Anti-Pistons Mailbag - April 7th, 2012


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Joel (Grand Rapids, Mich.): If the Pistons get lucky enough to get the No. 2 or 3 pick, what do you think it would take to get the No. 1 pick? Would a trade of Daye or Singler and the draft pick be enough?

Sure! After all, teams like the Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and New Orleans Hornets are all lining up to get their hands on Austin Daye - A player who cannot play any specific position at the NBA level, cannot play defense, has two offensive moves (step back jumper and wide open jumper), and most importantly, cannot crack the rotation of a 21-33 team! Teams would just love to piss away a once-in-a-lifetime big in Anthony Davis so that they can get their hands on Thomas Robinson or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with Austin Daye thrown in!


Tony (River Rouge, Mich.): I think coach Frank has done an excellent job with the Pistons in his first year. His attention to detail and structure makes me feel Rip would still be a productive Piston if he had played under Frank instead of Kuester. Do you agree?

Only a monkey's turd would agree with that statement, Tony. Rip Hamilton is best when running off screens (Pistons have a limited front court rotation, the Chicago Bulls are loaded) with a quality point dishing him the ball (Pistons have a rookie in Brandon Knight, Bulls have reigning MVP Derrick Rose). With that said, let's take a look at how Rip Hamilton is doing in Chicago:

10.9 PPG
3.1 APG
2.4 RPG
44% FG
33% 3FG

Holy smokes! Those are nowhere close to his career averages! And it's not like Chicago has other quality players in the backcourt eating up his minutes. They signed Rip to help bolster the backcourt, and he's still struggling. With all of this said, along with the fact that Hamilton would have continued to contribute to the logjam at the shooting guard position, I highly doubt he would have worked with Lawrence Frank.


Nick (Harrison Twp., Mich.): If the Pistons draft Jared Sullinger, it would give us one of the best rebounding tandems in the NBA but among the worst shot-blocking defenses. What are your thoughts on John Henson?

Way to randomly change the question halfway through, asshole. What do John Henson and Jared Sullinger have to do with each other? It's not like they're the only two options the Pistons have. Also - two things - One: We don't even know where the Pistons are picking yet. Two: It's possible that Henson and/or Sullinger will be selected before the Pistons pick, rendering this question pointless.

On a serious note, I want to talk about Sullinger. Why is everyone so pessimistic with this guy? I keep reading and hearing that he "plays below the rim" and is not "big/athletic enough" to make a significant impact on the pro-level. You know who else had that description? Kevin Love. Greg Monroe. Carlos Boozer. David West. Marc Gasol. Meanwhile, there have been a slew of power forwards and centers over the last decade that had so much "athleticism", "potential", and "upside" that either never did shit in the NBA, or did not live up to their draft stock. Darko Milicic. Eddy Curry. Kwame Brown. Greg Oden. Andrea Bargiani. Emeka Okafor. There's much more to playing basketball than being able to run fast, jump high, and overpower defenders.

Here's what we know about Sullinger: He rebounds the ball, shoots over 50% (despite that he shoots threes, which usually results in a lower shooting percentage amongst bigs), he gets to the line (ranked number 18 in free throw attempts in the entire nation), shows up when it matters[1], and actually improved defensively by increasing his blocks per game average.

[1]Sullinger did struggle offensively in big games. He shot 33% against Michigan State in the Big Ten title game, and then only 29% in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game against MSU three weeks later. Only shot 26% against Kansas in the Final Four. Nevertheless, he played consistently well in the tournament, did not pass up shots, and does not get scared. I like him.

If the Pistons get Jarred Sullinger, he would not be their best offensive weapon, and thus would not have the pressure of scoring or carrying the load on offense to be effective like he had to at Ohio State. Who knows? Maybe he could become a better defender if he did not have to expend so much energy at the offensive end. And with Monroe and Stuckey spending a lot of time in the paint, Sullinger would likely be able to knock down wide open jumpers all day. Call me crazy - But I think that Sullinger could flourish in Detroit AND make the Pistons more competitive. I do like Henson, but I don't feel that he is as NBA ready as Sullinger is.


Marshall (Detroit): Steve Nash will be a free agent this summer, so this will be his last year with the Suns. If Joe Dumars were to get Nash, would he make the Pistons playoff contenders again?

This is a stupid question on so many levels. I will begin by answering the question: Yes. Have you seen the roster that Steve Nash has in Phoenix? That team has less talent than a WNBA team. They also play in the Western Conference, and are still competitive.

But why the fuck would Nash come to Detroit? The Pistons are not close to being a title contender, and will likely not be able afford to give him the best offer. Also, it's fucking Detroit. Nobody likes Detroit except for the people that live there.


James (Detroit): Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure and Meyers Leonard of Illinois are two really nice players that perhaps Joe Dumars could tab for the second round. Meyers has some of the sickest passing skills I've seen in quite some time. And Nicholson can put the ball in the basket. What's your take on these guys?

Really? Some of the "sickest" passing skills you have seen in quite some time? Have you watched Chris Paul, Steve Nash, or Ricky Rubio at all?


John (Sterling Heights, Mich.): Is it wrong to still want Detroit to tank the season so we can get a higher draft pick in arguably the deepest lottery since LeBron and others back in 2003? The Pistons aren't bad enough to get a great lottery pick and not good enough to challenge for the playoffs. They're in no-man's land.

Not so fast there, John. Deepest since 2003? Did you forget about the 2008 and 2009 NBA Drafts? I'm guessing that you did. Let me refresh your memory:

2008
Derrick Rose
Kevin Love
Russell Westbrook
Eric Gordon
Brook Lopez
Javale McGee
Serge Ibaka
Danilo Gallinari
George Hill

Funny side note - Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo were the 2nd and 3rd picks after Derrick Rose. I bet those GMs (Chris Wallace and Pat Riley) wish that they had a time machine.

2009
Blake Griffin
James Harden
Tyreke Evans
Ricky Rubio
Steph Curry
Brandon Jennings
Jrue Holiday
Darren Collison Ty Lawson

Could 2012 be better than those years? I doubt 2008. Maybe 2009. I think it's premature to say that this year's draft is "deep" when we won't know how good these players will be for a few years. I recall the 2007 draft being hyped as a deep draft, when 2007 only had three All-Stars (Durant, Horford, and 2nd rounder Marc Gasol) and one of the biggest busts in NBA history (Greg Oden).

Also, three of the last six lottery winners (Portland in 2007, Chicago in 2008, Clippers in 2012) all had similar odds to the Piston's odds right now. So yes, it would be stupid to "tank". Having the worst record only gives you a 25% chance at landing the last pick. I would rather my team work their asses off, play hard, and have a positive attitude as opposed to intentionally losing just to get better draft odds.


Jermaine (Detroit): Is it possible for the Pistons to trade for Josh Smith without breaking up the young core of Stuckey, Knight and Monroe? If so, would they still pursue Chris Kaman, knowing there's a good chance they will draft a big in the upcoming draft?

Why the fuck would Atlanta take anything less than Monroe, Stuckey, or Knight for Josh Smith? They could play with the trade machine with any other team for 45 seconds and find a better deal. Also, who else on Detroit could Atlanta use? The Hawks need size more than anything, and I highly doubt Atlanta would be satisfied in taking Maxiell, Jerebko, or Vernon Macklin back as compensation for Smith.

Also, the Chris Kaman questions need to fucking stop. Chris Kaman blows. I love that he is a CMU guy and Michigan native. But he cannot possibly make the Pistons any better than they already are.


Nick (Harrison Twp., Mich.): I would love to see the Pistons trade for a second lottery pick. Take Harrison Barnes with the first and Perry Jones with the second. Both are high risk but even higher reward. What are your thoughts?

That sounds like an awful idea, Nick. The Pistons have a terrible history with rolling the dice on first round picks (Rodney White, Darko, Carlos Delfino). Not to mention, how could Harrison Barnes and Perry Jones help the Pistons? They already have a solid starting small forward in Tayshaun Prince for the next three seasons, a tweener in Jonas Jerebko for the next three seasons, and Kyle Singler may end up becoming a solid pro. Adding Barnes and Jones to a team that lacks a front court would make the Pistons the Atlanta Hawks 2.0 - A team full of athletic guys that don't know what position they play. Last time I checked, the Hawks have not won shit with that philosophy, idiot. Barnes and Jones also practically no-showed in the tournament. Are these really the kinds of players you want on the Pistons?


John (Hexham, England): Why isn't Charlie V playing? Is he still injured or can he not crack the rotation?

Who gives a shit? Really. That's like asking God "Why don't I have a terminal disease yet?" But if you really want to know, it's probably because coach Lawrence Frank is a defense-first coach, which happens to be Charlie V's biggest flaw.

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