ChrisWoj

If they somehow SOMEHOW *did* get Josh Smith, though... and if Drummond developed... they'd be ****ing great to watch. Don't know what their ceiling would be, that always varies on things beyond control or expectation. But I gotta imagine they'd be a fun team to watch. Better than anything since... 07-08.

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Yeah, I do think it's unlikely that the Pistons could land Smith, but, I don't think it's impossible like the other Top FA's would be (Dwight/Bynum/Paul would never come here). Smith to me, based on what I know about his personality, screams "I'll take the biggest contract regardless of where it comes from". Now, that is assuming the Pistons could even make the best offer, which would take other teams offering him less than us. That's unlikely as well. Based on spending in FA this offseason, he's likely to get a Max offer from Atlanta and Dallas, even if the Pistons matched that offer (well ATL can offer more but if we gave our Max too), he's not picking Detroit over Atlanta or Dallas. It would take Atlanta or Dallas offering like 12-15 Million per and Detroit offering Max (15-17 to start I believe). So, it's very unlikely. I do think he will be the Pistons #1 target in Free Agency though.

DeRozan is more possible, but there is still a hang up there too. He's a Restricted FA, Toronto can match any offer and the Pistons would have to offer something ridiculous to steal him most likely. I mean, if they're willing to pay Landry Fields 6 Million per, they'd probably pay almost twice that to keep DeRozan and that's getting into territory he's not worth even though I'd love to see him added to the Pistons.

The FA next offseason that scares me is Kevin Martin. He's a JoeMars type of guy, quiet, high character, fundamental player... with a lack of elite talent and athletic ability, lol. And, considering he's already making 12 Million per, he'd probably be looking for a deal in that range and I want nothing to with him at 12M per, he's not worth that to me. That screams Ben Gordon/Charlie Villanueva all over again to me, which is what scares me because based on what we know about Joe, it seems like it's almost inevitable. I'm not a big Stuckey guy, and I think Martin is probably alittle bit better player but I'd rather keep Stuckey at 8M per than pay Martin 12M.

Next offseason is going to be very critical. I don't think the Pistons will make the Playoffs this year so I expect another Lottery Pick and the Pistons will have alot of cap space for FA. Need to come away with some talent out of those two avenues to really get this back on track. I like Drummond, Monroe, Knight and Jerebko but after that they're going to need quite a bit more.

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RollWithEm

Assuming Drummond isn't ready to start and Knight is, I guess their line-up looks like this going into the season...

PG Brandon Knight/Will Bynum
SG Rodney Stuckey/Corey Maggette/Kyle Singler
SF Tayshaun Prince/Austin Daye/Terrence Williams
PF Jonas Jerebko/Jason Maxiell/Charlie Villanueva
C Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond

That's a team I will be looking forward to watching on league pass... even though 35 wins seems like their ceiling.

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R-Star

Any chance of them ever starting Monroe and Drummond as their front court?

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BlakeJesus

They need to move Prince for some type of value, just make it happen without taking on major salary long term (unless you get a youngin' but I doubt that happens).

What are the chances T-Will builds on last season? Certainly not a perfect season, but he played pretty well for stretches. He could be a great fit with Knight/Stuckey I think, because neither of those guys can really run an offense so having a wing who can pass like T-Will seems like a great fit on paper. I would enjoy seeing him play 20+ minutes for this squad, but I don't know if that happens with all the mediocre clutter they have at the 2/3 spots.

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R-Star

I would think the only team with any interest at all in Prince would be a contender with a hole at the 3.

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BlakeJesus

I certainly wouldn't be expecting a hefty return for him, it would literally just to be to get him off the team. Open up minutes for guys who are bigger picture for the franchise, weather that's T-Will, Daye, Singler, whoever...Prince is just a guy at this point there's no reason he should be playing for the Pistons.

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R-Star

Depends. If he really wants to be there, you owe it to him. He's been there since the beginning, was a huge part of those championship runs, and hasn't sat around complaining when the team started to fade.

If you talk him into wanting to go somewhere, I agree, dump him for whatever you can get. Detroit is rebuilding, and he's taking a starting spot.


Unless you could convince him to come off the bench and stay on as the elder statesman/leader role. He's not a bad guy to have around teaching the kids. And with a guy like Drummond there, you need a strong locker room guy as far as I'm concerned.

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Bogg

I have to assume that's their long-term plan, because even if Drummond essentially becomes a bigger/stronger DeAndre Jordan that'd be one of, if not the, best frontcourt(s) in the East. Monroe's ability to both score and find the open man should get Drummond plenty of easy looks around the basket, Drummond should protect the rim as well as most anyone in the league, and the two of them should be able to control the glass on both sides of the court. All this is assuming Drummond pans out, obviously, but I think the Pistons are an elite scorer on the wing away from putting together a team that can challenge in the East when this version of the Heat ages.

Porn Player

T-Will got cut by the Pistons.

He didn't play very well in the couple of Piston pre-season games I caught, so no shock here.

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R-Star

I hope so. I love star quality big man duo's.

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ChrisWoj

Obviously you can only read so much into the preseason - but based off of Drummond's preseason play, that is very very likely to happen pretty soon. Remember after the draft, once people were done complaining about how raw Drummond was last year, you heard nothing but superlatives about his attitude and the way he wants to learn and improve. He's already multiple steps ahead of where he was early this summer. If he continues to improve - with his size and athleticism the sky is the limit. His biggest limitation is going to be his intellect - can he LEARN to be a basketball player. If so? He's going to be a monster.

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RollWithEm

Regardless of whether or not Drummond starts, this team will likely miss the playoffs. The development of him, Monroe, Knight, and Daye should be their main focus this season. I hope the coaching staff sees the value in keeping their minutes consistent every game instead of just consistent with their production.

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