Draft Picks / Free Agents / Trades; Let's talk targets

Optical illusion.
His short neck makes the arc on his shot look more significant than it actually is.

Boozer has a high arc also. (And was it Pettit who shot his from behind his head?)

or Mel Hutchins?

Jamaal Wilkes too.

Ellis is a great shooter and so very quick. This is the best #2 for the Pistons. Get a solid PG (Eric Bledsoe) that knows defense and you have a very deadly back court. Both of these guys are athletes and complement one-another.

Millsap is the better option because he can solidify the 3-4 positions. Millsap needs a quick team to use his strong present around the basket and he plays closer to the basket than Tay. This will allow Drummond to mature away from the basket and then these two can slide between the 3-4 positions. They complement one-another.

Are you talking about Drummond and Milsap sliding between the 3 and 4 spots? I can't really see Drummond playing either of those positions. Plus, with Monroe, Drummond and Milsap all playing close to the basket, seems like the court would get crowded really quick.

Millsap has a solid perimeter jump shot that extends all the way out to the 3 point line. I too think Millsap is the perfect free agent signing this summer. IF Monroe can actully cut the mustard as a PF/C and start next to Dre, then Millsap has demonstrated that he is a stud to bring off the bench. If it turns out Moose is a center unable to transition to PF, then we have decent starting PF to play next to Drummond making trading Monroe a lot more easier. Millsap can play PF with Moose and/or Dre on the court and he can come off the bench if necessary.

Sounds good to me...maybe too good. Just pass me the popcorn.
I hate people who have it made...just dreaming of extending the reach provided by others.

Huh? Let's get creative here. Let us put together two unconnected facts or ideas to form a single new idea. Dru is not a five and his DNA for the four position is as hollow as your local mis-understanding (read administrative player development beyond subscribed paid-for membership values that make everyone feel good) upon the horror of hitching a visual ride and experiencing the bold white triangle (rear of wing) that most perceptive flight attendants would acknowledge as: The Black-legged Kittiwake.

A most curious thing: the elbow communications of crowds.

Read a solid article last week about Milsap and his downward production in LA as the mins of Bynum and now Howard have increased. It was very convincing that he is a 5 and needs to be in the post to be most effective. I'll pass on him..

It would have made more sense if the article was about Gasol.

ok, remind me to never post before I'm awake.... it was.... I'm going back to bed now.

Don't forget Vinnie Johnson.

So now that the Pistons are in crazy good shape going into the offseason, what is their long range plan going to be?

Let's say they stay where they're at (9). Obviously, there are a lot of different directions they could go, but if I'm Joe, I hold back this upcoming season - sign a couple mid-level free agents, extend some contracts, and really set myself up for 2014.

If I'm GM, my first order of business is to dump Stuckey and save the $4 million. I think he's showing himself to be a locker-room cancer. I'd consider dumping CV, too, but my feeling is that if you're going to pay the guy anyway, and you're not going to use the cap space, then you might as well keep him. I don't think he's the horrible influence that some others around here see, and he definitely has a role, so I'd be tempted to hang onto him.

Assessing the remaining team:
Knight - strengths are youth, work ethic, good shot, an improving defender, and has potential. Cons are that he currently turns the ball over too much, still makes too many mistakes defensively, and is not an amazing distributor.
Monroe - strengths are youth, work ethic, improving post game, solid rebounder, intelligent player and a very good passer. Cons are that he may have already reaches his ceiling, needs to develop a jump shot, and doesn't have a great deal of athleticism.
Drummond - strengths are youth, surprising work ethic, excellent athleticism, surprisingly good defensive skills, great shot-blocker, exciting player with a ton of potential. Cons are his dreadful free throw shooting, lack of much of an offensive game, overall rawness, and developing basketball IQ.
Singler - solid role player, hustles, shoots well, but can't create for himself. He really shouldn't be starting.
Villanueva - excellent three-point shooter, acceptable rebounder. Slow as hell, though, and not a great defender. Bench player.
Jerebko - I don't Frankly even know anymore. He shows a different self every game. Hustle player, though I don't see him as much more than a bench player.
English, Middleton, Krav - TBD. I don't know enough about these guys - I've seen English play some, but he hasn't been particularly impressive. Hopefully he turns into a good defender.

I really think Monroe and Drummond can work together, but they'll need practice, and Monroe needs someone (like Sheed?) to teach him how to position himself and guard opponents. I really don't see Monroe and Drummond as athletically all that different from the Wallaces, except that Drummond has more athleticism than Ben. Both Greg and Dre need to really start working on the mental aspect of their games.

So if you have Monroe in the high post and Drummond in the low post, then put Knight at SG or backup point, you need to fill at least the starting SF and SG spots. The only free agent worth breaking the bank on this offseason is Josh Smith (I'm just kind of excluding Chris Paul), but I doubt he's really an option and I don't see another SF or SG out there that's a championship level all-around starter.

So my goal is to start with finding role players - guys like Kyle Korver, JJ Reddick, or Samuel Dalembert - that can come off the bench and play useful roles. I'd try to top out at $8-10 million on these guys.

The second step is to get that need position in the draft. Obviously you'd like a guy like McLemore or Shabazz, but even a guy like Glen Robinson (if the Pistons find themselves still at 9) would be a good fit with this group.

So let's say that the Pistons go after Korver with a 3 year/$15 million salary, throw another $3.5 million/year for two years at Dalembert, then draft Robinson at the 9th spot. They re-up Bynum at $3 million/year for 2 years, retain CV, and they're looking at the following team:

PG Knight
SG GR3
SF Korver
PF Monroe
C Drummond
Bench: Bynum, Singler, Jerebko, Villanueva, Dalembert, English, Middleton, Krav, 2nd-round pick

This is not a great team (Korver should be a backup and they could stand to improve the point position), but that puts them at about a $45 million cap number.

Then, in 2014, Stuckey and CV come off the books, leaving them with about a $30 million cap number. That free agent class will likely include: Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Luol Deng, Monta Ellis, OJ Mayo, Ray Allen, Andre Iguodala, Brandon Roy, Danny Granger, Kris Humphries, Carl Landry, Marreese Speights, Marcin Gortat, Andrew Bogut, Caron Butler, Shane Battier, Kyle Lowry, Ramon Sessions, Kirk Hinrich, and Luke Ridnour, among many others. There's no way that Joe can't lure one of those guys in with $20+ million to play with. Add in a possible draft pick (stupid Ben Gordon), another year of seasoning from Monroe/Drummond/Knight/GR3, and the Pistons should be in really good shape.

I don't know why Kyle Korver isn't an awesome option. He is a brilliant shooter. I would take him in a heartbeat as a 20mpg fire starter off the bench.

Also OJ Mayo will be up for auction this year. I am started to see KGREGS point in buying him up.

Assuming we're still there at #9, there will either be a swing man or PG available for us. Otto Porter is a poor man's Pippen/ Rudy Gay, but with a better stroke. Michael Carter-Williams is a huge PG, with truly special passing skills and a busted jumper. GR3 could work (though I'm not as sold on him as others, need to see him in the tourney). CJ McCollum is going to get Damien Lillard comparisons all day long, but I've never seen him play (he could be the Joe Dumars combo guard in the draft). Caldwell-Pope is a sweet shooting guard who could play himself into the lottery. I think that Trey Burke is one of the top five guys in this draft.

If we don't draft a PG, then we really should sign either Calderon or Jarrett Jack. Neither is a true starter, but both are great compliments to Knight. Even if there is a swing man available, I would still love to pick up Redick. He's the best shooter in the world right now, and a serviceable defender. He can spot up, come off of screens, and hit guys with a two dribble pull up. Nick Young is another dude who could fill out glaring void at the 2. I've been a huge fan of OJ Mayo's for years, but he just seems afraid to shoot the ball.

If we're looking for a third big to move ahead of Krav and Chuck V., then JJ Hickson would be a nice pick up, although he could be expensive and would probably want to start. BJ Mullens looks like Sloth from the Goonies, but he is a big body who can rebound a little and block a shot here and there.

You could even take a flyer on Brandon Wright, for the right price. The kid has crazy talent.

I'm a HUGE Michigan fan/alum.....watch every minute of action. Not sold on GR3 either. I think he's too short to play SF in the NBA and as of today he's not a SG, but he does show a wide array of skills that are very tantalizing, it would be great to see how he looks as the featured player in the Michigan offense.

CJ McCollum is a guy I keep forgetting about (probably because he went out early with a season ending injury). He's going to have alot riding on the pre draft camp and workouts, but DUDE CAN BALL!!!

I do not like MCW, all I see is Javaris Crittendon and Sean Livingston, I'm just not sold on the tall PG's, they rarely work out.....with one HUGE exception of course.

Otto Porter's stock continues to rise ever since Whittington became ineligible, he's become more assertive in the offense and adding him to this team wouldn't be a bad thing at all........could you imagine if we drafted him and signed Josh Smith? Porter/Drummond/Smith upfront.......would anybodyeve score on us? But that front line would need a Jenning/Ellis type of back court for the team to be any good offensively.

My Pistons draft board: Muhammed, McClemore, and tied for #3-Burke/McCollum/Porter

I Like Redick better than Korver. They're both great shooters but JJ is a better basketball player.
BJ Mullens is an interesting idea as a back-up big. He's basically the hybrid love-child of Ryan Anderson and Charlie Villanueva. I'm not sure if that's good or bad but at least it's different look than Moose & Drum.

Please NO JR Smith!!!

Well that's harsh to compare him to a suspected murdered and a guy whose knee did a great impression of the alien in the opening scene of the first Men in Black movie.

What the Pistons need this off-season is a wing. There isn't a starting wing player on this roster, and this off-season is time to rectify that. Not sure who I like for the team though. Preferably someone with perimeter shooting ability and the ability to play both the 2/3. I'd need to watch more basketball to see who that is though.

The idea of Josh Smith in a Pistons uniform terrifies me. I like his game, but not one bit for this team.

Calderon will not play tonight as he is dealing with a visa issue.