OT: Detroit Professional Sports Teams Discussion Thread
To try and distract us from the stupidity that is threatening to drown us all, lets talk about something positive: Detroit's Professional Sports Teams.
I'm a huge NBA fan and the Pistons have started out the year playing great ball. Jalen Duren seems to have made a huge sophomore leap. Cade is looking like an all star. I know it's early but they've been tons of fun to watch so far. They play tonight in OKC if anyone is interested.
Next the first place Lions. They laid a stinker last week against a super bowl contender. Hopefully it's just a one off because so far this team has been exciting and extremely dynamic.
Finally the Wings. I don't follow hockey but ESPN tells me they've lost 3 straight after starting the year so hot. I believe in Stevie Y so I imagine good things are on the horizon.
Discuss
October 30th, 2023 at 8:09 AM ^
I should have added the Lions play The Raiders on MNF.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:20 AM ^
I am still in wait and see mode on the Lions, but I don’t take much from the Baltimore game. The Lions were playing every game with Playoff level effort to start the season and they just ran out of steam. It happens. They have themselves in a really good spot and it is now about peaking at the right times.
Pistons are fun this year.
I don’t watch hockey but I understand the Wings are playing really well.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:25 AM ^
I feel the same way about the Lions.
Sometimes you just lay an egg. It even happens to really great teams on occasion.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:28 AM ^
They had dead legs. It was evident from the first play.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:49 AM ^
If the Lions can get healthy after the bye, and add a piece to the secondary, they'll be fine. Look at KC yesterday. There are bad losses, and there's whatever halogens to them yesterday.
Bottom line: Chicago stinks, Green Bay is a year away from contending and Minnesota likely lost Cousins for the season. This is the Lions year to finally win the division and get a home playoff game.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:00 AM ^
Not just the fact that KC lost but also lost to the bottom-dwelling Broncos. And it wasn't close! Also SF has lost 3 straight, one of those losses to the lowly Vikings. Philly hasn't exactly looked unbeatable either. The Commanders played them close twice now and led most of yesterday's game.
I think we should consider it fortuitous that the Lions have won most of their games by double digits and their losses have been against good teams with playoff aspirations. Also there were mental errors abound in both games, and those are fixable!
October 30th, 2023 at 9:11 AM ^
Minnesota likely lost Cousins for the season WHILE taking down the Packers. That moves the Lions 3 games ahead of the Packers, pending tonight's outcome, with a win against GB in hand. Minnesota is 1.5 games behind Detroit and on a 3-game winning streak. If the loss of Cousins means the Vikings swoon (I don't know who their backup QB is - could Cousins get Wally Pipped?), that makes the road to the North Division title a little smoother.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:39 AM ^
Yeah I've had my eye on the vikings all year as a team that could win any game or lose any. There schedule is easy coming up.
Backup is Nick Mullens but he's on the IR so I believe the consensus is if nothing else changes 5th round rookie Jaren Hall from BYU. Expectations are NOT that he'll replace Cousins' production, but the same could have been said about Purdy last year so we'll see.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:59 AM ^
With a couple of notable exceptions, I find NFL QBs to be more interchangeable than most think.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:22 AM ^
Some highlights from the Pistons home opening win over the bulls Saturday Night
October 30th, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
What really makes me excited about that win was the defensive effort. LaVine scored 51 but everyone else was having a really hard time scoring for the Bulls. Also Ausar Thompson absolutely shut down LaVine in the final minutes of the game. He picked is pocket once, which led to a fast break alley oop, and forced a turnover when LaVine couldn't break him down with his dribble. He might be the best defender on the team and it's his THIRD game!
October 30th, 2023 at 9:19 AM ^
I think Duren is the best defender overall with Thompson the best perimeter defender. The team looks completely different from last year in a small sample size and the new coach deserves a lot of credit for the good start. Hope they can build on it.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:27 AM ^
While I follow college football more than NFL these days, Dan Campbell is a terrific coach and the Lions are a very talented team imho. Like Jared Goff and Hutch is a total baller.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:16 AM ^
Campbell is a poor game manager who does not understand game theory.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:30 AM ^
And yet will go down as the best Lions coach ever, for most of the people on this blog lifetime.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
For a while he had the most Expected points added for in game coaching decisions (ie 4th downs, FG or go for it etc.). The risk of going for it on 4th downs is that, well, sometimes you don't get it.
Can't find the source, but I know I saw it rolling around after the first few weeks (especially when people were upset about some Seattle decisions).
October 30th, 2023 at 8:28 AM ^
If the Pistons win tonight, it will mean they did something they didn't do all of last season - a 3 game win streak. Hell, they only had one chance at a three game win streak last season. I'm not a big NBA guy, but it turns out having an all-star caliber player is rather important.
As for the Lions...hoping tonight proves the last game was a bit of a fluke. The division has been all but gift-wrapped to them. With Cousins going down, it's likely no other team is going to make it to 9 wins, so just win the games you're supposed to and they'll be fine. That starts tonight!
Wings have looked good for the most part...the scoring surge at the start was always going to be unsustainable. Still, fun to watch, for sure.
Exciting times where all 3 are on the upswing after years of basement dwelling.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:30 AM ^
The Wings had a great start. DeBrincat was a huge off season addition - he already has 9 goals in only 9 games. He is also elevating Larkin's game as he finally has a top flite winger on his line. The last two games were tough as I think the Wings will still struggle against good aggressive forechecking teams and Winnipeg and Boston are both very good. I don't like the fact that Steve has constructed this roster so that there are currently no rookie or second year players. They need to work Edvinsson and Berggren into the lineup. I think the Wings will compete for a playoff spot but you will see them beat the bad teams and lose to the good teams for the most part.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:39 AM ^
They’re not totally ready yet. I think by the end of the year they make it to Detroits roster. But the wings just couldn’t sustain any O zone pressure and their PP was awful the last two. I think tonight they’ll get back on track.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:43 AM ^
I'm not that worried about the lack of youth. Injuries will happen and guys will hold their spots or get sent back down when they are done. None of the young players are screaming "play me in the NHL" like Seider or Raymond were. I don't mind the 3rd and 4th year guys being surrounded by experience and consistency that they have yet to experience in their careers.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:55 AM ^
I think Gostisbehere was another excellent addition. He's been a killer on the power play and is currently third on the team in points. Also curious to see how Sprong plays out over the course of the season - the Wings will need secondary scoring from players like him. Compher and Petry have been just ok to me. Holl and Fischer I have not been that impressed with.
October 30th, 2023 at 8:58 AM ^
Lions - Getting a little worried on the injury front. Montgomery out, offensive line banged up, wide receiver issues (at least short term), the secondary, etc.
Still the favorite to win the division, but need to get healthier.
Pistons - Still not loving the roster construction. Limits of 3 pt shooting will still be a problem. Getting better, but still need to add pieces.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:38 AM ^
Don't forget Bogdanovic and Monte Morris are both hurt right now. Once they return to the lineup the offense should get a boost, though Bogdanovic might be a liability defensively. Not sure if he will start like last year or ride the bench because of that.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:02 AM ^
I was at the Pistons game Saturday and the atmosphere was amazing. Hopefully they can far exceed expectations that were put out there by various critics.
With that said, still way too early in the Lions, Wings, and Pistons seasons to say they have all turned the corner yet
October 30th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
I love how Ausar Thompson is playing. His style seems to have refocused this team on defense. He's averaging almost 11 rebounds a game. He's not Ben Wallace but could have a similar impact on the team's mentality.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:37 AM ^
I did not like Thompson as our pick this year but I am so happy to be wrong.
That dude plays with so much energy. His court awareness seems really good. Once he figures out how to shoot watch out.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
Im not sure hes ever going to learn enough shooting to be a good NBA shooter. I think the upside for him offensively is as a secondary ball handler. Hes shown the potential for good handles, vision, & awareness for a rookie wing. Having him able to operate some p+r and push the ball up court looking for teammates while playing with Cade or Ivey will be nice.
Speaking of Ivey, starting Killian Hayes has to be Monty Williams sending Ivey a message right?
October 30th, 2023 at 9:58 AM ^
Regarding Ivey: I freaking hope so. I expected Ivey to make a huge leap this year so to see him coming off of the bench is a bit disappointing.
He plays with so much enthusiasm when he's in the game.
Hayes oozes potential but at this point it's probably fair to assume he will never put it together.
October 30th, 2023 at 10:27 AM ^
I half wonder if theyre starting Hayes in a hope hell show just enough that they can get absolutely anything for him in a trade. Word was they were shopping him all offseason with no success. A healthy Monty Morris is a better fit in the starting 5 than Killian and thats on the horizon.
October 30th, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
I'm really interested to see what they do with Bojan when he comes back. I think I prefer him coming off the bench.
The Thompson, Cade, Duren combo looks really good together. I'm not sure I want them to break that up
Williams is a great coach so I'm sure it will all be fine
October 30th, 2023 at 9:14 AM ^
Lions - Tonight is a sneaky important must-win in my opinion. At home going into a bye. 6-2 and a 2-game lead over a Cousins-less Vikings would look pretty pretty good. At that point I think Holmes should look to bolster the secondary with something, even if a non-flashy veteran. 5-3 is clearly not a complete disaster, but would lead to many doubts and questions.
Overall, I think the offense will be fine - it's a top 5-10 unit so plenty there to like. Will likely get Monty and OL healthy after bye. Defense - it seems like matchups play too outsized a role. Got eviscerated by Geno and Lamar (top half QBs); handled Ridder, Young, Love, and Mayfield (all bottom half QBs right now). Also handled Mahomes, so that's encouraging, but week 1 without Kelce, although counts, is a bit of a confounding factor there. A bit worried that good QBs will eat the secondary up if the pressure can't get there.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:37 AM ^
The Lions are a solid team, but I don't think they're among the league's elite teams. They can make the playoffs though, absolutely.
The Wings loaded up on above average players in the off-season. DeBrincat is a good player, but he's not going to end the year with 130 points.They have a better roster this year than they had last year for sure, but they lack difference makers. It's an audacious bet to try to make something happening with a core around Dylan Larkin, who is again a solid player, but not an elite player. I think they can make the playoffs, but I suspect it'd be tricky to do much once getting there.
I don't care about the Pistons really (the NBA doesn't interest me these days).
October 30th, 2023 at 10:09 AM ^
The Wings are building around Larkin on necessity more than betting on him. Year after year of plunging down the lottery is going to be a hard hurdle for this team to ultimately get over. It just doesn't look like the Yzerplan is going to get its Jack Hughes or Conor Bedard unless a mid 1st round draft miracle happens.
October 30th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
My big worry is that this isn't Yzerman at all, but ownership's doing. Being at the bottom of the standings for years on end is a good plan if you want to get the next generational talent, but a bad thing if you want to sell season ticket plans and merchandise.
College age kids and younger at this point have no memory of the Wings being pretty much the premium, standout franchise of the league for 15 years.
October 30th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
I think its a combo of both. Tanking for more than half a decade isn't a recipe for keeping ones job as a GM. And another multiple year run of being the worst team in the league still doesnt guarantee you any star player from the draft. At some point you have to start improving and showing a better on ice product.
Were hoping to be on the Golden Knights path now I think. They eventually were able to trade for Eichel, but they were winning more with quality line by line depth than generational talents at the top.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:44 AM ^
My confidence level is high with the Lions and low with the Tigers
1. Lions
2. Pistons
3. Red Wings (Hockeytown is back)
4. Tigers
October 30th, 2023 at 9:56 AM ^
Yeah, funny how long it took for anyone to even mention the Tigers.
They were obviously more competitive this year than last, but I fear it's fool's gold. They seem as far away from legitimately contending as ever. The number of players who would definitely find a place on every other team's starting lineup is startlingly small, and I don't know what they're doing in their farm system to set up every high-draft-pick starting pitcher for major injuries shortly after they reach the bigs, but there sure seems to be some problem there.
God, I love it when the Tigers are good. But here we are, once again, with them having spent more years in a row without making the playoffs than any team (except the Angels). Weak.
October 30th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
Angels and Tigers are my 2 favorite AL teams. Maybe I’m the problem.
October 30th, 2023 at 9:55 AM ^
Wings have been fun to watch so far, hopefully they can compete for the playoffs and keep building. Lions have been exciting too, but with their history, I’m not counting my chickens. If they are in first after thanksgiving I’ll think about it more, luckily the rest of the division stinks
October 30th, 2023 at 10:19 AM ^
Don't forget Tork hitting 30+ dongs.
October 30th, 2023 at 10:33 AM ^
More than a little worried about Jaden Ivey being a bust, he’s getting outplayed by Killian Hayes
October 30th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
No he is not.
Ivey will be fine. He's a guy who averaged 16ppg as a rookie. He is the fastest guy in the league who has the potential to be a lockdown perimeter defender.
I'm not sure what Monty Williams is trying to accomplish playing Hayes in the starting lineup.
October 30th, 2023 at 10:53 AM ^
Monty is prioritizing defense. Killian is the better defender. It is that simple.
October 30th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
What do I know
Whatever Monty is doing is working so keep on trucking
October 30th, 2023 at 11:00 AM ^
Against the Hornets he played well when Cade got in foul trouble…the bigger question is do he and Cade fit well on the floor together?
October 30th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Cade is the truth! Hope he stays healthy this year to keep the Pistons in play-in contention. My bold prediction for the team is that Ausur Thompson is the next Kawhi Leonard(hopefully without the load managing). Love that kids activity on the defensive end, and if he ever gets a jump shot it’s over!!!
October 30th, 2023 at 12:33 PM ^
It feels like this team's ceiling is playoff 6-8 seed. Is Cade enough of a superstar to put the team over the top and win a championship (not this season, just ever) is the big question I have. I hope so! So glad we got Monty
October 30th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
Good topic.
Lions: Excitement here in the D, but injuries are really starting to take a toll. I do think, though, that Detroit still wins the division now that Kork Coupons is out. That said, they need to use the trading deadline to grab some help in the secondary. You do not want Will Harris playing meaningful minutes at any time.
Wings: Another exciting start, but their division is ridiculously hard...it's just tough game after tough game. This is the year, though, that they sneak into the playoffs. I'd feel better about that prediction if they had better goaltending, but we'll have to see. Husso can get hot, as he showed last year.
Pistons: On the way up, strongly, and fun to watch. Great things on the horizon, and we'll have to see if they can sustain the momentum, learn how to win the close ones, and stop going into these funks where all of a sudden they are down 20. I am bullish though.
It's a much better time to be a Detroit sports fan than it's been, for sure.