No More EXCUSES For Troy Weaver and The Restore | WP 106

No More EXCUSES For Troy Weaver and The Restore | WP 106

What up though people welcome back to wake up Woodward and thank you guys for kicking off your morning with the crew we got the whole starting five here and today we got Rod beard as the six-man a Detroit news sports Editor in Chief and you guys already know what time it is

Let’s queue up that drum roll you guys going to help me toight let’s go hey yo shout out to the legend Detroit News Rod beard and I’ll ask you again brother how are you doing this morning I got to get R’s thoughts it is a uh it is a wonderful

Wednesday morning I wish it was 80 degrees it is not 80 degrees somewhere it is 80 degrees just not here um this piston season man this is sheesh I’ve never seen a football team that was losing in the fourth quarter no matter how many points they’re losing by

I’ve never seen them take a knee it just feels like pist fans want to take a knee on this season like there’s nothing that you want to see like hey we need some more Kade enduring minutes I mean sure but that could happen anytime it’s almost like you just

Want to shut this whole season down with with these couple of weeks left and just like what do you want to see what what is there to say hey I need more fonio and Jaden Ivy minutes I don’t know I I don’t know what people want to see I don’t know what

There is to show and to gain from the rest of this season um and we always talk about well a couple more wins or or gaining a winning mentality I just don’t have the stomach for it it’s just it’s it’s tough It’s a really really tough watch from game to game just knowing

That they’re a little bit underand and and injuries are playing a part of that too but just for what’s left and for these couple of games and it’s been that way the past few seasons with all the injuries and everything else just like I don’t know where the excitement is it’s

Not even yeah and we’ve talked about this it’s not even hey they might get the number one pick in the lottery uh so then what what happens yeah seriously it it’s not I don’t know I don’t know and and and this is what Troy Weaver is

Gonna have to figure out um is is how to inject something in this and get some spend that free agency money use that draft pick wisely assuming it’s a top three just kind of what how do you how do you resuscitate this fan base and make them care more about what’s going

On right now it’s just really really tough you know what man I think that you embody right now a lot of what Detroit Pistons fans feel in general and I wrote an article and it’s a little bit different tone like the tone of the Articles as the season has gone on has

Gotten a lot more critical a lot more looking toward not the not necessarily the far future because we’re not at the beginning of this restore or rebuild or whatever they want to call it this team is doing exactly what we St in the beginning of the Season we didn’t want

To see them do we knew that they weren’t going to have a winning season but to have your veterans injured to have your young players injured and to be ending the season with g- Leaguers rather than being able to build up some type of we know you don’t really car momentum from

Season to season but being able to have something that you can hang your hat on they put out there and we covered this with the Monty Williams clip off of a question I was able to ask him in practice what were your goals in the season and they run through the tape

This looks like anything but it when you talk about taking a knee like hey you know what we’re down 20 points we’re just going to take a knee with 10 minutes left let’s just forfeit that’s not anything that people want to see I feel so bad for the season ticket

Holders I feel so bad for them there’s a bevy of them that sit around us in that section 104 media and to be able to get to know some of them shout out to Christian Smith I told him I would shout him out man to trying to get to know

Some of these people and know why they’re doing this they hang on to a little bit of Hope but even them even those die hards are getting to the point now where they’re like you know what enough is enough and they’re like me now no more project players this is where

I’m at now no more uh no more young players as it relates to your actual core of winning no more going another off season without adding something to it at this point in time it’s a fair question to ask does Troy Weaver deserve to be here this summer The only reason

Why the only reason why I’m even saying you know what get get it done this summer tro weaver or else at least as it relates to my book is cuz I just believe he’s going to be the guy that’s going to be able to kind of pull the trigger as

It relates to the deals happening this offseason with that type of cap space with the draft Capital with the young assets it is time now for this team to do something substantial for their supporters and for their fans it’s not just kind of this four years that Troy

Weaver has been at it and we talked about this you know between the Red Wings and the and the Detroit Pistons the Red Wings have been rebuilding for a little bit longer H at at least under Steve Eiserman but the Detroit Pistons if you go beyond just the troit Weaver

ERA this thing has been mired in mediocrity to the worst basketball we’ve ever seen played in a Detroit Pistons history since Tom Gores has taken over it is time for them to put an end to this we’ve seen them in years past be able to go and knock on the door of like

The ninth and eighth seed by going and making some mid free agency picks out of this young core do I believe this young core can work I do but I do believe that after assessing for this season that there are some changes and some hard decisions have to

Be made about who gets a starting position who’s actually going to be here next year right now the only safe person in my eyes is Cade Parker Cunningham and that is it beyond that I don’t know who’s safe I don’t know who’s safe you got to go and get NBA Talent on this

Roster you got to go out there and get some players we used at the trade deadline and such we scoffed at names like Tobias Harris we scoffed some people scoffed at names like like like Zack LaVine some people scoff at names like Demar D rozan at this point in time

Bring in any of those guys bring in multiple of those players because this Detroit Pistons team is void it is absolutely void of NBA talent that can compete on any level right now do you get do they have some hopefuls yes of course there’s going to be some hope and

The type of player that ivy can be and the type of player that durren can be and the type of player that assar can be but at this point in time I don’t think that it’s fair for them to not just waste the season ticket holders time but

I don’t think it’s fair for them to waste Kade Cunningham’s time either Rod I I’ve been heated about this I wrote an article about what they can do it is up on wward sports.com in terms of what the free agency looks like which players might be disgruntled on the trade market

As well as what they might need to do during the draft some of the players that I actually like the most this off season they actually play Jaylen Duran’s position but they have better defensive ratings they play with a little bit different tenacity Nick Claxton is the

Guy you guys kind of heard me talk about uh as well I really like him I really like what he brings to the table as it relates to rim protection and the reason why I’m talking about this is because we haven’t seen any identity any symbiance

Of an identity of what we’ve liked liked about past Detroit Pistons teams I will give them this they had some decent stretches they improved their defensive efficiency and now they’ve kind of turned this thing over to this hey let’s let the G Leaguers finish this out I got

Questions about if Isaiah Stewart now is inj super injury-prone probably the most injury prone player on the squad right now and I have questions about the tenacity that Jaylen durren plays in the middle of the paint every good Pistons team has had the identity of not just defense but defense starting from the

Inside out and it just seems to be so lacking man my hack honestly goes off to all of the people that still support and that still watch this thing Rod is there any anything that you see as it relates to this offseason ahead that even kind of gets your ears perked up about

Whether this team can head in the future man you are heated today that is that’s a word whole word um I will say this and while you were were talking it it it kind of stoked a thought how many minutes would you guess that you’ve had the a what you

Would probably call the a combination of um Cade Ivy assar Stewart and Duran I would happen to believe not too much not too much not as much as we would like to see definitely uh when you factor in some uh some of the injuries 145 minutes o and that is that

Is the highest combination of any of their fiveman combos fiveman lineups 145 minutes offensive rating 110.4 defensive rating 118.1 net rating -7.7 if that’s the best lineup you’re G to put out there it’s they can’t score the the and this is a small sample for size because

I would say 145 minutes is not enough to really judge be but it it’s the the highest one that’s there it you can’t do much with that that’s telling you what you have and if that’s not the best lineup that’s one of the best lineups and the next one is

Kade Ivy Duran fonio and a assar that’s 113 minutes and that’s a plus 3.8 net rate wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait that lineup with as new as Sone fio is got 113 minutes compared to the supposed core only getting 145 crazy that’s 14 because so many more of these

Lineups have uh bogy or Killian or I mean hey hey hey hey hey I’m just saying what I see I just I just read the names that are on the screen that’s all I can do oh goodness kg what up though brother so and and look at this one

Because this might be the second one you would say yeah Cade Ivy bogie Stewart and Duran how much that was the best one to probably start the season how many minutes did that group play 40 40 they didn’t even play a full game that’s crazy what’s the what’s the net rating on that

Group uh offensive rating 129.4 defensive rating 104.9 plus 24 and a half that’s your best performing group and they played 40 minutes together 40 that’s insane that’s insane that’s saying you that’s insane because it means you didn’t find this entire year a consistent group of people that your

Your best group of people only played a sliver of time together 40 minutes that’s less than a third of that those two top performing um or not even two top performing but the two highest volume lineups and they have pretty much the same people so you can’t beat people

With steart with Cade Ivy assar Stewart and and Durant you can’t beat people because you’re a minus 7 s there’s nothing you can do with that you have to go out and get somebody else to fill at least one of those spots in that group at least one yeah and you can’t stop

Anybody because your defensive rating is 118 that tells you everything you need to know about that group they’re good they’re just not good enough to get you through a season and as much as you want to say um if if people are saying Tobias isn’t good enough or what or demard de

Rzan isn’t good enough you know what they would increase that offensive rating number absolutely would do it and Dearing right but that’s you don’t have K can do only so much so and and and this is probably a deeper dive than we need to do the days that um jayen Ivy

Has 20 plus points how many of those games do they win because when when Kade has a scorer next to him he can just be Kade and Kade isn’t being Cade isn’t go and score 30 that’s not being Cade being Cade is probably more like 20 and eight assists

That’s what you need if you have Kade out there scoring and only scoring you’re defeating what his strengths are because he can’t do the other things that you want him to do he’s if he scores 30 he’s probably not Distributing the ball and if you and if he’s not

Rebounding he’s not involved in being the allaround sort of piece that you need you’re not getting the cage you wanted in the draft you’re getting some some lower version of that he needs people around him where he can distribute and he can be a an integral part of the offense Beyond just

Scoring and that’s the trouble that they’ve had with that is figuring out a way to get other pieces around him and and now I’m all in this this fan lineup sort of thing it’s just this is this is crazy har reality crazy crazy crazy crazy kilan kilan Cade Thompson Stewart Duren 100

Minutes offensive rating 101.8 def defensive rating 112 that’s a minus 10 wow you can’t beat people you can’t beat people with that that’s that’s asking a lot oh that is asking a whole lot if if your offensive rating is in the ones that’s or in the low ones

You can’t do anything it’s time Beggars cannot be choosers I do not care how people feel about Tobias Harris deard Rosen Zack LaVine who will be back on the trading block I do not care they got to bring in some people that can score the rock they got to bring in some

Professional basketball players now right and and some defense because you need you need to lower that defensive number but you absolutely have to raise the offensive number and I’m GNA close that window because if I go back in there I’m gonna get mad again and just looking like are these are

These are these real numbers is this math how did did y just make this up but it shows what you what a lot of people would think is the best lineup they could put out on the floor it just hasn’t been affected and that’s not that’s discounting now you can take all

Of these reserves well they had to have Isaiah Stewart in there and he wasn’t or not Isaiah seart Isaiah liers well they had Killian in there well you take some of those lineups out and just show me how these Five Guys performed when they were together in the time that they had

And that’s all of the analysis that I need there is is uh if believe in in advanced uh analytics like that and you put a lot of um a lot of belief in those numbers that’s all you need to see there’s no there’s no other explanation

For that stuff that is what it is at that point yep yeah so uh kind of speaking Kate and Ivy I wanted to get your opinion on the future of these two there’s been mixed reaction online as to whether these guys can play together or not at times they look like a All-Star

Back court and there’s also been times where one player looks better when the other player isn’t playing um what do you think they need to improve on as a Duo going forward uh and do you think there are some things they can work on to make this fit and or do you think

They ultimately will not be able to fit together I think the solution is the same thing we’ve talked about they need a an Allstar caliber forward period Allstar caliber forward that will make Cade better that will make Ivy better because it essentially because bogy was

Injured for a bit you needed one of them to be your best player and I don’t think they’re at that point yet where they can they can go out and be your best scorer your best player and be consistent on a night toight basis much less healthy on a night toight basis but

Consistent on a night toight basis that’s tough it’s a tough to ask for a guy who’s in his second year and a guy who’s in his third year it it’s just no other team is really doing that even in Houston’s situation where now they’re not on the door of the playin they went

And got Fred this year and said hey Fred can you be that guy and and you can carry that on some nights and and I think that’s some of what we’re seeing from Kate and the frustration is on a night to night basis he’s got to carry that it’s not Bogie’s not available

Enough and and and uh Brandon you were talking about some of the um the only player that’s safe I think um that Jaylen Anthony Duran is also safe I I I think there’s a lot that’s there that he can be so much better and you’re just

Peeling back the layers of what is is there and what’s available for him I think that combination with Cade can has the foundation of being something but again you need somebody else when you’re coming down and and and you don’t have Cade or Duran on the court what are you

Running oh we can get D rozan on a a little flare screen right here he’s got an elbow jumper that’s going to fall those types of things you can’t substitute and when you’re you’re coming down you make a call and you know what’s coming and you can’t do anything about

It that’s the type of thing that they need just just an automatic give me an automatic two and and you know that place called they don’t have that in the repertoire right now and I think that’s one of their biggest um shortcomings is is there’s just no certainty on what

You’re going to get on any play down the court man that is the word right there there is absolutely no certainty on what you’re going to get from the squad and that is uh it’s it’s not what you want to see out of a team that has uh

Realistically gone and stacked the deck with a bunch of players that were top five picks uh in this draft and Jaylen Duran somebody they had rated top five on their draft for despite the fact they traded for him at the for the with the number 13th pick with the New York

Knicks but um I I do you know I I am hoping you know um at the exit interviews with Troy Weaver at the end of the season that we get a glimpse into what the strategy may be obviously they’re not going to put all their cards

Out on the table but just to try and get a feeli I know one of the questions I’m going to ask is is what direction is this thing moving and is it still the youth movement or are you looking now to go out there and grab some of those

Veterans who are not at the end of their careers but guys that you know can step in right away and absolutely help to take the pressure off of this young talent because I do believe that Troy Weaver drafted well but I don’t believe that he set them up for Success that

Well so yeah that’s what that’s what it looks like is is there’s another piece you need some more pieces to it yep yeah I listen man I I’m looking for the thing I’m looking for or two right now it’s those exit interviews man the rest of

The season we’ll show up we’ll do what we have to do we will cover the games professionally but I’m looking forward to those to those exit interviews man God bless you both right doing the Lord’s work hey look man I want the chat family as well make sure you guys are getting

Questions in there as well I’ll try my best uh to ask the ones that I feel like are of an appropriate and professional manner but getting right to the heart of it as well [Laughter] thank you rob for your time as always man the legend Detroit News Rod beard is

What I call him he is a sports editor and chief at the Detroit News doing great work uh not just professionally but as a person as well thank you for your time as always thank you for your mentorship thank you for the Brotherhood man we appreciate you

Ro all right appreciate you guys thanks thank you good news is having Rod beard on man news sometimes it’s having to talk about how bad the Detroit Pistons are it’s almost as bad as the insurance Rate

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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