3-on-3: Pistons Armchair General Managing

[jonathanlambert33]

1. If you were to replace Joe Dumars as the Pistons general manager, what would be your No. 1 priority with players currently on the roster?

Dan Feldman: Trying to trade Josh Smith. Because hes closer to Andre Drummond in age, Greg Monroe is a better fit than smith with franchise player Andre Drummond regardless of how their on-court skills complement him. And because this season showed all three cant play together, that means Smith must go. I know that wont be easy with his contract, but I wont be seeking much, and Smiths contract gets better by the day as it gets closer to expiring. I wont sacrifice assets to dump Smith and would stagger minutes between the bigs if it were necessary to keep him, but trading him is the preference.

Brady Fredericksen: Figure out whether Josh Smith or Greg Monroe are going to be paired with Andre Drummond for the foreseeable future. There is a lot, like A LOT, that this team needs to be where it wants to be, but until theres some sort of direction with the dysfunctional front court, its going to be hard to make decisions elsewhere. Monroe and Smith have both had down years this season albeit due to completely different things but they both cannot stay. I dont care if we clone Phil Jackson, add some stem cells from Red Auerbach and have Gregg Popovich spit on it all before finally throwing in a little Vince Lombardi for good measure; theres no coach making those three players work as a cohesive unit.

Tim Thielke: Try to find decent value in trade for one of the big three. The trio has vastly under-performed. I believe any pair out of it, though, can form an effective front line. Some of that talent, though, has to be moved to the perimeter. I think the simplest option would be Eric Gordon for Smith.

Priority #2 and #3 with players currently on the roster?

1. If you were to replace Joe Dumars as the Pistons general manager, what would be your No. 1 priority with players not currently on the roster?

Dan Feldman: Acquiring a top-eight pick through tanking. The Pistons shouldnt have another opportunity to pick this high anytime soon, and I dont want to squander it. This is an excellent chance to add a talented and high-potential player on a cheap contract. With one more of those, Id feel really good about the roster going forward.

Brady Fredericksen: Throw all of Tom Gores money at Eric Bledsoe and Lance Stephenson. Both are among the NBAs top up-and-coming wings and both are restricted free agents this summer. The Pistons wont be able to sign both, but being able to get one will be a big boost for the Pistons terrible perimeter game. The argument for both of these guys is simple theyre significantly better than any Pistons guard since um Chauncey Billups in 2008? But the argument against them is totally reasonable, too. Bledsoe has played at a max-contract level for 26 games, and Lance Stephenson has a screw or two loose and also doesnt have to deal with the spotlight of being THE guy in Indiana. Risky, but what team builds without risk?

Tim Thielke: The first priority has to be looking into the possibility of landing a star. Theres a long-shot chance that Kevin Love or Carmelo Anthony or Rajon Rondo may be attainable; maybe even Dirk Nowitzki or Chris Bosh. If any of those guys could be acquired without giving up Andre Drummond, that needs to be done. Everything else can be sorted out later.

Priority #2 and #3 with players not currently on the roster?

 

[Pugz]

i like these articles a lot.

 

[RipCity32]

Good read, though I certainly wouldn't throw money at Stephenson in the off-season. Not sold on him yet.