Palace Picks: Where will top Free Agents land?

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.

It’s the weekend and everyone is working hard on not working. That’s what it’s all about right? This father’s day weekend I’ve got tons of plans.

Grilling some wings and drinking some beer are all involved in said plans.

As well as bringing you the latest Pistons news and views. We might have barbecue sauce on our fingers, but who cares.

Let’s get to today’s Palace Picks.

On the weekend, we like to spice things up with a look around the NBA. We start with the great folks at Basketball Insiders, who bring us sneak peak at where the top free agents could land. In the video below, the staff touches on Pau Gasol, Kyle Lowry, Lance Stephenson and Steve Kyler talks about the value signing that Evan Turner could be. At four to five million dollars, you’d have to think he’d be a Pistons target.

Okay, let’s talk Pistons. Mlive’s David Mayo is back at it again with his infamous Pistons mailbag. He talks about how Luigi Datome should have a stronger role with Detroit next season.

"He came here on a two-year deal. A year of adjustment to the NBA game should serve him well going into October’s training camp. The Pistons have a desperate need for what he was signed to bring them, perimeter shooting. That didn’t show in Datome’s first year, when he received sporadic playing time. If he had made shots in the minutes he got, he would have played more. All the stuff about shooters have to play to get into a rhythm are true, but at some point you have to demonstrate that you can find that rhythm in the minutes you get. Datome didn’t. It’s a production league. But a big part of the improvement in this team has to come from within and it would be huge if Datome started next season making shots and didn’t stop. That could help mask any deficiencies in defense and rebounding, though he actually produced better in those areas last season than as the shooting specialist he was hired to be."

USA Today’s Adi Joseph looks at the Pistons draft needs this morning. He mentions some interesting names. On the wing, he sees UCLA’s Jordan Adams and UCONN’s DeAndre Daniels could be targets. He believes though that center should be the number one target for the Pistons.

"Drummond is the future of the franchise, but he didn’t have much in the way of backup last season. Josh Harrellson was OK but could be improved on, even in the second round. Harrellson also has a non-guaranteed contract for next season. This draft is weak at center, so the few good prospects all might have inflated value. But Michigan’s Mitch McGary would be a popular pick — making up for passing on Wolverines star Trey Burke last year — and has high potential at both center and power forward, where he could play alongside Drummond."

Dan Feldman, who writes great content at PistonsPowered, penned a piece for the Free Press yesterday comparing the 2004 Pistons to the 2014 Spurs. Dan says the one difference is the Pistons had a true superstar.

"Those Pistons will be remembered for their superb balance and teamwork — and they should be. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace complemented each other extremely well, and all filled significant roles.But contrary to what many believe, the ’04 Pistons were not a superstar-less team.Ben Wallace was a superstar.Certainly not in recognition, but absolutely in production. It’s a shame too few realize it.For a two-year stretch around the title, I would have taken Wallace right behind Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. The tier Wallace fit into included three other players, all of whom carry more name recognition but had serious flaws at the time."

Some interesting links across the NBA today, including an interview with former Kings center Vlade Divac — who has aspirations of being a GM someday.

"I would definitely find some involvement in the NBA with some team. Right after my retirement, I was doing some scouting for the Lakers. I tried to see how management works. I went to Real Madrid, worked for them for a year. That helped me to kind of develop some interest in management. So now my second term on the Olympic committee of Serbia — and I’m so proud of that, we did a great job — so something in management."

And… From the malice in the Palace, to a high school gymnasium? Will Ron Artest or Metta World Peace show up is the question — as he prepares to become an assistant girls coach at Palisades High School in LA. Head coach Torino Johnson:

"“He’ll be heavily involved in our program,” Johnson said, according to the Orange County Register. “We keep having, it’s an ongoing dialogue, but it’s all positive. There’s no out. The only purpose for this is to be positive and to be impactful — and this is of his choosing.”"

Nothing like bringing World Peace to the game of girl’s high school basketball.