Let the fun begin: Jerebko says Pistons will be in the playoffs

That seems to be Joe D's plan these last few years. Do just enough and overpay decent enough players to stay a sufficient level of mediocre.

That is unless you believe in the concept of "playoff experience" being of any value to a young team that is not rapidly improving.

I remember a Piston team where your words wouldn't have made sense.......Sadly...they now do........

This team's main problem is that we're very young and very new to each other and to the new coach's system. It's unlikely that we'll play consistently enough and error-free enough to do more than flash some nice potential from time to time. Instead, I expect a team which is wildly inconsistent, and a team that will be going through a lot of teaching, sorting, and losing during the course of the year.

Let's face it: experience wins, and veteran teams win, in this league. I really like our talent base. I think it's possible that we'll come together at the end of this season. More likely, this is a team that will grow a lot this season, and do much better next season and in the next few years after that.

I don't think that "youth" or "being new" is the problem.

I think that too many players underperforming in relation to what they are being paid is the problem.
Bad contracts have handcuffed this team.

I agree with this post...which begs to differ with the previous post.

I don't see the Pistons making the playoffs with the current roster. The goal for this season should be.....

http://nbadraft.net/players/andre-drummond

Man, I wasn't overly impressed until I watched the official mixtape at the bottom. Power dunks, touch off the glass, good shooting form, some nice passing, strong dribbling ability for a big, steals and leading the fast break, timing, you name it.

Tank away!

He does have a nice mix of size, power, and skills. He was just named Big East Freshman of the Week for the second time:

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/121911aab.html

I would be more than happy with Anthony Davis, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes or Andre Drummond with a Pistons jersey next year.

Don't leave out the Bucks, when Bogut is healthy they're pretty respectable.

* this post corrects erroneous content from a prior post.

I believe the Pistons are likely a bottom five team in the entire NBA this season. The only roster who I think we might be better than on paper is Charlotte's.

I still like some of the young talent we've assembled, but criminy, we're an awful defensive team (with a few really good pieces of a future good D team), we're going to be relying on a rookie PG, and we are shorter than heck. We're going to be an inefficient team all year because we're so young, and we've got some defensive sieves who will play a lot (Gordon), and we'll get pounded on the boards a lot.

The only reason I can see us not being a bottom five team (if not the worst team in the league) is JJ and Monroe could gel together, and Knight might really improve our offense as he acclimates to the league, and Stuckey could be really hard to guard at the SG position.

During Larry Frank's most successful season, his playbook had one page: Do what Jason Kidd says we should do.

Fortunately for Frank, the Pistons have their own version of Jason Kidd in Rodney Stuckey.

UPDATE: The Pistons are now in lastest place at 7.5 games back in our division.

Washington is 6.5 back in their division and Minnesota is 6.0 back in theirs.

We have the 2nd worst record, only .5 games ahead of Washington.

Philly has the highest point differential in the league by a lot at 13.6, even though they are only 7-3. They have the best defense, so this does not appear to be a fluke. They lost 3 close games on the road and have pretty much crushed everyone else. Their next 2 games are against Washington, so they are about to be 9-3. They held Toronto to 62! and the Pistons to 73 points already this year. They have some athletes, that's for sure. Not a team that most were predicting to be a serious championship contender, but they look serious to me.

I think we're the worst team in the league and we will be by the end...

Team is just not competing. Not even close.

Gone is the optimism.

Just the hope that this is the worst that we are going to be.

Are the words "playoffs" and "lottery" similar in Swedish? Maybe Jeb got his translation mixed up.

...Mogilny?
...a little help?

Nets will probably improve a bit for sure, so that leaves us competing with Charlotte & Washington for the last spot. Oooh-whee, top 3 pick here we come!