Detroit Pistons pass up ‘golden oldies’ opportunity

With the Detroit Pistons ravaged by COVID-19 and injuries, they added a bunch of new players to the roster, mostly from their G-League team. Other NBA clubs decided to bring back some old Pistons names to help out. Should Detroit have done so, as well?

With over 100 players, – at the moment – on the COVID-19 reserve list, teams around the league are scrambling to find emergency players so games can be played.

Detroit had always been extremely good about avoiding the virus. Until Cade Cunningham went into NBA Health & Safety protocols on December 22, not a single player had ever missed a game due to the virus.

However, like a dam, the Pistons invulnerability broke. Eventually, eight players went on the COVID list. With Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk already being out with long-term injuries, and two-way players Chris Smith and Isaiah Livers not ready for NBA action due to injuries suffered in college, Detroit was scrambling for players.

General manager Troy Weaver decided to play it straight. He moved up five players up from the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s new G-League team, and signed young point guard Justin Robinson, who was coming off a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Against the Knicks, Detroit was basically a G-League team plus three real Pistons (Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson and Saddiq Bey). Most of the players were making their NBA debuts.

How did they do? Not well. Diallo and Bey were on fire (Jackson left early in the second half with an ankle injury) but the rest of the team shot 18.5% (Yikes!) from the field.

The game did make some history:

Former Detroit Pistons Stanley Johnson, Joe Johnson and Greg Monroe back in the NBA

While Detroit was employing a Kiddie Korps to fill in the gaping holes on its roster, other teams were looking for more, how should we put it, experienced players. Since the COVID hardship contracts run only 10-days, they wanted someone who already knew the NBA.

After all, with many seeing their rosters wiped out, these guys were going to play. Winning, well that might not be a high priority for Detroit right now, but for other teams, fighting for the playoffs, they wanted someone who could help them win.

Veterans who had been out the league, some for several years, suddenly were getting called to suit up.

Among them were three with Pistons connections:

• Joe Johnson, who began his NBA career in 2001, was signed by the Boston Celtics and he scored a bucket in his first game. Johnson had been in Detroit’s training camp in 2018 but did not make the team (deciding to keep Christian Wood as 15th man instead). Johnson is a 3X3 star now but no NBA team picked him up after his brief time in Detroit.
• Stanley Johnson rose quickly to be a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers. Selected No. 8 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by Detroit, Johnson had four  undistinguished seasons with Detroit. Signed by the Lakers on Christmas Eve, the Lakers are hoping the trio of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Stanley Johnson will  help them move up in the standings.
• Greg Monroe

The Pistons passed on Paul George and Gordon Hayward to make the 6-10 Monroe the No. 7 pick in the 2010 draft. How long ago was this? Monroe played in Detroit with Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace of the 2004 NBA championship team.

Monroe was pretty good in his five years with Detroit, averaging 14.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, before leaving as a free agent for Milwaukee, where he never fit in.

Monroe had been playing in Europe the past couple of seasons but he was available when Minnesota gave him a call.

The Timberwolves inked Monroe for a 10-day and, well, he looked good in his first NBA game in three years:

Other golden oldies, like Mario Chalmers, C.J. Miles, Isaiah Thomas (Boston version, not Pistons) and Lance Stephenson also inked deals to help shorthanded teams. It’s like 2012 again.

Would Pistons fans enjoy having Johnson and Monroe making their NBA return for Detroit? It would only be 10 days after all. It would bring back memories, some good, some not so good.

Since the kids are not helping at the moment, maybe Weaver should sign some Pistons old-timers. Is Dennis Rodman in good shape? Brandon Jennings can probably still hoop.

Hey, have some fun with this, not like it will cost Detroit a playoff berth.