Another bad news hit the Detroit Piston: The head coach of the Detroit Piston shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision…
I’m concerned. I’m terrified. I have a negative outlook. Writing this post with the intention of looking back on it in three, six, or a year and laughing heartily is part of the goal I intend to achieve. I need to write down my current feelings using a digital pen and paper if I want to fully realize how mistaken I was. Since this was the point at which things started to get better, perhaps in the end I will be able to look back on this as a key period in history.
The Detroit Pistons’ 3.5-year makeover and attempt to reclaim some semblance of importance in the NBA have virtually completely lost my faith in them.
I’m sitting here, covering the Pistons for more than ten years, and while I know the complete rebuild was the right decision, and I have strongly agreed with some decisions (and disagreed with others), I also feel like there isn’t much to go on with this team—its past, present, or future.
The roster is malformed and devoid of core skills needed to succeed in the modern NBA. The squad is mostly using the same roster from the previous season, which experienced near-historically high levels of franchise futility. Right now, the offense and defense appear to be in the bottom five.
minimal resources It needed to expedite a complete overhaul. It was the appropriate action. You know what, The outcomes are the problem. Killian Hayes was acquired by the Pistons; if he is ever to live up to his draft position as a top-10 pick, it will most likely be with a different team. They selected James Wiseman, who most likely won’t be wearing a Pistons uniform after this season, and Isaiah Stewart, who recently inked a long-term contract and has the potential to develop into a very solid reserve. They chose Wiseman over the options, which included five second-round picks or only Saddiq Bey, since they didn’t think the latter had a long-term future on the squad.
retaining Bey and monitoring his development into a clear role.
Therefore, the 2020 NBA Draft was, at best, a complete disaster and, at worst, not a bright spot for success.
They were fortunate enough to be awarded the privilege to draft consensus first pick Cade Cunningham at number one in 2021. Fantastic!
However, as I sit here right now, I am actively uncomfortable because I have so many concerns and “what ifs” regarding Cade’s future. Due to his injuries, we haven’t seen a lot of Cade, which raises some worries. However, a few of those are also directly related to what I have witnessed on the court.
How come Cade isn’t “Him”?
Without a doubt, Cade is likely to be a good player, and he may be a “very good” player on the floor. But what if it ends there? What if he isn’t a celebrity? What happens if he never resolves his turnover problems? What happens if he never develops into a potent perimeter threat?
The Pistons could have selected any player in the incredibly talented 2021 NBA Draft. What if Josh Giddey, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Kuminga, Franz Wagner, and Cade are all better than Cade?
Will we consider Cade’s selection to be just another squandered chance? He will have this season to disprove his detractors, but as those games approach, I find myself feeling a little less confident.
I ought to be bursting with anticipation at the start of the next NBA campaign. With Cade healthy, the Pistons are prepared to shock the league. Monty Williams, their new coach, is regarded by many as one of the best in the NBA. They brought in a fantastic, highly experienced coaching team.
Detroit’s selection of Ausar Thompson at No. 5 was fantastic. He has performed in ways that I haven’t seen since Grant Hill early in his Pistons career—in fact, he hasn’t even played an NBA game that counts. It sounds absurd, and it most likely is. But why am I not more thrilled if that is how I really feel?
They have some talent, after all. Not only do they have Cunningham and Thompson, but Jaden Ivey as well.
and Jalen Duren from the draft of the previous year. With Cunningham back in the lineup after playing in just 12 games the previous season, the latter two players can build on their impressive rookie campaign from last year and make things easier for everyone.
But why am I feeling so gloomy? I think it’s always simple to reverse engineer best-case scenarios for any bunch of young players, but all it takes to instantly recognize what a true consensus top player looks like is Victor Wembanyama. Observing Chet Holmgren in action on the court, you remember how much Cade struggled in those initial weeks.
Even though I had a great time with Jaden Ivey in his rookie campaign, they are now lowering my expectations for the new campaign by probably moving him off the bench. Although I had a great time watching Duren and Ivey play last season, what genuine advantage does Detroit have over them if neither of them develops above-average NBA defense skills? Are they only elite bench players?
A week before the season begins, these are not the things I want to be asking myself.
In 2020, I want Cade to prove that he was correct to hold the unanimous No. 1 spot. Though Isaiah Livers, a former Michigan standout, can’t stay healthy, I am rooting for him to prove he is a steal in the second round. This season, he’s starting in a boot for walking.
In the NBA Draft, you see other teams selecting players who appear to be game-changers outside of the top 15, such as Houston and New Orleans selecting Alperen Sengun and Trey Murphy back-to-back in 2021. In that same round, Herb Jones was also selected by the Pelicans at pick No. 35.
The Pistons don’t have the excess of desired assets to pull off a major consolidation trade, and their cupboard of future assets is about as empty as a rebuilding team can have. They haven’t picked effectively or frequently enough to have a deep depth of talent after aggressively rebuilding for years.
They will ultimately owe New York money related to the Isaiah Stewart trade, and they are actually losing a first-round pick. That is nothing compared to the mythical future.
OKC’s financial resources, however, pale in comparison to those of rebuilding teams like Portland, San Antonio, Utah, and Washington.
