NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Who doesn’t like a great comeback story or, seeing a team rise up and be relevant again? The Detroit Pistons are on their way to being all that and more. With a talented young core, the all-important “assets” to make moves, things are looking up for the motor city. Questions remain but D-Town fans should enjoy this group. Getting the roster sometimes is easier than getting them to gel and improve. That is what we hope to see this year. When you talk exciting young teams along with OKC and the Cavs, Magic the Pistons are right there in the conversation.
Guards: It starts with Cade who at 6’6 is the type of guard who brings back some hints of Penny Hardaway. With his first NBA offseason under his belt, he hit the weight room, so I expect to see him post up more. He can’t turnover the ball at the clip he did last season as well. His size will help him punish smaller guards. Rookie Jaden Ivey has star written all over him it’s just a question of how long it takes to adapt to the NBA game. Killian Hayes will be a bright spot building off last season and heading into year 3. What if anything does Kemba Walker bring? He is a veteran who can help teach the young guys or he should likely just look for rentals on the motor city. Cory Joseph and Alec Burke will also add some experience to the backcourt. Both Cunningham and Ivey use their stop-and-go moves to create space and get to the basket. Ivey shooting 32% from deep should improve as well. This backcourt of the future will be a treat. Make no mistake about it things start and end with the guard play.
Forwards: The loss of Olympic gold medalist Jermai Grant will be a blow for sure. When healthy he was a stud on defense and got buckets. Pistons fans will miss what he brought to the table. Some questions will need answers. Is this the year Marvin Bagley III shows up and shows out? Saddiq Bey saw the contract the Heat gave Tyler Herro and If that’s not motivation I’m not sure what is. One of the things on my list that will be fun to watch is how much Bojan Bogdanovic will make life easier for Cade. From the spacing, he will open up and they should be a nice pick and pop duo and a nightmare for opposing squads. He also is looking for a payday which at age 33 could be his last so that should have him locked in. Isaiah Stewart will get some minutes at the four spot as well and help on the boards.
Center: If you look at tragic NBA stories the career of Nerleans Noel is somewhere in there so let us move on. I am fascinated by Jalen Duren he is a throwback for us old heads who grew up watching 90’s basketball. When it comes to him and Cade on the screen and role think Kidd and K-Mart during those Nets glory years. He is only 18 years old and raw but the upside is tremendous. If he can get a halfway decent mid-range game praise be to the basketball Gods. And again I think the red carpet has been rolled out for Marvin Bagley III to log some minutes at the five spot and show when given a real shot what he can or can’t do.
Summary: Coming off a 23-59 record the only place to go is up right? You can say it sounds corny but really the talent is there to make a nice leap and again with the pieces they can make more moves to improve. Cade Cunningham is more of a Robin than a Batman but, I understand that for now, he needs to fill that role. Strides need to be made on the defensive side of the ball where they ranked 24th in the league. Will adding Noel and Duren help with protecting the rim? Time will tell. Is Duane Casey the right person for the job? Are we looking at the streak of their last playoff win going to 15 years? I say YES but, it is going to be a fun season and with all that upcoming cap space they won’t be in this spot for long.
Prediction: 34-48 12th in the East
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