Hart

It's weird seeing Cade not get blitzed every time he touches the ball. He's off to a hot start. If Ivey can develop into all-star type player, it would bode very well for Cade.

I didn't see the whole game but the Piston's defense was outstanding from what I saw. There has definitely been a culture shift where all five guys on the court are working hard on defense a lot more than most NBA teams. Stewart and Ausar set the tone. Obviously, the coaches deserve a lot of credit. And having meaningful games is a big part of it also. It's too bad Steph banked in that three late in the game. That was probably the difference.

Cade's great but we got to figure out how to create offense late in games without turning it over. This seems like it has been an ongoing issue for Cade specifically. Teams just blitz him pretty much as soon as he crosses half court. I thought it was interesting that the Warriors moved Steph off the ball quite a bit late in the game.

Stewart has done a respectable job on Jokic when he can stay on the floor. And by respectable, I mean relative to how we look against Jokic when he is not out there. He's just an impossible cover.

I know Ivey has never been known as a great defender but this game is a great example of how important his growth on defense would be for us. Murray is an extremely tough matchup for Ausar and we just have nobody who can guard him. Cade expends most of his energy on offense and is not really built to be a shut down defender against guys like Murray anyway. We experienced the same thing with Trae Young. And we probably would have experienced the same thing with Jalen Brown if he wasn't injured.

Not sure what is going on with Cade tonight but I didn't realize he still had a game this bad in him.

They are going to need Beasley to bail them out tonight. Ideally, Cade and Beasley both get it going.

Stewart has a bit of Ben Wallace in him with his timing and anticipation on defense around like rim. Like Ben, he plays much bigger than his size.

Cade in a mini slump right now. Was not great against the Clippers or Boston and is off to a slow start tonight.

I thought they said calf injury on tv... February has been Ausar's best month statistically. I don't think it's a coincidence the Pistons are hot right now. We can't afford to lose him.

Typical...the NBA CBA is a joke.

He definitely rolled his ankle. Hopefully, that's the extent of it.

Holland is having a rough month.

Unless you watch the Pistons night in and night out, I am not sure you can really understand how valuable Beasley is. He hits so many big shots for us and then he has games like tonight where he just lights it up. We have to pay what it takes to keep him.

Cade somehow has only been credited with turnovers. Feels like he has been very careless with the ball to me this half.

I can't remember the last time I have seen an NBA game played with this much defense in the first half.

He is more annoying than other superstars...for whatever reason. Every NBA star complains about calls but he takes it to another level.

We just cannot have Ausar in foul trouble. Maybe we don't score as many points with him but we lose a lot more on defense without him than anything we might gain on offense with an extra shooter on the court.

Cade's been cooking tonight but he can't go 1 on 3 or 1 on 4. Pistons are falling into that trap a little too often.

Should not have put Ausar on Trae Young. Not worth the risk of foul trouble. If you want him to guard Trae in crunch time, that is fine. But the rest of the game, it's just not worth it.

Bummer that Victor was not able to play because it would have been a good reality check for Duren. Duren is showing some nice growth but I want to see more of it against good teams and good players. We got Atlanta and then three tougher games. I am looking forward to those. I did not watch the game last night but I am becoming more a believer in the Pistons being an actual threat to win a playoff series. Ausar's growth is the biggest factor. But then also going from Sasser to Schroder is a nice upgrade for us also.

He was terrible but there is a level of irony that his first round picks/acquisitions are finally showing promise and are now the backbone of our rebuild. Even Cade aside, which was close to a gimme. The Killian Hayes pick was just so bad that he will never get enough credit for the other picks. You never rule out seeking a trade to make the team better but the current core is a lot more promising now that Ausar is starting to show what kind of upside he truly has. I don't think there needs to be urgency to make a big move and get Cade more help. Cade, Ivey, Duren, and Ausar are all still getting better year after year. I also think losing Beasley without a replacement to fill a similar role would be a big blow.

I get that we will have to make a decision about paying Duren at some point. But aside from that, I do think he is making the incremental improvements you want your young players to make. And if we let him walk, we are going to have to find a viable replacement. Which probably means overpaying for somebody else in free agency.

I like what Kelser is saying about having Cade off the ball. Not against him running pick and roll either but there is a lot of value in putting him off the ball. Maybe none more than conserving energy. I hope Schroder's minutes increase, although I am not quite sure where they are going to come from besides Sasser.

Pistons just missed a bunch of threes in a row that look like tired legs.