Betrayer

The JEIII method - just name everyone you can possibly think of so you have a better shot at taking a victory lap later. How many names has rattled off so far? Seven?

Indy's defense is bad at an epic level. Sounds great to outscore everyone in the regular season, but it just doesn't work that way in the playoffs where defense wins games (even the current level of defense allowed). Even bench units can beat you down if you just let them score whenever they want.

Windy mentioned it could be to get a no trade clause in his contract and also to put pressure on the org to make changes (Darvin Ham and others).

I think I've seen that movie. It was called "Stand Up Guys". Pretty bad movie about geriatrics having their last hurrah.

Sounds like he'll feel right at home here since the coaching decisions will also not be his choice.

JEIII was on a pod saying that he wouldn't expect anything until mid or late May.

They were just giving him layup after layup. It was mind boggling. Some of the worst defense I've seen in a while.

Everybody can see this. People have been talking about it all year. The question is, can Gores swallow his pride and his wallet enough to fire the guy after he spent so much time making sure everyone knew he over-ruled Troy to bring him in? He trotted Monty out there like he was taking championship victory laps. I guess we'll see what happens with the POBO. Maybe that's why Gores is bringing that person in - to fire Troy and Monty for him because he doesn't have the guts to do it himself. Someone else said this, but the slow trickle of stories coming out now about Monty from the beat writers is reminiscent of how it was with Bey right around when he was moved. Even our guy JEIII, who notoriously doesn't like to burn bridges, has come out and said a lot of bad things about Monty. Maybe the beat writers already know something we don't. I can only hope that's true.

Lakers

Apparently Stewart made some anti-vax post this morning and then his account was deleted afterwards (I'm guessing Pistons PR team gave him a call).

Good coaches elevate their teams and make them better than the sum of their parts. Bad coaches...well, I don't need to explain this. We've all lived through the past 20 years together. Monty was just the exclamation point. So tired of hearing how "Monty will do better if he gets better players." Sure, and they'll only perform at or below their individual ability. That's the definition of a bad coach. We've all just forgotten because it's been so long since we had Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle.

The core of this whole thing is Mikal Bridges, and although it's arguably a slight overpay for a guy who's never been an All-Star, I'd still do it. He's exactly what this team needs, from his defense to his shooting to his iron man availability. As for what we're losing, I'm ok with it because I don't buy Ivey next to Cade with his streaky shooting and poor defense, and we don't have the luxury of keeping him to be a 6th man. Duren may be a better version of Drummond, but I'm not sure if he'll ever space the floor or protect the paint, and I think you have to do one of those two things to be a playoff Center in today's NBA. As for the pick, we all know it's a weak draft. His other moves are OK. I haven't run the cap numbers to see if that maxes us out, but let's assume it does. Centers: I would also have Hartenstein on my list for that Center spot if Claxton gets too pricey. Hartenstein might be cheaper, although his value is going up with his playoff performance. Guards: I'm not sure I like Sasser, Grimes, and Wright as the other 3 guards. It all depends on how comfortable you are with Wright as your backup PG (and starter for 20 games when Cade is out). I might look to move Sasser (maybe with a couple seconds) to bring in an actual backup PG. We should also keep in mind that Ausar works at SG in lineups with other guys who can space (Bridges, Tek, Stew). They were always counting on Cade + one of the other 3 to pop or this whole things goes down the drain. Nothing new there. However, none of these contracts are bad (depending upon what Claxton/Hartenstein costs) and this team would probably be good enough to allow our pick to finally convey to the Knicks. That opens up our flexibility even more for future trades to bring in another All-Star.

That was a really good game. Despite my dislike of Kyrie, I love watching Luka play so I'm rooting for Dallas (and also because Harden is on LA). It was awesome seeing the Wolves win again as well. Ant has arrived and I love seeing KD fail. Wolves vs Nuggets next round would be epic. East hasn't been quite as compelling to me yet outside of Knicks vs Sixers.

Can't get more underwhelming than JEIII saying Casey is a candidate.

There are some people grumbling about the refs, but all of these playoffs games have been officiated like that. It's playoff officiating and I just wish the entire season was officiated that way.

My Mount Rushmore is Thomas, Wallace, Dumars, and Billups in that order. But I never paid much attention to the guys (like Lanier) who came before my time and are probably deserving of a spot.

JJ has a really good basketball mind. I have no idea what kind of coach he'd make, but I'd definitely interview him. Unfortunately, we haven't even picked our POBO yet, so we'll miss out on even interviewing most candidates and probably be stuck with Monty regardless.

Last night was ridiculous. Two amazing games with crazy endings. That Denver comeback was epic, especially on a night where they shot so terribly from three. Lakers have to be feeling pretty defeated after Lebron, AD, and Russell were all playing well and they still couldn't hold a huge lead despite Denver playing like garbage.

That was the only good game of the day, after a bunch of good ones on Saturday.

I’ll say it once again this year - the Pistons are the victim of identity theft. Miami is now the “going to work” team. Call the cops, or better yet steal Quinn to be our coach this offseason after making Hammond the POBO.

They’re probably going to lose Claxton or simply not want to pay him. Getting a rookie (or Duren) could be appealing since they’d be on rookie contracts.

Topic and Wemby are gonna be a nice combo. He can set Wemby up on offense and Wemby can cover for his poor defense. Rough draft for the Pistons. Risacher takes a big dive and nobody in the top 5+ other than Sheppard can hit a three. Maybe you take a chance on Sheppard's poor size, length, and athleticism not killing him since his raw defensive numbers are so good despite those concerns. He can certainly shoot, but you could just be getting Sasser 2.0, except with a top 5 pick this time. If you do pick him then it's time for some trades (Ivey and/or Sasser). I'm probably still leaning towards the idea of drafting Sarr and using Duren in a trade package, but that could also blow up in your face because Sarr looks really raw. You'd definitely have to bring in a vet rebounder and rim protector (not Wiseman) to give Sarr time to develop and show him the ropes. I suppose you could just let Sarr come off the bench behind Duren and make the decision at the deadline, but you still need a veteran 3rd big (again, not Wiseman). I suppose you could also trade the pick. It won't net you much on its own, but maybe in combination with Ivey (and/or Duren) and a future pick to get you an actual player (Mikal or something).

So glad someone else noticed this. I was so confused while watching this and listening to him talk.

They said they're going to do it quickly, but if James isn't just making up names and they're actually going after guys from Orlando and Milwaukee, then it probably doesn't get done until at least after the first round of the playoffs. Then that guy has to come in and decide if he wants to keep Monty and Gores, then conduct a replacements search, which means all those good replacement names will be gone.

If Giannis doesn't play a couple of these games, the Bucks could very well be headed home early.