Stephen A Smith rips into the Pistons

[Paul Lord]

Watch on YouTube

[ComboGuardCity]

Stephen A makes more sense. Max makes no sense. Neither watches the Piston since they both brought up Reggie.

[Pugz]

hate SAS but hes right

[DCintheD]

they lost me when the other guy said Drummond is an elite rim protector...

[flow]

They were both spot on, for the most part.

Only things Kellerman missed on were calling Drummond an elite rim protector, and suggesting that Drummond is more the problem than Van Gundy is.

Only thing Smith missed on was wondering if this might be a Blake problem rather than a Van Gundy problem.

I've spent two years complaining about SVG, Dre and RJ on here. But they're not equal. The unequivocal A1 problem, by a large margin, is SVG.

.

[engelbert321]

LOVE IT

[vic]

Max was nonsense blaming Drummond. LOL

Drummond has done great this year, SVG has engineered a dumpster fire around him. period.

SVG CHOSE TO BE A CONTROL FREAK FOR THE PISTONS RATHER THAN COACH AN ELITE TEAM SUCH AS THE WARRIORS.

That alone right there should let you know what SVG is about: Control. Panic.

He doesn't make good winning basketball decisions fast enough, end of story!

Turn the page. Next chapter please!

[Southern Piston]

I still say let him finish out the 5 yr contract, I’m more than dissapointed but I think we actually have good pieces now, it needs to be reworked with a preseason, , I really like watching ish play, but really he’s not a productive 30 min a game player. We also just need to force feed Ellenson next season, if there’s injuries we input laur, I feel like all the wings are going to take big step forwards, Johnson I think is gonna grow into a force off the bench, kennard made a huge jump in yr 2 of college, so I’m thinking he’ll break through too. Blake will build on his three point shooting, I think it’s not that bad. If it fails again or even a weak playoff season and we cut ties with svg. But the do or die to the season is obviously how talented the starting pg is going to be. Good pg playoff run, bad pg 35+ wins, high level pg maybe 50+ wins. Hey at least Milwaukee gave up there pick too, and they’ll probably loose Bledsoe too so, we haven’t really lost a step with our rivals

[sophie23]

I feel them both. Drummond as a star player, with 25mln a year contract, concerning today bb is nonsense. You cant keep players like Drummond Blake and Jackson at the same time.
More, Svg for a operational director is a mistake.


If your ultimate goal is the championship - keep Blake, trade the rest. I feel Mark here.

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[Moses ShamMoses]

It's turning into a disaster frankly. The best option long term (if no miracle turnaround) might be to blow it up for draft picks (Andre included for the right deal). I don't see that happening with the Pistons move to Detroit so I really don't know where they go from here.

[ImHeisenberg]

The team is a dumpster fire. It starts with the (terrible) owner and bleeds down to the floor and the empty seats. Pointing a finger at one person and saying they are the problem is simply a half truth at best.

Fire SVG? Sure. Guess what? The next guy(s) that take his place will be charged with the same mission as SVG is- win immediately, get into the playoffs immediately. They'll make more short sighted mistakes to appease a weary owner who knows nothing about basketball.

[afroxnas]

Why is he screaming all the time? Does anyone actually watches this crap?

[detroitPG10]

Max clearly isn't ability of Dre's passing from the top of the perimeter. Offense is never running through him anymore since Blake got here.

[JNewton]

It's turning into a disaster frankly. The best option long term (if no miracle turnaround) might be to blow it up for draft picks (Andre included for the right deal). I don't see that happening with the Pistons move to Detroit so I really don't know where they go from here.

Quite honestly the Pistons need to hire Sam Hinkie and start “the process.” Bottom out until Griffin’s contract expires and stockpile some young talent in the draft. Too bad it will never happen..


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[Spider156]

It's turning into a disaster frankly. The best option long term (if no miracle turnaround) might be to blow it up for draft picks (Andre included for the right deal). I don't see that happening with the Pistons move to Detroit so I really don't know where they go from here.

Quite honestly the Pistons need to hire Sam Hinkie and start “the process.” Bottom out until Griffin’s contract expires and stockpile some young talent in the draft. Too bad it will never happen..


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and waste a decade just for a player to eventually get injured or walk away or a FA still won't come here so we'd trade a a high pick for a superstar that wont pan out. Hinkie's process was ****. We still don't even know if Imbiid can finish a whole season yet. So many high picks were wasted with his plan and I don't believe we'll get any luckier. It will take 5-10 years to contend using the process. No thank you, roll the dice with Blake cuz guess what. What do you think Simmons and Imbiid and Fultz will get paid once they figure out how to contend? max each player. So what did you leave?

[Finn McCool]

I was not supportive of the Van Gundy decision 4 years ago. Overrated, chubby perfectionist who doesn't even attempt to do anything about his own unhealthy looking body, when he has all the facilities to change his appearance. No pride, no integrity.

His brother was right... he took over the Titanic and it is sinking faster. Jeff astonishingly portended what we are seeing today.

Stan has been here trying on dresses for the last 4 years. Something like 43 different players(and counting) had either come or gone during his time here. Mediocre coach, horrible PBO. I fully believe he plans on getting fired(getting out with a full year of free salary)... and he will leave the franchise in worse shape than when he was hired.

No pick for the next guy, horrible contract for a declining player, and leaving the team with some of the ugliest talent at several positions. No starting PG(phuqq Reggie), no legitimate SF(again), no clear cut SG hierarchy(but I really like Bullock and Kennard), no back-up Center(Moreland should be in the G-league), and Tolliver/ Leuer & Ellenson will be the duo behind Blake???

U---G---L---Y, we ain't got no alibi, we're ugly.

My wish has been constant - get Jackson, Johnson and Ellenson out of here. Strip Van Gundy of his PBO and fire Bower as a warning shot. Personally, I would keep Van Gundy as coach, just to make him either live in Detroit one more season... or do everyone a favor and resign... and not be owed squat, after.

Perhaps that once in a lifetime(unless you're the Cavs) moment happens, and the lottery balls fall in favor of the Pistons. Otherwise, FIRE SALE.

[Snakebites]

His weight has nothing to do with anything, but yeah, its time for him to go.

[BIG BEN'S FRO]

I would just be happy if we learned to draft and develop players. Teams such as the Spurs, Jazz, Warriors, and even the Celtics have flourished by drafting well, developing well, and having teaching coaches who plays young players.

[Snakebites]

I would just be happy if we learned to draft and develop players. Teams such as the Spurs, Jazz, Warriors, and even the Celtics have flourished by drafting well, developing well, and having teaching coaches who plays young players.

As I said in another thread:

Number of players in the last quarter century drafted by the Pistons to become high quality, long term starters with the team: 3.

Hill
Tayshaun
Drummond

And the list doesn't really get all that much longer if you include guys who became quality starting players for a number of years with other teams either. I think that adds:

Ratliff
Middleton
Okur

And none of those really developed into starter level guys with us. They all blossomed after they left.

There's no two ways about it. Our draft and player development record is absolutely abysmal, and it goes back a long, long time. It's been particularly bad recently though. We can talk about a lot of other things, but this is the REAL reason we've been awful for 10 years. Other teams give out bad contracts and recover if the talent is there. Plus, we probably wouldn't have signed Josh Smith or traded for Blake Griffin if we'd done a better job getting talent via the draft.

[buzzkilloton]

I would just be happy if we learned to draft and develop players. Teams such as the Spurs, Jazz, Warriors, and even the Celtics have flourished by drafting well, developing well, and having teaching coaches who plays young players.

As I said in another thread:

Number of players in the last quarter century drafted by the Pistons to become high quality, long term starters with the team: 3.

Hill
Tayshaun
Drummond

And the list doesn't really get all that much longer if you include guys who became quality starting players for a number of years with other teams either. I think that adds:

Ratliff
Middleton
Okur

And none of those really developed into starter level guys with us. They all blossomed after they left.

There's no two ways about it. Our draft and player development record is absolutely abysmal, and it goes back a long, long time. It's been particularly bad recently though. We can talk about a lot of other things, but this is the REAL reason we've been awful for 10 years. Other teams give out bad contracts and recover if the talent is there. Plus, we probably wouldn't have signed Josh Smith or traded for Blake Griffin if we'd done a better job getting talent via the draft.

It makes you wonder if we've got some old school holdovers working the player development department. Thats a pretty bad record of drafting for how many high picks we've had. Other teams seem to land talent at worse draft positions then us.

We did land Middleton and Dinwiddie in there as well. Obv we shipped them out. The Middleton one esp burns as we knew he had talent.