Dave Cowens leaves staff... coincidence? posted by Aarwich

The next month or so is going to be a very exciting time for Detroit Pistons fans. Between the draft, free agency and possible trade scenarios, we'll have our interest piqued and our hopes high. But my attention has shifted to the coaching staff.

After hearing the unfortunate post-season news that Puppet Boy (also known as Coach Curry) will be staying, my dreams of having a competent head coach next season faded. But there is hope yet.

It was reported today that the Detroit Piston Assistant Coach Dave Cowens would no longer be on the staff. Instead, he will become a member of Joe D's scouting team.

Is it me, or does this strike you as coincidental? Bill Laimbeer announces he's an NBA coaching free agent just days ago - and BAM - we have an opening.

I know this wasn't Joe's plan a week ago, otherwise it would've all happened at once. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Laimbeer's goal in life is to be the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

What a cunning move that would turn out to be...

Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

What do you think?

Detroit Pistons draft posted by john howard

Are the glory days for the Pistons over?  They did not make the Eastern Conference finals and they have some free agents to take care of.  Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess could all walk.  And, they just might.  That would leave a starting line up of: Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell, and Kwame Brown.  The Pistons have the 13th, 35th, and 44th pick in the draft.  In the past 14 years, the 13th pick has produced one starter and 5 bench players.  So, they have less than an a 50% chance of getting someone to help the team with that pick.  What is interesting, that during the same span the 35th pick has returned one starter and 4 bench players.  And the 44th has produced 3 bench players. That's exactly 14 players in the past 14 years that have helped the NBA with the picks the Pistons have.  So, you can expect them to get one player this year.  The rest of the help will have to come through free agency.Continue reading "Detroit Pistons draft"

Doomsday in Detroit? posted by Matt Clark

The Pistons could be in some serious trouble.  I dont' even see them making the playoffs in 2010.  I think they'll probably be in the lottery.  They're not re-signing Iverson.  The only reason they traded for him is so all that money on his contract comes off the cap.  They're not re-signing Rasheed, he's gone.  The Cavs and Spurs seem to have some interest in Sheed, so he'll definitely sign with a contender.  That's only going to leave an aging Richard Hamilton and a still steady Tayshaun Prince on the roster.  Stuckey has shown flashes of being good, but this roster next season could be ugly.  They'll probably go after Boozer or try to trade for Bosh, but odds are, this roster is going to be pathetic next season.  Of course, Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando will be very strong again, and Chicago's going to lock down a playoff spot.  Atlanta and Miami will be solid.  I don't see Detroit getting in. Look for Detroit to be in the lottery next year. Continue reading "Doomsday in Detroit?"

TAY @ THE 2 posted by Aarwich

The Detroit Pistons goal should be to assemble a championship caliber team, free from end of the season opt-out concerns.

With the NBA Draft rapidly approaching, my anxiety increases. I ponder Joe D. actually using his #15 pick on a drafty (I know, crazy right?). Worse still, he trades up to snag a guy that might possibly help his Detroit club in the future (ensuring a cap hit of $2-$4 million out of the gate).

Will we remember next week's draft as the day Dumars dug a shallow franchise grave?

We must, first and foremost, ensure proven talent. To make this happen, the Pistons will need every penny possible. If it's between signing one accomplished star or two, would you take the draft gamble?

WE NEED DEFENSIVE PROWESS, YES???

I, like most of you, would like to see us sign Hedo Turkoglu to a three or four year deal. In order to accomplish this, an offer of $10 million annually will most likely be necessary. I believe Turk is the only available FA SF better than Tayshaun Prince.

I would also like to see us pick up David Lee in a S&T for four to five years. This feat would also involve a $10 million salary. This would ultimately be a steal, given Boozer would cost a considerable amount more for equal stats minus the health & hustle.

Now, regardless who is favorable, I think we would all agree we need a true center. With the $ spent on Lee & Turk, we would have to make a trade for any improvement to be made.

Why did Darko Milicic fail? posted by Matt Clark

Why did Darko fail?  I blame Larry Brown.  For 2 and a half season with the Pistons, Larry Brown never played Darko meaningful minutes.  Darko got about 5 minutes of burn per game, all coming in garbage time.  Someone in the media even nicknamed him "The human victory cigar", because he only got on the court after the game was decided, a Pistons win or loss.  How the hell can you expect a young talent to improve if he's playing once or twice a week for 5 minutes?  You have to throw rookies and young guys into the mix and let them make mistakes and learn.  Darko never got that chance, and was completely mentally destroyed from the hellish years in Detroit.  Now, some say with Rasheed and Ben Wallace on the team, there was no room for Darko in the rotation.  Mehmet Okur was getting some of the backup time, but really?  Darko couldn't sniff the court, at all?  He couldn't have gotten in at the end of a quarter or two and worked up a sweat?  Learned a few things?  He was the #2 pick!  He had to have some talent!  He's got to have the opportunity to play!  Maybe the pick wouldn't have been such a disaster if Brown gave him the opportunity to play and contribute.  Brown should've slowly increased his minutes, and occasionally gave him minutes in crunch time at least in the regular season to get his feet wet.  What coach doesn't let the #2 pick play any meaningful minutes?  So disappointing.  It sounds funny, but Darko may have been a good player.  Larry BrowContinue reading "Why did Darko Milicic fail?"

Where Amazing Happened posted by Kevin Nye

I'm going to ignore the whole "Cavaliers not winning the Eastern Conference" thing and move on to something I find much more important.

The NBA has been using old memorable footage for their "Where will amazing happen this year?" commercials. Admittedly, these are really cool. They've taken Magic hitting the baby-hook over the Celtics, Kobe alley-ooping to Shaq, Bird with the steal and passing to DJ for the layup; memorable moments. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go here:   or if that didn't work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCNWm9YH4xU )

The problem is one that I've mentioned to some of my close friends: The NBA is missing out on the best possibility for one of these commercials.

They've forgotten one of the most memorable moments in the history of the league.

I'm talking, of course, about the Pacers/Pistons brawl.

If you don't remember, Ron Artest committed a "hard" foul on Ben Wallace, who promptly responded by shoving Artest in the area of the neck. A near melee ensued as the Pistons players showed their street-savvy and nearly fought with the Pistons several times. 

Amid all this, Artest was merely lying down on the scorer's table (what else would he be doing?) minding his own business and staying out of more trouble.

Until that pesky cup-full-o-beer hit him and he flipped out, ran into the stands, and started fighting spectators. 

Detroit Rock-bottom posted by Brady Fredericksen

Here, open up your wallet and grab out that $20 bill.

Look at it.

Smell it.

Taste it.

Well, maybe not taste, but you get the picture.

What I'm trying to get at is in these rough and tumble economic
times, keep an eye on that twenty. Look at the city of Detroit; if we
all gave our $20 bill to the city of Detroit, I'm pretty sure it would
still look like trash.
But really, what do you expect? The city was led by a mayor who was
more like Bishop Don Magic Juan than Rudy Giuliani.

The biggest thing Detroit has going for it is its sports teams, and
three of them are in action this spring, and they may be playing for
more than they even know.

With their city in the deteriorating state that it's in, the success
of these teams is crucial to the stimulation of Detroit, both nationally
and worldwide.

From the Tigers to the Pistons to the Redwings, these three teams are
normally the aspirin that helps fans ease away the fall's
Lions-related migraines, but that may not be the case this year.

The Pistons stumbled into the 2009 NBA playoffs as the eighth and final
seed. With an impending match-up with LeBron James and the Cleveland
Cavaliers, the prospects of the Pistons making it to their seventh
consecutive Eastern Conference finals looks bleak.

Alright, I'll be honest; the Pistons do not have any chance of
beating the Cavaliers. No, none, nada, zero.
Anyone who's watched the team can see it; they really don't look
Continue reading "Detroit Rock-bottom"

Let's play GM part II posted by Aarwich

Since my last post I've received heated opinions from some fired up Golden State fans regarding my Rip Hamilton for Ellis and Randolph trade. G.S. fans are obviously a little smarter then I thought. So let me be clear. Although I'm a Utah Jazz and Golden State Warrior fan, my heart lies with the Detroit Pistons.

I WANT ANTHONY RANDOLPH IN A PISTONS UNIFORM!!!

So.

What's it going to take?

I know most of you have forgiven Ellis for his moped accident.

I know you all regret signing Maggette.

I know most of you hope Crawford ops out (which he won't).

I know we can work something out.

Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Kwame Brown & a 2nd rounder

for

Corey Maggette, Jamal Crawford, Ronny Turiaf & Anthony Randolph

STARTERS:

Ellis

Rip

Prince

Write

Biedrins

With Rip & Prince re-energized (like Billups in Denver) and Steven Jackson as a potential 6th man of the year, the Warriors are ready to compete for a championship.

Now, some of you Pistons fans who are a little confused do to the fact that GM - Part I, had us end up with Bosh, Randolph & Stoudemire, get over it, it's never going to happen. Some of you may not even know who A. Randolph is. He is a 19 year old C, PF, SF high-bred, who has the fire and the talent of The Big Ticket – K.G. Yet still unproven, he fits in great with Detroit and could be a cornerstone for the next decade. In my opinion, worst case, he's as good as Bosh.

Memo to Kobe: Be like Mike posted by Chris Strickland

If Kobe Bryant expects to win a championship this June, he needs to trust his teammates more. If he doesn't, the Lakers will not only struggle to win the Finals, they may have trouble even getting there. Last night's loss to the Houston Rockets, putting them down 1-0 in the series, is to me, enough cause for concern. Phil Jackson needs to sit down Kobe and tell him the same thing he told Jordan: trust your teammates more.

The Lakers have problems whenever Kobe takes too many shots. Last night Kobe took 31. His selfish side came out and Kobe got greedy, as he had as many assists as Pau Gasol last night: 4. That's also the same number as the amount of shots Sasha Vujacic, LA's self-proclaimed "3-Point Machine," took. If you're 2-17 from 3-point land, and that's a huge reason you're losing late in the game, why not toss the ball to your best three-point man? Kobe, be like Mike, and pass the ball more. Have more trust in your teammates late in the game.

Andrew Bynum, putting together a sub-par effort with 10 points and just 3 rebounds, took more shots than Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, Sasha, and Jordan Farmar. On any given night, I expect each of those players to take more shots than Bynum. That's partly Kobe's fault. He needs to be looking to pass. The Houston Rockets are going to be tough and physical this entire series. They're going to expect Kobe to come at them, knowing this, and they'll double-team him. If Kobe doesn't pass the ball, or even look to pass, LA's in trouble.

On a separate note, Yao Ming pulled off a great Willis Reed last night. Not even walking all the way to the clubhouse before changing your mind? He turned around half-way through the tunnel. His trainers couldn't even take a look! Trust me, Yao is laughing at all of us for buying this right now. He thinks he fooled us. Well Yao, you didn't fool me. I know you're a soccer player deep down. You squirmed and wriggled like Materrazzi after Zidane's World Cup head-butt. And that's a sick comparison. I have even less respect for you, now. Kobe's knee hurt YOUR knee? He's half your size, Yowie. Please.

Let's play GM posted by Aarwich

This is an exiting time for Detroit Pistons fans. With around $20 mil., valuable trade assets and a league focused on shedding salary (ether to get under the cap or get ready for 2010), it will be fun to play GM.

Personally, I would scratch the draft this year and focus on getting proven players with those picks. Also, as bad as we all want Chris Bosh, be careful how much you give up. Remember Grant Hill? Toronto must get something back before it's too late, and they'll get less if they don't deal before next season starts.

Here is a scenario I would love to see unfold, with a little (ok, a lot of) luck...

TRADE:

-T. Prince, A. Johnson & #15 pick to Toronto for C. Bosh

-R. Hamilton & second round pick to Golden State for M. Ellis & A. Randolph

-Next years 1st round pick and conditional future picks to Phoenix for A. Stoudemire

SIGN:

-Grant Hill - one year

TEAM:

Stuckey – Bynum

Ellis – Afflalo

Hill – Randolph

Bosh – Maxiell

Stoudemire – Brown

Win a championship and hope they want to keep playing together.

Dumars wants new coach by Tuesday (AP)

The Detroit Pistons don't plan to wait long to name a replacement for fired coach Michael Curry. Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president for basketball operations, doesn't have a "complete list" of candidates but wants to act in less than a week, before next Tuesday's opening practice for the NBA developmental league. [read full article]

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