Christian Wood didn’t want to leave Detroit

[Crymson]

Why continue to check his stats unless you're a fan of the man himself?

Did he want to stay? Instagram says no, after the fact he says yes.

Did Weaver low ball him? Maybe!

Did we want him to stay? Maybe not

The only people who really know the truth aren't going to tell the world so I just move on.

Instagram says nothing at all. He made a couple of vague posts that indicated uncertainty as to his future. Meanwhile we've got James Edwards saying that Weaver just didn't want to pay Wood, we've got Wood himself saying that he would have stayed, and we've got no news at all to the effect that Wood asked for too much or just didn't want to stay. I think the evidence is rather clear, and I wish people would stop tying themselves into knots in their haste to convince themselves that he wouldn't have stayed. The notion that those Instagram comments qualify as evidence strikes me as ludicrous, especially when measured against the actual, real, hard evidence we do have. Weaver very well may have simply screwed up; you can accept that or you can live in denial. I'll say again that I think this fervent pro-Weaver act you're onto is a little sad after you perpetrated the exact same with Van Gundy not so long ago.

[buzzkilloton]

Why continue to check his stats unless you're a fan of the man himself?

Did he want to stay? Instagram says no, after the fact he says yes.

Did Weaver low ball him? Maybe!

Did we want him to stay? Maybe not

The only people who really know the truth aren't going to tell the world so I just move on.

Instagram says nothing at all. He made a couple of vague posts that indicated uncertainty as to his future. Meanwhile we've got James Edwards saying that Weaver just didn't want to pay Wood, we've got Wood himself saying that he would have stayed, and we've got no news at all to the effect that Wood asked for too much or just didn't want to stay. I think the evidence is rather clear, and I wish people would stop tying themselves into knots in their haste to convince themselves that he wouldn't have stayed. The notion that those Instagram comments qualify as evidence strikes me as ludicrous, especially when measured against the actual, real, hard evidence we do have. Weaver very well may have simply screwed up; you can accept that or you can live in denial. I'll say again that I think this fervent pro-Weaver act you're onto is a little sad after you perpetrated the exact same with Van Gundy not so long ago.

Yeah I dont get why people are in denial. Its obv we could of paid him more and he would of stayed. If we offered him a better contract it would of been reported. The guy has made no money in his career ofc he would of took more money to stay here. Clearly Weaver and Casey didnt want to keep him.

[MotownMadness]

Man he's looking good

[vege]

Wood had a big game without Harden. Houston team is looking good if Harden stop being a diva and decides to stay.

[Pharaoh]

Your agenda towards me is noted.

Happy to live rent free in your mind.

Your land of certainty doesn't exist.

Live in denial if you choose

Why continue to check his stats unless you're a fan of the man himself?

Did he want to stay? Instagram says no, after the fact he says yes.

Did Weaver low ball him? Maybe!

Did we want him to stay? Maybe not

The only people who really know the truth aren't going to tell the world so I just move on.

Instagram says nothing at all. He made a couple of vague posts that indicated uncertainty as to his future. Meanwhile we've got James Edwards saying that Weaver just didn't want to pay Wood, we've got Wood himself saying that he would have stayed, and we've got no news at all to the effect that Wood asked for too much or just didn't want to stay. I think the evidence is rather clear, and I wish people would stop tying themselves into knots in their haste to convince themselves that he wouldn't have stayed. The notion that those Instagram comments qualify as evidence strikes me as ludicrous, especially when measured against the actual, real, hard evidence we do have. Weaver very well may have simply screwed up; you can accept that or you can live in denial. I'll say again that I think this fervent pro-Weaver act you're onto is a little sad after you perpetrated the exact same with Van Gundy not so long ago.

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

[Uncle Mxy]

Why continue to check his stats unless you're a fan of the man himself?

Did he want to stay? Instagram says no,

AFAIK, he said nothing definitive. We don't know if that nebulous thing he did say on Instagram happened after the Pistons told him "go elsewhere". It might've been some negotiating tactic with our new front office. Maybe he just wanted to hear Pistons nation holler for him to stay. It's been a bizarre off-season, and crazy-long for Pistons players.

I do know that Christian Wood was the best success story coming out the Pistons last year. He was looking like the future of the franchise after the Drummond dump. He's the big reason I went to games last year. At the end of the day, we seemingly didn't get that much for him. Being recast as a S+T after the fact? Whoopty-flippin'-do.

I'm not overly dwelling on this. Reality still sucks, and that goes way beyond the NBA. Hell, I'm just happy that the games feel a little less unreal (though the empty arenas don't play well, even on TV). We've more-or-less rolled the dice with a new team. There's good and bad, and we'll see how it plays out.

[pistonsbball]

If he was willing to sign and we flinched then it's nothing other than a massive failure from the Pistons. This dude does all the things you need a modern big to do so well. Worst part is he actually really contributes to winning basketball. Was it a culture driven decision? Give me guys that can do things on the court that win basketball games, there's your culture. Anyone that watched the last 10 games last season could see that Wood was legit. We'll spend the next 5-10 years just hoping we can draft a player with Wood's skillset and ability.

It's unfortunate we didn't have an incumbent GM, I doubt any GM who saw Wood first hand last season would've passed on him.

[Manocad]

If he was willing to sign and we flinched then it's nothing other than a massive failure from the Pistons. This dude does all the things you need a modern big to do so well. Worst part is he actually really contributes to winning basketball. Was it a culture driven decision? Give me guys that can do things on the court that win basketball games, there's your culture. Anyone that watched the last 10 games last season could see that Wood was legit. We'll spend the next 5-10 years just hoping we can draft a player with Wood's skillset and ability.

It's unfortunate we didn't have an incumbent GM, I doubt any GM who saw Wood first hand last season would've passed on him.

"Massive failure" is a bit extreme IMO. I liked Christian Wood and I wish the team had kept him, but it's not like the team's chances at a championship went down the drain the minute Wood was gone.

[MotownMadness]

Read on Twitter

[Snakebites]

Where I’m at with Christian Wood:

1) We probably could have kept him. You always have to take what players say after the fact with a huge grain of salt. There’s a few very loud exceptions but most players don’t like to make noise by bad mouthing former teams or teammates after the fact.

I don’t set much store in that, but there’s enough noise otherwise to indicate we could have kept him. I don’t know what the number would have needed to be, but it was probably higher than the Rockets paid, if only moderately. Wood did say he wanted to win, and expressed uncertainty. This was not a “ I love Detroit, as long as they match what other teams offer I’m in” type of situation. He never showed particular love for playing here.

2) He’d be our best player. I still don’t like his defense and think his stats paint a more flattering picture than what’s actually there, but he’s a good shooter and finished and a great rebounder.

3) I’m still not sold on him as a core piece in a contender.

In short, Weaver messed up. No doubt we’d be better off having kept him. But let’s not go nuts here. The way some folks talk about him it’s like they think he’s a franchise player.

[MotownMadness]

He talks about himself a lot

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Snakebites]

He talks about himself a lot

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

He has an ego- you see it when he plays too.

Not necessarily an inherent problem- for some guys it even helps them in the right doses.

Will be interesting so see how he meshes long term with other big egos in Houston, though.

[Invictus88]

Where I’m at with Christian Wood:

1) We probably could have kept him. You always have to take what players say after the fact with a huge grain of salt. There’s a few very loud exceptions but most players don’t like to make noise by bad mouthing former teams or teammates after the fact.

I don’t set much store in that, but there’s enough noise otherwise to indicate we could have kept him. I don’t know what the number would have needed to be, but it was probably higher than the Rockets paid, if only moderately. Wood did say he wanted to win, and expressed uncertainty. This was not a “ I love Detroit, as long as they match what other teams offer I’m in” type of situation. He never showed particular love for playing here.

2) He’d be our best player. I still don’t like his defense and think his stats paint a more flattering picture than what’s actually there, but he’s a good shooter and finished and a great rebounder.

3) I’m still not sold on him as a core piece in a contender.

In short, Weaver messed up. No doubt we’d be better off having kept him. But let’s not go nuts here. The way some folks talk about him it’s like they think he’s a franchise player.

A 6'10" 25 year-old shooting 55% from the field with volume. He shoots the 3 with accuracy as well. He's averaging 24, 11 and 2 with 2 blocks. He isn't ball dominant, plays respectable defense and could have been had for a reasonable price.

He's also doing this with about a year total of actual experience. He's only had about 20 starts.

I can't see how you can read all of the above and make a firm statement that he isn't going to be a franchise player. All he needs to do is continue to be consistent -- something that hasn't been a problem whenever he gets minutes. He doesn't even need to develop his game further in any fundamental way.

I also don't think playing with Harden will even be a problem. Wood doesn't need to dominate possessions to be effective. Harden slso might not be long as a Houston rocket regardless.

[Snakebites]

Where I’m at with Christian Wood:

1) We probably could have kept him. You always have to take what players say after the fact with a huge grain of salt. There’s a few very loud exceptions but most players don’t like to make noise by bad mouthing former teams or teammates after the fact.

I don’t set much store in that, but there’s enough noise otherwise to indicate we could have kept him. I don’t know what the number would have needed to be, but it was probably higher than the Rockets paid, if only moderately. Wood did say he wanted to win, and expressed uncertainty. This was not a “ I love Detroit, as long as they match what other teams offer I’m in” type of situation. He never showed particular love for playing here.

2) He’d be our best player. I still don’t like his defense and think his stats paint a more flattering picture than what’s actually there, but he’s a good shooter and finished and a great rebounder.

3) I’m still not sold on him as a core piece in a contender.

In short, Weaver messed up. No doubt we’d be better off having kept him. But let’s not go nuts here. The way some folks talk about him it’s like they think he’s a franchise player.

A 6'10" 25 year-old shooting 55% from the field with volume. He shoots the 3 with accuracy as well. He's averaging 24, 11 and 2 with 2 blocks. He isn't ball dominant, plays respectable defense and could have been had for a reasonable price.

He's also doing this with about a year total of actual experience. He's only had about 20 starts.

I can't see how you can read all of the above and make a firm statement that he isn't going to be a franchise player. All he needs to do is continue to be consistent -- something that hasn't been a problem whenever he gets minutes. He doesn't even need to develop his game further in any fundamental way.

I also don't think playing with Harden will even be a problem. Wood doesn't need to dominate possessions to be effective. Harden slso might not be long as a Houston rocket regardless.

So then teams should have been falling all over themselves to offer him the max.

If that’s your position fine. But I’m not there.

[Sort]

Here's my "hot" take. I just don't see Wood yet being any kind of difference maker in the playoffs. At the four or five, you have to play some defense and now allow your man to school you - it's too frustrating for the rest of your team even if you're getting yours some on the other end. I'd rather have Grant in a playoff game than Wood.

I mean in terms of numbers not demonstrating how to really win, do Piston fans really need a reminder? Didn't we have the leading rebounder in the league? Do any of us miss the Dre Days? Man, how about our glorious Stackhouse days?

I am cheering for Wood. I'd love to see him continue to evolve with his game. I honestly don't think we would be in better position right now with Wood instead of Grant. Plumlee on the other hand...

[bstein14]

Woods is great as a 3rd option on a team, which he is with Harden and Wall. They also have other solid role players on that team. He could really excel there as an efficient 20 and 10 guy if Harden buys in to staying.

Once Harden gets moved, its hard to say what that team looks like with Wall mostly running the show. We haven't seen Wall have any success as the #1 guy yet and he might never. If Houston does a good job putting other young talent around Wood it could work out really well for Wood and Houston.

For sure we could have and should have kept Wood even if he wasn't in our long term plans he was easily a player you could flip for a first round pick without giving one up, unlike the deal we made to get Stewart from Houston, who we owe a first rounder to. We could have just used the cap space we spent to take on Ariza to pay Wood and trade him for a better asset after letting him be "the man" for the first half of the season.

[MrBigShot]

Kid went undrafted, his girlfriend left him that same night, and up until recently he's been bouncing around from team to team with people doubting him. If I was him i'd have a serious chip on my shoulder too, I'm happy for him.

[Cappadon22]

Let's be honest.... Wood was like a surprising 2nd round pick that you didn't expect to pan out becoming freaking amazeballs.

He's the literal coming to life of NBA2K Myplayer mode.... and we had him.

Weaver and co. decided to either lowball him or let him walk; either way they made a really bad decision. We had an unexpected unicorn which we truly could've built around, and chose not to.

It is what it is. I'd personally prefer him to jerami freakin grant any and every day, but we have to live with the decisions the FO makes as fans.

But I will not be delusional... Christian Wood was the best player we had moving forward, and we can only pray the basketball gods bless us again.

[Crymson]

Your agenda towards me is noted.

Happy to live rent free in your mind.

Your land of certainty doesn't exist.

Live in denial if you choose

You seem like a nice guy, and I'm sorry to see you go down the rabbit hole of zealotry in support of a sports team.

[Invictus88]

Where I’m at with Christian Wood:

1) We probably could have kept him. You always have to take what players say after the fact with a huge grain of salt. There’s a few very loud exceptions but most players don’t like to make noise by bad mouthing former teams or teammates after the fact.

I don’t set much store in that, but there’s enough noise otherwise to indicate we could have kept him. I don’t know what the number would have needed to be, but it was probably higher than the Rockets paid, if only moderately. Wood did say he wanted to win, and expressed uncertainty. This was not a “ I love Detroit, as long as they match what other teams offer I’m in” type of situation. He never showed particular love for playing here.

2) He’d be our best player. I still don’t like his defense and think his stats paint a more flattering picture than what’s actually there, but he’s a good shooter and finished and a great rebounder.

3) I’m still not sold on him as a core piece in a contender.

In short, Weaver messed up. No doubt we’d be better off having kept him. But let’s not go nuts here. The way some folks talk about him it’s like they think he’s a franchise player.

A 6'10" 25 year-old shooting 55% from the field with volume. He shoots the 3 with accuracy as well. He's averaging 24, 11 and 2 with 2 blocks. He isn't ball dominant, plays respectable defense and could have been had for a reasonable price.

He's also doing this with about a year total of actual experience. He's only had about 20 starts.

I can't see how you can read all of the above and make a firm statement that he isn't going to be a franchise player. All he needs to do is continue to be consistent -- something that hasn't been a problem whenever he gets minutes. He doesn't even need to develop his game further in any fundamental way.

I also don't think playing with Harden will even be a problem. Wood doesn't need to dominate possessions to be effective. Harden slso might not be long as a Houston rocket regardless.

So then teams should have been falling all over themselves to offer him the max.

If that’s your position fine. But I’m not there.

I think there's area between 'he's not a franchise player' that you implied in your previous post and 'he should be paid like a franchise player' that you are trying to box my viewpoint into.

I'm saying it's very reasonable to see him earning that moniker simply with more playing time. That's where we are currently and why he doesn't yet have a max contract.

It's even more criminal in terms of the Pistons organization because they got to see up close what he is becoming and didn't take advantage of that knowledge to lock him in on the cheap.

But you're not there.