Hart

And this is with Cade playing lights out. I want to believe that Cade is ready to take a big leap but I need to see a few more games of this in the near future before I fully buy in. Last night could not have gone any better though from the standpoint of finding somebody to build around.

It’s crazy to think that Killian was out there instead of Ivey in crunch time. But I do like the message it sends about defense. Ivey was one of the laziest defenders on the team last season. It makes sense to me that Monty might be trying to send a message here.

I like Kelser giving Beef Stew some props. He worked his tail off with hustle that 4th quarter and didn't kill us with bonehead three point attempts.

Not sure if Cade even got that off.

This might be where you would use Ivey and his speed. Edit: never mind...we didn't have to take it the length of the court.

This is more effort on defense than the Pistons showed all of last year. Would have liked to see Ausar on Butler though. Killian works hard but just can't really hold up against Butler.

This is a one man show for the Pistons right now. Very impressive. Not sure if he has gotten quicker or stronger but it definitely seems like he can do stuff going to the hoop he couldn't do very easily before.

Teams don't have to guard Thompson and barely have to guard Killian or Stewart. I'd like to see Sasser out there with Cade.

Cade is playing great and there is still just not enough offense in the starting lineup. It makes sense to start Duren and Thompson because they have elite defensive potential and are a big part of the future. One or both of Killian and Stewart cannot be in the starting lineup. Whether it's Ivey, Bagley, Burke, or somebody else, we need more offense with the starting five.

The first half had to be up there with those worst halves Ivey had his entire rookie season.

Agreed. Some of it is bad luck (Cade). Some of it is his own doing (Wiseman, Killian, etc). Overall, I he think does get more credit than he deserves.

H I agree with this also. Unfortunately, so much hinges on Cade and I don't feel real great about him right now.

I hope the Pistons don't cling to the notion that Cade is their franchise player too long if it is not warranted. There is a chance Ivey could be a star in this league but his development gets slowed because we run so much of our offense thru Cade.

Say what you want about preseason but it is hard to find reasons this team is going to improve a lot over last season

Every player benefits from playing with other good players. Even so, I would take Mobley over Cade in a heartbeat at this point. The three point shooting you mentioned from Cade is a real concern. The likelihood that Cade is an all-star at some point is pretty high. The likelihood that Cade is the franchise player we were hoping for is not very high. Give me Mobley with his game changing defensive potential next to Ivey, Duren, and Ausar and I am feeling pretty good about the Pistons right now. Fingers crossed Cade takes a big step this season.

I don't have much hockey knowledge compared to the rest of you but even a dummy can see Debrincat is going to make a huge difference for this team.

Man...we just give up way too many free runs to opposing teams. Not good as this reminds me of the second half of last season.

I agree. Which is why I think he could be a buy low candidate. I definitely wouldn't want him though if his last two years (1000 abs) is the new baseline for him. The gamble is he can bounce back to what he did in his first 750 major league at bats.

I can't see Soto being traded. Teams are not going to give up a premium prospect for one year of Soto. The Padres won't get that and won't trade him for less than that (at least in the offseason). Tatis has two years left so if the Padres shop him, I could see that potentially happening.

Thank goodness. I already like him 10 times better than Casey. One of my biggest fears at the end of last year was that Wiseman would slow Duren's development.

Cronenworth at his peak was not a middling guy. The bet would be he can get back to that or something close to it. It's a gamble for sure but I'd like to see Harris take a gamble somewhere.

I'll throw out a name and cover myself from the arrows being thrown around: Jake Cronenworth. Local kid, coming off a couple of down years and might be getting squeezed in San Diego so the price should be reasonable, fits position of need, plays good defense, and I think due for a bounce back. I am guessing San Diego would be very willing to listen to offers for him.

I am hoping he will be a little less streaky next year. The lows seem to be especially low for him.

With Javy Baez, just plan to bat him 9th next year and cross your fingers he can bounce back. Baseball players bounce from bad to respectable quite a bit. I would bet Javy Baez at 30 yard old has at least one 700+ OPS season left in him. I don't think you can cut him this quick and pay him to rebound with another team.

Is there a stat that shows how good a first baseman is at picking bad throws? It would be helpful in evaluating Torkelson's defense.