DBB on 3: Pistons All Decade Teams

Everyone has been doing “All Decade” lists and thought we would do not one but three. Being that the cursory “Best Starting 5” is going to be pretty hard to look at, especially if you’ve had the experience of reading Sean’s rankings we decided to have some fun with it and do two more.

(P.S.: To the sticklers who say the new decade actually starts next year in 2021: you’re wrong. The Internet and Social Media says no. 2020 just sounds more righter, got it?)

1. Who is your All Decade Starting 5 based on players who we’ve had over the past 10 years?

Lazarus Jackson: The 2015-16 version of Reggie Jackson, 2015-16 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 2015-16 Marcus Morris, 2018-19 Blake Griffin, 2018-19 Andre Drummond

Brady Fredericksen: C Andre Drummond

PF Blake Griffin

SF Tobias Harris

SG Rodney Stuckey

PG Reggie Jackson

6th Will Bynum

Did I cheat a little bit moving Rodney Stuckey over to shooting guard? Sure. But he was definitely one of the two or three best guards the Pistons had over the past decade. Reggie Jackson is the top point guard, mostly by default, and Blake Griffin’s first season and a half is definitely the best we’ve seen since the Goin’ to Work days. Tobias Harris and Andre Drummond were the easiest picks here. And, yes, I added a 6th Man because Will Bynum deserves to be mentioned when we look back on a decade of forgettable Detroit Pistons basketball.

Ben Gulker: Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Reggie Bullock, Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond

Justin Lambregtse:

PG-Reggie Jackson

SG-KCP

SF-Tobias Harris

PF-Blake Griffin

C-Andre Drummond

Sean Corp: Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin (healthy), Tobias Harris, KCP, DJ Augustin. Sixth Man: Anthony Tolliver.

Three of these were extremely easy but the backcourt, the bane of Detroit’s lost decade, was pretty difficult. There have been no standout point guards consistently for a variety of factors. Similarly, shooting guard has been more about disappointment and unrealized promise than anything else. In the end, I went with the two-way play of KCP even as limited as he was. If Detroit had better complementary pieces then I think he would have been an awfully effective guard. Similarly, while Augustin might not be the most talented point guard Detroit has had, I think his shooting ability and the growth he has shown outside of Detroit has proven he would have been a perfectly adequate player, would have most likely been healthy, and would have been a good lead guard alongside Griffin.

Ryan Pravato: The others who have replied already pretty much nailed it down well.

Steve Hinson: I’m going to go with folks who most represented the franchise over the past decade rather than just the best players.

PG: Rodney Stuckey - represents rebuilding around a flawed player and horribly misevaluating and mismanaging him.

SG: Langston Galloway - an “overpaid” role player who never was actually overpaid, but still took the blame in lieu of what is actually just a bad core.

SF: Stanley Johnson - the franchise’s inability to develop talented young players, allowing them to play to their weaknesses rather than their strengths.

PF: Josh Smith - yeah.

C: Aron Baynes - an excellent player that was undervalued by both the front office and fans, allowed to walk to sign a $4 million contract despite being more effective toward winning basketball than the player the Pistons stuck with at $22 million.

2. Who is your All Decade Starting 5 if different players were drafted and players weren’t traded?

Lazarus Jackson: Our “All-Decade Shoulda-Been” Pistons? INTERESTING.

Kemba Walker, C.J. McCollum, Paul George, Pascal Siakam, Draymond Green.

...Drafting is hard, ladies and gentlemen.

Brady Fredericksen: C Andre Drummond

PF Tobias Harris

SF Paul George

SG Devin Booker

PG Kemba Walker

There’s no universe in which the chips would have fallen for the Pistons to acquire (or afford) all of those guys, but it’s fun to imagine. Honorable mention to Donovan Mitchell, Khris Middleton, and countless others.

Ben Gulker: Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, Paul Milsap (coulda, shoulda locked him up in 2008), Andre Drummond

Justin Lambregtse:

PG-Donovan Mitchell

SG-Devin Booker

SF-Marcus Morris

PF-Tobias Harris

C-Andre Drummond

Sean Corp: Jrue Holiday, CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, Kawhi Leonard, Aron Baynes

It’s a little too easy to say that Detroit should have simply used a time machine to take the best player available in the draft. That’s too easy so I’ll limit myself to players who I feel like were legitimately in the conversation for Detroit’s eventual draft pick. I don’t have any inside knowledge, of course, so maybe they were super high on Pascal Siakam, but I sorta doubt it. The biggest revisionist history might be Holiday so soon after “committing” to Rodney Stuckey as the point guard of the future. But Joe Dumars loved combo guards and positionless basketball so I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility.

Ryan Pravato: The others who have replied already pretty much nailed it down well.

Steve Hinson: Owner: Mike Ilitch

GM: Shane Battier

Trade: Any of the Andre Drummond deals that were vetoed by Tom Gores.

Strategies: Rebuilding > reloading

Blame game: Holding front offices accountable for assembling bad rosters rather than riding the coaching carousel

3. Who is your All Decade Starting 5 if you were to pick the most awful players we’ve had?

Lazarus Jackson:

Oh man, my All-Decade “Pistons I hated watching nearly every second they were on the floor:”

Jose Calderon, Darrun Hilliard, Josh Smith, Austin Daye, Thon Maker.

Brady Fredericksen: C Kwame Brown

PF Josh Smith

SF Austin Daye

SG Kim English

PG Steve Blake

Just including guys who actually saw the floor some. Shoutout to Charlie Villanueva and Henry Ellenson. You were both significantly less talented than Smith, but there was no denying his place on this list.

Ben Gulker: Brandon Knight, Avery Bradley, Josh Smith, Charlie Villanueva, Thon Maker

Justin Lambregtse:

PG-John Lucas III

SG-DaJuan Summers (he played in this decade, I think)

SF-Luigi Datome

PF-Henry Ellenson

C-Thon Maker

Sean Corp: Brandon Knight, Avery Bradley, Ben Gordon, Josh Smith, Thon Maker

Ryan Pravato: Jose Calderon (the second go around w/ Detroit), Henry Ellenson, Tracy McGrady, Avery Bradley

Steve Hinson: PG: Derrick Rose - “We men.”

SG: Avery Bradley - did we ever wind up getting more information about that whole non-disclosure agreement issue?

SF: Sekou Doumbouya - we love to complain about drafting players ahead of guys who very few saw as future stars like Kawhi Leonard or Pascal Siakam, but for some reason are totally cool with drafting this guy with very few discernable basketball skills ahead of an obviously very good player like Brandon Clarke. Maybe Doumbouya eventually develops, but it doesn’t change the fact that the team chose a scratch off lottery ticket over actual currency.

PF: Josh Smith

C: Boban Marjanovic - despite Boban’s prolific numbers, perhaps the dumbest move of the SVG regime was needlessly spending $21 million for a third string center they wouldn’t be willing to play.

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What are your thoughts on All Decade Starting 5’s?

1. Who is your All Decade starting 5 based on actual players we’ve had over the last 10 years?

2. Who is your All Decade starting 5 if different players were drafted and players weren’t traded?

3. Who is your All Decade starting 5 if you were to pick the most awful players we’ve had?