Offseason grade

[BayAreaTreyArea]

Jennings - B - we got a true nba all star caliber pg. we gave up bk but was he a pg who was going to take us to the next level? People were saying he is not a pg and you need a real one with drumm.

Kcp - A - we went for need and upgraded the roster with a position we don't have a lot of talent at. We passed on Burke but got a sg and our pg who is proven nonetheless.

J Smith - B - we bring in an all star type and don't pay him max money. Serious talent upgrade and we can trade Monroe to help more in the future.

Chauncey - A - veteran help for the young guys. Shooter and a coach on the floor.

Datome, Mitchell - ??? - we'll see although Mitchell could be the steal of this draft.

Bynum - B - good backup pg who knows Detroit and the team. Could be like jarret jack and play a nice role on this team.

Overall - B - major talent upgrades could lead to nice things. At least we tried which feels good as a fan.

[Liqourish]

Jennings- C. I think Jennings skillset fits our team better than Knights, and he has a higher ceiling. But I'm still hesitant to expect much from him. He's still a knucklehead.

KCP- A. This was a great pick, and I'm really glad the Pistons didn't take Burke just because of the Michigan connection. KCP is the better fit for our building blocks of Monroe/Drummond.

JSmoove- A. Despite what people say about spacing, Josh is a significan upgrade to our team and I believe will flourish with Monroe/Drummond.

Chauncey- A. Mr. Big Shot is a consumate vet who can really guide our young players, while playing a limited role himself. he can retire a Piston and then join the front office.

Datome/Mitchell- INC. I'm not expecting much from either, but I am intrigued.

Bynum- F. He's a waste of space. I want him gone. Tired of treading mediocre players due to loyalty.

Overall- B+. It would be an A if they got rid of Bynum. I really loathe watching him that much. I think this is a fringe playoff team of young stars that need time to grow as a unit. It'll be fun to watch.

[Defor]

Pretty much agree with Liqourish, especially on Bynum .

[tmorgan]

Pretty much. Everything but Bynum made sense.

A- from me, though, because I got exactly what I wanted -- something to look forward to, something to be a homer about, and a team that at least COULD be good as soon as late this season.

[Clarity]

B+, definitely upgraded the talent & that was the goal.

Smith & Jennings are both big time talent upgrades, both are low bball IQ players currently but hopefully our coaching staff can change that around & maximize the insane talent both have.

KCP was a good pick, a definite need. With adding Jennings KCP will fit right in as a catch & shoot guy.

Chauncey - Brilliant, he has made every team hes been on better, he is a winner. Chauncey is a major reason why I feel like Smith/Jennings can work.

Bynum - Very happy to see the only wing who looked for Drummond consistently back, their chemistry is outstanding. Love Will.

Like the Mo Cheeks hire, LOVE the Rasheed hire.

[dVs33]

Jennings - C- - I Don't like Jennings. I don't like his attitude/ego, I don't like his shot selection and i don't like his defense. The one redeeming thing he does have is court vision. If he falls into line, plays the role of playmaking and controls his horrible shots, he could be a good player for us. Right now I'm very skeptical, but he's young enough to turn it around. I think we over paid a little and i didn't like trading Knight for him, but what's done is done. Now it's on Jennings to put his head down and reach the level of PG that he was hyped to be.

KCP - A - He fits in a need perfectly. On paper, he's a great shooter, he's good solid athleticism, he's got good size and he's a solid defender. Great pick from Joe.

Smoove - B - I really didn't want Joe to sign Smith initially, but looking at the deal and the other options, it was a good signing. I do believe he is better suited to PF, but if he can split his minutes between both forward spots, he'll be valuable. He is versatile and brings a nice upgrade for our defense.

Billips - A - I like the signing. He brings actual vet leadership and he will push our young guys to play the right way. The usual fan will love him being back in Detroit, so that'll help sell a few tickets.

Datome - B - Like KCP, we can only know how he works out after playing some games, but on paper he looks to be a good fit. He's a good shooter and seems like a hard nosed hustle guy. If he can shoot consistently, he'll get minutes.

Mitchell - A - Love this pick. He's super athletic and has good shot blocking ability. For a second round pick, that's good value. Could play both forward spots even though he's more of a PF.

Bynum - C - Not sure if he'll be very happy because he won't get many minutes, but he's worth having on the bench. He wasn't very expensive, so it works.

Siva - B - I like his hustle. Doesn't have too much upside, but he plays d and can pass well. Good value for such a late pick.

Overall - B - Took some risks. Some risks higher than others. If it comes together with Cheeks it may pay off big time.

[ElectricMayhem]

Jennings- C+ I hated the move at first, but it will be interesting. Dumars is trying to repeat his magic of collecting the castaways of the league. It worked great the first time around (Championship!) and was horrific the 2nd time around CV+BG!!!) Jennings is the type of player who could take them in either direction. At least we got someone I can blame my alcoholism on.

KCP- B+. We really need the type of skill set he's got. I'll echo the sentiments that it was a better pick than Burke would've been. Now, we've just got to wait and see if he is NBA material.

JSmoove- A. Getting a player of his talent at that price was a coup. The 3rd best FA in a strong FA class went to Detroit. I've mentioned it in other places, but the last time we were searching for FAs as a losing team, we weren't even able to overpay Tim Thomas to come here. We'll work out any issues later. If a trade needs to happen, it can happen. But for now, we got great value.

Chauncey A- He won't play that much, or that great. It doesn't matter. More than anything, he is here to teach Jennings, and to teach the team in general what kind of attitude they need. Detroit has sorely missed his presence in the years past.

Datome/Mitchell- B. It's hard to grade. A for the moves, but about a C+ for the actual effect they'll have on the team. Either of them COULD turn into a brilliant move, or they could just fade into nothingness. Joe showed he's searching far and wide, though. Good choices.

Bynum- D. I don't see what we need him for. Not to mention, we overpaid. The market on PGs dried up and we could've had Nate Robinson for LESS!

Cheeks- D. We could have Hollins or Karl now. Damn. I had just talked myself into Cheeks a little when Hollins and Karl became available and lingered on. I highly doubt anyone else was going strong after Cheeks. We could've waited to see who else was out there.

Overall- B. Straight up averaging those grades gets me a B-, but Joe D. made great strides in attempting to improve the team, so it gets bumped up to a B.

[Jodi]

Jennings - A - We traded our young PG for a young more established Bad Boy PG...I think our team is the perfect fit for Jennings...

Kcp -B - I like the KCP pick...Someone said yesterday that he's an Afflalo type player, I hope that's true...

J Smith - A - Defense, Defense, Bad Boy, Defense...This is something our team desperately needed, forget that high character sh#t...

Chauncey - B - Good veteran to help mold Jennings the right way...

Datome, Mitchell - ??? - ????????

Bynum - C - Decent back-up PG...I would have signed Augustine or Jack though...

Overall - B - We're a playoff team now...

[Natopher]

Jennings - B+
If nothing else, Jennings is a significant talent upgrade over Knight. He still has problems in his game (most notably his inability to finish with his right hand). But he's got great vision, is a good passer and is one of the better A/TO PGs. He also excels in the P&R which is a necessity, and a very good asset, with our front court. He also averages nearly 2 steals a game, which will fit great with Mo Cheeks style of play (creating turnovers and pushing the pace).

Smith - A
Smtih was arguably the 3rd best free agent this offseason (and being 3rd best behind CP3 and Dwight is pretty good). He'll bring elite defense and shotblocking, while being able to play either SF or PF. I think he's better suited to the PF position, but he should be able to handle the SF no problem. Statistically the past 2-3 years he's shot the mid-range jumper about as well as Tayshaun Prince (who I've never seen people complain about due to spacing problems). If he can make 1 3pt shot a game (more than Prince ever averaged in DET) his shooting won't be a problem, and his finishing, defense and shot blocking will be significant upgrades.

Billups - B
Billups will (most likely) play backup PG this season. Even if he's getting old, he can still stretch the floor well, set the pace offensively and set up his teammates. He'll also bring a legit veteran presence that we haven't had in a while (Corey Maggette being a veteran presence was a joke) and be able to mentor and help our team. It's not a guarantee that he'll be able to stay healthy but, when he is healthy, he should be a valuable presence on the court.

Bynum - B+
The Bynum signing gets a lot of hate, but I challenge you to name a better 3rd PG in the league (I'll wait). And at the contract (5.5mil/2yr) it's a very good/moveable deal. He's also good insurance against Billups getting injured, and should help prevent us from missing a beat should he go down. Bynum might not be the difference maker every night, or even most nights, but he doesn't have to be. All he has to do is play solid if Billups goes down and he'll be worth every penny.

Datome - B
I'll give this a B, but this is really more of a wait and see grade. On paper, it looks like a great deal, but no one has seen him play in the NBA. Even if all he's capable of doing is knocking down 3s his contract isn't a bad one. Korver is essentially just a 3 point shooter and he's paid nearly 7mil per year for the next 4 years (can you say overpay?). Datome will be given a chance to provide what Korver does (3pt shooting) at a fraction of the price. Good signing.

Draft - B+
Dumars knew who his offseason targets were (Smith and an upgrade at PG) and he picked one of the better players in the draft who would fit well with that team. KCP and his 3 point shooting will fit well with this team going forward. It's uncertain whether or not he'll be able to start at SG, but his shooting and defense will still be a valuable commodity off the bench. Tony Mitchell is also a great pickup, and his shot blocking and rebounding alone will be very useful if he's able to contribute. The odds of him contributing in his first year are slim, however. But next year (apart from Smith & Monroe if you include his qualifying offer) he's our only PF guaranteed to still be on the roster.

Overall - A
Historically, teams which do not make significant changes from season to season don't improve in the standings. The additions of Smith and KCP were nice, but the roster was still mostly the same. However after adding Billups and Jennings our roster is significantly different and we upgraded our worst position (PG). There's an added emphasis on defense/rebounding, which is a breath of fresh air, and the shooting of our bench should compliment our starters very well.

[Spider156]

Jennings - B - It's definitely an upgrade from BK and I think he fits the team well. If he passes more which I believe he will with the talent around him, he'll be a good addition.

Smith - A- - Simple. The main piece that will put us through the Playoff barrier and make us fight for the second round. I don't care if he fits or not. We can work around that. But I do know he's very much an upgrade for our team.

Datome- B - I don't expect much from Gigi. If he does fill in as a role player, he'll be a nice addition and a good pick up by Dumars.

Chauncey- A - One, it's Billups. Two, he'll be a great veteran to have for our young core and our new PG. He's also a very nice back up. With him and Rasheed, you know they'll control the locker room in case Mr. Knucklehead goes off.

Bynum- B+ - Hard worker. Plays hard. We know his style. Already has good chemistry with our team. I trust him now.

KCP- A- - I see a solid player in him. Not just a Sixth Man. But more of a solid shooter and a consistent one. It's crazy that we added so many different players that KCP is now hidden. I think the pressure is off of him to do well. I think he'll be very solid going forward and will start early in the season like Monroe did.

Cheeks- B- - I don't want to give him a C yet. But I think he'll get us to the Playoffs and give a steady coach for our players' attitudes and our PG. I see him as a Rick type of coach. I think once we get to the Playoffs and steady ourselves, Cheeks will get out and we bring in a better coach a la Larry Brown type.

Overall- A - We're a Playoff team now. We didn't break ourselves financially. We're a playoff team now. Did I say that already? I think I did. We're a playoff team now.

Smith got me excited enough. But we did much more than I expected. I'm happy as of now. I think it's going to be a very exciting team to watch next season. Drummond is still the most exciting player I'm waiting to watch. Drummond is the real deal in my opinion. I can't wait until the season starts and he starts dominating the paint with Monroe and Smith. Jennings should only help. He knows what to do with the ball.