Official Detroit Pistons thread

[chemiclord]

I'm as much of a fan of tanking as anyone in the NBA, but if you're winning because three of your rookie starters are playing at THIS level, you accept that gladly. You can only keep your powder dry for so long before it starts damaging the development of the future players that you need to develop.

[Mainevent]

Exactly right, if this was the Corey Joseph, Wayne Ellington, Mason Plumlee types eeking out wins, I'd be pissed. Let the youngsters go out and if they get you a couple of wins, so be it. I'd like to believe the Pistons would be rewarded by the basketball gods, but you know that shit isn't happening.

[Cody_Russell]

The positive spin on this is Troy Weaver. It appears like there is potential with him as GM.
Hayes, Stewart, and Bey are promising 1st RD picks so far. Hayes has looked better in his last couple of games.

That would play into the crowd that says “it doesn’t matter where you draft if the GM knows what he is doing.” That’s what people have said to combat the tanking crowd.
Still with the NBA, draft position matters more than the NFL.

So tell me about this Barnes kid that came off the bench at FSU Is he Patrick Williams or Stanley Johnson...

[chemiclord]

The positive spin on this is Troy Weaver. It appears like there is potential with him as GM.
Hayes, Stewart, and Bey are promising 1st RD picks so far. Hayes has looked better in his last couple of games.

That would play into the crowd that says “it doesn’t matter where you draft if the GM knows what he is doing.” That’s what people have said to combat the tanking crowd.
Still with the NBA, draft position matters more than the NFL.

So tell me about this Barnes kid that came off the bench at FSU Is he Patrick Williams or Stanley Johnson...

Well, draft position matters a little bit more in the NBA because one pick can have SIGNIFICANTLY more impact on your team than in any other league. But yes, diamonds can be found anywhere even in the NBA draft. It's just harder to do.

[jaadam4]

If the Pistons could get a top 3 pick this year they could be set for a long time. The core youth of this team is really exciting but they still need that "it" player.

[Cody_Russell]

Bringing that conversation over from Lions News to this thread.

I'm not sure why Cody thinks the Pistons are getting the 6th pick, they have as good a chance as anybody to get the 1st pick.

Certainly hope it doesn't happen... with the newish lottery system odds, there's a possibly the Pistons can still pick 6th or 7th. http://www.tankathon.com/pick_odds
Add the fact that the Pistons lottery pick has never improved. You know, for reasons. I'm not getting my hopes up for doing well in the lottery with it being a "5 person draft."

Pistons have 8 games left. Includes games vs Orlando and Minnesota. Still could come away finishing with the 2nd worst to 6th worst record this season. It's wide open. Thank goodness Minnesota has been playing well recently.

[Futureshock]

If the NBA, and the NHL, insist on stupid lotteries at least make it fair. Having teams that just missed the playoffs getting a top 3 pick is stupid. Especially when you factor in how much one guy can lift an entire franchise up.

I know the reason given, but it has had absolutely no effect on tanking. None. You have whole sections of the country not GAD about the NBA because their team doesn't have a superstar and have no way of obtaining one unless they aren't screwed by this stupid system. This league has never given off a feeling of fairness. "Superstar" calls etc... are a known part of this sport, IOW the rules change by WHO you are. Most American fans do not abide by that sort of thinking. But, that shows they will change, cheat, etc... when it suits them. And then you want us to take your word, or the third-party crony that YOU hired, to believe everything is on the up and up? Uh, no.

There should be two - three separate lotteries, but by no means should someone at the bottom get to be in the top 3, let alone the first pick in the draft. Just break it into 3 sections that teams could move up or down within. IF they insist on this stupidity.

[The King]

Agree 100%. Didn't the Rangers win the lottery last year in the NHL and they MADE the friggin playoffs?

What a bunch of crap.

The NBA moved their lotto odds and it seems there is more tanking than ever before this year. I've lost interest in hoops almost completely the past few weeks. There are teams like OKC and HOU doing blatant tanks. HOU literally sent John Wall home. Dude makes $40 million and he's not even with the team.

The NBA really sucks with the "load management" crap. It's a joke. Stern would never allow this. NEVER.

[Mainevent]

I wonder if Silver and the league are letting it go given the compressed season, coming back so soon after last year, and the fact that the arenas are still largely empty. I wouldn't expect this to continue next year if they are back to full arenas.

[The King]

That's a great point and I'm sure a factor, but this has been going on now for years in the NBA. Even when arenas were sold out. I remember a few fans even going to court over it.

[Mainevent]

Yeah, not to this extent though. I'd expect to see some action with the owners and the competition committee or whatever they have. I doubt the league wants to welcome back fans with the a quarter of the league out right tanking.

That said, there's only so much they can do if they still want to continue with the lottery. A concept like the wheel would be about the only thing that would end tanking, but that has other issues.

[Cody_Russell]

Yeah... the tanking hasn’t stopped.
Houston started the season 11-10. 5-39 record since that point. Absurd. OKC, yup.
Orlando has too because they shipped some guys at the trade deadline. Awful since then.
Pistons, maybe. Their lineup changes are weird.

[The King]

OKC just sent a healthy Horford home about a month ago. SGA has been out while. They yank Dort in and out. They are blatant and those cocksuckers have about 20 1st rounders in the next 5 years!

[chemiclord]

Want to end tanking?

End the draft. That's the only way you're going to end tanking.

[froot loops]

Correct, there is just no other way to prevent it. The reward is too great even though the reward for tanking itself isn't as great as it was 25 years ago when you were drafting nearly fully formed players out of college. Back then you would have a couple teams at most committed to the bit and it was really only noticeable when a great player was coming out. There was a negative connotation if you were very blatant about it. The danger of Sam Presi's process is that it normalized that behavior of teams over multiple seasons.

These play-in games have reduced some of the incentive for teams to tank but only by maybe a couple teams.