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[jakebernat]

You draft the guy you think has a chance to be an NBA player. The second round is a crap shoot.

Conventional wisdom is that you go for a big. There tend to be more "late bloomers" in the middle than perimeter. (Gasol, Jordan and Whiteside ) That, or a great shooter. That's a skill that will overcome a lot of shortcomings.

Both of those categories would be considered "Role Players". The guys we should probably avoid are the ones that do a lot of things OK, but no dominant nba skill/trait. eg Hilliard can shoot the ball and score. He's got a better chance of working his way into a rotation Gbinije even though he is less well rounded.

sometimes you can find a gem. drafting 24yo players with average skills is the best way to waste picks, IMHO.

pick raw talent and at least you've tried.

That's not entirely true. For every Singler and Hilliard drafted, there's also a Clarkson, Brogdon, and Draymond.

[BadMofoPimp]

You draft the guy you think has a chance to be an NBA player. The second round is a crap shoot.

Conventional wisdom is that you go for a big. There tend to be more "late bloomers" in the middle than perimeter. (Gasol, Jordan and Whiteside ) That, or a great shooter. That's a skill that will overcome a lot of shortcomings.

Both of those categories would be considered "Role Players". The guys we should probably avoid are the ones that do a lot of things OK, but no dominant nba skill/trait. eg Hilliard can shoot the ball and score. He's got a better chance of working his way into a rotation Gbinije even though he is less well rounded.

sometimes you can find a gem. drafting 24yo players with average skills is the best way to waste picks, IMHO.

pick raw talent and at least you've tried.

That's not entirely true. For every Singler and Hilliard drafted, there's also a Clarkson, Brogdon, and Draymond.

Rodman was drafted at like 24 years old and became a top level talent. What about the Ben Wallaces or Whitesides of the world as well? Just because a player spent 4 years in college doesn't mean they have reached their peak.

[El Chivo]

You draft the guy you think has a chance to be an NBA player. The second round is a crap shoot.

Conventional wisdom is that you go for a big. There tend to be more "late bloomers" in the middle than perimeter. (Gasol, Jordan and Whiteside ) That, or a great shooter. That's a skill that will overcome a lot of shortcomings.

Both of those categories would be considered "Role Players". The guys we should probably avoid are the ones that do a lot of things OK, but no dominant nba skill/trait. eg Hilliard can shoot the ball and score. He's got a better chance of working his way into a rotation Gbinije even though he is less well rounded.

sometimes you can find a gem. drafting 24yo players with average skills is the best way to waste picks, IMHO.

pick raw talent and at least you've tried.

That's not entirely true. For every Singler and Hilliard drafted, there's also a Clarkson, Brogdon, and Draymond.

Two of them had amazing college careers. Hilliard and Gbinije didn't.

[jakebernat]

sometimes you can find a gem. drafting 24yo players with average skills is the best way to waste picks, IMHO.

pick raw talent and at least you've tried.

That's not entirely true. For every Singler and Hilliard drafted, there's also a Clarkson, Brogdon, and Draymond.

Two of them had amazing college careers. Hilliard and Gbinije didn't.

You didn't say anything about their collegiate careers. You just said that it's better to pick raw talent and hope for the best. I'm saying that's not always the case.

[El Chivo]

That's not entirely true. For every Singler and Hilliard drafted, there's also a Clarkson, Brogdon, and Draymond.

Two of them had amazing college careers. Hilliard and Gbinije didn't.

You didn't say anything about their collegiate careers. You just said that it's better to pick raw talent and hope for the best. I'm saying that's not always the case.

You're right, my post wasn't complete.

What bothers me with picks like Hilliard and Gbinije is that they didn't excel for raw talent and they didn't even have a "pedigree" due to their college careers.

No history and poor upside.

[Pharaoh]

Both Hilliard & Benji were picked because:

1 - "mature" guys: they're older than the average rookies and should be more content with their place in the system.

That means they don't whine & pout - they get to work and do what's needed to be done on and off the floor.

This brings them respect from the older vets (& coaching staff) & they model the correct behaviours to the younger, less mature guys

2 - both were selected due to having a specific skill set that MIGHT blossom in time.

Benji being a 3 position player with ball handling abilities & defensive versatility

Hilliard being a heady wing with off the bounce skills

3 - given our roster when both guys were drafted there was no reason to swing for a home run move (drafting raw athleticism) since the guy would rarely get any minutes.

In that scenario a young (under 22) guy trying to develop his game is far more likely to become despondent and create tension in the locker room, on the practice floor, on the bus, on the plane, on the bench

There's a whole load of factors that go into putting 15 dudes on a roster and building a team...

It's not about taking the most talented guys you can find or the most athletic guys you can find.

[Canadafan]

So now OKC will have their 3 main guys on expirings. Could they actually have cap space to sign someone next summer and then have the ability to re-sign all of them? Probably not eh lol

[jakebernat]

Melo to the thunder in a surprisingly sensible trade for both sides. OKC has had themselves an incredible offseason when it looked like they were stuck in the mud.

[DBC10]

Both Hilliard & Benji were picked because:

1 - "mature" guys: they're older than the average rookies and should be more content with their place in the system.

That means they don't whine & pout - they get to work and do what's needed to be done on and off the floor.

This brings them respect from the older vets (& coaching staff) & they model the correct behaviours to the younger, less mature guys

2 - both were selected due to having a specific skill set that MIGHT blossom in time.

Benji being a 3 position player with ball handling abilities & defensive versatility

Hilliard being a heady wing with off the bounce skills

3 - given our roster when both guys were drafted there was no reason to swing for a home run move (drafting raw athleticism) since the guy would rarely get any minutes.

In that scenario a young (under 22) guy trying to develop his game is far more likely to become despondent and create tension in the locker room, on the practice floor, on the bus, on the plane, on the bench

There's a whole load of factors that go into putting 15 dudes on a roster and building a team...

It's not about taking the most talented guys you can find or the most athletic guys you can find.

Regardless, Hilliard and Gbenejie both hardly got minutes. Swinging for the fences on an athletic specimen or my recommendation of going for skilled euros that aren't on the radar are always the way to go.

These jack of all trade "mature' guys don't really ever have great careers.

[ChuckVanBrown]

There's no denying that a number of NBA teams are at least trying to get better in order to compete with the Warriors. Boston, Minny, Houston and OKC have all made bold moves to significantly increase their overall roster talent. Even Cleveland may have improved if IT can stay healthy throughout the season. I'm not quite sure if Westbrook, George and Melo can be an effective trio, but it's really exciting to see these types of shakeups.

[sfballa13]

There's no denying that a number of NBA teams are at least trying to get better in order to compete with the Warriors. Boston, Minny, Houston and OKC have all made bold moves to significantly increase their overall roster talent. Even Cleveland may have improved if IT can stay healthy throughout the season. I'm not quite sure if Westbrook, George and Melo can be an effective trio, but it's really exciting to see these types of shakeups.

Cant wait to see the Pistons' shake up
will be exciting to build a team around our young superstars Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway

[Pharaoh]

OKC turning Dipo, Sabonis, McDermott & Kanter into Melo & PG13...

It might not work out at all but at least they tried

[Blkbrd671]

OKC turning Dipo, Sabonis, McDermott & Kanter into Melo & PG13...

It might not work out at all but at least they tried

even if they rentals, OKC gave up scrubs and dipo

[sfballa13]

OKC turning Dipo, Sabonis, McDermott & Kanter into Melo & PG13...

It might not work out at all but at least they tried

Deal boils down to

Ibaka, Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and Anthony Morrow

for

Melo and PG13

[Snakebites]

OKC turning Dipo, Sabonis, McDermott & Kanter into Melo & PG13...

It might not work out at all but at least they tried

Deal boils down to

Ibaka, Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and Anthony Morrow

for

Melo and PG13

Reggie too.

[Wiltside]

Pistons fans, how are you feeling about this upcoming season? Can the team improve on a disappointing 2016/17?

Biggest questions for you guys:
- Can Bradley prove to be a long term fit?
- How big an impact do you think Kennard can have?
- Will Drummond or Jackson be traded?
- Can the bench be a weapon?



We've written up some thoughts on the Pistons offseason, would value some feedback from you guys: https://thefourpointplay.blog/2017/09/24/nba-pistons-season-preview/

[Pharaoh]

Pistons fans, how are you feeling about this upcoming season?

Honestly looking forward to see what kind of shape we're in with RJ maybe healthy, AB on board & SJ entering his 3rd season.

Not excited though cause I'm a realist and think that our offensive system doesn't maximise our best weapons.

Can the team improve on a disappointing 2016/17?

East is weaker than last season IMO with Millsap, PG13 & Melo moving West. Only Hayward moved East and as much as I like his game he doesn't change anything in the East since Boston were already very good.

Atlanta, Indiana & New York should all be worse than last season so there's no excuses IMO

Biggest questions for you guys:
- Can Bradley prove to be a long term fit?

Time will tell but we're in dire need of guys that are more concerned with winning than putting up good individual numbers.

I'm hopeful

- How big an impact do you think Kennard can have?

Not much of a impact if previous rooks are a guide though he's much more polished than SJ & Henry were when they were drafted.

I'm hoping he can become the full time back up to AB pretty quickly but SVG is a weird study when it comes to rookies.

Will Drummond or Jackson be traded?

For what? Their values are low as right now so if they're getting deal we're not getting much back.

And if they're playing well & the team is performing we'll get PR pieces claiming last season was all due to RJs injury issues and we're now back on the climb.

- Can the bench be a weapon?

I'm really concerned about the bench, more so if Tobias starts.

If we start Dre, Jon, Tobias, AB & RJ then the bench is as weak as ut comes other than Ish.

Bobo, SJ, Kennard, Henry & Moreland are all largely unproven or unable to stay on the floor due to defensive issues.

Bullock can't stay healthy

Galloway & Tolliver are journeyman types that might be able to play a specific role but aren't worrying any opponent

So...time will tell what rotation SVG goes with, who steps forward & who doesn't.

We've written up some thoughts on the Pistons offseason, would value some feedback from you guys: https://thefourpointplay.blog/2017/09/24/nba-pistons-season-preview/

I'll get around to reading that at some point

[Pharaoh]

Wade has completed his buyout...

Where to now?

CLE, HOU, OKC is where his buddies play.

Interesting that it's finalised the day after Melo got traded - maybe there's nothing to it but I wouldn't be surprised if he waited to see if HOU was the spot with Melo and CP3.

OKC possible line up:

Westbrook - Ring Chaser
Wade
PG13 - Roberson
Melo
Adams - PatPat

[Southern Piston]

It will be cool to see some super teams battle it out, its also very annoying to see these guys do this yr in and out. We beat the first superteam with Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and G Payton . I don't think any of these teams can GS regardless, it all about health in the playoffs

[Blkbrd671]

Hope Wade goes to Cleveland

something about watching Best Buds play ball and the chemsitry. Really fun to watch