[T-Dot-BallerParticipant]

After watching my Raptors play the Pistons for the first time this season, it saddens me to see a tremendous talent in Drummond, having his growth as a player stunted due to the selfish play of Smith and more importantly Jennings. It was actually embarrassing to watch Jennings jack up shot after shot rather then running his team like a true point guard. Im glad that my Raptors avoided the same mistake by getting rid of a cancer in Rudy Gay to allow Valanciunas to develop.

I really feel for Drummond and hope he one day maximizes his immense potential. 

  

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Not just Drummond but Monroe.  

Drummond/Monroe was one of the best young combination in the L and with the addition of Smith, they won’t reach their maximum potential.

Monroe was set for a breakout year this season after averaging 16-9-3 last season.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Not just Drummond but Monroe.  

Drummond/Monroe was one of the best young combination in the L and with the addition of Smith, they won’t reach their maximum potential.

Monroe was set for a breakout year this season after averaging 16-9-3 last season.

[cuseflynn10Participant]

Pretty much everyone on the site loves Drummond including myself (despite him going to UCONN). He’s got so much potential and he’s obviously not getting utilized properly to live up to his full potential.

Would you say that Josh Smith’s contract is untradeable? Smith is still in his prime years averaging 15-7-3 but the $13.5 million for four seasons may be a little much. I was thinking maybe a deal with Houston could work. I know there were rumors of Smith/Howard pairing up in the offseason and the Rockets still have Asik who would prefer to be traded anyway.

If the Pistons sent Josh Smith for Omer Asik, Aaron Brooks, and some picks, I think it could be beneficial to both sides.

The Pistons can fully unleash Monroe/Drummond. The Pistons could give Monroe and Drummond roughly 35 MPG a piece and then mix in Asik for 26 MPG which is up 8 minutes from his current average in Houston. They would no longer be committed to Smith’s 4 year deal that would likely hold Detroit back from being a contender for the duration of the deal, and they could probably get a pick in the 20-30 range in a loaded draft this year (currently projected at 23). They do have to deal with Asik’s weird contract next year, but if they build for the 2015-16 season, they could be a top team in the east by then because of the development of Monroe, Drummond, and KCP as well as by building through the draft and potentially signing a decent free agent once Asik comes off the books.

The Rockets don’t have to worry about any chemistry flare ups now. Asik is out which benefits Asik and the front office, and they keep Dwight happy by bringing in his pal. How Smith adjusts to Houston would be interesting as he’d be the third option on offense which he hasn’t really had to deal with in his career, but I think he’d be able to adjust considering his athletic abilities. Assuming the Rockets would be fine with paying a third option $13.5 million for four years, I think they would be willing to give up two bench players and a late first rounder (and maybe some second rounders) for Josh Smith.

 

 

[WolfRobParticipant]

 Asiks main problem in Houstin is that he wants to be a starter…. 

[WolfRobParticipant]

 Asiks main problem in Houstin is that he wants to be a starter…. 

[cuseflynn10Participant]

Pretty much everyone on the site loves Drummond including myself (despite him going to UCONN). He’s got so much potential and he’s obviously not getting utilized properly to live up to his full potential.

Would you say that Josh Smith’s contract is untradeable? Smith is still in his prime years averaging 15-7-3 but the $13.5 million for four seasons may be a little much. I was thinking maybe a deal with Houston could work. I know there were rumors of Smith/Howard pairing up in the offseason and the Rockets still have Asik who would prefer to be traded anyway.

If the Pistons sent Josh Smith for Omer Asik, Aaron Brooks, and some picks, I think it could be beneficial to both sides.

The Pistons can fully unleash Monroe/Drummond. The Pistons could give Monroe and Drummond roughly 35 MPG a piece and then mix in Asik for 26 MPG which is up 8 minutes from his current average in Houston. They would no longer be committed to Smith’s 4 year deal that would likely hold Detroit back from being a contender for the duration of the deal, and they could probably get a pick in the 20-30 range in a loaded draft this year (currently projected at 23). They do have to deal with Asik’s weird contract next year, but if they build for the 2015-16 season, they could be a top team in the east by then because of the development of Monroe, Drummond, and KCP as well as by building through the draft and potentially signing a decent free agent once Asik comes off the books.

The Rockets don’t have to worry about any chemistry flare ups now. Asik is out which benefits Asik and the front office, and they keep Dwight happy by bringing in his pal. How Smith adjusts to Houston would be interesting as he’d be the third option on offense which he hasn’t really had to deal with in his career, but I think he’d be able to adjust considering his athletic abilities. Assuming the Rockets would be fine with paying a third option $13.5 million for four years, I think they would be willing to give up two bench players and a late first rounder (and maybe some second rounders) for Josh Smith.

 

 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

 Three-way trade then? Asik to a third team?

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

 Three-way trade then? Asik to a third team?

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

Totally spot on TOL…

monroe started the season pretty hot then Smith decided to think hes ray allen (again) or something and jack up jumpers… jennings has been solid this yr… hes averaging 8.3 apg.. he still has his knuckle head moments but hes not the issue… its Josh Smith… hes so versatile yet has no discipline when playing sometimes and its frustrating to watch ill tell u that… i really dont understand when ppl say that monroe and drummond cant co exist.. there the perfect duo inside… u cant double team monroe because he can pass and play on the high post and andre can just dunk on everybody when left near the basket.. but scoring isnt Detroits problem

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

Totally spot on TOL…

monroe started the season pretty hot then Smith decided to think hes ray allen (again) or something and jack up jumpers… jennings has been solid this yr… hes averaging 8.3 apg.. he still has his knuckle head moments but hes not the issue… its Josh Smith… hes so versatile yet has no discipline when playing sometimes and its frustrating to watch ill tell u that… i really dont understand when ppl say that monroe and drummond cant co exist.. there the perfect duo inside… u cant double team monroe because he can pass and play on the high post and andre can just dunk on everybody when left near the basket.. but scoring isnt Detroits problem

[FearTheStacheParticipant]

 I think the main mistake of the Detroit Pistons is that they attempted to be competitive way too early in the rebuilding process. Clearly, they have at least semi-stars in Drummond and Monroe. Instead of slowly drafting a good core, they rushed to sign pieces that would help them get into the playoffs, instead of contending for a championship. If you look at the Thunder, they waited until their drafted core proved they could be something, then management started to make moves that best suited those players. In Detroit, they felt the need to be decent now, and, as a result, spent big money on players they absolutely did not need. The last thing the Pistons could have used was a poor-shooting "small forward" and a ball hogging point guard. To make it all worse, those people both got big, long term contracts, essentially ruining any future moves they could make. Detroit strikes me as a team that could have kept Brandon Knight for the season, not sign anyone big, see how the Drummond/Monroe looks for a season, and then throw big money at someone like Eric Bledsoe in this coming offseason. You’ll see it with the Pelicans too, a team that felt they needed to compete NOW, which resulted in them throwing big money at pieces that don’t necessarily fit the Anthony Davis model. Slow and steady wins the race, you rarely see a competitive team that has rushed their rebuilding project. You wait until oppurtunity strikes, not when you strike an oppurtunity.

[FearTheStacheParticipant]

 I think the main mistake of the Detroit Pistons is that they attempted to be competitive way too early in the rebuilding process. Clearly, they have at least semi-stars in Drummond and Monroe. Instead of slowly drafting a good core, they rushed to sign pieces that would help them get into the playoffs, instead of contending for a championship. If you look at the Thunder, they waited until their drafted core proved they could be something, then management started to make moves that best suited those players. In Detroit, they felt the need to be decent now, and, as a result, spent big money on players they absolutely did not need. The last thing the Pistons could have used was a poor-shooting "small forward" and a ball hogging point guard. To make it all worse, those people both got big, long term contracts, essentially ruining any future moves they could make. Detroit strikes me as a team that could have kept Brandon Knight for the season, not sign anyone big, see how the Drummond/Monroe looks for a season, and then throw big money at someone like Eric Bledsoe in this coming offseason. You’ll see it with the Pelicans too, a team that felt they needed to compete NOW, which resulted in them throwing big money at pieces that don’t necessarily fit the Anthony Davis model. Slow and steady wins the race, you rarely see a competitive team that has rushed their rebuilding project. You wait until oppurtunity strikes, not when you strike an oppurtunity.

[RigelzParticipant]

I totally agree… you simply cannot rebuild and win at the same time. Drummond could be an amazing player but you have to help him to grow… Jennings is not a true PG, Smith doesn’t fit with Monroe and Andre. Detroit is wasting time and efforts.

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

The problem is that in a rebuilding proces, young players get used to losing games. A very important lesson is playing games when there is some pressure on it, knowing how to win games when it matters: I think that is one of the most important lessons for players in this league.

 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

The problem is that in a rebuilding proces, young players get used to losing games. A very important lesson is playing games when there is some pressure on it, knowing how to win games when it matters: I think that is one of the most important lessons for players in this league.

 

[RigelzParticipant]

I totally agree… you simply cannot rebuild and win at the same time. Drummond could be an amazing player but you have to help him to grow… Jennings is not a true PG, Smith doesn’t fit with Monroe and Andre. Detroit is wasting time and efforts.

[Author]

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