Pistons Are 2014 Championship Contenders

[vic]

Think about it:

1. It's a talent based league, talent wins 9/10 times.
2. The Pistons talent is young, not susceptible to injuries like the Lakers of last year.
3. Pistons match up well with the Miami Heat, commonly known as the best team in the league.

Lebron- JOsh Smith/tony Mitchell / Drummond
Chalmers- Jennings/Will Bynum. You know quick pgs light up the heat.
D Wade - I bet on a young super athletic and defensively aggressive KCP to slow down an old D Wade, especially if it's confidences properly built up with playing time during the regular season.
Bosh- Monroe/ Drummond

4. No one on their team can handle Andre Drummond.
Monroe feasts on the heat in the paint.
we match them in and athleticism and speed.
We match them in shooters coming off the bench.
Our point guards can penetrate their defense.
They thrive off of turnovers, and Billups can prohibit that.

5.
They beat us in experience playing together and in coaching strategy.

BUT the Pistons coach just came from a team that took a young talented team to the finals, and probably could have won it all twice if they got rid of Perkins and played with Nick Collison James Harden.

6. What better way to improve Smith and Jennings shot selection is there other than putting them on the court with Drumroe? If they don't pass the ball to Drumroe, they are mentally challenged. Andre Drummond made Will Bynum and CharleyV look like NBA starters.

So basically what you have done is you've taken the two number one shot creators on playoff teams Milwaukee and Atlanta, players with borderline all-star talent, and you put them on a team where their biggest weakness (shot selection) is going to be hidden by your two best players, Drumroe.
How is that not a formula for success?

And both Smith and Jennings have a way better assist percentage steel percentage and block percentages and Ben Gordon and Charleyv. That means they're better all-around players and not one dimensional scorers. This free-agent signing is not comparable to the BG and CV signing.

7. If we have the talent and the athleticism and the shooting to match up with the Miami Heat then what team do we not match up with?

I think when the dust settles, this is going to be an epic turnaround by Joe Dumars.
This team can go as far as Mo Cheeks, Billups, and Rasheed are willing take them, even to the finals.
You heard it here first 8.2.2013

[retrolenny]

Hold on there trigger.. We are going to be a solid team but we are NOT championship contenders. With a mean age of 23 and basically 4 new starters, there are going to be growing pains, adjustments, and chemistry that needs to be forged. The turnover on this team has been huge. I expect us to make the playoffs and perhaps win one series, IF WE'RE LUCKY. Regardless, we'll be regulars on the ESPN highlight reel. Just keeping it real!!

*EDIT: You are forgetting a few major points...

1) Miami has maturity
2) Miami has a proven coach
3) Miami has chemistry
4) Miami has the MVP of the league
5) Miami is playoff tested

The Pistons lack all of the intangibles necessary to realistically compete for a championship. It's just not realistic.

[The Moose]

Wow, come on.

We are 6-8 seed, 5 if a perfect season

[vic]

Hold on there trigger.. We are going to be a solid team but we are NOT championship contenders. With a mean age of 23 and basically 4 new starters, there are going to be growing pains, adjustments, and chemistry that needs to be forged. The turnover on this team has been huge. I expect us to make the playoffs and perhaps win one series, IF WE'RE LUCKY. Regardless, we'll be regulars on the ESPN highlight reel. Just keeping it real!!

*EDIT: You are forgetting a few major points...

1) Miami has maturity
2) Miami has a proven coach
3) Miami has chemistry
4) Miami has the MVP of the league
5) Miami is playoff tested

The Pistons lack all of the intangibles necessary to realistically compete for a championship. It's just not realistic.

I totally agree with you and that was my point in point #5. The Pistons totally lack that teambuilding year of experience that most teams need to gel. Miami definitely outperforms them in times of experience playing together.

But also consider this: Cheeks is more of a motivational coach not the strategic coach so he could end up being a doc Rivers type that happens to luck into good players and show ability to motivate them to perform.

Also Both Billips and Wallace have championship well experience, and they could be guides to the young talent and get it to Gel at a higher rate.

I'm not guaranteeing a championship or anything, I'm just saying that the pieces are there and that the Pistons are closer than everybody thinks. You cannot compare this years team to last years team, because last years team had our best player on the bench for the majority of the game.

Imagine LeBron playing 20 minutes a game for Cleveland, or Dwight Howard playing 20 minutes a game for Orlando that was last years Pistons team. In terms of minutes, the talent level on this years Pistons team is tripled.

I agree that the only thing missing is leadership and team experience, but the ingredients are there for that too.

[Natopher]

Yeah, we won't get higher than the 5 seed, and that's if one of Chicago, New York, or Brooklyn doesn't perform as they're expected. I also don't expect us to win more than 1 round in the playoffs. We still have wholes we need to fill (most notably figuring out who'll be our starting and backup SGs) and then see how the talent meshes. We're much improved, but we're no where near championship contenders.

[The Penguin]

And the Lakers with Dwight & Nash are going to win the Championship.....


It takes time for teams to mesh. It took time for Miami, Boston & LAL to mesh (LAL didn't really get there) and that was with battle tested vets. We are a bunch of kids with some guys who've gotten a sample of playoff basketball and Chauncey.

[Natopher]

I think you could make the argument that it didn't take Boston time to mesh (or at least not as much as most teams) as they came together in 07-08 and won the championship the same year. But I agree with what you're saying. We're not going to come out day one and be some sort of elite power house. The majority of our starting lineup will have never played together before. We'll have growing pains we'll have to get through before we're truly ready to compete. And that could take a couple years, or some more significant roster changes or (most likely) both.

[Minas]

Not sure if serious.

[Redeemed]

No we aren't title contenders.
That's too big of a leap into the pool of optimism.
We have talent and athleticism
We have a bench
And we have a bunch of questions:

Is Jennings teachable,
Is Jennings anywhere near the talent he appeared to be when he dropped 55 as a rookie,
Can Jennings play the role of distributor on a talented young team with weapons
Can J-Smoove operate outside of home,
Can J-Smoove stay within himself,
Can J-Smoove be dominant while being efficient,
Does Drummond have the stamina to stay on the floor for extended minutes,
What sort of improvement will Drummond display on the floor,
Will Drummond be content to play the role of dominant big man or will he feel the overwhelming need to try to play like a guard,
Can Monroe take (without hesitating) and make the 15 footer with consistency
How will Monroe mesh with J-Smoove & Drummond in the frontcourt
How long will it take them to build chemistry and mesh

Those are just a few...

[Rodya]

As built, we most definitely are not contenders. The east will likely look something like this:

1. Miami
2. Indiana
3. Chicago
4. Brooklyn
5. New York
6. Detroit
7. Washington
8. Milwaukee
9. Cleveland
10. Charlotte

Spots 2-5 are very fluid as are spots 6-10. But I think the Pistons have a legitimate shot at the 6th seed, likely settling for the 7th with losses coming often early in the season due to a lack of chemistry and familiarity. However, if we're in contention for the fifth or fourth seed come trade deadline time and Brooklyn is sputtering to the finish line, I would absolutely want Joe to make an offer for Pierce - likely a package centered around Stuckey and CV's expiring contracts.

Jennings / Billups
Pierce / KCP / Stuckey
Smith / Pierce / Singer/Datome
Monroe / Smith
Drummmond / Monroe

That line up has the potential for several playoff upsets.

[zeebneeb]

As built, we most definitely are not contenders. The east will likely look something like this:

1. Miami
2. Indiana
3. Chicago
4. Brooklyn
5. New York
6. Detroit
7. Washington
8. Milwaukee
9. Cleveland
10. Charlotte

Spots 2-5 are very fluid as are spots 6-10. But I think the Pistons have a legitimate shot at the 6th seed, likely settling for the 7th with losses coming often early in the season due to a lack of chemistry and familiarity. However, if we're in contention for the fifth or fourth seed come trade deadline time and Brooklyn is sputtering to the finish line, I would absolutely want Joe to make an offer for Pierce - likely a package centered around Stuckey and CV's expiring contracts.

Jennings / Billups
Pierce / KCP / Stuckey
Smith / Pierce / Singer/Datome
Monroe / Smith
Drummmond / Smith

That line up has the potential for several playoff upsets.

I don't know about pierce. I would rather us try and go for an up and coming ALL-STAR not one that has 1/8 of a tank left.

Contenders in 2014? No way in hell. Even if we do a big trade, landing a whale of a player at the SG slot, not this year. This team is a batch of brownies, still in the mixing stages. Its not even half-baked yet. 2years. minimum. That's if everything even works out correctly.

IF IF IF.

[Snakebites]

If literally everything breaks the right way for us and the wrong way for other teams, we COULD be looking at a 6-7 seed.

We are not contenders unless you are currently engaged in a successful conspiracy to make changes to the English language.

[retrolenny]

Hold on there trigger.. We are going to be a solid team but we are NOT championship contenders. With a mean age of 23 and basically 4 new starters, there are going to be growing pains, adjustments, and chemistry that needs to be forged. The turnover on this team has been huge. I expect us to make the playoffs and perhaps win one series, IF WE'RE LUCKY. Regardless, we'll be regulars on the ESPN highlight reel. Just keeping it real!!

*EDIT: You are forgetting a few major points...

1) Miami has maturity
2) Miami has a proven coach
3) Miami has chemistry
4) Miami has the MVP of the league
5) Miami is playoff tested

The Pistons lack all of the intangibles necessary to realistically compete for a championship. It's just not realistic.

I totally agree with you and that was my point in point #5. The Pistons totally lack that teambuilding year of experience that most teams need to gel. Miami definitely outperforms them in times of experience playing together.

But also consider this: Cheeks is more of a motivational coach not the strategic coach so he could end up being a doc Rivers type that happens to luck into good players and show ability to motivate them to perform.

Also Both Billips and Wallace have championship well experience, and they could be guides to the young talent and get it to Gel at a higher rate.

I'm not guaranteeing a championship or anything, I'm just saying that the pieces are there and that the Pistons are closer than everybody thinks. You cannot compare this years team to last years team, because last years team had our best player on the bench for the majority of the game.

Imagine LeBron playing 20 minutes a game for Cleveland, or Dwight Howard playing 20 minutes a game for Orlando that was last years Pistons team. In terms of minutes, the talent level on this years Pistons team is tripled.

I agree that the only thing missing is leadership and team experience, but the ingredients are there for that too.

I think it's great that you're excited. There is definitely reason to be excited about this team but we do have holes, and we don't know how this team is going to gel. The turnover is more than 80% if you consider PT and none of our players outside of maybe Smoove has hit their true potential. Furthermore, we don't know how this team is going to gel, what KCP or Stuck can provide, if Jennings is going to be selfless, or Smoove a functional 3. This team has some potential but I think it will probably take 3 years to compete conference champs or NBA champs. we need to mature!! A mean age of 26-28 is still young but possible.

Boston won their championship with a mean age of like 29.
Miami is the oldest team in basketball
SA right behind MIA in age

[Rodya]

@Zeeb: I agree, Pierce doesn't have a lot left in the tank, but the pickens are kind of slim when it comes to young all-star level wings on the trade block. We'll have to wait and see how he performs this year in Brooklyn, but I think he's still valuable for a playoff team looking to make a run, especially a very young and inexperienced playoff team. Actually, now looking at Pierce's contract, he is a 15 million expiring this year. Stuckey and CV won't be enough without an asset going back.

However, if we could tear him from Brooklyn without sending too much in return, I think the one year rental would be worth it. But all this took is pointless, we need to see what kind of team we have and whether KCP can contribute this year. If KCP can give us 10 ppg on good efficiency and solid D, we may not even be considering an upgrade during the season.

[Rodya]

Hold on there trigger.. We are going to be a solid team but we are NOT championship contenders. With a mean age of 23 and basically 4 new starters, there are going to be growing pains, adjustments, and chemistry that needs to be forged. The turnover on this team has been huge. I expect us to make the playoffs and perhaps win one series, IF WE'RE LUCKY. Regardless, we'll be regulars on the ESPN highlight reel. Just keeping it real!!

*EDIT: You are forgetting a few major points...

1) Miami has maturity
2) Miami has a proven coach
3) Miami has chemistry
4) Miami has the MVP of the league
5) Miami is playoff tested

The Pistons lack all of the intangibles necessary to realistically compete for a championship. It's just not realistic.

I totally agree with you and that was my point in point #5. The Pistons totally lack that teambuilding year of experience that most teams need to gel. Miami definitely outperforms them in times of experience playing together.

But also consider this: Cheeks is more of a motivational coach not the strategic coach so he could end up being a doc Rivers type that happens to luck into good players and show ability to motivate them to perform.

Also Both Billips and Wallace have championship well experience, and they could be guides to the young talent and get it to Gel at a higher rate.

I'm not guaranteeing a championship or anything, I'm just saying that the pieces are there and that the Pistons are closer than everybody thinks. You cannot compare this years team to last years team, because last years team had our best player on the bench for the majority of the game.

Imagine LeBron playing 20 minutes a game for Cleveland, or Dwight Howard playing 20 minutes a game for Orlando that was last years Pistons team. In terms of minutes, the talent level on this years Pistons team is tripled.

I agree that the only thing missing is leadership and team experience, but the ingredients are there for that too.

I think it's great that you're excited. There is definitely reason to be excited about this team but we do have holes, and we don't know how this team is going to gel. The turnover is more than 80% if you consider PT and none of our players outside of maybe Smoove has hit their true potential. Furthermore, we don't know how this team is going to gel, what KCP or Stuck can provide, if Jennings is going to be selfless, or Smoove a functional 3. This team has some potential but I think it will probably take 3 years to compete conference champs or NBA champs. we need to mature!! A mean age of 26-28 is still young but possible.

Boston won their championship with a mean age of like 29.
Miami is the oldest team in basketball
SA right behind MIA in age

Close. http://en.hispanosnba.com/teams/comparison

[retrolenny]

I totally agree with you and that was my point in point #5. The Pistons totally lack that teambuilding year of experience that most teams need to gel. Miami definitely outperforms them in times of experience playing together.

But also consider this: Cheeks is more of a motivational coach not the strategic coach so he could end up being a doc Rivers type that happens to luck into good players and show ability to motivate them to perform.

Also Both Billips and Wallace have championship well experience, and they could be guides to the young talent and get it to Gel at a higher rate.

I'm not guaranteeing a championship or anything, I'm just saying that the pieces are there and that the Pistons are closer than everybody thinks. You cannot compare this years team to last years team, because last years team had our best player on the bench for the majority of the game.

Imagine LeBron playing 20 minutes a game for Cleveland, or Dwight Howard playing 20 minutes a game for Orlando that was last years Pistons team. In terms of minutes, the talent level on this years Pistons team is tripled.

I agree that the only thing missing is leadership and team experience, but the ingredients are there for that too.

I think it's great that you're excited. There is definitely reason to be excited about this team but we do have holes, and we don't know how this team is going to gel. The turnover is more than 80% if you consider PT and none of our players outside of maybe Smoove has hit their true potential. Furthermore, we don't know how this team is going to gel, what KCP or Stuck can provide, if Jennings is going to be selfless, or Smoove a functional 3. This team has some potential but I think it will probably take 3 years to compete conference champs or NBA champs. we need to mature!! A mean age of 26-28 is still young but possible.

Boston won their championship with a mean age of like 29.
Miami is the oldest team in basketball
SA right behind MIA in age

Close. http://en.hispanosnba.com/teams/comparison

I like it... I think SA was right behing MIA when the season ended last year. Which old dude left them??

[Rodya]

@retrolemmy: McGrady.

[joseph mamah]

Think about it:

1. It's a talent based league, talent wins 9/10 times.
2. The Pistons talent is young, not susceptible to injuries like the Lakers of last year.
3. Pistons match up well with the Miami Heat, commonly known as the best team in the league.

Lebron- JOsh Smith/tony Mitchell / Drummond
Chalmers- Jennings/Will Bynum. You know quick pgs light up the heat.
D Wade - I bet on a young super athletic and defensively aggressive KCP to slow down an old D Wade, especially if it's confidences properly built up with playing time during the regular season.
Bosh- Monroe/ Drummond

4. No one on their team can handle Andre Drummond.
Monroe feasts on the heat in the paint.
we match them in and athleticism and speed.
We match them in shooters coming off the bench.
Our point guards can penetrate their defense.
They thrive off of turnovers, and Billups can prohibit that.

5.
They beat us in experience playing together and in coaching strategy.

BUT the Pistons coach just came from a team that took a young talented team to the finals, and probably could have won it all twice if they got rid of Perkins and played with Nick Collison James Harden.

6. What better way to improve Smith and Jennings shot selection is there other than putting them on the court with Drumroe? If they don't pass the ball to Drumroe, they are mentally challenged. Andre Drummond made Will Bynum and CharleyV look like NBA starters.

So basically what you have done is you've taken the two number one shot creators on playoff teams Milwaukee and Atlanta, players with borderline all-star talent, and you put them on a team where their biggest weakness (shot selection) is going to be hidden by your two best players, Drumroe.
How is that not a formula for success?

And both Smith and Jennings have a way better assist percentage steel percentage and block percentages and Ben Gordon and Charleyv. That means they're better all-around players and not one dimensional scorers. This free-agent signing is not comparable to the BG and CV signing.

7. If we have the talent and the athleticism and the shooting to match up with the Miami Heat then what team do we not match up with?

I think when the dust settles, this is going to be an epic turnaround by Joe Dumars.
This team can go as far as Mo Cheeks, Billups, and Rasheed are willing take them, even to the finals.
You heard it here first 8.2.2013

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmLA8_ADqLU[/youtube]

[Warspite]

Drugs are bad

If you said 2016 you could have an argument.


Our core is 3-4 yrs from there prime. Drummond is 7 yrs away from his prime.

[Kyrama]

Jesus. Everyone's sipping the Kool Aid already? Let's focus on seeing if we MAKE the playoffs before gushing over the idea of getting through them.