1984Echoes

This is just my opinion... But potential draftees in an open-bidding war, and no draft... Means the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, and a few other teams... Will bid the top 20-ish prospects up to $20 mill, $30 mill, etc... All the best guys, for huge signing bonuses, to only a few teams. Leaving all the other teams in the league... Scraps Maybe it balances out in the end... but I don't think so. I think it overall increases new prospects' signings to greater dollars. I think this is what Lee and other mean...

Outstanding!!!

Does it fall under the trade exception that we had?

Kasper's not the guy I would move for Thomas. Thomas is a RH 1A or 1B (behind Larkin if that's how it works on the Wings...) Center. That makes Danielson expendable (IMO), not Kasper. So it has to start with Nate (IMO), and then I'd try to add a smaller skill guy in the minors, plus the 1st... My guess is they would have zero interest in Ras. maybe MBN they would demand...?

This.

Probably why I want him. But... Oh well... Such is life.

So Levi and Pascal's contracts "tolled" over to 2026 due to season-long injury list... Cool !!! Instant depth.

This.

If I had a choice... I still prefer Davion Mitchell over Herro. I know he's short, but I like his better range/ ball-handling/ playmaking as much more of a fit for the Pistons (plus at a much lower cost). IMO. (PS: on the assumption Trajan can squeeze in there somehow...)

Yeah... oops! I don't know why I read this as personal rather than a reference... All good.

No... MAGA will still find some horse**** excuse to ignore this and will instead exult President Excrement for kissing Putin's ass yet again...

Why do I deserve this? I'd like to know.

Also... Not EVERY player on a roster, from top-to-bottom, can be a perfect 3&D NBA player. It's just NOT reasonable to expect or demand that.

That's why I said "we're short".

This article is on ESPN and concerns the Luka-AD trade... The Luka trade: Four questions on the one-year anniversary - ESPN However, there's a blurb that is perfect for the Pistons (notice how if we replaced "Doncic" with "Cade Cunningham"... that it works out exactly the same for what is needed on the Pistons to maximize Cade... We're still short a couple 3&D wings and a stretch-PF or stretch-5; and we're missing that one guy who can secondary ball-handle/shot-create to support Cade...) : On the other side of the deal, the Lakers continue to be a work in progress. The irony of the Doncic trade is that over the couple of years preceding it, Dallas had done an excellent job surrounding him with exactly the sort of talent required to maximize his skills: a pair of rim-running, shot-blocking centers; 3-and-D guards and forwards to play defense and hit 3s around him; and another high-level shot creator to take pressure off him when he's on the court while running the team when he's not.

Ditto.

I'm sad...

Sort of a younger Duncan...?

Reath is an expiring, unlike Kejci... So, Atlanta is hunting expirings and picks...

That would be ideal.

Theoretically speaking... If trading Harris got me TWO of those players... I'm all for it. Meaning, say we trade LeVert + Ivey plus a 1st or two and two 1st swaps and some 2nds for Murphy. If trading Harris + Holland plus any other 1sts, swaps, and 2nds gets me MPJ or JJJ... Yes please. Crazy. Probably impossible. But I believe we become the top competitive team in the East for the next 4/5-ish years, or more? ... For representing the East in NBA Championships on an annual basis. I want.

This blurb out of the Athletic speaks to that: What’s wrong with Red Wings after winless homestand? Five Thoughts - The Athletic Larkin talked about the team needing to have more desperation, “especially around the net, and wanting to get there and score goals,” and said he could “probably look in the mirror and could lead the charge on that.” His four five-on-five points since Dec. 1 speak to that, and Detroit will need more offense from its top center down the stretch. Four 5-on-5 points since Dec 1st... His line doesn't play heavy enough. For the playoffs or playoff success. IMO. PS: Having 3 scoring lines: a Larkin line, a Cat-Kane-Copp line, and a "heavy" line... Would allow McLellan to adjust minutes up or down as needed... or... accordingly. Probably not a nice thing to say... but necessary (similar to Stevie Y reaming out Larkin after Larkin popped off last year). IMO.

Definitely a guy I would be interested in. Also... Tre Jones from the same team. But I don't think he's available. Just sayin'... The type of guy who would help the Pistons significantly. But here's one more question: If the Pistons could grab two players - call them Dosunmu & Tre Jones, or Davion Mitchell and Kel'el Ware - and had to overpay to get them, in picks and NOT in players, say one more 1st rounder or add a couple 1st round swaps and half a dozen or more 2nds OVER what would be expected to be a fair trade package... Should the Pistons do that? Overpay for significant secondary players instead of a potential "top dog" to pair with Cade? If they can't get ahold of JJJ, or Murphy3, or MPJ... Might that not be a viable alternative? Just tryin' to think outside the box again...

PS: I know this was shot down as unrealistic... but at least it's the logic of what I just mentioned up above... How do we get a heavier/ harder to play against/ offensively skilled and dangerous/ able to withstand the tougher playoff level hitting/ games... 2nd line? PPS: I heard the Blues were listening to offers on Thomas. That's why I asked the question.... and yes, I know it would be crazy expensive in terms of prospects and picks... but I'm still searching for the answers so...

I think this is a good time/ place to put some food for thought in here...: We've started to struggle the past week... with Simon out and the competition a little higher... So... What I am thinking about is the "ideal" for the Wings, which I don't think has been under discussion anywhere that I can see: "Ideally": 1) I think I would rather have Copp-Cat-Kane as the 3rd line, not the second. I think as we get closer to the playoffs and the play gets tougher... They are the guys who will end up getting pushed around more and lose steam the last couple of months... That doesn't mean I'm trying to steal their minutes... but I want them in the offensive zone, on power play 2nd team... etc. "Protected" so to speak, at least as much as is feasible. 2) That probably has been true of Larkin's line too though. So... Ideally... I want a "heavy" line 2. Guys that can hit and play tougher than Raymond-Larkin-Kasper, but are also significant offensive threats. Sort of a 1B to Larkin's 1A. Can we do that? Internally, that means Danielson and MBN make the jump back up to the NHL and make that type of impact. So... probably not this year. But... can they? Become part of a "Heavy" 1B line? Even if those two make it, we're still short a big bruising power forward with both offensive and defensive skills (another 2-way PF). Who in our system can play that spot? Soderblom? He's not a 2-way player. So... WHO? And from WHERE? 3) A couple more comments on Nate-MBN: If we want to roll 4 lines... I think the Wings have to find a way to develop that "heavy", offensively skilled, line. Call them the 3rd line if you want to... But the Wings are deficient now, have been for the past several years, and will continue to be, IMO, in both the playoffs and the last 30 games of the regular season leading to the playoffs (or out of the playoffs). Because we don't have 3 dangerous lines. I don't mind a 4th checking line. But I think we're short a scoring threat line that is playoff worthy. And that includes Larkin's line too. IMO. So "ideally", I want that heavy line on this team. "Ideally": 1) We also need a 2nd pairing. Chiarot-ASP belong on the 3rd pair. Aljo and JBD are useful IMO, but more as the "plug them in" guys (7th and 8th defenseman) when needed, to cover someone. So... IMO, an LHD and an RHD has to come out of Buium, Wallinder, Tuomisto and Anton Johansson. Worthy of being a 2nd pairing. So again... that isn't this year. And if we CAN'T get a 2nd pairing out of two of those guys... then the question is: WHERE do we get a 2nd pairing? Because, IMO, we certainly need one.