Apr 28, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings drives for the basket against Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Dumars apparently did not read my mini rant about the dangers of falling for Brandon Jennings! Multiple sources are now reporting that the Detroit Pistons have acquired Jennings in a sign and trade deal that will send Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton and center Viacheslav Kravstov to Central Division “rival” the Milwaukee Bucks. The deal has not been finalized, but will be worth approximately $24 million over three years for Jennings, a feast or famine player who has been in Free Agency purgatory for nearly a month. The 10th overall pick and hilarious off-the-cuff bad boy averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists last year for the mediocre in every way Bucks. Jennings and Monta Ellis combined for an explosive if almost comically inefficient backcourt last year, though Jennings has always been a better point guard than his reputation as a chucker indicates. Handles both dope and sick, better than average floor vision, a willing passer when he’s in the right mood. However, hat terrible shooting is trouble. The Pistons need shooters, and in at least one sense of the word (a person who makes a lot of the shots he takes), he ain’t that.
But it’s clear the Pistons are going full bore in trying to jumpstart their great revival, having added Josh Smith (proven star) and Chauncey Billups (spiritual leader) to the highly touted potential wrecking ball that is Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond working in perfect harmony. I have my misgivings about the wisdom of pairing such an awful (charitably streaky) shooter with a front-court that can’t reliably hit anything beyond ten feet, but there’s no denying that Jennings and Smith are both electric competitors, and upgrades at their respective positions. With the Jennings signing, the rotation becomes more clear, as we no longer have to subject poor Brandon Knight to the Rodney Stuckey point guard gauntlet ad nauseam.
So in lieu of deep analysis, I’ll simply say welcome to the team Brandon. The Pistons needed someone with your edge. And goodbye other Brandon, as well as Khris, and Viachesalv (good name). I never learned to completely trick myself into thinking players were cogs or assets. It is not fun to be traded, especially for someone like Brandon Knight, a good player, a tough competitor, and someone who has had the Sword of Dumarocles hanging over his head for quite some time, never quite living up to his draft position and knowing he was not the guy the Pistons wanted long term at point guard. Best of luck in the strange murky land of Milwaukee. We wish you well.
More on this huge development soon.