The Pistons worked their way into the playoffs last year, earning the honor to be rolled by the Cavs on their way to the trophy. Hey, every step is a step up, right?
The summer was built around re-signing their big man Andre Drummond (5yrs/$130m) and reshaping the supporting cast around him. They brought in Ish Smith (3yrs/$18m) for backup PG, Jon Leuer (4yrs/$42m) for some Zeller-ish-ness off the bench, Ray McCallum (not sure the terms) for some garbage time minutes and Boban Marjanovic (3yrs/$21m) to spell Drummond. They also drafted Henry Ellenson (#18), Michael Gbinje (#49) and Daniel Hamilton (#56), but I would expect those three to take merely baby steps in getting into the rotation. Personally I like Ish Smith and he strikes me as the poor man's Reggie Jax, making him a good selection for his backup. Leuer and Ellenson should bring good energy off the bench, McCallum and Gbinje should provide decent second string scoring and Boban will be a fan favorite right away. No big moves in there but no bad ones, I'd say.
They moved on from Jodie Meeks (Magic), Anthony Tolliver (Kings) and swapped Spencer Dinwiddie for Cameron Bairstow, whom they immediately cut (and went back to Australia, if I'm not mistaken). None of those moves would could possible be considered devastating but Tolliver did play meaningful minutes last season.
The starting five looks pretty much the same as last year: PG Jackson, SG Caldwell-Pope, SF Harris, PF Morris, C Drummond with Smith, Gbinje, McCallum, Bullock, Johnson, Ellenson, Baynes and Boban off the bench. Last year saw a nice build in the Stan Van project, next year looks to improve a little more. Not a slam dunk playoff team but I expect them to be there by the end of the year and to be a tough out in the post-season.
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