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I'm just trying to figure out how in 2020/2021 Detroit thinks Svi or Josh Jackson is guarding any 2 in this league. And Same issue with Sekou at the 3. The league is getting smaller and quicker, particularly in the 4th quarter and Detroit has put together a roster of guys all guarding down one spot from where they should. Blake should be guarding more 5s. Sekou guarding 4s. Svi and jackson guarding 3s.

The Grant and Plumlee deals are real head scratchers. Grant being horribly overpaid (especially in light of deals signed by Wood and Gallinari) and Plumlee getting 3 years (or at least 2 with an option, details to be revealed) seems crazy when you want to develop Bey and Stewart and Sekou. For that matter they obviously saw something in Musa as well, he is a 3/stretch 4. Just a big log jam in the front court while the backcourt is paper thin. No real 2 on the team. PG relying largely on a young rookie with a ton of developing to do and rose, who will miss half the games and max out at 25mpg a night. I foresee Wright playing a lot of 2 because Svi/Jackson can't guard at the 2 and with other teams playing smaller. Maybe Bey can guard 2s.

JNewton wrote:A lot of these moves are headscratchers for sure, but at the end of the day, the Pistons are going to be pretty bad for the next 3 years or so and have all of their first rounders (the pick sent out to Houston won't be conveyed any time soon), so I suppose that's all that really matters. Just need some lotto luck for the first time since Darko.

But don't teams tanking and generally planning on being bad for 3 years have better draft assets? That's the head scratcher to me. Maybe I'd feel better if I thought anyone was looking to send back firsts (even the needle in a haystack late 1st round picks too many teams over value) for Plumlee or Grant, but those contracts aren't easily moved IMO. Blake, barring finding his 2018 form isn't going to get you anything this season. Rose might get you a 2nd at the break. I'm just not seeing the assets to bring in draft picks and you never want to fully bet that the previous regime nailed it with a 15th pick and that you will nail all three of a 7, 16, and 19 pick. the NBA doesn't work that way. once you leave the top 5 the rate of true difference makers falls precipitously, And outside the lottery it gets down to 10% or less on finding a stone cold starter and down below 50% on finding a rotation guy. Once you hit the 20s, you find a star every 3 or 4 years, a rotation guy about 15% and the rest wash out or at best ride the end of the bench. that's why teams STOCKPILE 1sts. Because you are going to miss.

This is far from a finished product though.
Just hang in there fellas more moves are coming
Our crazy GM said he was gonna;
Attack the draft-check
Attack free agency-check
Attack the trade market-coming up now. Get readyyyyyyyyy

Comdukakis wrote:I'm just trying to figure out how in 2020/2021 Detroit thinks Svi or Josh Jackson is guarding any 2 in this league. And Same issue with Sekou at the 3. The league is getting smaller and quicker, particularly in the 4th quarter and Detroit has put together a roster of guys all guarding down one spot from where they should. Blake should be guarding more 5s. Sekou guarding 4s. Svi and jackson guarding 3s.

The Grant and Plumlee deals are real head scratchers. Grant being horribly overpaid (especially in light of deals signed by Wood and Gallinari) and Plumlee getting 3 years (or at least 2 with an option, details to be revealed) seems crazy when you want to develop Bey and Stewart and Sekou. For that matter they obviously saw something in Musa as well, he is a 3/stretch 4. Just a big log jam in the front court while the backcourt is paper thin. No real 2 on the team. PG relying largely on a young rookie with a ton of developing to do and rose, who will miss half the games and max out at 25mpg a night. I foresee Wright playing a lot of 2 because Svi/Jackson can't guard at the 2 and with other teams playing smaller. Maybe Bey can guard 2s.

No one on the roster can guard a two and be a plus player at the current time. Weaver is about 2-3 trades away from a balanced roster. Or he’s 2-3 trades away from making us bigger and Casey committing a homicide. At least that would get us more ping pong balls.....

Pistons will finish 5th or better in the Eastern Conference in the 2020-2021 season
with this lineup (no particular order):

Rose/Hayes/Wright/Hands
Jackson/Svi
Grant/Bey/Musa
Griffin/Sekou/Stewart
Okafor/Plumlee/Bradley

If you have vision you can create new models of success.

It will be entertaining.

He defends 1-4

I know its early and more moves likely to come but I'm starting to conceptualize the starters and backups. Keeping it simple at this point on purpose and not listing same player twice at multiple positions. The good news is we still look like a lottery team after all this turnover!


PG: Killian Hayes (24) / Rose (24) --- Intriguing combo

SG: Delon Wright (30) / Svi (18) --- Yeah, Not good. I miss Brown already...

SF: Jerami Grant (33) / Sadiq Bey (15) --- Probably our best position if Bey is as-advertised

PF: Blake Griffin (28) / Doumbouya (20) --- Position up in the air with unknowns of Blake's health and Sekou's readiness/development

C: Plumlee (28) / Isaiah Stewart (20) --- I have a good feeling Stewart will win the backup center role with his tenacity and work ethic

Other Notable Guys:

Josh Jackson - There is a chance he takes minutes from Svi eventually, but I went with Svi initially as I know Casey is a fan.
Zhaire Smith - Probably G-league bound to start the year.
Dzanan Musa - Competing with Bey for backup forward minutes. I think he gets some chances throughout the year but might be situational minutes to start the year..
Jahlil Okafor - Competing with Stewart for backup center minutes

Global Game wrote:He defends 1-4

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Grant is definitely a good player. However, the questions are:
1) Is this the appropriate way forward for this team... at this point in time? The disappointment comes from the fact that most of the fanbase on this forum expected a full rebuild and the draft day moves seemed to indicate the same thing.
2) Why overpay for Grant? It's not like this signing is going to put the team over the top. So, why spend 20M/year on him?

McGruder will not be stretch released afterall as the Wright for Ariza trade opened up enough space to not have to stretch Rodney. So his $5.3M is on the books and he's still a Piston as of now. Dedmon will still be stretched for $2.9M over each of next five years. However if Dedmon signs for 3M to play elsewhere that would knock $1M off that number. He should easily do that the next few years. If he signs for $5M a year that knocks 2M off the stretch cap hit.

It will be a very entertaining season.

rmfc wrote:

Global Game wrote:He defends 1-4

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Grant is definitely a good player. However, the questions are:
1) Is this the appropriate way forward for this team... at this point in time? The disappointment comes from the fact that most of the fanbase on this forum expected a full rebuild and the draft day moves seemed to indicate the same thing.
2) Why overpay for Grant? It's not like this signing is going to put the team over the top. So, why spend 20M/year on him?

1) Grant replaced Wood. Re-signing Wood would have been appropriate. The Pistons tore down most of the house that existed, and rebuilt it with new pieces. New younger more dynamic pieces: Hayes, Jackson, Bey, Stewart, Bradley, Okafor, Musa


2) There is no evidence that Grant is an overpaid. The market (Denver) offered Grant the amount he got from the Pistons. Grant showed up big in the playoffs. Grant can defend the entire floor.

Global Game wrote:
1) Grant replaced Wood. Re-signing Wood would have been appropriate. The Pistons tore down most of the house that existed, and rebuilt it with new pieces. New younger more dynamic pieces: Hayes, Jackson, Bey, Stewart, Bradley, Okafor, Musa


2) There is no evidence that Grant is an overpaid. The market (Denver) offered Grant the amount he got from the Pistons. Grant showed up big in the playoffs. Grant can defend the entire floor.

There is nothing dynamic about Bradley, Okafor, or Musa. Those guys are depth pieces at best, and placeholders of roster spots at worst. They are categorically irrelevant.

Again, Denver had just coughed up a 1st round pick for Grant at the trade deadline. They were chasing trying not losing him for only a 1/2 season rental thus were willing to match Detroit's offer. In addition, just because another team was willing to pay the same amount, in no way does that mean that a player is not overpaid. Also, have to factor in team situation into the equation. Wouldn't have been a terrible signing for Denver all things considered, but for Detroit its a bad signing from every angle.

I dont understand this lineup, We are the new Knicks with a ton of PF's and C's. Sekou is not a SF nor is Grant. They cant necessary dribble well or shoot. Also wasn't there reports that Sekou put on weight this off season so he could play PF?

Hayes/Rose/Wright
Svi
Jackson/Bey/Musa
Griffin/Grant/Sekou
Plumlee/Stewart/Okafor/Bradley

So McGruder's on the roster too, backup SG. If we do nothing more, he's needed.

Kilo wrote:McGruder will not be stretch released afterall as the Wright for Ariza trade opened up enough space to not have to stretch Rodney. So his $5.3M is on the books and he's still a Piston as of now. Dedmon will still be stretched for $2.9M over each of next five years. However if Dedmon signs for 3M to play elsewhere that would knock $1M off that number. He should easily do that the next few years. If he signs for $5M a year that knocks 2M off the stretch cap hit.

This could almost go into the positive news thread.

BJK1 wrote:

Kilo wrote:McGruder will not be stretch released afterall as the Wright for Ariza trade opened up enough space to not have to stretch Rodney. So his $5.3M is on the books and he's still a Piston as of now. Dedmon will still be stretched for $2.9M over each of next five years. However if Dedmon signs for 3M to play elsewhere that would knock $1M off that number. He should easily do that the next few years. If he signs for $5M a year that knocks 2M off the stretch cap hit.

This could almost go into the positive news thread.

Except he's going to soak up some minutes away from our young wings.

Which could be why you said "almost"

As a 6'4" defensive hustle player McGruder brings something unique as the backup SG that we will need at times. I've seen him referred to as the first one to dive for a loose ball. A good changeup from Svi at SG and I'd rather see him play than stretch him, making him available as an asset.

440BB wrote:As a 6'4" defensive hustle player McGruder brings something unique as the backup SG that we will need at times. I've seen him referred to as the first one to dive for a loose ball. A good changeup from Svi at SG and I'd rather see him play than stretch him, making him available as an asset.

Rodney McGruder is 29 years old and makes $5.2 million
Bruce Brown is 24 years old and makes $1.7 million

That makes Nets fans smile some....

Mcgruder and Blake equal Wertbrook in salary.