D-Up: A Pistons Journey

[dfsJunkie]

Introduction
D-Up: A Pistons Journey

With the first pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons select... Cade Cunningham! 6-8 guard out of Oklahoma State.

When the organization saw its 20-52 record (last in the East) turn into the No. 1 overall pick, it cemented the youth movement that was already starting in Detroit. The team turned that pick into Oklahoma State’s star guard Cade Cunningham, who isn't even the first Piston born in the 2000s. Not only that, but the team boasts another half dozen players who won't reach 24 years of age by the end of the season.

Despite the strides made last season by Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, Killian Hayes and Saben Lee, there’s still a lot of newbie learning that will be needed. Having Jerami Grant, re-signing Cory Joseph and acquiring Kelly Olynyk provides some experience and guidance, but much of the training will continue to come on the fly.

GM Troy Weaver and coach Dwane Casey want to preach and tighten up the Pistons’ defense, which has been slipping in recent seasons from the calling-card status that had in Detroit’s two championship eras. From eighth in 2016-17, the Pistons have slid to 22nd and 19th the past two regular seasons. This year’s crew certainly has the athletic ability and roster depth to push harder at that end, in need of know-how and (until we see it) commitment.


SETTINGS
Season Length: 82 Games
Playoff Format: Play-In -> 7-7-7-7
Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Difficulty: Hall of Fame
Sliders: Custom
Roster: Prof2K Roster
Draft Classes: Starting with the 2022 Class (tbd after that)


 

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

saving for later

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Gotta tighten up some stuff. But you guys can post!

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Pistons Mailbag - October 18, 2021

The season is right around the corner as the Detroit Pistons get ready to kick off its season opener at home against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

With that, we have our first mailbag session of the 2021-22 season. So let's get right to it!

▶ Question 1: What can we expect from Cade Cunningham this season?

Answer: As we know, Cade Cunningham joined the Pistons as the team's first selection (no. 1 overall pick) in this year's past draft. Measuring at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, the 19-year-old has all the physical tools to make an immediate impact at the next level.

He can do it all. He's great attacking the rim, but can also pull up from deep and hit the three-ball. He's a true floor general and will really excel in the pick-and-roll. He's a little bit on the slower side, but overall a very dynamic player.

Expect him to lead the team in assists and be top three or four in scoring in his first year. Most of all, expect him to bring the clout that the team has been missing, and hopefully able to lure stars to the Motor City over the next couple of seasons to play alongside him.

▶ Question 2: Who will be the opening day starting five?

Answer: Right now there are a few different options head coach Dwane Casey can go with, but I think Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, and Jerami Grant are locks. The real question lies with the off-guard and center positions. I think it looks something like this:

PG – Cade Cunningham
SG – Josh Jackson / Killian Hayes / Hamidou Diallo
SF – Saddiq Bey
PF – Jerami Grant
C – Kelly Olynyk / Isaiah Stewart

I'm sure we'll see Coach Casey play with some different combinations throughout the year and see what's working and what's not.

▶ Question 3: Is this a playoff team?

Answer: No. I don't think it is. A top-10 finish in the conference should be considered an over achievement for this team. With tons of youth of the roster and no stars, this season is a clear building phase for the Pistons. The East is much better than in years past, so for the team to potentially vie for Play-In finish would be a shock to most.

Preseason rankings of Eastern Conference teams would be as follows:

1. Nets
2. Bucks
3. Hawks
4. Sixers
5. Heat
6. Knicks
7. Celtics
8. Bulls
--
Raptors
Wizards
Pacers
Hornets
Cavs
Pistons
Magic

That's all for this post, see you next time!

[cincy14fan]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Yes Cavs are higher than the Pistons! Sadly I don't think that will be the case at the end of the year

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Yes Cavs are higher than the Pistons! Sadly I don't think that will be the case at the end of the year

I like the pieces Cleveland has between Sexton, Garland, Okoro, Mobley and Allen. They've drafted nicely over the last few years. I think Mobley might end up winning ROTY.

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Team News

Pistons announce starting five ahead of Wednesday's opener

Dwane Casey announced his starters in yesterday's presser ahead of tomorrow night's season tip-off against the Chicago Bulls.

This year's Detroit Pistons are clearly in rebuilding mode, but they might be a shockingly fun watch throughout the season.

After having the second-worst record in the NBA last season, the team will look to rebound.

Here's how the opening day roster shakes out:

Opening Night Starters
G - Cade Cunningham (R)
G - Josh Jackson
F - Saddiq Bey
F - Jerami Grant
C - Isaiah Stewart

Bench/Reserves
G - Killian Hayes
G - Saben Lee
G - Cory Joseph
G - Frank Jackson
G - Rodney McGruder
G/F - Hamidou Diallo
F - Isaiah Livers (R)
F/C - Kelly Olynyk
F/C - Trey Lyles

[studbucket]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Is Luka Garza not in the game? Too bad to make the team on these rosters?

I'm an Iowa alum and I've seen that he signed a full contract and Pistons fans seem to be cautiously optimistic.

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Is Luka Garza not in the game? Too bad to make the team on these rosters?

I'm an Iowa alum and I've seen that he signed a full contract and Pistons fans seem to be cautiously optimistic.

He's not in it yet. I think I can bring him via the DNA feature at some point though once he gets in the game. So, all hope is not lost yet.

Still tinkering with sliders, but this is a bad team that I have to get used to using as well. Double edged sword.

[dfsJunkie]

Season 1, Game 1

Pistons Notebook
Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI

Bulls 114◂    Pistons 82

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LaVine, DeRozan Combine For 56 As Bulls Rout Pistons In Opener

DETROIT -- It wasn't the start head coach Dwane Casey wanted for his youthful Pistons as the team saw its fans exit early Wednesday night when his team fell by a score of 114-82 to the Chicago Bulls in a landslide defeat to open the season 0-1.

For first overall pick Cade Cunningham, it was not quite the debut he was hoping for, as he put together a decent performance in the loss with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT) with four rebounds, a steal, and just two assists. Jerami Grant led the team with 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting (2-4 3PT, 4-4 FT), while three others notched double digit scoring in Josh Jackson-15, Isaiah Stewart-11, and Saddiq Bey-10.

For the Bulls, Zach LaVine led the game with 32 points on 10-of-20 (4-8 3PT, 8-8 FT), while DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 24. Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the team's opening performance.

"It was a tough first game, no doubt. But, we get these guys again on their turf Saturday, so that's all we're looking at right now," said Pistons coach Dwane Casey.

Casey also alluded to the team's impressive 85% free throw rate.

"Our offense still needs time to gel, but I liked the way our guys attacked the hoop and got to the free throw line - so we'll take that from this game and move forward."

Detroit will have a shot to avenge the embarrassing loss when the teams face off again on Saturday.

[kibaxx7]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Tough loss, but that layout is

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Agreed, looks amazing despite the bad result. Not a lot of assists, hopefully guys can get each other a little better next time.

[dfsJunkie]

Re: D-Up: A Pistons Journey

Tough loss, but that layout is

Agreed, looks amazing despite the bad result. Not a lot of assists, hopefully guys can get each other a little better next time.

Appreciate the kind words! Yep, this team is going to take some time getting used to. The Bulls are a hard team to judge what our team really is, though, so it may take a few more games to get a feel of how good (or bad) we really are.

Got the next game (against the Bulls again ) coming up..

[dfsJunkie]

Season 1, Game 2

Pistons Notebook
United Center - Chicago, IL

Pistons 86    Bulls 98◂

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Pistons Drop To Bulls On The Road Despite Improved Play, 98-86

CHICAGO -- It was another offensive struggle for the Detroit Pistons on the second half of its back-to-back bout with the Chicago Bulls, losing 98-86 on the road.

Backed by Jerami Grant's 20-point (7-14 FG, 1-1 3PT, 5-5 FT), 16-rebound double double, the Pistons improved on both offense and defense in their second effort against the Bulls, however, still fell short. Rookie Cade Cunningham struggled in this one, despite being the second highest scorer for his team, with 12 points (6-16 FG, 0-3 3PT), four assists, and five turnovers.

Josh Jackson chipped in with another promising performance of 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 2-2 from the line, adding four rebounds.

"He's been solid in these first two games. Better than we were expecting," said Pistons coach Dwane Casey after the game.

He continued on the performance of his team as a whole, "this was definitely a building block game for us. We're building some momentum and played these guys really tough. We tightened up our defense, we scored a few more points – the effort and hard work is there. We have to keep building from here."

For the Bulls, Zach LaVine led the way once again with 35 points (14-26 FG, 2-9 3PT, 5-5 FT) and five rebounds. The Pistons did a great job of slowing down DeMar DeRozan, holding him to just 16 points (7-21 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-2 FT) this time out compared to the last game where he dropped 24. Nikola Vucevic notched another double double against Detroit with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Detroit will lace up against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday to kick off the second week of the NBA season.

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[dfsJunkie]

Season 1, Game 3

Pistons Notebook
State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GA

Pistons 86    Hawks 124◂

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Trae Young Drops 39, Pistons Fall To Hawks In Blowout, 124-86

ATLANTA -- It's becoming a theme for Detroit, as the team fell yet again, this time at the hands of Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks to drop to 0-3 on the season. It was the second consecutive road game where the Pistons failed to score at least 90 points, and tallied just 14 in the fourth quarter.

Top overall pick, Cade Cunningham, had his best performance of the young season. He scored 19 points (7-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT), grabbed seven rebounds, and racked up five assists, all career highs in the loss. Jerami Grant recorded another double double with 19 points (8-18 FG, 2-6 3PT, 1-1 FT) and 11 rebounds.

"We got beat by a really good team out there," said Grant in his post game media appearance. "We gave up [70] points in the first half and a lot of threes. We knew they could stroke it, but we just didn't execute good enough."

For Atlanta, Young led the way with 39 points on 15-of-26 shooting, including 7-14 from deep. John Collins notched a double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes of play. The Hawks also got notable scoring outputs from Danilo Gallinari-13, Lou Williams-13, and Delon Wright-11, who also chipped in with seven rebounds and seven assists.

Detroit finally finishes off it's grueling three-game road trip in Philadelphia against the Sixers next, before finding their way back home next week.

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