Pistons Playoff Recap and Outlook

My dad and I last went to a Pistons playoff game on April 24, 2009. Dumars had traded Billups for Allen Iverson earlier that season, Ben Wallace was long gone, and the head coach had devolved from Larry Brown to Flip to Michael Curry. In short, the Pistons were staring at the end of a streak of 6 straight conference finals appearances, and they knew it.

That game remains to this day the WORST Pistons game I've ever attended. They only lost by 11 points, but the effort from the Pistons' vets was so pathetic that the outcome of the game was never in doubt. After the game, we were pretty despondent because we knew an era had ended. THIS game 3, played almost exactly on the 7 yr anniversary of the previous one, was in many ways a mirror image of the earlier game. The Pistons lost by double digits, the Cavs were the opponent, LeBron James figured prominently, Detroit was eventually swept... But the outlook of the team is TOTALLY different from the '09 squad.

First, the game experience was pretty good. My dad sprung for the seats, so we were in a really good spot. Not at center court, but one section over from the middle, and in the upper third of the lower bowl. It was a good playoff crowd, very locked in and rooting hard for the Pistons (instead of just showing up to watch LeBron). I had a few quibbles - the Palace might be the worst arena in the league when it comes to showing the fans replays, many of the graphics were seizure-inducing, and blocking out a section of seats for a stage so KISS could play 2 songs was a TERRIBLE idea, both on the fan experience side and because it kept fans out of the building. Oh, and they need about twice as many bathrooms as they've got.


Other than those quibbles, the Palace is a pretty good place to watch a game. They have pretty good concessions (my dad and I got Halo Burger), microbrews are available all over the place, HUGE video boards, etc. I wish they'd move the thing downtown, but that's another conversation entirely. The game itself was tight, and the Pistons were basically in lockstep until 2 minutes to go. The 4th quarter has been their downfall these playoffs.


The sweep was completed Sunday night, another close game (Reggie Jackson jacked up a wild shot at the end that would've won it, if the shot had a prayer of going in). What's clear going forward is that a) the Pistons are one or 2 starters short of being really good, b) the bench is REALLY weak, and c) as a team, they lack the playoff mettle. Problem c) kind of takes care of itself, or it doesn't. Problems a) and b) require personnel moves. I don't want to speculate on trades or who the Pistons might be drafting just yet, so lets look at potential fits via free agency...

The biggest need is backup PG. It's weird to consider a bench position as the #1 need, but the reality is they only need marginal upgrades at a couple of their starting positions but a HUGE upgrade over Steve Blake. Jennings did a capable job of running the 2nd team offense, but I don't think he'd come back and I'd also just rather get someone else.

• Jerryd Bayless, PG - 27 yrs, 10.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 tov,  .423/.437/.778
  Bayless is coming off a $3M/yr contract. It's tough to guess what that translates to under the new cap, but he's the ideal guy to back up Reggie.
• Norris Cole, PG - 27 yrs, 10.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 1.7 tov, .405/.324/.741 Cole is probably a slightly cheaper version of Bayless. He's not NEARLY as good a shooter, slightly better as a defender, and has a bit more playoff experience.
• Jordan Clarkson, PG - 23 yrs, 15.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 tov, .437/.347/.804 Clarkson might be a bit of a pipe dream. He's young and good enough to start, but LA drafted their PG of the future last year. I'd love to get him, but he probably goes someplace where he can start.
• Ish Smith and Ramon Sessions would be decent upgrades over Steve Blake as well.

After backup PG, I'd like to get either a starting caliber SG, PF, or a backup SG. KCP is really only half a player, so I'd rather he come off the bench. Tobias Harris is a quality player, but he might be better served coming off the bench as well, as a 6th man.

• Courtney Lee, SG - 30 yrs, 9.6 ppg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 stl, .454/.378/.839Lee's still got something left in the tank. He'd start over KCP at this point, but in another year or two, I could see that flipping.
• Jared Dudley, G/F - 30 yrs, 7.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, .478/.420/.735Dudley is a lot like Lee. Solid defender at 2 spots, good shooter, getting a little long in the tooth. Dudley might be a little more approachable...
• Kent Bazemore, SG - 26 yrs, 11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, .441/.357/.815
  I don't like paying for a breakout season, but this was one I could see coming. It feels repeatable, is what I mean. He'll be pricey though, and Stan might not want to foot the bill.
• It might be worth making Evan Fournier an offer, or taking a flyer on a guy like PJ Hairston or Garrett Temple, although you might be better served by sticking with Bullock in the latter 2 cases.
• Al Horford, C/PF - 30 yrs, 15.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, .505/.344/.798Horford would be a GREAT get, but he'd be really expensive - in the $20M/yr range. Stan might have to work out a trade or a S&T to squeeze him under the payroll and add everything else he needs to add, but Horford would offer amazing roster flexibility. He could play next to Drummond and he could play C in place of Drummond. He does everything you want a basketball player to do, and he does it well.
• Ryan Anderson, PF - 28 yrs, 17 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.1 apg, .427/.366/.873He's been the most-rumored guy attached to the Pistons, mainly because he flourished under SVG in Orlando and is the prototypical stretch 4. He'd be expensive though, and I don't think he does enough of the other things I want out of our starting PF to be worth what he'll cost.
• Marvin Williams, PF - 30 yrs, 11.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, .452/.402/.833Williams has been this guy for several years now, but the league is finally moving toward valuing his skill set. He's a combo forward, plays good D and shoots the 3.
• Mirza Teletovich, PF - 30 yrs, 12.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, .427/.393/.774Basically a knockoff version of Ryan Anderson. He doesn't do much except knock down threes. If you'd rather get Ersan Ilyasova, they're essentially the same guy.
• Other options, from safest to most risky, are Jon Leuer, Terrence Jones, Jared Sullinger, and Ryan Kelly.

We'll have to see how the draft goes. I hope Valentine falls to us, or at least Sabonis. We don't have a ton of space under the cap, and we need to sign Drummond to his max deal after everything else. They might be able to add a player like Horford with some finagling, but they'd have little-to-no room for anything else. Ideally, they get Bayless, one of Dudley or Fournier, and Jon Leuer in free agency and draft Valentine or Sabonis.