S63 Detroit Pistons HOT OFF THE PRESSE(R)S

[IamQuailman]

Welcome to the show, everyone!

As always in Detroit, with an off-season comes plenty of turbulence. And I'm here to recap a little bit of the insanity that has gone on up to these last few moments prior to the regular season tip-off. Even JUST NOW we keep shaking things up with BLOCKBUSTER moves. But let's set the stage

Last year we engaged in extreme tank wars and were thankfully able to get a bouncy pingpong ball to fall in our favor, landing us in spot #2 after our initial projections had us at #5. Jumping in the lotto changed the script for us this season. We knew we could land an elite scoring guard with that pick. However, after working the phones a little bit, we came to realize there might be some additional wiggle room in jumping back into the draft, especially with the Grizzlies acquiring pick #5. With the Grizzlies in tax jail for at least 3-4 seasons, I decided to offer them their pick for next year where they could properly tank it out this year in exchange for #5... but then opted to rope in the Cavs to send out some cash considerations and other draft compensation to bring #3 into the fold instead of #5. Hooray for 3-way deals. Then came the hard part... I knew Bricker would be going #2, but who's #3? We loved both Griner and Markkanen and opted for Griner due to overall potential and skill set. But not drafting Markkanen will be a move that sat in the back of our minds until this very morning.... but more on that later.

After the draft, we shifted our focus to RFA where both Jeff Van Gundy & Remy Martin were set to get paid. First and foremost, fortunately, we were able to retain JVG who we feel could be an integral part of this team moving forward. He held out for a better deal which never came, and when the market dried up he came back to me on a relatively team friendly offer. We also tried our luck in signing a couple external RFAs, but those two, as expected, were matched with little to no conversation regarding a sign-and-trade. Then came Remy Martin, who we were on the fence with matching or letting go via a trade. We ended up bringing long-time Milwaukee Scouting veteran Vaughn Millsap, a Lakers pick, and some cash consideration for Remy. Milsap is a very capable and athletic wing who can play almost anywhere on the court except the 5 if needed.

Then came UFA, where we didn't really strike much gold, outside of bringing in Nicholas Zike... who is a player we absolutely adore. He is a true floor general and has good size for a PG. Most importantly, he signed one of (if not) the most team-friendly deals in the league. This put us in an interesting situation, as we had recently traded last year's pick Paolo Banchero for an developmental PG with elite abilities... not to mention giving us one of the biggest open cap space situations in the league.

After TC, we realized that we had really struck gold with Zike and that perhaps now was a good time to look into dangling Mac McClung out there to the league. We love the player and his potential, but he's still got a bit of a ways to go in his development and is due for a big pay day. Meanwhile, the Bulls were looking to unload Genaro Montoya's contract and get under the apron. They also had Lauri Markkanen, the player we loved at #3 but opted not to take. Lauri came into camp shooting lights out and looking like a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. After some fantastic negotiations and thoughts on what's best for this team now and in the future, we pulled the trigger on sending out Mac and Walker Kessler for Montoya, Markkanen, and Don Long (who we also had really liked for some time, even after his coming into camp out of shape). A move like this allows us to compete now while also developing a flurry of young and upcoming players.

The Present can be competitive, and the Future is bright.... all here in Detroit!

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: With Lauri almost a sure candidate to train purple and the Lakers undoubtedly doing the same with Banchero, do you think the league will regret voting to keep player training the same?

[IamQuailman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: With Lauri almost a sure candidate to train purple and the Lakers undoubtedly doing the same with Banchero, do you think the league will regret voting to keep player training the same?

I don't think so, mainly because GMs only vote in favor of things benefitting themselves. And if you have the potential to train a guy up, why would you vote against it. I personally don't have a huge problem with the current system. It adds more talent to the pool yes, but it gives people a reason to try and get/generate points.

[AngryBanana]

While you mention a flurry of young prospects, do you have any young prospects that are furries?

[greepleairport]

What's the value of netting Montoya in your deal with the Bulls? Do you plan to be a winning team this year? If so, can you do that with Montoya, Millsap and Chris Jackson leading the charge?

[IamQuailman]

While you mention a flurry of young prospects, do you have any young prospects that are furries?

No, we typically use the pre-draft process to flush out those candidates.

[IamQuailman]

What's the value of netting Montoya in your deal with the Bulls? Do you plan to be a winning team this year? If so, can you do that with Montoya, Millsap and Chris Jackson leading the charge?

I think the value is winning for sure. He’ll bring in more points alone than any of the players that went out. Additionally it allows me to stay on the win now-win later path without having to pay big contracts to any of my young players right now. Montoya is a short term answer for the squad but also brings a sense of veteran leadership and championship pedigree to the locker room.