Detroit Pistons

The Atlanta Hawks are looking for a new coach, even though they have Larry Drew. But they’ve reportedly been very up front with Drew about this and have tried to accommodate him. Chris Vivlamore The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Drew told the Atlanta Journal Constitution Friday that in a meeting with general manager Danny Ferry earlier this week the two came to an amicable agreement to allow the coach to interview for other vacant positions in the league. Drew is a good coach – he went 44-38, 40-26 and 44-38 and won a playoff series with a few transitional rosters – and he’s a former Pistons player. He’s not necessarily the best candidate available, but he might be, and the Pistons should at least talk to him. But, apparently, they can’t do that. Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: Drew’s contract expires at the end of June, but Hawks management hasn’t approached him about an extension and is talking to other teams. Drew doesn’t have the luxury of reaching out to the Pistons and they would need permission from the Hawks to interview him, a different proposition than interviewing a team’s assistant coach. But what about Drew saying he could interview around the league? Goodwill: Heard from Drew’s camp that it’s more complicated than it’s being made to be publicly

Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: The Pistons also formally interviewed former Pistons and Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, among others, but haven’t yet talked to Pacers assistant Brian Shaw or Heat assistant David Fizdale, whose teams are still in the playoffs. My skepticism of a Brian Shaw interview, which the Detroit Free Press reported, turned out to be correct. The Pacers have maintained they weren’t giving their assistants permission to interview elsewhere until after the playoffs, and I guess Shaw with the Pistons was no exception. Goodwill previously reported the Pistons wanted to interview both Shaw and Fizdale. It’s not impossible for assistants to interview during the playoffs, but there are definitely hurdles.

The Pistons, according to the Detroit Free Press and mostly reported elsewhere previously, have interviewed: Nate McMillan Lindsey Hunter Mike Budenholzer J.B. Bickerstaff Brian Shaw Maurice Cheeks David Mayo of MLive: While several of the candidates known to have been interviewed are ex-players, Dumars said the search already has exceeded that scope. "That’s not all we’ve talked to," Dumars said. "Those are the names that you guys have gotten. But we’ve talked to a lot more than just ex-players, I’m telling you." Of that group, only Budenholzer and Bickerstaff didn’t play in the NBA. Is Dumars referring to those two? Their interviews were widely reported, so I doubt it. There are plenty of college coaches who didn’t play in the NBA, so I wonder whether one interviewed with the Pistons. Otherwise, I don’t have much to go on to even make guesses.

I took the day off of work to get some stuff done and be ready to get out of dodge for the weekend tomorrow, but instead I found myself watching draftexpress scouting reports on youtube. Being that I didn't want it to be a complete waste of my morning I've decided to post some impressions. As most if not all of you know the videos go over a players strengths and weaknesses making them look both like the best player on the planet and the worst all within 10 minutes. So here are my thoughts on likely Pistons targets: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: The first half, or I should just say the whole video, is comprised of him taking 3's. You'd come away thinking it is the only shot he took all year. You look at the stats and realize he took 8 threes a game, so that's not far off. He shoots 37% on 3's and 42% overall, but because he takes so many 3's, and 37% is actually an above average percentage, he has a phenomenal 59% TS%. His defense and anticipation are as good as advertised. He loves to dunk in transition, but he's pretty horrible around the rim in the half court. He should probably just stick to shooting 3's and playing defense and dunking on the break. Dude can't make a layup in this video to save his life. I have no idea how he shot 50% on 2-point shots. Must have all been dunks in transition. Michael Carter-Williams: He can make all the passes! Over the top, lobs, behind his back, across the court, in mid-air doing somersaults while knotting up his laces. He can make all the steals! On the ball, off the ball, between his legs, standing on his head, you can't get a ball by this man. His defense is pretty good both on and off the ball. He can get into the lane with ease. And then reality hits. For all the amazing passes he makes he takes so many chances that you end up with a highlight of great plays and one of bad plays. He can get into the lane, but he can't do much once he gets there hitting only 42% of his 2-point shots. Also a 26% turnover rate, which is 3rd worst for prospects. 29% 3-point shooter. To say Carter-Williams can't shoot is an exaggeration. C.J. McCollum: Honestly this is just one awesome highlight reel. I can see why Sawyer's likes him. He came into the combine with a 38.5" vertical and you can see it. He really rises up on his shots. He's about a foot or more off the ground when he releases. Pretty impressive. He can drive, lay it up, dunk, fadeaway, finger roll, floater, shoot the 3, get to the line, crossover, dribble, this man is the deadliest offensive weapon in the draft. Hands down. He's like a Curry, Iverson, Ellis all wrapped into one. He has Iverson/Ellis style with the crossover and quick step and ability to get into the lane like there's nobody in front of him, but he has Curry's ability to shoot. He's a machine. He IS NOT a PG. He cannot see open men. He's too geared toward scoring. And for all the agility he shows on offense it's like his feet are stuck in cement on defense. I'm not sure what he's even looking at because the ball handler will have already made one or two steps to get past him before he even turns his hips to make a move. It's like he's one step ahead on offense and one behind on defense. Shabazz Muhammad: 26% of his offense came in transition. He loves to get out and run, and loves to throw it down even more. Definitely an above the rim type player, and when you consider his 6'11" wingspan and 37" vertical at the combine you can see why. The fact that so much offense came in transition on a Ben Howland half-court slow it down team is interesting. The NBA is more open and the tempo is higher in general. People suspect that Howland held him down and I can instantly see what they mean. He can score in the post and he's pretty exceptional taking contact and making the bucket. He can hit the 3. Like KCP he dunks in transition but not on drives. He settles for jumpers or contested layups on his drives and only drives left, as he is left handed. Doesn't pass much. Does

When I think about the rebuilding process of the Pistons over the last four years, it reminds me of driving down the same road you've been taking to work for years and passing the same vacant lot that has bulldozers, tractors, and trucks that don't ever seem to move and you don't ever remember seeing a worker there. This rebuilding process also doesn't seem to follow most common professional sports rebuilding methods. In most cases, you blow up the team very quickly, acquire a crap ton of draft picks, and have all but maybe one or two holdovers from 2-3 years prior. However, we know that's not the case with the Pistons. It's felt like they've been removing a brick and putting a newer, not better, brick right back in that spot. Work was done, but you're still where you left off. One year Ben leaves, then later Billups, then Sheed leaves, then Ben comes back, then Hamilton leaves, then Ben leaves again, then Tayshaun leaves (honestly, I may have that order messed up some). Those "newer" bricks were Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Austin Daye, "The Wrong" DaJuan Summers, Chris Wilcox, etc. Finally, we got a couple better bricks laid when we drafted Jonas Jerebko, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond (this jury is still out on BK7). However, starting this season, there were still four players on the roster who played on the 2008-09 roster (Maxiell, Stuckey, Prince and Bynum). Two of those players, Stuckey and Prince, were resigned since 2008-09. Absolutely too slow of a rebuild and around the wrong players. So going into the 2013-14 season, the Pistons will very likely only have 1 player left over from the 2008-09 season, and that's Rodney Stuckey. Looking at the Pistons' salary obligations for next season (via HoopsHype) it appears that the Pistons have 10 players returning. I had heard elsewhere that English and Kravtsov are team options, but I haven't confirmed that. So we'll have just over 2/3 of the team from the 2012-13 season returning. We have three draft picks (currently) and around $23-$25M to spend in free agency to pick up the rest of the players to fill out the roster. So what do we have returning as the foundation to build on? All of the following is assuming that we aren't able to resign Calderon, we let Maxiell, Maggette, and Bynum walk, keep Kravtsov and English, and don't use the Amnesty clause on Villanueva. Also for the following, I'm only going off of the last 36 games of the season (when we traded for Calderon). Well, using each individual player's PG stats, it appears that we'll have 75.4% of the offense coming back. The combined FG% of those returning is 45.15% as compared to the 45.3% the entire team was, so barely any drop off. Our 3P% gets even worse, going from 34.4% to 31.2%. As expected (by losing Calderon), our FT% gets even more abysmal, dropping from 70.5% to 65.2%. As for rebounding, 83% of our offensive, 80.3% of our defensive, and 80.87% of our total rebounds return. We lose our second best thief (Calderon), our second best blocker (Maxiell), and our best and third best facilitators (Calderon and Bynum). Another question is, how does this look on an efficiency level? On a Per36 level, we have 75.8% of our made shots and 77.04% of our taken shots, 76.7% of our made 3 pointers, 82.6% of our taken 3 pointers, 80.07% of our made free throws and 83.9% of our taken free throws returning. All of that means that we have 76.63% of our offense coming back on a Per36 level. In terms of rebounding, 83.47% of our offensive, 81.77% of our defensive, and 82.4% of our total rebounds returning. Now there are some other things to take into consideration with these numbers. Not any one player played in all 36 of those final games. Andre missed 24 due to injury, Calderon 8, and Maxiell 12. But even Knight didn't play in 9 of those, Monroe in 3, Jerebko in 6, Stuckey in 2, Villanueva in 5, Bynum in 9, Middleton in 13 and English in 15. If you're wondering why that matters, it's because h

Personnel evaluation is nothing close to a science – it’s a snap shot of a player and a projection of what he might become. The Pistons are more likely to get a player who lives up to or exceeds his draft status than one who doesn’t.

Personnel evaluation is nothing close to a science its a snap shot of a player and a projection of what he might become. The Pistons are more likely to get a player who lives up to or exceeds his draft status than one who doesnt.

The NBA Draft lottery is over and unless you're a fan of the Cavs, Magic or Wizards you're probably pretty upset. No, the balls didn't fall your team's way but you can take out your frustrations by watching what promises to be a real slugfest in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are the best defense in the NBA and Miami isn't far behind. And while the Heat have frequently looked unstoppable the health of Dwyane Wade is in doubt and if any defense can frustrate and stymie Miami's big three it is probably the Pacers. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. tonight on TNT. Join us! Standard boilerplate below: What you might not understand is that this thread may be posted on the covers of other great SB Nation NBA blogs throughout the network, meaning other teams' fans may be stopping by to comment on the games with the DBB community. The idea behind this is to bring general NBA fans together as one, in one community. That community for this Wednesday night is DBB. We have a wonderful network here at SB Nation with incredibly insightful fans within each NBA blog's different community. We think these fans should be given an opportunity to come together, take in the game, shoot some e-breeze, maybe share some memes and lulz, and enjoy the fresh company, if they so desire. It could be fun. All that we ask is that you abide by DBB's one loose rule and be respectful to one another at all times. (Also, please use the "flag" button to help us monitor any trolls or spammers.)

Chances are, the most promising players in the 2013 NBA Draft will be off the board when Detroit picks at #8. After a disappointing result in the draft lottery, Detroit is not likely to have a shot at Victor Oladipo, Trey Burke, Otto Porter or Ben McLemore. While there is value to be found in Detroit's draft range, it's hard to expect this value to match Detroit's primary needs of starting-caliber talent on the wing. The question Detroit's front office will need to examine now is whether this pick has more value on the trade market than it will on draft night. In short, should Detroit trade its #8 pick? Before we explore a few trade opportunities, we should consider Detroit's needs this year and beyond. Detroit will need to use draft picks, trades and free agent signings to find a starting-caliber point guard, shooting guard and small forward. The team will have the greatest opportunity to make these acquisitions within the next two years, when it has two consecutive cap space windfalls including two large expiring contracts. Unfortunately, Detroit will need to forfeit its lottery pick to Charlotte next season if the team wins a few more games next season, which is a very likely scenario. In total, by trading this pick, Detroit should aim to acquire more picks, preferably including a 2014 first round pick. Detroit should also attempt to use its cap space to absorb salary to facilitate these trades. Draft Pick Swap Scenarios Phoenix Suns: Trading Down and Adding Talent The Phoenix Suns ended the 2012-13 NBA season with a worse record than Detroit. The Suns will have roughly $5M in available salary this summer, with no significant cap savings until 2014. Their only real opportunity to improve this summer is in the draft, and they only have one valuable pick to do so. Detroit's #8 pick and an additional $8M in cap space (for a total of $13M in available salary) would provide Phoenix with greater draft and free agent opportunities-- and combined assets similar to what Houston used last summer to acquire James Harden. Phoenix Acquires: the #8 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Detroit Acquires: the rights to Miami's #30 pick in 2013, the rights to Minnesota's 2014, 2015 or 2016 lottery pick (top 13, 12 and 12 protected respectively) and Marcin Gortat. Detroit's gain: Detroit effectively trades the #8 pick for a #30 pick, a #14 pick and the expiring salary of productive big man Marcin Gorat. When Detroit receives the #14 pick will depend largely on when both Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio register a healthy season, which is a risk, but if that doesn't pan out Detroit will end up with two second round picks in 2017. Marcin Gortat has several values for Detroit-- he acts as a financial placeholder that moves $8M in expiring salary to next summer or he becomes a trade asset for deadline deals in February. Gortat is also very productive, a talent worthy of the starting lineup and a great option behind Andre Drummond. If Detroit can sell Gortat into a mid-level deal for a few years after 2013-14, this would be a great way to start that process. Phoenix's gain: Phoenix adds a second lottery pick in the 2013 draft, adds another $8M in available salary and only gives up pick rights in the process, not their own picks. While Phoenix would likely be reticent to give up Marcin Gortat, they face losing him next summer without a talent return in the process. For the Suns, this move would be an opportunity to explore a larger trade that acquires a top draft pick this year, an All Star caliber player or, at worst, it gives them two picks and enough cap space for a post-rookie max contract. (I have vetted this trade with the people at SB Nation's Suns blog, who largely support the proposal.) Dallas Mavericks: Adding Picks and Salary The Mavericks are apparently interested in trading their #13 pick in the 2013 draft without returning any salary. They are interested in trimming cap space in order to make a run at Dwight Howard in

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva has picked up his $8.5-million option for next season. That was expected. Charlie Villanueva has drastically underperformed his contract with the Pistons, and he wasn’t getting near that amount as a free agent. Now – if money is no object – the Pistons should amnesty Villanueva. There is no argument here. I suppose it’s possible having an $8.5 million expiring contract represents more value to the Pistons than having an extra $8.5 million in cap space (though I doubt it), but the argument could be made the Pistons could sign free agents up to the cap line, trade an $8.5 million contract for up to $12.85 million in returning salary and exceed the salary cap by more money than could by taking the straight cap-space route. But if the Pistons want an $8.5 million expiring contract, the could amnesty Villanueva and very easily sign a better player to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. That better replacement would fetch more in a trade. Of course, money is an object. Amnestying Villanueva and signing a replacement to a one-year, $8.5 million contact would cost the Pistons $17 million – an $8.5 million more than just keeping Villanueva. Is that price worth it to Tom Gores? Probably not. The Pistons should still strongly consider amnestying Villanueva, though. They aren’t forced to sign a replacement, but the cap space would be available in the event they need it. Remember, amnestied contracts count against the payroll floor, which will be set at 90 percent of the salary cap this season. So, using last season’s salary cap of $58,044,000 for this explanation, teams that don’t use the amnesty could enter the season with a maximum of $5,804,400 in cap room. If the Pistons amnesty Villanueva, they could hold as much as $14,304,400 in cap room. That would be a major advantage in mid-season trade negotiations.