistic doesn't mean cheap either.)
Get a real godd@mned coach in here; we've had enough leadership from glorified waterboys.

[Oracle]

I've always been a big Joe Dumars supporter, but when I look at the way Houston generated the excitement, and that excitement attracts players to want to be part of something, I wonder if Joe has that anymore!

To say that the product we're producing smells, is being kind, even if it's not totally fair with Drummond out!

But Knight & Monroe were supposed to produce that excitement, and Knight has to some degree, but Monroe is a total dud in the excitement department.

Do we need a more exciting and agressive GM?

For the first time, I'm at least open to the idea, depending on who's available!

[Oracle]

Rose - If he's smart, he'll take a pass and come back next year!

Frank - Even if his Wife gets better, it might be helpful to practice staying at home!

BK7 - Yeah, he'll come back, but he probably shouldn't

Drummond - I'm torn here, but I don't have access to X-Rays to know as much as I should before flapping my gums, but.... IMO, Drummond shouldn't come back because the risk of injury playing for this bottom feeder is high!

Besides, the fewer players coming back, the more likely English & Middleton get to hone their skills for next season!

[Sparma]

Deus writes: "Joe re-signs Calderon for a CAP reasonable price over 4 years."

I'm starting to think that's how it would need to unfold. One writer said we should resign JC for 2 years, even at high cost; sounds good, but ain't going to happen. He's going to get multiple decent offers. What we have to offer, in addition to the possibility of 2 big men becoming really good, is stability. A repeat of the Prince contract -- 4 years for a total of 28 mil -- should do it. Calderon's dedicated to fitness and his game doesn't depend on (declining) capacity for speed, so the length of the contract should be a worthwhile risk.

[WTF]

Whatever happens it need to be bold and creative. He honestly need to swing for the fences, go for broke this summer with the draft, via trade, and free agency.

My concern with signing Calderon is if Joe continues with this notion of rebuilding and waiting on players to turn the corner then we just wasted more time and cap space IMO.

We have an Golden Opportunity to put a contender on the floor next season without breaking the bank. Take advantage of other teams need to free up cap space. A package of CV, Stuckey expiring contracts after this season should draw some real interest, Monroe needs to be traded and has value, and you got 25 million in Cap Room

If Joe gets nothing done this summer and we're looking at the same squad next season he need to be fired.

[cool breeze]

The Detrioit News article on Knight was great. I have known all along that Brandon is a guy who will succeed and be among the best before his career is over. His approach to life is much like my hero, Don Mann, former Seal Team 6 member and director of Navy Seals. If you haven't had a chance to read his book, "Seal Team 6" do read it because you can use information he brings regarding attitude in your own life at any age. I had the good fortune to meet him this past weekend. This guy is still performing crazy endurance events at his advanced age. And he looks like he is about 30 years old in person. The only reason that I bring this up is that the light bulb is burning really bright in Knight's brain. He is a smart and determined dude who knows that if he sets a crazy goal off the charts in difficulty and falls a bit short, he will have still done something great in the end and he will know that he did everything physically and mentally he was capable of doing and that is satifying in itself. We have career NBA players on this team and other NBA teams who do not have any idea what Knight is talking about. They will sell themselves short in the end and feel bad about themselves when their career is over because they didn't push themselves to get more fit and excell at a higher level. They get caught up in other things when they should be working close to blackout to get better. Like Don Mann says, if you are working out and go so far that you pass out, don't worry you will wake up and know that you reached your limit. We all have followed certain Piston players who could have had great careers but you could tell that they had other things on their minds than playing basketball at the highest level. Most all players who make an NBA team have that potential. However, only a few, like the men who make it through BUDDS training will know what it feels like to reach your highest level. Way to go Brandon Knight! We Piston fans are lucky to be able to follow your career.

[Oracle]

Whatever happens it need to be bold and creative. He honestly need to swing for the fences, go for broke this summer with the draft, via trade, and free agency.

My concern with signing Calderon is if Joe continues with this notion of rebuilding and waiting on players to turn the corner then we just wasted more time and cap space IMO.

We have an Golden Opportunity to put a contender on the floor next season without breaking the bank. Take advantage of other teams need to free up cap space. A package of CV, Stuckey expiring contracts after this season should draw some real interest, Monroe needs to be traded and has value, and you got 25 million in Cap Room

If Joe gets nothing done this summer and we're looking at the same squad next season he need to be fired.

Wise, I couldn't agree more!!!

We really do need to swing for the fences, and that means going hard after good talent, but talent that complements our core.

It also means making tough decisions and truly seeing the reality we're faced with.

BK7 is indeed a player we want to keep around to see if he can turn the corner! However, a blind man can see he's not there yet and he needs help because we can't simply wait, we need a PG now. I like Calderon, but a lot of things must align before I'm willing to spend on him. Could we do better with a Collison type, a younger true PG?

Monroe: It's time to fish or cut bait! Does he really fit at the 4? He's not a stretch 4 and he's not athletic, and while he's a decent passer, he's not a CWeb or Bill Walton level passer!

IMO, you keep BK7 at least until he either gets it or his price is too high, but I would be shopping Monroe for another young big that works with Drummond a lot better!

If Frank had played English and Middleton more, we would have a lot more data about how and where they best fit, but their youth and price make them no brainers to either keep or package!

The key is to get somebody that fans won't have to say... WHO? Josh Smith, Aldridge, Cousins, etc., are names folks will know.

We also need an athletic starting SF or SG, and if we get that person, BK7 will start next season coming off the bench, he needs to be forced to earn that starting position, and I know he can!

BTW, Knight could eventually be a Microwave type 6th man, which isn't a bad thing! Manu does it for the Spurs, and it would solve a lot of problems if he filled that role if he doesn't become the PG of the future.

I have no problem with having 3 VERY capable guards on the team(the Bad Boys didn't suffer)!

[Phil-Good]

"We really do need to swing for the fences, and that means going hard after good talent, but talent that complements our core."

I'm not saying you guys are wrong. Even the Sour Cynic has A few good points. But swing for the fence on who? D.Howard? Chris Paul?

I get what you guys are saying but in my opinion it's better for the Pistons to swing for A double or triple plays.

Target two guys that you feel are ready to step into the Pistons franchise and make A impact from day 1 in the draft if that guy is there. Here are my two guys I would target in the DRAFT.... Ben McLemore and Shabazz Muhammad. Some how try to land two high impact players via the draft.

Make A bold trade! I think the NBA Draft is the way to go....

[Oracle]

"We really do need to swing for the fences, and that means going hard after good talent, but talent that complements our core."

I'm not saying you guys are wrong. Even the Sour Cynic has A few good points. But swing for the fence on who? D.Howard? Chris Paul?

I get what you guys are saying but in my opinion it's better for the Pistons to swing for A double or triple plays.

Target two guys that you feel are ready to step into the Pistons franchise and make A impact from day 1 in the draft if that guy is there. Here are my two guys I would target in the DRAFT.... Ben McLemore and Shabazz Muhammad. Some how try to land two high impact players via the draft.

Make A bold trade! I think the NBA Draft is the way to go....

Phillip, that's just a figure of speech, but I do think you've limited it so much that, of course it won't make sense to you.

Swinging for the fences isn't JUST going after FA's, you need to put on your smart GM hat and see that FA's are just one tool in the toolbox, and if you really "Go for it", you can mix and match your way to a grand slam!

Joe has the following tools to work with.
1. The Draft
2. Money to spend on FA's
3. The ability to trade
4. The ability to Amnesty
5. And finally, the ability to use a combination of all of the above to do something you may never have even thought of!

Swinging for the fences means that Joe needs to creatively utilize everything he has to revamp and mold this team into a powerhouse in the making, and get us into the playoffs in a weak conference.

If he can't do that , he really needs to be fired!

[Phil-Good]

I got you Oracle. Let's see what Joe can do this summer. The ball is in his court now.


The young core is in place. Now it's time to build around them and get some wins.....

[WTF]

Knight, Drummond, and Monroe will never mesh as a group not now-not later. Individually each were nice picks but only one (Drummond) has any real upside to becoming a true franchise player and that's where we need to place the focus on building around a player.

They were all "No Brainer Picks" or consider "Best Available Talent" there was nothing strategic about these selection with maybe the exception being Drummond because he truely was a requirement at the time. Joe never really consider if the three could mesh as a core and he seem to recognize that now. Giving an opportunity to do things over Joe might have opted for Kemba or given what was necessary to move up to snag Cousins oppose to drafting Monore.

[WTF]

JJ: Prior to his injury looked like the second coming of Dennis Rodman during his rookie year, but that quickly faded in my mind. JJ only has the hustle part of Dennis's game not the brains and smarts and that's what got him benched early in the season. Keep in mind the only reason he plays is because he happens to stink less than the rest of the team at the moment. Trade

Singler: Shows he's has the High BB IQ to be an effective Role Player but that's where it stops. He is not and will never be a starter in the NBA. He's good at everything but not great at any one thing, but has proved that in spots he can player 3 positions. However his true calling is backup SF. Keep Him

Slava: Is already a serviceable big man and if smart we should be trying to lock him down for some years while he still comes cheap. IMO Slava only gets better, I like his defensive effort, he rebounds and eventually he'll learn to score more in the post. Keep Him

Middleton: Is sort of redundant but like Singler I see him as a backup. Who knows how well he could be playing if given opportunity earlier in the season, but I'm not incline to put much hope in a 2nd round pick to become the savior at the SF position. Keep or Trade

English: If you can't beat out Stuckey, Bynum, Knight for PT then what's the point in hanging on to him, why did we even draft him. Though the talk has been of Joe going after another SG, English at least deserve an real opportunity to prove he's a valueable back up at SG. Likely Stuckey will be traded and Bynum will get a better offer elsewhere so opportunity will present itself. Keep Him

Monroe: Talented no doubt but, what I find disturbing with Monroe is his passion and work ethics towards the game. Just my opinion I could be wrong but what I see is a guy that's hasn't worked on his outside shoot in 3 seasons, who does not hit the weights and conditioning. Monroe wants to get by on his talents alone and not put in the extra work it takes to get to the next level. Monroe could be an All Star one day but that depends on everyone else getting worse first. Trade

Knight: Another talented player, works hard and has a lot of heart. Is he a starter or a sixth man? Is he a PG or SG? SG's are a dime a dozen and Pure PG's are a rarity so which one does Brandon want to be is the real question. As a PG he sucks and I'm not sure he'll ever grasp the concepts of playing that position. But he has value as a capable scorer at either spot PG or SG and that's makes it worth hanging on to him. Keep Him

Drummond: Franchise, Beast, Monster, Killer, Savior, and Pheonom. However you wish to lable him as a player he's a keeper. Keep Him

[Murph]

"Singler: Shows he's has the High BB IQ to be an effective Role Player but that's where it stops. He is not and will never be a starter in the NBA. He's good at everything but not great at any one thing, but has proved that in spots he can player 3 positions. However his true calling is backup SF. Keep Him"

I pretty much agree on Singler. I think the best case scenario is if he really develops his 3 pt shooting, so that he becomes a primary weapon from the 3 pt line. If that happens, I think Singler could become a Mike Dunleavy type player, but one who's a little quicker and players better defense than Dunleavy.


"Monroe: Talented no doubt but, what I find disturbing with Monroe is his passion and work ethics towards the game. Just my opinion I could be wrong but what I see is a guy that's hasn't worked on his outside shoot in 3 seasons, who does not hit the weights and conditioning. Monroe wants to get by on his talents alone and not put in the extra work it takes to get to the next level. Monroe could be an All Star one day but that depends on everyone else getting worse first. Trade"

I strongly disagree on Monore. It's becoming evident that Monroe's talent has a ceiling, and that he's never gonig to become a franchise player. His defense is never going to be good enough to effectively guard big athletic centers like Noah, Chandler or Hibbert. But isn't that why we drafted Drummond? Didn't we recognize a year ago that Monroe needed help up front defensively, and that he would play better playing along side an athletic, defensive minded big? And now that Ben Wallace has retired, the need for a defensive big man is greater than ever. So when Drummond finally returns from injury, Drumond and Monroe need to play together...immediately...no excuses...no bullshit. Or else Lil Larry needs to be fired on the spot. In fact, Lil Larry pretty much needs to be fired regardless. But I wouldn't trade Monroe until we see how he plays with Drummond.


The bottom line is that I wouldn't get rid of any of the young core you listed below, with the possible exception of JJ.

[WTF]

Lions: make smart moves in going after Bush RB and Quin CB, they also need to pursue a WR that will compliment Megatron.

Rodman: Enough already! Please! Please! sit your stupid ass down somewhere you're quickly becoming a real embarrassment to Black Folks and it shows how ignorant you've become over the years.

Michael Jordan Killed Basketball … And LeBron Is Saving It For some reason I can't pull this up but just the title alone makes my head hurt. I'm just guessing but if the author of this article is some how implying what the title seems to be stating then his insane. Stern killed basketball using MJ as a tool and this league is not any better with the likes of Lebron and the Miami Heat. MJ might have been the beginning of the down turn but by no means is Lebron saving the NBA.

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