Troy Weaver's biggest failure for the Pistons is still hurting the team

One of the running jokes during Troy Weaver’s tenure as GM of the Detroit Pistons was about his love of centers. 

Weaver kept adding them, culminating with the ill-fated “two bigs” experiment from last season that helped get him fired. 

He drafted centers, traded for them, took a couple as outright salary dumps, and after all of that, the Pistons are still left with a shaky center situation. 

Troy Weaver’s centers for the Detroit Pistons 

Here are the centers that at least played for the Pistons during the Troy Weaver era: 

-Jalen Duren 

-Isaiah Stewart 

-James Wiseman 

-Marvin Bagley III 

-Luka Garza 

-Kelly Olynyk 

-Jahlil Okafor 

-Mason Plumlee 

-Nerlens Noel 

Weaver drafted Duren and Stewart, who are both lacking in key areas. It’s too soon to write either of them off, but it’s fair to ask if there is a starting caliber center on the Pistons right now. 

Duren is lacking on the defensive end and Stewart brings little to the table on offense. In the case of Stewart, Weaver gave up a first-round draft pick to acquire him that the Pistons still owe. 

We had three certified bust reclamation projects in James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley III and Jahlil Okafor, who were all awful. Weaver gave up assets to get the first two guys, who showed exactly why they didn’t work out with their original teams. 

Luka Garza was a second-round pick who now plays for another team and Nerlens Noel was a salary dump who was completely washed. 

The best two centers (given their respective roles) Weaver acquired were arguably Kelly Olynyk and Mason Plumlee, veterans who know how to contribute, and both were given away for nothing. 

It’s what the Pistons lack now, as they could use a smart veteran like Plumlee who could give them efficient minutes on both ends without catastrophic shortcomings. 

It’s funny that after all of that center hoarding and talk about centers that the Pistons are left with the same questions they had at the start of the Weaver era. 

The modern NBA is dominated by skilled big men and/or guys who can protect the rim and defend in space. Right now, the Pistons don’t have either and it has shown in the first three games. 

It’s too early to know if Duren and Stewart can work as a tandem or if the Pistons need an upgrade at one or both spots, but for all his infatuation with centers, Weaver missed on almost all of them and left the Pistons with more questions than answers.