Season Highlight

The Detroit Pistons shook things up this season by overhauling their roster completely. GM Mavs4Life was active from the beginning to the end of the season in the trade front, bringing in big names that people can recognize and accomplished veterans to try and field a team respectable enough to make a run at the playoffs. One thing we can say about this GM is that he is bold.

Season Lowlight

After all was said and done,  a 30-win season was what Detroit had to show for it. A lot of injuries from a lot of injury-prone players and the Pistons rarely could field the lineup GM Mavs had envisioned. Danny Granger and Amare Stoudemire all missed substantial amount of time and the season was quicker than expected.

Best Trade

The Detroit Pistons send Klay Thompson and Meyers Leonard to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Minnesota Timberwolves send Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett to the Detroit Pistons. 
The Minnesota Timberwolves send a 1st-Rounder (Ind) to the Detroit Pistons. 

The Detroit Pistons receive 15 GM points. The Minnesota Timberwolves trade -15 GM points.

This trade was the best for this Pistons team, but there is an asterisk attached to it mainly because the team acquired the pieces for the future with Bennett and the first rounder, who ultimately became Tyler Ennis alongside Waiters who is an NLL gunner. On paper, the production between Klay and Waiters is rather similar and the scales may swing hard in the favor of Detroit if Bennett becomes the player everybody envisioned and if Ennis is as good as advertised, but that’s a lot of “ifs” though. Overall a good trade.  

Worst Trade

The Detroit Pistons send Derrick Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send John Jenkins, Leandro Barbosa and Meyers Leonard to the Detroit Pistons.

While I’m sure this trade must have been motivated by a need at guard or depth, some still think Derrick Wiliams has breakout potential due to his numbers when given the start and due to  lack of opportunities in Adelman’s system, so Barbosa is likely to walk, Meyers Leonard is a career 3rd stringer and John Jenkins can’t defend anybody, according to his coach. I don’t think this trade made the Pistons better, but then again it didn’t make then much worse.

 

Other Notable Trades

The Detroit Pistons send Pau Gasol to the LA Clippers. The Detroit Pistons send Rudy Gay, Chase Budinger and Jimmer Fredette to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The LA Clippers send Amare Stoudemire to the Detroit Pistons. The Minnesota Timberwolves send Danny Granger, Derrick Williams and John Jenkins to the Detroit Pistons. 
The Detroit Pistons send a 2nd-Rounder (Det) to the LA Clippers. The LA Clippers send a 1st-Rounder (LAC) to the Detroit Pistons. 

The Detroit Pistons receive 7 GM points. The LA Clippers trade -10 GM points.The Minnesota Timberwolves receive 3 GM points.

This was a big one and the first one they did in the season, GM Mavs certainly swung for the fences.

Best FA Signing

Elton Brand signs with the Detroit Pistons under the MLE for 1 year and $ 4,000,000.

This was a good signing from a team that didn’t make many of them. The Pistons said at the time that this was a signing by mistake but at least he provided depth on times of injury.

Worst FA Signing

Mike Harris signs with the Detroit Pistons for 1 year and the minimum salary of $ 884,293.

Mike Harris was signed but never really contributed because he was always inactive and/or released in the NBA,

 

Star

Klay Thompson – 23.6 ppg. The lone star of the Pistons’ season had to carry the team on his back after the departure of Pau and Rudy. While Amare and Granger occasionally showed up to play, this was Klay’s team to carry the whole game. Oh by the way, he posted career highs and really came to his own this season.

Surprise

Definitely the fact that a team with 3 accomplished stars couldn’t mesh well and have time to make a run. I can see a parallel world where Klay, Amare and Granger ride together for a playoff spot and give someone a lot of trouble. Guess we’ll never know, it’s a shame things didn’t work out.

Goat

See up.

Draft Report Card

The Pistons started their summer off  with a big trade. By trading out of the lottery, the Thunder was able to acquire a big piece for the rebuilding project the team is bound to make in Trey Burke. Though they had to give up a promising prospect in Elfrid Payton, looks like GM Mavs4Life feels very good about Burke.

Then when it was time to draft someone, GM Mavs made two very good choices inmy opinion. In Tyler Ennis he got a pure point guard that was by far the highest rated player to slide in the draft according to the  experts. He’s a high IQ player who’s not athletically gifted but doesn’t shy away from anything and I thin will be a good player for quite a while.

In Cleanthony Early he got a player who’s practically a veteran already, an older prospect with a lower ceiling but a player that every team needs in their roster, another player that will be a solid veteran.  

 

Looking to the Future

As mentioned earlier, the Pistons are in a rebuilding project with the centerpieces being Valanciunas, Burke, Waiters, Bennett, Amare and the newly acquired Ennis. If his guys evolve sooner than expected, this team can rise very quickly from the ashes of an injury plagued season. We wish them nothing but the best!!

Upcoming Free Agents

Danny Granger – The once electrifying player is now a veteran trying to prove himself again. He’s likely to leave and look for a contender, unless some dough is dropped to try and persuade him to stay.

Rodney Stuckey – Rodney has found his niche in the league as a scoring guard in the league and DET could certainly use his skill set on the court, he might even begin the year as the first man off the bench if he comes back. Anyone’s guess.

Leandro Barbosa – Another one that might leave DET barring rookie signings after a not-so productive season. Could go back to Europe or Brazil too.

Chris Douglas Roberts – Journeyman that has spent his career bouncing around, likely to leave.

Rasual Butler – Depth veteran that brings experience but also a coin flip.

Elton Brand – Should hit the free agency for one of his last paydays.

Cole Aldrich – Remember when this guy was the next great center?

Hasheem Thabeet – Remember when this guy was the next great center?

Jorge Gutierrez -  Remember this guy? I don’t tbh. lol