***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

[youvalss]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Was watching some youtube videos, and found this one. Good times (even if it was way after the best times)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suqdPykwS_0

(Can't embed for some reason).

[pietasterp]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Yeah, 'Sheed....I always knew it would end badly with him, but at least we got many good seasons from him before it went south. Although I sorta think he poisoned the well before he left - I'm pretty sure the team took on his defiant, pouting, anti-social tendencies and arrogance, which may or may not have cost us at least 1 more title somewhere along the line....I have sort of a love/hate thing with 'Sheed, like most people I would imagine.

Gores will be interesting...I'm not a fan of the absentee owner thing, but at least we'll have some semblence of stable ownership for the first time in 2 seasons. Hopefully he has even a fraction of the success and love for the team that Mr. D did...

[l3ulvl]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Yeah, 'Sheed....I always knew it would end badly with him, but at least we got many good seasons from him before it went south. Although I sorta think he poisoned the well before he left - I'm pretty sure the team took on his defiant, pouting, anti-social tendencies and arrogance, which may or may not have cost us at least 1 more title somewhere along the line....I have sort of a love/hate thing with 'Sheed, like most people I would imagine.

I already hate seeing how the young players are acting, Stuckey especially. It's like he see's how Rip and the other veterans act and think it's cool to be despondent and yet condescending. Like it's just how it goes to complain and show up your coach if he has no track record of success.

[rdnk]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

So who do you think we should draft? In mock drafts I've seen us taking a whole bunch of different guys.

[pietasterp]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

So who do you think we should draft? In mock drafts I've seen us taking a whole bunch of different guys.

So who do you think we should draft? In mock drafts I've seen us taking a whole bunch of different guys.

Really good question...I have no idea. People seem to think we're taking Jimmer, but I just don't see it - he's a bit undersized and he's really a 2-guard, which I'm not sure we need. We need to draft a point guard - I mean, a real, honest-to-goodness PG, since I don't believe Stuckey is the long-term answer for anything. He could be an okay 2-guard, but he is flat-out not an NBA PG, and I don't think he ever will be. I actually don't think he should even be on the team (should just clean house of all troublemakers and potential troublemakers), but we've been over that already...

I'd be willing to take a flyer on a true PG like Shelvin Mack or something. Maybe even grab size with one of Kansas' Morris twins? I guess the only thing I wouldn't be that pumped about would be Jimmer...I just don't see it. He's like Adam Morrison with less size.

On another note, I'm increasingly concerned about the sale of the team to Gores, because as it turns out, Gores didn't actually buy the team - his private equity firm did. That's not a subtle distinction, as it turns out:

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/...stons/?iid=EAL

In case you don't have time/don't want to read it, the bottom line is that the Pistons aren't actually owned by Tom Gores - they are owned by Platinum Equity (his LA-based private equity firm). This makes the Pistons the first team ever owned by a Private Equity firm. I'm not saying that's automatically bad, but consider that PE firms exist for the sole purpose of profiting from acquisitions and frequently accomplish that goal by stripping "excess" at every possible juncture until they are left with a bare-bones operation that can be sold, in whole or in parts, for a profit. Considering a pro sports team is one gigantic "excess", this bodes poorly for the team as I see it. Not to mention that PE firms are somewhat unstable; what happens if Platinum goes broke (like the McCourt situation with the Dodgers) or if they run afoul of the law like Magellan and end up a ward of the Feds? The 'Stones are then run by the federal government?

Maybe this is all doomsday hyperbolizing, but I can't see this as a good thing long-term. A private equity firm doesn't love a team - it doesn't "love" anything. You need an owner that is emotional about the franchsie - the entire operation is based on irrational love for something that probably has no real reason to exist. This situation has a Clippers-like operation written all over it; already the team is being talked about in terms like "acquisitions", "loss leaders", and of course, "profit". Maybe we were just spoiled by 3 decades of Bill Davidson, but this situation may have actually gone from bad to worse...

[l3ulvl]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Pie, here is a very brief article with 1 sentence that cheered me up as far as the Gores / Platinum Equity worries.

http://detnews.com/article/20110414/SPORTS0102/104140461/1127/rss13

Contrary to published reports, Gores will be the owner of the Pistons, not the company he heads, Platinum Equity.

Also there was another small article that made me feel better here:

http://www.freep.com/article/20110415/SPORTS03/110415041/1051/rss16

edit: Also, on the topic of who to draft... I have no clue lol. I like the 2nd round options better than the first rounders. Guys like Benson and McCamey, plus fringe 1st/2nd rounders like Faried and Jujuan Johnson. As far as 1st rounders go I'd rather have a quality center but doesn't look there will be one available. Maybe try Brandon Knight? Although he seems like another combo guard and we don't really need more of those.

[pietasterp]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Thanks, l3ulvl...that actually does make me feel better. All I ask is that the owner be invested in the team more than just financially. I hope this ex-Spartan doesn't let us down...

Seems like a good draft to trade-down in, no?

[l3ulvl]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Seems like a good draft to trade-down in, no?

I wouldn't mind it at all. My only worry is that we get too many guys and clog the rotations again.

[pietasterp]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Well, hopefully we will clear out some of the log-jam in the roster during the off-season...

Any good size in this draft at all? Anybody buying the Morris twins? Not sure I am...

[Kruza]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

It's tough for me to say who to get in this year's NBA draft. The Pistons definitely need to come out of the upcoming draft with at least one big man with good/great low post scoring potential, but the top-rated bigs in this draft are all pretty much very young and raw international players who will likely need a lot of time and development to adapt to the more physical NBA style of basketball. And the truth is I really haven't seen any of these internation players play at all, so I can't comment on them. Ah well... so I'll just say that maybe the Pistons should look to draft the best player available regardless of position with the lottery pick then wait until the second round to get a big. Or maybe try to trade down to get a later first-round pick plus acquire an extra second-rounder.

Kruza

[pietasterp]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Alright, boys - we're #8....let the speculation/opinions begin: go!

[Kruza]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

A video of new team owner Tom Gores addressing the media at his introductory press conference Thursday afternoon has been posted on Detroit News.

Tom Gores says he wants to serve interests of the community

Kruza

[Psyblast]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Bye bye, Kuester.

[l3ulvl]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Bye bye, Kuester.

Is it official this time? I wonder who the candidates will be.

[redsrule]

Re: ***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

Is it official this time? I wonder who the candidates will be.

I heard Mike Woodson