[Money23]

I'm (gasp) HAPPY with what we've seen so far from our team. I like the coach, I like some of the players. I like Knight, a lot. I love Monroe. YES, we need another big guy, probably even another scorer. Yes we need some offensive identity. But for now, why not just sit back and enjoy watching the talented kid's development?

Look, there's no Rip or Iverson throwing ugly body language around the court...no clueless coaches watching players whine and not show effort...the extra yucky part of the rebuilding effort appears to be over. The team probably isn't going to win a bunch of games this year. I'm fine with that. You have to have some seasons like this in order to get back to being good. We should wind up being at least competitive this season, and build on that going into next season.

Meanwhile, Knight should make it an interesting season, at the very least.

[Hobbs]

It's a process, no doubt. Keep developing Knight and Monroe. Find out if Jerebko and/or Daye are part of the future. Those are the two biggies in house from me and it seems like we're doing both. And the change the culture thing. Can't forget about that.

Beyond that I want one other positive from this year. Something like a trade for a quality future piece or picking up a decent first round pick. It's still real early in the season, but we need that one more thing in addition to steady growth of our own to make this a year I'm happy with.

Then we can just get the first or second pick in the draft and take either Davis or Drummond.

[Kstat]

I'm happy with what Frank has done with our guards. Our frontcourt is a mess, but the 3-guard rotation is something we've all wanted to see for years now.

Stuckey, Knight and Gordon could have multiple games this season where they all score 20+.

[tin mad dog]

I am happy somebody is Silver-lining this season. I'm just down because I didn't expect to get owned by a shite Cavs team in our home opener.

Knight showed reason for excitement. Gordo showed signs of not being a total bust. I was hoping for more off the bat from Moose and I expected something out of someDaye.

Maybe tonight they will surprise and beat Boston?

[Whiteman]

Im only excited about Knight on this team. Im not sure if Monroe is our answer down low but we will see.

[Whiteman]

I do agree about our 3 guard rotation. That seems to be a strength or the only one we have.

[Kstat]

We do eventually have to find points elsewhere, but we haven't even had an offensive foundation of any kind since 2008. It feels at least like we have a direction, at least on offense.

[Dave Bing]

Interesting tweet I saw... in the 2008 draft, Chicago, OKC and Miami drafted 1, 2 and 4.

[tin mad dog]

I think Monroe is a good, solid player. He just needs some help. He has no tag team partner down there..

Even with the slow start and the lack of support in the paint, I still think he'll be somewhere around a 15 point, 10 board, 2 assist, 1 block kind of guy this year. Hope-hope!

[tin mad dog]

Westbrook isn't an impact player?

[Kstat]

Monroe is perfect on a team with 3 scoring guards. He shouldn't be playing center, though. His game is below the rim, which is fine. 2 of the top 3-4 power forwards in the NBA play below the rim. He needs someone next to him to do the dirty work.

[Kstat]

Originally Posted by tin mad dog

Westbrook isn't an impact player?

For some reason I was thinking Harden was drafted in 2008.

[tin mad dog]

Ah, I think that was '09.

[The King]

I could see Durant/Westbrook turning into a KG/Marbury situation.

[Kstat]

More like an Avon/Stringer situation.

At some point, someone's going to ask Westbrook why KD didn't show up for the game, and Westbrook is going to mumble "just business"...

[Stefan S]

it's "but two games"
what does it mean in context
of "the long season"

[Whiteman]

lol Love The Wire senario Kstat.

[mn3]

Here's what I like on a team which is headed to have one of the 3 or 5 worst records in the NBA this season:

1. Frank and the coaches: What I'm reading about how the coaches are being rigorous about how they are teaching every player on the team exactly how they want the game played, is really good news. Quotes from the team how we are playing the game by thinking and not being intuitive make sense. We're going to learn to play the right way - period.

2. Gores: This guy is spending the money so players who play here know they are being treated first class. The new lockerroom (millions spent on this), meals on premisis for the players, flying out of Pontiac (much more convenient for the players) -- all good stuff. That will pay off in years to come.

3. Knight. The team's first potential big star.

4. Monroe, JJ, Stuckey. Good core guys. Maybe not stars, but guys who should be able to play significant minutes, maybe including starters minutes, on a future championship club.

5. Gordon and Daye - one or both of these guys could be assets. I still think Daye is a SG and I'd like to trade Gordon for a big man asset to assist Monroe. Gordon is an incredibly awful defender and he's a turnover machine. Still, on the right team, he's a great scorer - and could really help some contender.

6. That's somewhere between 4-6 core guys, including one potential future big star who happens to be a PG. Not too bad.

7. The 2012 and 2013 drafts. We might have a chance to add two more big stars. We're likely to suck record wise at least through 2012-13.

Going into 2013-14, we might have the makings of a team like Oklahoma that's set up to be good for a long time. Even Stuckey, Tay, Gordon, Maxiell's and CV's contracts will be up or expiring around this time - giving the Pistons a lot of flexibility to fine tune this team.

[DYNOMITE]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

Interesting tweet I saw... in the 2008 draft, Chicago, OKC and Miami drafted 1, 2 and 4.

You don't win with lottery picks, everybody knows that.

[Hobbs]

Miami sure as shit didn't. What did they end up dumping Beasley for? Half a ham sandwich?

OKC has been amazing in their player moves and drafts though. That's about as picture perfect team building as it gets.

[DYNOMITE]

Originally Posted by mn3

Here's what I like on a team which is headed to have one of the 3 or 5 worst records in the NBA this season:

1. Frank and the coaches: What I'm reading about how the coaches are being rigorous about how they are teaching every player on the team exactly how they want the game played, is really good news. Quotes from the team how we are playing the game by thinking and not being intuitive make sense. We're going to learn to play the right way - period.

Good point except unfortunately for us this year there will not be much practice. No real training camp or pre-season will not bode well for the normal arc of a young team with a new coach. I think a guy like Knight will be fine but a team identity might have to wait until next year.


Welcome back, take it slow. Kstat came back out of shape and sorts but he stuck with it, worked his way back into game thread starter shape, and is quickly rounding into his dickish self. If you are committed there is no reason you can't work your way back to forum idiot. Good luck.

[fredsue]

I can agree with what is being said here....this year will be real tough to watch but we hopefully will see the teams direction by season end. I hope it all works out for another solid period of time with a great team...

[Money23]

Originally Posted by mn3

Here's what I like on a team which is headed to have one of the 3 or 5 worst records in the NBA this season:

1. Frank and the coaches: What I'm reading about how the coaches are being rigorous about how they are teaching every player on the team exactly how they want the game played, is really good news. Quotes from the team how we are playing the game by thinking and not being intuitive make sense. We're going to learn to play the right way - period.

2. Gores: This guy is spending the money so players who play here know they are being treated first class. The new lockerroom (millions spent on this), meals on premisis for the players, flying out of Pontiac (much more convenient for the players) -- all good stuff. That will pay off in years to come.

3. Knight. The team's first potential big star.

4. Monroe, JJ, Stuckey. Good core guys. Maybe not stars, but guys who should be able to play significant minutes, maybe including starters minutes, on a future championship club.

5. Gordon and Daye - one or both of these guys could be assets. I still think Daye is a SG and I'd like to trade Gordon for a big man asset to assist Monroe. Gordon is an incredibly awful defender and he's a turnover machine. Still, on the right team, he's a great scorer - and could really help some contender.

6. That's somewhere between 4-6 core guys, including one potential future big star who happens to be a PG. Not too bad.

7. The 2012 and 2013 drafts. We might have a chance to add two more big stars. We're likely to suck record wise at least through 2012-13.

Going into 2013-14, we might have the makings of a team like Oklahoma that's set up to be good for a long time. Even Stuckey, Tay, Gordon, Maxiell's and CV's contracts will be up or expiring around this time - giving the Pistons a lot of flexibility to fine tune this team.

Nice post. I agree with most of it, but I sure would love for Gordon to be around if we actually start to make some noise again. On a good team, you can hide a guard's defensive deficiencies, but you cannot put a price tag on clutch or take it for granted. Guess some of that depends on the development of who we wind up building around, be it Knight or whatever draft picks we get.

[Money23]

Of course, that scenario also assumes that if we got on a roll and made the playoffs, BG is still capable of doing his thang. That's not a given, even for a homer such as myself.

[Money23]

Pssst. Hey Joe, put in a call to Joel Pryzbilla. From what I hear, he's just chillin' in Milwaukee watching Packers games.

[El Axe]

Was going to post this in another thread, but saw it belongs better here:

Originally Posted by Money23

I don't understand why everyone's bitching. You thought this team was going to be playoff bound right away or something? I've seen what I pretty much expected to see early on...sparks from the rookie, searching for offensive identity and chemistry, an unleashed BG, our small bigs not being able to defend the post and paint. None of it is surprising...except maybe I figured Daye would start out looking better, but he could still come around.

I think it was hack who pointed out that Joe tried to rebuild on the fly and it didn't work. Well, now we gotta go this route. We have a solid new coach, a promising rookie and second year big, and a couple of quality second tier guys. There are things to be happy about, because even though we're likely going to lose a lot of games this season, it still feels like a step in the right direction. And depending on Knight's development, maybe a few steps.

Nicely stated

Another thing to think positively about: All reports indicate that if you pick a year to suck, this is the year. The draft should yield a talented young big, the very thing this team needs and would nearly complete the foundation of the rebuilding.

It sounds like an odd thing to consider, but sucking in the right year makes a big difference. Some draft years have no franchise players available and some #1 picks are not much above average NBA starters.

Not only does it look like a strong draft class, but it is a short season, so the pain will be relatively brief.

[B.I.G.]

No one seem to be SUPERSTARS in this years draft

[Kstat]

Originally Posted by B.I.G.

No one seem to be SUPERSTARS in this years draft

Not really a fair assessment. It's very hard to see an NBA superstar coming out of college. If you could, Dwyane Wade wouldn't have been drafted behind Darko. A guy like Paul Pierce wouldn't have been drafted 10th.

Dummond, Barnes, Perry Jones and Anthony Davis all have potential to dominate the NBA down the road.

[Dwight Schrute]

I was thinking the same thing. You probably won't find many PG/SG superstars in this draft, but there are a lot of guys with KG, Amare, Bosh type superstar potential. Which is exactly what we need at this point.

[EJV]

"Some people walk in the rain. Others just get wet." -- Roger Miller

Money -- Thanks for ushering in the New Year on a positive note.

I won't be posting for a while, as I will be focusing on keeping a couple of New Year's resolutions, but I look forward to reading what forumites have to say about b-ball and politics.

Happy New Year Everyone!

[Dave Bing]

Happy New Year, fellas!

[Santos]

Happy New Year folks, all the way from Brazil!

[hack]

Originally Posted by Dwight Schrute

I was thinking the same thing. You probably won't find many PG/SG superstars in this draft, but there are a lot of guys with KG, Amare, Bosh type superstar potential. Which is exactly what we need at this point.

If we can nab an all-star quality defense-first big (Drummond or Davis), and that player pans out, and if Knight is the answer at PG, then we are perilously close to another superstar-free ensemble roster that just might contend. We'd have two high-quality bigs, inside scoring, a quality PG, a playoff assassin, a playoffs vet. We'd be missing either Gordon's replacement in that assassin role and a few role players. Role players are a lot easier to come by when the other pieces are in place. Even with that type of roster it would take a few more lucky bounces than usual to win a ring because of the NBA's caste system, but it's worth a shot, and oh how incredibly satisfying it would be...

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by hack

If we can nab an all-star quality defense-first big (Drummond or Davis), and that player pans out, and if Knight is the answer at PG, then we are perilously close to another superstar-free ensemble roster that just might contend. We'd have two high-quality bigs, inside scoring, a quality PG, a playoff assassin, a playoffs vet. We'd be missing either Gordon's replacement in that assassin role and a few role players. Role players are a lot easier to come by when the other pieces are in place. Even with that type of roster it would take a few more lucky bounces than usual to win a ring because of the NBA's caste system, but it's worth a shot, and oh how incredibly satisfying it would be...

I nominate this post for "the Homer of the Week Award."

Also, it is spot on.

[tin mad dog]

Who is the playoff assassin?

[Mel Kiper Jr]

I'm assuming Gordon...but maybe Prince?

Re: This Thread - I like the optimism...but really if you add an all-star quality big and turn a PG into a near all-star...wouldn't any team in the league contend?

Really...we are probably the worst team in the league now. A team like the Timberwolves have the above stuff and more talent than us on our roster...and they won't compete.

I'm not saying that we can't do this...but right now we are a team with about 5 good players on our roster and 3 of them play the same position. Stuckey, Gordon, Knight, Monroe. Guys like Prince and Jerebko are contributors but mainly role players.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by Mel Kiper Jr

Re: This Thread - I like the optimism...but really if you add an all-star quality big and turn a PG into a near all-star...wouldn't any team in the league contend?

Exactly the point!
We are very close!!

right now we are a team with about 5 good players on our roster and 3 of them play the same position. Stuckey, Gordon, Knight, Monroe. Guys like Prince and Jerebko are contributors but mainly role players.

Versatility and interchangeability of our pieces is our strength, no doubt about it!

I agree, we need to improve our depth. That's when a dominant big man comes in...

Like I said, we are close!!

[hack]

We're not close until two massive ifs break our way.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by hack

We're not close until two massive ifs break our way.

I think your view is too pessimistic
(and unbefitting this very homerist kinda thread).

[Mel Kiper Jr]

Getting the bigman that can play at near all-star level is obviously the extremely hard part. True centers are hard to find anyways and an all-star level one is going to be next to impossible to get.

[mn3]

Matt (Minneapolis)




Rubio, Knight, Irving - looks like a really great infusion of point guards in the league again, yes? It's early, but any thoughts on how they project a couple years down the road compared with the Paul, D-Will, Rose, Westbrook elite pool?
David Thorpe(12:08 PM)





I don't see any of them reaching Rose's level without a coach like TT, but all 3 have serious talent. Knight, to me, will be the best of the bunch 5 years from now.

[mn3]

Bill (Detroit)




Two guys who don't get much press - yet. Jerebko and Monroe. I love both their games. Do you see them as future core guys on great teams?
David Thorpe(12:34 PM)





Jerebko has impressed me. Core guys, yes. Top 3 guys, probably not, though Monroe might be one.

[GC_STONES]

Thorpe and I agree on both fronts.

Knight and Rubio are going to be neck and neck. Irving isn't a PG.

[hack]

Irving isn't a PG.

Certainly not in this forum.

[FadedMario]

Van Gundy, in scouting the Pistons’ first four games of the season, already sees Frank’s imprint taking hold.

“Certainly, Lawrence has put a lot of work in with their defense,” he said. “They’re working very, very hard on the defensive end and they’re trying to play at a very fast pace. They’re trying to really push the ball. They’ve got good athletes. They’re trying to up-tempo the game.”

Van Gundy, who coached against Frank’s New Jersey teams in both Miami and Orlando, knows what to expect from a Frank-coached team.

“I’ve known Lawrence for a long time,” he said. “He’s a guy who’s worked very, very hard at his profession and has become as good as anybody in the league. His teams are going to defend. They’re always going to be very well prepared. They’re going to be tough to play against – always.”

- Very cool.

[ghandi]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

Interesting tweet I saw... in the 2008 draft, Chicago, OKC and Miami drafted 1, 2 and 4.

And the odds were huge against the Bulls getting that number 1 pick.....THey would probably be about as good as the Pistons had they not had that good fortune....He's a once a decade talent.

[Stefan S]

"Interesting tweet I saw... in the 2008 draft, Chicago, OKC and Miami drafted 1, 2 and 4."

actually, it was
#1 Chicago (Rose)
#2 Miami (Beasley)
#4 Seattle/OKC (Wesbroock)

Love went #5.

[papalawrence]

Ya think Memphis would like to take that trade back (OJ Mayo - whom the wolves took with #3 - and others for Love and others)? Mn was also able to dump some salary in that deal. One of the few good things McHale was able to do for the TWolves.

[Money23]

Tough defense on the big man from Orlando hasn't diminished my homerism. That was one of the most fun Piston games in quite some time. I'm fairly convinced that Frank isn't going to let up on these guys.

[ThaMaestro]

You could really see Frank's influence last game for sure. Even BG said as much during the post game interview.