Colbinii wrote:Spoiler:
I see Duren as much closer to the odd man out than Ivey if we're picking one (maybe both are). It's hard to be a center in the league if you can't defend or stretch the floor. If 3 point shooting is Ivey's swing skill and defense is Duren's swing skill, Ivey is MILES closer to being a legitimately good shooter than Duren is at becoming an even passable defender. Ivey has shot 36% on catch and shoot threes in his career (better than Cade btw). He's not some horrendous unfixable shooter.
A stretch 5 fixes many of the short-term issues. Simply starting Stewart at the 5 and limiting Duren's role to a bench guy for 20mpg immediately makes the team much better in the short-term. Stewart's a much better defender than Duren and his shooting allows them to start their best defender (Ausar) without destroying the spacing. The defense would immediately jump up above horrendous territory. It's the most obvious move on earth that requires no personnel moves, but there's this notion that we can't "demote" Duren for some reason.
You only have to look at the one stretch the Pistons played with Mike Muscala as the backup 5. Immediately the Pistons looked like a vaguely competent team simply because he opened up the floor for guys like Ausar and Ivey. If you have Duren in the paint not defending on one end and clogging the paint on the other, it makes everyone on the roster worse.
That said, I'm fine with bringing everyone back with a couple of vet FA additions and evaluating under a new coach, with some time under Fred Vinson. The Pistons aren't going to be good next year and honestly they shouldn't try to be. This team still lacks talent and the only way to get it is through the draft.
