NBA Free Agency Day 2 Has Been MADNESS | Pistons Making MORE Moves?

NBA Free Agency Day 2 Has Been MADNESS | Pistons Making MORE Moves?

All the dirty work. Oh, dog. I’mma dive on the 
floor. Go try to block every shot. I’m going be physical with you the whole game. You know Ste 
going to be physical with you. When you think   of the Pistons, you think it’s hard work and 
just pretty basketball. That’s his identity got to have when you put on that jersey. I’m not your 
average. Not a good boy for life. I set the tone. Don’t care about no sick. Let it be known. I get 
my respect. Come in the lane and see. I don’t love you. If you retaliate, that’s talking. 
I shame walking the top. You must put this mess around. Mess around. Yeah. Somebody comprehend somebody compreh Yeah, cuz somebody don’t want to mess around. What up though everybody? Welcome back to 
another episode of the Downtown Deuce show. Man, what a day. What a day, right? A lot of activity 
today. So, I see you guys all in the chat. Welcome everybody to the show. I appreciate you guys all 
showing up and showing out as you always do. This   is going to be a very jam-packed show. So, we’re 
going to get into as much as we possibly can. I’m going to get to as many comments as I can. If 
I miss your comment, repost it. Put in caps or   if you feeling generous, super chat. Y’all 
know what to do. So, with that out the way, today is free is day two of free agency. It’s been 
a crazy day and there’s been a ton of activity, guys, across the league. Ton of activity, man. 
So, in this episode, we’re going to talk about the moves that the Pistons made, and if we have time, 
we’ll get to some moves made around the league. My apologies for the delay. Just trying to get all 
the information I can for you guys so we can be   as thorough as possible. And we will, of course, 
be back in future shows to dig into this more. So, let’s get into it, man. First things first, 
right? We all know that some moves were made today and the Pistons still have some things they 
need to address going forward, even more so now, right? Especially um you look around the league 
just quickly with the moves that are being made. Uh the free agency signings, the trades, um teams 
move or guys moving to different teams in the same division. For example, Miles Turner, we’ll start 
there, right? He left the Pacers to sign with the Bucks. Sign with the Bucks, man. on a 4-year $ 
107 million million dollar deal. And from what I heard, the reason that he signed with the Bucks 
just really quickly was because the Pacers were not offering him what he thought he deserved. I 
think they were offering him around 20 million.   And the going rate for a guy of his caliber is is 
about 25 at least. So, they were not willing to offer that. And that’s also going to change how we 
view um a lot of these guys on our team and other teams and how they should be valued and what they 
should be getting going forward. So, we’ll get   into that. the standard has changed a little 
bit when it comes to that. So with the Bucks, they have uh improved their front court with Miles 
Turner replacing Brook Lopez. Basically a younger, better version of Brook Lopez and the Pistons, 
they have to get bigger. They have to get bigger to match up with the bigger teams in the East, 
especially contending teams. So the Bucks did also lose James Lillard. He was waved and Giannis 
was publicly very unhappy about that. So we’re going to see how that plays out. I think they did 
a stretch provision over 5 years. And basically,   really quickly, what the stretch provision is, is 
say you’re making um $100 million over two years. What you can do is stretch it out over five years. 
So, instead of paying a guy $50 million over two years, a year, right, you’re going to pay him $20 
million. And that extra 30 million, instead of, excuse me, instead of it being 50 is 20. And you 
can use that remaining 30 to go and get a guy like Miles Turner. And that’s exactly what the Bucks 
did. And that is uh also why like I said Giannis was not happy with uh with the move of Dame 
Lillard getting moved. He was not happy about   that or getting waved. So we’ll see how that plays 
out man. Very very interesting stuff. But let’s go ahead and get to our Pistons, man. So let’s 
start with Tim Hardway Jr. right. It was just reported today that Tim Hardway Jr. has signed a 
one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets who are all of a sudden becoming quite scary. I’m gonna say 
it now. I think they are going to be my team to   come out of the West. It’s early. You got Houston, 
of course, you got OKC. You got all these other teams in the West, but I think that’s my team to 
come out of the West with them adding the likes of   Bruce Brown, adding him back to the roster where 
he never should have left, adding Cam Johnson, and now adding Tim Hardway Jr. So, they have a 
lot of depth now that they did not have last year, which is why they did not advance in my 
opinion. So, back to TSJ, right? This comes after the Pistons used their mid-level exception 
to resign or to sign Caris Levert to a two-year $29 million deal. Right? So, basically the full 
mid-level exception is what they gave him. So, first and foremost, I want to give a shout out 
to Tim. I want to wish him luck. You know, he   was a good player for the Pistons, solid player, 
and he brought a lot of leadership and stability, especially considering that we had guys like Jaden 
Ivy and Assar Thompson missing extensive time this year. So, Tim did have a few signature games. He 
had a few games where he hit backto backto back threes to help the Pistons win. I think one of 
those games was a was an inseason tournament game   against the Heat, I believe. But he did that twice 
in two separate occasions, two separate games. So, he did have his moments for sure. And it was nice 
to see Tim Hardway Senior at the games, you know, shaking his head, doing his customary head nod. 
Whenever Tim would make a good play, you see the   replay, he going like this. So, you know, it was 
nice to have them here. It was nice to have him here. But he has moved on and for him, thankfully 
for his sake, he has, you know, landed pretty pretty well. So, that’s the news on Tim Hardway 
Jr. Wishing him the best of luck. Now, let’s move to Malik Beasley. There have been a lot of 
questions surrounding Malik Beasley, a lot of news surrounding him lately, and we got another update 
today. And it wasn’t really the best of news um from Malik Beasley. And Shams reported today 
basically that, you know, Beasley was experiencing financial issues and that he struggled to pay 
back a $650,000 advance this past year. So, what we’re going to do is pull this article up and 
skim through it and just kind of react to it. I have not read this article in full, so we’re going 
to read bits and pieces of it and just kind of see what happened with that situation. So you guys 
can see here this comes from mlive.com. Lawsuit alleges Malik Beasley had financial issues amid 
gambling investigation. So it says here that the news that Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is 
under investigation by the US District Attorney’s   office for alleged gambling on the MB has 
resurfaced an April lawsuit against Beasley that claims he dealt with financial issues. The suit 
filed by Hassan Sports Management Group seeks over 2 million in damages and legal fees for alleged 
breach of contract by Beasley. He goes on to say the preliminary statement says the agency elected 
to take a chance and make a substantial investment of time, effort, and resources in a player with 
known issues, including and especially financial issues when bringing on Beasley as a client in 
November 2023. So, it sounds like they felt they took a chance on him and it did not go well for 
them. And it says, “Despite signing for an initial term of four years and receiving a cash advance of 
$650,000, the suit claims he fired Hzan Sports and breached exclusivity provisions by hiring a new 
marketing agent after about 15 months.” Moving on, Hzan Sports attempted to collect the amount of 
the advance from Beasley, but saw little more   than drips and drabs of sporadic payments and 
vague promises to repay the balance over time. Beasley signed the deal while he was a member of 
the Milwaukee Bucks, making a salary just over   2.7 million per year. It was during that 2023 
24 season that Beasley is being investigated for alleged gambling on NBA games in prop bets. 
The suit claims that Azan Sports was responsible for single-handedly resuscitating Beasley’s career 
by getting him a one-year deal with the Pistons in July 2024 worth a guaranteed 6 million. And it is 
claimed Beasley was courting other agents in late 2024 2025. A little bit more here and we’ll read 
the rest of this. ESPN reports that on June 11th, the attorney for Hzan Sports requested 
an extension to allow time to work on a   settlement between the parties. The settlement 
is directly related to the commencement of the National Basketball Association’s free agency 
period depending on Beasley’s financial liquidity.   And finally, it says, “And that’s been thrown 
into some chaos after reports came out on Sunday. Beasy is a subject of a federal gambling probe. 
Bezy’s attorney for the gambling investigation,   Steve Haney, who isn’t the attorney for a record 
of over a civil suit, said it’s been ongoing for 18 months. While he’s not charged with a 
crime, Beasley was nearing a deal to resign   with the Pistons for three years. Talks have since 
paused. Man, that’s tough. That’s tough, man. It really It really sucks. I’m going just start by It 
really just sucks to hear this, man. It’s really, you know, unfortunate to hear this with him 
because he had such a great year last year. He   had such a great season for this team and I really 
was expecting and looking forward to him coming back and picking up where he left off. So with 
that though, I know we read a lot. I know it’s a mouthful. I know it doesn’t look good for him. I 
don’t want to jump to any conclusions because this just came out, but putting two and two together, 
man, it it just has to make you wonder if this was indeed related to the gambling investigation 
that he’s currently under. It makes me think   more and more that the Pistons may have also been 
aware of this and that they may have been trying to get in front of it and I think that’s why we 
were hearing the names we were hearing, you know,   for free agents popping up here and there. 
But man, either way, it’s just unfortunate, man. It’s unfortunate for me Beasley. And I think 
at this point, it’s safe to say that the Pistons are not going to bring him back, especially with 
the moves that they have made with their cat base   and things like that. So, that’s pretty much the 
story on him. um he had that contract in place it sounds like for the Pistons with the Pistons for 
three years for 42 million which is 14 a year but it does not look like that is going to happen now. 
So, best wishes for Malik Beasley, man. You know, hopefully everything works out in his favor, but 
Pistons got to move on, you know, and that’s what   they decided to do. So, speaking of moving on, 
that takes us to Duncan Robinson. Duncan Robinson, man. So, it was just reported about an hour ago 
that the Pistons acquired Duncan Robinson in a   sign a trade deal for three years, 48 million, 
$16 million a year. And from what I understand, the second year is partially guaranteed and the 
third year is non-G guaranteed. So it sounds like the Pistons have given themselves a little bit 
of flexibility with this contract. We just got to   wait and see how that plays out. But just looking 
at his averages, so last season, Duncan Robinson averaged 11 points, two rebounds, two assists on 
43 39 88 splits. And going out for the Pistons is Simony Fontekio, who has one year remaining on 
his deal for I believe it’s 8 million. Y’all can fact check me on that, but I think it’s 8 million 
he has left on his deal for one more year. So,   the Pistons did get more shooting. Um Duncan 
Robinson is a 6’7 forward with the Heat right now. And as I mentioned, he’s known for his shooting 
ability. I think he his best years were 2019, 2020 where I think he shot I think one year he 
shot like 44% from three. It was crazy. He hasn’t   done that quite since. and he has some down years 
since. I think he was in the low 30s a couple years ago, but the last year or two, I think 
he’s back up to 39% on the last two seasons. So, that’s still good, right? Still good. But here’s 
the thing, man. I thought I didn’t think this was   even going to materialize cuz he recently declined 
his player option with the Heat for 20 million. And I thought initially bringing him was not going 
to even going to be a reality because, you know,   we’re obviously going to try to get busy for 14. 
So, an extra 6 million at least at least for him. I was thinking because I thought he declined for 
more money, but it didn’t work out that way. So,   from a money standpoint, I don’t think it’s bad. I 
don’t think it’s great, but I don’t think I don’t know how good it is for this team as of right now, 
if I’m being honest with y’all. It’s really early,   so that could change. But I I don’t know. I’m not 
too sure. And here’s why. I when it comes to to Duncan Robinson, he’s not a great defender, right? 
And I’m, you know, I’m not I’m just asking myself, what does this mean for guys like Ron Holland, 
who had a great rookie season, who was the backup three pretty much all of last season? You 
does this mean that Robinson is going to provide more shooting at the three in the backup role, 
you know, or is he is he going to be a starter   at the three? You know, if you do that, you’re 
sacrificing a lot of defense for shooting. So, I understand, but I don’t know if that’s the 
direction you want to go because the Pistons   are a defensive first team. You know, I’m not sure 
that’s a great idea. I personally, guys, like me, I wanted to roll with the guys that we have, 
the wings that we have. You know, Assar and Ron, I wanted to roll with those guys and focus on 
getting a big because to me, that’s the biggest need right now is having a bigger front court. 
We brought back um you know, we brought back uh big Bball Paw, right? Paul Reed, but I I think 
that may be more for security as a fourth big. You know, we didn’t sign him to a big contract. I 
think it was five years for 11 or two years for 11   million. So like five and a half a year. So that’s 
not bad as a fourth big, right? But I think that’s the plan with him is more for insurance. I could 
be wrong, but I I think and hope that that’s just   for insurance cuz I still think we need to get 
bigger. But when it comes to Duncan Robinson, if the plan is to play him at the three, you know, 
like I mentioned, I don’t want that cuz that’s   going to mean it’s going to cut into minutes and 
possibly development for guys like Assar and Iran, who I think long term can be fits here, especially 
since the Pistons brought in uh Fred Vincent, right? Shooting coach Fred Vincent. They brought 
him here to work with these young guys shooting   wise, you know? So, I would have rather have 
seen or just, you know, kind of waited on the incremental growth and improvements from those two 
guys, you know, and keep the defensive intensity or not intensity, but the identity intact. But 
if the plan is to replace him with Fontekio, I’m with that, you know, because we you guys all 
know if you follow my channel for any amount of   time during the season, you knew that, you 
know, I really was struggling with Fontekio because the thing that he did best, he was not 
doing well, right? Being a catch-and shoot guy,   he was not great at that. His shot betrayed him 
last season. He never really found his way. He tried defensively, right? He tried to do things 
defensively, but I don’t think he did enough to   have enough of an impact, especially with the 
shot not falling, right? He was getting caught up in trying to be a ball handler and putting 
the ball on the floor and he would get caught   in the air and throw it away and turn and just 
it would happen too often and I felt like he was hurting the team a little bit too much. So, 
if the plan is to replace him there, okay,   but does that mean you’re going to play Duncan at 
the four? you know, if if you’re going to do that now, you’re compromising your defense even still 
because now you have an undersized starting four   and an undersized backup four who doesn’t play a 
great deal of defense, who doesn’t play it well. So, I that’s why I’m not really sure about this 
move because I just feel like the identity of our team is defense and I felt like you can add a 
guy who can provide shooting, who can provide also more defense than what Duncan Robinson provides. 
So, that’s my only thing with that. So, it’s it   remains to be seen. But for me now, now that we’ve 
added him, the question is now, what assets do you even have, you know, that are left that will 
allow you to still get that quality for, you know, cuz I was hoping they would use, you know, Ponteo, 
maybe another player, and maybe a pick, you know,   future pick or something like that to go ahead 
and get that four. I thought we were pretty set with our wings as of right now. Even though 
they aren’t the best shooting wings, I felt   defensively they provided enough for now. as they 
continue to get better right in the meantime. So, I’m a little bit concerned about using our assets 
on another wing. I know he’s a great shooter, but I just I just worry about how the defense 
might be compromised. That’s the only thing that I worry about. So, that’s kind of where I’m 
at with that. Um, so we’ll see what happens.   But it’s absolutely clear at this point that 
the Pistons are not done. They can’t be done, right? So, I’m looking for them to make a move 
eventually between now and the trade deadline to   get a bigger two. So, it may not happen tomorrow, 
not in free agency. You know, the Pistons have used a lot of their cap space. So, it looks like 
now the move may be to try to use whatever assets   they have left to try to get a big or two, at 
least one. They at least need one. So, that’s the that’s all I have on Duncan Robinson. I’m 
still not too sure about how I feel about that,   but we’ll see what happens. Um, yeah. DG says, 
“What do you have in mind, dudes, for a three and D guy instead of D?” I mean, like a a Dorian Finny 
Smith, maybe. You know what I mean? But even then,   like he I would just rather roll with who we 
have. I really would just want to rather roll with Aar Thompson and Ron Holland and just allow 
them to continue to get better shooting wise cuz, you know, defensively they’re going to get better. 
They’re going to get better defensively. That much   we know for sure. They’re already plus defenders, 
both of them, you know. So, the shooting with Fred Vincson was only going to get better and that’s 
why I wasn’t too sure about this Duncan Robinson   move. So, to answer your question, DG, I feel 
like we didn’t necessarily need to get a 3 and D guy in in free agency because we have guys who 
have the potential to be able to be serviceable or at least respectable from long range and you know, 
you’re getting the defense, which is the Pistons identity. So, that’s how I feel about that. Let’s 
get to Dominique showing love out the gate, bro. My dog. I appreciate you as always, my brother. 
So, let’s see what Dominic has to say. Dominique says, “Took New York to game six with Bees 
and Ryan playing bad and no Ivy or Stew. Fans, one hour into free agency. Wake up, Traian. Do 
something. Signs Levert bench score. Robinson shooter. Fans, why we sign them? Our free 
agency sucks. We’re picking fifth next year. Shut the [ __ ] up, please. Bro. Yeah. Yeah. You 
know what, man? There’s always going to be those who who feel that way, and I know you know this. I 
know you’re probably just letting off some steam,   and I appreciate you doing it in a fashion that 
you did it. So, I appreciate you, my dog. But I agree. You know, it’s some fans are just not 
going to be pleased with regard regardless of what happens. You know, some fans want you to go get 
everybody regardless of what the cap stipulations are, regardless of what the rules are. They 
want you to go get everybody, right, without   even having allowed more than 48 hours to pass. 
So, some fans are never going to be happy. That’s just the reality of it, you know, and I think, 
you know, once we get into the season and see how   these guys kind of fit together, then it’ll make 
a little bit more sense. But Dominique, as always, bro, I appreciate you, man. I’m going to give you 
another question if you want to ask it without the   super chat if you like, just cuz you always show 
love to me and I want to show it right back. So, I appreciate you, bro. Let’s keep it moving, man. 
Let’s keep it moving. Let’s move on now guys to Caris Levert. And guys, this is what I really 
wanted to get into for most of the show. Caris, I have a lot to say about Caris Levert. I’ve had 
24 hours to think about it. Um, sitting around the studio getting work in, music playing, allowing 
me to kind of be alone on my thoughts and kind   of just think about, you know, what this move 
really means for the team. And so, let’s get into it. So, last night, guys, the Pistons 
officially signed Caris Levert to a 2-year, $29 million deal as we mentioned earlier, which is 
the full MLE, mid-level exception that the Pistons had available. And that does not that does not 
count against their cap. And I’m going be, like I mention, I’m going be honest, guys. I initially 
like the Duncan Robinson move, but for different reasons. I was not too hot about this move. I 
was not too excited about it. But after thinking about it, it’s winning me over more and more. It 
really is. And here’s why. When you look at Malik Beasley, and by the way, you guys let me know your 
thoughts, too. I want to know what you guys think,   too. But when you look at Malik Beasley, right, 
and you look at Tim Hardway Jr., two guys who the Pistons have moved on from, you can argue 
that both of those guys may be better shooters than Levert, at least Beasley for sure, right? 
But those two guys are also limited offensively. Bees and THJ are primarily shooters. Shooters, 
especially off the catch, right? That’s their bread and butter. But you’re not really expecting 
either of those guys to create their own shot, right? Or create for others. If they don’t have 
a shot, they’re not putting the ball on the floor   more times than not. They’re moving it and then 
relocating, right? And to some extent, that limits what you can do offensively. That’s not the case 
with Caris Levert. That is not the case with Caris Levert because even though he isn’t the level of 
shooter of a Beasley, he’s not a bad shooter and he can give you a lot more versatility on both 
ends of the court offensively and defensively. And last season, just to fact check, last season, 
Beasley and TJ, they shot 41 and 37% respectively from deep, right? Carris Levert also shot 37% from 
deep last season just like Tim Hardway Jr. So he’s not the quite the same level of a shooter as Bees. 
I mean who was last year? There’s only a couple   guys in the league who you could say shot better 
on the volume that he shot it with the level of efficiencies that he shot it. Right. So we’re 
not looking for that. We I wasn’t looking for   Bees to do that this year. What he did last year, 
I wasn’t expecting that this year. Even though he had a great year and he’s a good shooter, I was 
expecting him if he came back to be around 37 38%. pretty much where LeVert was last year. That 
would have been still a good a good season   considering what he did last year, right? But like 
I mentioned, he’s not the uh Carvert is not the same shooter that Bees is, right? But is he good 
enough? Is he good enough? That’s the question. Is he good enough considering the other things 
that he can do for you? That’s the question. And   my answer is yes. Because he can playmate. He can 
make plays. He can put the ball on the floor. He can create his own shot. And he’s also underrated 
when it comes to making plays for others,   right? And that guys is going to take a lot of 
pressure off of guys like Cade and Jaden because those guys were relied upon to initiate so much 
of the offense when they were both healthy when   Jaden was healthy. But now you add a guy like 
Caris, he’s going to make it hard for teams to double team him because he has the ability to get 
downhill. He can make plays at the rim and on the perimeter for himself and for other people and for 
other players, for teammates. And at 66, he has   a 610 wingspan. So, he’s a little bit bigger and 
longer than both of those guys. And defensively, he gives you more than what Beasley gives you. 
And I would say about the same, if not more, than what THJ can give you, right? So, that’s my 
thoughts initially on Caris. We’re going to come back to him. But this may have you guys wondering. 
I’ve seen a lot of people wondering about what   this means in the loss of Dennis Schroeder. 
I see a lot of Dennis Schroer talk. You know, we lost him uh to free agency. Let’s talk about 
him for a minute and we’ll get back to Caris. So, Dennis Schroer, guys, has moved on signing with 
the Kings for three years, $45 million over that span. And it looked like the Pistons were going 
to be able to use him in a sign a trade to bring a guy like Malik Monk back. That was a hot topic 
today. I thought it was going to happen myself, but the Kings cleared caspace in order to get 
Shorter outright and they did that. And the   Pistons, I don’t think they’re going to be able to 
participate now in that signing trade because now the Kings don’t need it, right? So, Sher was good 
for the Pistons last season. I want to start with   I want to start there. He was good for the Pistons 
last season. He was very, very solid. Very, very solid and serviceable for this team. And I 
understand why many of you may be disappointed that we could not bring him back. But when it 
comes to Schroeder in this in this situation, I think addition by subtraction, I think that 
applies here, guys. I really think that applies   here. And I say that because he can essentially 
be replaced with a healthy Jaden Ivy. Right. Last season, the Pistons before Jaden got hurt, you 
would see them staggering Cade with Jaden at the point point guard spot, right? They would start 
Jaden at the two and then they would slide him to the one. When Kate would sit down midway through 
the first quarter, right, the six or seven minute   mark, they would they would slide Jaden to the 
one. So now when Kate sits down, let’s say you have a Caris Levert that comes into the game and 
when that happens, he can go to the two while Jaden’s at the one. And now Jaden has another 
versatile playmaker on the court with him who can   do more than just knock down open rhythm shots 
like guys like Beasley and THJ did. Right? So the Pistons actually have a chance here to set up 
their back court in a way that features two guards in the game who can make plays at all times. 
Right? And they did not have that last year. It was just one. It was just one and shooters. That 
was pretty much it. Whether it was Kade, whether   it was Jaden, whether it was Shooter, they play 
shooter at times with Kade together, but what do you do when those guys both get tired? Now you’re 
back to having no no guard play, no facilitating,   no playmaking, no no floor general. So, as good of 
shooters as Bees and THJ were last year, you knew they weren’t creating their own shot more times 
than not, and they weren’t facilitating for others   more times than not. And we know that when Jaden 
went down with his injury, whenever K sat down, you quickly saw why the Pistons went and quickly 
added Dennis Shooter to this roster. I think   it was a month later tops after Jaden went down 
that Tanjan decided to go get Dennis Shooter. And they needed this is because they needed not just 
shooting. We always talk about shooting for Kade,   but it wasn’t just shooting they needed for Kade. 
They also needed another playmaker. Once again, a playmaker on the court with Kade. So now you’ve 
got Levert who isn’t quite the same shooter, right, as a Bees or a TJ possibly, but you have 
a versatile guard in him who can knock down shots and create for others. And that’s the difference. 
So whether it’s whether it’s Kade and Jaden, Jaden and Caris, Kade and Caris, you have a strong 
three guard rotation where all three of those guys are multi-dimensional offensively. And that’s 
very, very important. Very, very important, right? And don’t forget guys, THJ was not 
supposed to be a starter this year. A lot of people forget that THJ was not supposed he was not 
a projected starter day one of the regular season, but he started in place of Assar to begin the 
season, right? Cuz Assar was out a few months with the blood clot. I think until January, I think he 
was out or until late December he was out and he came back. So, so THJ was starting at the three 
filling in for him to start and then TJ continued starting in place of Jaden once Jaden went down 
and the start started to get comfortable and he started THJ did there at the two guard for the 
rest of the season. So, but he was never projected to start and so had he not he and Beasley were the 
going to be the ones to run the bench unit. So, I will say this though, at this point in time, I 
feel very strongly about next season when it comes to Jaden Ivy. At this point, Jaden has to step 
into a bigger role and he was on his way to doing that this past season. He was on his way to doing 
that this past season. If he doesn’t get hurt,   it’s very likely that Sharter isn’t brought here. 
And that’s the point I was making earlier. When Jaden went down, Kay was the only player who could 
create and initiate offense for himself and for   others. That’s why he was logging so many minutes. 
If you guys go back and check the box scores, oftentimes when Jaden went down for that month 
when we didn’t have Shorter, you would see uh   Kade logging 40 minutes, 40 plus minutes cuz 
the Pistons didn’t have any other creators offensively. But even when that happened, you 
know, and when you saw K starting to wear down,   he was wearing down naturally, right? You saw 
him getting run to the ground and the Pistons saw it and they went to get him more help. That’s 
why they got Dennis Shooter. If Jaden doesn’t get hurt, there’s probably no shooter on this 
roster. He’s probably not even here, right? So,   with Jayen coming back now, he can be that second 
secondary initiator in the starting unit and then sliding to the point guard spot when Kate sits 
down and running with LeVert. And I like that having at least one of those guys on the court 
with Jaden will once again allow defenses not   to double the same way they were doubling Kade 
as we saw often in the season and against the Knicks. So with Levert, you will always keep the 
defense honest, at least keep them more honest, and it won’t be nearly as much doubling because 
you have him to be able to rely on. And that’s just an option the Pistons did not have last 
season when they had Beasley and TJ. They   were shooters. They were open, but they were not 
playmakers. And having another playmaker is very, very important because we had Kade as the only 
offensive hub. when we tried to sit Kade down when   there was no shooter and when Jaden was hurt when 
it was just Kate as a primary and only facilitator and scorer right he was the only hub when he would 
sit down he’s got to sit down at some point when   he would sit down you would see the offense trying 
to get ran through Tobias Harris as a hub Malik Beasley trying to bring the ball court and it just 
was not effective it was not effective at all so I think this is very very important that they made 
this move and I think he’s going to be very very   big for them in that aspect because now you can 
have a dual threat offensively in the court for closer to 48 minutes Right. So, the Pistons, they 
did lose some shooting in their back court, but they gained a lot of versatility having multiple 
guys now who can do multiple things. And that’s   exactly why I always thought Kade and Jaden would 
work because neither guy is a pigeon hole into a specific role, right? They can play off each 
other. They can make the defense have to really   think about how they want to guard them. Just much 
like um Tyresese Hallebertton and Andrew Nimhart, same thing. Nimhar played point guard in high 
school in college. Howie is is a point guard.   You look at Shay and Jaylen Williams with the 
Thunder, right? Both of those guys can play either position and create for others or themselves and 
play off each other. That’s the same dynamic you   have with Kade and Jaden. Same thing. So overall, 
to me, I think a guard rotation of Kade, Jaden, and Levert is an upgrade in totality in totality 
over Kade, Jaden, and Beasley or Kade, Jaden, and THJ. especially since your bench lineup 
or projected bench lineup was limited with two guys on the floor who do a lot of the same 
very specific things. And if you think about it, we would have likely saw a lot more of those 
lineups with Beasley and TJ off the bench together   because TJ, like I said, wouldn’t have started 
that and Jaden healthy, right? So that’s my thought on that. When it comes to shooter, I don’t 
think it’s going to hurt the Pistons as much as   people may think because of how the Pistons plan 
to stagger Cade and Jaden Ivy. With that, guys, we have a special guest, I guess you could say. Not 
really. He ain’t special at all. He’s not special. Let’s add him to the stream. King, what’s 
going on, bro? What’s going on, bro?  How you feeling, man?
Pretty good, man. So, let’s uh let’s dive into some 
of this uh some of this talk. Man, I know there’s been a lot happening, a lot going 
on, but I want want to kind of get your initial   reactions to what you have seen today and then 
we can continue on. Everybody show King some love. Shout out to my dog who popped on crash 
the show today. What’s going on? Holl at me.  Um you know, like I said, you know, earlier, I 
mean, pretty much everybody when they woke up was probably, you know, feeling a little 
bit down. We haven’t really, you know,   made any moves. Uh, you know, a lot of 
people want to see free agents, right? But again, you know, Trey Jen Langden said 
that he wasn’t going to make no uh, you know, big time moves. Um, he took his time. Uh, he seen 
what was out there. He tried to do a sign and trade ordeal. We all know about that with Shruder 
that fell through. So now here we are with with Duncan Robinson. So like I said, it’s not for 
me it’s it’s what you’re getting out of the player. It’s not the specific name of the player. 
Duncan Robinson is a shooter. You need a shooting because of the Beasley situation. Um, you need the 
floor spacing. So, like I said, you know, the the Malik Monk thing, you know, it it kind of had me 
a little uh uh upset earlier today. Um, I really wanted to see that thing go through. Um, but
like I said, we got Duncan Robinson. He’s a shooter. you know, we gonna need our 
young R rook to grow up pretty fast,   uh, so we can try to contribute too in the 
shooting game. But one thing that, you know, I wanted to mention was Ivy, man. Ivy was shooting 
40% last season. Um, and if you look at his last five to 10 games, he was shooting amazing.
Yep. So, if we can get a return like that from him coming back this season, um, that’ll be 
big time for the Detroit Pistons. That’ll be big time for them because now you have some guys 
who can actually attack the rim, which is the   difference between a guy like Beasley and and 
Caris Levert. You know what I’m saying? Carris Levert is a guy that can attack the basket, that 
can do do some uh mid mid mid-range things. So, it’s a little bit different style. Y
um  I’m looking forward to see how all 
this falls together. I I really am. Where do you see Okay, we just 
we were just talking about this.   How do you see Duncan Robinson fitting in, 
bro? Because like I mean I saw on Twitter some people saying he was going to start. Like 
no, he should not start. Absolutely not start.  Absolutely.
Um good shoot. I understand   the shooting aspect, but no. Like that really 
compromises your identity. I think especially not starting you defensively. I don’t see that.
Okay. So let’s let’s just say he moves to the   bench. Do you see him as backup three? Do you 
see him as a backup two? Like where do you see Font? Okay. Font yo’s role. 
That’s exactly where I see him at.  Yeah.
A guy that you can bring in to help with some shooting.
Um hopefully he can be a little bit more   consistent this season.
Yeah. Um but you know, just somebody you 
call in and try to space the forward   a little bit. You know, that’s that’s all 
you’re going to get out of him anyway. So,
yeah.  I mean, you’re not going to get much 
of anything else. Um that’s kind of   why Go ahead. I’m sorry. Go ahead, bro.
No, that that that’s it. That’s it. That’s all you’re going to get out of him
to your So, y’all hear what he just   said. That’s all you’re going to get out of 
him. So, I felt that, and this is just me, obviously they know more upstairs than I do, but 
I felt like the assets that we gave up could have   been better spent since that’s all you’re getting 
from him. We always say, you know, K need spacing, and that is 100% true. But I don’t know if getting 
a guy who was strictly a shooter at 16 million using assets you could have used to go get a big 
a big I felt like it could have been better well spent because now what assets do you really have 
to go get the big that we’re talking about you   know eight font’s 8 million could have been used 
with that. We got a couple other guys still on the roster that you may be able to package but 
I feel like that was what you go all in for as far as your assets is to secure that big spot. 
What do you think about that? The fourth spot.  You’re absolutely right. You know, and I’m just 
trying to find all the positive in it right now. I don’t want to come be, you know, Debbie Downer, 
but you know, like to me, I I look at a player earlier who went to uh Denver and Valerunis, 
you know what I’m saying? That didn’t really cost much. He just traded they trade him straight 
up for player. You know what I’m saying? And Yep.  It’s like, man, we couldn’t do nothing to try to 
to make that happen. You know what I’m saying? He he was he laser locked on Denver, but 
we need a bid. You know what I’m saying?   We’re we’re now in the East probably the smallest 
team in the East when it comes to our front court. That’s a problem. You know what I’m saying? 
Seeing Miles Turner just go over to the Bucks,   you know? So, and replacing Brook Lopez, 
man. So, like I said, it it’s it’s a lot of things we could have did that we didn’t do. And,
you know, like I said, I’m trying to just give it some time to see how things unfold. You know what 
I’m saying? Like I said, I don’t want to just be on here crashing out, but um
yeah,  we need a big man. Yeah.
I mean, and and what’s what’s available out there now, though, at at the big spot is the question.
Yeah. I I don’t know. It’s Well, the thing is at this point, it’s going to have to be via trade.
Yeah. Viet trade  because they’ve used their cases everywhere else. 
You know what I’m saying? So that’s why I’m like like you I’m trying not to, you know, read too 
too much into it cuz it just happened. Obviously they know what’s going on better than we do. But 
I think this could I don’t think we’ll really know for sure. It could drag on a little bit. It could 
drag on a little bit because we have until the   trade deadline, which is next year, next spring. 
So I don’t want to say it could go that far, but it could go that far. It could. We don’t know 
because what other options do they have via free   agency? and they’re not going to rush a trade. You 
know what I’m saying? So, that’s my thought. What do you think? Yeah, like I said, it’s this tra 
it’s the trade deadline now. That’s where we are. Um
yeah,  you know, like I said, it’s I you know, you seen 
a day or two ago where the Pistons were the the the top team uh pretty much for guys like BB 
Bowl. You know what I’m saying? So, like I said, it tells you what type of market this is. And 
then like I said the other day, it’s look at the   the free agency, the free agents that we coveted, 
you know what I’m saying, this year. It tells you the state of this free agency. It wasn’t great. 
It just wasn’t great. But you had opportunities to maneuver some things and get some guys here. Um 
that Malik Monk thing just would have been huge, bro. It would have been, man.
Yeah. It would have gave us one of   the best guard rotations in the East, you 
know, four guard rotations in the East. I think that would have really just gave us a lot 
of options offensively and then if it doesn’t work out with some guys, you got you got assets
that you can potentially move once again at the   trade deadline. So, you know, we’ll see what 
happens. What are your thoughts on Caris? We were talking about Caris Lever a little bit. What 
do you what are your thoughts on him with how he   fits? How he may replace guys like Malik Beasley, 
THJ, people saying we’re losing something and giving something and adding like what are 
your thoughts on on that on that signing?  You may be, you know, losing as far as the volume 
of shots and percentage of shots from three-point land for somebody like Beasley or Tim Hardaway 
Jr. But Caris Levert is a he has a little bit of a different dimension to his game. You know what I’m 
saying? is yeah he shot 37% from three you know what I’m saying which is average um but at the 
same time like I said he will attack the basket you know he will try to put some pressure on you 
on your your front court you know he’s he is going   to attack um he is going to use the mid-range game 
he’ll come around some some screens if you have to uh you know this is a player 
that uh you know bigger staff   you know should be a little bit familiar with
so you know like I said it it’s you know just to think about that and uh you know to wonder if 
he had any influence of bringing him here uh is something that I do want to find out because like 
I said he has a little bit experience with him and   I’m probably sure he knows how to use him. So
um there is a positive to it. It’s just not all negative. I know it’s not a sexy name. I remember 
I remember we got Tobias. It wasn’t a sexy name. You know what I’m saying? And Bicker Staff changed 
that. You know what I’m saying? He he got the best out of Tobias. So, I want to give Bicker Staff a 
chance to be the great head coach that he is and uh try to to get the best out of these guys.
So, let’s talk about Caris um his his stats   from last season. So, last season he averaged 
12 points, three boards, three assists on 46 371 splits in 27 minutes. So, to your credit, like and 
I was saying this earlier, he’s not the shooter of a bees, right? We understand that. But he shot 
the same percentage as THJ last year, right? So, it’s not like he’s just a terrible shooter. It’s 
not like you’re just giving up one thing for   another thing. Like, he’s he’s giving you a more 
well-rounded game. And I think that suits the team as a whole better, just having more options on the 
floor at one time. And I want to make a correction   from last show cuz last show um I got I got to 
correct this. Last show I talked about Levert’s injury history and his availability, but after 
looking at his numbers again, I saw that he’s actually been pretty healthy the last three years. 
I think last year he played 64 between Cleveland and uh Atlanta and before that he played 68 and 
before that 74. So I want to make that clear because I did say last episode that I was a little 
bit concerned about his availability but after   going back and checking after a few comments 
I saw in the last video you guys are right. He’s been more healthier or more healthy than I 
thought and available than I thought. So that’s   a plus too cuz we know last season the Pistons 
outside of one or two guys and freak injuries and things like that they were pretty healthy and 
they had guys who played and wanted to play. So,   I like that he’s been healthy and I think that 
bodess well for him as far as him being able to be impactful. What do you think about that?
Yeah, kind of, you know, it’s something that   we’ve seen with guys over time, especially with 
injury uh history. He kind of changed his game up a little bit to where he’s a little bit more uh I 
would say he has a little bit more of a laidback, comfortable type of game. You know, when 
he first came into the league, you know,   Wild Child just just energy just I mean 
trying to get to the basket and do bad. That’s the type of player he was that got 
out of Michigan that was drafted. Right  now it’s more like, you know, we’re coming 
around some screens, nice and easy work. You know what I’m saying? Top of the three,
you know, corner shots. It’s It’s more   simple. It’s a little bit easier to 
stay healthy when you play like that, right?
You know what I’m   saying? Not saying that that it’s a bad thing that 
he’s a lazy player. I I He just matured his game to the level to where he can take care of his body 
and stay out there on the court, be available. So,  like I said, that’ll be 
important for the Detroit Pistons um to have these guys available because 
that was one of our biggest issues going   into late last year, you know, 
missing missing guys, man. So, yep.
Um  I like what Devon said here, too. Uh 
Levert is a THJ with size and playmaking, and that’s the difference. He just gives you 
more than just shooting. Not quite the shooter,   but gives you much more playmaking. you know, 
TSJ, he’s a guy that likes to move without the basketball and get open and then he’s a catch 
and shoot guy. So, you know, that was one of the things that limits your offense is that you 
didn’t have another ball handler out there with   a cade and that’s why he would get double team 
so much because you had nobody else who was there to really make a play out of that if the shot 
isn’t there. You know what I mean? So, right.  Yeah, I think it’s really important that we made 
this move. I think he’s going to surprise people, bro. And I I really think that his his style of 
play, you hit on it a little bit, but his style   of play, I think it fits the Pistons. I think 
it fits cuz just watching watching film, right? This dude loves to get out on the break.
He loves to get out in transition. Whenever whenever I was watching I would see a turnover get 
created whether it was him or somebody else. Bro,   he’s sprinting down the court like he’s like 
he’s running a 40-yard dash. Like he’s sprinting down the court trying to find an opportunity 
whenever possible to get an easy easy layup,   dunk or three ball. And in the half court, like 
you mentioned, he can play on, he can play off the ball. He’s really good cutter. He’s really good 
cutter, really good finisher, which you know,   Tim Hardway did that too. He’s a good cutter, 
but he’s a good finisher at the rim is Caris Levert. And he can also handle the ball for you. 
He can get his own shot for you when he needs to.   And watching him with the Cavs, who have a similar 
back court as the Pistons do as far as having two multi-dimensional guards, he played really well 
with both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. he was able to play off of both of those guys. 
So that showed me he has an ability to kind of   get in where he fits in to be able to adapt to 
whoever is on the court with him and kind of like plug the holes that are there that are and he 
kind of just adds to the team kind of lists their floor and makes him a better product and makes 
him run better as a team on the offensive end. Yeah. You know, and then on the flip side when you 
look at a Duncan Robertson, I don’t think I need   to introduce him to the Pistons fans. I’m probably 
sure y’all remember some of those games where he shot the lights out and destroyed us. especially 
with buzzard beaters and everything else. So, you know, like I said, um you you should be familiar 
with both of these guys. I mean, this is Michigan, right? Right. Right. The Michigan Pistons,
right? Right. We we know we know what we getting out of these dudes, man. 
I did want to bring something up,   man. And you know, it’s obviously another hot 
topic. Sophie Sophie Cuttingham, man. Okay. Yeah. Um, what she said about 
the shot, I mean, about Detroit.  Oh. Oh, man. I I I I saw it briefly. You can you 
can brief everybody else who missed it. Like, I I saw it in passing. I didn’t get a chance 
to really break it down. What What was said?   Give us the context. Give us the backdrop on 
what happened and what was said about Detroit. So, they were interviewing Sophie and they were 
asking her what she thought about the league   expanded and, you know, things like that. And man, 
she just basically said, you know, there are so many better opportunities like Miami and this 
place and that place. And you know, um, at the end of the the statement, she says, um, I don’t 
know how many people are going to be happy about playing in in Detroit in Cincinnati. She didn’t 
even say Cleveland. How disrespectful she is.  Wow.
He said Cincinnati. And you know, I just I I’m like, man, all of the support that everybody was 
giving this young lady, you know what I’m saying? Playing with the fever. And now you see who she 
really is. You know what I’m saying? You see who   she really is and what she think about your city. 
Detroit is one of the largest and one of the best sports cities in the entire country. Come on, man.
In the entire country. We’re talking about the Shock who won three championships and also years
broke records. Broke records for attendance. Yep.
You see what I’m saying?  We support our W at NBA team
unlike some of the places where y’all playing. Facts.
And then that’s what   you get on. That’s what that’s what what’s called 
being socially unaware. And that’s what she is. Yeah.
You know what I’m   saying? It would be for a player like her to come 
here. It would be such a culture shock, you know. Oh my god. Oh my god. She 
wouldn’t know what to do, bro.  Yeah. It’s It was embarrassing, man. She 
embarrassed herself and now she got to deal with it, man. Cuz people are after her right now. They 
should be. Yeah, man. Talking like that. Like, she’s probably never even been here before. 
You know what I’m saying? She’s probably never   stepped foot in the state of Michigan ever. So, 
yeah. Just, you know, just speaking ignorantly. Don’t really know about it. Sometimes it’s better 
just some things are better left unsaid. And I   think that’s one of those things. So, yeah. 
Dominique said you was wilding on Twitter talking about myself. I didn’t see what you said.
Yeah. You know, I don’t want to say it on on here,   but like, you know, it was a good 
joke. You know what I’m saying? You was crashing out.
Yeah. I wasn’t crashing out. It   was just a good joke.
Okay.  I think a lot of people agreed with 
it because it got a lot of likes, too. I kind I took it down though. I took 
it down. I I ain’t want to be too mean,  man. You better stand on that.
Listen, I said she look like she say the N word, bro. And if you 
think I’m lying, go look at her time. Yeah. If you think I’m lying, go look at her. I 
hope not, bro. That’s a whole like Yeah. Yeah. The way she was talking
was the entitled type of, you know,   little mixed Karenish type of
Really? Yeah, bro.
All the ingredients.  2029, let’s have them boos ready.
Mhm. Let’s have them boos ready. And I know the I know 
whoever’s on that team in 2029 is going to be ready to go at her head.
Yeah,  I already know that. So, that’s going to 
be interesting to see. I wish it was so   far away. But, congrats to the Detroit. They’re 
not Shock technically yet. They got to get that patent. They got to get that name, but it’s 
looking like they’re going to be returning to   Detroit in 2029 with that name. Returning 
the Detroit Shock where they never should have left. Talked about that last show. So 
much story history here. Winning six rings   or three rings in six years. It’s ridiculous. 
the most overlooked dynasty in WNBA history in my opinion. Right. You had the Comets, you had 
the Sparks, and you had the Shock right there. Yeah. Right there. So, yeah. Yeah, man. I 
appreciate you um bringing that to the forefront. I didn’t get a chance to read that personally, 
so it’s or to see that personally. So, now I’m   going to check it out for sure. And I’m going to 
try to find that deleted tweet. Don’t ask me how, but I’m going to try to find. So, we’ll see. 
Um, real quick, Markeel says, “Katie Smith was   goated.” Yes, she was. At one point in time, Katie 
Smith was the leading scorer in history. Brian Vibes for the WNBA. She was a straight bucket. 
Like, not just a shooter, but a scorer. She was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. So, shout out to 
the WNBA and the Detroit Shock for coming back   home. All right, man. Let’s um let’s get back to 
to the guys we’re talking about. A few more things on Caris Over cuz I I am I am really expecting 
him to have a big year, bro. Like, I I really I really think he’s going to have a big year for 
this team. Did you know that last year he scored   1546 points off the bench or the last two seasons 
he had 1546 points off the bench. That’s fifth most during that span. So, he’s very capable.
That’s what we need because like I said, one thing, one of the things about the Pistons, man, 
is our bench. You know what I’m saying? Our bench was able to come in and do some things. You know 
what I’m saying? And you got to have that in order   to win, especially in the East because we just 
saw that, you know what I’m saying? Uh going all the way up into the finals. So, you got to have 
that depth coming off the bench and guys got to be able to put the, you know, the ball in the basket, 
man. And I think we got the right guys to do that.  Um, especially with the ability to 
stagger, you know, Ivy and Kade along with some of that second unit time is
I think that’s going to be huge for us.  It is.
It’s going to be huge. Life with Chris, shout out to you, 
bro. Says, “Speaking to what she said,   how do we get that negative narrative off the city 
to make players want to come here?” I don’t think it’s going to carry over. No,
cuz most people know.  Yeah,
most people know. I’m sure a   lot of W NBA players are kind of like cringey when 
she said that. Like, h even if you feel that way, come on, bro. What are you doing saying that?
So, I don’t think it’s going to have any   impact. I think any if anything, it’s going 
to change the narrative on how she’s perceived more than how Detroit is perceived.
She’s like that girl that lives in Beverly   Hill that never been outside of Beverly Hills. You 
know, that’s that’s just her. She’s individual, you know, when it comes to that type of thing. 
It’s pretty it’s it’s it’s a pretty good amount of of WNBA players that know the history of the shot.
You know what I’m saying? They grew up watching. You know what I’m saying? So, like I said, 
we’ll be fine, man. We’ll I mean, it won’t we   won’t have issues getting talent here. Um but the 
question is who do we bring in as coach and GM, right? Right.
So, I know you mentioned   um you mentioned Cheryl Swoops earlier
um to go along with Neil Ivy. Shout out to Neil and Jaden and Jen, all 
those all of our fam over there. Um, yeah. I want to see the other Cheryl 
though. I want to see Cheryl forward.  Yeah,
I want to see her. I think I mentioned this before, but we collabed on a IG 
post about a year ago, you know, and she was like,   I can coach, you know, and so I definitely 
think she would be as far as a mentality and a culture standpoint, I think she’d be great 
great for this team. So, we’ll see. We’ll see. Got another comment. Super chat from Will. 
Appreciate you, Will. Shout out to you, Sophie. Need said, “Shut the freak up. What’s up, King 
and Deuce? Good pickups. Let’s go Pistons and   Tigers.” William, I agree. Um, if you have 
another, if you have a question, William, it’s kind of our rule here. If you send a super 
chat and it’s a statement, you have the ability   to actually ask a question to go along with that. 
So, I appreciate your support as always. And Will, if you have a question, throw it in here, bro. No 
super chat needed. Appreciate you. Um, okay. So, you mentioned coach bigger staff, right?
Yeah.  And you mentioned the history with the guy that 
we added with Caris Levert. And one thing that we know about JB Bigger Staff is he excels 
at putting players in the best position to be successful based on their game, based on their 
strengths, based on their weaknesses. and going into the last season, he knew he knew that Beasley 
was at his best when he’s moving and catching and shooting and you know that same with TSJ. He 
knew those things. Those guys aren’t creators,   right? And coach had them playing their role at 
their best to make them successful. And he did that without even having coached them in the past. 
So, like you mentioned, guess who cares played for for the last three seasons before getting traded 
to the Hawks this past year? Huh? I wonder who that was. Who might that be? That was coach JB and 
his bigger staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers. So, like you said, you hit it on the head, 
bro. He knows what he has in that guy.  Yeah. He’s very familiar with this game. He knows 
how to get the best out of him and he proved it when he was there. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if 
he was actually coach Bigger Staf part of that. whether he spearheaded it, put it in Trejan’s ear, 
or at least pushed for the Pistons to bring him   here, I wouldn’t be surprised because he knows who 
he’s getting. He knows the player he’s getting. He knows how he would fit in the system. He knows 
that he would be able to adapt to a system quickly   by having played with, you know, having played for 
him. So, I think all those things like when that when I see when I hear things like that, I kind of 
relent. I kind of concede like, “Okay, all right,   you coached him, so you know what you’re getting 
and you know what you want for your team. Right. Yeah. Absolutely, man. Like I said, it’s
that is a very key thing. Familiarity with somebody is is huge. You know what I’m saying? 
When it comes to the you the head coaching department, like I said, you got players, 
you know, their their tendencies. You know   how they fit. You don’t have to try to figure 
things out. when you switching teams and and swi well switching players onto your team that 
helps out a lot because you know I mean you’re taking chemistry away but at the same time 
you’re bringing in some familiar chemistry  to what you already know so that may
move things along a little bit faster as far as them getting used to being out there on the court
so like I said it’s always good to bring   a player that you’re familiar with
and um I’m probably sure that JB has some influence on some of the things that happen 
so absolutely Yeah. I mean, and just just think about like for all the fans who are disappointed 
or or underwhelmed, let’s let’s not let’s not have a short memory. Just think about how frustrated 
we were this time last year. Just one year ago, bro, we had a we were coming off a historic losing 
season, no coach, just had a new GM and Tra had just gotten here and our big splashes were what? 
Bees, THJ, and Tobias Harris. People were losing their minds, especially coming off what happened 
last season. They want to see a big splash. And   at the time, I remember how upset a lot of f a 
lot of fans were. But look how it worked out. Look how all those guys exceeded all expectations 
because why? Because coach put them in position to be successful again. Like, and he did it 
with players that he had not coached before. So, if he can get the best out of those guys, why 
wouldn’t he be able to do that with Caris Levert, who played good basketball for him and understands 
what he likes to do? How many players on this team   last season did we see, bro, have career seasons 
or or even if not career seasons, resurgent bounceback seasons. You can go up and down the 
list. Up and down the list. Kade, career year, all NBA All-Star, right? Got the $40 million 
bump because he made all NBA. Shout out to you,   right? Jayen on his way to a career year. Assar 
showing what he can be and what a ceiling can be. Making making making strides. Tobias career 
year defensively. Like nobody saw this from   Tobias ever anywhere. You know what I’m saying? 
Jaylen Duran career year. Slow start career year. Mhm.
Beasley career year. Like   all these guys up and down the roster. Say for me 
one or two guys had one of their better seasons if not best season under bigger staff. So there’s no 
reason to think that Caris Levert is not going to follow suit and have a great season under Coach 
Bigger Staff. It just it just makes sense to me that he would bring him here considering his skill 
set and his familiarity. It just makes sense. Yeah. Yeah, man. So, like I said, however we 
did it, you know, a lot of people’s like, “Why we use the MLE on him and all of this whatever 
all the politics, hey, my money, I don’t care. It’s it’s Langden’s job. he gets paid, you know, 
the millions to do it and we’re just going to hold him to that. You know what I’m saying? You know, 
all of the logistics and everything else. I’m not   even going to get into that right now. Yeah.
I’m going to trust what we did for right now and hopefully, you know, we can come out 
to the season and have a decent start.  Um, and get some some some boxes checked
as far as how healthy Ivy is going to be coming back and, you know, what type of production he’s 
going to get. You know, that’s the biggest thing   when you gonna get out of guys like Bobby 
Clintman, you know what I’m saying? Yeah. Can he step up and to and be that other four,
you know what I’m saying? That we need. Yeah. So, that those type of things, I want those 
questions answered in the first part of the   season and then if we need to make a few more 
moves during the trade deadline, so be it. Yeah, I I agree with that. The last 
thing that sold me or that is selling me,   I’m not 100% there yet, but I’m getting closer 
and closer to that point. When it comes to this particular signing, is just listening to those 
around him and what they had to say about him. Yeah,
I think that’s   how you can really learn about a player, too. I 
got two quotes. They’re really short. The first   one is from coach, right? When he was coaching 
him, one thing he said about Caris is that he is really good at understanding what we want to do. 
and he said he’s sacrificing to create for others, sacrificing his offense to create for others. And 
I think he’s doing a great job of that. So the the   the selfless attitude that he displayed, I think 
that’s important because that’s how the Pistons like to play, moving the ball, things like that. 
And then also Evan Mobley, who was his teammate for a few years when Evan first came into the 
league, had this to say when asked about Lever’s   playmaking. He said, “He just makes the right play 
over and over again. Anytime he’s seen a guy open, he passes it and guys are knocking it down. If 
guys aren’t open, he scores continuously making the right plays over and over again. I mean, 
for all y’all saying that he was washed and this and that, I mean, it don’t sound like it. 
And from what I saw, it don’t look like it. So,   I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people 
this season. Bro, what you got? Hey, y’all. King is going to miss him. You know what’s crazy? To 
start the season, I was the one all over him, bro. like you was like, “All right, bro. It’s early 
in the season. Chill. Relax.” You know, whatever.  I was just every It seemed like every postgame 
show, bro, I was going at him and like I I wasn’t even trying to. It was just like, “Bro, 
it was so many times it was just like,   bro.” It was so many times at LCA when the 
when the Pistons are on the run and they got the momentum and he’s got the ball and he would 
mess it up a three when they’re ready to explode, timeout of the team or he would try to dribble 
in traffic and just stifle the momentum. Yeah. It happened so often and that’s why like I was 
on him so often early cuz he was just hurting   the team a lot and you were the one like you know 
let’s give it a little time but then like come January February you was on my train. Yeah. Yeah 
man. It’s to the point where you know watching the game and you know my wife will look over be 
like hey your phone went off. I’m like that’s just   douche typing in my techo. You done did something.
Every game it seemed like who was your guy? Cuz you were texting me about somebody and I 
was texting you about somebody. I can’t   even remember who who it was for 
You can’t even remember who it was. I can’t even remember. But at 
this point, don’t even matter cuz  yeah,
they probably got better as the year went on like everybody else on the team
team did. But that’s tough, man. So like who do Okay, so do you have like I know it’s off top, but 
how do you kind of see the rotation kind of kind   of playing out? We know we got the starters, we 
got Kade, we got Jaden, we got Assar, got Tobias as of right now, and we got JD. As far as the 
bench, how do you see that kind of playing out as far as the depth chart or not even depth chart, 
but as far as the rotations, whenever. Yeah,  Harris is definitely gonna be the ball 
handler. Um, Caris, Duncan, Ron. Yeah. The question mark is the four. Yes.
You know what I’m saying? That’s the question   mark is the four, man. Because Yeah. That’s the 
biggest question cuz we know Stu is the backup. So Mhm. before is the question. The way we’re 
currently constructed as of right now, right be now that we’ve made these moves in the 
cap space. I don’t know how much we have left.   You guys can check. I know it’s a lot going on, 
but you guys can check there. I don’t know how much we have left, but let’s just let’s just say 
we don’t have that much left to make anything any   any needle moving moves as far as cast space. Are 
you comfortable going into the season day one with Tobias as your starting board? Yeah. Yeah, I am. 
And if I have to, hey, Bobby gonna have to be the backup for her. You know what I’m saying? If he if 
he if they feel like he can step in and do it cuz Yeah, you got to have somebody. I 
mean, Bobby can be the backup for him. I think so, too.
As I said,   summer league just got that much more important.
Yeah. And I want to give the guys credit because he he did play well.
Yeah.  Last year, especially the second half of the 
season going against a lot bigger guys. But I don’t I don’t want my forward having to go against 
a bigger guy every night. I don’t want any of my   guys having to go against a bigger guy every night
in the East. That’s is that’s exactly what we going to have to do. Yes.
That’s why I said I don’t know,   man. If the Pistons that I don’t 
know, we got to get another big but you look at guys like Sass and them 
those guys are going to be out the rotation.  I was going to ask you about that. What what’s 
what’s your pulse? What’s your pulse on SAS as of right now? Because now our our guard situation 
has been very much solidified at this point,   especially getting Chaz Laneir. Shout out to Tra. 
Yeah, cuz you got you probably going to try to find some minutes for him, too. So, I I think
Yeah, I  think Sass is the he’s the eye man out.
Yeah, I think so. Unfortunately. Yeah, I think so. Unfortunately, too, 
cuz he’s a very talented player,  but he he’s a very good one-on-one player,
right? You know what I mean? Like Schoolyard, ain’t 
nobody trying to face him like cuz he he can just   get buckets on buckets on buckets. But he’s having 
trouble it seems like really adapting to the free flowing ball moving player movement action that 
the Pistons do here. We see, you know, he was trying to they try him at point guard at times and 
he had moments but he also had moments. You know what I mean? So I I feel if he was better equipped 
to play the point guard spot more consistently and under control, I think he may have have had a 
bigger role. But because he hasn’t done that and because he’s not the biggest guard in the world 
already because our think about it, we’re suddenly   big now as far as our our back court. You know, 
we got Kada 66, Jaden at 64, 65, Caris reverse 66, you know, so that’s an advantage. That’s 
an advantage. So, unfortunately for him,   I don’t think he’s going to have a role. I don’t 
know if he’s going to get moved, but because he’s only making like I think two million a year, 
so he’s not even hampering us or anything, but   I just don’t know if there’s going to be a role 
for him. And honestly, bro, at this point, this is this is going to be what, year three for him. I 
would rather see him get an opportunity somewhere   else for his sake. Not even Pistons wise. Young 
rebuilding the team. Give him opportunity, man. Yeah. Give him a chance.
It’s him playing a couple minutes here and there,   man. You just That’s not nothing. You know, you 
need to go somewhere where he can actually play. Yeah. And it’s not It’s like I said, it’s not from 
the Piston standpoint I’m talking about because   he’s not really hurting the team as far as our 
cap. It’s just he’s just sitting on the bench. he’s just sitting there, you know, and I think 
he probably will be more even this year because   of the additions we made to our back court. 
So, yeah, it’s unfortunate for him. Hopefully, he can cry out a roll somewhere else. That’s 
kind of why I would like to see him, if the   Pistons intend to do it, move him for our sake, 
obviously, but also just to give him a chance, man. Give him a chance to go somewhere else. 
Give him a chance to go make mistakes on a team   that’s not trying to win right now or even on a 
team that’s trying to win right now. you know, just give him an opportunity to be able to 
get some minutes and get a chance to be able   to develop. That’s what I want to see for him.
Yeah, like I said, we just see what Trey decided to do, man. And question, do you feel like 
as of right now, now it’s not over. We just started free agency. Do you feel like this team 
right now is better or worse than the team that played their last game in game six against the 
Knicks in the playoffs last year? No right or wrong answer. just in chat would let me guys 
let let us know too. Do you think the Pistons   today are better than they were at the end of 
last season when they were in the playoffs? You know what the the the measuring scale 
is Beasley. I think we’re somewhere close to in the middle somewhere around the same.
Okay. Because like I say, you losing Beasley, which is, you know, big- time shooting, 
but you’re also adding some guys who   can one guy who can shoot another guy 
that has a different dimension to him. Um, I think we’re just a slight 
tad bit better because of that.  Okay. Okay. Obviously going to have Ivy done back. You know what 
I’m saying? So, yeah. Better.  Looks like everybody here agrees with you, 
bro. See a lot of yeses. A lot of yeses. Now, of course, like there is no right or wrong answer. 
I’m just curious what you guys think cuz we got   to see it first,
right?  We got a lot of moving pieces now. 
Guys, we lost, guys. Go ahead. On paper. On paper. Looks 
like we’re slightly better.  I want to say this too cuz this is an interesting 
point from Brad B. Just because of experience. We always talk about King what? Developing what? 
The young core. Developing the young core,   seeing growth from the young core. I heard people 
saying our free agents additions, at least two of them this offseason, are going to be Jaden Ivy 
and Ste as far as getting them guys back. So, I I do I like this comment because I I think that 
we’re going to see I know we’re excited about the   new additions and how they fit and the bigger 
names and things like that, Duncan Robinson, but let’s not sleep on the growth of this young 
team, you know what I mean? Let’s not sleep on how   they’re in the gym probably right now working on 
the games working together as to how they can get better. And they’ve had the experience of being in 
the playoffs last year. So, they have that under   their belt. So, I think come around April of next 
year, they’ll be better equipped to perform in the playoffs. That’s just my thought. Just my opinion.
Yeah, I I mean I agree. I totally agree. Um like I said, and who’s to know we we may 
still do something. So Yeah. Right. Right. It’s going to be fun to see, man. Um 
I got a few comments in here that I see. Um talking about Assar. If Assar makes his jump 
shot respectable, look out. Yeah. Absolutely.   Absolutely. Him and Ryan. Him and Ron. Like I’m 
really hoping that those two guys are able to develop their their jump shot, not even the three 
ball, just working their way out. We we saw Ron I posted the other day, Ron getting some work in in 
the mid-range. I like that. You talked about that   with Isaiah Stewart a couple years ago. Like, 
bro, just work your way out. Work your way out instead of jumping, you know, jump jumping to the 
three-point line. So, I think just starting there,   we saw Sar doing that a little bit, you know, get 
into that that uh that the little fade away jumper that he likes in the lane. And it’s good to see 
that Ryan is doing the same thing, trying to work   their way out to the three-point line. So, I think 
those two being able to expand their game a little bit. I heard I saw somebody say in the chat that 
they’re calling for Ron and you can call yourself   out, whoever it was, they’re calling for Ron. 
They think he’s going to shoot 35% next year from three. I don’t know about that. I don’t know about 
that. That’s a big jump. But to Ron’s credit, a lot of his percentage last year was affected by 
how poorly he shot from three to start the season. Second half of the he had a lot of overs. A lot, 
not a lot, but he had a few overs like for four,   for three, for five. But later on in the season, 
he was two for five, you know, three for five. Two for So I think he’s going to be an improved 
shooter. if he can get to 35% next year, man. I mean, are we talking about a starter at the three, 
you know? I’m just I’m just saying like I really think whoever is able to show that growth quicker 
may have the advantage, bro, because we know Kade needs shooting and we know that we need defense,
right? We know they both have the defense. Now, who can provide the shooting? I think it may 
come down to that. I could be wrong, right?   I I may get I may get hammered for that, but I 
really think it’s going to come down to that, bro. When it comes And it may be fluid. It may 
be fluid. We don’t know. But I I think it’s   going to come down to that as far as who gets 
that nod. But if they could both get to close to 30% at least this coming season, that’s 
going to take the Pistons a long way, bro. Right.
It’s going to take them a long way. So,   we’ll see, man. We got to wait and see what 
happens. But that’s all I got, man. Anything else you want to add on there, bro?
No, I’m solid.  So, look, guys, we are going to end it there, man. 
Um, we are going to keep you guys updated with anything else that happened. This has been a crazy 
day, man. Crazy day. Um, with news and everything that’s going on. So, wanted to get you guys 
all the information that we had. Um, but yeah, so to recap for anybody who missed the beginning 
of the show, the Pistons have moved on from Tim   Hardway Jr., they moved on from Malik Beasley, 
Dennis Schroeder, and Simony Fonteo. And the new additions as of right now are Caris Levert and 
Duncan Robinson. And of course, they brought back Paul Reed on a 2-year, $11 million deal. So, as I 
mentioned, the Pistons still have some work to do, right, to bolster their roster. And after these 
free agent moves, you know, I would imagine they   are now looking to pivot to the trade market to 
upgrade their front court. So, that’s the hope. So, now, like King said, we got to wait and see. 
So, that is a wrap, guys, for this episode. Um, what do you guys think of all the moves that have 
been made so far? Make sure you guys talk to us in   the comments and let us know. Hope everybody has a 
great night. We appreciate you guys always showing love as usual, man. So, we will talk to you guys 
soon when we have more updates. And y’all already   know, man. Detroit verse everybody. Knock me down. 
I’m getting back up cuz when I step on the floor, you know your time’s up. I’m on my way up and 
I’m not going to stop. We headed straight to the top and I know I got to waste it. I got 
no time to waste it. Where you with with me. through we hit me with me with me.

Day 2 of free agency has been wild, and today’s video breaks it all down!
The Detroit Pistons have been very active in NBA Free Agency so far, focusing on smart additions and retaining key players rather than chasing stars.

✅ Moves They’ve Made
Signed Duncan Robinson (3 years, $48M)
Brings elite 3-point shooting and playoff experience.
Re-signed Paul Reed (2 years, $11M)
Solid backup big man with defensive upside.

❌ Players Lost
Dennis Schröder signed with the Kings (3 years, $45M).
Tim Hardaway Jr. also moved on in free agency.
Malik Beasley is a free agent.

0:00 Intro
2:38 Myles Turner Signs With Bucks
4:45 Tim Hardaway To The Nuggets
6:38 Malik Beasley News Update
11:15 Duncan Robinson Sign & Trade For Simone Fontecchio
18:50 Superchat Question
20:10 Caris Levert’s Fit
32:11 Everything King Reacts

#detroitbasketball #pistons #detroitpistons