What Should the Detroit Pistons do in the NBA Draft?! W/Rezball Pod! – From Half Court Ep. 188
[Music] what is going on i want to welcome you from half court for today i am Shawn Murphy and today is an episode I was looking forward to because I am joined by a dear friend of mine who does amazing draft coverage he’s been our resident draft expert here at from Half Court for going on this is the third draft now I think you’ve been our draft guy Steve so it’s uh so good to have my guy back gone it is of course had to do a longer one because it’s been a while steve my good man my friend how are you doing it is good to see you thank you so much for taking the time and coming on the show yeah of course you know I can’t miss it we always got to talk Pistons when it comes to the draft it’s pretty much our best avenue for getting like major talent ain’t no Piston fan celebrating free agency free agency and see if anything has burned us more often than not depending on who the GM is like trades can be hit or miss but the draft has always been like the consistent hope of where hey we can get our kid Cunningham we can get RSRs all all these guys that have really helped us turn a corner so excited to be here in the middle of draft season again I’m from the Res Ball Pod i host that every week right now we’re dropping episodes daily on Spotify Apple and YouTube and pretty much anywhere else where you can get podcasts were out there and doing a draft prospect every single day today is June 4th 2025 i just dropped an episode today on Adu Theoro from Arkansas tomorrow we’ll be dropping an episode on Oena Anochi Kllin who’s from Marshall very intriguing type of dude one of the leading shot blockers in NCAA super sleeper for sure so check us out every day i try and do like a threeplayer block every time too like this most recent one was what I call defensive weirdos it was Colin Murray Boles Aduo and Oena Anochil Killin because all three of these guys like it’s clear defense is their calling card but the offense is like Yep mhm steve you’re a sicko and I miss that about you it is so good to see you excited to dive deep and talk about this draft and really get your perspective because I’m going to be honest with you Steve this is the least I’ve prepared for a draft since the time I’ve started uh covering basketball and that’s because I had to cover a playoff run which is something I never really uh had to do before so um obviously that that is a amazing problem to have i think fans would rather talk about a playoff run than they would you know uh hoping that the that the that the pingpong balls bounce your way so to speak so Steve before we get into into the draft we obviously you know you you’re you’re a Pistons fan as well you and I we’ve talked quite a bit about the team and uh ever since we’ve known each other you know has really started with those two seasons back to back where they broke the record uh twice in a row for the franchise worst record so seeing this season and the way that it played out seeing how some of the young players played seeing how a guy like Ron Holland thrived in his rookie season and was able to to be a a mainstay in their playoff rotation what was just your takeaway from how this season went and what do you think about you know just like how they performed overall in the playoffs what excites you about the Pistons going forward number one Kade Parker Cunningham i mean it’s clear he’s the superstar already in MVP talks you can only see him get better i mean if he gets better at the rim or if he gets better from three-point range then we’re talking like close to 30 point per game scorer for sure and if he especially for me I kind of want to emphasize the rim pressure more than the three-point shot because the rim pressure will bring more free throws and then you’re definitely in like 30 point per game type of territory along with being in almost a 10 assist guy top five and assists which is what I’ve been predicting the last two seasons thinking he was going to make that jump because it was just clear as day there and even in the playoffs on defense like go look up Kade’s defensive numbers he was really good my draft grade on on Kade and my comparison normally I try and do like a onetoone comparison with guys and Kade’s one of the rare exceptions where I didn’t do that because he had so many skills and I said he was going to be Devin Booker on offense and Jason Tatum on defense we hadn’t really seen the Tatum stuff because at Oklahoma State he was like the weak side rim protector kind of played power forward on on defense and direct traffic and stuff but in the playoffs we definitely saw that he had so many blocks he really buckled in in the fourth quarter and did some really good defensive work and then you couple in Assar and all all the other guys that chipped in on defense so I really like all of Cad’s you know abilities and it’s just like he’s just scratching the surface too and then after that is Assar like I I I had an episode of Assar as our number two because I really do think that Assar ends up being the second most impactful player out of the core that’s here again my draft grade on him was Andre Egodala which I continue to see more and more where it’s like give him more usage give him more on ball roll you see the passing you see the defense who cares about the jumper yeah and who cares about the jumper at this point i mean I was hoping it would come around but just how much it was deemphasized this year how much he didn’t want to take it it’s like he still made such an impact especially on defense that it’s like you you can see clear as day he’s such an impact player it is so rare not only in in basketball as a whole but especially in the modern NBA to still have a positive impact on the court if you’re a wing that can shoot the three like almost like the like the knock that we that you know that at least that I thought going into the playoffs was all right well how are you going to really be able to keep him on the court when he’s not going to be able to space the floor how does he you know how does he apply pressure in the offense of end and it’s like oh yeah cuz he’s a demon freak athlete that has a that has an underrated handle and the ability to create his own you know opportunities at the basket he’s an underrated playmaker he’s someone who showcased a lot of his skills and I think it’s you know kind of inarguable that he was the second most impactful player on the team this season especially when you just look at the record before versus after Assar Thompson came back from the blood clot stuff and I think that’s something that I I just found really impressive about Assar is obviously it took a little bit for him to get his legs under him to get his bearings back to you know like the guy had to go almost an entire calendar year without playing organized basketball like this wasn’t a insignificant situation this was a you know pretty significant blood clot like blood clot circumstance so for him to not only come in and be as productive as he was at that level in under 30 minutes a game throughout the entire season but also the fact that he can now go into the summer work on his game in a gym play in you know play in pickup games work with Fred Vincent and the shooting staff for a full summer like that’s the thing that’s terrifying about Assar and to me like obviously him and Amen are different players the way that they the way that they play the g the way that they play the game amen’s more of of a playmaking guard you know uh like almost kind of like the point wing for for the Rockets whereas you know Assar is kind of more complimentary as far as his offensive game but I think as far as how they’re viewed like perceptionwise if Assar has a productive summer and comes in and and is the guy that we think he could be next season I don’t think he’s as far off from Amen as people think he is yeah I agree too and again it’s more of like an off ball type of impact because he’s a really good cutter he’s another lob player for Kate which I think is something that wasn’t quite utilized as much it really it depends on the team around him i don’t think this this young core operated under ideal circumstances beasley obviously was tremendous fine i just wish they’d assigned him to a longer term deal because now they do face a real threat of losing him in the off season i hope the whole like trade deadline thing was an actual handshake deal of like hey this is what we’re going to sign you for coming back but imagine if Tobias and Tobias this is where I hate dissing on Tobias is not really a disc but he’s still not the ideal player you want around a Duran around an Assar around a Kate around an Ivy you need a stretch for like there’s those reports now of Nas Reed and Miles Turner it’s like gee I wonder why because if you have another guy out there who can just bomb threes at a high rate especially for somebody like Assar then it’s like how you going to guard that guy when the big men are shooting that well yeah I think Tobias like his role on this Pistons team almost like reminds me of how Al Horford was utilized in Boston to where he’s a guy who you know comes in and does a lot of the effort stuff that you need him to fills a lot of different roles you know and plugs holes wherever they’re wherever uh are needed he you know he wasn’t always the most consistent offensive player but his shot got better as the season went on and a lot of times in in key wins it seemed like he was making big plays whenever the team required them and then also you just the culture aspect of kind of everything that he bring that he brought and and and JB multiple times uh referred to him as an extension of the coaching staff on the floor so I think that it is objectively true that in order for this team to take that next step they need to have a more dynamic stretch option alongside a Duran and I think that’s why those Nas Reed you know that Nas Reed fit makes a lot of sense i think Miles Turner now that you know especially being on a team that went to the finals and the Pacers are making it known that they’re willing to pay the luxury tax i think they I I don’t think the Pacers have a reason to lie about that and I think they have all the reasons to keep that roster together so uh to me it would either be a Nas Reed or it would be some form of trade in in some fashion that’s why it’s going to be fascinating to see how the you know how this off seasonason develops and the interesting reporting is that a bulk of this is probably going to happen like all the moves and and transactions are going to happen the week of and during the draft because you know it a lot of it revolves around draft compensation people want to be able to have you know that control you know going into draft night so that they can kind of pick off momentum off of that so I’m not saying I’m expecting the Pistons to go make a blockbuster trade but they could be a team that helps facilitates a Kevin Durant deal or a Giannis deal they could be a team that’s involved in those discussions to try and add ammunition to their team and who knows there could be these you know these these ramification moves or reactionary moves to these blockbuster deals because if you look at the Eastern Conference and the Jason Tatum injury the you know stuff that’s happening in Milwaukee there’s a real balance of power shift and no disrespect to Indiana but I think if you’re an executive like Tan Langden you look at you look at Indiana being in the finals you’re like “Well shoot man if we make some right moves why can’t we be deep in the playoffs especially next season yeah i mean the reports on Miles and Nazerie to me scream trade because the only way you even get that out there and know you can do it is by trading they don’t have the cap space flat out to sign either guy there they’d have to They have to be signed a trade yeah yeah the Tobias contract would be the most logical and then I hate to say it but Duran or Steuart are probably the other things that get attached there because if you’re sending those guys out if you’re sending Turner or um Nas here then it’s like they probably want to send her back right and honestly it would lean more towards Duran if if I’m them because Stu and Tobias make a a combined 41 million and both teams I think are over the second apron though they can’t take on that that kind of money without sending back the exact same amount um so it’s interesting i don’t know if that’s going to be the case it’s just when I was thinking about the number one the cap space is like they don’t have that money to sign them just right out in the open market unless they trade away somebody and then if they do have to trade the money to match the big contract like Tobias and something else has to be attached is the most likely scenario and again I hate it that it’s Tobias i thought he was the MVP of that playoff series going back to that sorry Kade but really like the defense that Tobias put on Cat and then just clamped him down and the games where they didn’t do that is where they really struggled i mean I don’t think anybody would have predicted that and then he shot something like 44.5% from three i mean anytime they got in a slump Tobias got him out of it when Cade wasn’t out there so but it’s just like he’s 32 years old he only has one more year left on his deal objectively you can’t invest in that guy long term yeah yeah I I I think it I think it goes without saying that he he more than likely is is a you know they they made that contract the way it was so that it would be movable in the future if it was if it was necessary and I don’t think Detroit would necessarily rule out if they had the opportunity to sign you know Tobias on a more teamfriendly deal as he’s kind of winding down into the heydays of his career going more into like a six-man role or you know like a second unit or you know like kind of like a like a fill-in starter during the regular season again almost just kind of how Alford is used uh used in in uh in Boston i just I just think that’s a very similar role just because of the their veteran leadership but also just their versatility with what they can bring on the court they’re just they’re smart guys and you know they they still find ways to be effective at their age so um you know Tobias not being super old but I mean he’s he’s played like 14 years in the league next year will be year 15 that that that that is a that is a real wear and tear when you’re going into the over 1,000 games played mark in your NBA career so yeah and also I mean the core of this team the the most oldest guy is what like 25 like it’s just a mismatch yeah yeah so that’s that’s why to me again like if if if you are to make that move it has to be for someone that you know for a fact elevates your team now but going forward and I do think that a Nas Reed type move would be you know something that makes a lot of sense but you know yeah he he’s he’s one of the best free agents on the market this summer i’d argue probably the best i mean technically LeBron could be a free agent this summer he’s staying in LA james Harden uh he’s going to be a free agent I think but all words are that he’s going to stay with the Clippers because I mean what what incentive do the Clippers have to blow it up all their picks go to go to Oklahoma City so uh you know for for them it’s like honestly we had a pretty competitive season he was decent for us screw it so uh yeah I I I think overall the Pistons are in a position to be real players this off seasonason but as as you mentioned at the top of the show like this Pistons team has predominantly been built through the draft and Tjan Langden was really only able to add one young core piece of his own to this group which was you know Aon Holland i I do kind of wanna do kind of want to hear your overall scouting report on Ron you know just after year one like where you had him you know in the like where you had his evaluation going into last year’s draft versus how he finished now to me something I I kind of thought about you know at the time that I I you know it was like a interesting coincidence but in reality I think made Ron a perfect fit with Detroit is he was the only player in that class other than his uh teammate uh uh Bazel who went to uh went to Chicago um like they were they had a really bad season with the Ignite where they lost like they were the only team in basketball that had as bad of a losing streak as the Pistons did so for you know for for him to come into the league and have that same fire of I’m not losing that many games again as the Pistons did I think that was like a real like they it was kind of like a perfect pairing in that sense of there was a real you know like genuine motivation and bad taste in their mouth to turn things around and you know to to play hard each and every night and I think that’s what we saw at Ron Holland this season yeah and kudos to Traan too for taking the guy number five and then realizing like this is maybe the eighth man ninth man i’m not going to just throw him out there with everybody else even though he’s a high pick we have a plan for him where we want him to be in the second unit kind of like the backup small forward power forward we’ll give him some usage and stuff my report on him last year was Crash he reminds me so much of Gerald Wallace because number one he gets the free throw line whether he has the ball or not he’s an attacker and he’s just a hound on defense and he’s a big mismatch on the wing with like six foot eight size bigger wingspan and the athleticism to like keep up with point guards i was actually kind of disappointed that they didn’t throw him and a star out there together with like Beasley Tobias Kate and one of the centers in the the playoff series because I was like what do you have to lose sure maybe he like gets five fouls in like five minutes but what do you have to lose at that point right um and that’s a lineup that in a few years if one of us are or Ron is what my draft co-host shout out Jam Hines he calls a capable shooter think something between like 30 to 33% like Marcus Smart marcus Smart might be the best example of what we would call a capable shooter where you look at it and you’re like those percentages are bad but then you watch the game and you’re like oh man he gets on a hot streak or teams are like we can’t leave him unguarded because he hits enough of them um and I do kind of lean that way more towards Ron Holland that was the trade that J that um excuse me Andy shout out data driven piston fan my Piston co-host on our weekly Piston Pod that was the trade that Andy and I really felt like Trajan missed out on was getting Marcus Smart we would have preferred that over getting Dennis Shruder because we thought number one Marcus Smart’s defense and attitude like matched exactly what this team need and they got a first round pick the Wizards got an extra first round pick out of it um man Marcus Martin played pretty good for the Wizards i don’t know if that would have been the same thing here but especially for a Ron Holland and an Star like that’s the exact kind of teammate they need is somebody that comes in like that that’s like yo man I don’t care what percentage you’re shooting this is why I do it this is how I do it and this is how it benefits the team overall um and I do think Ron has more of that in him you can tell Assar is I don’t know if afraid is the right word but he turns down so many open threes where Ron he turns down maybe like 30% of them but but he doesn’t care he’ll let him fly because he knows like if I shoot this it’s going to make the defense guard me um differently it’s really going to come down to shooters let’s not forget the other guy in the draft that Tan added last year was Bobby Clintman if Bobby Clintman plays anywhere close to what he did in the summer league that’s a huge benefit having that that kind of a floor spacer from I think he’s more forward kind of thing yeah exactly um but I think again with both Assar and Ron probably a little bit with Ron more in particular like the jump shot and getting another it’s hard to get another Beasley 3003s not many guys in the name have ever done that but it’s having other teammates that that take the the spacing pressure off him cuz I think he can develop a little bit more of an overall game and as long as they don’t overtax him and they let him come along slowly like he’ll be he’ll be good tar East is another name that I thought about with Ron because he’s the same thing he’s not like the most dependable shooter but he’s capable and his defensive activity and his ability to yam it and get in there and cause havoc and get to the rim on offense while still shooting enough threes and making enough of them it makes him a huge impact player for Houston yeah I I think uh I I I definitely I I like the Marcus Smart shout in the sense of I think he actually went to Washington you know especially with the word that was out on him just kind of with his health and you know just you know kind of like how he didn’t really add much on the court in Memphis you know to be able to go into Washington and and be like a veteran role like leader and to not you know like use that as like a you know opportunity to just kind of slouch like I think he I think he did use the opportunity well i think where I think where Shruder made more sense is I think he added more of the offense like the like kind of the offensive creation that was that was missing from you know Jay Ivy in the lineup and they were there was more of a similar play i think like it’s not as it’s not really that much of a gap if you look at like if you look at Smart and Shruder’s uh numbers and averages from the season i just think the other thing as well is just the financial piece to where Shruder was a $13 million expiring contract where if it doesn’t go well you can get out of it without any hassle whatsoever whereas Marcus Smart he still he he gets he’s owed $21 million next season and would be burning a sign significant you know chunk of your cap so that would be the only thing for me like if it if if if the salary issues weren’t a thing I would agree like with the with the acquisition I just questioned if that you know just the contract to me is where I just go I don’t know if I love that money for 32-year-old Marcus Smart yeah the only part of it is you get like another draft pick with it so it kind of cancels that out but yeah if you have that’s fair yeah yeah if you have a plan in place and now if that is true like the NAS read and mouse or anything yeah obviously like don’t don’t do anything um to to jeopardize the ability to have that that kind of cap space but Andy and I have said often so often of like we don’t care about cap space anymore we live through all those years of Troy Weaver we don’t want to hear the words flexibility ever again yeah no I I I get that but there there is especially with how with the complexities of these of these tax aprons it is a very real thing that you know if if you put yourself in a compromising position you know you look at teams like Minnesota you know who like especially like Minnesota where they have a really young guy in Anthony Edwards but they’re going to probably have to take some gap years in the middle in the middle or at the beginning of his prime because they’re not going to have enough to go out and and like field like that competitive of a team like it was really a miracle that they got this far this year now the West’s going to be even crazier going into the following years and I think part of like if you look at this finals matchup part of what’s like kind of amazing about it is neither of these teams are paying the tax like they’re both like you know like they’re like they’re both under that salary floor and all the Second Apron teams were were essentially eliminated by like the second round really like Minnesota was like the only team in there and I don’t know I I think they were like bordering they got out of the apron I think by making the Randall and Cat deal but yeah I mean just it it just shows that you know like if you are Detroit like if you are to make the argument of like like find your player through the draft you look at Indiana and you look at you look at Oklahoma City even Oklahoma City where everyone was was going “Hey cash in your chips go get a superstar alongside Shay.” Well they did put superstars or or all-star caliber players next to Shay but they did it through the draft and now they still have their freaking war trap war chest going forward yeah and a little bit to your point too both those teams like the time is now i don’t know if they’ll go into panic mode if they don’t win the finals but like Indiana has 197 or 167 million excuse me on the books next year and they still have inside Miles Turner i mean like realistically Miles should be making like 40 million per season so they’re looking at luxury tax if they keep everybody unless they can somehow manage to unload like TJ McConnell and a couple other contracts and then OKC chat and Jaylen Jdub Williams are both due contracts at the same time and they’re probably both going to get maxed and then at that point it’s like no wonder they kept the war chest because that’s how they’re going to reload yeah exactly they’re going to have to lose guys like you know like Alex Caruso they’re going to have to lose you know like a lot of key role players but like like Aloo Dort but that’s where they’re going to have to fill in via those draft picks and you know it helps when for Oklahoma City like what Sam Pressie is so incredible at is identifying guys that are perfect for their scheme perfect for their culture but like they’re all guys who have length who can pass and who can defend like hell and it’s almost it’s almost like Isaiah Joe sorry Isaiah Joe yeah well you can’t win them all but but like amazing shooter but Yeah like Oklahoma City like it kind of reminds me of like when you’re watching like the NFL draft and then like you see who the Eagles get and you go “How in the hell did the Eagles walk out with Jaylen Carter?” Like that’s that’s what it’s like watching the Thunder in the draft so yeah I I think that’s just that just speaks to Sam Pressie and who he is as a general manager but shifting fully into into the draft and and just kind of you know previewing what it would look like even for the Pistons to you know like move in into and to look look for someone i think it starts with what is this draft because there’s been a lot of the conversation about it has evolved i think it’s pretty you know it’s pretty fair to say that this is similar to a Victor draft where it is a consensus signal delivered the number one pick was decided lottery night i think from to me at least from what I’ve heard is the the fun of the the fascination of this draft really starts at three but it could also start with two if San Antonio decides to push their chips in and to go and get someone alongside Victor if say a uh oh I don’t know Giannis onto the Kumbbo if if Milwaukee covets that pick which I’m not sure if you’ve heard Steve Milwaukeee’s apparently been talking to lottery players yeah i mean Giannis to San Antonio i feel like that should be a done deal san Antonio has the rookie of the year and Stefon Castle they have a Dylan Harper who can fit next to almost just about anybody he’s like 6’6 214 I think is what they list him at i mean he’s one of the best guys at getting to the rim and just generating looks in the paint and at the rim and finishing them and getting free throws good catch and shoot guy too really his struggles from shooting come like off the dribble he hasn’t had a real good dribble game yet um which is a problem if he’s going to be a point guard but when you put him next to a Stefon Castle not not so much of a a problem anymore and I mean he’s the clear-cut number two as well there’s still people that would argue for Ace Bailey i love Ace Bailey but I still wouldn’t argue for him number two just cuz I don’t think he has the on ball juice and creation and potential that Dylan does um and then Ace Bailey at number three uh I would probably say 90 to 95% of draft experts still have Ace at number three just cuz you think like Michael Porter Jr Brandon Miller Brandon Miller is my comp for him i haven’t done that episode yet so spoiler alert there because I do think he does have similar background to Brandon Miller of like he falls in love with the mid-range too much like he can over dribble and kind of get himself into trouble but the main thing the difference between Ace Bailey and like MPJ and Brandon Miller is he’s a real good rebounder and he’s a really good defender was Rucker’s leading rebounder like was in the conversation for leading shot blocker i can’t remember if he finished as their leading shot blocker but he was at least second leading shot blocker i mean he still has the young guy lapses of like losing people off ball but I don’t remember MPJ or I mean MBJ was hurt so it’s kind of unfair but definitely with Brandon Miller there was not that kind of defensive chops with him um and going in the year Ace Bailey was compared to Paul George off and on and most people don’t like to throw that compound i don’t think it’s it’s quite that level still cuz PG is ridiculous athlete but that just tells you the level after that i mean there’s really two drop offs in this draft it starts at three after three I mean there’s guys in contention for that that number four probably like 10 spot casper Sakonis a big point guard from Illinois trey Johnson combo scoring guard can play the wing can play both guard spots from Texas vj Edgecomb fantastic two-way athlete um really good shooter really good defender can guard one through three from Baylor coniple big country strong white guy and good shooter compares pretty favorably to like Desmond Bane but he he looks slow but also all the defensive numbers and like when you watched him on tape like he he shut guys down at times derek Queen everybody has made the Alper and Shangon comparison i mean I’m not going to go away from that this is pretty much who Dererick Queen is if anybody saw the tournament I bet Maryland was probably one of the surprise teams they didn’t realize how good Derek Queen is sucks on defense but oh my goodness he’s definitely an impact player on offense liam McNeely who I still have in the top 10 from Yukon combo guy uh at both forward spots some unlocked potential dealt with a high ankle sprain and then at 10 is probably common mileatch super tall like 7 foot one 7 foot2 center from Duke who can block shots who might have some shooting potential um from there from South Sudan kind of a little bit of a late bloomer um and then I think it probably is like 11 is where the next drop off starts and you could argue for almost anybody giving you ideas like I have a do after redoing his episode i’m at 35 i wouldn’t be surprised if he like sneaks into the end of the lottery will Riley from Illinois I’ve heard like people love him i’ve heard people be like he’s undrafted noah Pendo who’s an international guy power forward small forward can play kind of center from Lemon um another guy like a lot of people like him as first round i was just listening to Raphael Barlo and locked on big board and he’s like I don’t see him as a firstrounder that just gives you an idea of the range of guys um in there and somebody who I’m kind of down on Jeremiah Fear is the point guard out of Oklahoma both the Barlo brothers James and Raphael have him in like their top five top six um so I mean there’s just a real swing after the top 10 for sure for sure and after pick number three little bit less of of a swing i think there’s still like six to seven names that will probably come um off the board after number three that that everybody would agree with they might not agree with the order but definitely at at pick 11 is where it starts to be like “Yeah it sounds like this is it sounds like this isn’t a situation like last year’s draft where people are talking super down on on the talent of the prospects but it also doesn’t sound like it’s the depth of the 2023 draft of the amount of talent.” One thing that that Trajan Langden said in his post in his postseason press conference in a narrative that’s really picking up a lot of traction is the new NIL reality that we are in in terms of of the draft especially you know you you see a lot of players who are in a position where they might not be a lottery pick they might not be a top 15 pick top 20 pick in the draft or even you know if they’re not top 10 if if you’re a a college player who still has years of eligibility remaining you’re you’re you’re a decent chance you have a decent chance at least that you’re going to be getting paid more now to stay in college than if you were to you know come into the league and you know I’m not sure if you saw the reports of how much Cooper Flag made in NIL i think that to me I don’t know if that number is truly that high i have a hard time believing it’s that high for one year but I would bet you it’s not very far off it sounds like Cooper Flag I would voager made over $10 million in his year at Duke if you’re if you’re one of these players where you’re not going to be a lottery pick and you do feel like you could reach that level especially with the financial security that comes now with staying in college it seems like that is going to affect the depth at least in the short term or the draft do you think that is a case Eve do you think there is some truth to that oh yeah absolutely two guys in particular who I was high on and I’ve heard people be high on for one of them for the last two years and one of them this year since he’s a freshman yas Lindenborg you were in your go blue Michigan that’s where he ended up going um going back to Michigan the rumor is he’s making somewhere between like 5 to 8 million here at Michigan which is really hard to turn down and the other one is Alabama’s Leberon Phylon who that one’s the really surprising one because he’s somebody that like realistically you could have seen him sneak into the end of the lottery realistically he’s like a first round pick for sure but it’s Alabama we know how much money they throw football players so I don’t know if it’s the same for the basketball program but he’s another guy that like every everybody cleared out grant Nelson’s gone Mark Snees is gone like they’re going to give him the keys to the offense and let him run with um whoever else they’re recruiting there and whoever else is coming in he already knows the system and all that stuff all he has to do is just like improve on his numbers even a little bit and you know boom and if he comes and improves significantly or leads Alabama on a run then there’s no reason to think he can’t be a top 10 pick i do think though just to get on my soap box a little bit if anybody and I’m going to do an episode with Jam when we do our next um draft pod together about this because I looked at the top 100 um transfer portal signings from last season like a couple weeks ago cuz all these transfers kind of irk me only because I think a lot of them are being enticed by money but then they go somewhere and they’re they don’t improve or they hurt their ability to get drafted um yeah to give you an example Kate Kate Tyson from Belmont he was like a huge guy that everybody was trying to get the 67ish wing good shooter produced really well at Belmont was like their leading scorer michigan Dusty May was in the running for him but then he ended up signing at North Carolina he was like their eighth man or something just didn’t end up playing at all uh Houston Mata guy I really like who was over at Pepperdine really good shooter did more offball stuff went over to Alabama played six games he got hurt i don’t know if they ended up making him lose his red shirt year but that was like a rumor that that might have happened there along the way uh Chris Young Bloodood was another guy i think he went to Alabama if I remember correctly um and another dude that like was really good at South Florida I believe is where he was and then he was just lost in the shuffle there at Alabama this is where it’s it’s odd like I love Yil going to Michigan but I think that was a mistake he’s going to be 24 years old next year how many 24 year olds you know get drafted in the first round right uh but the money you you it’s far be it from me right if I had that opportunity that money I don’t think I would turn it down either something’s got to give though i think um I think agencies with what we’re seeing with um what’s his name nico Mia who went from Tennessee to UCLA the quarterback yes him trying to like renegotiate and part of it was like well I got us to the playoff like I should see some of that playoff money and stuff i think that might change it along the way in terms of the talent pool though I think it might thin it out a little bit year by year because again this year the guys that returned they were probably those two Yasil and and Leberon that for real if you ask most draft experts were like I didn’t realize I didn’t think that would happen and everybody else was like sure like yeah go back you don’t have a guarantee um so I think the idea of like ah standing out the talent pool is a little bit overblown but I do think it’s it’s going to like sway it for anybody that’s up at a power five school yeah there’s still there’s still a real benefit of getting into the league when you can and there’s also the argument to be made that if you go into the league and thrive you’re you know you’re you’re closer to getting your you know your big deal in the NBA versus if you’re to just out in college and I I think to your point listen the the the college like college athletics as a whole the the new system of NIL and and the transfer portal it’s great that these players are in a position and and and to have the opportunity to have these payments to be paid you know for their for their work and what they’re worth and what they’re bringing to these universities but in the same light there needs to be some form of regulation some form of system to where we’re not having these like where literally it’s right after Michigan State’s eliminated from you know from the tournament and they have to start recruiting for their next season in the locker room like right away like you have to be you have to be doing it while you’re preparing for the tournament was it them that somebody like the immediate I forget what team it was but like immediately when they left the the the one of the players was like “All right guys i’m going here signing this NIL deal elsewhere.” It’s like “What?” Yeah yeah i I don’t know if that was Michigan State or if it was another school but I it’s it hap it’s happening too much and it’s unfortunate reality that these kids are you know being put in that position but at the same time you know like there there is like like you said like there has to be the ability for these players who developed and to be coached because a lot of times players are being are are leaving because either they’re getting an opportunity for playing time or they’re getting an opportunity in terms of NIL compensation and that’s what it comes down to if if the coach isn’t isn’t paying you the way that you want or playing you the way that you want you can just dip up and leave whenever you want and that’s just that that that’s just not a sustainable system not for you know not for fan engagement not for you know these players and it’s definitely not for these coaches we’ve seen multiple legends of college basketball just go “No I can’t do this i’m out.” And like we’ve lost some of like some of the most iconic coaches in college basketball because this system is just overwhelming to them i mean Nick Sabin retired for for that reason from Alabama well I think Nick Sabin retired because now everybody else gets to do it it doesn’t just get to be him anymore um yeah that’s fair that’s fair but if two things is like if any draft prospect ever hears or takes my advice for whatever reason number one what is your ultimate goal if your ultimate goal is to get to the NBA then go when the iron’s hot like don’t look at this this deal so I’ll give you two examples tomorrow again I’m releasing the Oena Anochili Killin episode he was a in the research I did he said I had offers to go elsewhere for a Marshall but I chose to stay because of like the program the system and I know here I’m wanted and I know here like I can continue to grow and he did and I think if he went elsewhere I don’t think he’s getting to be like the number one guy definitely not rolling out the carpet he’s definitely not averaging 3.2 blocks per game it paid off for him i don’t know if he’ll get drafted but he definitely was able to get to like Port Smith and get more eyeballs on him because of the season that he had if he goes elsewhere he ain’t having that season i was just talking to my mechanic the other day um when I went there and he’s a big Boise State fan and he talked about Ashton Jy how like he got all these offers to go elsewhere and you know how much money Boise State paid him in his final season there probably not much $300,000 holy cow that’s a bargain of a lifetime yeah and when they asked him about it too he was like I don’t want to go anywhere else where like I might be buried or I don’t want to go anywhere else where I’m not like 10,000% wanted and featured and again that was the absolute right decision for him robbed of the Heisman in my opinion sorry all you Travis Hunter fans but it just those are other things to consider along the way is like sure the money is great but number one if your ultimate goal is the NBA then you got to think about develop and who’s has your best interest in heart and especially please by all means follow the breadcrumbs i’ll give you two teams right now i think Alabama is a terrible transfer destination just because look at all the guys they brought in and really they only feature like one or two guys and even Grant Nelson and Mark Sears it’s not exactly like they help them to secure draft positioning and the other one is Tennessee i mean how many Tennessee transfers now from Dalton connect to Chaz Laneir even guys like Igor Milich Jr now it’s like the transfer guys they bring in they have a plan for i I clown on Rick Barnes every now and then we’re like choking in the tournament but it’s clearly he’s a guy of integrity whoever he recruits he’s going to feature and he’s not going to bury and it’s going to clearly improve your stock if you go to Tennessee yeah I I’m I’m fascinated to just see how that system evolves and I’m sure it’s going to be more of a discussion i think I I think I think overall those top prospects who are going to be drafted top five no matter when they’re no matter when they go they’re just going to go to league no matter what because again that just gets them a day another day closer to their biggest payday that they can get whereas you know I think for a lot of these you know like fringe role players or these guys who aren’t ready right away I think it is a great opportunity for them to kind of have their cake and eat it too so to speak to your point you have to like it it the onus is still on the players to maximize that opportunity and on these teams to properly develop and and maximize the opportunity to keep to hang on to these players you know in in a way that they might not necessarily have been able to before and again we that that the whole transfer portal system is an absolute crapshoot we don’t have the time to fully dive into that today but I I what I am curious about Steve is when like like you said after 11 it is like like like have your pick of of who goes where you know like that’s when it gets a lot more hazy and you know a lot more variation of of projections of what players can be so to me looking at the the draft order the Pistons obviously they uh they lost their pick this year finally the first round pick that they uh had traded to New York uh finally conveyed and goes over to Minnesota listen I think I think getting your first playoff win in 17 years but you you don’t get your first round pick I take that deal every day of the week uh but uh the the the thing is is obviously damn would be a good opportunity for the Pistons if they had the 17th overall pick to be able to go and get another interesting young piece uh in in this class so my question to you Steve is is looking at this order you know like there’s obviously a lot of teams like like like Washington’s drafting lower than they want than they would want utah is drafting lower than they would want new Orleans probably the same thing as well but as you get to the middle of the draft what what would be a place that you think could be a reasonable opportunity to trade up for the Pistons and you know like it and and what’s a player or or like a a series of players or a few players that you would personally like to see them pursue because in my opinion if I I don’t think they’re going to be able to trade into the lottery at least not without paying you know some form of more significant price to be able to do so but if there is a player in the late teens or early 20s that they like and are intrigued by and say a Miami a Brooklyn uh you know an Orlando doesn’t necessarily want to add more young talent they want to you know do different things open up flexibility could that be a window of opportunity for the Pistons to jump in the only issue with me is like what are they giving up and unfortunately I know a lot of Piston fans don’t want to hear this i think Ivy is on the table if that’s the the idea because they were still really good without a Jaden Ivy and again objectively if you’re like “Okay we’re still really good without this guy and like somebody would give us something worthwhile then maybe.” But again I’m not 100% down with that plan just cuz I think like you know giving up on a guy ahead of of schedule before you really have an idea of what he looked like with Kate and and how he’s you know ironed out but realistically if you’re trading for a first round pick like who else is worth it maybe Duran again I if you listen to my podcast I’m not the biggest Stern fan so I’m not a not not opposed to that fan and also if you’re you are looking at Nas Reed and uh uh Miles Turner then obviously one of Steu or Duran has to go right um so it’s one of those two guys steu is the other guy again I I would be really opposed to the Stew one because I think Stu is super impactful on defense um but it’s probably one of those three like Tobias is older who wants a 32-year-old guy making 26 million um all that being said I think the range starts at six cuz six is the Wizards seven is the Pelicans eight is the Nets nine is the the Raptors and then 10 is the Rockets um the Rockets probably keep that one there though now I’m thinking about it but all those those teams you laid out before the Wizards the Pelicans the Raptors um and Brooklyn like though they fell especially the Wizards and the Pelicans i imagine they’re like I don’t know if we really want this one i mean the Pelicans are such a mess too sorry Joe D um and then hiring Troy Weaver i know he would like some of the guys that are on this Detroit roster he’d definitely trade that pick for one or two of of the the guys on the Detroit roster so I would definitely phone calls there six through nine um Uhhuh because again all those those teams are like we need a difference maker and if I had to identify one of them in there it’s probably nine with the Raptors because I’m like every the rest of that team is veteran right emanuel Quickley RJ Barrett Scotty Barnes even Grady Dick is now like a young vet like why do they need another young dude right what are they going to do and all inclinations are they’re looking they’re going big fish hunting this summer yeah i mean and then they got um what’s his face brandon Ingram too um so maybe they just use this as like hey we’ll do a cheap role player for a while at number nine i don’t know i feel like if they don’t seems like they don’t want to be in the lottery again right yeah really identifies like hey at number nine we think this guy can take a big swing and it’s probably come on Malawatch that would be the only other name there that I’m like yeah that’s a Messiah pick super tall dude super lanky like he had the biggest wingspan in the in the draft here um but again another center when you already have Yaka Purle maybe but Toronto would be the one that I would the player that I’ve been banging the drum for for the Pistons is Rashier Fleming who is a power forward kind of a center can play anywhere between a three and a five from St joseph’s i mean he all he really does is shoot threes shoot at the rim and then be a fantastic defender over a block and a steel all season worked himself into being like a 39.2% three-point shooter is a legitimate 6’8 6’9 in shoes and has a 75 and a/4 inch wingspan we talked about like replacing Tobias as the exact kind of guy you want where you’re like we already have Assar we already have Kade we already have Ivy these guys that we want to take usage on we don’t need another dude that can step up and be the the next you know offensive guy this is that kind of dude we need an elite role player who can shoot throwies and be a fantastic defender to supplement guys on both ends of the court yeah I think a player like that makes a lot of sense i you know to to me I I look at the teams have multiple first round picks throughout the throughout the draft teams you know teams like Brooklyn teams like Oklahoma City you know like Brooklyn has three first round picks uh and you know if if you’re the Pistons yeah that was going to be my next my next point was like yeah Brooklyn they’re not going to use all those picks right no I don’t think so and I think a lot of these teams are going to want to you know Like another thing is like do these teams all want to put another you know first round pick contract like on their books teams could be looking you know to save money and so if if I’m Detroit I I wonder if I can position that number like that 37th pick and some second round capital to move up into the mid to late teens or the early 20s if there’s a guy that they like there because if you know if if the price is to give up an Ivy or a Duran I don’t know if there’s a prospect in the in that in that range outside of like the top five that I would say I would jump at right now over those guys especially Ivy with the upside with some of the improvements that we saw this season i do agree that the team playing as well as they did even with him going out is something that you know if you’re Tan you look at and you go okay well that is probably one of the more movable pieces if we did have to make a move which listen I think that’s been the case since day one kind of with Jaden Ivy so I I think you know the I don’t know if there’s a prospect I necessarily would like to be able to go okay give up him unless we were to go and a more proven commodity yeah I I have two for the Ivy move though and both of them have to fall though i really don’t think one of them I think is super unlikely to fall and that’s VJ Edgecom i think VJ Edgecom is the exact kind of other guard next to Kade that you want he’s probably a little bit more athletic than Ivy he’s definitely already a better shooter and he’s a point of def point of attack defender like that is what he is he’s going to be an elite level defender he’s the best perimeter defender in this draft cooper Flag’s the best overall defender but I mean VJ just can stick with anybody go back to high school film when um VJ played for Lehi Luther Lutheran Academy there in Long Island and they went up against Cooper Flag and Mont Verde a couple times there were a lot of times probably like three or four in the two games where they played where Cooper drove in on VJ and he just hit a brick wall and then there was and it was just like whoa this kid is strong i mean we all know that kid when we’re all like 10 years old and they look like a grown ass man you know um yep that that’s VJ so yeah i uh I I’m I’m currently on uh on the Ringers uh draft board just just looking at you know kind of like you know like their big board where they have guys at and they have player comps for each guys i I was looking at VJ Edgecombs my favorite one they have is Contavius Caldwell Pope bitten by a radioactive spider yeah no I Yeah I said supercharge Lou Dort so it’s not not too far off but I mean if Charlotte doesn’t draft him at four they’re the dumbest franchise ever just send them back to I just send that team to Seattle instead then come on man that’s just too too easy of a fit the other I was going to say he he makes a lot of sense in Charlotte he seems like a Charles Lee pick at the very least he’s not he’s not getting out of five you know so uh if if you’re if you are I mean if you’re like a Utah and if the Pistons wanted to trade up there maybe a trade like a like a Jaden Ivy would be an intriguing you know guy because he is more pro like a more proven commodity but also fits their their young timeline but again Utah’s just like so weird to know what they’re going to predict like I guess they’re not trading Lori anymore i don’t know what they’re gonna do Collins and just like okay right to me like if I were if if I was Training Langden and I were to trade Jaden Ivy I don’t know if I would do it for another young player i think I would do it for a for a more proven veteran which is kind of my my other hesitation because you’re just kind of you’re you’re trading prospects at that point you know yeah like one has more NBA experience than the other and has a little bit more clarity and we know who they are or they aren’t but to me there’s just it’s there is just objectively more risk involved but there could also be a higher reward so yeah the the reason why I say VJ and the other guy I’m going to get into here is like VJ does have like Marcus Smart defensive player of the year type of potential he already fits in with mega athlete defenders that you’ve built with Assar and Ron and oh by the way he’s already a good three-point shooter so you don’t have to worry about that anyway and like we laid out with Assar like we just need other dudes that can supplement him well now we have the point of attack defender so nobody else has to do that and now you can unleash Assar elsewhere you can unleash Ron elsewhere you don’t have to have Cade guard really like any difficult perimeter player and there’s another guy that can make up for anybody at the rim and I mean just think of a lineup of like VJ Cade Assar Ron and Stew like that’s an elite defensive unit yeah no for sure it’s definitely an intriguing uh intriguing one who uh I I’m sorry Steve did Did you say um who did you say was your other prospect that you like there other than Edgecom the most divisive prospect in the 2025 draft class and that’s Trey Johnson out of Texas i mean he’s a difficult shot taker but he’s also a difficult shot maker really advanced mid-range game but if you look at the mid-range stuff too he’s hitting them like at a high rate he reminds me a lot of CJ McCollum except this guy is 6’6 and like there’s really not something he can’t do on offense if anybody is going to emerge out of this outside of that top three of like oh man that guy ended up being a lot better than we thought it’s probably going to be Trey Johnson just because uh his game and that Texas team like can you name another player on that Texas team probably not uh right no there was only one other guy in Arthur Kuma who scored like 10 points per game or more so VJ and as a freshman when you come in you need to take over a team like that uh Jeremiah Fears is the only other guy that that that was like that too of like well he all the veterans moved out of the way and he took over um but with Jeremiah and they had more shooting they had more scoring they had more defense i mean Trey had to be the the number one three-point shooter he had to be the number one offensive option three-level scorer he shot pretty well at the rim i I do think there’s a lot to like there and you bring that guy into a Piston team with a Kate Cunningham and Trey isn’t I know that you look at the usage and all that stuff but he did a lot of stuff of like running off ball coming off pin downs coming off screens and his jumper is really really good i also know a little bit more intel on him there’s this story that when he was like a sophomore junior in high school in the Dallas area which is where he’s from there were guys doing NBA draft preparations and they were doing just one-on- ones in the gym so Trey like shuffles in like on his break from you know algebra or whatever cooks everybody like he cooked everybody nobody’s dropped who the names were that he cooked but apparently they’re they’re no slouches um so I think Trey’s just kind of been that guy for a while super chill guy too like I think really the only thing he cares about is basketball can rub people the wrong way but just just a quiet kid that like all he cares about is the ball man I’m really sold on a Trey Johnson would you say there’s kind of like Cam Johnson i mean not Cam Johnson Cam Thomas vibes where he can kind of be like a bucket getter kind of microwave scorer but also can kind of like be almost kind of like a almost kind of like a ball dominant or or kind of be a deterrent at times see this is where I don’t think he’s a deterrent and why I gave him the CJ comp as opposed to like the Cam Thomas i think Cam Thomas needs the ball to generate whereas like if you think of CJ he sure he can create on the ball and pass and stuff but he doesn’t necessarily need to be he can always function with whoever the other guard is that makes sense that makes sense i just wanted to clarify um yeah like a 6’6 too with that handle it’s a Think of a 6’6 CJ that’s a really useful player yeah the other angle of this is let’s say the Pistons just stay status quo and let’s say they just go in and draft at number 37 overall now if they do what are the chances that they are getting someone that not only could could play on the team at in any capacity now but ever because I think that’s kind of the that that’s kind of the thing with with with second round picks historically is just been it’s at that point it is really a it is you are really just kind of throw throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks i I know uh in in years past having a higher second round pick was kind of viewed as having like an additional first round pick but I don’t know if that’s the case in this draft class i think that’s the case in every draft class do you remember the year that Nicola Yokic was drafted you know what year that was it w it was it I I I know i believe it was 2015 because it was during a beefcase commercial so uh I I uh I the I I’m I’m only slightly depressed that I know that little factoid but you know what i’m rocking with it it was either 2014 or 15 yeah it was in again it was in like a down year especially it was in that second round that everybody’s like blah i’m always of the mindset that every second round from 31 to about 42 45 is super valuable go through every single year you will find guys like Malcolm Bragden like Nicola Yokic um even lesser quoteunquote guys like Javon Carter I think I Dunumu went in that range as well like there are always guys that contribute and a lot of starters end up coming out of that area so I think 37 there’s still a very high chance there it’s just who’s going to be there at 37 i have no idea if you look at Tankathon right now they have Chaz Laneir i mean he’s pretty much like copy paste um Malik Beasley pretty much the same size the same thing where like just let him shoot threes to give him the green light he’ll make it there i have Zeke Mayo at 37 out of Kansas uh combo guard guy he kind of plays like Aaron Holiday where like he does just about everything well uh from the guard spot and can play both things other guys I’ve seen around 37 are like Hugo Gonzalez who’s a overseas prospect but I mean he’s pretty much ditto repeat for Ron NSR type of dude where it’s more energy and less shooting and good defense um some other guys I’ve seen down there are like Bolo Marovic who’s a very good stretch shooter and pretty good offensive creator somebody I would love to fall to 37 but I don’t think it’s going to happen is Drake Powell the the wing out of uh North Carolina very good athlete he had like his standing vertical was like three to four inches better than everybody else’s which shows you the level of athlete he is he’s like 66 seven foot wingspan played out of position at North Carolina at power forward but really is more shooting guard small forward very good shooter very good defending it’s almost impossible to freak athlete outside of the 20s yeah like get to the 20s and beyond like like those like insane premier athletes just come off the board cuz at that point like those are kind of the swing prospects if you’re at that position yeah he’s somebody that if he doesn’t go in the top 20 I’ll be like what are people doing just because if you dive into the tape too on Drake Powell he played again he played out of position he’d be play with four other that they’re top five in minutes three of those guys are 6′ three and under and basically point guards i don’t know what Hubert Davis is doing in North Carolina that was a a bit of a mess and another sleeper who I haven’t seen at 37 well I guess I can give you a couple ones elijah Martin who was at Florida this year really good defender at the the guard position solid shooter one of the best guard rebounders like ever in college he played power forward when he was at uh Florida Atlantic pton Sanford who’s been criminally underrated uh at Iowa just another guy that can shoot the three from the three or the four and another guy that’s like that who I’ve liked and been on my super sleeper team since the beginning of the year was Nate Santos from um Dayton again 6’7 i think he measured in like 216 at the Portsmith Invitational tournament and looks a lot like Torian Prince kind of guy like there’s still a lot of names there and one of those guys is going to be available there and they all project as again solid role players they’re just my main thing with the the off seasonason too is like please dear God Tan Langden just select guys in the draft trade Tan all of them need to shoot threes no more of these like guys that can’t shoot yeah I I think that’s something with Tan that’s going to be a priority moving you know like moving forward is just being able to have guys who can shoot who can space the floor who can play at high level on defense i think that’s something that you know that Trejan has has has made you know made clear that that’s something that that’s important to him and even if you look at some of the reported players that the Pistons are interested in getting they all have one thing in common they can shoot the three and so it it it’ll be interesting to see you know just kind of what direction they choose to take but I just you know no matter what I think it’s important to continue to not overlook the draft even if the Pistons are no longer in the lottery because as we said towards the beginning of this show how did the Pacers and the and the the Thunder get there well yes they had guys that they traded for or acquired in transactions like like Tyrese and and Pascal and and even Aaron Nesmith he was part of the Malcolm Brogden deal but Andrew Nemhard was a was a drafted homegrown talent that’s been playing really well uh Benedict Mathan another solid contributor that they got you know through the draft like they’re they’re essentially their entire depth and and so much of their foundation is just built by drafted developed players through their system and Oklahoma City is perhaps the greatest collection of drafted talent we’ve perhaps ever seen i mean Sam Prey is like if he starts winning championships with this Oklahoma City team I think it has to be in alltime great executive conversations not just in basketball but in all of sport when you look at his ability to identify talent and to and to acquire MVPs he’s he’s had four of them he’s drafted three of them he’s developed all four of them and you know that’s something that’s special of itself but go but again also the role players like the Lou Dorts the you know the other Jaylen Williams who’s turned out to be able to space the floor and always plays good minutes for them like they you could just go down an entire litany of like it feels like they have they have more guys who can play than are allowed to be that are allowed to field an NBA roster yeah yeah and the other thing with Trajan that shout out to Scott and Steve in the Slack chat we talk about this all the time it’s like no Piston front office has ever paid attention to the margins of like free agents the waiver wire and those things we hope we hope we hope Trean came from New Orleans where they got Jose Alvarado undrafted free agent they got Naji Marshall undrafted free agent right they clearly like put an emphasis on that i don’t know how much Trajan’s fingerprints or how much he had to do with that but it should be a lesson that he takes away even if he wasn’t the one like leading the charge there cuz you just laid it out there’s some undrafted guys and especially Oklahoma City lud Door was undrafted weirdly is another guy that I’m like what were they thinking not drafting him and Isaiah Joe somebody they picked up off the waiver wire I believe like nobody really kind of believed in him and then they picked him up and utilized his skill set in that regard so hopefully it’s the same thing with Trajion where he gets I mean if they can get just one Jose Alvarado one Naji Marshall that’s a major win yeah and that’s that’s a key that’s a key contributor to being in contention or being in those places is not only having guys that you know for a fact are going to contribute but you also know fit really well under you know under under like the salary cap or you know circumstantially like oh these are guys that we can actually keep on good deals for us going forward so yeah it’s it’s going to be a fascinating story just to see how things develop because again a lot of these moves that are that are being projected to be made a lot of it’s going to happen during the week of the draft and then during free agency and so this is going to be like perhaps the biggest week of the Pistons off season so it will be fascinating to see how they approach it and just kind of what everything looks like there before Before we go Steve there’s something that happened in the NBA this week that I just I just can’t get over and I need to hear your thoughts on uh Tom Tibido being fired from the New York Knicks after bringing the Knicks to their first conference finals in in 25 years all reporting says that this was a Leon Rose decision backed by ownership but if you know the New York Knicks if you pay attention to the way that they do things anytime this type of decision is made especially when it doesn’t feel like it’s a time where it really makes sense it was made by James Dolan and my theory is he went away for years because he was playing with his new shiny toy the Vegas Sphere and now that the Knicks are fun again and are in and are near contention he wants to be at the front of the at at at the front of the plane again and be given the reigns so to speak and and and start making more active decisions which if that’s the case this could spell very bad things for the New York Knicks going forward i’m not sure what your thoughts are Steve but I think it’s awfully awfully presumptuous to say that you’re going to go get definitively a better coach than the one that just brought you out of the years of irrelevancy and and quite frankly just just years of just terrible basketball yeah it’s their best season in 25 years and then he gets fired it makes no sense it’s one of the stupidest moves I’ve seen in a while like apparently Monty Williams and Tibs have equal value right in terms of just like “No you had our worst season ever we’re going to fire you and keep paying you oh we had our best season ever we’re going to fire you and keep paying you.” It’s just like what again you just said it what’s the upgrade what is the upgrade for this and I know people make this off and on and I agree with this for the most part is like how much of a a coaching change makes a difference in the NBA between like contending and not contending it really comes down to the player personnel you have number one it comes down to health and number two it just comes down to like what lucky bounces you get that year right i mean just think to the Raptors playoff run that one iconic um Kawaii shot against Philly like you know is a lucky bounce right he’s in the right place at the right time prepared for that and they got the bounce the way he needed to go so it’s just like it it doesn’t it doesn’t make any sense like what what how is this going to get you over the hump if anything making a coaching change puts you a couple years back right what’s the last time you can think of of a coaching change and they immediately win the finals it’s probably the Pistons right with Larry Brown i I was just about to say it’s literally it’s literally the the Larry Brown change the only other one I can think of is is like Mark Jackson to Steve Kerr but even then that wasn’t like immediate like they that took time or you know for that to Yeah yeah it took time so yeah no it it doesn’t it doesn’t happen immediately and I think the other thing as well is you look at Jaylen Brunson who came out and as definitively supported a coach and backed a coach as you possibly could you know at at the end of the season and for them to just immediately fire the guy that was was his guy that that he has known since before he could even form memories of knowing Tom Tibido like he like he he Tom Tibido held him as a baby yeah yeah so I mean dad is on the coaching staff too so like that’s got to be awkward yeah and all like and also it’s like okay like all right cool is is the dad still going to be on the coaching staff like if you go out and hire someone this off seasonason are you going to say “Hey Rick has to be your top assistant has to be on has to be one of your top guys on your bench.” Like no disrespect to Rick Brunson but do we really think he’s there for his coaching acumen yeah it’s it’s such a stupid situation that again Dolan continues to find himself in the the kings of the east yeah and I’m not sure if you’ve heard like some of the names that that they’re interested in i mean the A couple of the names that I keep Yeah a couple of names I keep hearing floated around i mean the the one that everyone immediately goes to because he’s the guy on the market is Mike Malone uh I I was listening to Fred Katz of um of the Athletic talk with um with someone from Sports Illustrated and he talked about how Tom Tibido was literally mentored by Mike Malone’s father and if there’s anyone that coaches the way or or coaches as close to Tibs in the league it’s Mike Malone so you’re essentially just getting a different flavor of Tibs if you go out and hire him and the other names that have been floated around are guys that are not even you know necessarily available on the market one is Eime Odoka which someone from the Athletic for Houston immediately shut that down i mean that’s just not happening the other one which quite frankly is is just another like if this is really the direction they go really is Jason Kid with the Mavericks and I know Jason Kidd’s gotten them to a finals i know Jason Kidd has been has coached a conference finals i do not think Jason Kid is is definitively an upgrade from Tom Tibido i just don’t yeah I agree with that i mean Tibs is top five coach right now he’s probably like five i mean there’s only a couple other guys that like you would definitely throw him away for being like Spo if he was healthy Tyron Lou and then who else yeah and if if your biggest rock if your biggest knock against Tom Tibido is the minute stuff which like yes that’s a very real thing and I understand like like you know like being needing to have like like rotate like like a dependable rotation but on the other hand if you want a dependable rotation give give them some dependable players to put on that bench like when your best when your best second unit player by a wide margin is Deuce McBride that’s a weak bench and yes Mitchell Robinson was was a big factor of someone they could bring off the second unit give him different looks that wasn’t there for the first 60 65 plus games of the year that just wasn’t even an option for the Knicks so I I just don’t see any scenario where they can bring someone in and they just suddenly have this revolutionary offense that that uh that that that explodes in a way that they didn’t already do in certain points of the season this last year and I definitely don’t see anyone who can come in and fix the defensive woes of having K and Brunson on the court at the same time especially not someone who’s a better defensive mind than Tom Tibido yeah yeah this is where like I don’t want to diss on player empowerment because I’m pretty much for it but it does kind of point to that of like when things go ary GMs are always going to point to the coach and be like “No no no they’re the problem not the players that I brought in who have these inherent flaws that have been exploited on every other team they’ve been on it’s none it’s not that yeah and I I just I have a hard time believing that this is a Leon Rose well on that this might be like a Tibs of like not a tib a Dolan thing of like hey it’s either you or him you know what I mean well yeah i mean I mean for sure at a certain point self-preservation does come in but Rose did also sign uh Tibs to that extension a year ago and on top of that Rose was Tibs’s agent before before she became the evidence is just too big that’s that’s Rose’s guy man yeah yeah exactly and so and and again if you just look at the years and years of of history of the New York Knicks and the decisions that they made and also if you’re just compared to decisions they made before enduring like before enduring Leon Rose this feels a lot more pre Leon than it does current Leon i’m not saying Leon is this uh you know is is this like inimpeachable like force like I actually think there’s some real questions about some of the decisions he made this summer of going all in but I also wonder how much of that is is is ownership coming and saying just get the deal done i don’t care what it costs cuz I mean the the biggest thing that is going to be like the black eye on on on the report card guard for Leon Rose is the five first round picks you sent to Brooklyn for male Bridges where yes Bridges like the idea of Bridges is about the best player that you can have as a complimentary player in your starting lineup someone who can create his own offense in theory someone who could be one of the best defensive players in basketball in theory but it just didn’t play out that way for the Knicks this year and you even have our own like our guy James Edwards III you know starting to float out there like does he like this role is he happy here and if the Knicks do have to move on from Male Bridges they’ll be lucky to get three first round picks back based on how he played last year especially when Luca only goes for one oh my gosh don’t get me started on that stupid Nico Harrison and stupid Rob Pelinko [Music] yep it’s the uh it’s the they can’t keep getting away with it meme for for Rob Pelinka just stumbling into these trades and then Nico Harrison being given the get out of jail free card of a lifetime in the in the lottery win of all years in the Cooper flag year you know who the most angry fan base is after that draft lottery right i mean it’s it’s got to be Utah or it’s got to be it’s got to be Washington right no it’s Dallas they’re like we can’t get rid of him now that’s a good point that’s true but also it’s like it also it’s like nothing eases the pain of losing a generational prospect quite like stumbling into another potential generational prospect oh Nico will find a way to mess it up don’t you worry oh for sure and I and the other thing I clocked and I’m not sure if you noticed or not did Cooper Flag seem super excited when Dallas won the lottery no he’s a role player now i mean if they keep the pick and they keep the the roster as is he’s like fourth option which I think would be fine for him and I think he’ll thrive in that but as the man number one overall pick not what you want to go into yeah i mean it’s certainly like like as far as being surrounded by other former number one overall picks like being able to play with like being able to have a mentor in Kyrie and AD is a great concept my biggest thing is if you’re a Cooper flag if you saw what they did to Luca Donuch you know on on the way out and just how he was treated this last year how how are you going to feel excited and comfortable about going into that into that market into that team and inherently trusting those decision makers like yeah this isn’t Luca as far as like the prospect as far as his conditioning his defensive ability all the drawbacks and things that quams that you had about Luca Donic that’s not Cooper Flag but at the same time that doesn’t mean that if you’re a Cooper that you’re not going to be looking over your shoulder a little bit if things don’t go well because you’re your front office is shown to be erratic to make illogical decisions to not necessarily back their word yeah i mean any NBA player any draft player I imagine they’re like I don’t want to be in Dallas now mhm yeah that is a that is a legitimate relationship or a legitimate like PR mark that they are going to have to shake for years to come and listen it might not be that hard if they start winning games if they can still flex the the no state income tax all those all those different things but I mean that only gets you so far especially when when players can talk about their legacies and like where like that stuff matters a lot more when you’re still making hundreds of millions of dollars regardless of where you live so yeah no doubt i mean I’m just sick of talking about Nico i can’t wait for him to make the next dumb decision he’s going to do oh yeah same here i just I I feel for the people of Dallas but also damn y’all got got real lucky with how that draft turn draft yeah again though if I’m if I’m a a Dallas fan I’m mad because I’m like I we need Nico out of here after all of that after all the press conferences and all the stupid things he keeps saying I don’t want this guy around right and assuming the 99% chance reality that the lottery is not rigged and and and and goes exactly the way you know that we see it in the you know in the video afterwards that’s released to the public if I’m at if if if I’m Adam Silver I’m like damn it like this is like this is the worstc case scenario for all these conspiracy theorists because that is like the ultimate like rod for them to cling on for for the conspiracy theorists like that is that just gets all the wheels turning everyone’s reaction immediately was fixed rigged like rigged like fixed like it’s it’s just to save Dallas from their stupidity he ain’t helping matters either too i just read a tweet today where he was praising Dallas for not tanking and it’s like dude like what are you doing you spent all this time dissing on tanking and then after they win the lottery you’re like I’m really glad they didn’t tank it’s like okay come on man i I I my my only thing I think he’s trying to do there is he’s trying to back and and and try and like convince like actually this this change I made and flattening like flattening the lottery odds is a great thing but like in reality I just I think he almost like there almost has to be a middle ground between where the odds were in the past where they are now because 25% was probably too high for the worst team to get the number one overall pick and that did create all this imbalance that we saw with tanking but this 14.5% chance and seems like Utah falling to the sixth overall pick and now they like good luck if you’re a marketing representative with Utah having to call people about getting season tickets what the hell do you sell them Steve what the hell do you sell them hey we got Lori still we’re not trading him hey Lori’s Lori’s cool we got We got Danny H and his son in the front office now things are getting cooking we got nepotism come on down i mean that’s probably something the Mormons are pretty comfortable with so I imagine I imagine that’s something they’re pretty pretty familiar with how that works somebody go ask Vernon Maxwell for his thoughts on this i would love to hear about it i’m sure Dwayne Wade was feeling thrilled about his investment in the Utah Jazz after how the lottery went i forgot he did that what was he thinking come on D wade dude that poor guy like investing into the Jazz like probably thinking he’s going to be able to be with Donovan Mitchell for his entire career and you know help him with his marketing and all that stuff and he’s gone and yeah you have Lori but good luck finding someone else so it’s uh it’s it is a heck of a time to be an NBA fan Steve i just that that is that’s really all I can say because like I mean obviously we have the finals starting this week we have the the draft just a couple of weeks down the road we’re a month from free agency we could legitimately 30 days from now be looking at the landscape of the NBA and saying “Well that’s completely different from where it was even just ago twin Towers it’s going to happen.” Yeah san Antonio has a chance to change everything houston it can make some real noise there are a lot of teams that have some genuine reasons and and ammunition to make some moves and when those happen we’re going to be talking about it right here on From Half Court also be sure when you’re going to check out your draft coverage that you go to Resall Pod and all of your podcasting platforms on YouTube Spotify Apple wherever you get your pods be sure you go and listen to Res Ball steve I can’t thank you enough man for being my draft guy but also just someone that I’ve I’ve been growing in this podcast space with just a great guy and you know love talking hoops with you man seriously thanks so much for being here yeah man i’m always happy and happy to be here talk Pistons talk NBA talk draft it’s really like the only podcast I go on that’s comprehensive normally it’s like just one of those things but it’s always good to chop it up about everything here again tune in the res ball pod like Sean said here this last three player pod yesterday was Colin Royals today was a duo tomorrow’s a chili killin our next three player pod will be Ace Bailey John Tan who I got a little bit of beef with cuz he actually was committed to New Mexico i’m from Albuquerque originally and then went to Wisconsin better fit for him but that would have been awesome not John Ton at UN M and then Peyton Sanford so definitely tune in for that to hear about shooters and two guys potentially in Ton and Sanford that will be there for the Pistons at 37 and both guys I think are a good fit yeah and I’m thinking Steve we’re going to have to find some time after the draft for you to come on and you know evaluate what was done some of the surprises of the night and just you know just talk about where where they go from there i mean there’s going to be a lot of movement happening so we’re gonna going to need you back to break it down yeah we’ll see uh Nico take somebody other than Cooper flag at number one that would be pretty hilarious dude if they trade that pick I swear that fan base will revolt in levels that I I don’t know we’ve we’ve seen in a long time i mean I hope they already bad i hope they trade it for somebody like Embiid who’s just like “What are you doing even more?” They trade Cooper Flag for Kevin Durant like guys we got KD ignore the fact that he’s 37 or 38 we got Kevin Durant and he’s on the last year of his deal it’s a great idea yep and also poor Phoenix i saw Manish via article saying that he he wants to be more involved uh going forward he wasn’t involved enough that’s his word i will say though I went to a game there this last season against the Nuggets um I mean if you haven’t seen Jokic in person go see Joic in person by the way he checked out i got to make that happen they beat him so bad that Joic checked out with one assist shy of the triple double it was pretty funny and you know they asked him like “Hey you want to go in?” He’s like “No I’m done i’m ahead by like 40 get me out of here.” But their their experience there is really good in the stadium like he did implement things where there’s like $2 hot dog $2 popcorn $2 drinks there’s like actually affordable things for everybody so I think he is definitely overzealous Mattishbia as an owner but and he also is one of the first that implemented the like forget league pass we’re going to give you a subscription to our team so that you can just subscribe to that and watch it anywhere no lockouts no blackouts um so yeah overzealous in the roster construction but in terms of like the fan experience and here in the local community I think he’s done a lot of good yeah all the other aspects of being an owner Bad Ishbia is night and day compared to what they’ve had no yeah robert just chilling on the sidelines with nobody but when it comes to building a basketball team he ri he rivals Robert Sarver it almost might be worse because he’s so willing to spend and he just puts himself into a point where you’re just you can’t do anything you’re stuck maybe he can trade for another guy with a no trade clause that’d be perfect have you heard the Have you heard people say the the cat for Kevin Durant uh trade suggestions oh yeah i just saw that the other day yeah so I mean it makes sense due to Devin Booker and and Cat’s connection but it would it would also be pretty hilarious if I’m Phoenix I’d do that deal right away if I’m New York yeah yeah yeah same yeah yeah but Steve thank you so much for being here and thank you to those for listening be sure you like and subscribe so you don’t miss any of the content that we have coming up thank you for listening we’ll catch you guys next time from AFC Court [Music]
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3 comments
Chaz to replace Beasley
Brea , broome , Lanier , Markovic or Kalkbrenner
More content, please!!