Where the Pistons Should Upgrade
Let the 2014 Pistons trade rumors begin…
By Hank Rearden
The Detroit Pistons interim coach, John Lowyer, did a great job in motivating and leading the charge during his first game with a new title. The Pistons played great basketball Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs with a win. They played with focus and heart. Each player went over and above with effort. This doesn’t mean they are without their faults. When they play great, the faults are overshadowed.
As the trade deadline looms, this article will dissect each position and analyze strengths and weaknesses in hopes to show where Joe Dumars may make a move.
Point Guard:
Brandon Jennings is the type of player Joe Dumars likes. He is feisty and plays with heart. However, Joe Dumars tends to like taller point guards. Maybe it was all those years playing with Zeke Thomas. There is a lot of Zeke potential in Jennings. There are times that Jennings will shoot a 3-point shot with no rebounders anywhere close to the basket. These need to stop! If Jennings continues to mature with daily game decisions, he will become an all-star point guard with time. He is a great find for his price tag.
The bench is a little bit lacking. Chauncey Billups comes with experience, but he cannot be trusted but to spell Jennings for only a few minutes. Bynum is a good change-of-pace point guard, but he has his limitations that do not work well with certain teams. Bynum needs to work on defense. Peyton Siva is a work in progress.
Survey Says! Starting point guard is set for the (near) future; however, the first point guard off the bench should be more trustworthy. A nice reliable veteran with no history of injury would be an ideal addition.
Shooting Guard:
Kyle Singler is a good player. He is NOT a shooting guard. This can not go too much longer. He is too slow to play defense on opposing shooting guards. He plays to his utmost, however, he is genetically limited into playing the small forward and possibly the power forward as a stretch 4.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (KCP) is a rookie who started 40 games as shooting guard. He may be the future of the Detroit Pistons, however, he does not have the maturity to be starting on this team. Maybe he could start on last year’s team, but not this year’s team. He will mature and provide a Ray Allen-type 3-point threat, along with a stifling defense for the other teams’ shooting guard and most likely high scorer.
Rodney Stuckey may or may not be traded, with his expiring contract. He is a great 6th man with energy off the bench. He most likely is worth more now through a trade, than what we would want to pay him this summer.
Survey Says! This is a huge need. Trade Stuckey for Aaron Afflalo (Orlando Magic) and call it a night. It will provide the Magic with an expiring contract in order to purchase a max player this summer, and Detroit will get a quality starting shooting guard who could be a future all-star. KCP would continue to mature and come off the bench in the future.
P.S. This scenario would mean Joe Dumars would eat crow and show regret that he traded Aaron Afflalo too early for…wait for it…a 2nd round draft pick! Ouch! Swallow your pride and make the deal, Joe!
Small Forward:
Josh Smith has played most of his career as a power forward. He is good at small forward, because he can overpower the other team’s small forward on offense, but also overpower that same player defensively.
Singler is a great back-up for Josh Smith. Between these two, we need no further players. Gigi Datome is insurance for the future. He has yet to impress anyone with his shooting that made him a millionaire in the NBA.
Survey Says! We are good here. Do not trade Smith no matter what other people are saying.
Power Forward:
Greg Monroe has a very small vertical, no mid-range, and would be the slowest on the team for running the court. It is nice to see someone who can move over to center and play either spot, however, this trade deadline is a perfect way to get something out of Monroe before he is a free agent next summer. He doesn’t work for this team. He is a good player, and would fit in better with a slower team. Do not wait until this summer to either have to pay maximum amount for his services or get nothing out of him.
Jonas Jerebko is a good change of pace player who adds tons of depth and is always going full throttle. Tony Mitchell may have a future on this team, but he surely has not been given a chance at this time. Charlie Villanueva is our “stretch-4” that is on his way out. The question is whether he will go before or after the trade deadline.
Survey Says! Let’s switch power forwards with another team. Monroe is just the wrong fit for this team.
Center:
Andre Drummond is dominating and young. He is the quickest big man I’ve seen in years. Blocks, steals, rebounds and alley-oops. This guy does it all…with a smile on his face.
Josh Harrellson is a great pickup. No one saw him getting as much time on the court when they signed him. He has done great with the time he has been given. He does best when subbing in for Drummond, however, he also can play the power forward position. He allows a true 3-point threat that a power forward should possess.
Survey Says! There is NO concern here. Carry about your business and search for issues elsewhere.
Summary:
The starting lineup should be upgraded at shooting guard and power forward. The bench could use a taller, veteran point guard, who could also be the first guard off the bench.
In a perfect world, Stuckey should be traded for Afflalo, to allow for a strong shooting guard. Monroe and others should be traded for someone like a Pau Gasol (LA Lakers), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Ryan Anderson (New Orleans Pelicans), or someone similar who would allow for a power forward who can run and is a shooting threat at distance.
Share your thoughts!
