Detroit Pistons
The 2019-20 Detroit Pistons can be defined by the absence of their star player and leader, lost in the wilderness of winter without their Mance Rayder.
What did we learn?
Blake was not able to stay on the court during the 2019-20 season, playing just 18 games. The Pistons were a semi-respectable 8-10 with him but they were toast without, a dismal record of 12-36 without their 2018-19 All-Star.
The lefty sniper Luke Kennard also missed a lot of time which further hampered the Detroit basketballin’. Yet this did cause for a beautiful segment to be born... The Pistons Injured Bench Gang! The Detroit broadcast would frequently show us Blake and Luke on the bench, showcasing their reactions and outfits which probably brought us too much joy. A flower growing in the cracks of the concrete. A sliver of sunlight shining through dark ominous clouds. We couldn’t get enough of it. And we got a lot of it!
Long live the Pistons Injured Bench Gang!
Andre Drummond got his 15 points and 15 boards, but Detroit traded him at the deadline to… Cleveland. From one harsh winter to the next, Big Penguin deserved better. (Or maybe not since he’s a penguin?) The real problem is that the Pistons got a ridiculously small return in the trade. @WorldWideWob put it perfectly: “they just traded Andre Drummond for a bag of chips and a roulette spin. god damn.” God damn, indeed.
Sure, Drummond’s contract with his $28.7 million player option for next season is not ideal, but Big Penguin posted 23 games with 15 points and 15 boards and nine games with 20 points and 20 boards! We found out that Drummond changes his jersey every quarter, going through four jerseys in every game. Apparently he thinks that the sweat makes him play bad.
We learned that C-Wood is most definitely a power dunker! (And so is Bruce Brown, kinda!) Christian Wood sure looked like a legit player to us. The analytics agree. C-Wood’s FiveThirtyEight Raptor Rating was top-50 in the NBA. Even better, he finished 18th in Player Efficiency Rating and 16th in Real Plus-Minus. Not bad for a guy that went undrafted and has played for five teams in four seasons.
D-Rose turned back the clock quite often this season and proved that he can still ball. Rose has one more year on his current contract and will most likely be a prime trade piece garnering interest from a lot of teams. The Pistons would be wise to cash in as best they can.
The Pistons are still the Wildlings, stuck in frozen harsh winter with a cold future ahead. But perhaps the future is not as cold as it once was. Trading Drummond and buying out the contracts of Reggie Jackson and Markieff Morris forced Dwane Casey to play the youngins, something that should continue as the Pistons attempt to build strength for survival during brutal winter in Detroit.
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What is the answer to our Season Preview Final Question?
If the Pistons scrape their way back to the postseason again, will it even be worth it? Not an ideal question to have on the table.
It would not have been worth it.
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Would our preseason Over/Under prediction have hit?
Detroit’s ceiling just isn’t very high. Even in the East, the winters here are just too brutal. UNDER 37.5 wins. (46% winning pct)
Pistons 2019-20 final record: (20-46) 30% winning pct
YES, our preseason Over/Under prediction would have hit!
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What’s Next?
Get Blake healthy.
Re-sign Christian Wood!
Trade up for LaMelo? He might help put some asses in the seats. We also like the idea of Killian Hayes, the 19-year-old French prospect, for the Pistons at #7 in the draft if he’s still available.
Try to land some free agents? Lol
We need more Pistons Injured Bench Gang!
Get Sekou Doumbouya a.k.a. Captain Cook to do more of this:
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Favorite Pistons Highlight from the 2019-20 Season:
DR. DOUM.
