If Smith and Jennings buy in, what will roles be under SVG?

[tmorgan]

I really need to make an alt account named "Jupiter" so I can continually keep telling Neptune "You're pulling these crazy opinions out of Uranus" and maybe get him to come down to Earth.

[Neptune]

Folks gotta try to remember it's about match-up and who's playing well. Our bigs have to understand that if they're having an "off-night" they'll probably only play 27mins that night. It's about making sacrifices to win ball games and hopefully Monroe is informed about this before re-signing. Having 3 bigs who are all interchangeable is a luxury other teams droll over. I'm excited about next season with SVG coaching our big 3

When it comes to Smith starting at the 3, we don't have any 3's that will out-play him during training camp. And none of them (outside of Smith) are good defenders or rebounders.


@tmorgan: lol! You got me and my co-workers over here laughing.

[tmorgan]

Eh, you're a good sport about your brand of crazy. That's why I like ya.

[Redeemed]

Both are going to start, it's not even a question.

Both Smith and Monroe? Starting again?

LOL! I'm kidding. But no, I don't see a viable scenario where both guys start again this year. SVG spoke on that earlier when he first took the position. Both will not start, but both will play a big role if both stay with the Stones.

Show me where SVG verbally said, "both will not start".

It's known that our big 3 can't play 48 minutes together but Smith will start at the 3 for a couple of minutes in the 1st quarter then shift to the 4. Folks will be disappointed if they think Smith(who makes 14mil) will come off the bench.

SVG thoughts from a Mlive article:

"Essentially, the coach likes having the trio.

He doesn't like the idea of them playing together. He stopped short of saying someone has to come off the bench, though not much short, saying all three players could average about 32 minutes each, with Drummond at center, Smith at power forward and Monroe splitting time at the two positions.

"I would say from what I've seen so far that we will not play that lineup nearly as much as they did this past year," Van Gundy said. "Again, I don't want to get too far down the road because I haven't coached them yet, but I don't see that being our best lineup by any means. I see that as a tremendous three-man rotation up front, perhaps as good as anybody else in the league has."

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... troit.html

Now SVG likes the big three. He thinks they could be one of the best three man rotations up front in the league. Best three man rotation is not typically the language you use when referring to your STARTERS. Additionally, SVG does not see having them on the court together as the Pistons' best lineup. Wouldn't you want to start your best lineup?

We can add to this SVG quotes about seeing Drummond & Moose as cornerstone pieces of the franchise. He frequently spoke of pairing those two in particular during his press conference. So those things speak to me of a need t convert that starting front court into a rotation of players occupying same/similar positions.

You may not agree, but I hope this clarifies my thinking on the matter.

[Redeemed]

From Detroit Bad Boys

In his initial press conference and first several interviews, three things about Stan Van Gundy became crystal clear. First, he loves Andre Drummond. Second, he loves Greg Monroe. Third, he believes that Monroe and Drummond can be a very special frontcourt pairing for a long time to come.

If SVG sees them as a special frontcourt pairing, that suggests he sees them as starting together.

Speaking of Josh Smith's role SVG says

Josh Smith, put in the right spots, is an outstanding player. You put Josh down on the right block, in the low post or even on a short isolation - 12 feet, 15 feet from the basket - he can get to the rim. He's outstanding.

Ok SVG is big on spacing, that we can agree on. If he's talking about putting Josh in spots where he can succeed, he wants him close to the basket. That would mean having no spacing or playing the three as rotational pieces. So reading between the lines, some will come off the bench and the strongest candidate for it appears to be Josh Smith.

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2014/6/12 ... -offseason