Burning Questions

[ElectricMayhem]

Allow me to cosplay as an NBA preview magazine writer for a moment and offer up these Burning Questions- Please grab your kevlar firefighter suit and hose as you rush in to extinguish the fire before this post is reduced to smoldering rubble.

1. Can Cade Cunningham rein in the turnovers and improve efficiency for his next stage of development?

One of the biggest things people gush over Cade about is his ability to never be sped up. But if you're turning the ball over, then maybe you should have sped up and shown some urgency? Will he learn to limit turnovers playing his Premium-Plan-Kyle-Anderson pace or can he develop an urgency to get out of those positions where he is coughing the ball up?

Getting talented shooters was meant to help solve both the turnover and efficiency issues. What we saw was his efficiency improve to a career best in the regular season before falling off in the playoffs. His turnover rate was his worst since his rookie season.

Cade took incredible steps to improve his game this year, but there are still clears that need to be overcome to reach the next step.

2. Can Jaden Ivey be integrated into the rotation in a way that leads to winning?

We were 14-18 before the game where Jaden Ivey got injured. After he went down, we started winning. There are a couple possible reasons for this. The first is that the Pistons are simply better with vets like Beasley and Hardaway Jr. getting more minutes. The second possibility is that the Pistons were on the verge of turning a corner understanding Bickerstaff's system and it was happening whether Ivey went down or not. He was averaging 17.6/4.1/4.0 and shot north of 40% from 3. But it didn't translate to winning.

So next year will he be just what the team needs as a secondary scorer/creator to take pressure off Cade? Or will he show that his talent doesn't lead to wins in the context of this team?

3. Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed: Who do we bring back?

Beasley was a top 6th-man in the NBA and a reversed suspension away from winning the 3-point crown this season...from the bench. He also bought the **** in as a culture creator. He wanted to be here. He still wants to be here. A year ago, nobody wanted to be here.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was solid. As he tends to do, he had games where he was absolutely on fire and changed the complexion of games in a matter of minutes. As he also tends to do, he disappeared equally as much.

Schroeder came here and played a huge role as a much-needed secondary ball-handler. He's known as being kind of aloof, but he was tough, hit big shots, and fit in really well. But does he have a role with Ivey coming back?

B-ball Paul is a solid big who does solid big things, but he will always be behind Duren and Stewart on the depth chart.

4. Should we consider cashing in our trade chips to go big game hunting or rely on internal growth?

There have been murmurings of stars like Giannis, Booker, and Durant possibly being dangled. The offseason could open up the availability of others. Cade is obviously off limits. Is Ausar off-limits? What about Duren? Could either be sacrificed to get another star? Can the Pistons get a star instead with a combination of Ivey, Holland, and a picks package? Would a star's salary limit our ability to get enough good players to compete? If we rely on internal growth and it doesn't happen, did we miss our window to sell high?

[Laimbeer]

1) Cade progressed nicely. I'm still not quite as high on him as most, but he is third team all-NBA on a lot of projections. I never get the "I am him" vibe that I get from players like SGA, ANT, Trae, Ja, etc. His individual skills don't seem as elite. I do question if he's the best player on a title team.

2) If Cade can play with Schroder, why not Ivey? Ivey will have to be less ball dominant, but I think they can figure it out.

3) I don't get the feeling Schroder necessarily wants to stay, but Beasley does so I expect him back. Hardaway is a hard pass. He's a career 36% three point shooter and that's his forte. He can get hot but he can shoot you out of games, too. Cade, Ivey, Beasley, and Sasser should be our backcourt.

4. The only rumblings I hear of those guys coming here are on fan forums. We aren't a serious contender or a
destination city. Let this team bake for another season and take it from there. Lots of room for growth.

[Snakebites]

1) This is absolutely necessary. As much as I love Cade, he wasn't the most efficient player with the ball in his hands, either as a scorer or as a ballhandler with the turnovers. He had a marginal increase in scoring efficiency of 2 percent (which is actually nothing to sniff at given the increase in volume) but the turnovers didn't improve- I was surprised to see his turnover percentage was actually HIGHER this year. And this is despite better floor spacing around him. I think he'll be able to, but yeah, this is his biggest flaw right now.

2) I don't think Ivey was a bad fit. I think that the team progressed and leveled up during the year and that this would have happened with or without him. We'll need to see what his role is moving forward, but he definitely has the potential to help us. Furthermore trading him when he hasn't played in so long simply isn't a viable option.

3) I'd say let THJ walk. He was good locker room guy but definitely was playing a larger role than he should have. He's not steady enough. Schroder's role is ill-defined with Ivey coming back- he enjoyed his time here but will likely be looking for a larger role elsewhere. I'm not willing to pay as much to keep Beasley as I probably would have been before the playoffs, but I am still fairly certain he'll be back. Whether he can reproduce the season he had is another question. Reed I'm fine with being back as long as its on the same minimum type deal we had him on after we waived him and brought him back.

4) I don't think the core we have tops out as a contending core. I think we can afford to be patient- we're certainly not desperate to make a move and it wouldn't be bad to see what we have grow internally for another year, but we absolutely need to be open to major upgrades.

[chrbal]

1. Can Cade Cunningham rein in the turnovers and improve efficiency for his next stage of development?

This determines a lot of our success moving forward. Franchise should hire specialists to help him out, among other moves

2. Can Jaden Ivey be integrated into the rotation in a way that leads to winning?

I really do believe so. He’s on a very thin line of could be really crucial to helping Cade out and being most likely to get traded.

3. Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed: Who do we bring back?

Schroeder- neutral, I’d like to see them upgrade from him. But he also might be easier to resign because of his history of bouncing around.

Beasley- I think they absolutely should unless price is crazy

Hardaway- upgrade from him

Reed- he’s like what a 12th man? Sure, keep him I guess

4. Should we consider cashing in our trade chips to go big game hunting or rely on internal growth?

Big game for the right player. I don’t think Durant is it, but he also seems like he wants to play with Cade.
“Rely on internal growth”, no you build off the huge jump without bankrupting yourself

[tmorgan]

As for #2, Ivey, it’s entirely about him not being a complete worthless sieve on defense. He’s turning into a good offensive player, no doubt about that.

But when your star player shoulders a huge scoring and playmaking load and probably tops out as an average defender overall because of quickness limitations, you need your other backcourt player to not suck ass on defense to pick up the slack. Ivey, so far, sucks ass. Ausar is a defensive savant, and Holland was a good defender as a rookie. Right now, it’s one-or-the-other for us, because neither Holland nor Ausar are even bad shooters, they’re pitiful.

So, what seems more likely? Ausar learns to shoot, Holland learns to shoot, or Ivey learns to play defense? I don’t know, except that Ausar is the least likely because his shot looks like a pre-teen’s jumper. And yet his other abilities are so overwhelming that starting him makes sense.

[Kalamazoo317]

I believe in Holland's shot

[GreekAlex]

1. Can Cade Cunningham rein in the turnovers and improve efficiency for his next stage of development?

Only time will tell but I wouldn’t bet against Cades continued improvement.

2. Can Jaden Ivey be integrated into the rotation in a way that leads to winning?

The sample size was small but if he can continue to hit 3’s at a 40% clip and bring all of his other attributes, he’ll be fine.

I think that it helps that he saw what was successful and what worked this year so he can fit within that rather than figuring it out from scratch.

3. Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed: Who do we bring back?

Beasley has to be back. I’d like Schröder and Hardaway for depth if they’re game but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Ivey will absorb a lot of those minutes.

I’d love B Ball Paul back as well.

It’s difficult to make strong statements without knowing what options/ upgrades will be available to Langdon.


4. Should we consider cashing in our trade chips to go big game hunting or rely on internal growth?

It’s definitely internal growth for me unless either the perfect player was suddenly available at a discount.

[jars]

1. This is an important step for Cade and I think he will show progression in this area. It is what will determine whether he is a 1a type player or a 1b/second banana. I think part of the issue is that he isn't a 'me first' guard and gets his team involved, but this is also what makes him such a great player. Perhaps our mindset needs to look at which players coming in can offset his end of game weaknesses and Schroder showed that in spurts in the second half of the season and playoffs.

2. Ivey has all the tools to be that clutch player we need next to Cade. Those two have only played 41 games together over the past two years and 94 in total over their careers. It has been difficult to see their development together. When Cade was put, Ivey had a few big shots to win the game. Perhaps he is the piece we need next to Cade at the end of games.

3. The order of want is Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed; however, I expect someone will offer Beasley and perhaps Schroder more than we will be able/willing to pay. Unless we are bringing in an upgrade like Nas Reid, I would like us to bring them back on 2 year contracts.

4. Only if the right deal is there. Durant is interesting because the price will be lower than Giannis/Booker and fits what we need. Right now only Cade is untouchable, but it would be a significant deal to pry Ausar (and maybe Holland) away for me. You just don't find many players with Ausar's athleticism and defense. Other than that, everyone can be available if the deal works for us.

[Kalamazoo317]

I think Shroder is the one I want back most of all. On the playoff roster, he was the best *defensive* guard we had, imo, the best guard playmaker outside of Cade, the best ballhandler outside of Cade, and the best cluth offensive player on the team. Beasley is a great scorer and spacer and at least put in good effort on defense this season, but I feel like Shroder just offers a more complete package for us even if his shot isn't falling.
(That said, I want to bring them both back and THJ and Reed too if we can).

[Canadafan]

I think Shroder is the one I want back most of all. On the playoff roster, he was the best *defensive* guard we had, imo, the best guard playmaker outside of Cade, the best ballhandler outside of Cade, and the best cluth offensive player on the team. Beasley is a great scorer and spacer and at least put in good effort on defense this season, but I feel like Shroder just offers a more complete package for us even if his shot isn't falling.
(That said, I want to bring them both back and THJ and Reed too if we can).

Ya, he was amazing for us. Really helped out Cade.
I'd be disappointed if we go into season with Sasser and Beasley off our bench. We need that steady vet playmaking that Shröder provides. Him and Ivey would be a nice combination too.
I'm sure Beasley had visions of MLE15mil type money but with a somewhat of a let down playoffs, he might be open to splitting that 18million we have with Shröder. They're buds too. Perfect pair to have backup our starters.

[Canadafan]

So....I'd really luv to hear some clarity on Beef Stews injury. What a letdown that was. To be so solid for us all year and be our 4th quarter center basically, it really hurt us vs Knicks. His size and rebounding would have also been massive when they went to a 2 big lineup and would have been able to hang with Towns on the perimeter and Robinson down low. Ughhhh

[VicVinegar]

Beasley all signs point to him coming back, the only questions is at what price. I'm at the point where if he wants to get paid a ton of money, I'd let him walk. He was very underwhelming post all star break, especially in the playoffs. If he wants to take a team friendly deal (MLE money), I'd love to have him back. If Paul Reed wants to take league minimum again, it's a no brainer. He's a fantastic #3C and is still in his mid 20's. Schroeder was arguably the Piston's best player in the playoffs. Made some huge shots, guarded Brunson tough, had a nice assist/TO ratio. If the price is right, I'd love him back on a 1-2 year deal. I wouldn't give him longer than that. If THJ is willing to take league minimum and be a #3 off the bench, who won't see most nights (similar to Reed and Sasser) then I'm on board. Otherwise, buh-bye.

[ElectricMayhem]

1. Can Cade Cunningham rein in the turnovers and improve efficiency for his next stage of development?

I don't know. But as many have said, he needs to get here if he wants to enter that upper echelon of players that can lead a team to a championship. He's shown tremendous growth. I just don't know what to do with this concept that he can't be sped up. If that were true, he wouldn't have the turnover issue. I'm surprised that his turnover rate got worse despite better spacing. He makes a lot of lazy passes. A little more chalance could do him some good.

2. Can Jaden Ivey be integrated into the rotation in a way that leads to winning?

I'm not as high on Ivey as some people. Look at this quote from a rivel exec from a recent Ringer article:

“You need internal growth. Can Thompson learn to shoot? Does Jaden Ivey learn how to play basketball? That changes the dynamics of your team. What does Ron Holland turn into? I would not combine assets to go get [another player]. I would let my young guys develop.”

Ouch. And for a coach's son, no less. But it's true right now. He scores a lot but he needs to be more than a Bradley Beal to be a successful NBA player. Ausar can't cover everyone's guy on D.

That said, there is no reason to trade him coming off an injury when his value is depressed. We know he can at least score and he should be able to show that when he comes back. Put him out there next year and see if we win at the same rate or better than we did when he was out. See if he can develop into what we need him to be because that is preferable to looking outside for it.

3. Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed: Who do we bring back?

Beasley: He's been vocal about wanting to come back. He was great for vibes and I think we should want him back. If he's giving all this love hoping for a big payday, though, I'd take a step back and look elsewhere. I could see him getting very loud and public if we don't offer him what he feels he earned this year. I don't think he'll repeat his success this year, but he's great to have for the right price.

Schroder: I'd love him back. He was tough. He made big shots. He took pressure off Cade. Great pick up. But he can get more money and more playing time elsewhere with Ivey coming back. I expect we'll give him an offer but he'll ultimately go elsewhere.

Hardaway Jr.: I don't have any math to back this up, but I'm convinced no player has greater variance on his 3 point shot than THJ. He can be his own 12 point swing in a span of 90 seconds. But he's also hard to consistently depend on. He shouldn't be a starter, but I wonder if he can catch fire like that as a bench player. I don't mind keeping him, but it should be for cheap and he shouldn't expect the same amount of minutes.

Reed: A lot of Philly fans were always clamoring for him to get more playing time. He's a solid 3rd stringer who can give you good minutes when necessary. If he's cheap, he's good to have. But he might still be looking for a place he can get more minutes to eventually earn a bigger paycheck down the road.

4. Should we consider cashing in our trade chips to go big game hunting or rely on internal growth?

Booker is the only guy that interests me. Book would really open up the court for Cade. BUT I don't think we can get him without giving up something I don't want to. I wouldn't trade Ausar for him. I'd be hesitant to send Duren out. If he could be had for Ivey, Holland, and a pick package, I'd take that. Otherwise, I'm happy with internal growth.

[Snakebites]

A discussion along these lines that is already happening in another thread is in my mind another burning question:

What are our young guys worth? Which ones are ones we should pay market price to keep and which ones are ones we should be looking to trade while they have value? Giving extensions to every one of our young players is not a viable way forward. Not under this CBA.

[GreekAlex]

A discussion along these lines that is already happening in another thread is in my mind another burning question:

What are our young guys worth? Which ones are ones we should pay market price to keep and which ones are ones we should be looking to trade while they have value? Giving extensions to every one of our young players is not a viable way forward. Not under this CBA.

We’ll need to bump up our salary expectations based on the rising cap.

By the year that the Duren/ Ivey extensions start, the Luxury tax will be around $190M.

Cade will be Making $42M (slightly more with All NBA)

$140+M is still a lot to go around.

[Snakebites]

A discussion along these lines that is already happening in another thread is in my mind another burning question:

What are our young guys worth? Which ones are ones we should pay market price to keep and which ones are ones we should be looking to trade while they have value? Giving extensions to every one of our young players is not a viable way forward. Not under this CBA.

We’ll need to bump up our salary expectations based on the rising cap.

By the year that the Duren/ Ivey extensions start, the Luxury tax will be around $190M.

Cade will be Making $42M (slightly more with All NBA)

$140+M is still a lot to go around.

Not as much as you think, particularly given (as you say) we need to up our expectations for what these guys will make.

14 other guys need to be paid. We MIGHT be able to pay Duren, Ivey, Ausar. But is that core enough to win a ring? Because those will likely end up your four highest paid players if you extend them all. Which is fine...if you think those guys are top out at a championship core. If not, we need to consolidate and/or change things up.

[GreekAlex]

A discussion along these lines that is already happening in another thread is in my mind another burning question:

What are our young guys worth? Which ones are ones we should pay market price to keep and which ones are ones we should be looking to trade while they have value? Giving extensions to every one of our young players is not a viable way forward. Not under this CBA.

We’ll need to bump up our salary expectations based on the rising cap.

By the year that the Duren/ Ivey extensions start, the Luxury tax will be around $190M.

Cade will be Making $42M (slightly more with All NBA)

$140+M is still a lot to go around.

Not as much as you think, particularly given (as you say) we need to up our expectations for what these guys will make.

14 other guys need to be paid. We MIGHT be able to pay Duren, Ivey, Ausar. But is that core enough to win a ring? Because those will likely end up your four highest paid players if you extend them all. Which is fine...if you think those guys are top out at a championship core. If not, we need to consolidate and/or change things up.

26-27 cap guesses

Cade $42M
Ivey $25M
Ausar $11M
Duren $25M
Aldama $20M
Beasley $15M
Stew $15M
Ron Holland $9M
———————————————-
$162M

Sprinkle the remaining $28M amongst the 7 end of the bench guys.

That looks super balanced.

These are obviously very rough estimates so please don’t overly focus on any one estimate.

[bstein14]

We’ll need to bump up our salary expectations based on the rising cap.

By the year that the Duren/ Ivey extensions start, the Luxury tax will be around $190M.

Cade will be Making $42M (slightly more with All NBA)

$140+M is still a lot to go around.

Not as much as you think, particularly given (as you say) we need to up our expectations for what these guys will make.

14 other guys need to be paid. We MIGHT be able to pay Duren, Ivey, Ausar. But is that core enough to win a ring? Because those will likely end up your four highest paid players if you extend them all. Which is fine...if you think those guys are top out at a championship core. If not, we need to consolidate and/or change things up.

26-27 cap guesses

Cade $42M
Ivey $25M
Ausar $11M
Duren $25M
Aldama $20M
Beasley $15M
Stew $15M
Ron Holland $9M
———————————————-
$162M

Sprinkle the remaining $28M amongst the 7 end of the bench guys.

That looks super balanced.

These are obviously very rough estimates so please don’t overly focus on any one estimate.

Assuming Cade makes all-nba this season, he'll be over $50 million in salary for 26-27.

[Rip32]

Ivey's injury was a blessing. How else would JB had known as soon as Ausar was inserting into the lineup, the team takes off. Yes, Ivey was putting up better stats but the team wasn't consistently winning. Now, will Ivey be required to adjust his game upon returning?? This will be the big question imo.

I still see Cade as a 2nd option. Can he become the number #1 option? Of course but he's going to have to change his whole mentality. He's lacking Mamba imo and you either have it or you don't. Can it be manufactured? Cade is too nice. Sometimes you have to be an ass and hated in order to achieve winning. Just as the great Isaiah Lord Thomas. He is cherished all over Michigan in particular Detroit. Zeke can go to any f?cking hood in Detroit and get respected like a King. In fact, I believe he pulled up in a hood and brought up a fight??? That's LOVE!!!!

Darren Douglas McCarty (Redwing legend) can do the same thing. These guys are icons