Brandon Jennings to Detroit Pistons via S&T

[LooseCannon]

Cheeks will have his hands full finding a system that is going to make a young group of extremely inefficient offensive players, an efficient cohesive group. If that group is in the top 15 in offensive efficiency and wins over 45 games, Cheeks will deserve Coach of the Year. I don't envy the job he is going to have coaching this group of chuckers to be offensively disciplined and to stay within the system he sets up, that is for sure.

If Cheeks can get his team to be top ten in defensive efficiency, how efficient does the offense have to be for the Pistons to make the playoffs?

[greg683x]

lets not judge Joe Dumars too harshly just yet.  It's not like hes overpaid volume shooting, undersized shooting guards and PFs who like to bad shots and cant play in the post before.

[ManUp]

I don't see how adding Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith makes them worse? Especially when the only real loss is Knight. With guys like Smith, Monroe, and Drummond you'll see more of Jenning's playmaking ability. They need a SG (maybe their rookie KCP will do) and a starting SF, but they're on their way.

I think playing together their efficiency will improve, but from a production standpoint they fill the sheets.

Jennings
17/6/3
Smith
17/8/4
Monroe
16/9/3
Drummond
8/8/1

In the east that's a play-off team and considering the age of their guys they can grow together and get better.

[nickagneta]

Cheeks will have his hands full finding a system that is going to make a young group of extremely inefficient offensive players, an efficient cohesive group. If that group is in the top 15 in offensive efficiency and wins over 45 games, Cheeks will deserve Coach of the Year. I don't envy the job he is going to have coaching this group of chuckers to be offensively disciplined and to stay within the system he sets up, that is for sure.

If Cheeks can get his team to be top ten in defensive efficiency, how efficient does the offense have to be for the Pistons to make the playoffs?

Don't even want to hazard a guess.

Cheeks is a really good defensive oriented coach so its definitely possible he could make them a top 10 defensive team. I'm just not sure the additions of Smith and Jennings and the continued hopeful growth of the players remaining from last year's Pistons are going to propel them into being a top 10 defensive unit. At least not in the first year they are together.

We will see. I think it will be a tough year to predict what this team could do. Like a lot of teams after the top 5 in the East(Miami, Brooklyn, Indy, Chicago, NY) I think there's a chance they could be a 6-8 seed or a 10-12 seed depending on how fast they start the year and how much they want to tank in the second half of the year to land a chance at a top pick in a deep draft.

[LooseCannon]

Cheeks will have his hands full finding a system that is going to make a young group of extremely inefficient offensive players, an efficient cohesive group. If that group is in the top 15 in offensive efficiency and wins over 45 games, Cheeks will deserve Coach of the Year. I don't envy the job he is going to have coaching this group of chuckers to be offensively disciplined and to stay within the system he sets up, that is for sure.

If Cheeks can get his team to be top ten in defensive efficiency, how efficient does the offense have to be for the Pistons to make the playoffs?

Don't even want to hazard a guess.

Cheeks is a really good defensive oriented coach so its definitely possible he could make them a top 10 defensive team. I'm just not sure the additions of Smith and Jennings and the continued hopeful growth of the players remaining from last year's Pistons are going to propel them into being a top 10 defensive unit. At least not in the first year they are together.

We will see. I think it will be a tough year to predict what this team could do. Like a lot of teams after the top 5 in the East(Miami, Brooklyn, Indy, Chicago, NY) I think there's a chance they could be a 6-8 seed or a 10-12 seed depending on how fast they start the year and how much they want to tank in the second half of the year to land a chance at a top pick in a deep draft.

Last year, the Bucks were 12th in defensive rating and 22nd in offensive rating and they (barely) made the playoffs.  I think the Pistons have a shot at being better in both categories, but then I also feel that way about the Celtics.

I think Detroit is probably better off focusing on defense.  (Actually, I feel that way about NBA teams in general.)

[D.o.s.]

I was thinking, aren't Brandon Jennings, Rodney Stuckey Brandon Knight and Will Bynum just about the exact same type of player?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=jennibr01&y1=2013&p2=knighbr03&y2=2013&p3=bynumwi01&y3=2013&p4=stuckro01&y4=2013

Check out their career Per36 numbers and some of their advanced numbers.

Yeah, they come in slightly different sizes but they are all combo guards that kind of have to play PG because they are bad defending SGs, aren't very good shooters or passers or rebounders and extremely inefficient scorers.

One of the worst things that ever happened to this league was Allen Iverson. An entire generation of NBA guards trying to emulate him has produced some of the most horrific shoot first PGs this league has ever and will ever see but because there are so many guard positions to fill in the NBA, they stick in the league.

Strange that Joe Dumars has such an affliction for such players.

Dumars definitely has a thing for Iverson-lite guys (and even past-his-prime Iverson).

Jennings is probably the best of the bunch, though--not counting AI himself.

Lol maybe bc he played and won with Isaiah Thomas. You know, the guy the answer grew up emulating...

I mean, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Iverson fan, but there's a massive gap between AI circa 1999 and Brandon Jennings.

Or Rodney Stuckey. Or Will Bynum.

[Mazingerz]

IMHO  Both Jennings and Josh Smith are chuckers who didn't get enough vitamins when they were growing up.

[Galeto]

Where are these generation worth of point guards who have tried to emulate Iverson? The league is strong as it's ever been in the point guard position.  It's absolutely flush with great to good point guards and none of them play like Iverson.  Do some of them shoot a lot?  Yes but so did an all-time great like Isiah Thomas and a should-be hall of famer like Kevin Johnson.  You can do both as a point guard.  Oh my goodness.  Iverson has not been a scourge on the league, warping the minds of impressionable young point guards.  Yeesh.

I'd say the most influential point guard the past decade has been Nash.  Everyone does his dribble along the baseline maneuver as well as frequently shoot layups off the "wrong foot." 

[LooseCannon]

Best part of this deal is that we can end all the Rondo-to-Detroit threads in the trade forum.

Aargh, maybe I was wrong.

Detroit Free Press writer Vincent Ellis on Twitter:

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

Like I said earlier, move doesn't stop #Pistons from seeking Rondo. More of a matter they couldn't wait around to see what happens there.

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

Source said Rondo viewed as franchise-level PG so you do all you can. Also weak FA class for PGs nect summer also forced #Pistons hand.

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

@celticsblog I didn't stutter. That is obviously down the line, but pistons interested if celtics move him. Just like 10 other teams.

[Mazingerz]

Best part of this deal is that we can end all the Rondo-to-Detroit threads in the trade forum.

Aargh, maybe I was wrong.

Detroit Free Press writer Vincent Ellis on Twitter:

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

Like I said earlier, move doesn't stop #Pistons from seeking Rondo. More of a matter they couldn't wait around to see what happens there.

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

Source said Rondo viewed as franchise-level PG so you do all you can. Also weak FA class for PGs nect summer also forced #Pistons hand.

Vincent Ellis ‏@Vincent_Ellis56 2h

@celticsblog I didn't stutter. That is obviously down the line, but pistons interested if celtics move him. Just like 10 other teams.

Its just he writer's opinion IMHO

[Havlicek]

this year the pistons will be almost as mediocre as they've been these past years but a little more fun to watch. last year I watched some of their games just to see a few minutes of Drummond and they were appalling.

[Tr1boy]

Jennings is a streaky, inefficient, outside shot loving pg.
He is a decent passer (better than Knight) and plays good enough defense.

With time at best he could become a Mike Conley Jr.

Detroit practically gave up nothing for him, and they just got better, especially that Jennings is a purer pg than knight or stuckey .

The standings from the east i predict for the upcoming season

1. Heat
2. Nets
3. Pacers
4. Bulls
5. Knicks
6. Pistons
7. Celtics
8. Hawks or Raptors

[slamtheking]

Where are these generation worth of point guards who have tried to emulate Iverson? The league is strong as it's ever been in the point guard position.  It's absolutely flush with great to good point guards and none of them play like Iverson.  Do some of them shoot a lot?  Yes but so did an all-time great like Isiah Thomas and a should-be hall of famer like Kevin Johnson.  You can do both as a point guard.  Oh my goodness.  Iverson has not been a scourge on the league, warping the minds of impressionable young point guards.  Yeesh.

I'd say the most influential point guard the past decade has been Nash.  Everyone does his dribble along the baseline maneuver as well as frequently shoot layups off the "wrong foot."

I wouldn't lump Iverson in with either Isaiah or KJ. Those 2 understood ball distribution and could shoot better (especially Isaiah).

AI was a volume chucker that dominated the ball.  I agree that I don't see a lot of the current PGs emulating him -- and for good reason.  AI is not a winner and did not play a winning style of basketball. 

The closest player I see to AI in the league is Kobe in terms of being a me-first, get-my-stats, win-only-on-my-terms chucker.

[nickagneta]

Where are these generation worth of point guards who have tried to emulate Iverson? The league is strong as it's ever been in the point guard position.  It's absolutely flush with great to good point guards and none of them play like Iverson.  Do some of them shoot a lot?  Yes but so did an all-time great like Isiah Thomas and a should-be hall of famer like Kevin Johnson.  You can do both as a point guard.  Oh my goodness.  Iverson has not been a scourge on the league, warping the minds of impressionable young point guards.  Yeesh.

I'd say the most influential point guard the past decade has been Nash.  Everyone does his dribble along the baseline maneuver as well as frequently shoot layups off the "wrong foot."

Russell Westbrook
Monte Ellis
Rodney Stuckey
Brandon Jennings
Brandon Knight
Will Bynum
Kemba Walker
Damian Lilliard
Jeremy Lin
Nate Robinson
JJ Barea
Sebastian Telfair
Jerryd Bayless

[Galeto]

Where are these generation worth of point guards who have tried to emulate Iverson? The league is strong as it's ever been in the point guard position.  It's absolutely flush with great to good point guards and none of them play like Iverson.  Do some of them shoot a lot?  Yes but so did an all-time great like Isiah Thomas and a should-be hall of famer like Kevin Johnson.  You can do both as a point guard.  Oh my goodness.  Iverson has not been a scourge on the league, warping the minds of impressionable young point guards.  Yeesh.

I'd say the most influential point guard the past decade has been Nash.  Everyone does his dribble along the baseline maneuver as well as frequently shoot layups off the "wrong foot."

Russell Westbrook
Monte Ellis
Rodney Stuckey
Brandon Jennings
Brandon Knight
Will Bynum
Kemba Walker
Damian Lilliard
Jeremy Lin
Nate Robinson
JJ Barea
Sebastian Telfair
Jerryd Bayless

And all these guys are Iverson wannabes?  This is the generation worth of point guards he's ruined?  You claim that Iverson was one of the worst things to happen to the NBA because he ruined a generation of point guards (even though this generation of point guards has the position as strong and deep as it's ever been) and you list a bunch of really really short guys and/or combo guards who never had the passing ability to be full time points anyway as proof?  Okay.

I mean [dang], without Iverson, I guess guys like Telfair, Bynum, Barea, Lin and Robinson would have grown up to be above average point guards.  The position would actually have some depth.

Besides, Westbrook, I don't know how any of these guys play like Iverson.  In fact, if they actually played more like Iverson by attacking the basket and getting to the line a lot, they'd be much better players.  Monta Ellis would be close to an elite scorer.