Detroit Pistons
Stan Van Gundy, the coach, has proven he can bring a team to the finals. Stan Van Gundy, the President, made…questionable decisions, to say the least. Either way, Van Gundy was relieved of his duties as both coach and president of the Pistons, leaving behind a team that both desperately needs to rebuild and also may not be able to.
Van Gundy’s last-ditch effort to save his job(s) was the trade to bring in Blake Griffin at the cost of Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and future draft picks. Griffin was drafted 1st overall primarily due to his off-the-charts athleticism and motor for a big man, injuries have sapped him of a lot of that. Credit to Blake for adding a serviceable jumper and above average passing skills to offset the athletic decline but the efficiency just isn’t there for a leading scorer.
That’s just the criticism for a healthy Blake Griffin. Throw in his injury woes and he isn’t exactly the ideal candidate to owe $132 million over the next four seasons. Combine that with the $76 million they owe Andre Drummond, $51 million they owe Reggie Jackson and the $30 million they owe Jon Leuer and they don’t have much chance to bring in more help.
They likely won’t be able to move any of these contracts, and their first-round pick was shipped to the Clippers in the Griffin trade, although they did manage to get into the draft by sending two future second rounders to Philadelphia. They made a solid selection with 3-and-D stud Khyri Thomas but things still aren’t looking good for the Pistons. First-round exits will likely be in their future, unless they can find a buyer for Blake they have no choice but to re-tool and make the most out of this roster for the next four years.
Verdict: Retool