Game 2: Detroit Pistons (0-1) vs Houston Rockets (1-0) Tuesday 9PM EST on ESPN

[Pharaoh]

I personally believe Suggs is better today and has higher upside. Masai has done great but even the best GMs miss quite often. I think Suggs can be a ALL NBA guard esp with how good he is on the defensive side of the ball. Barnes is for sure the type of player he targets though.

Masai may be operating with trading Siakam in mind as well. Hes been talking to other teams all offseason. So maybe he knows Barnes will be a better fit with potential additions.

That's kind of the point though.

We don't really know all that much about what's going down as teams manage their futures.

I was a big Barnes guy if we stayed at 6. Never thought he'd go 4th

All GMs do miss cause you never know how people are wired but Barnes looks the goods. Suggs does too! It was the strongest draft in a while IMO.

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[buzzkilloton]

I personally believe Suggs is better today and has higher upside. Masai has done great but even the best GMs miss quite often. I think Suggs can be a ALL NBA guard esp with how good he is on the defensive side of the ball. Barnes is for sure the type of player he targets though.

Masai may be operating with trading Siakam in mind as well. Hes been talking to other teams all offseason. So maybe he knows Barnes will be a better fit with potential additions.

That's kind of the point though.

We don't really know all that much about what's going down as teams manage their futures.

I was a big Barnes guy if we stayed at 6. Never thought he'd go 4th

All GMs do miss cause you never know how people are wired but Barnes looks the goods. Suggs does too! It was the strongest draft in a while IMO.

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

Yeah Barnes will be good too. Agree this is a special class.

[Manocad]

We've definitely looked and felt less athletic than either of our opponents so far. That doesn't feel great, especially given we're rolling out 3 of our 5 starters (in theory) during this summer league.

We don't exactly have the most athletic core in general.

Exactly. This is why it's not as simple as saying "summer league play doesn't matter" and moving on. I'm just glad Cade has made it clear he's the best player on our team.

I'd still argue that it is since all the players are already drafted/under contract, and that it's such a small sample size that you can't say with any certainty that what you're seeing is all you're going to get. Within reason, of course. Luka Garza is never going to turn into Usain Bolt on the court.

Put it this way--based on the two summer league games and the fact that the Pistons don't look as athletic as some other summer league squads, if you're the GM are you picking up the phone right now and working on trades to bring in more athletic players? And that means moving assets, obviously. Over the course of the year the lack of relative athleticism could play itself out as needing improvement before the Pistons are able to compete for a championship. But that's after you've seen how the team looks in real games against other teams' regular season rosters.

I'm not saying summer league games are a worthless data point. I'm saying that they don't have enough value to be making any major decisions on team direction moving forward. Thus you are just watching and moving on, so to speak.

[Play007]

I'm not saying summer league games are a worthless data point. I'm saying that they don't have enough value to be making any major decisions on team direction moving forward. Thus you are just watching and moving on, so to speak.

100% agree. Don't forget these SL games are not ran by our head coach. Casey could have different settings and lineups once the real season starts.

[Moses ShamMoses]

Summer League is meant for rookie players to get acclimated to the NBA game and non-rookies to work on aspects of their game. For example, us seeing Bey force some one-on-one plays is him trying out stuff in game situations that he has been working on in individual drills. It's not a cause for concern. I'd also like to see Killian use his right hand more in Summer League, even if he looks uncomfortable doing so.

[BJK1]

Read on Twitter

[tradez401]

Read on Twitter

It's gonna be a blast watchin Cade these upcoming years.

[Yuri Vaultin]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

[Snakebites]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

Honestly his defense has been so bad that I’m unsure.

Zero rim protection.

[Yuri Vaultin]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

Honestly his defense has been so bad that I’m unsure.

Zero rim protection.

I hereby retract my accolades! Nice range on shot though.

[Manocad]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

Honestly his defense has been so bad that I’m unsure.

Zero rim protection.

I hereby retract my accolades! Nice range on shot though.

I'll continue to argue that in the role Garza would likely be slated for which is basically the third string center, his offensive capability far exceeds the defensive responsibilities he'd probably be saddled with in that role.

Similar analogy...what if Ben Wallace had average defense and rebounding? He wouldn't have been anywhere near a starting lineup, and certainly not one on a championship team. So why was he the starting center on a championship team? Because his defensive capabilities far exceeded his offensive shortcomings in the grand scheme. When you consider that Garza wouldn't be expected to start or likely even play significant minutes, I don't worry that he'd be a liability as a 14th-15th player. How many end of the bench guys have his offensive skill set?

[joeposh]

I currently look at Garza like a change of pace back in football. He's not a guy you're going to deploy regularly given the holes in his game, but when the offense is stagnant, he'll be able to rotate in and add a different element. I think it's more an x factor for the 2nd unit than anything.

[chrbal]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

Honestly his defense has been so bad that I’m unsure.

Zero rim protection.

I hereby retract my accolades! Nice range on shot though.

Regardless, he’s at best the 14th man and 3rd or 4th center on the roster. If he can develop any kind of defensive ability/skills, he’ll be a steal. If not he was a 52nd pick.

But he’s got the right attitude for the situation and he’s probably looking at a bulk of his season with the Cruise. So pressure should be minimal and honestly I think he’ll be fine

[440BB]

Garza plays with a lot of energy and draws defenders in a way that will open up lanes for slashers. That we are debating his role on the roster is quite a success for pick 52.

[Snakebites]

Cade will be just fine.

Garza has really impressed me - slimmed down and is far more nobile than i thought possible for him. Looks to a great Ryan Anderson type (stretch big who can protect the paint)

Honestly his defense has been so bad that I’m unsure.

Zero rim protection.

I hereby retract my accolades! Nice range on shot though.

Shot looks great.

If he even becomes a slighter negative on defense he could crack a rotation. We’ll see.

[treefi]

We've definitely looked and felt less athletic than either of our opponents so far. That doesn't feel great, especially given we're rolling out 3 of our 5 starters (in theory) during this summer league.

We don't exactly have the most athletic core in general.

Exactly. This is why it's not as simple as saying "summer league play doesn't matter" and moving on. I'm just glad Cade has made it clear he's the best player on our team.

I'd still argue that it is since all the players are already drafted/under contract, and that it's such a small sample size that you can't say with any certainty that what you're seeing is all you're going to get. Within reason, of course. Luka Garza is never going to turn into Usain Bolt on the court.

Put it this way--based on the two summer league games and the fact that the Pistons don't look as athletic as some other summer league squads, if you're the GM are you picking up the phone right now and working on trades to bring in more athletic players? And that means moving assets, obviously. Over the course of the year the lack of relative athleticism could play itself out as needing improvement before the Pistons are able to compete for a championship. But that's after you've seen how the team looks in real games against other teams' regular season rosters.

I'm not saying summer league games are a worthless data point. I'm saying that they don't have enough value to be making any major decisions on team direction moving forward. Thus you are just watching and moving on, so to speak.

Considering that nobody on this forum is actually the GM of the Pistons, what's the problem with pointing out what we are seeing with certain players based on summer league play? Isn't that the stuff we are supposed to talk about here as fans of the team?

[Manocad]

Exactly. This is why it's not as simple as saying "summer league play doesn't matter" and moving on. I'm just glad Cade has made it clear he's the best player on our team.

I'd still argue that it is since all the players are already drafted/under contract, and that it's such a small sample size that you can't say with any certainty that what you're seeing is all you're going to get. Within reason, of course. Luka Garza is never going to turn into Usain Bolt on the court.

Put it this way--based on the two summer league games and the fact that the Pistons don't look as athletic as some other summer league squads, if you're the GM are you picking up the phone right now and working on trades to bring in more athletic players? And that means moving assets, obviously. Over the course of the year the lack of relative athleticism could play itself out as needing improvement before the Pistons are able to compete for a championship. But that's after you've seen how the team looks in real games against other teams' regular season rosters.

I'm not saying summer league games are a worthless data point. I'm saying that they don't have enough value to be making any major decisions on team direction moving forward. Thus you are just watching and moving on, so to speak.

Considering that nobody on this forum is actually the GM of the Pistons, what's the problem with pointing out what we are seeing with certain players based on summer league play? Isn't that the stuff we are supposed to talk about here as fans of the team?

Where did I say I had a problem with anyone pointing out what they see? I very clearly stated that what has been seen in two summer league games shouldn’t be the impetus for changes in team direction or personnel. You did read that, right? It’s right there in the post you quoted.

[BallerTalk]

This thread is quite an entertaining read.
Especially having actually watched the game unfold in real time.

The game is always more fun when you have something exciting to root for or (apparently for some people) root against.

Looking forward to the schedule release