RealGM

30. Detroit Pistons

2022-23 record: 17-65
Result: Missed postseason
2024 title odds: +50000

Even after hiring Monty Williams as coach at the start of the offseason, the Pistons are still practicing patience with the development of their young core. Detroit added a few veterans, sharpshooter Joe Harris and guard Monte Morris, to help compliment a young team, instead of any flashy moves to accelerate their rebuild. -- Collier

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38031459/nba-power-rankings-post-offseason-edition-changed-summer


I was surprised to see us ranked dead last, with Washington seemingly starting the rebuild this year. I suppose they are putting more value on Poole as a #1 guy than anyone we have. I was expecting most Power Rankings to have us 27th - 29th with everyone essentially having Washington dead last.

Few years away from being a few years away

Seem like they just going off last season

Seems fair. You manage to lose 65 games and then next year you're like, "Let's bet everything on internal development" than I think you should be ranked right where you were - in this case dead last. Doesn't mean much.

Oh no, the media doesn't respect us. Whatever shall I do??

Very unsurprising. ESPN sees a 17 win season (ignoring that they were missing their best player pretty much the whole season), modest vet upgrades and just assumes they'll be the worst team again and it's warranted.

I can't blame anybody for thinking that until the Pistons start winning games or make significant additions. Houston added VanVleet, San Antonio added Wemby and Charlotte has a more proven roster so I'm not sure who, besides Washington, should be ranked below the Pistons right now. Time for them to prove people wrong.

We deserve to be last are you kidding?

Weaver literally was like “let’s run it back again” with the same roster that got you 17 wins. The only reason we all say 27-30 wins is because the year before cade got us 27 wins and that’s basically where we’re headed again.

Poor roster building by weaver. Past his lottery picks I don’t believe in a lot of players he has traded for. Bogan morris Harris are his good moves and they won’t help with wins as much as you think as long as the rookies are “deceloping.” We’ll see how they look, contrary to popular belief around here these rookies DO ACTUALLY get better. We just haven’t seen it yet because they’re ALWAYS injured.

I don’t blame ESPN.

I’d put us over Washington, but I’m not going to quibble over one spot.

We won 17 games (the lowest by far) and our on court improvements on paper are mild. We should be ranked toward the bottom. Frankly on paper most of the other low teams figure to improve more than us.

That doesn’t mean I have no hope that we improve this year- there’s always the chance our young guys make a leap, but until the team shows it on the court we can’t expect to get credit for it. There’s no reason for anybody to count chickens before they hatch with us.

Cowology wrote:Oh no, the media doesn't respect us. Whatever shall I do??

I remember the days when we were actually deserving of the respect we weren’t getting.

Good times.

Dead last? Nope, doubtful

But with the roster as constructed today, I see us as a for sure bottom-5 team.

This 5 year rebuild wouldn’t be so painful if we wouldn’t have gone through Iverson, Ben Gordon, CVDNP, Josh Smith, Jon laur, Jodie Meeks, all the way to One playoff showing with Griffin. To a full rebuild 2019. 11 years of mediocrity after nearly ten years of ECF runs, the rebuild was 4 years too late, and with no assets at the start of the rebuild five years is long but not unreasonable. Weavers made mistakes but none of those free agent mistakes that really made some of those years awful. Paying players we thought we’re gonna play, there’s always missed draft picks by multiple gms every year. But those FA misses were worse.

*IF* they play the vets this year i don't think we'll be a bottom 3 team but i don't blame any media member for placing us there. zach harper from the athletic put us 30th in their power ranking as well.

https://theathletic.com/4700709/2023/07/20/nba-power-rankings-nuggets-bucks-warriors/

SuperBad wrote:This 5 year rebuild wouldn’t be so painful if we wouldn’t have gone through Iverson, Ben Gordon, CVDNP, Josh Smith, Jon laur, Jodie Meeks, all the way to One playoff showing with Griffin. To a full rebuild 2019. 11 years of mediocrity after nearly ten years of ECF runs, the rebuild was 4 years too late, and with no assets at the start of the rebuild five years is long but not unreasonable. Weavers made mistakes but none of those free agent mistakes that really made some of those years awful. Paying players we thought we’re gonna play, there’s always missed draft picks by multiple gms every year. But those FA misses were worse.

Totally agree on the FA disasters of the past. I know there’s a lot of impatience on the board, but I see this as a great rebuild. As long as we keep our cap flexibility, we are still on the right path. Paying Bagley and Wiseman is just testing out their potential. So different than paying Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Piston Pete wrote:Dead last? Nope, doubtful

But with the roster as constructed today, I see us as a for sure bottom-5 team.

Agree - probably not dead last but thats if we play only the best players the most minutes. I dont think thats going to happen.

I'm betting that Bojan will play a bunch so we trade him, along with Harris if he can shoot and move around on that bad leg at all. Same with Bagley and Wiseman has to get minutes too, right?

Some weird trial of playing the vets the most, plus forcing minutes to Bagley and Wiseman does put the Pistons either 29th or 30th.

About right.

Well that was easy.

Didn't even have to put my finger in the air to find out which way the winds were blowing around here.

We shall see

That's where they finished last year, so you can't blame them. Doesn't mean anything about how things will go this year.

zeebneeb wrote:Well that was easy.

Didn't even have to put my finger in the air to find out which way the winds were blowing around here.

The team has a lot to prove.

As long as im seeing some nice improvement from the young guys then im pretty happy and entertained.

We can always add vets around that to make a push later but that has to happen first.