RealGM

I'm going to do this from the "perspective of status" -- what our current assets are. I'm not willing to speculate too much on free agents (since it's unlikely we're going to spend huge money on this motley group of talent) or trades since we cannot foresee who the heck teams are going to give up.

Big time obvious assets:

1) Drummond
2) Monroe

The two "duhs." Very obviously we're building around them. And for great reason, they both should become great players, and Drummond could become one of the top 5 players in the game within a few seasons. Any team with those two has a big future. It'll take time, but it'll be worth it. Every other rebuilding team is jealous of the Pistons because of this duo.

Very possibly very fine assets:

3) Knight
4) Singler and Middleton.
5) Maybe JJ, too

Knight's a guy any team wants - huge heart, big time athlete, super hard worker, plays through any injury (and he had major injuries to his legs/feet this season), great shooter. We don't know is position, but we know he's a core player going forward. Possibly there'll come a time when he's traded, but if so, it's for a big time player.

Singler and Middleton are likely keepers. Both wing players who can shoot and defend, especially Middelton. Consider:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/922 ... m-suggests

As the league changes, certain skills become more and less valuable, and the teams who sniff out those value shifts first reap the benefits. The NBA today is much different than it was even five years ago. Teams shoot many more 3-pointers, they cram the paint on defense, and they use schemes that often require players to be able to guard multiple positions. Being a wing in a Thibodeau-style pack-the-paint scheme requires smarts, effort, and crazy athleticism — the ability to move from the 3-point line to underneath the basket and then back out to the 3-point line within the same 15-second half-court sequence.

If I were running an NBA team — ha! — I'd be scouring the world for role players who can do all of the following three things:

• Defend shooting guards.

• Defend small forwards.

• Shoot 3-pointers proficiently.

This is the perfect role player, a sort of New Age Shane Battier.

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More Intriguing But Unknown Young Guys
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• Kyle Singler: Singler shot 35 percent from deep and provided some valuable spacing for the shooting-challenged Pistons while logging time at both wing positions. Has to prove he can hold his own defensively.

• Khris Middleton: Detroit is high on Middleton's potential to become precisely this sort of player, but he attempted just 45 3s and didn't receive consistent minutes (or really any meaningful minutes at all) until the last month of the season.

IMO, we rock and roll with Singler and Middleton, and possibly even JJ who can potentially be a hybrid type who can guard 3's and stretch 4's enough and also be a hustling crash the boards type who can also knock down 3 pt shots. JJ showed me a lot the last month.

Other assets: cap space and expiring contracts

Stuckey, CV - I don't trust Stuckey anymore, although on paper he makes sense to start the season with us. By midseason, both of these contacts could be major gets for any team trying to get under the cap in preparation for the summer of 2014 or to avoid luxury taxes. I've no problem if, strategically, Joe hangs onto both of these guys going into the season. Stuckey really could provide short term stability at the PG position and he has the size/strength and ball-handling ability that Knight has to have if we start him at SG.

Offseason Acquisition and Drafting Plan

We have three needs assuming we're committed to the development of our existing assets - which I think is the best plan.

1) PG of the future. Draft a big one (MKG or the German guy or McCollum if we're convinced he's a top young PG, which I'm not sure about right now),or trade for one if we can. No idea who's available.

2) If not a PG, draft a big man to play in rotation with our two young stars - or make a trade for or sign one one. It'd be ideal if the big could shoot and defend. Len maybe, and the scouting reports still seem to say that Zeller could turn into the ideal complimentary player in a few seasons. A stretch 4 who can also rebound and be a presence in the lane - this does sound like Len

3) A super defender who can defend the 1 and the 2 - that's Oladipo. Alternatively, this is a place where it's likely that we'll spend some of our cap money.

The Brapman #1 best plan of eternity is not to panic, not to overspend, and to build around assets that I'm pretty convinced are in place. The 4 key assets in place in my humble opinion are Drumroe, Knight and Middleton. I love Middleton and think he's the ideal guy. I would not trade for or draft a player at his SF position.

Completely agree on Middleton, think he can be an excellent '3 and D' guy and seems to have a lot of potential

In a dreamy world:

Darren (Warwick, Australia): With the Bulls figuring to pay the luxury tax again next season, combined with the emergence of Jimmy Butler, is there any chance the Pistons could land Luol Deng? I’m not an NBA general manager, but I think he’d be good in a Pistons jersey.

Langlois: Deng would be good in any jersey, Darren. I think you’re barking up the right tree, but maybe at the wrong branch. This is precisely the type of deal the Pistons will be looking to make – looking at franchises that are facing a cap crunch and gauging which players might be made available. You’d have to believe the Bulls are intrigued by the cost-saving possibilities of sliding Butler into Deng’s small forward spot, not just to save tax dollars but to allocate money to other needs. No, Butler isn’t Deng, but can he be close enough in another year that the Bulls would be better off spending some of the savings on another player or two? The hurdle in completing the deal would be twofold, as I see it from a thousand-yard perspective: (1) Would the Bulls want to risk alienating Derrick Rose by trading away one of his two most reliable teammates (Joakim Noah the other) perhaps a year too soon; and (2) would they be willing to deal Deng to a division rival, especially one with the antagonistic history the Pistons share with them?

I like the idea of not blowing the wad at the first chance... agree that Middleton has a future at SG/SF.
Deng has the tools yet may come at a hefty price.
For the PG I'm leaning towards a vet with experience... not illuminating Burke... but would have to consider defending Rose & Irving in our division.

I agree with on Middleton, I just dont see him as a starting caliber player...

I think one of our needs you left out of your post is a scoring wing. We lack perimeter scoring and without it teams are just going to pack the paint and decrease the effectiveness of Moose and Drummond.

Minas wrote:I think one of our needs you left out of your post is a scoring wing. We lack perimeter scoring and without it teams are just going to pack the paint and decrease the effectiveness of Moose and Drummond.

I think you guys should try to go after Jordan Hamilton assuming you go with McCollum or Oladipo as your off-guard. He has high potential to be a lethal perimeter scorer and he should come cheap at this point since George Karl has decided he hates him (Why? No one knows).

Minas wrote:I think one of our needs you left out of your post is a scoring wing. We lack perimeter scoring and without it teams are just going to pack the paint and decrease the effectiveness of Moose and Drummond.

Actually, my thinking is that Middleton is going to be that scoring wing - and not just a 3 pt shooter, but an all-around scorer. I think he could become a borderline all-star in the right situation - and right now, unless the Pistons get lucky and draft a big scoring star or trade for one, I think Middleton's in the right situation to blossom.

The thing with the Pistons is that our young core guys are unselfish. Monroe prefers making the pass to taking it on his own. Knight's unselfish. Drummond's a fine passer. Singler moves the ball, and so does Middleton. I don't know that we're building a team that needs a league leading scorer, but that, instead, we're building an old style Pistons team where the key guys share the scoring load, even though they might be capable of much more. I want guys who are very talented and who fit into that mode. Middleton, IMO fits beautifully into what we're building.

Watching the Bulls tonight beating the Nets pretty handily without three key players, Rose, Heinrich and Deng.

As our team develops, we can get to the highest echelons in this league IF our guys compete the way the Bulls compete. Noah is a fantastic player. I hate him, but he's a winner and competes as hard as any player in the game, ever, and way harder than most.

I can see a day when Drummond is that dominant, perhaps more so, although Noah is a legit 7 footer, fast as hell, a great passer, rebounder and shot blocker.

I can see a day when Monroe is a better player than Boozer, although Boozer's a great offensive PF as a scorer, and playing with Noah, his defensive liabilities are covered up.

But no matter what, we've got to compete the way that team competes. Not many teams do. Brooklyn doesn't and that's why they're going fishing.

I don't believe Singler is an average defender. Middleton has potential to fit a battier mold, but I highly doubt he'll live up to it defensively.

Detroit needs an athletic wing with a nose for playing defense. I don't mind if his jumper is raw. His minutes can be scaled back during crunch situations.

Detroit's back court is too undersized, too streaky, and are all ball dominant. The team should prioritize specialists this offseason. No tweeners and hybrids, just guys you can expect to do something particularly well.

Surrounding Monroe and Drummond with shooters that can play defense should give Detroit at least 10 more wins.

Ford's lottery generator has us picking, in this order: McLemore, Porter, Oladipo, Bennett and Shabazz.

I still think it's setting up perfectly for us to draft MCW - and that he'll be our choice. Ford has one team picking MCW in front of us: the Kings. But their first choice is Bennett.

Personally, I like the idea of Oladipo and/or Bennett if we don't get MCW. I also like Pope and haven't given up on the idea of drafting McCollum.

Minas wrote:I think one of our needs you left out of your post is a scoring wing. We lack perimeter scoring and without it teams are just going to pack the paint and decrease the effectiveness of Moose and Drummond.

I think wing scoring is the most. We could always bring back Calderon for a few years if we can't get Burke in the draft.