Where are the Detroit Pistons going?

The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of another injury plagued season. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things as the Pistons likely weren’t going to win a championship this season anyways–and in all likelihood, not in the next few seasons. Therein lies the issue. The Pistons are not positioned to win a championship under the current construction of the team.

The Detroit Pistons surprised us all with its hot start. For the first time in a couple of seasons, the Pistons felt exciting.

But the excitement, at least for me, was tempered as I knew that the team realistically didn’t have much of a chance to win a title this season.

However, I also thought that with a strong season the Pistons could appeal to a greater population of players and slowly but surely build a team that could compete with the best in the NBA over the next several years.

Maybe the Pistons get a top four seed this season, I thought to myself. Maybe Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Bower move around a few contracts for draft picks to clear some cap space and net another piece of the puzzle.

The problem with that theory is that the Pistons don’t have much wiggle room when it comes to cap space. Moreover, the team has a few bad contracts that would be hard to move. Specifically, Boban Marjanovic’s and Jon Leuer’s.

Unfortunately, I think Reggie Jackson’s contract might fall into that category as well.

In other words, even if the Pistons were able to attract a player in free agency, it would be difficult to offload these contracts without completely mortgaging the future.

Without many liquid assets, its hard for the Pistons to do much, even in the trade market. The Pistons would have to perform a completely lopsided trade in its favor to improve the team enough to position itself to win it all and there aren’t many of those sorts of trades going around.

That leaves only two other avenues from improvement for the Pistons: Internal development and the NBA draft.

In the Stan Van Gundy era, the Pistons don’t have return on investment through the draft.

Stanley Johnson has taken his lumps over the years and may or may not develop into the player many of us thought he could be. Henry Ellenson has earned a chance to play (according to Van Gundy) but doesn’t, and Luke Kennard has found himself in Stan Van Gundy’s dog house–a staple for all young players under Van Gundy.

That ends the list of first round draft picks under Van Gundy in his tenure in Detroit. The only other player worth mentioning here is Spencer Dinwiddie who is playing terrific for another team.

At the rate it takes Van Gundy to trust his young players, it’s going to be a few seasons before we see much development and because of their lack of playing time in the first half of their contract, there is bound to be a learning curve.

Part of the problem is not that Van Gundy is completely unfair to rookies (though I believe he is a bit too stubborn and short with them), but that the team is drafting incomplete players with blemishes to their game–a staple for mid to late first round draft picks.

The other problem is that the Pistons are too good to be in the running for a top pick, which means the Pistons title chances hinge directly on Van Gundy’s ability to navigate the trade market, sign players for value contracts, and develop his players.

There again, how much can Van Gundy tap into players who are lesser than most from a talent perspective? It’s not impossible, just look at the San Antonio Spurs (who in fairness started with a top overall pick in Tim Duncan). However, it is nearly impossible.

As for my other points, how well can we say Van Gundy has developed his players, managed salaries, and navigated the trade market?

Overall, I would say he’s been ok.

What I am trying to lead up to is this: Where are the Detroit Pistons going?

I think this team has some fun and talented players, but if we are projecting long-term, it’s hard to see this team developing into a title contender under the current circumstances.

There has to be a variable change, and to me that change starts and ends with Van Gundy’s trade philosophies to this point, and his management of the salary cap.

I believe Van Gundy should be placing more emphasis on draft picks. In the past, Van Gundy has been quick to part with a draft pick if it meant acquiring a better asset in return.

A fine strategy, and one that has worked particularly well considering he hasn’t had to part with a first round pick yet.

However, Van Gundy hasn’t taken to the other side of the spectrum yet, which is parting with a talented player in exchange for a promising draft pick.

Van Gundy needs to take the Boston Celtics approach and acquire as many draft picks as possible in an effort to provide more chances to land a top pick for the organization.

By no means is this piece advocating for tanking, though I do see merit in that approach. What I am suggesting, however, is that the Pistons continue to try to win as many games as possible while parting with pieces of the roster that could be considered short-term or lost causes.

For example, if there is a team out there that is willing to give the Pistons a first round pick for Stanley Johnson then the Pistons should think long and hard about taking that deal–particularly if the team decides Johnson isn’t a fit in its system.

If it’s a team that is projected to pick top five, great! However, the Pistons real aim should be future picks years in advance as the former scenario is highly unlikely.

By pivoting the focus to the long-game, something I think Van Gundy has struggled with in his dual role, the Pistons might find itself in a position to have a serviceable roster, with good chemistry and veteran leadership, and a mix of high profile picks.

That’s as good of a position to be in as any, and the surest way to building a title contender.

At some point, something is going to have to change. Maybe the Pistons get lucky and land a stud in a trade. Maybe the team gets lucky and drafts the next Paul George or Kawhi Leonard in the late lottery.

I think, however, the team is going to have to take a different approach and start thinking about the long haul. If that means tanking, I would understand the decision. If that means acquiring draft picks and parting with talented players because you realize the team can’t win under its current construction, then I agree with that approach too.

Next: Detroit Pistons’ Reggie Jackson out at least 6-8 weeks

What I don’t agree with is doing what the Pistons have been doing which has the team nearly maxed out financially with a middle of the pack roster and few possibilities for much meaningful improvement.