This topic contains 6 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar Piston088 11 years, 1 month ago.

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  • #46099
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    Piston088
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    Longtime Pistons fan here, looking for a solution to Detroit’s Brandon Knight issue. So of these options, which do you feel is the best bet for the Pistons:

    A.) Brandon Knight is the long-term solution at PG; continue to try to develop his playmaking and leadership skills… Maybe bring in some like Chauncey Billups to teach Knight about professionalism, and more importantly how to mature at the point guard position.

    B.) Brandon Knight, on a playoff team, is at best a playmaking two-guard off the bench. Maybe comparable to a Jason Terry with more playmaking ability but less scoring punch? Keep Knight and try to get Eric Bledsoe (through free agency or a trade).

    C.) Knight is a Rodney Stuckey clone. Attempt to trade him for a draft pick or a young point guard with potential (Tony Wroten). In this scenario my Stones would obviously struggle at the point guard position for the remainder of the year, ensuring more ping pong balls at the draft lottery (come on Ben McLemore!!!).

    Thanks for your thoughts

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  • #743014
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    Lebron’s Hairline
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    Draft Otto Porter to be the future small forward of the pistons, trade for another first round pick(shouldn’t be hard), draft hometown guy Trey Burke, move Knight to his natural position of shooting guard/sixth man. There’s your solution.

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  • #743018
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    Siggy
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    I’d lean more towards B, but Knight’s still too young to give up on as a starting point. You’d risk crushing his confidence if you demote him this early. Maybe as soon as summer 2014, they should get their PG of the future if Knight doesn’t show much more progress.
    I was never high on Knight as a PG. Going back to his HS yrs, I didn’t see much in terms of PG instincts. He was a straight up gunner in HS. His one yr at Kentucky didn’t help him much as far as learning the PG position either.
    IMO a 3rd guard role would better suit his game.

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  • #743046
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    3 No Biases 3
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    I think he’s too good to be a bench player but we’ll see….I think you just can’t run the offense through him which is what the Piston’s need. He would be an ideal fit on a team with a post or wing player that most of the offense is run through. The guy can defend other PG’s, shoot, and seems to have a high Bball IQ just doesn’t appear to be the best playmaker…

    If he doesn’t have that type of player on his team though he unfortunately seems best suited as a career sixth man…

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  • #743052
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    fastdan
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    He’s not a great play maker, and may never be one, but he will improve. Remember, this guy could be a junior in college right now, don’t give up on him yet.

    But Detroit does, and will continue to run a lot of their offense through Munroe, and when playing inside-out it’s very important to have good shooters, which Knight has clearly shown, so I think he’s a very good piece in what they are building.

    But to make his lack of play making skills null what Detroit needs is a guy who can create his own shot from the perimeter. I’m praying for McLemore or Shabazz. In either case Knight would be playing off the ball, and while listed as a PG he would essentially be playing the role of a 2 guard.

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  • #743124
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    Piston088
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    By the mixed bag of responses it’s clear I’m not the only one unsure about exactly what Knight is… He IS young, he could be great in the right role, but what it boils down to is: Is playmaking an innate skill or can it be learned? Billups and Bledsoe are two great examples of guys who have learned to cut down on silly turnovers and improve their shot selection. At the same time there are scads of examples of the opposite (Josh Selby, Dajuan Wagner, Jerryd Bayless), although most of them I’ve forgotten because they are no longer in the league.

    I wouldn’t give up on him because he has enough starting PG qualities that I believe he’ll figure it out (size, athleticism, shooting ability, clutch gene). But it looks like Detroit has, trading Prince and Daye in a 3-way trade with Memphis. In return, and here’s the real kicker, we get Jose Calderon.

    So the Pistons eliminate Drummond’s lethal oop partner from the rotation in Will Bynum, at the same time as permanently damaging the confidence and overall prospective of a 21-year-old lottery pick with a decent ceiling. All in one fell swoop. For a system dependent 31 year old who has maximized his potential? Someone find me a gun.

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  • #743190
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    Piston088
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    Looks like I jumped the gun. Calderon comes off the books for 10 million this summer, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the Prince contract when he was re-signed. So in the end, they will be worse this year while achieving better lottery odds and improving an already favorable cap situation.

    I hope that they leave the rotation how it is and let Calderon chill at his house in Toronto or whatever.

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