David Thorpe On Drummond etc

[OneBadMutha]

People are so fearful of losing any asset when their team has been this bad this long. Even when Josh is a free agent and no longer a freak athlete and the Pistons move on with a gaping hole next to Drummond in 4 years, I'd argue that they'd be better off finding a cheaper complimentary player who's a good fit rather than a good player who's over-paid and a bad fit (like Monroe). An average role player next to Drummond who can defend one on one and space the floor with a mid range shot would help the Pistons more than Monroe.

Monroe's advantage is being above average in terms of skills for a 5. That's where he can exploit his ability to put the ball on the floor. He's bigger than most 4s but doesn't exploit that with any real power game. For as slow and as much a defensive liability he is, he should be punishing 4s on the block...except he doesn't...because he's neither strong for his size nor tough.

[Jackattaq]

Sorry, I just can't read the entirety of this post as I'm sure its pretty much the same as you always state. I do find it amazing though that you feel that they could be a top 4 team in the east and are frustrated at their current state when they are, in fact, a top 4 team in the east. That's utterly amazing. Maybe you shouldn't be so frustrated since they're actually meeting your expectations. Just a thought.

As far as not knowing about there being no more 6 and 7 year contracts anymore, that one is too easy. There's a lot I can say about that. It doesn't help that you come in here with this aura of having superior knowledge of the game, but don't know something as simple as that. Has your opinion been shaped all this time on the premise of Monroe getting a 6 year deal?

My last point, ATHLETICISM IS NOT ALL ABOUT JUMPING HIGH. Goodness! Moose actually runs the break and scores in transition well, and he's a quick jumper. So I'm not getting where he'd slow the team down on the break. That's made up lore to make a point. By the way, a big man not running the break never has and never will slow a team down. That's a stupid premise. All it does is hurt his own chance of getting easy freebies. Its not like he's the one handling the ball on the break. This ain't Tayshaun refusing to push it up the court on a potential 3 on 2. Sheesh.

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Ok, YES they are currently ranked 5th in the east with ONLY 2 games separating them from the 8th and final playoff spot. Wonder how quick that can change, just ask the Detroit Lions. http://www.nba.com/standings/team_recor ... f:nba:gnav

As to your point about running the floor in transition: Monroe spends so much time whining to the refs after not getting a call that he's OFTEN beat back down the court by his man, and puts the defense at a loss due to him not getting back to cover his man in transition. Him not running back on defense is just as important has his ability (if he had it) or inability to run and beat his man down the court. Moose is an appropriate nickname for him, he's slow and plodding.

No, they're SEEDED 5th. Don't let a seeding system stand in the way of facts. They are a top 4 team in the east record wise which is EXACTLY what you want them to be. What are you even arguing?

And what does Moose arguing with the refs have to do with his (mythical) "inability" to run a break on offense? Why change the argument? He runs the break VERY well, often beating his man down the court. This is not something that should even be argued, this is public record and something that is proven on game film.

What a difference a couple days/games makes when they are now 7th in the East with huge blown leads and no real team direction, yep, this is exactly where I wanted them to be in an extremely WEAK Eastern Conference.

[Clarity]

We have had wins we had no business getting (Indy, Miami on the road) & losses we had no business getting (Charlotte at home)

It happens with young teams, nothing shocking at all if your expectations were realistic.

[sc8581]

We have had wins we had no business getting (Indy, Miami on the road) & losses we had no business getting (Charlotte at home)

It happens with young teams, nothing shocking at all if your expectations were realistic.

My expectations as far as seeding in the conference went up simply because the east has proven to be so dreadful. Let's see if we look any better and are anymore consistent closer to the end of January, that's when I think it can be appropriate to start changing our minds on the expectations of this squad moving forward. It's also a good time to do so with the trade deadline lurking soon after, whether it's to move Monroe or our expiring deals if we're looking to make a deep playoff run.

[Phenomenonsense]

We have had wins we had no business getting (Indy, Miami on the road) & losses we had no business getting (Charlotte at home)

It happens with young teams, nothing shocking at all if your expectations were realistic.

My expectations as far as seeding in the conference went up simply because the east has proven to be so dreadful. Let's see if we look any better and are anymore consistent closer to the end of January, that's when I think it can be appropriate to start changing our minds on the expectations of this squad moving forward. It's also a good time to do so with the trade deadline lurking soon after, whether it's to move Monroe or our expiring deals if we're looking to make a deep playoff run.

Why would we look to make a deep playoff run this year? I just don't get it. Drummond is 20. He will be the best player on our team when we make a deep run. It will be great to get some experience in the playoffs like the Pacers did two years ago, then add a few pieces while simply letting our expirings expire and signing other talent, or trading them for players on longer deals that we know we want. Our deep playoff runs aren't coming until at LEAST two seasons from now.

[sc8581]

We have had wins we had no business getting (Indy, Miami on the road) & losses we had no business getting (Charlotte at home)

It happens with young teams, nothing shocking at all if your expectations were realistic.

My expectations as far as seeding in the conference went up simply because the east has proven to be so dreadful. Let's see if we look any better and are anymore consistent closer to the end of January, that's when I think it can be appropriate to start changing our minds on the expectations of this squad moving forward. It's also a good time to do so with the trade deadline lurking soon after, whether it's to move Monroe or our expiring deals if we're looking to make a deep playoff run.

Why would we look to make a deep playoff run this year? I just don't get it. Drummond is 20. He will be the best player on our team when we make a deep run. It will be great to get some experience in the playoffs like the Pacers did two years ago, then add a few pieces while simply letting our expirings expire and signing other talent, or trading them for players on longer deals that we know we want. Our deep playoff runs aren't coming until at LEAST two seasons from now.

If we can trade our expirings for guys that can play now but are still fairly young also then why wait to get shut out in free agency and then have Dumars reach and sign guys to long deals for more money than they are worth simply because they MIGHT fit what we need.

As for a deep playoff run, there are currently only 2 teams clearly better than us in the east, especially if we improve which is likely a no-brainer since our team is so young and they've only played a couple of dozen games together at this point. Therefore, even if we don't improve significantly we should still have a great shot at winning a playoff series and if we add a couple guys by dealing our expirings maybe we could at least give the Heat or Pacers a scare in the 2nd round. There is also the outside chance of Hibbert, LeBron, George or Bosh going down with an injury, the chances might be slim but this would give us a great chance at playing in the conference finals. That would be some ideal playoff experience for such a young team and who knows, maybe it helps us become more of a free agent destination this summer.

I'm not suggesting we go out and trade our expirings for guys on horrible contracts and mortgage the future just for the possibility at making some noise by not getting embarrassed in the 2nd round of the playoffs. If we can find solid players in their early primes or younger that clearly fit needs and are on reasonable deals why not?

[Clarity]

Why would we look to make a deep playoff run this year? I just don't get it. Drummond is 20. He will be the best player on our team when we make a deep run. It will be great to get some experience in the playoffs like the Pacers did two years ago, then add a few pieces while simply letting our expirings expire and signing other talent, or trading them for players on longer deals that we know we want. Our deep playoff runs aren't coming until at LEAST two seasons from now.

Exactly.

Some just have ridiculous expectations.

[sc8581]

Why would we look to make a deep playoff run this year? I just don't get it. Drummond is 20. He will be the best player on our team when we make a deep run. It will be great to get some experience in the playoffs like the Pacers did two years ago, then add a few pieces while simply letting our expirings expire and signing other talent, or trading them for players on longer deals that we know we want. Our deep playoff runs aren't coming until at LEAST two seasons from now.

Exactly.

Some just have ridiculous expectations.

With the conference being this bad we should be able to win a playoff series and compete without embarrassment in the 2nd round. There's nothing ridiculous about those expectations, that's just something you like to say when you have no rebuttal, which is becoming more and more common with you lately.

[Clarity]

With the conference being this bad we should be able to win a playoff series and compete without embarrassment in the 2nd round. There's nothing ridiculous about those expectations, that's just something you like to say when you have no rebuttal, which is becoming more and more common with you lately.

debating certain topics with you is a waste 90% of the time.

That said, id love if we got out the first rd that would be awesome. My expectations coming into the season were a good first rd series for this super young team to gain experience, nothing has changed.

[sc8581]

With the conference being this bad we should be able to win a playoff series and compete without embarrassment in the 2nd round. There's nothing ridiculous about those expectations, that's just something you like to say when you have no rebuttal, which is becoming more and more common with you lately.

debating certain topics with you is a waste 90% of the time.

That said, id love if we got out the first rd that would be awesome. My expectations coming into the season were a good first rd series for this super young team to gain experience, nothing has changed.

That's when you were assuming we would be playing the Heat, Pacers or a healthy Bulls team in the 1st round, considering the circumstances in the east we should most definitely win a series, especially with the size we have since playoff ball is all about scoring in the paint right

[Clarity]

That's when you were assuming we would be playing the Heat, Pacers or a healthy Bulls team in the 1st round, considering the circumstances in the east we should most definitely win a series, especially with the size we have since playoff ball is all about scoring in the paint right

So many variables between now & April. Pre mature to assume anything in Dec.