Detroit Pistons 2010-2014 Recap

[idlewildsouth70]

Replaced basketface69 as the GM of the Detroit Pistons on August 9, 2007, days before the start of Season 5 - 2010:

Inherited a rotation of:
C---Brook Lopez ~ Amir Johnson ~ Anthony Randolph
PF--Nene Hilario ~ Reggie Evans ~ Wayne Chism
SF--Richard Jefferson ~ Tayshaun Prince
SG--Mike Miller
PG--Allen Iverson ~ Kyle Lowry ~ Jason Hart

Only made 1 minor trade, moved Reggie Evans to the Raptors for Willie Green and Anderson Varejao to give me more money to buyout Jason Hart's contract. Wanted to make the playoffs once before I started rebuilding. Finished with a 41-41 record to make the playoffs as the 8th seed. Lost the the Bucks in the first round.

2011 Offseason:
I didn't have my first in the draft and let the computer take Jeff Jones for me with the 44th Overall pick. It was a big free agency for me as Tayshaun Prince and Richard Jefferson were both testing the market. I resigned both for 4 years, $44.3 million. I had enough cap room to bring in someone else for a max contract but Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Josh Howard, and Caron Butler spurned me. Probably worked out for the best. Nene Hilario turned down my 4 year, $24 million offer for a 2 year, $15 million deal from the Knicks.

Season 6 - 2011:
C---Brook Lopez ~ Amir Johnson ~ Jeff Foster
PF--Tayshaun Prince ~ Anthony Randolph ~ Wayne Chism
SF--Richard Jefferson
SG--Mike Miller ~ Jeff Jones
PG--Allen Iverson ~ Kyle Lowry ~ Speedy Claxton

Was the team I started with but I quickly tore it down, by trading Iverson, Miller, and Prince to 3 different teams for expirings and the Rockets 2013 1st (became #1 overall) and Bucks 2014 1st. The team, featuring Nenad Krstic, Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, Luther Head, and Antawn Jamison around Jefferson and Lopez missed the playoffs.

2012 Offseason:
I finished with the 3rd worst record and kept the 3rd Overall pick. I missed the draft and lucked out with Jordan Burger there and Michael Dixon with the 32nd Overall pick. I had a ton of cap room but didn't send bids in for Days 1-2 and missed out on 1 of the best classes ever, including O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon, Darren Collison, and Michael Beasley. Days 3-5 I resigned Brook Lopez for 2 years, $10 million and landed only 1 other free agent, Channing Frye for 3 years, $16 million. Everyone else walked. These were dark times in Detroit because of their own GM's lazyness. The lone bright spot was taking advantage of the Lakers being over the Hard cap and taking their 2014 first to help get them under.

Season 7 - 2012:
C---Channing Frye ~ Henry Sims ~ Chris Singleton
PF--Brook Lopez ~ Luke Babbitt
SF--Richard Jefferson ~ Travis Outlaw
SG--Jordan Burger ~ Jeff Jones ~ Michael Harthun
PG--Michael Dixon ~ Jared Cunningham

Jefferson must have been wondering what he was still doing in Detroit next to a rookie backcourt and no depth at all. Burger had a good rookie season, narrowly losing out on Rookie of the Year honors. Ended up finishing with the league's 5th worst record.

2013 Offseason:
The supposed-to-contend Rockets finished with the league's 8th worst record and jumped from there to #1 in the lottery and I had their pick from the Iverson for expirings trade! My own lottery pick ended up at #6, giving the Pistons franchise a new lease of life. I made LaQuinton Ross the first player taken, over Doren Lamb, and took Chandler Thomas with my pick

For free agency, I still had all the cap and wanted badly to get Kevin Garnett. I offered him the max and he took the Celtics 6 years, $131.3 million over mine. As my backup option, I traded my 2014 first and Brook Lopez to the Jazz for Pau Gasol. Desperately needing a PG to field a playoff-calibur team, I got Jason Terry, Jamaal Tinsley, and Eric Sosa for my exceptions and leftover cap.

Season 8 - 2013:
C---Channing Frye ~ Chandler Thomas ~ Mehmet Okur
PF--Pau Gasol ~ Udonis Haslem ~ Tyler Poole
SF--Richard Jefferson ~ Jordan Burger
SG--LaQuinton Ross
PG--Jamaal Tinsley ~ Jason Terry ~ Michael Dixon

I wasn't as completive as I'd hope, until I traded Tinsley, Terry, and Sosa to the Raptors for Tony Parker. With him at the helm, I made the playoffs as the 8th seed. Unfortunately the 1st seed was the Pacers and I lost 4 games to 2. For the 2nd straight season I had the runner-up to ROY, as Lamb edged out Ross.

2014 Offseason:
I had moved my own first to the Jazz for Gasol, which is why I was estatic to not be in the lottery again. I entered the draft with the Bucks and Lakers low firsts I acquired via trades. With them I landed 2 prospects rated B+: Davontay Grace and Justin Brooks. I resigned Parker for 1 year, $15 million.

I felt I had built a nice young team that could be dangerous with some more seasoning and apparently I wasn't alone as I was getting a lot of offers. The Heat traded me Eric Gordon, Malcolm Lee, Tyrus Thomas, and the Lakers 2016 first for Ross, Grace, Brooks, and Parkers' big expiring contract.

Season 9 - 2014:
C---Channing Frye ~ Chandler Thomas ~ Spencer Hawes
PF--Pau Gasol ~ Tyrus Thomas
SF--Richard Jefferson ~ Jordan Burger ~ DeQuan Jones
SG--Eric Gordon
PG--Malcolm Lee ~ Michael Dixon ~ Rico Richardson

Gordon has proven his worth quickly, jumping out to the league's 2nd most points per game with 29.9. He looks like a superstar and has the Pistons 3rd in the East with a 13-7 record, despite Gasol missing 9 games with an injury. I feel like I can compete so I made another big trade today with the Lakers. I moved Jefferson, in his 6th season with the team, and Gasol plus the Lakers 2016 first for Yao Ming, T.J. Ford, and Jarell Eddie. Hopefully it'll be enough to give me homecourt advantage in the first round and my first playoff series win.


Current Team:
C---Yao Ming ~ Chandler Thomas ~ Spencer Hawes
PF--Channing Frye ~ Tyrus Thomas
SF--Jordan Burger ~ Jarell Eddie ~ DeQuan Jones
SG--Eric Gordon ~ Malcolm Lee ~
PG--T.J. Ford ~ Malcolm Lee ~ Michael Dixon


Totals:
5th season - 11 trades
2010 - 41-41, 8th seed, 1st round loss to Bucks
2011 - 31-51, 3rd worst record, lottery
2012 - 29-53, 5th worst record, lottery
2013 - 42-40, 8th seed, 1st round loss to Pacers 4-2
2014 - currently 13-7, 3rd place

[Ducky]

I went with good. I think something that the Sonics did is "Excellent."

Your team is looking pretty good. And how the hell did you get Gordon, lol... I forgot you had him. Definitely a damn nice looking team.

[Bluedevil$]

Your team is solid, but not title contenders. Defense is absolute key in the league - it's the biggest reason Indy has won 3 years in a row - and your team is lacking a big time shot-blocker or defensive stopper.