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2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 11:15 pm
by mtburb
Since my previous thread on this season's Pistons was lost in the October crash, here's a remake.

We are almost two months into this season and the Pistons are continuing to solidify a bit. This was highlighted by last night's win over the defending champions the Warriors. At 13-7, they are looking increasingly confident, and Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin have finally figured out how to share the playmaking with each other. In fact, they managed to attract a sellout crowd to the Little Caesar's Arena.

However, LCA crowds had been lousy before that game and I still think they need to hold their own throughout December and try to keep Jackson and Griffin healthy all season long. If so, they have a chance of getting a 4, 5 or 6 seed at the end of the season.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:18 am
by moldyoldie
mtburb wrote:
Sun Dec 02, 2018 11:15 pm
...and try to keep Jackson and Griffin healthy all season long.
Therein lies the rub. Griffin has been a good spark plug and playmaker for this team. The team is also playing inspired basketball under Coach Casey.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:02 am
by Mega Hertz
I just need a team that I either don't fall asleep watching on the couch or get yelled at because of my language around the kids. If it's the Pistons, so be it.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:58 am
by MWmetalhead
This team is a disgrace.

The L.A. Clippers / Pistons trade from last season will go down as one of the worst trade deals in Detroit sports history, IMO. The Blake Griffin contract is like an albatross around the Pistons' necks. Tobias Harris is putting up great numbers for the Clippers so far this season.

Our sports columnists and talk radio hosts in this town are so f*cking afraid to criticize any organization other than the Lions that it's pathetic. The Griffin deal brought out a parade of ambivalence from these people as opposed to the harsh criticism the deal deserved.

The Pistons' back court is brutally bad.

Did I mention Donovan Mitchell - the guy we should've drafted two drafts ago instead of Luke Kennard - is averaging 20 pts in 33 minutes per night with the Jazz this season? And that's despite the fact his performance this season hasn't been quite as effective as one year ago!

Last night's game against Indiana was arguably the team's worst of the year. Each road trip, this team looks worse & worse.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:16 am
by moldyoldie
MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:58 am
The Pistons' back court is brutally bad.
...and the absence of injured Ish Smith doesn't help.

I didn't see the Indiana game, but I take it the score told the story.
MWmetalhead wrote:The L.A. Clippers / Pistons trade from last season will go down as one of the worst trade deals in Detroit sports history, IMO. The Blake Griffin contract is like an albatross around the Pistons' necks. Tobias Harris is putting up great numbers for the Clippers so far this season.
Blake Griffin has been everything expected, his contract notwithstanding. Even up, I'd take him over Harris any day. I know you're a fan of advanced metrics; compare those of the two side-by-side and you'll see a definite edge for Griffin, especially defensively.

I was expecting much better shooting from Reggie Bullock after what he showed last season; he's fallen off considerably.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:19 pm
by MWmetalhead
Agree with you on Bullock. He's perfectly qualified to be a reserve player. As a day-to-day starter, he underwhelms. His overall game is simply imbalanced.

Langston Galloway was a disaster last night. 0-6 from the field in 21 minutes of playing time.

Is Blake Griffin a better player overall than Tobias Harris? Absolutely. But the hit the Pistons took on the Griffin contract combined with ALL OF THE PIECES they handed over to the Clippers made it a terrible deal for Detroit. Overall, they are no better of a team than they were before the deal, and in the process, they have assured themselves of being a non-player in the free agency market and surrendered a lottery pick.

I would rather still have Harris and Marjanovic on my team, my lottery pick, and my cap space!!

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:23 am
by moldyoldie
MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Dec 29, 2018 3:19 pm
I would rather still have Harris and Marjanovic on my team, my lottery pick, and my cap space!!
FWIW, that lottery pick turned out to be none other than ex-Spartan Miles Bridges at #12, a talented underachiever if there ever was one. Hypothetically speaking, if the Pistons had not made the Griffin deal and had taken Bridges in the draft, would the Pistons be a better team today? It's certainly arguable, but I have serious doubts, unless he could also spearhead the offense more efficiently from the forward position and make better decisions than the likes of point guard Reggie Jackson, and most certainly would not as well as Griffin does now. Besides, Bridges and Tobias Harris are basically the same kind of player -- a tweener combo forward roughly the same size and talent. Also, from what I can currently gather, no other player selected after Bridges has made much of a serious impact in their rookie year except as a role player.

As far as the cap space and free agency is concerned, it all depends on what's out there. You wanna spend big bucks on another Ben Gordon or (ugh!) J-Smoove?

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 7:44 pm
by MWmetalhead
The Griffin deal has made it that much more difficult for the Pistons to rebuild, because now they are hamstrung economically.

In the meantime, we are still stuck with a squad that has no better than a 50/50 chance sneaking into the postseason. If they make it, they'll wind up as an eighth or seventh seed and will be completely uncompetitive against whichever team they face.

Who knows who the Pistons would've taken at #12. Maybe they would've traded the pick. You are right that Miles Bridges is having one very underwhelming season.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:18 am
by moldyoldie
How is it even possible to have a 25-point lead in the second quarter and lose by 10? >:
There is a major malfunction on this team and it ain't Blake Griffin. Casey had better tear open a new one on this team before the scant crowds at LCA disappear entirely.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:53 am
by moldyoldie
So far, new sharp-shooting acquisition Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is shooting .500 with one air ball and one triple. :razz

2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2019 11:29 pm
by format this
Wow. The Pistons are very much in playoff contention as the #6 seed if the regular season ended today, and the thread is quiet. I guess it will wake up if they collapse.


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Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:05 pm
by moldyoldie
format this wrote:
Sun Mar 03, 2019 11:29 pm
Wow. The Pistons are very much in playoff contention as the #6 seed if the regular season ended today, and the thread is quiet. I guess it will wake up if they collapse.
I knew there was a winning team in the there somewhere. :razz

Since the deadline trades, the team's on-court chemistry has improved immensely, especially on defense...and especially Drummond!

Luke Kennard is proving to be a genuine asset off the bench as well.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:32 pm
by MWmetalhead
Addition by subtraction!

Dumping Stanley Johnson = SMART MOVE!!!

There is not much space between the #6 team in the east and the #9 team in the east. I sense another multi-game losing streak at some point before the season wraps up. This is by no means a done deal.

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:38 pm
by moldyoldie
Back-to-back road stinkers against teams we're battling for playoff position and doubts are beginning to re-emerge. :barf

Re: 2018-2019 Pistons

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:27 am
by mtburb
Solid job in their latest victory against a weak Suns. Our #6 seed lead has gotten better and thanks to a Lakers loss, they have been eliminated from playoff contention so we shall not need to worry about them.