The Detroit Pistons are Building an Identity | Woodward Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are Building an Identity | Woodward Pistons

Kicking off your day with us ah man Detroit FES let’s go chat family as always you’re a big part of the show hit that like button if you already have encourage somebody else to do the same I’m just impressed to you’re you’re I see you cooking wake up all the way up

I don’t know if you guys can see it you put wake up W up on the on the big screen there hey had to man listen this was a picture that I took last night while at the game it almost seemed as if uh they knew that they were going to get

This dub this was pregame it was 3 on three day they a 59 Angelie they had a lot of different people in there Jameson Williams was in the building as well it was pretty festive night there were a ton of tonno raptors fans but there were

Also a ton of Detroit Pistons fans that got a little bit louder than them as well that’s what I want to see though that’s what I want to see out of Little Caesar Arena of course you can’t see all the all the empty seats but that looks

Literally like it’s on fire love to see Little Caesers lit up like that Kool-Aid last week and and we’ve we’ve hit on it a couple times since last week but we’re talking about this team building an identity we’re talking we we saw them what was it two 3 weeks ago after the

Trade deadline after these players come in talk about that identity and wanting to be a team that runs through the tape yep I interpreted in first silly me as oh you know watching fil no no no they’re they’re in a race they’re trying to beat their opponent run through the

Tape are you feeling that a little more I mean last night Jaylen durren 24 24 points 23 rebounds like Simone fio he’s playing well COA is this identity being formed what what do you what they say after the game yesterday yeah yeah listen uh and you’re exactly right on

That the running through the tape like a runner instead of getting to the finish line and starting to just kind of Coast because either there is something because you believe you have the win in the bag or because you don’t think that there’s anything really left to win for

Yourselves a lot of times you can see people just Pace it Monty Williams and this team they actually want to try and finish off this season as strongly as they can I know there’s people that got the jokes like oh man a little bit you

Know too much too late well this is a completely different team and right now a lot of these guys they want to be here they want to play for each other and that’s the difference everybody who hit that Podium last night uh especially asah Stewart who said you know what

Winning feels good this is a feeling that we want to continue to carry and our momentum we want to carry to the end of the season and obviously they wanted to have a much better season this year but one kind of underlying thread or comment that I continue to hear from

Some of the guys is how they praise the current group that they have here right now when we go back to that trade deadline and we go back even further to January 14th you know the Detroit Pistons are now 9 and 17 since January 15th and that includes that includes the

Two questionable losses to Orlando and two New York if those were wins you’re looking at 11 and 15 team right now we wanted to see this squad go on the type of run that they did in cage rookie season uh where they went 10 and 14 in

The games that he played in and they’re kind of in the midst of a stretch like that right now they haven’t won back-to-back games at home since that time and you want to be able to to know that the squad that you have right now that there’s improvements that people

Are actually hustling that people are playing defense the defense continues to improve you want to talk about before these trades having a 129 uh defensive rating which was last in the league it has to have gotten better bro they now have a 114 defensive rating that s from you

Said 120 129 129 down to 114 yeah yeah I don’t think you guys understand the type of jump that they’ve made defensively since they’ve instituted some these changes and these trades and got people in here that Isaiah Stewart quote unquote said these guys want to try these guys are playing hard these guys

Want to play defense in terms of finding that right mix and finding any silver lining in a season that’s been a serious gut punch to a lot of fans I think that’s it that they finally found a group of young talent that wants to be here they found the players that want to

Play defense they found the players that want to play tough and when you find that mix that’s when you go out there and you absolutely have to surround them with the right veteran Talent Taj Gibson I know we kind of joked about a little

Bit but hey I have to take I have to eat some of that has he actually been helping out James wisman lot a lot of the B the one thing that I know is when Rasheed Wallace was an assistant coach here he had this philosophy of dunk

Everything Taj Gibson comes in with the same kind of Mantra of dunk everything and play physical what we’ve seen out of Jaylen durren and James wisman since Taj Gibson has been on this squad is a little bit different tenacity in which they play the game with man and I

Absolutely love it like like I said you I can’t I can’t really uh complain about it man it’s not a lot to criticize in that regard and three out of four wins in their last four games it’s uh it’s it’s progress you know what I’m excited

I I’ve noticed a trend and and they’re playing well but in the last couple games the refs are actually blowing the whistle oh yeah like what last night 24 of 31 free throws they got to the line 31 times it wasn’t too long ago Monty Williams was blowing up at the refs in

His press conference after the game after some pretty horrendous calls and I’m going to ask you a question from the chat Eduardo O’Neal says question for Kool-Aid if the NBA had an NFL type draft would he still be preaching and wanting the team to win or just to

Secure the number one draft pick no more draft picks they they have their young talent I I don’t think in in I I I don’t mean to cut you off no more draft picks like it no matter who was on the board this year or the fact that is it a down

Year in them or or there’s no clear number one it’s considered a a little bit of a Down year I do I am intrigued by alexar he plays a position of need for the Detroit Pistons but with that number one draft pick not that I don’t

Want them to add anybody in the draft but with that top draft pick I think it presents an opportunity for the Detroit Pistons to actually utilize that on draft day in they trade to bring in somebody like a vet who can absolutely help this team in a starting lineup

That’s kind of more where I’m looking at if they do decide to draft somebody instead I I I do believe that there’s going to be a period of time where that that draft pick that rookie is going to take a little bit of time getting acclimated to the NBA getting acclimated

To the speed getting accl committed to the defense this team needs to hit the ground running I talked with some Pistons Personnel last night and that’s their hope is that what we’re seeing right now and especially Kade Cunningham who’s not going to be rehabbing this summer but actually working on his game

He was able to work on his game last year was just about last off season was about rehabing from missing the previous year due to surgery this year they have uh expectations of hitting the ground running when next season begins and I think that they do that best by trading

Out of this number one draft pick I love that I I I think of it kind of like that McCarthy not this past year but the previous year where his first season he wasn’t able to practice in the offse season cuz or wasn’t able to throw uh because of shoulder surgery each year

His shoulders gotten stronger he’s got more comfortable with the offense this isn’t a JJ McCarthy M topic but Sam flanel K was talking about the need for a veteran kind of like a Udonis Haslam type A Udonis Haslam on the heat am I right flannel I’m not giving Taj Gibson

More credit than I give to Jaylen Duren who actually had a 2020 and to James wisman who actually is improving in hell even Isaiah Stewart he shot three of three from three last night shout out to him his three-point percentage is actually pretty good this year which a

Lot of people don’t know but it is true but anywh who when when when I talk about the Pistons if you’re one of those people that says too little too late you’re right you are 100% right there is nothing that can be done safe for going

On a tremendous run of winning like you know four like 12 out of their next 17 to salvage any modicum of a successful season however ever however I’m still looking at this as right now I can’t change it I want them to end this season successful and I’ve said many many times

That I want them to win 18 symbolically it would just be a terrible terrible look if they didn’t win more games than they did last year with a healthy Kate Cunningham and last night presented a golden opportunity Kool-Aid I’m curious as you were there when you saw the

Lineup That Toronto was rolling out were you kind of like we better win this game we absolutely have to that’s what everybody was saying media everybody was saying business personel media Personnel everybody was like they got to go out there and they got to smack these guys

They have to when when you look at what the Detroit Pistons have on their side and the hope that they that they’re trying to instill and and and project with this young crew that’s a game that you have to absolutely go out there and win and it’s like you said flano these

Are the games that as you’re counting can they get to this 18 go out there and win the games that you’re supposed to which is something that they were not doing earlier in the season at all and it largely stemed from the defensive side and the only reason we talk about

Ties Gibson is because Jaylen durren Isaiah Stewart and James wisman they’re talking about Taj Gibson and what he’s already doing for them on this squad that’s the only reason why I did bring it up and uh they’re saying that he’s making an impact already so you know it’s it’s not something to necessarily

Write home about you know and when you’re looking at this Detroit Pistons team I agree with you it is a lot too late man it is it’s just it’s just it’s in the grand scheme of things this squad had the recipe to go out there and be 20

Plus wins uh potentially challenge for 25 to 30 wins on this season they had that recipe a healthy season of K Cunningham Jaylen durren coming back and he was looking like a Manchild as well they hit some bumps in the road their veterans started off injured they didn’t

Really have an identity they didn’t really play defense and the players that they were relying on were a big part of that I look at this thing as a tale of two halves after they started making their trades it’s a completely different team they didn’t just make one or two

Trades they did something where they changed up the types of players that they were going to run with and I have an article that’s coming out as well about what the Pistons need to add to this squad before they even think about adding any type of outside shooting even

Though I know that this era is about three-point shooting every brand of Pistons basketball that’s ever been a championship winner they didn’t played to the era they played to what we know has been always identified with winning Pistons basketball and that’s physicality that’s Towing the line that’s that’s earning the files that

You’re going to be called for rather than complaining about them this is what I want to see the Detroit Pistons get back to get out there and just play the brand of basketball if you want to talk about restore which is what they dubb this rebuild then it has to be about

Making sure that guards aren’t able to just W into the lane and make layups easily it has to be about making sure that there aren’t a bevy of players that are going to go into the paint and grab the rebounds over you and get Second Chance points it has to be about this

Because the Detroit Pistons ranked 25th in the league and it’s disappointing 25th in the league in opponent’s points in the paint these are the types of things when you talk about the identity of a winning Detroit Pistons team that are a little bit backwards bring the physicality defensively that’s

Where the identity has to start every era of basketball the that they’ve won the Detroit Pistons has forced the NBA to have to change the rules right after they won championships get back to that get back to that I love that I love that bro it’s at least something to be

Excited about going to this last stretch they’re battling oh that’s why I had that smirk on my face we’re talking yesterday is there a road to 18 wins like are they going pull this off the flannel way the flannel Road no there there most certainly is I mean I’m

Looking at this current home stand that they’re on and I touched on it briefly yesterday they’ve won three out of their first four they got two against Miami go split those go split those and then they have four really tough ones coming up at Boston home versus the Pacers Boston and

Uh New Orleans win one out of three win at Washington win at home versus Memphis win at Memphis win at Brooklyn win versus Chicago and win at at San Antonio I think that would actually give you more than 18 wins but those are all winnable games hell even go to New York

Where New York Knicks are obviously a good team but the Pistons already almost beat them there and like I said before for people who think I’m kind of talking out of both sides of my mouth after what I said on bde on Monday all of that I

Still believe all of that and I definitely had a little bit of a reaction after the weekend however what choice do I have but want this Pistons team to finish the season strong and show me that there’s something to build upon I mean jayen Duran last night

Giving me a 2020 I’m happy about that the biggest Jaylen Duren fan at this network I think is Neil Rule and Neil rule even said he kind of reminds me of like a young Dwight Howard I think that’s a little aggressive particularly defensively but Jaylen Duren appears to

Be a guy that you can pencil in for the next decade as top five in the league in rebounds a double double almost every single night and that’s what you would have taken that when you drafted him and obviously Kade Cunningham playing like an All-Star even though he didn’t play

The fourth quarter yesterday you saw big fourth quarter from Marcus Sasser and Jaden Ivy so there are things to build upon and unlike earlier in the year during the games that you think they’re supposed to win they actually went out and beat the uh the uh corpse of the

Toronto Raptors which is pretty much what they were last night but they didn’t they had to do it and they get it JB oh man JB I know you got some last comments before we go and get to Doc macaroon yeah yeah I know I just wanted

To make this real quick comment and ask you koola cuz I know we got the doc coming on yeah so I just want to know how how was this combination working together last night the fire I so everyone who’s is this Shannon or uh Troy that’s Bruce Brown oh the Bruce Brown so

Everyone listen Audio Only there’s a picture of Bruce Brown and Grady dick checking into the game standing back to back you can just see the last names on the back of their jerseys of Bruce Brown you know what makes it better is that Kade is in the background looking like

What the f is that oh man brown dicks coming into the game no like the players on hey you know what this is that I mean how you can’t find a better way to transition to the dock I I want to get his comments on on

On that pick so have that ready to go ready to go JB and I saw a couple questions in the chat we’ll save him for a mailbag yeah doc’s on the line so we’re going to get to him we will definitely get back to some of these

Questions uh and uh doc actually asked a really good question yesterday both two Carlton Davis and Graham glasow we’re going to show you the Graham Glascow clip uh before he hops on the line so koola will you tell him about Premier pet yeah there’s no transition for this

I can’t do nothing I’m just reading read It

Via Wake Up Woodward featuring Matt Broder (credentialed WSN Lions+Tigers Reporter), Brandon @DetroitKoolAid Dent (credentialed WSN Pistons reporter), KG on sounds, JB in the TD booth and Flannel Sam

Rod Beard (Detroit News) and Brandon @DetroitKoolAid Dent (Woodward Sports Network) join WAKE UP WOODWARD to discuss the Detroit Pistons at the NBA Trade Deadline. Like , Subscribe and leave your comment below!

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Woodward Sports Pistons beat reporter Brandon @detroitkoolaid1585 Dent and Detroit News assistant sports editor Rod Beard.

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