http://smokingpistons.com/2010/01/14/ho ... -get-here/How Did We Get Here?
The Pistons finally got a win, taking advantage of the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. But there’s still no denying the current state of the Pistons. While it’s certainly disconcerting, it’s certainly not surprising. In this post, I want to take a look at some of the Smoking Pistons highlights that were written prior to the season. While I’m willing to recognize his past successes, Joe Dumars has consistently made blundering decisions for more than a year, and certainly for as long as this blog has been in existence. The following notes should remind us how his team became a cellar-dweller.
June 15th from Hedo, Hedon’t – “If the team loses out on Boozer, they should make restricted free agent David Lee an offer that the Knicks cannot afford to match.” Lee eventually signed a one-year, $7 million deal to stay with the Knicks. The Pistons still have no frontcourt presence anywhere near the caliber of Lee and routinely get killed because of it.
June 18th from Pursuing Gordon Makes No Sense – “For the sake of the Pistons, I really hope these rumors are just that. While I wouldn’t mind Gordon’s offense, his negatives (including cap figure) would far outweigh the positives.” The title says it all, but I spell out all the factors why Gordon would do more harm than good to the Pistons at $11 million per season.
June 22nd from With the 15th pick, the Pistons select… – On Dejuan Blair: “His height will undoubtedly scare off some teams, as he is only 6-6. However, he averaged 12.3 rebounds in 27.3 minutes in a grueling conference last season. His 7-2 wingspan is impressive, as is his mobility at 275 pounds. He is built similarly to Charles Barkley when he was coming out of Auburn, but Blair may have even more strength and a similar mean streak. Aside from his physical dominance, he has a very nice touch and ability to finish.” On Austin Daye: “There’s a lot to like about a 6-11 small forward with super-long arms, a smooth jumper and legit three-point range. The problem with Daye (at least the biggest one) is that he weighs just 192 pounds. Another concern is his focus. When Daye is zoned in, he is a phenomenal scorer. However his mental and physical toughness have both come into question, which should certainly be a red flag in Dumars’ book.” Blair put up 28 points, 21 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes last night. Pistons could certainly use that on the frontline.
June 26th from A New Daye in Detroit –”(The Pistons) selected my favorite international player in this draft, not named Rubio. Jonas Jerebko may wait a year overseas, but I don’t think he needs to. His game is already advanced and will only get better against NBA competition. At 6-9 and equipped with an advanced defensive game, he can play either forward position. He showed well for his team in last season’s Italian league semi-finals, and impressed everyone with his intangibles and basketball IQ at the Reebok Eurocamp. His activity level, size, and skill set paints him as an ideal role-player in the NBA. He does need to work on his ball-handling and pull-up jump shot, but there’s a lot to like about his game. I’m hoping we see him in a Pistons uniform next season.” Well done, Dumars.
July 2nd from Pistons Reach Deals with Gordon, Villanueva – “The duo certainly provides an offensive boost. Wins? Not likely… While Gordon provides more range and he is five years younger than Hamilton, his all-around game, mentality, experience on winning teams, and attitude are not on the level of Rip. Come the fourth quarter, Gordon reminds some of Allen Iverson; an undersized guard who refuses to pass and takes terrible shots. Yes, he is a step in the wrong direction. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Paying Gordon more than $10 million per season is irresponsible and flat out stupid, especially given the presence of Hamilton and the glaring holes in the frontcourt… The addition of Villanueva may be easier to stomach, but there are certainly red flags as far as he is concerned. Why have both of his previous teams given up on him so quickly? Why, despite his exceptional play as a rookie, has the 6-11 forward started less than half of his NBA games? It’s not as if he was on some powerhouse teams. Villanueva’s teams have never made the playoffs and have a combined record of 95-213. And he’s not a starter? This is the guy the Pistons targeted? He is a much younger version of Rasheed Wallace without the attitude, defense, winning mentality, and passion… Why was no play made for David Lee? Paul Millsap? Hell, Anderson Varejao would have made sense…. Best of luck, Joe. Thanks for keeping me busy. Without further ado, let the Gordon-Villanueva (ugh) Era begin.” It feels good to have that forever time-stamped via the internet.
July 7th from Avery Johnson Backs Out, Kuester Steps In – “Over the past five NBA seasons, he has worked for five different teams (03-04 DET, 04-05 NJ, 05-06 PHI, 06-07 ORL, 07-08 CLE). It’s been over a year since I have had to hire anyone, but five jobs in five years was always a red flag in my book… Dumars made a point the same day that he fired Curry that he wanted a man with NBA head coaching experience. Since signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to nearly $100 million worth of contracts, Doug Collins and Avery Johnson have both backed away from contract negotiations. Dumars will now settle with a cheap, no-experience head coach to go with his expensive, ill-fitting, yet heavily sought-after free agents. Bravo…(Dumars) blew an opportunity with Johnson, even when the Mavs were set to pay some of his salary. Hopefully he’ll have better luck in his efforts to make sense of this roster.” The Pistons never had a chance following July 7th, 2009.
July 9th from Pistons Free Agency Updates – “Rasheed Wallace officially signed with the Boston Celtics. Despite numerous reasons to work out a sign-and-trade with any of the Wallace-suitors, he walked away for nothing. Boston, Orlando, and San Antonio could offer him nothing more than the mid level exception. Detroit could have paid Rasheed more money and the team that wanted him most would send the Pistons a piece they could use. Instead of spending the free-agent moratorium negotiating ways to improve this roster, Joe Dumars gives us…. John Kuester?” And “The Pistons confirmed that they indeed thought it was a good idea to give $90 million dollars to Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Yay – [tongue between my lips making a fart sound]. I can’t help but think these two signings had something to do with the Pistons having to settle for a coach that can’t seem to keep a job anywhere he goes. Candidates in the know, those that actually have head coaching experience, ran for the hills or asked for enough money to make the pain worth it.” If I could see this coming, what kept Dumars from thinking that a 12-25 record and last place in the Central was a possibility?
July 20th from Pistons Ink Wilcox – “What can we expect? As much as I like Wilcox, going back to his season at the University of Maryland, he’s another poor defender on a roster that doesn’t resemble anything like what Pistons fans have become accustomed to over the last 25 years. Wilcox is a good finisher, but he does not shoot well and has no left hand. The book is out on Wilcox, and it’s a short read… Put it this way – Wilcox has already played for seven coaches in his brief career. The only three coaches that kept their jobs all traded Wilcox or let him walk away (Mike Dunleavy, Scott Brooks, and Mike D’Antoni). Hell, one city (Seattle) lost their whole franchise after two and a half seasons of Chris! Good luck Mr. Kuester… If Wilcox is ever going to make a significant impact, it will be this season. If he remains, well, Chris Wilcox, then Joe Dumars just bought an Amir Johnson-type player for twice as much money.” Wilcox is averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game.
August 14th from Pistons Add Experience with Wallace and Hill – “I am well aware that Wallace’s production has become the equivalent of an oxy-moron since he left Detroit three seasons ago, but I would consider him the favorite to be the opening night starter for the Pistons for three reasons.” Big Ben has started each of the Pistons 37 games this season.
August 20th from Still Middle of the Pack – “There are three glaring questions for the Pistons team as it is currently constructed: 1. Can Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon co-exist? 2. Is there enough defense on this roster to compete against other Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls? 3. Can John Kuester manage the egos of an NBA roster?… Unfortunately, I’m leaning towards the negative side on each of those uncertainties… All of this leads me to beg of Dumars to proceed with more change.” I also spell out four possible trade scenarios at the end of this piece, any of which I would still do in a heartbeat, but Hamilton’s value may have fallen too much by now.
September 10th from Have the Grizzlies passed the Pistons? – “The 24 wins that the Grizzlies hauled in last season were a three-year high. The 39 wins that the Pistons earned were their lowest total since 2000-01. Still, the Pistons were 15 games better, so there’s no chance the Griz are closing in on the Pistons, right? Au contraire.” I took some heat from my readers for this, and I think some apologies are in order. The Griz look very good at 19-18. The Pistons are 12-25.
October 14th from Is Kwame a Legitimate Starter? – “Coach John Kuester has repeatedly emphasized throughout the preseason that Kwame Brown would be his starting center this season and that he is expecting big things from him. Consider me skeptical.” I go on to discuss the horrors of Brown’s game. Alas, he has not started a game this season.
October 15th from Who’s the Best Pistons Point Guard? – “To me this really is not much of a question. Bynum is the better offensive player, both individually and as a team leader. Where Stuckey can be passive, Bynum is consistently assertive. Opponents cannot sleep on him while Stuckey puts little fear into his opponents. Playing Bynum now puts good pressure on Stuckey to step up and become a better defender and playmaker.” Bynum has not been healthy in weeks and Stuckey is scoring more. The better player is Stuckey. I still could argue Bynum is the better point guard.
October 26th from Pistons Points – In sizing up the roster just prior to the start of the season: “Strengths: Backcourt scoring, versatile forwards, depth. Weaknesses: Center, defense, passing.” The success in dealing with major injuries proved the team’s depth. The Pistons rank 26th in the league in opponents’ field goal percentage and 29th in assists. Stay tuned to SmokingPistons.com as this will certainly be an entertaining month ahead. The trade deadline is February 18 and I fully expect the Pistons to be active.
