2024 Detroit Pistons

**401don** · May-31-24, 05:37 PM

As expected, it took Langdon about 5 minutes to fire Weaver.
Now he gets to choose between several draft picks, none of whom can shoot. Sound familiar?

**Lowell** · June-01-24, 09:40 AM

Welcome to command of the Titanic Capt. Langdon. You'll find your ship 12,500 feet under the water.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-01-24, 10:35 AM

Weaver should have been fired the moment he picked Killian Hayes over Tyrese Haliburton. The jury is out on Langdon. This was a strange and very quiet move, as it wasn't announced with a presser as most GM or POBO hires are. Is he getting rid of Arn Tellum and his son whom Tellum gave a front office position to? He was David Griffin's asst GM in New Orleans. He's supposed to be a great evaluator of talent, but the same thing was said about Weaver who was Sam Presti's understudy. And how did that work out? Gore's pockets must be as deep as the Grand Canyon, as he's paying out big money to non-essential people running this once great franchise. This team has lost it's way, starting with SVG.

**401don** · June-19-24, 10:28 AM

Pistons fire Williams after one season and eat 65 million. Apparently the decision came from Gores and not Langdon. This is a coach who really didn't want the job but they threw so much money at him he couldn't refuse. You can call Gores dumb when it comes to running a basketball team but don't call him cheap.

**Lowell** · June-19-24, 11:18 AM

Wow. Talk about cleaning house. Rich kid throws away expensive toy.

**softailrider** · June-19-24, 12:35 PM

Get rid of everybody. This is a good start, but it should just be the beginning. Get rid of the elevator operators and the girls that cook the hot dogs, along with C.C. and Ivey. Couldn't be any worse than last season, could it?

**stasu1213** · June-19-24, 12:49 PM

Is it me or had the Pistons became a lackluster team since moving back to Detroit.

**djtomt** · June-19-24, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Is it me or had the Pistons became a lackluster team since moving back to Detroit.

Their decline started way before that. 20 year run of bad decisions starting with drafting Darko. Will be very hard to turn this ship around.

That said, while he hasn't made the best decisions, at least Gores is willing to spend on the team. Hopefully Langdon will use the money wisely.

**401don** · June-19-24, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Wow. Talk about cleaning house. Rich kid throws away expensive toy.

Apparently, they are paying another 20 million plus to fired execs. still on the books.

**softailrider** · June-19-24, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by djtomt

Their decline started way before that. 20 year run of bad decisions starting with drafting Darko. Will be very hard to turn this ship around.

That said, while he hasn't made the best decisions, at least Gores is willing to spend on the team. Hopefully Langdon will use the money wisely.

They won a championship AFTER drafting Darko when Larry Brown - who everybody hated - was the coach. Larry Brown destroyed Darko’s career.

**softailrider** · June-19-24, 02:15 PM

What’s 65 million amoung friends anyway?

**sirrealone** · June-19-24, 02:32 PM

The Pistons died in 2009, when Bill Davidson died.

**401don** · June-19-24, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

Larry Brown destroyed Darko’s career.

Did you ever watch Darko. One of those guys who looked fine at a combine but when he got in a game it was way too fast for him. Couldn't make a decision with the ball if his life depended on it.

**sirrealone** · June-20-24, 06:06 AM

It didn't help, too, that he was 19 years old, had been told over and over again that he was the best in the world, and suddenly the coach is treating him like a piece of dog sh*t that he found on his shoe. I don't think Darko was ever going to be an NBA superstar, but he might have been at least serviceable had his confidence not been destroyed so early on.

**softailrider** · June-20-24, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by sirrealone

It didn't help, too, that he was 19 years old, had been told over and over again that he was the best in the world, and suddenly the coach is treating him like a piece of dog sh*t that he found on his shoe. I don't think Darko was ever going to be an NBA superstar, but he might have been at least serviceable had his confidence not been destroyed so early on.

Say whatever you want about Larry Brown - he certainly had his foibles, but he must have done a lot of things right back then.

**sirrealone** · June-20-24, 07:37 AM

A couple times, I'd be flipping channels and come across a post-game press conference. Larry would be sitting there criticizing his players one after another for five minutes straight. It was like the Frank Costanza airing of grievances. I'd think they must have gotten smoked, only to find out they won the game by 12 points. It was tough love with him, and a guy like Darko wasn't made to respond to that. The veterans on that team ate it up, though. With the egos the players have now, today's players would tune him out like he was yesterday's news.

**Hypestyles** · June-20-24, 11:12 PM

who are the "legitimate" candidates for the head coaching spot?

is Isaiah Thomas lurking in the wings?

what all talent needs to be recruited for players?

**Lowell** · June-21-24, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by softailrider

Say whatever you want about Larry Brown - he certainly had his foibles, but he must have done a lot of things right back then.

Larry Brown got it done, but he also got handed a boatload of talent on the rise. I've always been of the opinion that they would have won with Rick Carlisle who had molded that team and led its rise. He was winner and his subsequent career successes prove it. Dumping him was tantamount to the Darko blunder. Larry Brown was one and done, Carlisle is still coaching.

As for Darko my abiding memory of him was getting hit in the face unaware with a pass. He had no feel for the fast pace flow of the game. Drafting him instead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, all drafted after him, stings to this day. Joe Dumars also was a one and done.

**softailrider** · June-21-24, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Larry Brown got it done, but he also got handed a boatload of talent on the rise. I've always been of the opinion that they would have won with Rick Carlisle who had molded that team and led its rise. He was winner and his subsequent career successes prove it. Dumping him was tantamount to the Darko blunder. Larry Brown was one and done, Carlisle is still coaching.

As for Darko my abiding memory of him was getting hit in the face unaware with a pass. He had no feel for the fast pace flow of the game. Drafting him instead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, all drafted after him, stings to this day. Joe Dumars also was a one and done.

I do not disagree with any of the above. I think that Rick Carlisle is a great coach who did a great job with the Pistons. However, he was also extremely abrasive, and he pissed a lot of people off including Mr. Davidson. Also, one of the reasons he continued coaching for years after Larry Brown left the scene because he is decades younger than Larry Brown is. Everybody hated Larry Brown, he is thought of, by some people as a coaching disaster, I think of him as a coaching disaster that led them to a championship - not easy to do, even if he had help from Rick Carlisle.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · June-22-24, 12:05 PM

The person who should be fired and is still here is Arn Tellum and his son who oversees the scouting department and has no experience. This reeks of conflicts of interest and nepotism in the organization. Tellum used to be Langdon's agent when he played. I don't know how Tellum has Gores's ear, but he does. He wiggled onto a FO position and brought his son along for the ride. Obviously, Gores is a billionare and throws around his money like he prints it. He's paying out the remaining contracts of all 3 coaches he fired.

**stasu1213** · June-22-24, 01:58 PM

Imagine if Gilbert sells the Cleveland Cavaliers and purchase the Detroit Pistons from Gores. Gilbert probably could get the team back on their feet

**401don** · June-22-24, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Imagine if Gilbert sells the Cleveland Cavaliers and purchase the Detroit Pistons from Gores. Gilbert probably could get the team back on their feet

Not going to happen and it would be a bad business decision. Gilbert owns the Cleveland arena outright and has lots of business adventures in the city. Gores, despite being incompetent as an owner, is heavily invested in Detroit. Not saying he wouldn't get out for the right price, but this is simply a pipe dream.

**stasu1213** · June-23-24, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

who are the "legitimate" candidates for the head coaching spot?

is Isaiah Thomas lurking in the wings?

what all talent needs to be recruited for players?

Didn't Isiah Thomas coached the New York Knicks and couldn't win a championship with them? He was a phenomenal player but that wouldn't make him a good coach for the Pistons.
It appear that the hard boiled coaches had taken the Pistons to the Championship and won. Chuck Daley and Larry Brown. The Pistons never had a complete lineup of top picks as starters or on the bench. The Pistons history had been to get one great rookie and build a team around him with average players and try to make something happen. It had taken a tough coach to get the best out of each player. Tom Gores need to focus on making the Pistons a good defensive team with good shooters on offense. That is the only way he is going to bring the team back to the playoffs without spending a lot of money. The Bad Boys of the late 80s and the 2004-05 Pistons were more defensive focused teams winning championships until they faced teams that had great offenses such as the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Gore's claim to fame is returning the Pistons to downtown Detroit. Something that former owner Bill Davidson vowed that he would never do

**401don** · July-08-24, 11:08 AM

Langdon is making the obvious moves Weaver wouldn't the last 5 yrs - adding veteran shooters. Hardaway, Harris, Beasley and Fontecchio can all shoot. Where the defense will come from is still anyone's guess. These guys are better than most of the young "core" so it will interesting to see if the younger guys have to earn playing time this year. The team will definitely win more games. It may however put them in that ugly area of outside both the lottery and the playoffs. They still have close to 20 million to find a shot blocking center but free agent pickings are slim. Maybe they can pick up another bad expiring contract through trade.