Palace Picks: Lifting the Moratorium Day

Every morning, Pistons Palace brings you the reading material you need before you start your day at the office. We bring you the morning’s Palace Picks — Detroit Pistons Links from across the web to get you ready for the day.

The Moratorium has been lifted! Rejoice, praise the signing of basketball players across the country! Nothing will hold back LeBron, Carmelo, and Charlie Villaneuva.

You know, the superstars of today and tomorrow.

The lifting of the moratorium will affect the Pistons today and most likely throughout the week as teams make signings official, figure out their cap hits, and regather themselves for another run at second tier free agents. Soon, we’ll found out the new homes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

The next wave will most likely include restricted free agent Greg Monroe.

We’ll keep you up to date on all the Pistons movements, but first let’s get to your Thursday Palace Picks.

Let’s start with the most recent free agency rumor. According to RealGM’s Sham Charania, Detroit is interested in Charlotte forward Anthony Tolliver.

"Tolliver has also received interest from the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets among other organizations, sources said, and teams expect a possible signing next week.For a playoff team in Charlotte, Tolliver averaged 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range. He developed a strong relationship with coach Steve Clifford and a leadership role within the Hornets’ locker room."

Speaking of free agents, Detroit fans couldn’t wait for the end of the season to dismiss Charlie Villanueva. Folks, he hasn’t gone anywhere yet. Earlier this week Charlie V launched a web series based around the free agency process. The first episode is based on the first week of free agency. The highlights include CV enjoying some Chips Ahoy! and kickboxing to stay in shape. Fun. Stay tuned the next episode is out on Tuesday night!

Let’s shift from free agency to the Summer League. The Pistons dropped their first game in Orlando last night, but that didn’t stop KCP who is dominating play. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wonders if Caldwell-Pope is a legitimate starter next season.

"Caldwell-Pope took at least 19 shots in each of those first three summer league games. And he’s consistently found a rhythm with all the looks and touches he’s received.But surely those touches and looks won’t be available once November hits, when Brandon Jennings, Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Greg Monroe will be active.Going from being the top option to the fourth or fifth is always a challenge for young scoring guards. Caldwell-Pope will ultimately have to find a way to stay effective on seven to nine shots a game, and that means being opportunistic.Caldwell-Pope didn’t exactly capitalize on his opportunities as a rookie, having finished the year below 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from downtown."

Crossover Chronicles takes a closer look as well at KCP and his performance in the Orlando Summer League.

"Caldwell-Pope had another strong performance with 26 points on 8-for-22 shooting. This time though it was his late-game heroics that made things interesting — ultimately coming up short.He scored nine points in the final minute to help bring the Pistons back into the game. His game-winning 3-point attempt fell no good at the buzzer, keeping him from his second consecutive day with a game-winning bucket in the dying moments.Caldwell-Pope has certainly been given the green light to score and shoot. The Pistons have entrusted him with this team to show what he can do. Efficiency is not what is important for him. But he is scoring in a variety of ways and has showed a ton of confidence so far this week. He is definitely the MVP at this point."

What’s next for KCP? He says it’s working on consistency.

Summer League Center Tim Ohlbrecht is looking ahead to an NBA career. Besides the Pistons, he’ll also get an opportunity to perform in the Las Vegas Summer League after a solid season with the Developmental League champion Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Ridiculous Upside had a chance to talk to Ohlbrecht.

"Ridiculous Upside: The Pistons are currently in the front of the pack at the Summer League; what has been the key to the team’s success?Tim Ohlbrecht: I think we have really good chemistry. We play as a team on the court and we’re one off the court, too. The guys on the bench are cheering for the guys on the court. I think we are playing really well. We have a complete team."

Pistons forward Josh Harrellson was expected to play in the Summer League, but according to various reports — he was too injured to do so. Jorts has been battling back issues, and if you’re to believe his latest tweet — it means that his time in Detroit is over.

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