I want them to be competitive but not win too many games. They badly need elite talent which is why it’s so important for the Pistons to have a top 3/5 pick in this draft.
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Guys they still have the second worse record in the NBA… I don’t think we should be worried about them becoming playoff contenders lol
Weaver set up a theoretically good tank roster: young players with potential, role player vets, and one rising star. It’s really surprising they’ve looked so much better than they look on paper.
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Their schedule get considerably easier within the next month or so which means more opportunity for them to beat bad teams which I do not want
*Third worst. But sure, for now. They’ve been playing good ball lately though. I could easily see a scenario where they catch Chicago, Cleveland, OKC and Orlando if they don’t pump the brakes. No one is saying they will be playoff contenders. But falling out of the top 5 yet again would be a major fail in the rebuild
If the Pistons finish with the 7th worst odds at 1, I’ll be upset and shocked. U also don’t have to be in the top 2 to have a good chance at 1… look at the last 3 yrs
I’m sure it is easier to win with elite talent but we don’t need to look any further than their last title team to see a squad built with outcasts and unheralded picks. The right attitude is a big key, and the guys out there right now are displaying a lot of that.
Also, the lottery odds are so flattened now, they very well could still leap in. Charlotte had the 9th worst record last season but picked 3rd, and wound up with the front-runner for ROY. Two years ago, the Knicks had the worst record and picked 3rd. The #1 pick went to the team tied for the 7th worst record and the #2 pick went to one of the other teams tied with the 7th worst record.
I too want them to draft high but tanking isn’t a surefire way to get there.
Drafting smart is more important than drafting high. The Pistons have some high draft picks from recent drafts on their team that the drafting team already gave up on. Luckily, one former #4 pick seems to be coming of age for us instead of the Suns. Also, I know it’s early but would you rather have Saddiq Bey or Isaac Okoro right now? Isaiah Stewart is outperforming the “NBA Ready” Obi Toppin and the #6 pick, Onyeka Okongwu.
The odds still favor the top-5 picks winding up as better players than the guys taken 6-10 but there are always breakout players outside those highest picks and almost always busts inside that top-5.
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The Raptors also won a title two years ago with their starting lineup (Kawhi, Lowry, Siakam, Gasol, & Green) being the 15th pick (for another team) the 24th pick (for another team) the 27th pick, the 48th pick (for another team) and the 46th pick (for another team). Their top two bench players (Ibaka & FVV) went with the 24th pick (for another team) and an undrafted guy.
So, it’s way too early to hit the panic button.
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You’re also ignoring that Kawhi is an elite talent. You just made my point because if you look at NBA champions, they all have elite talent on the team. GSW had Steph, Klay and KD (and Draymond if you look at his non-scoring contribution), LAL had LBJ and AD, Cavs had LBJ, Spurs had Duncan and Kwahi, etc.
Not having an elite talent is a sure way to being stuck in a purgatory in which the Pistons has been in the last decade.
Also, the last title had LBJ and AD. Both are elite talents. Closest thing is the Going to Work Pistons where they had a great collection of talent but no elite talent and I am 99% sure that it won’t be duplicated. There is a reason why teams intentionally tank so they can get elite talent to increase their chances of winning it all. That should be the goal is to win it all and not to get stuck in a purgatory.
Let’s see how it goes as they move forward and trade whatever other assets they can throughout the year. Staying in the top 3-5 has to be the goal even in a flawed draft process and with prospects that are hard to predict. If they keep this up I’d expect Plumlee to miss some games for load management or a mysterious lower body injury. (i.e. keep your triple doubles glued to the bench while we lose some games)
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Read my whole post above that. I gave an example of a team winning without elite talent but also that elite talent isn’t exclusive to the top of the draft.
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@Guest I also pointed out that the old model of tanking is not likely to hit the mark as much as it used to.
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I’m probably on the same page as all of you in the results I want. I just don’t see tanking as the only absolute answer. There are too many variables for me to get upset about what’s happening now.
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Pistons will never attract elite talent via FA. The only way it’ll happen is through the draft which is why they need to tank. Raptors getting Kawhi via the trade might be the avenue for the Pistons to go through it but that requires them to give up assets to get that elite talent. However, there’s a danger of that established elite talent not wanting to play Detroit via trade veto or James Harden route of forcing his way out.
This is why I am advocating for tanking because the Pistons never had a proper rebuild/tank in the last decade and it’s time for them to do it in the next couple seasons to get a homegrown elite talents.
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Is anyone not advocating for a tank?
Players aren’t going to go out and lose. Casey isn’t going to bench Grant. What do you want the team to do?
Nobody is saying the players should or would intentionally play badly. We’re fans. We’ve seen a dismal franchise for a decade+ stuck in limbo and want a top pick in a loaded draft. We thought they’d be worse than they are and would definitely get a top pick. They might not be, so people are a bit concerned that the limbo will continue. Because, as fans, we can have different opinions on how a franchise achieves long term success. If you disagree with that, fine, but I don’t think the viewpoint is very difficult to understand.
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The tank happens in team construction. If you want to be concerned it won’t work (a long way til that point) I’d look at spending $35+ million on two veteran starters when you’re tanking as one issue.
It’s easy to “understand”, but it’s also out of anyone’s hands at this point. All of us agree they should tank.
You say that they will never attract elite talent yet the argument is there that Detroit made the best FA-signing of the offseason.
Sometimes, it just works out right when you have a good eye for value.
Also, Jerami Grant said he specifically chose Detroit over resigning with Denver for the same money.
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BTW- Tomorrow’s game has been postponed, due to a positive COVID test within the Spurs organization.
Jerami chose Detroit because he’ll be the #1 option where he won’t be that guy for Denver (because Joker and Murray will take up the majority of the usage). Not too difficult to understand why he chose Detroit over Denver.
Also, Jerami isn’t an elite talent IMO. He’s a solid player who is playing well this season and will get a max contract at the end of his contract if he continues to play like he did this season. I rather flip him for assets at the end of his contract.
Elite talent would be LBJ, AD, Kwahi, Luka, Joker, Embiid, Simmons, Book, etc. Jerami isn’t in that same tier.
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