1984Echoes

The JI trade moves us up from #30-ish to #21-ish. At least as of today...

Can we trade Ras for... Anything? Some pucks? Yeesh... he's ended up being the exact same as Mantha.

I like Christian Anderson... But aside from great shooting, he's too small and has no strength to get to the rim and has the same problems at defense (gets pushed around/ shots-against over the top...). He really looks like another Marcus Sasser but with more PG skills and less strength. IMO, he's a 2nd rounder or very late 1st. Sort of a bubble guy (to me.) Vecenie is picking on Detroit's 3-point weakness and ignoring everything else. I'd rather take a chance at size in the 1st, someone who could eventually push Harris to SF and Robinson to the bench as 6th man... Someone who has range AND defense AND size... etc. And use a 2nd on a guard like Anderson or Ball or Thornton or several others with range (even if not as good as CA, but maybe bigger/ stronger/ better defense/ better playmaker...), etc.

Offset by how quickly Venezuela can up their game... Although I don't think that's a fast thing... Zero effect until they actually get that moving upwards...

I would be fine with: + Rob Thomas + MBN

Very, very high...

And add one or two bruisers to the RB room, as similar to Monty as they can find... Maybe with their new 4th round draft pick. To take some of the load off of Gibbs. That seems like a better recipe for success than "churn and burn" Gibbs.

THIS.

A second contract right now absorbs his next year, 5th year, and Franchise tag... And is probably cheaper. It may increase some exposure/ risk... But (a) I don't think by a significant amount, (b) a 3-4-5 year extension right now will be less costly than if: after he plays the next 3 years under 5th year and Franchise, and then is determined to warrant a 5-year contract ON TOP of that... (c) the cost today will be a LOT less than the cost in a year or two or three... IMO. You're taking a big risk on churn and burn. He may beat both of those. I think he is more valuable taking that risk, NOW, rather than hoping we can read correctly what he is worth in 3 years. Just my 2 cents.

PS: Brad Holmes = Good at Football GM'ing...

I beg to differ on that... Extend Gibbs and Campbell ASAP. Branch & LaPorta can be waited on due to their injuries... And mid-season 2026... see what an extension looks like for those two. IMO.

Mahogany and Frazier are the starting Guards... At this point. I'm guessing they're going to push hard for Ratledge to make it at Center. Scruggs and Awosika are backup C/IOL. They EASILY are keeping all 3 that you've listed. IMO.

So he looks like an above-average replacement for Glasgow and Colon...

Blind squirrel... But I'll TAKE IT!!! 😁

This is my thinking... Also, RB's eventually wear out. I don't think Monty is close, he still has productive shelf life in the NFL... But I'd rather move on "one year too early" than "one year too late". Especially with Monty being an expensive player as, primarily, Gibbs backup. But I do think he needs to be replaced with another bruiser in the RB room... IMO. Also, I don't know where we are with Viaki...

PS: The guys I think who can easily be replaced by 90% and a cheaper contract are: Harris, Duncan, LeVert and Huerter. PPS: Sad that we didn't get NAW. But maybe this past offseason we didn't look like the #1 team in the East and maybe this offseason we do... so maybe the next NAW-similar chooses the Pistons on a bargain contract instead of one of our competitors' and we don't end up with Duncan and LeVert. Just sayin'...

Sorry Betrayer... I think I need to adjust my reading glasses. But I still think I am in alignment with Hongbit & buddha... Signing Duren and Ausar to Pistons' extensions is inevitable. I would also love for those two guys to go out into the market first and set their value in the open market, before the Pistons' match. But I don't believe there is any way Langdon lets either one go elsewhere... I think it's pretty much a done deal, and we'll just have to live with it. It's nice to think 90% of Duren could be replaced with someone else, but I think it's harder to get that actual replacement on the team. And Gafford? No, I don't believe he's 90% replacement for Duren. More like 52%. And Duren still has more upside in him... a LOT more... IMO. I would offer a different recipe: "given" that (nothing is given until it actually happens btw...) Duren & Ausar will most likely get max or close to max extensions with the Pistons... Langdon will need to be on the hunt for bargain players to fill out the roster. Say, just for example: Jenkins Sasser and Lanier. He's going to need 1 or 2 of those guys to pop, and/or will need to bring in annual competition along the same lines. 2nd rounders, undrafted... guys that will end up on a 2-way and may eventually end up on the roster. Or not. I know they are back-enders and may never make it, or be too small and limited (Sasser) to stick... I'm just sayin'. It's one avenue to hunt playmakers that offer 1 or 2 other things: range and defense. WAG for this year: I like Bruce Thornton and Solo Ball as 2026 guys that could sneak onto the back end of a roster... and develop. I don't think that avenue will be effective in finding 3&D wings or big men though. 1st rounders will be premium for the Pistons to try to locate one additional guy that can grow into a valuable player that fits for the Pistons. Langdon better be good at drafting, or lucky, or both. Please one of Haugh, Lendeborg, Veesaar or Cenac Jr. fall to us in this year's draft. Another avenue: Taking a chance on a damaged NBA player that JB thinks he can rehabilitate. Del likes Zion on that basis, my preference would be a Tyler Herro. But Langdon's goin g to need to be creative. Just my 2 cents.

It does happen though: 09-2025 Tank Bigsby traded to Eagles for 5th and 6th. 03-2025 Jordan Mason traded (+ 6th round pick #187) to Vikings for 5th (#160) and 2026 6th. 04-2023 DeAndre Swift traded (along with 7th #249) for 7th (219) and 2025 4th 11-2024 Khalil Herbert traded to Bengals for 7th 11-2022 Nyheim Miller-Hines traded to Bills for Zack Moss and 2023 5th 11-2022 Jeff Wilson traded to Dolphins for 2023 5th 04-2020 Matt Breida traded to 49'ers for 5th round pick.

That isn't Hongbit's point. Will LANGDON follow your advice? Or will he sign Duren to whatever the extension costs? That was Hongbit's point. The rest of your post was moot point in the context of what Trajan Langdon will actually do... Right?

My 1st guess though is that he's going to wait until he has a guaranteed MLB roster spot... Before he resorts to a minor league contract.

Water under the bridge. It's too late now to...

Understood. Yes, and no indications whatsoever yet... on this very basis.

I would love a Thomas/ Faulk combo... What's the cost? I'm assuming at bare minimum it's Danielson, a 1st or two, and maybe one of MBN/Carter Bear or goalie prospect (not-named Cossa). Also... I would add a power forward to that. Someone who can take heavier playoff hitting and plow right through that to net front and scoring dirty goals. Or not dirty goals even...

Which means he'd get all the "between-the-tackles" and goal-line carries (well, not all of them, of course...) I specifically looked for teams lacking "Knuckles", regardless if they had a "Sonic" at RB1 or not... I get the purgatory of Raider-land... But it wasn't just them... I just forgot who the other few teams were...

Is he released? I could get on board with this. Especially if he signed a minor league contract (which I highly, highly doubt would happen...).