I'm pretty pessimistic and negative about Detroit sports teams, but this tigers team isn't going anywhere this year or probably next year. I get a little bit of a kick out of watching miggy pass people on the all time list and go for 3000 and 500. Would I rather watch a winning team that wasn't paying him a ton this late in his career, sure, but I'm not going to complain about his chase of his milestones. Its not like we have some young stud 1b or any hitter really who is ready to play in the big leagues who he is taking AB from. Know that's a probably unpopular opinion, but go ahead and sue me
Pistons GM Troy Weaver on 2021 NBA Draft, Detroit’s No. 1 pick, trades and more By James L. Edwards III 14m ago Pistons general manager Troy Weaver sat cooler than a polar bear’s toenails on Tuesday afternoon as reporters took their best shots at getting the man of the hour to slip up. All eyes are on Detroit — and Weaver in particular — as the Pistons hold the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s 2021 NBA Draft. For weeks, rumors have been swirling. Other prospects have reportedly joined Cade Cunningham at the party for potential top choices. Trade proposals, apparently, are coming in by the boatload. Yet no one knows what exactly Weaver is thinking. The Pistons’ intentions remain a mystery. Weaver likes it that way. To prepare you for Thursday’s festivities, I’ve transcribed the entirety of Weaver’s pre-draft availability and provided my thoughts and analysis on everything he was asked and responded to. (The following portion has been edited for both clarity and length) With the No. 1 pick, is there more complexity than people understand to make sure you’re doing your due diligence on all of the options? “No, not really. I said it from the onset, that we were going to have a process and turn over every stone and that’s what we’re doing. Everybody has made the pick but us, and we’re going to continue to do our work and turn over every stone. We’ll land where we’re going to land. We’re confident in our work and are enjoying the process.” Analysis: Weaver has maintained for a month, since the Pistons were awarded the No. 1 pick, that this wasn’t ever going to be a shut-and-closed case. Many people see Cunningham as the no-brainer top option. That may be true, but Weaver — and many others, including myself — see Jalen Green and Evan Mobley as viable options. That’s why Detroit met with both Green and Mobley over the past week, along with Cunningham, per sources. Weaver takes pride in the research and due diligence that he takes to vet prospects. As he should. You want someone in charge who is as thorough as possible. Along those same lines, as you mentioned, you all were going to turn over every stone, look at every solution. Did you think, though, that it would be easier once you got the No. 1 pick and figuring out where the destination would end? Or has it been more difficult than anticipated as this process has played out? “No. There are a bunch of scenarios, whether it’s selecting players, trade scenarios … we were going to look at everything. We continue to do that. When you have the No. 1 pick, like any other pick, you have to do your work. I stated from the beginning that there were guys at the draft who were worthy of the No. 1 pick. That’s remained true. We’ll continue to do our work and be ready to go on Thursday. But, no, I don’t think it’s been any more difficult.” Analysis: This was my question. I was curious to see if Weaver would mention that the other two prospects projected to be selected behind Cunningham have made the decision harder as they’ve talked with the players and got to learn more about them. I wondered if they made a bigger impression than he anticipated. His response tells me that what I reported after the Pistons got the No. 1 pick remains true: Detroit absolutely likes Green and Mobley, as well, and they have for some time. Is it your expectation that teams that have expressed interest in trading for the No. 1 pick have pretty much made their best offer right now or do you anticipate coming back to you again over the next 48 hours? “I can’t really discuss their offers and what’s been out there. Don’t believe what you read. We’re doing our due diligence and we’ll look at every scenario, vet it out and do what’s best for the Pistons.” Analysis: It certainly sounds like a lot of the reported offers have not exactly been … true. Weaver wouldn’t go out of his way to say that if that weren’t the case. He wasn’t asked specifically about any specific trade. You said “don’t believe everything that you read.” Are they all bunk or are you getting a lot of calls and offers? “It’s all bunk.” All of the rumors are bunk? “I don’t really comment on rumors. I’ll just say don’t believe everything that you read. We’re doing our work, and we’ll continue to turn over every stone and talk to teams. The rumor mill does nothing for us right now.” Analysis: It certainly sounds like Detroit hasn’t been officially offered anything grand for the No. 1 pick. That could come. However, it doesn’t appear that any “can’t say no” offers are on the table. Have you made up your mind on who you are selecting if you keep the pick? Also, how important is the individual workout? “(Workouts) are a piece of the puzzle. It’s about the body of work — eyes, ears and numbers. We’ll look at the numbers, believe our eyes and do our intelligence. The workout is just another piece of the puzzle. It’s not weighted at all. We’re not drafting a player off a workout. “No, I haven’t (made up my mind about the No. 1 pick).” Analysis: Of the three players in discussion for the No. 1 pick, I’ve been told that two players did have better workouts than the other. However, as Weaver pointed out, no one is making this decision based on a workout. You never know what someone is going through in the moment. Also, those workouts don’t always replicate NBA action. As Weaver said, it shouldn’t hold too much weight. After the season, you said you “didn’t see any Shaqs or Lebrons” but you do see some really good players. Has your feeling on that changed at all? “Yeah, I mean, I don’t see Shaq or LeBron, but I see some high-level guys. That’s why I said from the onset that this is a tough decision to vet it out. We like all those guys at the top and we’ll continue to do our work. You don’t know where these guys will end up, but if you’re projecting, these guys are projecting to be very good players. We’re going to get a very good player to help us restore the Pistons.” Analysis: Contrary to popular belief among Pistons faithful, I, too, believe that no one in this draft is destined to become one of the 10 greatest players of all time. I do think there is a world in which Cunningham, Mobley and Green are top-8-to-15 players if all breaks right. Mock drafts have maintained Cunningham at No. 1 for quite some time, but when you talk to people around the league, Mobley and Green are closer than the public realizes. Weaver, clearly, believes that, too. Is there a number that if you did entertain a trade offer that you wouldn’t want to go below? Is there a Tier A of prospects, and then B and C? “Nah, I wouldn’t say that. If they traded me Giannis, it wouldn’t matter what pick it was. I don’t have a number.” Analysis: Weaver is simply looking for the best outcome possible for the franchise. Plain and simple. Is there a difference between a player who can contribute at a high level immediately and one you might have to wait on? Do you feel like all can come in and be impact players? I say that because the team timeline on how good you want to be or how quick you want to be good could depend on the player being good faster. “That’s a fair question. We’re going to make the selection based on restoring the Pistons and having longevity here and making sure that player is a go-forward player, whether they contributing Game 1, half a season or the following season. This is a long-term play. This isn’t a “get it right in the moment” play. … Sustained success is what we’re looking for. Analysis: This is the logic I typically follow, too. Of course, fans want the player who is going to impress and provide hope right away. That’s understandable. From all accounts, Cunningham is the prospect who is most likely to come in and impact right away. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll be the best player two or three years from now. A lot dictates that. That’s why it’s important for Weaver and Co. to do as much background and research as possible. Additionally, that’s why it’s important for fans to take more than a season to determine the fate of a particular player. There is a lot of attention, obviously, on the No. 1 pick. Are you splitting your time on the three second-round picks and what to do there, too? “Yeah, absolutely. We got three picks. Just like the No. 1 pick, we’ll turn over every stone on those and try to maximize our value. Draft night is draft night. It’s not just the No. 1 pick.” Analysis: I still believe that Detroit will package two or three second-rounders to move up to the late first if the offer is there. “Maximize our value” points to that as being an option. The Pistons have a lot of young players on the roster, so I’m not sure four additional ones from this year’s class is the best use of resources. But, of course, it takes two to tango.
I wonder what guys he is referring to when he said 2 had better workouts than the other. Why even bring that up if you’re not going to say who it is.
Holy crap. That's quite a 4th inning. The Wily Peralta stretch of excellence has some to a grinding halt.
It really sucks Fulmer can't stay healthy for more than a few weeks at a time, because he's looked great since coming back and should be someone we could actually get a decent return for
I don't think I've seen a single rumor involving us or any of our players in the last few weeks. I don't really care if we don't do anything because I doubt there's much out there for guys like Schoop, Grossman and Cisnero, but I'd be surprised if we did anything. Maybe we trade Norris in the smallest of deals.
Norris is on a string of 5 straight outings without an earned run. Trade him right fucking now before he gets hurt or implodes. Trade him for literally anything.
Fangraphs write-up: Like so many others, Olson had a pretty substantial velocity spike during the gap year and has seen his fastball velo band go from the 91-95 range to 93-97. That extra velocity complements an already deep coffer of secondary pitches, which are so good that scouts disagree as to which is the best. His two-plane, 85-87 mph slider and power changeup, which rests in about the same velo range, are both plus pitches while Olson’s upper-70s curveball is merely above-average. I still have some trepidation regarding Olson’s delivery. He’s a stiff-legged, tightly-wound athlete with more mechanical violence than is typical for a starter, but even if those visual biases turn out to be meaningful, we’re talking about a high-leverage and/or multi-inning relief piece here based on how his stuff looks right now. Were the 21-year-old Olson at a Big 10 or ACC school, he’d be in the mid-to-late first round mix.