Hart

Your part about hindering Cade is what worries me. There is not enough of a sample size yet but the Pistons have been awful since Grant came back. And Cade got injured his first game back. I like the Pistons a lot better when they go small with Saddiq and Cade at forward. Weaver's honeymoon is behind us. Pressure is on. He remains loyal to a coach who is probably one of the worse in the league at developing offensive sets. He was quick to part with players from the former regime (which is fine) yet Killian appears to have a long leash (should be in the g league) when he is a terrible fit next to Cade. And now you have the Grant situation, where he has some irrational loyalty to a guy that goes deeper than his value as a basketball player.

Huge mistake by Weaver. He will be getting criticized for this for a long time.

Which is also why we need to trade Jerami Grant.

Exactly right. I checked in 20 minutes before the game last night and tonight to see if I was going to watch. I have caught a few minutes and it is amazing how atrocious our offense looks without Cade. He is somewhat a saving grace for Casey because he is such a willing and creative passer but Casey really needs to go. It is 5 guys standing around watching each other go one on one. It's depressing that this is the coaching we are getting from Casey.

Did Cade get injured?

Cade needs to stop picking up so many fouls in the first quarter.

It will be interesting to see Grant fit in now. Cade has emerged as the star so Grant will be able to play more the support role he played in Denver. Could really make him look a lot better as a player.

Cade found a way to fill up the box score in the second half. And only 1 turnover so far.

Just checked the box score...Cade 0-10 for the first half. I would imagine he was having a nice January with his shooting percentage up until these last 2 games but crazy how he can't put the ball in the basket all of the sudden.

This is painful. The threes we are missing are not even close. Half the time you can tell from the moment it gets released it is not going in.

Cade is missing easy shots at this point. Just way off tonight.

No way that Barnes would go ahead of Cade given what the league values now. I do think you could make a case for Mobley. I'd probably still take Cade but it's nitpicking either way.

Also on Cade...the offense overshadows the defense but he has really been playing good defense lately. Has 4 blocks tonight to show for it.

Yep. Three point percentage slowly creeping up. I know some prefer the Pistons to lose but I would rather not throw away games for the sake of Killian anymore. Sit him in crunch time. It's not like he has a ton of upside we are trying to develop.

Killian getting some run with Cade on the bench is so good for him. Should keep bringing him off the bench so he can play the point guard role that he was drafted for.

True. Next year will be telling in this regard. I love his ability to finish with both hands so even if he may not have elite athleticism, I think there is a chance he develops a penchant for getting to the line a lot more.

Utah has been really struggling lately for whatever reason. Still, the Pistons are getting better. We still have too many clunkers against good teams but I think the second half of the season will be better than the first. Obviously getting another cornerstone thru the draft would be great but I find myself rooting for the Pistons to win games this year more than I have in previous years. Not that I get upset with losses. But I think we are in a position now where free agency is as viable an option as the draft. It sucks that we blew the Killian pick (although I think he could still be a decent player on another team that doesn't have Cade Cunningham). It's very important that if we draft in that 4-10 range, we don't blow it again (Stanley Johnson, Luke Kennard, KCP, etc). We need to find that Scottie Barnes or Franz Wagner, assuming we don't get a top 2-3 pick.

I think it's pretty easy to get excited about the Pistons now that Cade is showing why we made him the #1 pick. Just need to add a high end guard to the mix to go with Bey and Cade and with the continued improvement from those two, they can get very good very fast.

Cade looks really good on both ends tonight. This is the best I have seen him play on defense. He really benefits with Grant out so that our lineup gets smaller and he plays more of a forward position.

Let's just continue saying this because we did the same last year and ended up with the #1 pick. If we did fall that far, TyTy Washington is very intriguing. I could see his stock going up and up though, pushing himself into the top 5.

I've been following this kind of close. I think I would put Jabari in a tier by himself at the top. I'd probably take Holmgren second for his defensive potential.

Booker is on a mission.

Cade is looking more and more comfortable. Could be a fun second half of the season seeing him develop. Need some better defense though. Phoenix is making scoring look too easy.

While I would like another top 3 pick, is it as crucial this year as last year? I would say no. We have a lot riding on Cade now and free agency is an option to get him some help as well.

Diallo really started to shine when Cade was out and now he is continuing to find a role with Cade back. I would say that is the basis of my comments. I was never concerned about Bey. As far as positions go, I do find it interesting that the Pistons still list Cade as a starting guard and Diallo as a starting forward. It doesn't really matter who is listed where but I do prefer Cade defending bigger/ slower guys than smaller/quicker guys. And I do think the easiest path to project success forward at this point is some kind of lineup that includes Cade and Bey next to two other wing players (including a point guard). Similar to what they are doing now. But I am more a seller than buyer on Hayes at this point. Not that I don't think he can't carve out a productive career but I am just not sure I want it to be as a starter with the Pistons.