Too little too late/Alternate reality

[DetroitSho]

This is admittedly more of an off-season "fill the time" type thread. But I never got around to posting it during the summer and we have alot of time to fill before we play again. Figured we could have a little fun.

What is one minor move that happened one season too late, that had it happened on time, could've literally changed the course of how this franchise is viewed? Or what was that alternate reality "near miss" transaction that should've/could've happened, but didn't?

I have 3:

2005: Dale Davis chooses the Pacers over the Pistons. Had we had Davis in Game 7 in '05 to guard Tim Duncan instead of Tayshaun, no way we don't repeat. Then he decides to sign with us literally months later. BRO, TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.

Summer 2008: Kwame Brown signs with us. Laugh if you want but if we had the big body of Kwame to put up against Perkins just months earlier instead of a severely disinterested Sheed, they don't get all those offensive rebounds and I feel like we take Boston out. We literally went 6 games with them with Sheed pretty much quitting. Kwame Brown, gulp, could've been the difference between us winning a championship or not, as crazy as that sounds.

2007ish: if Kobe just says yes to the trade. Enough said here.

Either of these situations I believe would have led to another championship in each respective year they happened, and for the Kobe one I believe could've been a 3 peat. FAWWWWK.

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[ComboGuardCity]

There was what I thought at the time a legitimate Pau Gasol for Billups and a pick move that I think would’ve made the going to work end look very different. Couple that with the Rip and Amir for Vince Carter rumor, and I think we could’ve got maybe a couple more ECF run twin tower of Sheed/Pau. It could’ve saved Joe’s job and got us through the sale without Ben Gordon and Charlie V.

[DetroitSho]

There was what I thought at the time a legitimate Pau Gasol for Billups and a pick move that I think would’ve made the going to work end look very different. Couple that with the Rip and Amir for Vince Carter rumor, and I think we could’ve got maybe a couple more ECF run twin tower of Sheed/Pau. It could’ve saved Joe’s job and got us through the sale without Ben Gordon and Charlie V.

Honestly never heard of any of those rumors tbh. Not that it would've changed the trajectory of the franchise, but I'd like to know what happened with the Rip for Boozer trade that was supposed to take place after we signed Ben Gordon.

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[Snakebites]

In the mid-90s we were looking to pursue Dikembe Mutombo to fill our hole at center.

That never really got off the ground, so instead we traded for Stacey Augmon and Grant Long of the Hawks. This move allowed the Hawks (then a division rival) to sign Mutombo themselves.

They would proceed to use Mutombo to knock us out of the playoffs the following year, and again two years after that. Lack of size was a big part of what did us in.

I don't know how likely it was, but I always wonder what that team would have looked like with Deke, and how it might have impacted our franchises history after that.

I also wonder what would have happened if we HADN'T made a minor move that helped our rivals get him.

[DetroitSho]

In the mid-90s we were looking to pursue Dikembe Mutombo to fill our hole at center.

That never really got off the ground, so instead we traded for Stacey Augmon and Grant Long of the Hawks. This move allowed the Hawks (then a division rival) to sign Mutombo themselves.

They would proceed to use Mutombo to knock us out of the playoffs the following year, and again two years after that. Lack of size was a big part of what did us in.

I don't know how likely it was, but I always wonder what that team would have looked like with Deke, and how it might have impacted our franchises history after that. I also wonder what would have happened if we HADN'T helped our rivals get him.

Great call and I remember that. My teenage was wondering how tf we end up with Augmon and Long in a chase for Mutombo. Terribly reminiscent of taking Joe Harris so Brooklyn could resign Cam Johnson. Puke.

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[Snakebites]

In the mid-90s we were looking to pursue Dikembe Mutombo to fill our hole at center.

That never really got off the ground, so instead we traded for Stacey Augmon and Grant Long of the Hawks. This move allowed the Hawks (then a division rival) to sign Mutombo themselves.

They would proceed to use Mutombo to knock us out of the playoffs the following year, and again two years after that. Lack of size was a big part of what did us in.

I don't know how likely it was, but I always wonder what that team would have looked like with Deke, and how it might have impacted our franchises history after that. I also wonder what would have happened if we HADN'T helped our rivals get him.

Great call and I remember that. My teenage was wondering how tf we end up with Augmon and Long in a chase for Mutombo. Terribly reminiscent of taking Joe Harris so Brooklyn could resign Cam Johnson. Puke.

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We also lost Allan Houston that offseason.

And we still won 54 games the following year- Hill hit his apex. 1996-97 Hill is one of the greatest individual seasons in Piston history- in conversation for the greatest. Lots of what ifs there.

As nice as that season was, a case can be made that this offseason was the start of a chain of events that lead to Hill’s departure and, in a round about way- a championship.

But that’s a little further into butterfly effect than I think you intended.

[DetroitSho]

In the mid-90s we were looking to pursue Dikembe Mutombo to fill our hole at center.

That never really got off the ground, so instead we traded for Stacey Augmon and Grant Long of the Hawks. This move allowed the Hawks (then a division rival) to sign Mutombo themselves.

They would proceed to use Mutombo to knock us out of the playoffs the following year, and again two years after that. Lack of size was a big part of what did us in.

I don't know how likely it was, but I always wonder what that team would have looked like with Deke, and how it might have impacted our franchises history after that. I also wonder what would have happened if we HADN'T helped our rivals get him.

Great call and I remember that. My teenage was wondering how tf we end up with Augmon and Long in a chase for Mutombo. Terribly reminiscent of taking Joe Harris so Brooklyn could resign Cam Johnson. Puke.

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We also lost Allan Houston that offseason.

And we still won 54 games the following year- Hill hit his apex. 1996-97 Hill is one of the greatest individual seasons in Piston history- in conversation for the greatest. Lots of what ifs there.

As nice as that season was, a case can be made that this offseason was the start of a chain of events that lead to Hill’s departure and, in a round about way- a championship.

But that’s a little further into butterfly effect than I think you intended.

It definitely is further down the rabbit hole than I intended but I'm here for all things Grant Hill. That's why he was my overwhelming choice for the 1 on 1 tournament because peak Grant Hill is the single greatest individual talent to play games as a Piston. But I digress.

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[theBigLip]

Kobe is a good one.

Darko is huge. What if we didn’t get the second pick and instead got stuck w Melo or Wade?

[chrbal]

Possibly realistic one

We don’t acquire Joe Harris to help the Nets resign Cam Johnson who we were linked to.

Random one i don’t think we were linked to that I would’ve preferred

The Nets donated Yi Jianlian to the Wizards with cash for a small contract. The Bulls salary dumped Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick to Washington in the draft we picked Monroe in for the rights to some player that was never coming to the NBA. I think Hinrich would’ve been a good fit, but honestly it would’ve got us a mid 1st round pick and probably blocked us from signing Gordon/Villanueva. Also would’ve gone into a true rebuild

[DetroitSho]

Kobe is a good one.

Darko is huge. What if we didn’t get the second pick and instead got stuck w Melo or Wade?

I often think about if the pick conveyed to Memphis in '03 and it got kicked down the road to '04 and Memphis ended up giving us the 1st pick that year. So basically we get Dwight Howard, Ben still leaves in '06 and Dwight becomes the monster he became surrounded by Sheed, Rip, Tay and Chauncey.

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[VicVinegar]

I've never had an issue with the Darko pick, because we won a championship. Sure, we're better on paper with Wade, Bosh, Carmelo, etc. but you never know with the butterfly effect. Maybe we don't trade for Sheed, maybe Tayshaun is on the bench and never blocks Reggie Miller. I'll take my guaranteed championship over a "potential dynasty".

[Snakebites]

I've never had an issue with the Darko pick, because we won a championship. Sure, we're better on paper with Wade, Bosh, Carmelo, etc. but you never know with the butterfly effect. Maybe we don't trade for Sheed, maybe Tayshaun is on the bench and never blocks Reggie Miller. I'll take my guaranteed championship over a "potential dynasty".

I've always considered this the wrong way to look at hindsight.

Just because we happened to win a ring with Darko doesn't mean we needed to pick Darko to win, and doesn't mean we set in motion a series of events that guaranteed us a ring that year. You replace useless Darko with any of those guys and we're categorically in a better situation for the rest of the 00s and the first part of the 2010s.

Are we guaranteed a ring with Bosh/Melo/Wade? No. But you know what? If we had a way to turn back the clock and pick Darko again and play that season out, we don't win a championship every time under those conditions either. Nothing is ever guaranteed.

[ComboGuardCity]

I've never had an issue with the Darko pick, because we won a championship. Sure, we're better on paper with Wade, Bosh, Carmelo, etc. but you never know with the butterfly effect. Maybe we don't trade for Sheed, maybe Tayshaun is on the bench and never blocks Reggie Miller. I'll take my guaranteed championship over a "potential dynasty".

I've always considered this the wrong way to look at hindsight.

Just because we happened to win a ring with Darko doesn't mean we needed to pick Darko to win, and doesn't mean we set in motion a series of events that guaranteed us a ring that year. You replace useless Darko with any of those guys and we're categorically in a better situation for the rest of the 00s and the first part of the 2010s.

Are we guaranteed a ring with Bosh/Melo/Wade? No. But you know what? If we had a way to turn back the clock and pick Darko again and play that season out, we don't win a championship every time under those conditions either. Nothing is ever guaranteed.

I agree. I think we have a great shot at a ring and a dynasty with Wade or Melo. Melo might’ve been a completely different player.

[Canadafan]

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/tim-duncan-admits-the-2005-pistons-finals-made-him-scared-the-2005-finals-was-the-only-time-i-felt-fear?fbclid=IwdGRjcAOqROpjbGNrA6pE0GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHvq9KbaBNJ_iScaaa0wIrUfzlyzUAymdNHeiYxri1OPHfSQuSko9u5ThmkGd_aem_fxxxyxqsP3wT0h10oFLsXA

Thought this was a cool read. Didn't want to make a new thread for it
Dammit, why didn't Larry put elden on Duncan instead of Tay!