Plan the Parades and MVP trophies for Drummond: SVG to Detroit fo sho

[benji]

The Detroit Pistons are progressing toward a deal with Stan Van Gundy that would make him their coach and president of basketball operations, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

Sources told ESPN.com that Van Gundy is leaning toward accepting Detroit's aggressive pitch, despite strong interest from the Golden State Warriors regarding their coaching job.

Pistons back in the NBA

[NovU]

Isn't this a team that's led by Jennings and Josh Smith? Tough time's ahead.

[Andrew]

Good move for them, tough break for Golden State.

[shadowgrin]

Bandwagon time!
With news like that I have to pass on bandwagoning the Blazers next season.

Drummond gonna make Dwight look like a bum under SVG.

[benji]

Drummond's the player SVG wanted Dwight to be, and Monroe's the player Dwight thought he was.

[YaoKnowWhat_I_Ming]

Hopefully SVG doesn't make Josh Smith play the Hedo Turkoglu...

But unless players get traded, it's tough to get excited even as a Piston's fan.

[Kevin]

With the way they played last season, Im expecting an improvement in their game. Make Smith pass and give more minutes to Drummond. Boom playoffs

[YaoKnowWhat_I_Ming]

With the way they played last season, Im expecting an improvement in their game. Make Smith pass and give more minutes to Drummond. Boom playoffs

Drummond got to play without many restrictions besides foul trouble, if he can improve skill wise, and avoid foul trouble, big things should happen. Smith just chucks really bad mid range shots, and they used him to space the floor for Drummond and Monroe, so it's no entirely his fault. Stan has to get creative.
Jennings has to shoot better as well, but at least he did okay passing the ball.

[NovU]

guuys. the kid shooots 30% from charity line. And he's the future of the franchise? Wow, is this what the pistons have become? im so sorry

[YaoKnowWhat_I_Ming]

Better than thinking Charlie V and Ben Gordan was going to save the Pistons. Sorry Andrew. D:

[Andrew]

I'm OK with Ben Gordon not saving the Pistons.

As for Drummond, his free throw shooting is obviously a huge liability, but that hasn't stopped other bigs from being stars and franchise players. I doubt he's going to be a Hakeem Olajuwon or David Robinson type of franchise centre - or for that matter Shaq, who would actually knock down key free throws despite generally being poor from the line - but he could be an anchor/cornerstone type of big in the way Ben Wallace once was for the Pistons, albeit with more scoring.

You're going to need other players around him who can help carry the scoring load and be dependable in the clutch though, players who are going to keep the defense honest because you can't just foul them when they get the ball in crunch time. That's the problem for Detroit, though; I'd say they're set at centre if Drummond continues to improve, because he has the tools to be a valuable contributor in the middle. They just don't have the players at the four other positions who will cover for Drummond's flaws and perform their own roles at a high level.

[_Steve_]

I think Andrew's got the point. Surround Drummond with a bunch of capable shooters and there's no way but up for the Pistons. If SVG could somewhere build the Pistons like what the Magic have been when he coached them, that team could have a bright future, especially in the weaker Eastern conference.

[benji]

guuys. the kid shooots 30% from charity line. And he's the future of the franchise? Wow, is this what the pistons have become? im so sorry

Andre shot 41.8% from the line last year.

Guess what Ben Wallace's career and playoff averages are.

[NovU]

The kid is too raw to take seriously. I think he belongs to the track field, not basketball court.

[shadowgrin]

That's what SVG is there for, to develop Drummond.
SVG did it before with that former HS kid in Orlando that's now in Texas.
Speaking of developing players here's what Marcin Gortat, the player who kept the Wizards from being eliminated in game 5 by putting up 31-16, said about SVG...

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/11/23/ ... ature-2013

How important was Stan for you?

He was a godfather of my career. He basically taught me everything. He gave me the discipline, he told me the most important things in basketball. He taught me what to do, how to act and how to prepare yourself for the game. He taught me basically everything about the game, this guy is always going to be the guy that I'm going to always appreciate for everything he did for me. If one day he's going to be back in the league, I would like to play for him.

Gortat to Pistons confirmed.
Gortat at C, Monroe PF, Drummond SF, Josh Smith SG, Brandon Jennings PG, your 2014 Detroit Pistons!


Now for the bad news. Otis Smith reportedly is SVG's preferred GM but I wouldn't worry about that too much since the Pistons are already familiar to giving out multi-year contracts to sucky players looooool.

[Andrew]

If 13 points, 13 rebounds, close to two blocks and a steal per game while shooting 62% from the field is too raw, then I think the Pistons have cause to be excited about his future.

[Lamrock]

Splitting up the Smith/Monroe tandem at the starting forward positions is pretty much all it'll take to end the five season playoff drought. The Otis Smith rumor is a little concerning but SVG is a fantastic hire

[NovU]

Stop there for a moment and think what you guys just did. We can't buy anything other than coke and dopes from benji. The guy was high on Austin Daye for years and look what happened!


On more serious note, yeah I like the kid. He's a high efficiency player. But I am not too sure about the team as a whole. Where can you go from here? You have so much invested in Josh Smith and Jennings. What options does SVG have, to improve the team other than banking on development of Drummond?

[Andrew]

Well, that's why Joe Dumars is out. Drummond was a great pick, but Joe D made too many missteps putting the rest of the team together.

[NovU]

Let's see if he can go Masai Ujiri and get rid of weeds.

[shadowgrin]

Austin Daye for years and look what happened!

From the Pistons got traded to the Grizzlies that reached the WCF.
Played for the Raptors earlier this season, said Raptors reached the playoffs and almost advanced to the 2nd round if it weren't for a Paul Pierce block.
Traded by the Raptors to San Antonio who are now one game away from coming back to the WCF.

If the Spurs advance Austin Daye is on a consecutive year now of being in the WCF, it's obvious the guy's a winner.


The maybe in the thread title should be removed by now. Maybe.

[Leftos]

Done.

[benji]

Where can you go from here? You have so much invested in Josh Smith and Jennings. What options does SVG have

Maybe you should find out about the teams situation, especially contract-wise, before opining?

[NovU]

This is the cost of you guys ignoring my warning.

I want you guys to look at the revised thread title and think about what you guys just did.

[Jackal]

Boo. Chances of Monroe going to LA just went down.