In today’s Piston Powered News, we discuss a trade that was almost made almost two decades ago between the Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the Piston Powered News, our newest feature column, we’ll be keeping you up-to-date on recent events and posts on the site. We’ll also touch on news related to the Detroit Pistons across the scope of the internet. In addition, we will recap the most recent content from the site and if something slips through the cracks that is related to the Pistons, we’ll inform you about that as well.
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In our review of this past weekend on Piston Powered, we look back at a trade that Phil Jackson briefly considered between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers, swapping Grant Hill for Kobe Bryant. We profile Darrun Hilliard, discuss the options that Hilliard and Reggie Bullock‘s late season surges give the Pistons off the bench, and Reggie Jackson doesn’t think the Pistons have a ceiling this coming season.
To top it off, if you thought the Pistons were done getting graded by national media outlets, you would be wrong. Chad Ford weighs in with a grading of the Pistons offseason, and we’ll weigh in on that as well.
With no further ado, let’s get started.
The Detroit Pistons almost traded Grant Hill for Kobe Bryant
By Duncan Smith
"It was a brief consideration, and evidently went no further than this conversation, but it’s always interesting to ponder how things would have gone for both franchises if a move had been made. Grant Hill went on to play his sixth season in 1999-00 and put together his highest-scoring season, averaging 25.8 points per game.It was also Hill’s last great season, as he suffered an ankle injury in the playoffs that he never fully recovered from."
Detroit Pistons player profile: Darrun Hilliard
By David Topham
"Hilliard appeared in every game between January 30th and March 6th. He averaged 5.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.1 minutes in the month of February. Bullock picked it back up and closed the season strong, sending Hilliard back out of the rotation, but the Pistons saw enough to be excited about his potential.Unfortunately, Hilliard’s 2016-2017 isn’t off to a glowing start. A stress fracture in his lower back forced him to miss the entire Orlando Summer League. While he should be good for the start of training camp, we were unable to assess any strides that he’s made during the offseason."
Stan Van Gundy with more bench options thanks to Darrun Hilliard and Reggie Bullock
By Joe Imburgia
"Defensively, Bullock has good size at 6’7” but can struggle to keep quicker players in front of him. If he can simply be an average defender, it would greatly increase his chances of becoming part of the rotation.Darrun Hilliard is a bit of a different player than Reggie Bullock. While Hilliard may not quite be the shooter than Bullock is, he can hold his own as he shot 38 percent from three on a limited 1.3 attempts per game. In addition, Hilliard has the potential to be a capable finisher around the rim because of his touch and strength."
Reggie Jackson doesn’t think the Detroit Pistons have a ceiling
"A lot of NBA fans might think Reggie Jackson is delusional for saying this Piston’s team doesn’t have a ceiling, but he may have a point.Not only will the Pistons have starters with another year under their belt, a bolstered bench, and experience from last year’s playoffs, but they will be even hungrier.This is a team filled with players who will back down from no one, and never stop going at it as they have made plenty of rivals throughout the league."
Chad Ford grades the Detroit Pistons’ offseason
"The Detroit Pistons overhauled their bench this offseason. Gone are Steve Blake, Anthony Tolliver, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jodie Meeks, who were replaced by Boban Marjanovic, Ish Smith, Michael Gbinije, Jon Leuer, and Henry Ellenson.I like the Pistons offseason moves, but how does Chad Ford feel?"
Next: Top ten individual seasons in Detroit Pistons' history
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