Pistons Links: The Pistons have many questions, but the future could not be brighter

The 2016 postseason has come and gone for the Detroit Pistons. To not even win a game against the very talented but certainly beatable Cleveland Cavaliers is annoying, if not disheartening. No one can say Detroit didn't give the Cavs their best effort, though. It was just not enough and maybe you could say it just wasn't meant to be this season. Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and J.R. Smith, just to name a few, made a lot of huge plays -- you got to just simply give them their due. When it's all said and done though, the Pistons made their fans, head coach and everyone else associated with the team proud, no doubt about it. They gave the Cavaliers pretty much all they could handle in such a worthwhile and engaging four games. For people who didn't closely watch much of the series it will seem as only a sweep to them. Ignorance is bliss. The gap between the up-and-coming Pistons and the best team in the Eastern Conference is not as large as we all thought it was at the beginning of the season. The Pistons are on their way and they helped prove it these four games.

For many fans, this season flew right by in a few blinks of the eye. Well, at least what a great thing it was to have a Pistons season be enjoyable for a change. More, please? You bet. We will get much more and that's where the real fun starts: a super young and talented team with a proven and invested coach who's not going to settle for mediocrity, an energized organization in every which way and not to mention a rejuvenated fan base (not the fair weather chaps) behind them -- the Detroit Pistons are back and are here to stay. It is Detroit vs. Everybody, can you feel it?

So, it goes without saying that much greater things are on the horizon for the Detroit Pistons. Yet nothing is for sure. We could surely come up with a dozen things to forecast that could go wrong for them, ultimately keeping them from being part of the league's elite in a few seasons. I guess it's time for that luck word to show itself then, and most definitely 'luck' will be a part of this process. But it's totally OK, for Thomas Jefferson had some wisdom back in the day that could make us feel a bit better about luck, as I'm sure these Pistons are willing to put more hard work in to get them to where they want to go:  "I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

Now on to the links.

Cavs complete sweep of Pistons, but Detroit isn't going anywhere -- Fear The Sword

This remains a team that will need to look for creation. It's not clear that Reggie Jackson can do it on his own, or that Tobias Harris will be able to complement him. The team will have cap space, but it's not likely that Detroit will be a free agent destination. But they are starting from a good place, and they are ahead of schedule.

Stan Van Gundy is energized. It's not clear how the Pistons get to a place where they are beating the Cavs over seven games, but team representing the Motor City isn't likely to shy away from the challenge. They made the Cavs uncomfortable in the four games they got this year. Time will tell if they can do more.

Sharp: Lack of trust in Andre Drummond a problem for Pistons -- Detroit Free Press

If Drummond simply made half of his free throws, teams wouldn't deliberately foul him. There would be no need for the faux outrage demanding the NBA outlaw the "Hack-A-Dre" strategy. That few trust Drummond can ever become even an average free-throw shooter must give the Pistons pause as they approach an important off-season.

If the Pistons deem Drummond an untradeable commodity this summer, they're crazy.

Why not at least call Sacramento and see if the Kings are even remotely interested in moving DeMarcus Cousins?

NO. While Drummond should not be an "untradeable commodity" this summer, any trade involving DeMarcus Cousins to Detroit and Drummond exiting Detroit does receive an emphatic NO every time.

Pistons favorable to re-signing Andre Drummond with max deal -- ESPN

No surprise.

Pistons owner Tom Gores made it clear after Sunday night's season-ending Game 4 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that he has no qualms about giving Drummond big money.

"No hesitation," Gores said in the Pistons locker room after the game. "Come on, look at all the big guys in the league. Come on."

Cavaliers-Pistons Game 4 Recap -- Basketball Insiders

Whether it was legs, the enormity of the moment or simple variance,  the Pistons couldn't get a few of the big ones to fall in the high-leverage minutes late in the game. Detroit shot just 2-9 from three-point range in the pivotal fourth quarter, including a sequence where they missed a minimum of four fantastic looks in just two possessions while J.R. Smith hit a ludicrous fall-away on the other end as the shot clock wore down. It's a make or miss league, as they say.

The Dancing Usher Pays Tribute To Prince During Pistons' Playoff Game [VIDEO] -- CBS Local

The good stuff starts at about 1:28.

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"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it."  - Andy Rooney