I ran 12 miles on Saturday. Actually, I estimated it at 12 miles but it was probably more like 12.2 (that 0.2 makes a huge difference!). My goal was to maintain a 9:00 mile pace, which I was able to due (basically. mostly. sorta.) through the first 9 miles, and then I slowed down quite a bit. I bought some goo and a water bottle belt to help get me through it. I probably looked like a giant geek, but I wasn't drying up on the pavement like a worm. Anyway, it was a nice run. I saw a couple animals that could have been beavers or possibly muskrats (I think muskrats), and the river was HIGH (I did a little recon to make sure the road wasn't still flooded).
I took Sunday & Monday off to let my body recover a bit, and then I ran 4 miles this morning. I'm running a 10k on Thursday & I'd like to complete it in 50:00, so I tried averaging 8:00 pace for my run today. After getting the first half-mile done in 4:20, I picked it up & finished in 32:27, pretty close to my goal. I think getting 2 more miles done at that speed is doable, which would put me right at 50:00.
So the draft is over, and the Pistons came out with mixed reviews. I wasn't happy with the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pick (at least not over Burke), but I thought the 2 second-round picks were pretty good. Btw, did anyone else think #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett looked a little like Biz Markie?
At the moment Dumars is in LA to meet with various free agents on the market, and he's already met with several (links per PistonPowered.com). Josh Smith was the first meeting (which indicates a Jim Schwartz-like move, except no offer extended, no bottle of wine, and probably no bromance), shortly followed by Andre Iguodala. OJ Mayo followed, then Tyreke Evans (who got a too-big offer from New Orleans that he should accept), and Jarrett Jack. They've expressed interest in Kevin Martin and backup big man Brandan Wright (among others), but as far as I know haven't met with them yet.
Whew.
One of the cheaper SF's that was available no longer is. Martell Webster re-signed with Washington, which disappoints me. He's a REALLY good three point shooter and defends the position well. So far the Pistons have only talked to a couple SF's - Iguodala & Josh Smith (who's really a PF that THINKS he's a SF). I guess Martin is a SF too, although he's kind of both SG & SF. Jack is a PG and the rest are SG's (which isn't REALLY a need).
Anyway, ESPN's 5-on-5 didn't like Josh Smith's fit for the Pistons & neither do I. Hopefully they're just feeling out the market right now. I wouldn't mind Andre Iguodala at the right price, although it'd be nice to also get Kevin Martin to pair with him. Both players cover the G/F positions, one is a great defender and an ok offensive player, the other is a good offensive player and a bad defensive player. Martin could come off the bench & play with the first unit some, KCP could start and maybe get 20-25 min a night, if he's up for it. They'd still need a PG, but maybe they could sign Jack for the MLE.
The other move I'd like is if they'd make a play for Jeff Teague. Atlanta can opt to match any offer Detroit proposes, but they want to sign Dwight Howard. If they have their money tied up in a big FA, they might end up letting Teague go.
My trust in Joe Dumars this offseason has dwindled at an exponential rate. Can he get this right?
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