Future Power Rankings :No:17 Detroit Pistons

[HotelVitale]

And the Market rating is the stupidest of all. Everyone knows the Palace will be filled again as the team becomes more competitive.

That's my point, from a strictly quality of life stand point, those other cities have similar attributes to Detroit. They have good and bad areas, and cold winters. I can't see a benefit in the area beyond those significant cities, like LA, NY, or Chicago...

Just got around to looking at the whole article--Detroit is somehow listed as the second worst market in the NBA. I get that it's colder than many places, the city itself is horribly blighted, and that the Palace is in a ridiculous location. But the Detroit metro area is the 12th biggest in the US, there's good young talent on the team, a tradition of winning, and plenty of opportunity if the team is decent. No huge knocks in any of the articles' categories.

I can see giving us a pretty bad rank as a FA destination, but would a potential free agent really be twice as likely to go Cleveland or Toronto? The article gives them both more than double our score for market.

[ImHeisenberg]

And the Market rating is the stupidest of all. Everyone knows the Palace will be filled again as the team becomes more competitive.

That's my point, from a strictly quality of life stand point, those other cities have similar attributes to Detroit. They have good and bad areas, and cold winters. I can't see a benefit in the area beyond those significant cities, like LA, NY, or Chicago...

Just got around to looking at the whole article--Detroit is somehow listed as the second worst market in the NBA. I get that it's colder than many places, the city itself is horribly blighted, and that the Palace is in a ridiculous location. But the Detroit metro area is the 12th biggest in the US, there's good young talent on the team, a tradition of winning, and plenty of opportunity if the team is decent. No huge knocks in any of the articles' categories.

I can see giving us a pretty bad rank as a FA destination, but would a potential free agent really be twice as likely to go Cleveland or Toronto? The article gives them both more than double our score for market.

I think the city of Detroit as a whole, and the economic conditions of the auto industry cast a dark shadow over the state of Michigan as a whole. The state itself is pretty damn nice, and does offer a unique quality of life that's difficult or impossible to mirror in other areas of the country. That's the main reason my wife and I plan to move back next year. Sure, living near an ocean has its perks, but in Lake Michigan, I don't have to worry about a 15 foot fish taking my legs off because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Clarity]

I hear you, but I always prefaced my Bynum comments with "if healthy". "If healthy" Cleveland might have signed the #1 FA if were being honest, Howard hasnt been the same since his back injury.

But, Bynum isn't healthy. He's missed an entire season, and said he's still not cleared to play. How long does a knee injury take to recover from, if it can honestly recover?

Sure, there's been players with bad knees like Bynum, who needed a couple years to recover. When they came back, in some cases, they could still play. But, they were never as good as they were pre-injury.

not debating any of this, just stating if healthy (he has stayed healthy at times, albeit year at a time).

Bynum's game has never been built on athleticism, he is skilled offensively. This isnt an Amare Stoudemire situation where his game was built on explosiveness.

[Q00]

New ranking of best frontcourts by espn has Pistons #2 behind Miami.

Its insider though. Anybody have access and can post it so we can read the full thing they said?

Keith Langlois ‏@Keith_Langlois 1h
ESPN ($) ranks #Pistons frontcourt No. 2 http://tinyurl.com/qa5l5c9 : "I'm telling you, folks, the Detroit front line is flat-out loaded."