Around the NBA 5.0

[MasterIchiro]

Trade Greg Monroe to Cleveland for Jarrett Jack & their lottery pick to select James Young

Draft Doug McDermott with Detroit 1st rounder

Sign Trevor Ariza or Luol Deng to start at SF for $6-8 million annually for 2 years max

Add frontcourt depth (unknown who may be available)
___________________________________________________________________

PG: Brandon Jennings/Jarrett Jack
SG: James Young/Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Trevor Ariza or Luol Deng/Doug McDermott
PF: Josh Smith
C: Andre Drummond

Jennings and Smith are still starting. The rookie won't get the ball and Deng/Ariza likely will stay far far away. Not bad if it worked though.

Smith is a borderline All-Star when he plays PF (what he will play next season), last season he played PF (last season in ATL) 17.5pt/8.4rb/4.2ast, and Jennings may be a chucker but he had an above average PER, Stan providing some guidance will be huge

Every single team, specifically and including the teams sandwiched around the Pistons, are capable of these types of improvements. You can't say all of these things will go the right way for the Pistons while nothing goes the right way for their closest competition. They were considered better than us before last offseason and probably after the offseason going into the regular season after signing Al Jefferson. We were considered even at best.

The Celtics and even the Knicks are better run orgs. The Cavs have far more to work with in terms of talent and assets. And they're already better by like 4 games.

[mrknowitall215]

I'd assume Deng, after being traumatized in Cleveland, wants to settle in a prime destination in a battle-tested system like Dallas.

So that leaves Ariza.

Maybe the Hornets will sign Ariza if they can't acquire Hayward.

I would assume that Van Gundy would prefer Ariza's 3-point expertise over Deng's style of play too, so that's why I listed Ariza before Deng as a possibility. Clifford learned #spacing from Stan Van Gundy

Do you think Ariza is a target for Charlotte? i think he could be and he should choose us over Detroit.

Would you trade Gerald Henderson for Brandon Jennings?

Ariza shouldn't be a target for Charlotte if they really want to progress from last season. Ariza is a solid and beyond serviceable player, but he's not really a impact player. Charlotte could just use CDR in a similar role as Ariza, and save themselves over $5 million of uncertainty

I wouldn't trade Henderson for Jennings' contract, because Jennings would be rarely used with Kemba averaging 30-35 minutes a night. However, I would trade Henderson for Jarrett Jack from the Cavaliers

[MasterIchiro]

I would assume that Van Gundy would prefer Ariza's 3-point expertise over Deng's style of play too, so that's why I listed Ariza before Deng as a possibility. Clifford learned #spacing from Stan Van Gundy

Do you think Ariza is a target for Charlotte? i think he could be and he should choose us over Detroit.

Would you trade Gerald Henderson for Brandon Jennings?

Ariza shouldn't be a target for Charlotte if they really want to progress from last season. Ariza is a solid and beyond serviceable player, but he's not really a impact player. Charlotte could just use CDR in a similar role as Ariza, and save themselves over $5 million of uncertainty

I wouldn't trade Henderson for Jennings' contract, because Jennings would be rarely used with Kemba averaging 30-35 minutes a night. However, I would trade Henderson for Jarrett Jack from the Cavaliers

Jennings and Henderson both have 2 years left on their deals. Hendo makes 6 and Jennings makes 7.5.

My thinking is we should rarely use Henderson if you catch my drift.

We might be stuck with him next year. If we are then we need to spend money on a backup PG. Jennings only makes 1.5 million more than Henderson, so that leaves 1.5 million for a backup PG.

I'd rather have Jennings than Henderson plus a 1.5 million backup for the the money. Then I open up the SG spot for Lance.

[MasterIchiro]

Lance + Neal $$ is about equal to Kemba + Jennings $$ so the spending is equal at SG and PG.

I just don't think we can sign Lance unless we move Henderson. I don't see Lance + Hendo + Neal - too much $$.

Jennings contact sucks but Henderson is tough to move and Kemba needs a legit backup PG.

[mrknowitall215]

Jennings and Henderson both have 2 years left on their deals. Hendo makes 6 and Jennings makes 7.5.

My thinking is we should rarely use Henderson if you catch my drift.

We might be stuck with him next year. If we are then we need to spend money on a backup PG. Jennings only makes 1.5 million more than Henderson, so that leaves 1.5 million for a backup PG.

I'd rather have Jennings than Henderson plus a 1.5 million backup for the the money. Then I open up the SG spot for Lance.

I caught your drift, and I've been on record that I'd do just about any trade to get rid of Henderson, but taking on more money for a soon to be disgruntled employee like Jennings because he's coming off the bench wouldn't be worth it

[MasterIchiro]

Jennings and Henderson both have 2 years left on their deals. Hendo makes 6 and Jennings makes 7.5.

My thinking is we should rarely use Henderson if you catch my drift.

We might be stuck with him next year. If we are then we need to spend money on a backup PG. Jennings only makes 1.5 million more than Henderson, so that leaves 1.5 million for a backup PG.

I'd rather have Jennings than Henderson plus a 1.5 million backup for the the money. Then I open up the SG spot for Lance.

I caught your drift, and I've been on record that I'd do just about any trade to get rid of Henderson, but taking on more money for a soon to be disgruntled employee like Jennings because he's coming off the bench wouldn't be worth it

I think if Jennings can comply with Clifford's system and there would be enormous pressure to do so, he could play his way out of town and actually be an easier contract to move than Hendo.

Both are bad.

I don't want Hendo blocking Lance or a real SG.

Has me worried.

[mrknowitall215]

I think if Jennings can comply with Clifford's system and there would be enormous pressure to do so, he could play his way out of town and actually be an easier contract to move than Hendo.

Both are bad.

I don't want Hendo blocking Lance or a real SG.

Has me worried.

I think you're over-thinking with wishful thinking. If Lance Stephenson is acquired by Charlotte, Henderson will either be demoted to the bench or traded somehow, someway

If anything, I believe there's a chance Charlotte will sign a SF that'll give MKG a run for his money in the starting lineup similar to how they signed Ramon Sessions to give Kemba a run for his money as a starter the previous year

I'm just unsure of Cho's motives. He put a lot of stock into drafting players as his means to build a team but don't surround them with a ideal roster to benefit their progress

[HornetJail]

Hell no to anything Brandon Jennings-related. As with Josh Smith, you'd have to offer quite the incentive to make me take on that mess of a player. Liability on the court, liability on the books. No thanks.

[catch20two]

what would you do if you were the pistons?

1. i'd try to swing a trade with the celtics with monroe and rondo being the main pieces.
2. move smith to pf (because they are stuck with him, might as well make the most of it)
3. draft mcderrmott
4. sign a free agent wing who can shoot
5. bury jennings on the bench unless he can be traded.

I think what has influenced SVG to get back into coaching is the mild success he's seen Clifford have with us by using his principles.

If I'm the Pistons I would sign and trade Monroe for the best wing I can get for him in a deal. Maybe Eric Gordon even though I'm not much of a fan of him or his contract but the Pistons need to get rid of Monroe for some wing production if they want to win and I'm sure they can coerce the Pelicans into trading them Gordon and something else like future draft picks or a player for Monroe.

One they trade Monroe for talent at the wings and use their cap space and draft picks to fill out the roster SVG should be able to put them in the playoffs easily.

I wonder how coveted that DET pick will be if we don't luckily get it this draft.

[MasterIchiro]

They got 15 PPG and 9 boards from Monroe. If Gordon suffers an injury they could be even worse.

[JDR720]

They got 15 PPG and 9 boards from Monroe. If Gordon suffers an injury they could be even worse.

well chances are they wont resign Monroe anyway, it fixes their spacing problems

[MasterIchiro]

Another issue with Monroe is he will be a restricted FA. His trade value is damaged by his asking price. He and his agent want 4 years 60 million and many believe one team out there will knowingly overpay and offer him a max deal. The Pistons can't match that offer with Drummond due for a big raise and J. Smith locked up to an unmovable contract. The odd man out is Monroe. So, ok, sure, the Celtics would love to be the team to have him but if they overpay they would probably only have to offer up their lower 1st rounder in exchange. The Pistons would really not be in a great position to bluff and match so they don't have all the leverage. So maybe Zach LaVine goes to the Pistons in the deal and they begin a rebuilding project with their first (Ennis or Smart) + LaVine.

Celtics roll out and probably vault past the Pistons in the standings

Rondo
Green
Sullinger
Monroe

[catch20two]

They got 15 PPG and 9 boards from Monroe. If Gordon suffers an injury they could be even worse.

It's not about the production. It's about the fit. They're never going to win with Monroe, Smith, and Drummond in the frontcourt together playing starter minutes.

[MasterIchiro]

They got 15 PPG and 9 boards from Monroe. If Gordon suffers an injury they could be even worse.

It's not about the production. It's about the fit. They're never going to win with Monroe, Smith, and Drummond in the frontcourt together playing starter minutes.

I agree I just don't think the player they get for Monroe is going to necessarily improve their team immediately like a healthy Gordon would. I think they'll end up with a mid first draft pick for Monroe if they're lucky. They'll still have Jennings and Smith starting and 2 rookies.

They wreak of rebuild.

[MasterIchiro]

I also think Stan Van Gundy is smart and he wouldn't accept the position if expected to turn around the team in one season. If he's going to get 35 million, it's a long term deal, a real project if you ask me. They're not going to tank obviously but they can use Monroe to initiate a rebuild. They can start with 2 draft picks in the 2014 class and go from there with Drummond. They are a couple years away.

[JDR720]

They got 15 PPG and 9 boards from Monroe. If Gordon suffers an injury they could be even worse.

It's not about the production. It's about the fit. They're never going to win with Monroe, Smith, and Drummond in the frontcourt together playing starter minutes.

I agree I just don't think the player they get for Monroe is going to necessarily improve their team immediately like a healthy Gordon would. I think they'll end up with a mid first draft pick for Monroe if they're lucky. They'll still have Jennings and Smith starting and 2 rookies.

They wreak of rebuild.

They can do a lot of that rebuild this offseason with a new HC/GM (SVG) and a good amount of cap and a top 10 pick (most likely they get the pick), i can easily see them being next seasons Bobcats

[MasterIchiro]

It's not about the production. It's about the fit. They're never going to win with Monroe, Smith, and Drummond in the frontcourt together playing starter minutes.

I agree I just don't think the player they get for Monroe is going to necessarily improve their team immediately like a healthy Gordon would. I think they'll end up with a mid first draft pick for Monroe if they're lucky. They'll still have Jennings and Smith starting and 2 rookies.

They wreak of rebuild.

They can do a lot of that rebuild this offseason with a new HC/GM (SVG) and a good amount of cap and a top 10 pick (most likely they get the pick), i can easily see them being next seasons Bobcats

What happened to us didn't happen easily at all.

[MasterIchiro]

It's not about the production. It's about the fit. They're never going to win with Monroe, Smith, and Drummond in the frontcourt together playing starter minutes.

I agree I just don't think the player they get for Monroe is going to necessarily improve their team immediately like a healthy Gordon would. I think they'll end up with a mid first draft pick for Monroe if they're lucky. They'll still have Jennings and Smith starting and 2 rookies.

They wreak of rebuild.

They can do a lot of that rebuild this offseason with a new HC/GM (SVG) and a good amount of cap and a top 10 pick (most likely they get the pick), i can easily see them being next seasons Bobcats

You and many others have stated this free agent class isn't ideal for a team(s) with cap space and we're arguing the merits of locking up money long term to Lance Stephenson. If we're having a hard time justifying a slight overpay to someone who may or not be worth the money in this class just think of other teams, especially teams like the Pistons who had to overpay for J. Smith and would definitely have to overpay in this class.

The cap space doesn't mean as much as it would with a better class and with fewer teams with the cap space to bid.

I would be patient if I were the Pistons with that $$. They jumped last offseason and acted with a sense of urgency and look where it got them.

[MasterIchiro]

I just think it's easy to confuse the thinking of fans with the thinking of a front office. They have no motivation to make our pick worse. They have to develop and map out a plan of improvement just like any other bottom feeder. They have to do what works best for them and not rush into anything because they're distracted by another team like us. They obviously wanted their pick this year for a chance at Wiggins or Parker. They probably considered those 2 worth risking the top-1 protection kicking in in 2015. It's a stupid gamble imo but they're very stupid.

[JDR720]

I dont think Brandon or Smith will be as bad as they were this season, Josh was playing out of position the whole season, and Jennings season was as bad as his rookie year

Next year Pistons

HC-Stan The Man

PG-Jennings (guess stats- 17ppg/8ast 40% shooting)
SG- KCP (KCP guess- 10ppg/4reb 43% shooting)
SF-McDermott probably (guess stats 12ppg/ 38% 3pt)
PF-Smith (guess stats, 17/7/3 46% shooting)
C-Drummond (guess stats 14/14 59% shooting)

Bench (not counting own FA's)
Will Bynum
Tony Mitchell
Luigi Datome
Josh Harrellson
Kyle Singler
Peyton Siva
2nd round pick (8th pick in 2nd round)

Cap Space-Maximum of roughly 22 million

their bench sucks, but that is with out any FA's and you can do quite a lot with 22 million