It was an eventful week with Joe Johnson and the Detroit Pistons agreeing to a deal and Shaun Livingston announcing his retirement.
The Detroit Pistons worked Joe Johnson out on Wednesday and then the two agreed to a deal on Thursday.
Prior to the news of the agreement, the Piston Powered team pondered whether they wanted Johnson to join Detroit. All in all, it adds another question to the Pistons roster heading into training camp with at least a roster cut being made before the Oct. 23 opener.
NBA news came out Friday when Shaun Livingston announced his retirement. Livingston had great athleticism entering the league but had it taken from him with a catastrophic knee injury that he overcame and won three NBA championships.
His story is truly remarkable and we’ll share more on that later. Let’s get to the Pistons coverage first.
Supporting local journalism
Beard: Derrick Rose has lofty goals for Pistons, but health should be top priority – Detroit News, Rod Beard
-Beard hammers home a well-known point about Derrick Rose and the Pistons.
Detroit Pistons mailbag: Does adding Carmelo Anthony make sense this season? – Detroit Free Press, Vince Ellis
-Ellis really dives in to the Carmelo Anthony debate, granted this mailbag was published on Aug. 19 but was the featured story when pulling up the FP Pistons page.
Pistons mailbag Sept. 11, 2019 – True Blue Pistons, Keith Langlois
-Langlois mailbag has a heavy focus on roster construction, what Ed Stefanski and Dwane Casey have done with the Pistons, in Toronto and thoughts on models for success.
ICYMI at Piston Powered
Detroit Pistons replay center: Blake Griffin post-ups – Spyros Papadakos
-This is a terrific video analysis of how Casey gets Blake Griffin into post-up opportunities.
Ben Wallace’s most memorable moments – Matt Clinton
-Big Ben Wallace celebrated his birthday on Tuesday and Clinton offered his favorite moments from the Fro.
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4 moves the Pistons should avoid – Aaron Kellerstrass
-In fairness, this was written before the Johnson news broke, but it’s now three moves the Pistons should avoid. What do you think?
Dennis Rodman: The quintessential Detroit Pistons – Sean McFadden
-Dennis Rodman was highlighted on a recent 30 for 30 documentary, which led to this column by McFadden.
What if the 2019-20 Pistons were a NBA 2K15 lineup? – Riley Nisbet
-Comparing this year’s Pistons to how they stacked up in a former version of the popular video game is entertaining.
Matthew Stafford is the Andre Drummond of the Detroit Lions – Ryan Love
-After a lackluster Week 1 performance by the Detroit Lions, Love found a common them with Matthew Stafford and Andre Drummond.
Around the ‘net
For this obnoxious NBA-fan-turned-sportswriter, Shaun Livingston deserves his props – The Athletic ($), James L. Edwards III
-Typically in the local journalism section, Pistons beat writer James L. Edwards III pens a phenomenal piece on his fandom and Shaun LIvingston.
Shaun Livingston redefined success – The Ringer, Rodger Sherman
-Sherman does a great job of capturing Livingston’s career and the injury that didn’t define him.
Why Shaun Livingston’s NBA career mattered – Los Angeles Times, Dan Woike
-Woike pens a poetic column on why Livingston, largely a role player, matters far beyond what he did on the court.
Thompson: Robbed of stardom, Shaun Livingston created something more profound – The Athletic ($), Marcus Thompson II
-Same subject matter, different way to tell a story. Here’s the quote that resonated with me, having met Livingston personally and knowing it to be true.
Shaun Livingston's NBA journey is one of the best a storyteller could tell. A rising star, horrific injury and the ultimate comeback to become a NBA champion.
— Aaron Ferguson (@Sports_Aaron) September 13, 2019
Through it all he's helped thousands of Peorians. A class act and great role model.
Congratulations, Shaun! https://t.co/wZY78pDaPO
"Livingston is an old soul clinging to the value of meaning what you say and saying meaningful things.“The greatest gift we can give is service to others.”"
That wraps up this addition of Around the ‘Net. Check back next week for the best Pistons and NBA stories we read.
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