OT: Pistons acquire Motiejunas/Thornton for Anthony + Pick
Who would have thunk that SVG would be so active as the deadline approaches?
See: ESPN Article
February 18th, 2016 at 2:58 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 3:03 PM ^
"Fare weather" fans = people who come only when bus fares are discounted?
February 18th, 2016 at 4:19 PM ^
PIston fans gave up because they have no A list star player and the NBA is set up for teams who do. You can't win it all now with a true team like in the mid-2000s. They changed the defensive rules about hand use and a star player can decide every important game. Totally different game now. The NBA is about getting a star either through the draft or free agency. Piston fans are waiting around for that. Otherwise, it's just really rich guys lolly gagging up and down the floor for dozens of meaningless games in the winter.
February 18th, 2016 at 9:10 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 2:33 PM ^
The Pistons are making trades to be a win now team. But they are so young they will be very good in the future. The Pistons are a fun team now.
February 18th, 2016 at 2:40 PM ^
Pistons are poised to become the second best Detroit sports team and maybe in the best if he keeps these moves up.
February 18th, 2016 at 3:43 PM ^
Hopefully
February 18th, 2016 at 4:06 PM ^
Is this a real question? I mean I guess you could make a (weak) case for the Tigers but the answer seems obvious.
February 18th, 2016 at 5:04 PM ^
Historically, it's the Wings. Currently probablty the Tigers has they are the closet to winning a title than anyone. The Wings are an okay team, but they aren't a Stanley Cup contender.
February 18th, 2016 at 6:13 PM ^
The Tigers just finished last in the AL Central and brought back baseball Brady Hoke.
February 18th, 2016 at 7:24 PM ^
had one really bad injury riddled year, and you're moving the PISTONS above them? The "haven't finished even .400 since 2009" Pistons??
Sure the Pistons are getting better. Might even finish above .500 for the first time in 8 years. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Tigers still have the best hitter in baseball and a revamped roster that could be really good if it can stay healthy and get some bounch back seasons from important players like Sanchez and V-Mart.
February 18th, 2016 at 4:19 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 2:42 PM ^
It seems like it has been a somewhat quiet run-up to the NBA trade deadline save for the Detroit Pistons, but then I am enjoying the actual willingness by SVG and management to go out there and try to build a young core to this team that will hopefully start a slow climb from the vast middle of the Eastern Conference.
Sort of concerned about Motiejunas because of his health issues, but if he came back at anything in the neighborhood of 100%, that's a good add in itself.
February 18th, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^
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February 18th, 2016 at 2:57 PM ^
They still have no shot against the Warriors or Spurs.
February 18th, 2016 at 3:19 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 3:44 PM ^
Agreed
February 18th, 2016 at 3:02 PM ^
A 20-something first rounder and second-rounder for Frye; a high-teen first rounder for Motiejunas and filler. . . if this is the biggest news for this year's trade deadline I think most teams are freaked out by the impending cap increase.
February 18th, 2016 at 4:06 PM ^
It's less that they are freaked out by it and more that it gives more options. Teams with guys with big contracts right now have less reason to trade them, as those deals become more manageable as the cap increases. And some teams that might have reached for a guy at the deadline are content to wait until he is a free-agent and just throw money at him then.
That's what makes the Pistons deals so good. They grabbed a young, talented player in Harris for multiple years at a locked in rate. And while DMo is going to be a FA, I believe he is restricted and the Pistons should have a good chance at re-signing him at a good rate. They will have Reggie, Andre, Harris, and Morris under very manageable deals for the next few years while the cap explodes and other teams will be spending a lot of money.
February 18th, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^
If we exclude Harris (as a pre-deadline move), then Frye was today's most meaningful multi-year move. Frankly I don't love this deal for the Cleveland: if they make it to the finals, there is a good chance they will be destroyed by the west. . . and I don't think they are a role-player away from a championship, regardless of how capable Frye may be (I guess they saved some money, but they lost a first rounder just as rookie contracts are set to become the best value in the league).
The only other players with multi-year deals who got traded were either marginal (Shelvin Mack) or getting stretched (Varajao). And of course there is Lance, who is a total wild card and may end up surprising everyone (though I wouldn't bet on it).
Point being: whether we want to say that teams are freaked out or prudently keeping their options open, few players on multi-year deals changed hands, which suggests caution across the board.
And overall I agree, the Pistons were big winners this year!
February 18th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^
for Maurice Cheeks memorabilia.
February 18th, 2016 at 3:33 PM ^
Lance Stephenson + 2018 first rounder for Jeff Green.
Memphis repairs some of the damage done when they traded for Green in the first place.
Clips trade a headcase and a pick for a slumping but versatile guy who stopped playing defense this year and will soon be fed to the Warrior's bench.
February 18th, 2016 at 8:16 PM ^
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February 18th, 2016 at 3:42 PM ^
Pistons might make some noise this year
February 18th, 2016 at 4:28 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 4:48 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 5:41 PM ^
Would have liked it better if it had been a second round pick instead of first. Guess the "rebuild" will include more free agency than draft...
February 18th, 2016 at 5:45 PM ^
You can't get much for a second-round pick in the NBA. It's not like the NFL where a 2nd-rounder is still very valuable. In the NBA it's nearly worthless.
February 18th, 2016 at 7:19 PM ^
...I just don't think they got much. Hope I'm wrong.
February 18th, 2016 at 11:23 PM ^
February 19th, 2016 at 10:05 AM ^
That's not how that works at all. The pick is Top-8 protected this year, Top-10 next year. IF the Pistons missed the playoffs, ended up with a lottery pick and it was Top-8, they keep it and then its next years pick that gets swapped. Otherwise it goes to Houston this year. If the Pistons make the playoffs this year, than the pick is probably somewhere 18-22 range and its not a killer to lose anyway considering what they got for it.
February 18th, 2016 at 6:10 PM ^
February 18th, 2016 at 8:18 PM ^
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February 18th, 2016 at 6:17 PM ^
The Pistons are one of the best young teams in the NBA
February 18th, 2016 at 6:51 PM ^
If you're a Piston fan you want a Republican in the Whitehouse. Its incredible the dichotomy in success for the franchise between the two parties. Going to Work Pistons under W. Bush and Bad Boys under Reagan / HW. Outside of a couple slightly better than mediocre Grant Hill years they've been miserable under Democrats.
February 18th, 2016 at 7:04 PM ^
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February 18th, 2016 at 8:34 PM ^
I'd rather the Pistons never win another game in my lifetime than this.
February 19th, 2016 at 12:26 AM ^