Free agency is approaching and there is a lot to talk about. What will the Detroit Pistons do? How will their moves affect them? Where will the big name free agents sign? Here is the PistonPowered roundtable!
Me, Ku, and Martin ask and answer some questions about Derrick Rose, who we want for free agency, and more! Lets kick this off with the first question!
With fee agency kicking off today we get our first bit of Pistons news. It’s reported that the Pistons are the front-runners to sign former MVP Derrick Rose. What are your initial thoughts?
Ku: I think everyone knows how I’m feeling. I’m absolutely ecstatic. I’ve been a Derrick Rose fan for as long as I can remember. Witnessing his comeback season last year was easily the best memory and moment I’ve had watching the NBA to date. Having who was my role model growing up and favorite athlete play for my hometown team, let alone the team I cover, is absolutely insane for me. Rose will help the Pistons immediately off the bench, and the lack of scoring we’ve grown accustomed to for Detroit will be no more with him on the team.
Jordan: I love it. He was my second choice behind Seth Curry in terms of affordable backup point guard options. Talent wise, I think he was the best of the options, but the injury history concerns me. The last time he played in 70 plus games was his MVP season in 2010-2011. This makes it very important for the Pistons to avoid another Jose Calderon situation and make sure they have a third point guard option who can handle some extended minutes. Rose is going to be perfect for the second unit, coming in and bringing a scoring punch. I do think he’s an underrated passer when he isn’t looking to score as well. I’m taking his improved 3-point shooting numbers with a grain of salt, but at the very least he’s an upgraded shooter from Ish Smith.
Martin: With Darren Collison‘s unexpected retirement just a few days before free agency, I had to change my list of backup point guards I want the Pistons to go after. Seth Curry moved up to my top spot. But it’s looking like he will join a different team. And with Kemba Walker likely signing a deal with the Boston Celtics, Jeremy Lamb is probably out of the question as well. Charlotte should have no problem spending a little extra to keep him. That puts Derrick Rose at my next top spot. I think Rose could do well with the team. He’s easily going to give the Pistons a new driving threat. And I’m not too worried about his health issues. The Pistons have a great medical staff team. And they have proven it this season with Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin. This could pay off big time for the Pistons.
Some are speculating that signing Derrick Rose means that Reggie Jackson is being moved. Thoughts?
Jordan: I don’t think that signing Rose signals that there’s an inevitable Reggie Jackson move coming. However, I do think that this gives the Pistons way more flexibility than they had if they are looking to deal Jackson. Regardless of the injury concerns, Derrick Rose can still start at the point guard spot if he needs to, unlike Ish Smith in previous years. This opens the door for trading Reggie for an upgrade at the wing spot as opposed to needing a starting point guard back in that deal.
Ku: If Jackson is being moved, it won’t have anything to do with Rose. While many label me a Stan of Rose, I’m not stupid. I do think Rose talent level matches up with a starting point guard in this league, but his injury risks simply make it impossible to expect him to be the planned starter for any NBA team at this point in his career. If the front office ends up moving Jackson, it won’t be because we signed Rose. It’ll be because the front office doesn’t believe in Jackson and wants to go another direction.
Martin: Reggie Jackson is a better player than Rose is. Reggie has just came off a healthy season playing all 82 games. And most importantly, he has shown that he can be a great perimeter player. Rose on the other hand isn’t that. He shot 37 percent from three last season. But the second half of the season showed a poor shooting finish for him. He shot 13 percent from three in the second half of the season. I’d be surprised if Reggie is moved.
Which Piston player benefits the most from a DRose signing?
Jordan: I think Jordan Bone is the guy who benefits most from DRose coming to town. Bone is a hyper athletic point guard who can learn a thing or two from the original hyper athletic, explosive point guard himself. Rose has said to wants to take on more of a mentorship role as he approaches the later stages of his career, and I’m sure all of the new young-ins on the team will benefit from his presence. Who doesn’t want to play with a former MVP?
Ku: I think Jordan’s answer is on point. I was tempted to say Blake Griffin, simply because Rose is another player who can put the ball in the basket; which the Pistons desperately needed. But, Bone is going to learn a lot from the former MVP. I watched highlights of Bone and the first name that popped to my head was Rose. Bone has that twitchy athleticism that I grew up seeing from Rose in Chicago. There’s no better player to learn how to handle your body, athleticism, and learn to grow the rest of your game from than Rose.
Martin: I’m surprised the other two guys didn’t choose Andre Drummond as the guy who will benefit the most. Over his career, Derrick Rose has made a living driving and finishing in the paint. In his MVP season, Rose averaged 25 points a game while only making 1.5 threes a night. The majority of his points came from getting to the rim. Rose has never played with someone that played the pick and roll anywhere close to how well Drummond plays it. Teams will be forced to play Rose and Drummond differently in this situation. Watch out for some deadly lobs!
The Rose to Detroit deal isn’t finalized yet, let’s play devils advocate and say the deal falls through. Who else on the point guard market would you like to see the Pistons grab?
Jordan: I would’ve loved to see the Pistons grab Darren Collison before you know, he retired perfectly healthy at the age of 31. But since we can’t always get what we want, My go-to option here would be Seth Curry. The downside to Curry is he isn’t that good at creating his own shots, but boy can he shoot. Adding a combo guard like him who’s a career 44 percent shooter from beyond the arc would be huge for this team that’s been full of shooters who can’t shoot (It feels like I should trademark that term before someone else gets to it).
Ku: I think the obvious answer is Seth Curry. I wanted Curry last off-season, but the Pistons didn’t take that route. If the Rose deal were to fall apart, Curry should be the immediate second option. As Jordan said, Curry is a 44 percent career three-point shooter and the Pistons need some shooting badly.
Martin: The answer is Seth Curry. Both Jordan and Ku nailed the answer. Curry is a lethal shooter. The Pistons desperately need shooting. The Pistons could hand over the bench playmaking to Luke Kennard.
There’s still a gaping hole in the backup center spot. Who’s someone you could see the Pistons signing with some of, or all of their$3.29M bi-annual exception?
Jordan: I’m split right down the middle on Kyle O’Quinn, Robin Lopez and JaVale McGee. Each and every one of them can defend and rebound, which is an absolute must coming off the bench. When Andre Drummond is getting some rest, the Pistons can’t afford to get outrebounded as they have over the last few years. These guys could really help that. There are a few better options out there, but I don’t think they’re in our price range. As I’m saying this I think JaVale would be my number one option here, but I wouldn’t be mad at either of these guys.
Ku: I’d love for us to sign McGee, but I think he ends up outside of the Pistons pay-range. Therefore, I’ll say Dewayne Dedmon; who also may be outside the Pistons pay-range. It’s going to be difficult depending on how much the Pistons can spend, but if the money matches up I’d go after the Shaqtin’ a Fool Hall of Famer.
Martin: I think if the Pistons do sign Derrick Rose, they wont have enough money to sign JaVale McGee or Dewayne Dedmon. That being said, I think the Pistons should choose Kyle O’Quinn. He’s a cheap center that will bring hustle and solid defense off the bench. Although his stats may not show it, he will bring a lot of good things to the team. Just please Detroit, do NOT bring back Zaza Pachulia!
General NBA rapid fire: Where do you see these players landing?
Kawhi Leonard – Jordan: Clippers Ku: Toronto Martin: Toronto
Kevin Durant – Jordan: Clippers Ku: Knicks Martin: Knicks
D’Angelo Russel – Jordan: Timberwolves Ku: Timberwolves Martin: Phoenix
Al Horford – Jordan: Lakers Ku: Lakers Martin: Sacramento
Jimmy Butler – Jordan: Rockets Ku: Miami Martin: Lakers
Tobias Harris – Jordan: Mavericks Ku: Utah Martin: Brooklyn
Demarcus Cousins – Jordan: Knicks Ku: Knicks Martin: Knicks
What’s your free agency predictions?