12/28: Pistons @ Cavs - 4:30

[DETermination]

Ok screw a top pick in the draft, I would rather see this team play like this more often and sneak into the playoffs. Playoff experience for our young players plus the confidence from winning is much more valuable than a top pick. I want Dre to go beast mode the rest of the season, if he can play defense like he did last night more often he will be a beast defensively.

[ImHeisenberg]

Ok screw a top pick in the draft, I would rather see this team play like this more often and sneak into the playoffs. Playoff experience for our young players plus the confidence from winning is much more valuable than a top pick. I want Dre to go beast mode the rest of the season, if he can play defense like he did last night more often he will be a beast defensively.

Exactly, I'd much rather see this level of improvement on a more consistent basis than a top 3 pick (There is no Durant or LeBron in this draft).

Trick or Treat Jennings has to temper your expectations. No way he starts knocking down 5 3's per game. But, it was fantastic for one magical afternoon.

[Lucidity]

Ok screw a top pick in the draft, I would rather see this team play like this more often and sneak into the playoffs. Playoff experience for our young players plus the confidence from winning is much more valuable than a top pick. I want Dre to go beast mode the rest of the season, if he can play defense like he did last night more often he will be a beast defensively.

Exactly, I'd much rather see this level of improvement on a more consistent basis than a top 3 pick (There is no Durant or LeBron in this draft).

Trick or Treat Jennings has to temper your expectations. No way he starts knocking down 5 3's per game. But, it was fantastic for one magical afternoon.

Yup & some of his shot selections yesterday were ridiculous. Jennings low IQ is manageable & he can be an asset when he plays under control. On no planet will he ever be a shooter though, a couple hot shooting games cant skew our minds from the facts.

Monroe had a rare off day where he couldnt make a shot to save his life but we didnt pump the ball inside enough yesterday. We must play inside out.

[Billl]

Nobody is going to hit 5 threes per game for a season, but Jennings was #5 is made 3's in 2012 and #9 in 2013. He's got that type of ability. I doubt he ever harnesses that into a consistently productive game, but it's that type of spark that makes people think he has "potential".

[bstein14]

I think if we win our next game, it will pull me out of tank mode and into hoping for wins again... its so hard because every year they have a few game stretch where they get your hopes up, only to then fall back to earth and finish 7th to 9th worst in the league... we can't be in that range again we have to either be in the playoff hunt up til the last week of the season or we need to be a bottom 5 team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick.

[need4detroit]

Nobody is going to hit 5 threes per game for a season, but Jennings was #5 is made 3's in 2012 and #9 in 2013. He's got that type of ability. I doubt he ever harnesses that into a consistently productive game, but it's that type of spark that makes people think he has "potential".

He's a very gifted passer though. He was playing extremely well before the thumb injury, and now that it looks like its fully healed, he's playing very well now. Furthermore, hes one of the few guys on the team that can get his own shot.

[Brapman]

The smart play here is to play him and use him the way we have the last two games. He's a ball-control PG, and is as quick as any PG in the game. He's showing the possibility that he could be a very good high usage PG - who gets into a rhythm when playing this way. Maybe he demonstrates consistency, maybe not - but we should find out if he can be the man going forward. In the meantime, the other smart play would be to trade (or bench, if necessary) DJ, so we can find out about and develop Dinwiddie.

Jennings is on an expiring contract next season, and Dinwiddie might be the guy who takes over from him a year from now at the trade deadline.

DJ's uninspiring and hasn't made a good transition to being a backup player. His fine statistical year was only with tons of minutes. he won't get that here.

[Billl]

Oh, he can get his own shot. He doesn't make a lot of them, but he can sure get them.

He has a very specific passing skill set. He can pass very well in space. If he's getting bumped, or driving in heavy traffic, he tends to make horrible passing decisions. Seriously, the guy has been playing with one of the top dunkers in the game for almost 2 years now and he almost never hits dre at the rim. He's got more thread-the-needle bounce passes than easy lobs.

Don't get me wrong. I'd be thrilled if Jennings suddenly "got it" and started playing efficient basketball on both ends. He's clearly putting forth the effort, but he just hasn't been very good. He's stopped taking most of the stupid shots he used to and somehow managed to shoot an even lower percentage. I don't even know how that is possible.

[DetroitSho]

I think if we win our next game, it will pull me out of tank mode and into hoping for wins again... its so hard because every year they have a few game stretch where they get your hopes up, only to then fall back to earth and finish 7th to 9th worst in the league... we can't be in that range again we have to either be in the playoff hunt up til the last week of the season or we need to be a bottom 5 team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick.

Why would it be a requirement to get a top 3 pick?

[Piston Pete]

Mudiay

[Blkbrd671]

for the first time in a long time i feel like moose wants to be here and Dre is happy to stay here

I wouldn't go that far. It's been two games...

Exactly. It's only been two games. I wouldn't go crazy and say we will go on a 30 game winning streak. But I could definitely see something in the 24-26 game area. We are legit.

wasn't saying they will, was stating how i felt. Maybe it also had something to do with for the first time this season, Detroit pistons team looked attractive

[Blkbrd671]

Nobody is going to hit 5 threes per game for a season, but Jennings was #5 is made 3's in 2012 and #9 in 2013. He's got that type of ability. I doubt he ever harnesses that into a consistently productive game, but it's that type of spark that makes people think he has "potential".

He's a very gifted passer though. He was playing extremely well before the thumb injury, and now that it looks like its fully healed, he's playing very well now. Furthermore, hes one of the few guys on the team that can get his own shot.

If i may get a hand in here on this Jennings blow job

Jennings actually shoots a high percentage on pull up three's, but for some reason he's been hesitant. Jennings is at his absolute best in transition and what we fail to recognize is having shooters around jennings also opens up space for him to operate and the past 2 games have shown it. As much as i love'd knight, jennings vision and play making ability can't be taught or developed. Its a matter of him being consistent now. much like the palyer he was before Cheeks was fired.

[RexRyan]

Go Kings beat the Nets! 6 1/2 out baby!

[bstein14]

I think if we win our next game, it will pull me out of tank mode and into hoping for wins again... its so hard because every year they have a few game stretch where they get your hopes up, only to then fall back to earth and finish 7th to 9th worst in the league... we can't be in that range again we have to either be in the playoff hunt up til the last week of the season or we need to be a bottom 5 team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick.

Why would it be a requirement to get a top 3 pick?

We've been a treadmill team for so long... not good enough to be a playoff team but never bad enough to get a top 5 pick. 6 years of being 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th worst but never actually being close to competing for that last playoff spot come April... Just need to finally either go one direction or the other I'm sick of not being a playoff team and also not having the hope and excitement that comes with drafting a player in the top 3.

[Kilo]

Nobody is going to hit 5 threes per game for a season, but Jennings was #5 is made 3's in 2012 and #9 in 2013. He's got that type of ability. I doubt he ever harnesses that into a consistently productive game, but it's that type of spark that makes people think he has "potential".

He's a very gifted passer though. He was playing extremely well before the thumb injury, and now that it looks like its fully healed, he's playing very well now. Furthermore, hes one of the few guys on the team that can get his own shot.

I think his slump also coincides with the attempt to run the offense through Smith - Stan Van's last ditch attempt at increasing/creating trade value for Smoove - and took the ball out of Jennings' hands.

[dVs33]

i just watched the game and that was very entertaining. I was actually laughing out loud during that 3rd quarter. What a great quarter of basketball. So many great performances.
I only wish Monroe was a) getting some calls and b) hitting his shots. He was getting so many good looks, but couldn't convert anything. If he was his usual self they would have won by 40.
Jennings was pure "swag" mode. Drummonds blocks early definitely scared Lebron away from the paint and when he did try late to drive, Jonas blocked him haha That made me happy. KCP, Meeks, Singler, Jerebko, butler... all just went to work. It was great to watch.

[dVs33]

I should add a small pet peeve of mine tho. Dinwiddie and Gigi should have played at least 5 minutes each in the fourth. There was no reason for them to miss out on minutes.

[DetroitSho]

I think if we win our next game, it will pull me out of tank mode and into hoping for wins again... its so hard because every year they have a few game stretch where they get your hopes up, only to then fall back to earth and finish 7th to 9th worst in the league... we can't be in that range again we have to either be in the playoff hunt up til the last week of the season or we need to be a bottom 5 team with a legit chance at a top 3 pick.

Why would it be a requirement to get a top 3 pick?

We've been a treadmill team for so long... not good enough to be a playoff team but never bad enough to get a top 5 pick. 6 years of being 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th worst but never actually being close to competing for that last playoff spot come April... Just need to finally either go one direction or the other I'm sick of not being a playoff team and also not having the hope and excitement that comes with drafting a player in the top 3.

The excitement of having a top 3 pick? It's about getting better and getting a player that can be a franchise cornerstone to go along with the young guys you already have. What's the point of a lottery or a draft if only the top 3 picks matter? Unless you'd take Evan Turner over Greg Monroe and Paul George, or MKG over Andre Drummond, being excited about a top 3 pick ain't enough. It's about adding players, and that's not exclusive to picking in the top 3.

Hell half this forum thinks Dinwiddie is the PG of the future for some odd reason and he's a 2nd round pick. I seriously can't understand how some of these same people are cringing at the potential of drafting 7th/8th. It's the biggest contradiction ever.

[bstein14]

Obviously there are top 3 busts and there are all-stars picked at 7-9 sometimes... hell Brandon Knight might be an all-star this year as he's playing well on a playoff team... but I do think a top 2 or 3 pick is something to get excited about... at least for me personally... more than another 8th or 9th pick. Truth is, if we can't start winning at an above .500 rate we need to start spending the rest of this season developing the young guys and improving internally... let Dre get in a bunch of work in the post to imrpove his game even if it means we see a lot of misses, travels, etc as we have the time to lose games this year.