Motown Revival

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2014-2015 Detroit Pistons Preview



Last season: The Pistons’ two big offseason acquisitions, Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, flopped. Detroit fired Maurice Cheeks mid-season, but he wasn’t the only problem, and the losing continued.

The Pistons finished 29-53 and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season – extending their longest postseason drought since before the Bad Boys.

On the bright side, Andre Drummond established himself as the NBA’s top young big-man prospect behind Anthony Davis.

Signature highlight from last season: Drummond has quick hands runs the floor really well, and Jennings is fun:



Key offseason moves:

• Demoted Joe Dumars
  
• Hired Stan Van Gundy
  
• Drafted Spencer Dinwiddie
  
• Signed Jodie Meeks
  
• Signed Caron Butler
  
• Signed D.J. Augustin
  
• Signed Cartier Martin
  
• Acquired Joel Anthony

Keys to the Pistons season:

Stan Van Gundy cleaning up this mess: If Stan Van Gundy simply stops playing Josh Smith, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond together – and he’s indicated that experiment is finished – the Pistons’ new coach will do wonders. That trio was simply abysmal last season.

But Van Gundy can and should do more. One of the NBA’s best coaches, he negotiated the position of president and gave himself more job security. He has the freedom to do as he pleases.

Get tough with Brandon Jennings. Teach Josh Smith to play smarter. Demand Greg Monroe plays defense.

The Pistons have talent, but their glaring flaws made a bigger mark last year. Van Gundy is charged with reversing that.

Making the most of Greg Monroe: Monroe will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and he can veto any trades.

He’s also the Pistons’ second-most valuable player behind Drummond.

Van Gundy, as coach and president, must get the most from Monroe on the court and figure out Monroe’s long-term situation in Detroit. Would he stay next summer? How much would it cost? What trades would he accept?

The roster-management aspects with Monroe are much trickier, but it’s not as if making the most of him on the court will be easy. Monroe excels near the basket on a team that also features Drummond and Smith, and Monroe’s defense has been lackluster to date.

The better Monroe plays, the more options he’ll have – and the more the Pistons will, too.

Getting Drummond to the next level: Drummond moved from rookie reserve to starting sophomore and maintained his incredible per-minute production. That’s no easy task. Many players falter as they handle more minutes against tougher competition.

Now, it’s time for Drummond to take the next step.

He makes an argument as the NBA’s best rebounder, and his pick-and-roll finishing is excellent. He must improve his defensive awareness, though. Drummond has all the raw tools to contend for Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s already blocking shots a high rate. But too often, he gets lost and is not positioned to protect the rim. A few post moves would help on the other end, but the Pistons have a greater need for him to serve as their defensive anchor.

Encouragingly, Van Gundy has a strong track record, having helped turn Dwight Howard into a superstar. Drummond has that same potential. Can Van Gundy help get another young center to the next level – and how quickly can he do it?

Why you should watch: Drummond is a beast. He’ll be an All-Star soon, and in the meantime, he’ll make some incredible plays that don’t seem reasonable for a man his size.

Oh, and Van Gundy might attack Jennings or Smith at any moment.

Prediction: 41-41. The Pistons shouldn’t have been as bad as they looked last season. It became quickly evident that the team’s defining three-man lineup – Smith, Monroe and Drummond – didn’t work. But the Pistons stuck with it. Why? Stubbornness? Stupidity? Tanking?

No matter the reason, it’s in the past. Van Gundy will fix that fatal flaw, giving Detroit a chance. Many questions remain – how Van Gundy will use the big three, whether Jennings can competently lead a team, just how good Drummond will be – but there will be room to explore them.

The Pistons should contend for a playoff spot, but the East is better and deeper this season. I have them just outside the postseason and looking in, but they easily could fall on the other side of that line.

[Jumpman14]

[Game Links: Pistons Boxscore | Nuggets Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Pistons get embarrassed on opening night
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Oct. 29, 2014

The Good: Ty Lawson. Ty Lawson put on a show for the home crowd on opening night. Lawson finished the night with a game high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the behind the arc. The former North Carolina Tar Heel also handed out 9 assist to go along with 2 steals in 29 minutes of action.

The Bad: Brandon Jennings. Brandon Jennings has a rough night shooting the against the Denver Nuggets. Jennings only shot 4-of-11 from the field to score 14 points to go along with 6 assist. Jennings was a team worse -25 in the 28 minutes he was on the court.

By The Numbers: 34. The Pistons and Nuggets combined for 34 points in the paint. Both team pretty much settled for long jumpers and three pointers, hence to low points in the paint number.

X-Factor: Arron Afflalo. In his first game back with the Nuggets, Arron Afflalo showed why the Nuggets were smart to re-acquire the shooting guard. Afflalo scored 18 points while dishing out 5 assist on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor in 25 minutes.

On Tap: Minnesota Timberwolves

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[Game Links: Pistons Boxscore | Timberwolves Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Wiggins shines as Timberwolves top Pistons, 100-93
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Oct. 30, 2014

The Good: Andrew Wiggins. The number one overall pick in last June's draft has had impressive back to back games to start his career. Coming off a 23 points and 3 rebounds performance, Andrew Wiggins put up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals on 7-of-15 shooting in the win against the Detroit Pistons.

The Bad: Detroit's backcourt. Brandon Jennings and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were non-factors against the Timberwolves. Jennings and Caldwell-Pope shot a combined 5-of-27 from the field in the loss. Jennings went 4-of-14 for 15 points while Caldwell-Pope only made one of his thirteen shot attempts.

By The Numbers: 22. The Timberwolves forced the Pistons into 22 turnovers and they used that to their advantage as they got easy points from their multiple fastbreaks off the turnovers.

X-Factor: Thad Young. Thad Young led the T-Wolves in scoring finishing the night with 20 points to go along with his 6 rebounds and 3 steals in 31 minutes. The 6'9 stretch four shot the rock at a 50% clip from the field (6-of-12) and he made all six of his free throw attempts.

On Tap: Brooklyn Nets

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[Game Links: Nets Boxscore | Pistons Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Pistons outlast Nets to get first win of season
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Nov. 1, 2014

The Good: Andre Drummond. Andre Drummond was a force on the glass against the Nets grabbing rebound after rebound after rebound. Drummond pulled down a game high 16 rebounds to go along with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field as the Pistons notched their first win of the 2014-2015 season.

The Bad: Deron Williams. Deron Williams jumper was completely broke as he couldn;t buy a shot to save his life against Detroit. D-Will finished with a team high 20 points and 10 assist but he needed 20 shots just to score it as he only made 6 buckets all game long in 35 minutes of action.

By The Numbers: 53. The Pistons shot a blistering 53% from the field as they got easy buckets all night long against a suspect Nets defense.

X-Factor: Josh Smith. Josh Smith didn't try to do too much and played within himself and had a pretty nice game. Smith finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocked on 7-of-11 shooting in 30 minutes for the Pistons.

On Tap: New York Knicks

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[Game Links: Knicks Boxscore | Pistons Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Knicks bury Pistons, 108-95
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Nov. 5, 2014

The Good: Amar'e Stoudemire. Amar'e Stoudemire stepped back in the time machine and played like he was back with the Phoenix Suns. Stoudemire finished with a season high 24 points and 5 rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. Even more impressive was his 10-of-12 shooting from the floor in the win.

The Bad: Brandon Jennings. Brandon Jennings went into hero ball mode and pretty much cost the Pistons the victory with his chucking. Jennings went 4-of-17 from the field for 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assist. A real eye popping stat was the 14 three point attempts Jennings took in the loss, Stan Van Gundy can't be happy with that.

Rookie Watch: Cleanthony Early. The Knicks 2nd round pick saw 13 minutes off the bench against the Pistons. Early scored 11 points with 2 rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor in the victory.

X-Factor: Shane Larkin. Shane Larkin was another spark plug off the bench for the Knicks. The former Miami Hurricane finished with 13 points and 6 assist on 4-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench for the Knicks.

On Tap: Milwaukee Bucks

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[Game Links: Bucks Boxscore | Pistons Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Parker and Bucks too much for Pistons
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Nov. 7, 2014

The Good: Jabari Parker. Jabari Parker led the way for the Bucks has they easily handled the Pistons. The number two overall pick put up a game high 23 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Parker could've shot better (8-of-20), but he did enough to get the Bucks the W.

The Bad: Josh Smith. The bad version of Josh Smith came to play against Milwaukee. Smith only shot 3-of-13 from the field in the loss to the Pistons. The 6'9 forward ended the night with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assist in a losing effort.

By The Numbers: 32. The Bucks pounded the Pistons in the paint as they racked up 32 points in the paint while the Pistons only managed 18 for the game.

X-Factor: Brandon Knight. Brandon Knight had a nice efficient outing against his former team. Knight scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with 4 rebounds and 8 assist in 28 minutes of action.

On Tap: Utah jazz

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[Game Links: Jazz Boxscore | Pistons Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Detroit humiliates Utah, 117-81
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Nov. 9, 2014

The Good: Brandon Jennings. Brandon Jennings led the way for the Pistons as they laid a 36 point beat down on the Utah Jazz. Jennings put up a game high 29 points with 4 rebounds, 8 assist, and 3 steals on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor in 36 minutes. Jennings was a +25 for the game.

The Bad: Gordon Hayward. After inking a max extension this summer, Gordon Hayward was expected to play at an all-star level, but through 7 games that hasn't happened. Hayward is only averaging 15.4 ppg on 34% shooting and he didn't do much against the Pistons going 2-of-14 from the field for 9 points in 34 minutes.

By The Numbers: 28. As a team the Pistons were in a sharing mood as they racked up 28 assist in the win while the Jazz only finished with 18 as a team.

X-Factor: Detroit's frontcourt. Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, and Josh Smith were the deciding factors in the win. Drummond finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Monroe put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assist while Smith poured in 18 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assist in the blowout.

On Tap: Chicago Bulls

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[Game Links: Pistons Boxscore | Bulls Boxscore | Team Comparison]
Gasol leads Bulls past Pistons
By DetroitBadBoys.com
Posted Nov. 10, 2014

The Good: Pau Gasol. Pau Gasol has been a perfect fit with the Chicago Bulls since signing with them over the summer. Gasol continued his impressive play with a 19 point, 13 rebounds, and 5 assist performance against the Pistons. Gasol had a sub-par shooting game 8-of-20, but the game was well in hand before he got trigger happy in the 4th quarter.

The Bad: Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. The Pistons big free agent pickups from a year ago played like hot garbage against the Bulls. Both players combined to only make 5 baskets the entire game. Jennings finished 2-of-10 for 6 points while Smith scored 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Ouotable: "This loss is on me. If I didn't wait too long to make adjustments we could've won this game." Stan Van Gundy

X-Factor: Derrick Rose. The former league MVP had a quiet but efficient game against the Pistons. Rose finished with 15 points, 5 assist, and 2 steals while making six of his eight shot attempts in 33 minutes for the Bulls.

On Tap: Washington Wizards