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Focus on Monroe and Knight....

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/948 ... it-pistons

Outstanding. Zach Lowe is fast becoming my favorite nba writer. I love how in depth he gets when he writes about a subject. Such a welcome,e change for, all the surface level "conventional wisdom" analysis.

But boy, he really did pillorize Monroe's defense didn't he? Lol.

The only positive thing about the article is that we will continue to have cap space next summer.

The fact that we are relevant enough to actually merit some national interest and articles is truly nice to see

Here are many of Detroit's issues in one still image — Knight veering right into Monroe's rolling path after a pick-and-roll, Kirk Hinrich abandoning the punchless Stuckey on the right sideline, and Drummond trying to generate space by standing out of bounds:

Not sure whether to laugh or to cry

Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

I wouldn't go that far, but the article clearly underrates Drummond and Monroe. Also, it fails to take mediocre coaching into effect when discussing last season

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

Really? I didn't get that vibe at all. He's the one who gave us an A+ for the offseason too as I recall.

His points of A) Monroe's defense being pretty bad and B) Knight not being a real PG are hard to refute. I mean some of the points are hard to swallow because they're negative, but that doesn't mean they aren't true.

^ no that was another writer. But he did have positive things to say about the Smith signing on Bill Simmons podcast and sensibly called Simmons out on how silly his Rondo for Drunmond idea was.

Thanks for the link, rfmc.

It's a good read. Zach Lowe is the best NBA analyst I'm aware of. His analysis is so micro and astute that it can become a bore to read sometimes, because he really gets into the numbers and how it works on the floor. I wouldn't be shocked if a team offered him a job in the next couple years.

Lowe is a straight shooter. His writing is unique in that, he's never truly negative or positive, he's basically showing you the truth. Which I appreciate.

He essentially painted Monroe as the second coming of Al Jefferson, which isn't somebody you want to pay a max contract to. He reinforced the fact that Knight isn't a PG, and handed over definitive evidence of that.

Basically, expect Monroe and Knight to get a lot of trade talk up until the deadline, and again as the draft approaches if both are still in Detroit. A Monroe sign and trade could certainly be a reality by this time next year.

theBigLip wrote:The only positive thing about the article is that we will continue to have cap space next summer.

That's presuming that Monroe doesn't get a max contract, or near it, extension. If he does, most of that cap space will be sucked right up.

Of course, they can sign a max contract level player, then resign Monroe afterwards, pushing the team over the soft cap.

princeofpalace wrote:

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

I wouldn't go that far, but the article clearly underrates Drummond and Monroe. Also, it fails to take mediocre coaching into effect when discussing last season

I wouldn't say that. He's talking about what Drummond is, not playing into the "potential" game. And, he gave empirical evidence that Monroe is a lousy defender. None of what he said should have come as a surprise to anyone.

ajaX82 wrote:

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

Really? I didn't get that vibe at all. He's the one who gave us an A+ for the offseason too as I recall.

His points of A) Monroe's defense being pretty bad and B) Knight not being a real PG are hard to refute. I mean some of the points are hard to swallow because they're negative, but that doesn't mean they aren't true.

That was Andrew Sharpe that gave Detroit an A+. He isn't quite the analyst that Lowe is.

Fantastically depressing....

I really am starting to struggle to see a way a Drummond-Monroe-Smith frontcourt can work. I'm really hoping the plan is really pairings of Drummond/Smith, Monroe/Smith, Drummond/Monroe with a shooter on the court at all times.

I don't think we necessarily need a point guard (Knight is perfectly capable of dribbling a ball up the court) but we do need a dominant wing scorer/creater. Teams like the Lakers and Heat have gotten plenty of mileage out of not having a "point guard". I think Joe knows this and it's the main reason for the Rondo/Jennings rumors.

ImHeisenberg wrote:

ajaX82 wrote:

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

Really? I didn't get that vibe at all. He's the one who gave us an A+ for the offseason too as I recall.

His points of A) Monroe's defense being pretty bad and B) Knight not being a real PG are hard to refute. I mean some of the points are hard to swallow because they're negative, but that doesn't mean they aren't true.

That was Andrew Sharpe that gave Detroit an A+. He isn't quite the analyst that Lowe is.

Re-reading the Andrew Sharpe article I'm kind of wondering if "Andrew Sharpe" is the name Bill Simmons uses when he wants to write a satirical piece.

Piston Prince wrote:Re-reading the Andrew Sharpe article I'm kind of wondering if "Andrew Sharpe" is the name Bill Simmons uses when he wants to write a satirical piece.

Why on Earth would Simmons write under a pseudonym? 75% of his articles are satire! This is a guy who wrote a 3000 word article about Shawn Michaels when he retired from the WWE. He isn't worried about maintaining some kind of image.

ajaX82 wrote:

ComboGuardCity wrote:Drummond = Chandler in this. Its a biased hate piece that makes me think Monroe stole his girlfriend.

Really? I didn't get that vibe at all. He's the one who gave us an A+ for the offseason too as I recall.

His points of A) Monroe's defense being pretty bad and B) Knight not being a real PG are hard to refute. I mean some of the points are hard to swallow because they're negative, but that doesn't mean they aren't true.

He doesn't talk about Monroe's play making at all and paints Drummond's ceiling as a Chandler clone which I think is worst case scenario at this point. I also agree Monroe is an atrocious help D guy but his man defense has improved and that's what he's going to be asked to do. In addition, he alluded to our offense won't be much better than it was with Max. This article hinges on the fact that all our guys plateau and that's a fatal flaw to all the reasoning presented imo.

ImHeisenberg wrote:Thanks for the link, rfmc.

It's a good read. Zach Lowe is the best NBA analyst I'm aware of. His analysis is so micro and astute that it can become a bore to read sometimes, because he really gets into the numbers and how it works on the floor. I wouldn't be shocked if a team offered him a job in the next couple years.

Lowe is a straight shooter. His writing is unique in that, he's never truly negative or positive, he's basically showing you the truth. Which I appreciate.

He essentially painted Monroe as the second coming of Al Jefferson, which isn't somebody you want to pay a max contract to. He reinforced the fact that Knight isn't a PG, and handed over definitive evidence of that.

Basically, expect Monroe and Knight to get a lot of trade talk up until the deadline, and again as the draft approaches if both are still in Detroit. A Monroe sign and trade could certainly be a reality by this time next year.

Correct.

This is a very unbiased, fact based article. It's just a fantastic write-up. He clearly pinpointed the real and major issues with the "core" of the team.

Lowe's a great writer and analyst (for a writer).

Now - we will need to see improvement from every young core player on our roster - but we knew that. This article pinpoints exactly where those breakthroughs need to be.

The thing with young players is if they work hard, they improve. The open quesition is how much will Knight, Monroe and Drummond improve. We know Knight is the hardest worker out there, so he has a chance. And I expect Monroe to improve a lot - the guy has a very high BB IQ, and he must know this is a critical year for him and the team.

As for Dre' - he's demonstrated a fantastic ability to learn and grow in a short time. I have no fears or questions that he gets it and that he'll maximize his unbelieveable talent.

One thing that was never mentioned - the "Sheed" factor. Certainly our frontcourt D will improve under his guidence.