***Official Detroit Pistons Thread***

[pietasterp]

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

It's just barely enough to keep your hopes up, but don't do it to yourself....Boston isn't coming back to the pack, and we're a 2-steps-forward, 3-steps-back type of team. It's just not gonna be this year...

[rockchisler]

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

Yep 2 steps forward 3 steps back. Blown out at the crib by the Hornets. Sad.

[rdnk]

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

I've given up hope of them catching the Bucks. Toronto recently passed Detroit in the standings. I'm starting to wonder if Pistons will fire Frank. If they do, they should bring in Stan Van Gundy. Look what he did for Howard; he can do the same for Drummond.

I hope they're shopping Charlie V now that he's not terrible.

[redsrule]

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

It's also sad how few fans this team draws per game.

Calderon is a free agent after this year correct? I wouldn't mind bringing him back if that's the case, and start BK at the 2, with Monroe & Drummond on the floor all they need is a good wing and that's a solid starting 5.

I'd love SVG or even JVG as coaches.

[l3ulvl]

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

I'd trade Knight while he still has value, re-sign Calderon, let Max go, and draft the best available wing (Porter?). Although, if Burke is available that messes up my strategy.

[redsrule]

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

I wouldn't trade Knight, he has a lot of potential, and I believe with Calderon running the point will only continue to get better. I am biased though since he went to UK.

[rdnk]

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

I wouldn't trade Knight, he has a lot of potential, and I believe with Calderon running the point will only continue to get better. I am biased though since he went to UK.

Yeah it is too early to give up on a top 10 pick. I can't imagine you'll get any value back equal to the pick used to get him.

[pietasterp]

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

It's also sad how few fans this team draws per game.

Yeah, it's embarrassing to see the Palace so empty, dead, and lifeless...it's such a far cry from how insane that place can be when the 'Stones are rocking it. I don't think metro Detroit Pistons fans are fair-weather fans or anything, though (anyway, not more than anywhere else). I think they're pretty die-hard, but this franchise has been completely dead in the water and totally lifeless since the passing of Bill Davidson. Add to that the aftermath with Karen Davidson basically letting the franchise rot on the vine for 2 years really hurt the relationship between the Pistons and fans...I know the Pistons were Mr. D's true love and not necessarily hers, and he single-handedly made/kept them a relevant franchise, but as much as I love him for that, I hate his wife for what she allowed to happen to the club in the aftermath (mainly because she was under the impression it was 2005 and had no grounding in reality for what the club was worth at this point in time).

We've really just been wandering the NBA wilderness since that time, without any clear direction, and after 4+ completely pointless seasons in a row, it's natural for the fanbase to start drifting. I mean, I don't care how die-hard you are, at some point, when your team is not only losing, but being boring as hell while doing it, without any clear hope on the horizon you start to decide it isn't worth the hassle of going to the game. I'm sure plenty of fans are still watching the games at home, but to drive all the way out to the northern suburbs and pay $25 for parking and deal with the traffic, etc. just to watch a team lazily go through the motions in a 15-point loss in a stadium that is 50% asleep and 75% empty, that's just a hard sell for any team. Let alone one located in the well-documented hard-hit metro Detroit area.

They'll come back. But the franchise will have to earn them back. I'm a little concerned that a venture capital firm essentially owns the team, as opposed to someone who irrationally loves the Pistons, but we'll see. I like the young nucleus. Speaking of which....:

I'd trade Knight while he still has value, re-sign Calderon, let Max go, and draft the best available wing (Porter?). Although, if Burke is available that messes up my strategy.

My opinion is that Knight should be one of the un-touchables on our roster, along with Drummond and Monroe. I think those 3 guys are the foundations around which you build starting now. Everyone else on the roster is available for the right price. I'm not saying I'll hold this position forever, and of course you have to be willing to re-evaluate, but at present, I would say we have an exciting nucleus of 3 young guys who can be building blocks for a great team that can be good over a long time, not just a flash in the pan 1-2 seasons. But we'll need to bring the right coach in to tap the potential, and Joe D is going to have to prove he's up to the task again of building the right way.

I'm biased, but I would not be very enthusiastic to have Trey Burke on the Pistons. He is largely a volume scorer, when what we need is a true distributor and court general. Calderon is okay, but is he really someone you build around? Burke has a sweet shot, but shooters are more easily get-able in the NBA than true PG's.

[l3ulvl]

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

I don't see "volume scorer" in Burke, I see a high assist/low turnover guy with a sweet shot. That's what bugs me about Knight, I know he's young but he has so many careless turnovers it drives me nuts.

Calderon reminds me of Nash in that he can be effective with his style of play into his late 30s, so signing him for like 5 more years seems reasonable. With Moose, Drum, and whoever else we add in the draft & free agency we'd be back in the playoffs while Jose is still in his prime. I have a feeling Dumars will use the cap space and make a run at either Mayo or Josh Smith, neither of which I'm a big fan of but if that's the plan I'd love having the veteran pg leading the way.

[redsrule]

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

I wouldn't give Calderon a 5 year deal, but a 2 year deal? In a heartbeat.
That's also why I am so pissed that they aren't going to make the playoffs this year, because they need a good 3 player, which next years class will be stacked. Andrew Wiggins, Randle, Parker, and others make that a great class.
Having cap space is great and all, but not if you overpay for guys that aren't worth it to start with. I hope we stay FAR away from a big man, especially Josh Smith because you already have 2 great young big men you can build your roster around.

[pietasterp]

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

Agree with redsrule on that one. Honestly, of the lists I've seen of free agents available this summer, I would rather the 'Stones just save their money and keep building through the draft (the picks we have available to us) and shorter-term contracts for non-marquee players. No sense in hand-cuffing yourself for the next 5 years because you had money burning a hole in your pocket in the off-season. We just tried that, and it didn't exactly work out...

We're kind of in a no-win situation right now; we have cap space, but there's no one worth spending it on. We'll lose our pick in the draft (likely), and we are at least 3-4 quality players away from being competitive. There's no real quick way out of the wilderness...we just have to stay the course for now and eat another season or two of lost causes. The last thing we should do, though, is make panic moves and screw ourselves over for the future. We aren't 1-2 guys away from being a contender, so we shouldn't act like it come the off-season...

[l3ulvl]

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

To clarify, I don't want Mayo or Smith lol, but I fear Dumars does.

I wouldn't mind something like Cuban did this year and sign a couple guys to 1 year deals, that way we can reach the cap floor without sacrificing future space, so when the time comes to extend/resign Monroe, Drummond, and maybe Knight) we'll be in good shape.

I actually like the timeline for success Detroit is on right now, within 5 years we should be in the top group of teams in the east while most of those teams are on the decline.

[redsrule]

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

Apparently the Pistons were close to acquiring Kobe in 07 for Rip, Tayshaun, Amir Johnson and draft picks. That would have been an interesting lineup with Chauncey, Kobe, Insert 3 here, Rasheed and Big Ben.

[pietasterp]

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

Apparently the Pistons were close to acquiring Kobe in 07 for Rip, Tayshaun, Amir Johnson and draft picks. That would have been an interesting lineup with Chauncey, Kobe, Insert 3 here, Rasheed and Big Ben.

I saw that....very interesting. Lakers are happy they didn't do that. I'm not terribly sad, to be honest...I hate that guy, so rooting for him woulda been tough. Probably coulda made another run, though.

Agree w/ l3ulvl...stay the course, don't try to accelerate the plan (if there is one).

[pietasterp]

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

Anxiously scanning the trade tickers to have my day made when I see "Rodney Stuckey" involved in any kind of transaction whatsoever....