Hart

This bullpen is going to an issue. Yikes.

I would guess Bertuzzi's value is pretty low and the Red Wings will find they would rather keep him and make a push for playoff spot than take a low ball offer for him.

I am not worried one bit about Duren being able to guard out on the perimeter. He has shown the ability to do that already.

Much better defensive instincts too. Drummond had the physical tools but never was able to put it all together.

That's a given. Upgrading the power forward position is some really low hanging fruit for the Pistons to improve. I like Beef Stew but it's pretty clear at this point he is a better fit off the bench.

I was a good with the Isaiah Stewart three point experiment but it's looking like it needs to go away next year.

I doubt the Warriors want Wiseman back and are happy to save the money. Either way, I wouldn't be upset. I would prefer Bey to Wiseman but we are splitting hairs at this point and the Pistons clearly don't want to re-sign Bey long term.

It also is not your job to chose Haliburton over Hayes. It's Weaver's job and he should be judged on it. At the end of the day, I don't judge him too harshly on one bad first round pick in three years (out of 6 total). The jury is still very much out on Ivey, Cade, and Duren and time will tell. I am fairly confident Duren will turn out to be a really good pick-up at 13 overall. Results do matter though and the results the Pistons are getting are putrid. Which is why next year is crucial in evaluating his performance.

I don't think Weaver's drafting has been bad. Killian is a bust at #7 or whatever he was but that happens. The problem is the sum of the parts of this team right now is a bust and I doubt it would have changed much with Cade. And he also decided to hang onto Casey as long as he has so if Casey is the problem, that's on Weaver also. It could turn around quickly next year when Cade comes back and Ivey moves into his second year but if it doesn't, there is a little hope for this team.

Those guys didn't grow up shooting threes so it would definitely be a battle of contrasts. I'd love to see it. It's hard for me to say the reason most people over 40 enjoy 80's and 90's basketball more is because of the style but there may be some truth to it.

I am not saying fire Weaver but I am saying next year is a big deal in evaluating him. Regardless of who we draft, we need to see a good deal of progress from the current young guys that are already here.

I am glad we kept Bojan. He's a good player under contract for two more years. The offer would have to blow me away to deal him. I am not big in to acquiring assets anymore. At this point, management needs to prove they can build a winning team regardless of how many high draft picks they can stack on top of each other.

At least people are beginning to question Weaver now. When I brought it up early in the season, I got ridiculed for questioning the timeline of a rebuild. At some point, we have to stop being one of the three worst teams in basketball. Next year is crucial. We need to see some kind of progress next year.

Besides the three point shooting, he only had 1 turnover. Be nice to see him follow it up tonight with back to back strong games. You never know when things are going to start to click. I am growing more and more confident the Pistons were lucky he fell to #5.

It's somewhat enjoyable watching the Pistons again when Duren is on the court. For him to be as good as he is on defense at his age is extremely encouraging. He maybe can't have the impact he could've 20 years ago because the game is so three point orientated now but it still nice to have a rim protector again.

Unless Bey really wants out or somebody offers us a lottery pick, I hope we keep him. He'll be 26 when Bojan's contract is up. There is no guarantee he won't be better than Bojan sometime between now and then. He is strong enough to play the four in a limited role if we want to go small ball. He shoots well enough to play the two if we get desperate there because of injuries. And the Pistons really don't need to be in the business of trading their quality young players for picks when they are still improving.

I've actually been watching them a bit the last three games and they are making small improvements. Duren continues to make strides defensively. He does have some trouble with really big dudes but that is nitpicking. Ivey's stat lines might not be impressive but he flashes big time potential on offense with his combination of ball handling and explosiveness. Bey is a nice rotation player player at the very least, even if he doesn't make it as a starter. Same thing for Burks. On a good team, guys like Bey and Burks are really nice role players. With Cade back next year, having Ivey, Bogey, and Cade starting and Bey and Burks coming off the bench is a something to look forward too. I do agree Stewart needs to stay at power forward. I do think he has value there, especially off the bench. But the power forward position is where we really need to upgrade this offseason.

He's frustrating at times for sure. I think part of the problem is he is being too unselfish. He'll have a lane to drive or an open shot and he'll dish it to a guy who is more covered than he is. And he loves no look passes to the point he often makes them when they are not necessary, which leads to some turnovers. But I am not completely writing him off long term. Cade is a much better passer but has other issues. And it feels like it has to be one of those guys for now.

Duren is showing some really encouraging signs on defense. That block on Fernando tonight was impressive. There was a similar block against NJ where he was called for a bs foul. He's going strait up in a manner that you want you to see to avoid fouling. Averaging a block and steal per game in January.

Went to LCA for the first time last night. Duren is listed at 6'11 but I thought he was an inch or two shorter than Giannis. He just got pushed around, which is not really anything to be embarrassed about being up against Giannis and Lopez. But it does highlight that fact that he has a lot of upside left as he adds some weight and strength. The other thing that stood out to me is how good Holiday is on defense. We are desperate for a guy like this.

It's probably going to end up being some kind of timeshare. But I have no problem admitting Cade's probably not going to be what his NBA Draft profile suggested. Doesn't mean he can't still be an All-Star. If he doesn't end up being a franchise player, I don't think the Pistons should view that as an issue.

I need to see more of both of them but this is my general feeling also. It takes a lot more effort from Cade to beat guys off the dribble compared Ivey. Cade can still be great and I don't want to take away his playmaking ability because he is a better passer than Ivey but using Ivey as the primary ball handler just makes more sense.

The Vecenie video is a good watch. Those guys are hard to evaluate because of the mess that the Pistons are this year. But I think Ivey's defensive issues are very basic technique issues and there is an element of effort involved with those issues. It's extremely concerning to me. On offense, I do like the ball in Ivey's hands the more I watch him play. The superior athleticism just makes it easier for him compared to watching Cade trying to beat guys off the dribble. The decision making needs a lot of work but having the physical skills to beat other NBA athletes is a large part of the equation.

Other than those three sacks against Washington, Hutchinson got off to a slow start. Sacks can be flukey and he was not having that much impact on the game. Two things have turned around his season. The Lions are using him more like Michigan used him as a stand up edge rusher. And he is not just trying to sack the quarterback every play. You see him containing the zone read, spying the quarterback (if we are facing a mobile quarterback), and dropping into coverage at different times. It's definitely helped the defense improve. He did get burned on at least one qb zone read today but it happens to every edge player occasionally. And Daniel Jones runs it very well.

ESPN has Jose Abreu projected at 2 years, 46 million. I think that's probably light but some team is going to get a steal with Abreu because of his age. I would be ecstatic to get him on a two year deal.