2018 - 2019 Detroit Pistons

**Lowell** · June-13-18, 10:35 AM

A year of change and questions begins in June with a big announcement.

The new season starts with a very early big bang--the Piston's hiring of Dwane Casey, the former Toronto coach tossed aside in spite of being selected as the NBA's Coach of the Year.

The best became suddenly available and we got it. How he will deal with the hand Stan Van Gundy left behind is the big question.

This from today's Free Press:

An agent who represents a player who has spent time on the Raptors roster during Casey's tenure told the Free Press on Tuesday that it was a “great” hire

“Casey is a great coach in terms of building a relationship with guys,” the agent said.

That characteristic is appealing to the Pistons' ownership group, which believes the roster can win after two straight seasons without a postseason appearance.

There's been only one playoff appearance since Gores purchased the team for $325 million in June 2011.

But the defensive reputation is the main attraction for a franchise that hasn't finished with a top-10 defensive unit since 2008, when it last won a playoff game.

**401don** · June-13-18, 12:08 PM

I keep seeing these articles on how Casey is going to improve the Pistons defense yet all I heard every year here in Toronto, except maybe his final season, was how porous the Raptors defense was. Instead of losing to Cleveland every year, maybe Casey gets the Pistons to the playoffs and loses to the Raptors in the 1st round.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-13-18, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

I keep seeing these articles on how Casey is going to improve the Pistons defense yet all I heard every year here in Toronto, except maybe his final season, was how porous the Raptors defense was. Instead of losing to Cleveland every year, maybe Casey gets the Pistons to the playoffs and loses to the Raptors in the 1st round.

Turn about is fair play....

All jokes aside, He's got his work cut out for him, straightening out this group. SVG didn't do him any favors leaving him with a unbalanced roster.

**EastsideAl** · June-13-18, 04:44 PM

I think it's a good hire. They went out and got the available coach with the best recent record. A coach who has taken a non-superstar team to several fine regular season records and has a reputation as a "player's coach". Can't really argue with that.

But he takes over a team with a problematic roster of parts that don't really fit together. A team where a couple of injuries can leave them without enough weapons to win games, as we saw last season. But the worst part is that the Pistons have basically no 'wiggle room' to make any serious changes because they are in salary cap hell with some big untradeable pieces.

If he can get this team into the playoffs I'd say he's been successful. If he can get them into a 5 or 6 seed I'd say that he has exceeded expectations.

**stasu1213** · June-13-18, 06:23 PM

Gores, the Pistons owner, should had made this move last year when he had a much better roster with Luke Kennard. The Pistons would had been playoff bound this past season. Having a good coach but short arms and deep pockets isn't going to bring this team back into the playoff spot for years to come. I still say that it would be nice if Gilbert would sell the Cavaliers and buy the Pistons he would bring back the Pistons as he has done downtown detroit

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-14-18, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Gores, the Pistons owner, should had made this move last year when he had a much better roster with Luke Kennard. The Pistons would had been playoff bound this past season. Having a good coach but short arms and deep pockets isn't going to bring this team back into the playoff spot for years to come. I still say that it would be nice if Gilbert would sell the Cavaliers and buy the Pistons he would bring back the Pistons as he has done downtown detroit

What does Luke Kennard have to do with it? He is ok I guess, but Donovan Mitchell is the much better player, and should have been taken with the 12th pick. They probably make the playoffs if they took Mitchell. Instead, he went 13th to the Jazz. Also why would Gilbert sell the Cavs and buy the Pistons, when the Cavs are worth way more? If LeBron leaves, their value probably drops. But other than that, I don't see Gilbert making that move.

**EGrant** · June-14-18, 09:12 AM

While the Pistons whiffed on Mitchell, I feel like that's being unfairly held against Kennard. He had a great rookies season; played a lot of minutes and shot 40% from three. He'll only get better and become a very solid player.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-14-18, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by EGrant

While the Pistons whiffed on Mitchell, I feel like that's being unfairly held against Kennard. He had a great rookies season; played a lot of minutes and shot 40% from three. He'll only get better and become a very solid player.

I hope you're right. Because so far, Johnson and Ellenson are 1st round picks that haven't panned out. SVG was horrible at drafting.

**Bham1982** · June-14-18, 09:45 AM

Kennard is horrible, especially on D. Really all of SVG's first round picks have been bad.

I wouldn't fault the Pistons too much re. Mitchell, as twelve other teams made that mistake. No one knew.

**EGrant** · June-14-18, 12:05 PM

Horrible is a wild exaggeration haha.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-14-18, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by EGrant

While the Pistons whiffed on Mitchell, I feel like that's being unfairly held against Kennard. He had a great rookies season; played a lot of minutes and shot 40% from three. He'll only get better and become a very solid player.

Not holding it against him, but I think Kennard was drafted too high to begin with. He was more like a mid to late 1st rounder. But if SVG had taken the chance, [[ he brought Mitchell in for a workout) that is just the type of luck this team needed. I get that nobody expected Mitchell to have the season he did. But he did, so it's a moot point now.

**sirrealone** · June-21-18, 12:06 PM

SVG never got the guys to buy into his philosophy. I think he came in thinking that he'd had success in Orlando and therefore automatically thought the players should and would listen to him. It never happened. SVG sat there night after night at his press conferences with his unopened bottle of Gatorade in front of him and chewed out his players. I think the players needed him to show that he could win HERE with THEM before they would accept that. But they never really did and you could always sense the chasm between coach and players.

Think back to Larry Brown. He used to rip the players something good during his press conferences, but the players were OK with that because he demonstrated that his approach could make them winners. SVG never did that.

**EastsideAl** · June-21-18, 02:23 PM

Tonight is where the "win now" Griffith trade really comes home to roost. The Pistons don't have a pick until #42, deep in the second round, where the chance of getting someone who can even make the team is pretty low.

Add into that the salary cap situation that they find themselves in, and you have a recipe for a team that is going to face a very difficult or impossible task improving from their current low-level mediocrity in the next couple of years to come.

**401don** · June-21-18, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Tonight is where the "win now" Griffith trade really comes home to roost. The Pistons don't have a pick until #42, deep in the second round, where the chance of getting someone who can even make the team is pretty low.

Add into that the salary cap situation that they find themselves in, and you have a recipe for a team that is going to face a very difficult or impossible task improving from their current low-level mediocrity in the next couple of years to come.

Now Gores is paying Casey 35 million over the next 5 yrs., a lot for any coach. The best result might be 7-8 more wins a season, which insures the team will be stuck in mediocrity with no top picks for another several years.

**EGrant** · June-22-18, 06:48 AM

Pistons traded two future second round picks for the 38th to draft Khyri Thomas and then selected Bruce Brown Jr. with the 42nd pick. I don't want to overanalyze this, but Khyri is a very solid player who was projected to go in the first round. Happy with this draft, given the lack of a first rounder.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-22-18, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by EGrant

Pistons traded two future second round picks for the 38th to draft Khyri Thomas and then selected Bruce Brown Jr. with the 42nd pick. I don't want to overanalyze this, but Khyri is a very solid player who was projected to go in the first round. Happy with this draft, given the lack of a first rounder.

Considering the circumstances, they did well to get these picks. Brown Jr is a very good PG from the University of Miami, that broke his foot, late in the season, so he was undervalued, but projected to be a late 1st round pick prior to injury. Thomas is also a great pick that fell from the late 1st round. These picks are already better than anything SVG came up with.

**DetroitSoldier** · June-22-18, 04:57 PM

If Dwane Casey's comments are to be taken seriously..."Now is the time..." for this franchise to win...it was imperative to get someone that can come in and play immediately. I am extremely happy with the Khyrie Thomas pick, and the Bruce Brown Jr pick was a steal, in my opinion.

Given how little was expected coming into this draft, I think they came out with two solid players that both have something to prove. And that could be a very good thing for a franchise that is starving to win again.

**EastsideAl** · June-22-18, 05:59 PM

Khyrie Thomas appears to be an excellent pick. Most predictions I saw had him projected to go around #20. Any idea why his stock seemed to have fallen coming into the draft?

**EGrant** · June-23-18, 08:27 AM

The draft from 20-40 was loaded with talented wing players. Nothing against Khyri, it was just hard to project that part of the draft.

**KJ5** · July-03-18, 05:54 PM

Wow, not a single post since Lebron's big move? The East is looking very weak and wide open now. With the main players - Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia - in the Atlantic, do the Pistons have a good shot at winning their division?

**Bham1982** · July-03-18, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by KJ5

Wow, not a single post since Lebron's big move? The East is looking very weak and wide open now. With the main players - Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia - in the Atlantic, do the Pistons have a good shot at winning their division?

Definitely. With their big move for an elite talent like Jose Calderon, they look very well positioned to challenge the Warriors...

**KJ5** · July-04-18, 12:31 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Definitely. With their big move for an elite talent like Jose Calderon, they look very well positioned to challenge the Warriors...

Laying on the sarcasm thick enough, Debbie Downer? Not worth watching unless they can beat the damn All Star team the Warriors have, huh? [[And I seem to remember the Pistons splitting their 2 games with GS last season, with the loss only being by 4 points. )

**EGrant** · July-04-18, 07:58 AM

Pistons beat writers think they are going to make a trade. Langston, Ish, Luer keep getting mentioned as trade chips.

**Danny** · July-04-18, 08:05 AM

There is no way Detroit Pistons are going to make the playoffs with too much young prospects and a head coach that just got fired from the Toronto Raptors in which that coach did an awesome job!

Another tough season loss for the ball hogging same ole' Pistons.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · July-04-18, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by EGrant

Pistons beat writers think they are going to make a trade. Langston, Ish, Luer keep getting mentioned as trade chips.

Again, another Coach and GM comes in, to take out the trash SVG left. Galloway and Leuer should have never been signed to those ridiculous deals in the first place. I'd keep Smith, he's a good change of pace backup, that was forced to start because of oft injured Reggie Jackson.