-= Official Detroit Pistons Thread =-

[Sauru]

its about time for the pistons to start rebuilding imo.

[maes]

My recommendation: Keep Billups, lose Saunders.

I think there were signs of coaching issues even during the regular season but they were masked by all the wins. But when you check wins vs .500+ teams, for the EC it was #1 Cavs, #2 Detroit, #3 Chicago, and that's pretty much how the playoffs played out.

But Detroit's 19-20 record vs .500 teams were a far cry from WC contenders, Utah was 24-14, Phoenix 27-11, etc..

[dan_suth]

Plain and simple, I have no idea what the Pistons should do. On one hand, I'm quite bitter about the loss again this year in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the way that Billups played and Rasheed acted. It just seemed like Billups played with an "I don't care" attitude all throughout the series/playoffs - I don't like how he is always showing that smile (even if it is a sarcastic smile) after he screws up or misses a big time clutch shot. A true star would be visibly upset with himself... And I am pretty damn sick of the way Rasheed has acted this postseason (well, from day 1 to be honest). It's great that he plays with emotion but sometimes he gets far too carried away. Overall, the team this year and the fans have done a lot of whining, especially about the way referees have been calling the games. The fact is, Detroit just didn't show up for this series with Cleveland. I'm getting tired of the whining about everything.

On the other hand, I realize that Chauncey has made some HUGE shots for this team over the past several years, and when he plays great, the team seems to play great. I would hate to see him and Rip Hamilton separate - they are one of the best backcourts in the league and it's a lot of fun watching the two of them feed off each other. Rasheed has hit some big shots as well. For the most part, he could take the ball down low and score when he needed to in those big time situations.

I think the current Pistons team can make one or two more runs deep into the playoffs... so maybe it would be a good idea to bring back Billups (and Webber.. if he wants to stay). Who knows, maybe they could get lucky and avoid Cleveland in the playoffs next year... or maybe they could beat them. It's not like Cleveland has established itself as the creme of the crop in the East. It's still a toss-up between the Cavs, Pistons, Bulls, Heat, and maybe a healthy Nets team as far as I'm concerned.

If there is a better option at the coach position, I would surely like an upgrade over Flip Saunders. He hasn't really done that great in his two years here, and I found myself questioning a lot of his decisions during this postseason (though I'm sure he knows his stuff a lot better than I do).

[JT_55]

Maybe Detroit will fire Saunders and sign Jeff Van Gundy...

[Sauru]

saunders sucks. wtf was he thinking with some of his sub patterns?

[MC Hao]

pffff...the bulls should've beaten this team.

[Matt]

well given that Saunders is back next year won't be any different. The guy didn't coach a single good game in the ECF. he should be the first to go...

Players that should probably move on.....Davis, Webber, Hunter.

Trade Mohammed, Flip Murray.

[Ryan]

I think Murray can opt out of his contract and probably will.

Hopefully Joe D can get someone decent with at least one of the first round picks the Pistons have.

[3PK]

Well this is enough i'm sick of the pistons they put probably 60-80% effort against the Cavs, i am dedicated fan and don't get angry with my Pistons easy but i've had enough Get rid of Sheed all he wants to do is argue, be inconsitent and put 50% effort we need to think about the next 5 years what have we got, Probably no Big men apart from Nazr and Blalock at PG with Hamilton and Prince doing everything this team is going no-where we are too old and we need to get some young legs into the team i say let Billups go, he is probably my favourite play but i think we should let him go and sign some young players with the money he leaves then i think out of the Draft we need to get and at draft pick 15 we should get Jason Smith a player that can rebound and moves around the court with constant 110% effort, we need players that will work at Detroit. Smith also provides a 7-0 body who can easily play PF/C with his size and Athletic capacity. Tucker at 27, Tucker has so much to offer i have seen him absolutely cut college teams apart and we need him, otherwise take Rodney Stuckey this guy can FLAT out score and do plenty of it at PG we need him.

Overall next year i think we need a team Something like this (considering Webber might retire or stay)

1st of all if webber stays i think we should have a line-up like this...

C- (Trade Sheed for a Young C)/ Jason Smith/ Nazr
PF- Webber/ Jason Maxiell
SF- Prince/ Tucker
SG- Hamilton/ Flip Murray
PG- Sign young player/ Blalock (hunter will probably retire)

Although if Webber retires which may not happen i think we should go like this and Wallace therefore Stays

C- R. Wallace/ Nazr
PF- Free agent signing or a trade/ Jason Smith
SF- Prince/ Tucker
SG- Hamilton/ murray
PG- Trade or sign player/ Blalock

What do you think?

[magius]

i think its still a good team, but obviously flip is not the right coach for them. i don't think you start rebuilding just because you lost in the ecf though. that said, the roster is missing something. they're not as defensively dominant as they were - even if they had resigned ben they wouldn't be, because ben isn't what he was - but because of that they're not really dominant on either end. just very good. i think you need to be dominant on at least one end of the court to win a championship. i don't know what the answer is though without taking a risk and breaking the core.

[Matt]

some re-tooling is necessary really, obviously Saunders 1st but that aint gonna happen this season.

anyways.....we need to revamp the front court.....Sheed, McDyess, Davis, Webber, Mohammed, Maxiell & Johnson. Only 2 are young, and 3 can be considered athletes.

Personally I want to see Maxiell in the 25-30mpg range. He's that guy we need since we lost Corliss Williamson. Amir Johnson for 10-12mpg would be nice too. Blalock should be full time backup PG and Delfino get the 2/3 minutes.

We're probably looking at some significant changes....too early to tell but next year we'll be lucky to get out of the 2nd.

[Donatello]

You know who they really could have used this year?


Darko.



Mmmmmhm.

[Sauru]

or melo or wade or bosh or..... ah forget it

[JT_55]

or melo or wade or bosh or..... ah forget it

Agreed. Drafting Darko was a huge mistake for the Pistons. Drafting any one of the other three guys would probably have gotten Detroit at least one more championship. Even Hinrich (1/7) or Kaman (1/6) would have helped.

[Laxation]

Personally I want to see Maxiell in the 25-30mpg range. He's that guy we need since we lost Corliss Williamson. Amir Johnson for 10-12mpg would be nice too. Blalock should be full time backup PG and Delfino get the 2/3 minutes.

Hunter + Murray >>>>> Delfino

OBVIOUSLY


On a more serious note, Blalock is not good enough to play full time backup PG. He is pretty bad...
I'd rather see Delfino play 30min backing up Tay and Rip, and see Tay+Fino sharing backup PG minutes, than watch Flip fuck it up consistently - or Hunter doing the same.

Saunders is a fucking tool

You know who they really could have used this year?


Darko.

What are you talking about? Signing Nazr for the full MLE was way worth it...

[Matt]

I'd rather see Delfino play 30min backing up Tay and Rip, and see Tay+Fino sharing backup PG minutes, than watch Flip fuck it up consistently - or Hunter doing the same.

neither Flip or Hunter are playmakes and yet Flop plays both I don't mind either, as long as they play the 2 offensively. Flip is useless unless he can go to the basket, and Hunter makes a decent spot up shooter.

On a more serious note, Blalock is not good enough to play full time backup PG. He is pretty bad...

i thought he did pretty well for a rookie this season.....i'd prefer him playing the 1 than either Flip or Hunter. Sure he's not ready but at this point in time i'd rather gamble a little bit.

Saunders is a fucking tool

Game 2.....Maxiell & Delfino have excellent games and change the direction of the game......Game 3....they combine for 6mins WTF?!?!?!?!?

[Laxation]

Flip is useless unless he can go to the basket, and Hunter makes a decent spot up shooter.

Hunter has one of the worst, if not the worst 3pt% in the playoffs of all time. Murray never drives because Saunders is too fucking stupid to implement anything but a 'low turnover, high assist' offence (ie. jumpshooting offence that never works in the playoffs)

i thought he did pretty well for a rookie this season.....i'd prefer him playing the 1 than either Flip or Hunter. Sure he's not ready but at this point in time i'd rather gamble a little bit.

I dont see the point gambling, since I dont think he will ever be good enough.

Game 2.....Maxiell & Delfino have excellent games and change the direction of the game......Game 3....they combine for 6mins WTF?!?!?!?!?

Exactly. The whole time he has coached us, he hasnt been able to handle the simplicities of playing the bench to their potential. Maxiell is constant energy, Delfino was a great slasher and passer, but a bad shooter.
Now he is an inconsistent shooter - who cant slash or pass as well, because its been taken out of his game by Saunders. Not to mention the fact he plays like 10min a game...
Fino should have played 25-30 min a game, backing up Tay and Rip at the minimum.

it’s crazy how Flip Saunders has no job security whatsoever. Around the time Daniel Gibson started raining threes on Detroit’s head, Flip’s job status was up in the air for the second year in a row.

Sad, but true...

[3PK]

Well for Starters i know Detroit have let us all down with their terrible play but it's not time to think about having Blalock and Delfino with serious minutes, i can't remember either of those two playing a game the truth is we havn't had a decent draft pick in ages apart from Darko in which was one we wasted so i think this year maybe the move should be to get rid of some age and some young talent not look to our bench which has yet to prove worthy

[TSquared]

if detroit landed melo or wade... damn!! the pistons wudve been on cloud 9...

[3PK]

Well thats in the past and we all know it was a mistake so detroit need to move on and think about this years selection and as i have stated in other posts i think we should Jason Smith and either Rodney stuckey or Tucker with our 1st round picks becuase both of those two/three will become decent players in the future

[Matt]

if we drafted someone other than Darko theirs no guarantee of a championship....would we still even have made trade for Rasheed? who knows....I'd rather darko & chip than any other player and nothing.

Hunter has one of the worst, if not the worst 3pt% in the playoffs of all time

i must still be stuck on the old days when he was hitting all his 3's

I dont see the point gambling, since I dont think he will ever be good enough.

depends on what we do with drafts & trades...but if nothing happens @PG i feel it's at least worth a gamble and give the guy some minutes at least till say All-Star break. Better to at least know what we really have on the roster

Well for Starters i know Detroit have let us all down with their terrible play but it's not time to think about having Blalock and Delfino with serious minutes,

Delfino can ball......he's similar to Manu Ginobili in that both are active on the boards, both can drive (no joke, Delfino is the 'white Kobe' with some of the awesome dunks he pulls off), above average defender. Ideally he could improve his team defence, but when you watch him play he's just trunna stop his man so Saunders won't yank him to the bench.

He's a streaky shooter and that's why he shouldn't be playing as a spot up shooter. He needs the ball in his hands. He's deffinately got the skills to be a 15-20ppg scorer...and that's what he is, a SCORER, not a shooter.

[Its_asdf]

Ever since they traded away Darko, the Pistons have not made the finals and overconfidence seemed to get the best of them. Coincidence? I think not.

[dan_suth]

because Darko was such a huge part of the team, right?

[Sauru]

everyone knows if they kept darko he would be averaging about 29 ppg with 12 boards in only 30 minutes of play

[air gordon]

so far it seems that you guys want Billups back. but what seems like the likely scenario here? despite some poor performances and him smiling anyway, he's going to want the big bucks and finally have some security. imo he does deserve both. realistically how much and how long of a contract should joe D offer him?

for those asking for Saunders head- now that Donovan is not available , what other coach is out there who would be an upgrade?

a few observations/tidbits...

Rasheed Wallace is owed $26 mil over the next 2 years. looks like a difficult contract to move, not to mention player

Mohammed IIRC ~$28 mil over the next 4 years. from starter to scrub during the finals. yeesh! and it's pretty funny to see some pistons fan gloat over the signing of Murray and now the same fans want him out

Ever since they traded away Darko, the Pistons have not made the finals and overconfidence seemed to get the best of them. Coincidence? I think not.

this seems true (not the darko statement lol). when Brown left, there was this talk of how the team was re-motivated. then they lost to miami, citing that they peaked too early/played too hard in the reg season, it was Saunders first season. now this year a loss in the ECF and it seems a lot want to point the finger at Saunders. time to blame the players IMO

lmao "a white kobe"