Category: Detroit

Pistons Show Improvement as the Cavaliers Finish the Sweep

reggieIt came down to the wire. With less than fifteen seconds left in the game, the Pistons came up with the loose ball. Reggie Jackson dribbles down the court, goes through the legs and attempts the three for the win and….it never makes it close to the rim. Reggie is on the ground and quickly bounces to his feet to argue that he was in-fact fouled on the last play of the game. I’ve seen a lot of players argue with the refs and plead their cases but I’ve NEVER seen a referee change his call due to the player’s complaints.

The three pointer would have given the Pistons their first win in the best of seven series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Had they won, they still would have to best the Cavaliers three times in a row. A feat I never thought would be possible. The Pistons were in 3 of the 4 contest; neck to neck with last year’s Eastern Conference champions.

Even though the Cavaliers were able to dig deep and pull out the series sweep, there is no reason for the Pistons to hold their head’s down. The Pistons are finally on the move to become a force in the Eastern Conference.

Stan Van Gundy came to the Pistons after the many ups and down of Joe Dumars’ tenure.  To be frank, Joe Dumars really did not have a vision for the Pistons after Rasheed, Chauncey, Ben and Rip Hamilton were gone.

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Joe Dumars created a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals 6-years in a row!

 

In Dumars’ defense, the Pistons were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference during the mid-2000’s. He crafted a well oiled machine that produced winning season after winning season.

After the departure of Rasheed, Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, it was year after year of disappointment, coaching changes and lack luster play. Van Gundy came in a immediately started putting his stamp on the Pistons. He traded for Reggie Jackson last season. This season, he traded some unfavorable draft picks for Marcus Morris who turned out to be the better twin this season averaging 14.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.5 assist per game. As the season progressed, the Pistons’ Brandon Jennings returned from his debilitating ACL injury. He eventually (along with Ersan Illyasova) were traded to the Orlando Magic for Tobias Harris, a young forward with a lot of upside.

The Pistons squeaked into the playoffs and were matched up against the loaded Cleveland Cavaliers, the favorite to represent the East in the NBA Championship. Despite their loss, the Pistons’ roster has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year. A complete makeover from a year ago.

USATSI_9264260-450x300Andre Drummond is arguably our best player. His dominance on the glass is insane. Drummond averaged 14.8 rebounds per game this season and is starting to show signs of some sort of offensive ability. He developed a hook shot and his presence underneath the basket provides insurance for missed shots. He averaged just under five offensive rebounds a game this year (previous two years he averaged 5+ offensive rebounds per game). Despite his woes at the free throw (35% woeful), Drummond improves year after year. Just imagine, if he improved to at least 50% from the line how effective he would be?! Andre is still young, he won’t be 23 until the beginning of next season. Still well beneath his “prime” years. His talents and physical build make him standout from the rest. What if he developed a 15-foot jump shot?!  Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself but Drummond has the physical tools and still undeveloped talent to become a centerpiece for the Pistons, hopefully for more years to come.

hi-res-95ff697bd3f3efdcb93cbeed056e4f6f_crop_northComparing last season to this season, the Pistons have made improvements. Their roster is young with a lot of upside. This off season, Andre Drummond is priority number one. He’s an All-Star, league leader in rebounds and a big-agile crafty center capable of giving you around 20 and 10+ every night. The Pistons’ bench depth is another concern. Although, the bench did improve over the course of the year, there is still glaring issues that need to be addressed.

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  • Backup Point Guard
    • I’m not going to knock Steve Blake. He came into the season the 3rd or 4th string guard. After Brandon Jennings was traded he became the next available point guard off the bench. Van Gundy obviously has not had much confidence in Spencer Dinwiddie, our other available point guard. This off season, the Pistons must fill this hole with a formidable backup. The upcoming draft does not boast many players that would be able to come in at the point guard position and provide an upgrade to Steve Blake. The Pistons must look into available free agents to fill this role.
  • A Stretch Four
    •  Aron Baynes helped lessen the brunt of the center position, but he’s no “shooter”. Anthony Tolliver isn’t your typical “big man” and besides Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and the official seat warmer, Joel Anthony there is no one who can come in and defend the 4 or 5 positions. SVG could look to the draft to fill this hole as there are many available prospects that would be able to come in and play the stretch four position. OR, the Pistons could look into free agency (I’ve heard a lot of buzz around Ryan Anderson) to fill this void.
  • A Veteran Player Who Can Lead
    • This would be simple yet difficult to fill. The Pistons lacked leadership during the season. There was no player that was able to lead this team in the right direction during difficult times in the season. An effective veteran player that would be able to contribute  would be an added addition to the Pistons.
  • DEFENSE
    • johnson_800_160418This concern does not have to be addressed by a new player or scheme. At times during the season our defense looked TERRIBLE!
      There were missed assignments, players left open, lack of motivation and the mismatches created from switching ultimately hurt the Pistons (especially in the Cavaliers series).

 

It’s definitely not impossible to make these changes in the off season. We’ve seen SVG change so much with the team in his 2 years as head coach and president of basketball operations. In the upcoming months expect to see SVG align a team that would be able to be even more competitive next season.

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I applaud the Detroit Pistons! It’s been years since Pistons fans have been able to enjoy a post season game in their city. This team is young and far from being on the top of their game. They will continue to improve and with SVG coaching and putting together this team, I can only hope that we are able to relive the success the Pistons had in the early to mid 2000’s.

My bold prediction??? ….50+ wins next year for the Pistons! I’m confident of that!

 

 

Welcome Bob Quinn! New Detroit Lions General Manager.

 

Welcome, Bob Quinn to the Detroit Lions. Here, in Detroit, we are sick of losing seasons, empty promises and “maybe next year” sayings.

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Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will have his work cut out to make this team a contender. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

Jim Caldwell, our “beloved” head coach, proved in his first year that we just might have the talent to be a real contender. I mean, we went to the playoffs in his first year as head coach. The first time since 2011, when we were beat up by Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

We had such optimism at the beginning of this season despite losing Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley on the defensive side. We have one of the most dominant receivers in the game in Calvin Johnson Jr., and a gunslinger as a quarterback in Matthew Stafford.

The first half of our first regular season game against San Diego in 2015, had Detroit fans salivating at the mouth. Maybe this would be our year that we march into the playoffs and instead of heading home after the first game we win and prep for the next.

That optimism quickly changed in the following half. We looked like the same paltry Lions. Underachieving as always. For weeks, Lion fans were subjugated to head scratching play. Our first win of 2015 came in a 37-34 overtime game against the Chicago Bears. At that time we were 1-5.

After a devastating 1-7 start, we got rid of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, line coach Jeremiah Washburn and assistant offensive line coach Terry Heffernan. Oh, and lets not forget general manager, Martin Mayhew and team president, Tom Lewand were excused as well.

After dismissing those staff members and placing Jim Bob Cooter (what a name!) as offensive coordinator the Lions showed some signs of life (that is, after having the life sucked out of them in London by the Kansas City Chiefs). We went on a three game win streak, which included a win at Lambeau Field. A rare feat all in itself.

Then came one of the most shocking, appalling and unbelievable moments in sports. The Lions, one tackle short of the end zone to win and sweep the Green Bay Packers, allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball 60-yards on a hail mary pass to Richard Rodgers…after time expired…and after a silly face-mask penalty which gave the Packers another try at downing the Lions.

Another woeful season for the Detroit Lions. Another coach in the hot seat and many fans wondering “what’s next?”  

Enter- Bob Quinn. A Bill Belichick guy. A guy that Bill Belichick himself called “one of the foundation blocks” of the Patriots organization. The Patriots are one of the few organizations in sports that despite the personnel, you always expect to excel.

With Calvin Johnson pondering whether or not to call it quits and the uncertainty of Jim Caldwell returning as head coach, Mr. Quinn has a lot on his plate. He will have to address the “what-ifs”. 

What if Calvin Johnson decides to hang it up. Where do we go from there? Outside of Golden Tate, who can fill in the shoes of Calvin Johnson?

What if Jim Caldwell is dismissed. Who do we seek as the next scapegoat…I mean head coach of the Lions?

Our offensive line needs work. Our running game is lackluster. Our defensive line is tolerable, thanks to the play of Ziggy Ansah. However, we will still need improvement on our D-line. There’s plenty of holes to fill which means Mr. Quinn will have his work cut out for him.

So welcome to Detroit, new Lions general manager Bob Quinn. We hope that you fair better than our past general managers. We hope that you are able to put together a winning team, because quite frankly, us Lion fans are tired of being failures!