What Should Detroit Do? GO! - Basketball Forum : Professional and College Basketball Forums

**ChrisWoj** · 11-14-2012, 05:16 PM

Alright... The team is 0-8, but watching tonight has me thinking, here's what needs to happen (Keep in mind tonight is only the 5th game I've watched at least most of this season, out of 9 now)...

PG - Brandon Knight should be starting at the point. Not only for developmental reasons, but additionally because of his size. At his size he isn't going to be a good choice as a 3rd guard off of the bench - he's relatively limited with regards to who he can play with - he can't come in with another small guard in the back court. Developmental reasons do play a role, though: he needs some time out there where he's the clear cut distributor. It'll make him better in the long run than coming in with an order to find a way to be a kickstarter off of the bench.

SG - Kyle Singler. This is with a big caveat: That the small sample size we're seeing from him beyond the arc represents something like his true level as a shooter. He's throwing it up at a 44.5% rate, looks solid. He plays aggressive defense, moving better than expected. He's obviously no true contender's idea of a starting two-guard, but he's the best choice for Detroit right now because of his skillset, and to get him some development time. [Note: As I type this Singler has gone from 5 to 11 to 13 points, I feel good about this now]

SF - Tayshaun Prince. I would love to say Jonas, but I think that Jonas is someone that really doesn't need to be a starter to make his strongest impact. Prince has gained a bad reputation over the past few years from the stat community because he does take more shots than he should when the young guys should be getting them - he's still a well liked leader on the team, plays hard nosed defense (although he doesn't have the footspeed he used to, and is barely average - he plays it hard and sets a strong example - important for a young group of starters).

PF - Greg Monroe is obviously my choice for power forward. I don't think there's much I really need to explain here: he is the Pistons' best player right now. He is in a funk right now, but he's proven that he's a fantastic offensive player, and although not a truly "special" rebounder, he makes sure to get position and get his every night off the glass.

C - Andre Drummond is the starting center of the future, and he's shown that he plays hard and makes good things happen on the court. He's still learning, and as a result: fouling... but right now the quick trigger is hurting both him and the team, so send him out there to start nights next to Greg and give him some leeway. Keep him out there playing his minutes until 4 fouls, whether they come by the end of the first quarter, or early in the fourth. It'll give him the freedom to impact the game more strongly and positively in his time on the floor, and overall he'll get more minutes on the floor to develop his game. Additionally - as a defensive presence he obviously proves an ideal counterpart to Greg Monroe.

----------------
BENCH ROLES
----------------

1st Guard off Bench: Rodney Stuckey
2nd Guard off Bench: Will Bynum
With Stuckey's size he's clearly an ideal bench sparkplug. He's a strong 6'5 and can create for himself and for others. Not at a superstar level, but at a level that would make him a potential weapon off of the bench playing a lot of minutes against opposing benches. Will Bynum obviously slots in fourth guard with the move of Singler from a bench swingman spot to a starting guard spot. He's a great sparkplug, but he is an absolute defensive sieve, he's too small to amount to much in the league and isn't going to develop into anything more than he is. He's there to do a job, provide his minutes, and that's his role in the league. No need to throw extra time at him when there are guys that we need to see out there.

Bench Swings: Corey Maggette/Kim English
Kim English is pretty much a one trick guy, though he hasn't been bad on defense as anticipated coming in he is pretty clearly a spot up shooter. It is what he does. He's going to have real NBA value as a guy that can come in and hit threes - but he's a rhythm guy, from what I can see he's capable of holding his strong shooting despite sporadic playing time, and right now with the other guys to develop that's where he is relegated. Maggette provides a nice strong veteran presence. Not the best player, doesn't have the best playing style - but he's a professional presence. Good to have around, if you're gonna have to carrying a lame duck expiring may as well be him.

Bench Big: Jason Maxiell is the safety valve for Andre Drummond. He's in better shape than he's been in in probably four years. What does that make him? Someone they can trade later in the season for some future investments, to some contender that can use some size off the bench. So we have him in a rhythm, now move him to the bench to play against weaker opposition to keep it rolling, and then sell as high as you can later.

Oh yeah they're still here: Khris Middleton, Austin Daye
Austin Daye is worthless during the regular season, in any game that involves real physical contact. He can't handle NBA opposition, and his game is thrown off kilter the second someone makes contact with him on the floor. He's not an NBA basketball player, for all the scoring talent in the world. Khris Middleton is a fringe developing player. A lot of potential if he heals fully but still working on coming back from a severe knee injury. Right now: baby him. See what we can develop when you let him go after a strong bench position next pre-season.

**roux2dope** · 11-14-2012, 05:19 PM

you guys have too much talent to be this bad all year..knight needs to start making the leap sooner rather than later.. and monroe is is a straight up stud.. the future is bright in motown if you add a top 5 pick to those guys going forward

**ChrisWoj** · 11-14-2012, 05:33 PM

Well you're right about one thing: we're not going to be *this* bad all year. Which is why Detroit has had to "luck" into Monroe/Knight/Drummond - picking highly talented payers that others passed on for possibly too long. Knight is most questionable, Drummond's size making him a lock to do something in the league. We're never a top 5 pick team because there is a mandate to play hard, especially at home because ownership also owns The Palace. Playing to an empty house is a serious no-no for Detroit, so you never see them tank.

**Bogg** · 11-15-2012, 05:16 AM

Prince needs to go to clear cap space, he doesn't serve a purpose on this team and it'd be nice to see him play out his deal on a playoff squad(or a squad trying to make the playoffs). I believe Cleveland has Miami's first round pick this year and are currently starting Alonzo Gee at small forward, send Prince there for Walton's expiring and Miami's first. I mostly agree about Drummond, so long as he earns it(at Uconn he had a tendency to be apathetic at times).

**ChrisWoj** · 11-15-2012, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogg

Prince needs to go to clear cap space, he doesn't serve a purpose on this team and it'd be nice to see him play out his deal on a playoff squad(or a squad trying to make the playoffs). I believe Cleveland has Miami's first round pick this year and are currently starting Alonzo Gee at small forward, send Prince there for Walton's expiring and Miami's first. I mostly agree about Drummond, so long as he earns it(at Uconn he had a tendency to be apathetic at times).

From what I've seen - much of that "apathy" comes from not knowing what to do on the court. He seems to stand still when he loses track of what is going on within the offense. The whole "doing nothing is better than doing something completely wrong" strategy. It makes him look apathetic when he's just trying to catch up. He's still incredibly young, and has an eager mind, definitely a coach's favorite already in Detroit for his work ethic. He just needs to learn to be a basketball player and not just an athlete.

**Bogg** · 11-19-2012, 07:14 AM

Drummond's going to be alright, but you have to keep him hungry for minutes and mentally/emotionally secure and happy or you risk turning him into the second coming of Kwame Brown(who, by the way, should have been a game-changing defender at worst). Let him do some beating up on second-stringers and work on his offense this year. If he makes some big strides mid-season and earns it, then give him starters' minutes. However, I don't know that you want to just throw him out there to rack up fouls and get exposed by crafty veterans.

**Dre** · 11-19-2012, 07:47 AM

Nah, it doesn't go like that. When have kid gloves ever helped someone that didn't get exposed anyway?

Anyways the best thing to do is play out the season then get rid of Stuckey and Maggette and I would try to find a real point guard. I'm not really so sold on Knight that they can't find a PG to make him the sixth man.

**Bogg** · 11-19-2012, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre

Nah, it doesn't go like that. When have kid gloves ever helped someone that didn't get exposed anyway?

.....are you asking when learning in a non-primary role has ever led to a player making a big leap later in his career?

**ChrisWoj** · 11-21-2012, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre

Nah, it doesn't go like that. When have kid gloves ever helped someone that didn't get exposed anyway?

Anyways the best thing to do is play out the season then get rid of Stuckey and Maggette and I would try to find a real point guard. I'm not really so sold on Knight that they can't find a PG to make him the sixth man.

Knight is far too young for me to be sold on him being or not being a point guard. He is quite obviously not Kyrie Irving, but there's nothing to say he can't be a very good one. The question is: when? As for the Drummond point made by Bogg: the thing about Drummond, thus far, is that he's shown that when he is on the floor, regardless of opposition, good things happen. He's still learning, and obviously some guys would expose him, but I think he'd surprise a lot of people. He has an NBA ready body, plays hard and appropriately physically - he just needs to learn the ins and outs of the game. Something that you need time on the court to do.

**roux2dope** · 11-21-2012, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisWoj

Knight is far too young for me to be sold on him being or not being a point guard. He is quite obviously not Kyrie Irving, but there's nothing to say he can't be a very good one. The question is: when? As for the Drummond point made by Bogg: the thing about Drummond, thus far, is that he's shown that when he is on the floor, regardless of opposition, good things happen. He's still learning, and obviously some guys would expose him, but I think he'd surprise a lot of people. He has an NBA ready body, plays hard and appropriately physically - he just needs to learn the ins and outs of the game. Something that you need time on the court to do.

Right now knight is a poor mans brandon jennings in terms of age and playing style.. You just have to patient with some of these 23 an under pg's sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get rolling

hroz · 12-07-2012, 07:14 PM

At this point.

Drummond Monroe I would not trade.

But everyone else I would happily package Stuckey and/or Villanueva for expirings.

Drummond
Monroe
Singler
DraftPick
Knight

Thats my prefferred starting lineup but would trade Singler or Knight to get rid of Stuckey or Villanueva.
Prince has to go too.
But I would not lose anything for Prince I would take a 2nd rounder and an expiring.

MotorCityFan · 12-07-2012, 09:22 PM

^+1

I think Drummond is an essential part of what could be a great lineup throughout the next few seasons.

11-14-2012, 05:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
ChrisWoj Restore the Roar Join Date: May 2005 Location: Goshen, Indiana Age: 28 Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 3089125	What Should Detroit Do? GO! Alright... The team is 0-8, but watching tonight has me thinking, here's what needs to happen (Keep in mind tonight is only the 5th game I've watched at least most of this season, out of 9 now)... PG - Brandon Knight should be starting at the point. Not only for developmental reasons, but additionally because of his size. At his size he isn't going to be a good choice as a 3rd guard off of the bench - he's relatively limited with regards to who he can play with - he can't come in with another small guard in the back court. Developmental reasons do play a role, though: he needs some time out there where he's the clear cut distributor. It'll make him better in the long run than coming in with an order to find a way to be a kickstarter off of the bench. SG - Kyle Singler. This is with a big caveat: That the small sample size we're seeing from him beyond the arc represents something like his true level as a shooter. He's throwing it up at a 44.5% rate, looks solid. He plays aggressive defense, moving better than expected. He's obviously no true contender's idea of a starting two-guard, but he's the best choice for Detroit right now because of his skillset, and to get him some development time. [Note: As I type this Singler has gone from 5 to 11 to 13 points, I feel good about this now] SF - Tayshaun Prince. I would love to say Jonas, but I think that Jonas is someone that really doesn't need to be a starter to make his strongest impact. Prince has gained a bad reputation over the past few years from the stat community because he does take more shots than he should when the young guys should be getting them - he's still a well liked leader on the team, plays hard nosed defense (although he doesn't have the footspeed he used to, and is barely average - he plays it hard and sets a strong example - important for a young group of starters). PF - Greg Monroe is obviously my choice for power forward. I don't think there's much I really need to explain here: he is the Pistons' best player right now. He is in a funk right now, but he's proven that he's a fantastic offensive player, and although not a truly "special" rebounder, he makes sure to get position and get his every night off the glass. C - Andre Drummond is the starting center of the future, and he's shown that he plays hard and makes good things happen on the court. He's still learning, and as a result: fouling... but right now the quick trigger is hurting both him and the team, so send him out there to start nights next to Greg and give him some leeway. Keep him out there playing his minutes until 4 fouls, whether they come by the end of the first quarter, or early in the fourth. It'll give him the freedom to impact the game more strongly and positively in his time on the floor, and overall he'll get more minutes on the floor to develop his game. Additionally - as a defensive presence he obviously proves an ideal counterpart to Greg Monroe. ---------------- BENCH ROLES ---------------- 1st Guard off Bench: Rodney Stuckey 2nd Guard off Bench: Will Bynum With Stuckey's size he's clearly an ideal bench sparkplug. He's a strong 6'5 and can create for himself and for others. Not at a superstar level, but at a level that would make him a potential weapon off of the bench playing a lot of minutes against opposing benches. Will Bynum obviously slots in fourth guard with the move of Singler from a bench swingman spot to a starting guard spot. He's a great sparkplug, but he is an absolute defensive sieve, he's too small to amount to much in the league and isn't going to develop into anything more than he is. He's there to do a job, provide his minutes, and that's his role in the league. No need to throw extra time at him when there are guys that we need to see out there. Bench Swings: Corey Maggette/Kim English Kim English is pretty much a one trick guy, though he hasn't been bad on defense as anticipated coming in he is pretty clearly a spot up shooter. It is what he does. He's going to have real NBA value as a guy that can come in and hit threes - but he's a rhythm guy, from what I can see he's capable of holding his strong shooting despite sporadic playing time, and right now with the other guys to develop that's where he is relegated. Maggette provides a nice strong veteran presence. Not the best player, doesn't have the best playing style - but he's a professional presence. Good to have around, if you're gonna have to carrying a lame duck expiring may as well be him. Bench Big: Jason Maxiell is the safety valve for Andre Drummond. He's in better shape than he's been in in probably four years. What does that make him? Someone they can trade later in the season for some future investments, to some contender that can use some size off the bench. So we have him in a rhythm, now move him to the bench to play against weaker opposition to keep it rolling, and then sell as high as you can later. Oh yeah they're still here: Khris Middleton, Austin Daye Austin Daye is worthless during the regular season, in any game that involves real physical contact. He can't handle NBA opposition, and his game is thrown off kilter the second someone makes contact with him on the floor. He's not an NBA basketball player, for all the scoring talent in the world. Khris Middleton is a fringe developing player. A lot of potential if he heals fully but still working on coming back from a severe knee injury. Right now: baby him. See what we can develop when you let him go after a strong bench position next pre-season. __________________ DETROIT! Lets Restore the Roar! We can all to that. check.the.detroit.tigers.forum THE DETROIT TIGERS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS - ChrisWoj [05.30.06] - Midnight_Marauder [05.31.06] - Ghost [05.31.06] - Sixerfanforlife [06.05.06] - Ron Mexico [07.02.06] - Dissonance19 [07.24.06] - bball2223 [08.09.06] OMG MY SIG IS OBSOLETE!

11-14-2012, 05:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
roux2dope I'm perfectly calm Dude Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wauwatosa, WI Age: 31 Posts: 10,545 Rep Power: 6986292	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! you guys have too much talent to be this bad all year..knight needs to start making the leap sooner rather than later.. and monroe is is a straight up stud.. the future is bright in motown if you add a top 5 pick to those guys going forward

11-14-2012, 05:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
ChrisWoj Restore the Roar Join Date: May 2005 Location: Goshen, Indiana Age: 28 Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 3089125	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! Well you're right about one thing: we're not going to be this bad all year. Which is why Detroit has had to "luck" into Monroe/Knight/Drummond - picking highly talented payers that others passed on for possibly too long. Knight is most questionable, Drummond's size making him a lock to do something in the league. We're never a top 5 pick team because there is a mandate to play hard, especially at home because ownership also owns The Palace. Playing to an empty house is a serious no-no for Detroit, so you never see them tank. __________________ DETROIT! Lets Restore the Roar! We can all to that. check.the.detroit.tigers.forum THE DETROIT TIGERS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS - ChrisWoj [05.30.06] - Midnight_Marauder [05.31.06] - Ghost [05.31.06] - Sixerfanforlife [06.05.06] - Ron Mexico [07.02.06] - Dissonance19 [07.24.06] - bball2223 [08.09.06] OMG MY SIG IS OBSOLETE!

11-15-2012, 05:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
Bogg Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,617 Rep Power: 4050067	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! Prince needs to go to clear cap space, he doesn't serve a purpose on this team and it'd be nice to see him play out his deal on a playoff squad(or a squad trying to make the playoffs). I believe Cleveland has Miami's first round pick this year and are currently starting Alonzo Gee at small forward, send Prince there for Walton's expiring and Miami's first. I mostly agree about Drummond, so long as he earns it(at Uconn he had a tendency to be apathetic at times).

11-19-2012, 07:14 AM	#6 (permalink)
Bogg Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,617 Rep Power: 4050067	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! Drummond's going to be alright, but you have to keep him hungry for minutes and mentally/emotionally secure and happy or you risk turning him into the second coming of Kwame Brown(who, by the way, should have been a game-changing defender at worst). Let him do some beating up on second-stringers and work on his offense this year. If he makes some big strides mid-season and earns it, then give him starters' minutes. However, I don't know that you want to just throw him out there to rack up fouls and get exposed by crafty veterans.

11-19-2012, 07:47 AM	#7 (permalink)
Dre do better Join Date: Jun 2003 Age: 25 Posts: 41,325 Rep Power: 21474887	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! Nah, it doesn't go like that. When have kid gloves ever helped someone that didn't get exposed anyway? Anyways the best thing to do is play out the season then get rid of Stuckey and Maggette and I would try to find a real point guard. I'm not really so sold on Knight that they can't find a PG to make him the sixth man.

12-07-2012, 07:14 PM	#11 (permalink)
hroz All-Star Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 6,786 Rep Power: 1396404	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! At this point. Drummond Monroe I would not trade. But everyone else I would happily package Stuckey and/or Villanueva for expirings. Drummond Monroe Singler DraftPick Knight Thats my prefferred starting lineup but would trade Singler or Knight to get rid of Stuckey or Villanueva. Prince has to go too. But I would not lose anything for Prince I would take a 2nd rounder and an expiring. __________________ ROCKETS NBA CHAMPIONS 1993-1994 1994-1995 2012-2013

12-07-2012, 09:22 PM	#12 (permalink)
MotorCityFan Ford Motor Co. Fan Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Albuquerque, NM Age: 19 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: What Should Detroit Do? GO! ^+1 I think Drummond is an essential part of what could be a great lineup throughout the next few seasons. __________________

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