GAME 6: Celtics @ Pistons Rematch 3PM Sunday

[Manocad]

As long as our kids play reasonable minutes IDGAF what the score is or what plays are called atm.

That's where I'm at. The perfect scenario for me is that the kids play, show improvement (Hayes), compete/don't get embarrassed, and still lose a lot of games simply because the other teams are better. And certainly along the way put up a stud performance to upset a top tier team here and there. In other words, win most of the games the team SHOULD win (which on paper is probably not many), lose most of the games the team SHOULD lose (which on paper is probably a lot), and the kids get a lot of run.

[Pharaoh]

Gotta let it rest bro.

It's obvious he's got a agenda and nothing of substance to add so no point exposing him further

Run along now

Nah I'm good right here kid.

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[Pharaoh]

Think as the season plays out we'll see that despite some weird cap gymnastics and a few "WTF" choices Weaver actually did a decent job of positioning us for a future.

One super short off-season and looking at things with a longer lens:

We're looking pretty good, especially if you remove Blake and Rose from the roster

Thank God.

Troy Weaver is looking smarter by the game, two hits in Free Agency, Jackson/Grant, one minor hit Plumlee. Promising youth on the team, Hayes/Bey/Stewart, with Sekou/Svi showing potential. I mean, time will tell if this gets the Pistons anywhere, but Troy Weaver early returns look good, don't they? I don't blame him for not being able to Trade BG either, maybe you do. Weaver is a mover and shaker, I like that approach. I mean, if you hit on a good player every two or three years, you are suddenly a contender in the NBA. Casey works as a tank commander too.

Here's where I stand so far on Weaver.

As of right now, he looks like he did his homework on both Grant (this is hands down the biggest surprise to me. I had no idea he had a good enough handle to create his own shot, and drive to the rim like he does)and Jackson. Jackson has been playing his butt off showing both awesome offensive potential, and defensive potential. Plumlee seems to be that filler center thats on the team while its being constructed. He's not bad, but he not a keeper. That shows he values current player scouting which is often lacking in favor of potential in the draft scouting.

In the draft he absolutely nailed it with Bey. At his draft position showing the potential he has it seems like a homerun in the making. Bey plays stout defense, and is a dead eye shooter. Can also handle the ball, and does some work down low.

Stewart has shown that he could be the perfect backup center in this league for many, many years. Can he be a starter? Perhaps. He has a great knack for the ball, and has quicker feet then I thought he would, but he needs to develope a bunch to become a reliable starter.

Hayes is the biggest question mark of the whole draft it would seem. He has court vision, he has handles, and actually has a decent looking shot. What he doesn't have is the ability to get by NBA pressure because of his vestigial right hand. It's absurd how underdeveloped it is. I have never seen an NBA PG get trapped as easily as he does, and not to mention how quick he is to pick up his dribble blows my mind. Casey should actually start him with orders that he can't drive left, and if he does, he'll get pulled immediately. Make him work his ass off.

Some of Weavers other moves have left me scratching my head, but they may make more sense down the road, so I'm willing to give him a pass. One thing is for absolute sure;

Weaver has built a competitive defensive team, the first for the Pistons in a long time, that has played hard, and has been right in every game so far this season. That's insane to me with as much turnover that happened. So far he has made the perfect team for getting a high draft pick, while staying competitive so as not to damage the locker room spirit, while developing the younger guys.

Let's see how the season goes before anyone can make definitive statements except maybe that Casey drives us all nuts.

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[DTP]

Casey has always made these type of mistakes, this isnt him trying to lose....he just sucks. Tanking comes from roster construction, not a mentality of the players or coaches.

I'm not talking about Casey. I'm talking about people bitching about Casey's supposedly poor coaching in the context that it's costing wins.

Quite frankly, as long as the young guys get the playing time they need, having a coach whose so-called lousy coaching leads to losses is a good thing IMO. Even if this team looks like it could battle for a #8 seed at the end of this season, there is no way they're going to compete for a championship. Zero, zilch, zip, nada. I'd rather they lose some games--SOME, not all--they could win and get a better draft pick. Losses shouldn't concern anyone.

I get what you're saying. But it's a tricky line we as fans are walking. Everyone understands we're in a necessary rebuild and that losses help the process. But it's still difficult not to root for a win when the team is in a close game, playing hard, against a top team.

Likewise, having a crap coach does aid the rebuilding process in regard to losing games. But you'd still rather lose games with a good coach than a bad one. It's like if you're a parent, and you know your kid is a dumb ass and a screw up, but you still want him to draw the good teacher and avoid the bad one at the beginning of the school year.

I'll repeat it over and over again- tanking is done with roster construction, not with coaches being incompetent or players trying to lose games. If you're going to have a bad coach, at least let it be a young coach that can grow with the young guys but Casey is too old for this crap man. And you want players playing hard trying to win games, it develops good habits. Last thing you want is building losing habits.

[Pharaoh]

Think the younger guys are the ones bringing the defensive focus and energy, moreso than Blake and Rose.

Plumlee is the only vet we have who positions himself well more often than not on the defensive end.

Remove Rose, remove Blake:

Plumlee - Stewart
Grant - Sekou
Bey - Grant - Sekou
Jackson - Svi
Hayes - Wright

9-man rotation that would actually be awesome to see

I'm not talking about Casey. I'm talking about people bitching about Casey's supposedly poor coaching in the context that it's costing wins.

Quite frankly, as long as the young guys get the playing time they need, having a coach whose so-called lousy coaching leads to losses is a good thing IMO. Even if this team looks like it could battle for a #8 seed at the end of this season, there is no way they're going to compete for a championship. Zero, zilch, zip, nada. I'd rather they lose some games--SOME, not all--they could win and get a better draft pick. Losses shouldn't concern anyone.

I get what you're saying. But it's a tricky line we as fans are walking. Everyone understands we're in a necessary rebuild and that losses help the process. But it's still difficult not to root for a win when the team is in a close game, playing hard, against a top team.

Likewise, having a crap coach does aid the rebuilding process in regard to losing games. But you'd still rather lose games with a good coach than a bad one. It's like if you're a parent, and you know your kid is a dumb ass and a screw up, but you still want him to draw the good teacher and avoid the bad one at the beginning of the school year.

I'll repeat it over and over again- tanking is done with roster construction, not with coaches being incompetent or players trying to lose games. If you're going to have a bad coach, at least let it be a young coach that can grow with the young guys but Casey is too old for this crap man. And you want players playing hard trying to win games, it develops good habits. Last thing you want is building losing habits.

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[Manocad]

I'm not talking about Casey. I'm talking about people bitching about Casey's supposedly poor coaching in the context that it's costing wins.

Quite frankly, as long as the young guys get the playing time they need, having a coach whose so-called lousy coaching leads to losses is a good thing IMO. Even if this team looks like it could battle for a #8 seed at the end of this season, there is no way they're going to compete for a championship. Zero, zilch, zip, nada. I'd rather they lose some games--SOME, not all--they could win and get a better draft pick. Losses shouldn't concern anyone.

I get what you're saying. But it's a tricky line we as fans are walking. Everyone understands we're in a necessary rebuild and that losses help the process. But it's still difficult not to root for a win when the team is in a close game, playing hard, against a top team.

Likewise, having a crap coach does aid the rebuilding process in regard to losing games. But you'd still rather lose games with a good coach than a bad one. It's like if you're a parent, and you know your kid is a dumb ass and a screw up, but you still want him to draw the good teacher and avoid the bad one at the beginning of the school year.

I'll repeat it over and over again- tanking is done with roster construction, not with coaches being incompetent or players trying to lose games. If you're going to have a bad coach, at least let it be a young coach that can grow with the young guys but Casey is too old for this crap man. And you want players playing hard trying to win games, it develops good habits. Last thing you want is building losing habits.

I would argue that you're making a contradiction. How can you tank by putting together a roster of lousy players who play hard but lose while also be building a roster of young, talented players aiming for a championship? My point is only that you CAN intentionally lose games by not playing the best players in any given game or at any given time. So Casey not playing a certain player in any given game or situation may not be incompetence at all; it may be a tanking move. And as long as those moves aren't hindering growth of the young players or happening so frequently as to be demoralizing, who cares?