NYLion

I don't know how reliable Jack Fischer is but, this is what he said recently... Grant seemed to be at the top of their list. He and Lillard have a relationship dating back to their days with Team USA, and they share an interest in playing together once again, sources said. In years prior, Lillard has indicated to Portland leadership several two-way, rangy wings such as Grant, Ben Simmons, Aaron Gordon and Jaylen Brown as the type of playing partner he preferred, sources said. Grant has been linked to them heavily for months now and the rumors around the deadline were that they were designing this offseason around building a contender to keep Lillard happy so while they might not want to give up the pick for Grant, they might have to or risk frustrating Lillard even further. Personally, I think they're stupid for taking this route and they should blow it up but, hey, if they want to be stupid Weaver is here to take advantage of the stupidity if need be.

The articles I read on that back in January stated that he met the one year requirement. I don't know, it would be pretty crazy for them to give him the go ahead to declare only to rip it right from him. I'm pretty sure his "team" did their due diligence so I can't imagine that they'd go ahead with this if there was any doubt concerning his eligibility.

It's possible that I'm reading too much into it. In any event, it's an extreme longshot that the Lions land him anyway.

Why would he declare if he's not yet eligible? It seems like something that is a formality at this point.

That's what I'm saying. If you're giving up two 1sts (the two Rams picks) or #32 and 34 for a receiver, you're putting a lot of belief in your QB by basically fast tracking this to more of a win now situation when in reality, the team is very far away from being in win now mode. Also, giving up two high picks is two less opportunities to build up the defense so essentially, they're leaning more heavily on the offense (Goff) to win them games.

If you give up significant draft capital, and commit elite receiver money to Deebo, you're putting all your eggs in the Goff basket hoping that the offense can outscore teams for the next however many years. You're also banking on Deebo to stay healthy which is a serious question mark considering his style of play. He's probably my favorite receiver in the league to watch, the guy plays receiver like a linebacker, but I don't think it's the right move for a team in the very beginning of a rebuild that has so many holes to fill still.

He was already ruled eligible a couple of months ago I believe. That's when all this hoopla started about whether he will declare or not.

Anybody else having a hard time justifying any of these guys available at 2? Thibodeaux with the me first personality (I highly doubt that Holmes and Campbell take him because of that) and inconsistent motor, Walker who wasn't even the best player on his college defense, Willis because of his raw he is, nobody wants to take a safety or corner unless they're generational which Sauce and Hamilton don't look to be, is Jordan Davis anything more than a high level run stuffer? No true franchise receiver like a Chase for instance. God, this draft sucks at the top. Personally, I think Walker is the likely pick but that's quite a reach for a guy who might not be more than another Trey Flowers. I'm inclined to lean towards Willis since they'll never get more value out of this pick than a QB if he pans out. With so many question marks, why not take the question mark with the most upside at the most important position? I don't know, I'd look for a trade down for a return way below the trade chart. For instance, if Carolina wanted to trade a future 3rd or something like that to move up to 2 if they're concerned about the Lions maybe nabbing Willis then I'd probably do it. I'm actually more interested in what they might do at 32. Would they take a QB there or entertain a trade down to a team wanting that 5th year option for a QB? There should be some good talent available there. A good draft depthwise, a historically bad draft to have a top pick.

Luka shot 32 and 31% from three in his first two seasons. He's not an elite 3 point shooter, he's a high volume 3 point shooter. Don't get me wrong, he's a great scorer but his greatest value is his ability to facilitate. He's absolutely elite at getting to his spots and creating for others. I see Cade in a similar vein although he's not quite the playmaker that Luka is. Cade's greatest asset will be his ability to create mismatches due to his size and wide array of moves sucking in the defense and creating good shots for himself or others. The 3 point shooting will be a bonus and is something that I fully expect him to improve on because that stroke is smooth.

The difference being that Okudah doesn't have the misfortune of being developed by one of the most incompetent coaching staffs in NFL history.

Actually, Stackhouse was the running mate to Hill, back when the Pistons used to win trades regularly, but the mix just wasn't good enough to vault them higher than a 2nd tier team. They had some pretty good seasons though.

I couldn't care less about ROY, it's an award that means very little in the long run. What I'm absolutely sure of is that the Pistons got the best player in this draft. On another note, I'll pose a question for you guys. Do you prefer that Weaver stick with the slow build or for him to dip into free agency for a higher caliber player than Plumlee/Olynyk? Brunson, Bridges, Mitchell Robinson (if you consider him as a bigger ticket FA). I'm a bit torn, they have a big need for a PG (Brunson) and paint protecting center (Robinson) but I don't want Weaver overspending either. I'm sure the draft will dictate how they approach free agency somewhat but I also think this team can take a sizeable jump forward next season if they fill both of those holes in the offseason, draft and free agency or trade.

According to James Edwards III who, as far as I know, is pretty connected, he thinks that the Pistons have Murray at #4 and I believe he said earlier in the season that they had Murray rated higher than Banchero so just some food for thought. I like Murray well enough but I'd be somewhat disappointed if he's their pick at 4 with more athletic, higher upside guys available.

Hutch or Thibs, I don't think they should overthink it unless they find some serious character flaws with Thibs. Walker has an immense athletic profile but he's been predominately an edge setter/run stuffer in college so you're banking on a projection of him being something more than what he ever was in college. Hard to evaluate him because he was kind of lost in the mix of a bunch of high level NFL prospects on that defense but I think there's very real risk that his upside is nothing more than a Trey Flowers type. He was projected as a mid to late 1st rounder before the combine so this jump is almost exclusively due to his combine performance and not game tape. That's a bit concerning to me.

Curious, who did they have at 11? Mathurin at 12 seems crazy to me too. I have him in the top 5 tbh. Scouts seems to really be falling in love with Murray lately. I'm seeing a lot of top 5 projections for him recently. I like Murray too but I'm not sure that he has as much upside as some of the more athletic younger prospects in that 2nd tier.

I'd like to think that I'm pretty knowledgeable about most NBA players, even the scrubs, and even I didn't recognize most of the names in that lineup. They sat their NBA scrubs to play G League level scrubs. Might be time to shut down Cade and the boys for the season and go with their own stealth tank lineup.

I don't think they matter much anymore

OKC came back from 18 down midway through the 4th I believe with one of the worst lineups I've ever seen an NBA team put on the court. Hell, I don't even think that team would make the playoffs in the G League.

Cade does a lot more than just score though and has been playing well for longer than Green has. With that said, Green will likely be the best scorer in this draft when all is said and done, which is what pretty much everybody predicted. ROY doesn't matter anyway. I have little doubt that Cade will wind up being the best player in this draft class, he's just too damn good in a lot of areas. I think he has top 10 player in the league potential.

Pretty much, especially in a draft like this where there's a greater chance that the best player comes from outside the top 4 than a normal draft. Also, as has been mentioned ad nauseum, the odds of finishing top 4 are largely unchanged from 1-4 so the only real effect from dropping a few spots is a greater chance of finishing 5-7 which really isn't a big deal (8 is virtually impossible unless they pass Indiana too so top 7 is pretty much guaranteed). They're going to need the luck of the lottery balls regardless of where they finish. I think there's an outside of chance of finishing 3rd after OKC shockingly won last night. They play the G League Blazers at home and the L.A. teams who should have nothing to play for so you'd think that they can squeeze out a win while the Pistons play the Mavs and Bucks who will almost certainly have something to play for (Sixers probably not though) so I think 3 is still very much in play.

It's hard not to be excited about this team going forward. They've been close to having a really good record since the All Star break. I said previously that they're a few pieces away from contending for a play in next season but I don't know, they could be even better than that if Weaver has a good offseason. All arrows are pointing up with this group.

It's going to be a really interesting offseason for the Pistons, one of the most interesting since... I can't remember. The top pick, enough cap space to sign an impact free agent and the Grant decision. With the right moves, the Pistons could be in the hunt for a play in spot next season.

He's the most intriguing player of the draft. I know it's just high school footage but he looks all the part of a star, the shot, the athleticism, the handle. I know nothing about his defense but his skillset looks elite. I thought he was already ruled eligible if I'm not mistaken and it was just a matter of him wanting to declare or not at this point (I have no idea why he wouldn't declare).

Perfect tank game. Cade went off, Stewart played well again (he's really come on lately) and they lose a competitive game. Stealth tank move by Casey to bench Bagley for most of the second half after starting 5-6 from the field. I see you Dwayne, I see you.

Exactly. Sewell will give them the advantage of having intel as to what kind of person Thibodeaux really is Holmes will be as informed as can be on him because talentwise, he's the clear choice at 2 or even 1 to be honest.