SVG (the GM) is not so bad

[ChuckVanBrown]

SVG has done a good job overall as a GM. He dumped Smith, which set a tone for the rest of the team. He avoided overpaying for Moose and KCP. He acquired guys like RJ and Tobias for little in return. If RJ managed to stay healthy these past few seasons, very few would question his contract. Picking up Griffin seems like the type of move he was striving for all this time. He at least sold high on Tobias, and gets an All-Star who raises the ceiling for this team.

His drafting has been poor, but the jury is still out on whether SJ can be productive, and if Kennard can be a solid SG. Obviously the criticism stems from not drafting Booker or Mitchell, but the guys we've drafted under SVG may still pan out. If anything, his drafting might be ok, but developing young players could be the issue (which has been an issue for a lot of top NBA coaches over the years). Therefore, SVG the GM may have done ok drafting, but SVG the coach didn't do his job on the development side.

Free agency has been mostly poor. I think Meeks would have been a solid signing if he stayed healthy, but he severely overpaid for role players with little upside. That may be the reality of Detroit acquiring guys in free agency though. I'll say that he at least spent money when we had it during that cap spike, but we're just not a free agency destination. I think SVG realizes that now, and will look to pick up RFAs and guys locked up for multiple seasons.

Overall, I'd give him a B as a GM. He's done pretty well overall, but four seasons in, I'd figure we'd be a better team by now.

[Liqourish]

They weren't exclusive drafted teams but a huge part of all those teams was home grown top 5-10 NBA talent. Obv the Lakers signed Shaq but they drafted kobe. If u keep trying to win short term trades to make first round playoffs it makes it way harder to get the elite talent. Hence why we haven't had any in so long.

Cleveland drafted Irving and traded a number one pick for love. LeBron was also a home grown pick who left and came back


Boston had pierce and rondo home grown. They traded for kg with Al Jefferson who was a leet young players they drafted out of high school.

Miami drafted d.wade a franchise player. Their first time they traded a bunch of young guys for Shaq. The big 3 was free agents attracted by d.wade and the Miami life.

Lakers drafted Kobe who was key obv Shaq came but the Lakers are special being La. Drafting Kobe was crucial though obv.

Other title teams over the last couple decades spurs obv home grown star talent. Dallas with Dirk. I'm trying to think of anyone else outside of the warriors. Think that's everyone. It's obv u need to draft a top 10 player to win.

What u notice is all these teams had a top 10 or top 5+ NBA players already in tow then filled out. Getting a young guy to build around is crucial. We should of stayed back and been running out young guys and losing the past 4 years. All I hear is "svg can't draft anyways" it's like that's a svg problem.

Not having just a top 25 player in Drummond then picking up a guy who hasn't made the all star team in 3 years on a supermax. Blake is not kg,LeBron,Shaq,Bosh or any of those prime pick-ups.

Only team to built through trades and won was the Pistons. They did that with a awesome defense. Ben Wallace was a gift of God who nobody knew was the best defensive player to ever live when we landed him. Wr already were good and made a big trade for sheedf to push us over the top. ABlake Drummond Jackson core will not EVER have that type of defense.

Blake has a 5th year player option at like 40mill were stuck with him. He hasn't made a all star team in 3 seasons but he's a top 3 paid NBA players. The clippers were +0.2 points with him.playing this season. Injury prone,approaching 30, and plays no defense.

I'll be back quoting my posts in 3 years when it's obv how awful this move is to everyone. I've now read about 20 diff articles about this trade the only people I hear positive about it are on this Pistons forum, that tells u something. Homers!

Lol commending SVG he's been awful and this trades awful.

Lakers didn't draft Kobe, he was traded there.

Cleveland being handed multiple #1 picks is not something another team can duplicate. When have the Pistons ever moved up with their own pick? When have they ever drafted #1?

Miami traded for Shaq and then got Lebron/Bosh in free agency. They weren't winning anything with Wade and "home grown draft picks".

San Antonio got the #1 pick, while still a great team when Robinson went down. They still added free agents/traded to win.

Boston made moves for KG/Ray Allen, they weren't winning anything with Pierce and draft picks.

Dallas did not draft Dirk. He was traded there, like Kobe and the Lakers.

Detroit was one of many teams to win with acquisitions. You apparently were just not aware of them.

[Billl]

Also funny in the "tank for everything" strategy is that lots of the examples used aren't even high draft picks. Pierce was #10. Dirk was #9 but he wasn't actually drafted by dallas. They traded for him on draft night. And if you look at the rest of that draft class, the top 3 picks actually were Michael Olowokandi, Mike Bibby and Raef LaFrentz. The were 5 major all stars and 3 hall of famers in that class and none of them were the top picks.

The only "formula" for contending is you need to get great players. Most of the championship teams completely luck into one or more of their top guys. eg the celts got pierce at #10 and rondo at #21.

[thesack12]

His trading is good but is that the way to build a championship team in today's game?

Smart teams get stars thru the draft and build for the long term.

What championship teams have built exclusively through the draft? Warriors drafted a lot of their players, but who else?

Cleveland? Bunch of trades/free agents.
Miami? Big 3? Free agents/trades.
Boston? Big 3? Trades/free agents.
Spurs? Tim Duncan drafted, rest of team?
Lakers? Trades/free agents.

Teams who tank and get a lot of young players? Philly, Minny, Milwaukee, etc.... how many championships have they won in the last 30 years?

Spurs drafted Robinson, Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Leonard.

Kawhi was drafted by Indiana and traded to SA for George Hill on draft night
Ginobili (#57) and Parker (#28) were drafted, but as an extremely late 2nd and extremely late 1st.

[buzzkilloton]

All of those moves were made with drafted assets by each team. Miami got Shaq with a high top 10 draft pick Caron Butler and odom. As I said big al drafted player was the center piece of the kg deal. Kobe was traded for on draft night sure but this is still a draft pick.

The most these guys aren't high picks their top 10 comment proves even more why u need to be in the lotto not the 8 seed. The higher your pick the better chance at a star. We just missed on Mitchell and Booker late lotto studs, u end up 4-8 in the playoff u you don't even have a chance at winning a title present or future.

The worst place to be is in the place SVG keeps getting his sights on just making the playoffs. Just build through the draft till u get your guy in the lotto or get a lucky lotto ball u don't even have to purposely lose just develop young guys. It'll come unless you try to win now with huge contracts teams want to unload every deadline.

You can call getting franchise players lucky but putting yourself in a better spot to get them helps tons. Being in the middle of the league with all huge contracts doesn't. You need young guys on cheap contracts and to be in a place to get lucky. The Pistons constantly going for 8 seeds you don't get lucky you stay the same.

If youre happy with a 50 win cap this trade (and all of them)with svg at gm is for u. We just picked up a guy who's top 3 salary in the league who's missed tons of time 3 years from a all star game. Lol at thinking he's suddenly going to stay healthy.