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Hey all.

So I've got a new theory and figured it's time to get some feedback. As always, take this for what it is — nothing more than one fan's ever-evolving opinion.

I've noticed a common theme amongst the NBA's final four teams this season — they all feature lineups with multiple players who can act as a facilitator for their offense (Hill/Stephenson/George, Chalmers/Wade/James, Westbrook/Jackson/Durant, and the Spurs have almost too many to count). I think this is key because defenses can focus on getting the ball out of one guy's hands, but your TEAM offense won't bog down if there's someone else on the floor who can get easy buckets for his teammates.

Right now, the Pistons have MAYBE two facilitators in Jennings and Monroe, and I stress maybe because Monroe has never truly been used in that role (i.e. the way the Spurs run their offense through Duncan in the high post). And while I'm high on KCP's potential as our long term SG, he's really not a facilitator. So, assuming that roster changes are forthcoming and judging by which teams are having the most success and by SVG's time in ORL (where he had a prime Turkoglu in such a role), should the Pistons be targeting "point forward" candidates at SF above all else? Even more than a 3&D outside shooter, do we need another player who can trigger our offense and especially create easy shots for our bigs?

As far as solutions go, the good news is that there are a number of players available in free agency this year who could fit that bill, but the bad news is that the best of 'em aint gonna come easily or cheaply (namely, Stephenson and Hayward). Assuming we can't land one of them, what about Evan Turner? He'll certainly come cheaper, and we could potentially steal him while Indy is focused on keeping Lance. My other thought would be to try to trade back into the mid-late first round and target Kyle Anderson from UCLA.

Just trying to kick around different ways to reconstruct our team, so thanks for reading; I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

I'm not a big Evan Turner fan, not a good defender and not a great perimeter shooter. Would much rather offer Stephenson a deal that Indy won't match (due to luxury tax). Stephenson would fit the ball handling/facilitator role better than Evan Turner.

A Jennings/Stephenson/KCP 3 guard rotation would be good.

I completely agree with this concept. It seems most want to run an Orlando-esque "4 out - 1 in" offense and just surround Drummond with 4 guys who can shoot the ball. You hit the nail on the head of what I would like to see and my two favorite targets - Stephenson & Hayward. If we were somehow able to add both of them we could have a lot of motion in the offense, constantly switching Jennings-Lance-Hayward running different P&R's with either Monroe or Drummond. Stan did a lot of this with Hedo & Nelson, he would have either one of them switch off and run the P&R with Dwight/Gortat and have guys like Rashard/Lee/Anderson/Richardson spotting up to stretch the D. The best teams have offenses that are constantly moving, switching ball handlers and pickers. I think KCP has potential in this type of system, not so much as a creator but as a guy who can run off screens and shoot like Rip used to or how Miami uses Allen. Hayward & Stephenson would be the rich man's version of this, but Turner is another useful player you identified. If we miss on all the big names in FA (and we likely only have room to add one of them) then splitting our cap between a guy like Turner or Shaun Livingston and a guy like Meeks, Morrow or Anthony Tolliver could allow us to run a poor man's version of Stan's old Orlando offense.

Most are hung up on needing shooters and that's a big need, but we really need a wing who can create something to take some of the responsibility away from Jennings.

I think we need to run every offense around Monroe, start the plays in the post and look for the guy who was open. Monroe is a great passer, I hope he could get better his ball protection and duck down, but if SVG can get the best of Jennings and makes him not a stupid player, we could have 2 great passers in the team to play inside-outside. That's the way Pistons need to play.

Trust me, you do not want Evan Turner, no matter how many times we tried to convince you to take him for Monroe this year. (-:

Turner will rack up a few assists, but only at the cost of being extremely ball dominant with very low efficiency. For years we heard all about the guys who were holding Turner back, coaches, other players, referees, etc, till we figured out the one holding him back is Evan Turner. He has role player talent, barely, with an all-star view of himself. I agree on the multiple ball handler theory, Iggy was great at that for us, but Turner is not that guy. Maybe with your second rounder you can get a guy like Spencer Dinwiddie, or if you want a big that can spread the floor and pass, sign Spencer Hawes.

Great observation and I generally agree on principle. However, most teams don't have a center with Drummonds potential to dominate and that does change things. If Monroe was still our C with Smith at PF I think you'd be onto something, but even marquee teams would be playing to their centers strength if they had that sorta player.

You know what is even easier than having multiple creators? Having a big man who commands a double team!!! Open looks galore. You still need good ball movement to find the open man, and the best teams have that dynamic complementary wing (Kobe, Manu, etc) but it still starts inside. Spacing is more important for us than playmaking, which is why everybody is talking about shooters.

I'm not against upgrading or adding ball handling, but without the ability to space the floor they will only be driving into traffic and forcing passes into narrow spaces.

With Jenning's lack of being a "ELITE" floor general, having a small forward or shooting guard capable of running the offense would definitely provide some benefits. I like that you're thinking in a different way.

The Pacers have no facilitators on their team. Those guys can't handle a full court press, let alone a double team in the P&R. High IQ players is the theme among legit title contenders, and the Pacers are far from legit, as they have few. David West and Luis Scola to say the least.

I will somewhat piggyback the suggestion in the OP. However, having a high IQ is a priority with anyone that will dominate the ball like Jennings, LeBron, WestBrook, etc. The problem, is that Detroit has no players with high IQ's on the court. They don't know the value of a possession. That's why this team won't go extremely far with it's current makeup.

Detroit could get everyone to fall in line if they had a ball dominant player that's extremely smart. That's ultimately what this team has been missing since Billups was traded.

Bingo. Why do you think I've been lobbying for Hayward all this time?

KCP will never be a big time contributor, but he's the kinda player who won't take a bad shot and keeps the ball moving. You need those players too.

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DocRI wrote:Hey all.

So I've got a new theory and figured it's time to get some feedback. As always, take this for what it is — nothing more than one fan's ever-evolving opinion.

I've noticed a common theme amongst the NBA's final four teams this season — they all feature lineups with multiple players who can act as a facilitator for their offense (Hill/Stephenson/George, Chalmers/Wade/James, Westbrook/Jackson/Durant, and the Spurs have almost too many to count). I think this is key because defenses can focus on getting the ball out of one guy's hands, but your TEAM offense won't bog down if there's someone else on the floor who can get easy buckets for his teammates.

Right now, the Pistons have MAYBE two facilitators in Jennings and Monroe, and I stress maybe because Monroe has never truly been used in that role (i.e. the way the Spurs run their offense through Duncan in the high post). And while I'm high on KCP's potential as our long term SG, he's really not a facilitator. So, assuming that roster changes are forthcoming and judging by which teams are having the most success and by SVG's time in ORL (where he had a prime Turkoglu in such a role), should the Pistons be targeting "point forward" candidates at SF above all else? Even more than a 3&D outside shooter, do we need another player who can trigger our offense and especially create easy shots for our bigs?

As far as solutions go, the good news is that there are a number of players available in free agency this year who could fit that bill, but the bad news is that the best of 'em aint gonna come easily or cheaply (namely, Stephenson and Hayward). Assuming we can't land one of them, what about Evan Turner? He'll certainly come cheaper, and we could potentially steal him while Indy is focused on keeping Lance. My other thought would be to try to trade back into the mid-late first round and target Kyle Anderson from UCLA.

Just trying to kick around different ways to reconstruct our team, so thanks for reading; I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

interesting theory. would Deng be considered an ideal target? and how about GR3 if we were to move into the late first? I think this kid is worth taking a chance on. he's got solid role player, to border line all-star potential at the wing. if developed right he can be a steal down the road.

That's what I've been saying, you don't always need one great, distinct playmaker, you just multiple good playmakers. Jennings is gonna be Jennings, so just have multiple ball handler to share the load, let everyone touch the rock before they shoot


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E-Z wrote:I will somewhat piggyback the suggestion in the OP. However, having a high IQ is a priority with anyone that will dominate the ball like Jennings, LeBron, WestBrook, etc. The problem, is that Detroit has no players with high IQ's on the court. They don't know the value of a possession. That's why this team won't go extremely far with it's current makeup.

I would classify monroe, singler, and even KCP as high-IQ players. Drummond's learning more by the day too. Along with his developing post game, I've even seen him facilitate some from the high post, something I'm sure he learned from playing with moose.

And to piggy back off of what someone said earlier, I think Monroe at the PF can be that big that commands double teams. He and Drummond already have great chemistry together, and with dre's emergence, they can truly be devastating together. Imagine what we could do with a few shooters around them...

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wallacex2jc wrote:Jennings is gonna be Jennings

Quote of the century.

Thank you to everyone for your awesome responses and mostly positive feedback! In no particular order …

Cow — You are 100% correct, the Pistons should be focusing literally every aspect of our team around Drummond. However, to play devil's advocate, wouldn't it be easier to make the most of him on offense if we had multiple players who could get him the ball when and where he wants it? It other words, I don't think it's a choice between choosing floor spacers or facilitators; in an ideal world, I think we can have both (i.e. like the Spurs). And as Ghost wrote, this is could be beneficial if your PG is Brandon Jennings instead of, say, Steve Nash in his prime. As such, I'd prefer to add a guy who's both a good shooter and a good playmaker (Stephenson, Hayward, or even Turner) as opposed to a guy who's only a great shooter (Ariza, Korver, etc.).

DC — I'm a U of M fan, and I really like GR3, but I just don't see him as a "point forward." Don't get me wrong, I'd jump all over him if we could draft him at #38 'cuz he's way more valuable than that pick, but I've never seen him run an offense; in my mind, he's another player of KCP's ilk. And again, that could work for us with a maestro-artist at PG, but I doubt Jennings is that guy. More or less ditto all of this about Deng stylistically, but he's older and will be F-A-R more expensive.

Piston Prince and Jak — Love your visions of our offense (probably 'cuz they're so similar mine!). And I think you nailed KCP's best usage; to put it another way, if we're the Spurs, he's Danny Green.

E-Z— I honestly think we're saying the same thing, only I'm using the term "facilitator" and you're using "high IQ" (pot-TAY-to versus po-TAH-to). However, my point is that successful teams have more than one smart ball dominant player 'cuz defenses can take one guy away, but they can't scheme to take away multiple playmakers. In other words, if Jennings is the only guy who can feed Drummond and our opponents take the ball out of his hands, than they've successfully removed Drummond from the equation and our other players will just stare at their palms and then jack a bad shot as the shot clock expires rather than continuing to run a cohesive team offense.

The reason why the Utah Jazz struggled so much in the playoffs is because they never had a 2nd guy until Hornacek so you are on to something.