The Pistons BUILDING A CULTURE with Jb Bickerstaff? W/Zariq Turner – From Half Court Episode 153

The Pistons BUILDING A CULTURE with Jb Bickerstaff? W/Zariq Turner – From Half Court Episode 153

[Music] what is going on I want to welcome you from half court today I am sha mury joined by not only one of my favorite people on the Piston space but just one of my favorite people period zark a aka Mr bully ball himself Zar what’s going on my guy it’s good to see you thanks so much for taking the time to join me that is a lovely introduction thank you very much uh also one of my favorites as well I can’t do you justice though that was that was that was really good um I’m doing well it’s it’s been a busy day uh I came from the JB bicker staff um press conference earlier then had to do other work and then now I’m here um but it’s good it’s good being busy is good it means things are going well so yeah it’s been a lot going on but we’re good yeah 100% a lot of stuff been going on in the business performance center man in a short period of time I I think it was like what trj and langon got hired like May 31st or something and now just under two months just the amount that’s happened already it’s surreal it’s it’s unbelievable I I remember the day Tran Langton was hired right like that does not feel very long ago and since then so many things have changed to where it feels like Tran lingan has been like president of Asal operations for like a year it’s it’s un it’s unreal like fired aead I just want to put this in context for people Tran Lon got here less than two months ago and since then he has fired a head coach fired a general manager got a completely new front office hired the best shooting coach in the entire world hired a head coach did the NBA draft uh has started to a dress free agency where he signed Tobias Harris Malik Beasley Simone fono and uh Paul Reed traded Quinton Grimes for Tim Hardway Jr in seconds and am I forgetting anything else I think that’s pretty much everything but like that’s the fact that he’s done all of that and by the way still has $20 million in cap space to go has probably been talking to teams about trades and other potential ideas as well like I I would wager he’s probably not slept much since he’s come to Detroit because you can’t do that much in get eight hours of sleep at night that’s just not humanly possible you know it’s ironic because like I remember I had posted um I had recorded the video where he had talked to the Press after uh the draft the night of the draft and I put it on Bully Ball’s YouTube um at Real bullyball by the way go subscribe go to the go to the website and the blog as well Zar does amazing content appreciate it um and I I I I always check the comments right so I checked the comments and I was looking through them and there was a lot of people who were like you know it seems like he doesn’t want to be here seems like he’s already tired of Detroit and I was like I think he’s just kind of tired right like if you think the about the amount of stuff he has done in such a short period of time I think that my guy’s probably just a little bit tired I don’t I don’t think it it’s it’s a tired of Detroit thing but I just thought that was funny yeah he didn’t exactly come in and get a cake day one like he was asked to get to work and hit the ground running so uh definitely a lot to talk about in that department but first real quick do got to say this is from half court each and every week we talk all things Pistons basketball and NBA basketball like the Pod be sure you like the video down below subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss anything else you can follow myself on X Sean halfcourt follow Zar over Zar savior also normally joined by jeffi Fred and Troy sery but they are both out today instead I get to be here with my boy and that is totally okay with me Zar let’s start with that JB bicker saaff press conference I I wish I could have made it today had some conflicts but um nonetheless still feel like there was a lot that we learned and could take away right off the bat one thing just you know because when you have two coach introductory press conferences uh two years in a row um you can kind of compare and contrast it’s pretty easy to right and you know the the thing that I the first thing that stuck out to me was just the energy difference Monty talked about it being excited to be here but JB bicker staff not only did he say he was excited to be here but he showed it with his actions and just with his demeanor he seemed enthusiastic but on top of that trj and langon brought up how he was in free agency meetings before he technically even signed a contract with the team so the which I don’t know if Monty was going to do anything unless he was getting paid in Detroit that’s just something I I I would wager um from from your perspective Zar as someone who was in the building you know who was able to you know hear from him post pressor as well what what are your takeaways from the press conference and now that you’ve actually been able to see JB bicker staff in person what are your impressions of him um yeah well with JB I I didn’t really know too much like what to expect coming into the pressor today I was kind of basing it my expectations off of kind of how he was in Cleveland yep and I would I would like to say it completely surpassed my expectations for what this pressure was supposed to be um it seems hyperbolic and maybe a little I don’t know extra but to me he has a certain level of energy that’s really infectious and only the way I can kind of compare to a Dan Campbell a little bit yep um he has just you can tell he has a a sense of uh just kind of a little a little bit of testosterone you know what I mean going through going through the veins um where he’s he’s he’s very just you know ready to go and it was interesting because I I liked the emphasis he had on energy because that was the main thing I got away from today even through his press conference you could tell he cares about the team right like he cares about this job a whole lot and he really really wants to do well um and I think that’s incredibly important right because you just had to convince a head coach to join your team oh just a little over a year ago with a lot of money right so having a guy who I think um Tran had mentioned drove from Cleveland to Detroit to interview within the span of one night of one trasan text he drove to Detroit showing that he is going to Detroit not Detroit is coming to him so I thought that was a really interesting part as well um but I I overall I was very impressed with how he sees the roster um he clearly did his homework I mean it’s it’s not too hard to do your homework when you’re going to a conference rival um he does play Cleveland four time or does play Detroit four times a year we’ll be playing Cleveland four times a year now yep he’s he’s someone who I I really just came away liking a lot more even though like I’m you know trying to be objective as a as a media member and everything like that but it’s hard not to like the guy yep he’s very very likable and uh I I really really liked just his overall emphasis on strategy he mentioned numbers which was something we haven’t heard in quite a long time yep um there’s that pretty Infamous analytics quote from the beginning of training camp from mon he’s like I don’t really do or get analytics like okay yeah I was like okay not a great start so the fact that he was like yeah Jaden Ivy’s a guy who we want uh to utilize when he’s coming off of screens or we want him just overall using him in movement right rather than just having him stand still and we also want to have K one of Kaden ivy on the court at all times I was like wow this is a breath of fresh air right yep um the emphasis on defense I thought was really interesting he he he drew it back to the 04 pistons and their emphasis on defense as well which is you know easy cookie points for uh Detroit fans yeah um but I I just I was very impressed overall I I I really liked his energy I loved his enthusiasm I love the emphasis on culture I think that’s I think if you have a culture you have a chance at sustainability right because if you don’t have culture and you just have talent it’s not really going to get you anywhere long term having a culture I mean we we make fun of heat culture and all that stuff but it it has gotten them to this point right where they 1% even even if they have kind of an underwhelming roster this year you still have to take them seriously because of their culture they attract free agents yes because they’re Miami but also because of their culture like what you see with you know the Lakers kind of right now is your location yes does play a factor but it’s not going to be the only Factor when it comes to people wanting to come to your team y so I I think building a culture is going to be really really important this year and I think became an attractive franchise to go to again is because their culture has become infectious to be a part of over the last few years yeah it’s not like New York all of a sudden is just like a really big city right it’s always been a big city but they struggled with culture and now they’ve got a culture that has led them to being considered one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference so yeah I I I was really impressed yeah I was too I think the big thing as well as showcasing his understanding about Player Development talking about both the importance of players having to earn their minutes but also talking about the like differentiating uh when you keep players on the court and when let them play through mistakes talking about when they’re making the right mistakes when they’re over rotating too hard when they you know jump a little too quick and make a foul when they’re trying to get the pass to an open teammate like he has a very clear understanding for what it means to do Player Development and you know not only is it something that he has a track record of we know that it’s something he can do it’s some it’s something that he seems eager to do something that he loves to do and that that’s what’s impressed me about him thus far yeah I I think that that word eager like he seemed eager to get to work like even yep I saw people in the comments um when I had posted about the JB thing is like I feel ready to suit up and I’m not even playing for the team right so it was It was kind of that that eagerness that that really translated um I I I thought he was just I thought he was his energy was just really infectious like I know I already said it but like there’s just a certain level of he he emphasized like positivity right like we want a positive locker room and you know things like that it’s infectious and it leads to winning right and it it’s been a long time since it really felt uh positive I I’m glad that the Pistons are focusing on that because man this is even though this is such a you know serious business with a lot of money involved that gets very intense very quickly especially when you’re not putting up results at the root of the at the root of it all this is a game that people that that a lot of the people in this league started as a as a childhood love or as a labor of love right so if if you know the group just obviously when you’re losing you’re you’re feeling miserable miserable but when that compounds and only gets worse and you can’t have that Joy of coming into work again like no wonder that doesn’t turn around right so having someone who understands the importance of that has been through losing seasons and knows how to keep that energy going like I think that’s really important to have someone like that like I know it seems little on the outside looking in but those are the things that make a massive difference in Buy in and players enthusiastic to actually do those little things absolutely I I think that buying is like 100% something that is correlated to development I think there’s a lot that is related to development that doesn’t have to do with the game you see on ble Sports Detroit 82 times a year I think a lot of what comes with development is environment is culture because and it’s also system right having the right system having the right coach who sees you as what you are versus trying to make some make you something you’re not yep um and I think a lot of that plays a role like there’s guys who are considered bus that maybe just weren’t on the right team or in the right environment so I think building that environment where people can really feel comfortable can really uh find their strengths hide their weaknesses you know things like that where it’s a camaraderie players play for each other and not for themselves it leads to a better onc Court product and I think yep once that starts happening is is when the wins you know start happening I think I think last year was a really interesting experiment if you just look at it as kind of a a soul thing right you pay a head coach record-breaking money that didn’t want to come to your team that just got fired how’s that going to go you know I think you see how that experiment went I think you can also see kind of roster construction consistently only betting on internal development how does that experiment go it didn’t go really well yep also when it comes to spacing oh guys will develop a three-point shot or having guys who are your only three-point Shooters also consistently be guys who miss a lot of time in a lot of different seasons right like Alec Burks like Aon um even an Isaiah livers who who struggled with getting minutes I I we everybody here likes Isaiah livers but at the same time you can’t solely Bank on Isaiah livers being healthy y to provide you floor spacing um I think the two big thing is an experiment you could look at from last season does the two bigs uh lineup work in 2024 that’s not Jared Allen and Evan moley and even that could still be questioned no not really uh you have to have you have to have a a system in place where you can have two bigs while also having a dynamic one two and three that can also space the floor right like even if you look at a Giannis and Brook Lopez that works but it also works because you have Damen Lillard uh previously Malik Beasley and Chris Middleton you know or you have um now jiren Jackson and maybe Zach Edy that works because you have Desmond Bane that works because you have a Luke Canard that works because you have John Mor um so I just and it’s not to say Isaiah Stewart I honestly think Isaiah Stewart and Jaylen Duran could have worked as a uh duo in the front Court I think they could have yep had they actually been given a real chance and I don’t think they were given a real chance and I think by now you kind of just see with and his overall play style that having a Tobias at the four may do you better and even maybe you could start Isaiah Stewart this year at the five um and and have him space the floor just having guys who can space the floor and also space the floor vertically too um because I think a lot of people just think of spacing in terms of three-point shooting but it also there’s things like vertical spacing um that a Jaylen Duren provides that to a lesser extent than Isaiah Stewart provides is get Above the Rim and bring it down yes he can he can steuart is one of those guys who can provide both vertical and um outside spacing as well so I think it’s just a thing of you experimented last year granted it wasn’t this same organization basically in terms of basketball right we have completely different people running things on the basketball side but if you just look at that as an experiment okay this happened this didn’t work now you kind of know what your controls are okay we want to keep these things we want to you know we want to keep these things and then we also know what doesn’t work so we’re going to get rid of these things so I think how this offseason has gone so far how JB described uh Detroit Pistons culture and all these other things is a perfect way of kind of balancing what happened last year in that experiment you know it’s it’s it’s using the other side of the spectrum so I was really impressed yeah me too and you know the it seems like there’s genu genuine unification between that front office and coaching staff I mean obviously they’re you know you you can’t really tell what’s really going on behind the scenes but you can get a vibe from the way that things are presented and even last year’s press conference there was kind of some tension between you know between ownership and you know seemingly Troy and maybe even Monty a little bit like this is a press conference that was all laughs all smiles that was you know excited about where the future was going and it was also balanced with I think setting and managing expectations of saying you know the goal isn’t to like the goal isn’t set on win of saying we’re going to win this many games year it’s fol I believe what he had said was our goal is by February you tune in and there’s a brand of basketball that you fall in love with that you can say this is Pistons basketball and I think honestly if that is something that they can establish this season I think that’s a success it’s a major success I mean honestly you can look at any Pistons team from I mean I don’t know you pick a year when’s the last time you look at a Pistons team I went yeah this is Detroit Pistons basketball I I I personally can’t say it like even I I loved the Blake years can I say Blake Griffin was necessarily Detroit Pistons basketball quote unquote not really right I can’t say that was a specific brand of basketball that was a player who I mean he’s a we can say he’s a Hall of Famer right he’s like to a Hall of Famer a Hall of Fame player argue it’s been since like 2007 yeah yeah that was Hall of Fame player having his best year so I think yeah like since 2007 there hasn’t really been a time where you could be like okay yeah this is Detroit Pistons basketball I think the closest thing was probably that 2015 16 team I would agree but even then they didn’t really get to fully reach their ceiling um and they didn’t really as a result they they didn’t really get to form that identity so uh I I really hope for JB for Detroit Pistons fans and for this team that they’re able to you know establish that ident because I think that’s going to be huge for them yeah 100% and again you know with with biger staff he has that experience of not only taking over and doing that in Cleveland but he has experience of taking over and you know doing well in Memphis too so it’s pretty surprising for someone who’s been around as long as he has that this is his first opportunity to actually get the job from the get-go as the guy day one instead of actually having to take over you know like I I think that’s that shocks me quite frankly with his resume yeah it’s it’s interesting I think someone had actually asked that question I want to say from the Associated Press yeah I think so to Y and initially he was like well you know I was still wanted at these places but then he did mention like yeah I I I’m Still Human I still want that sort of validation and I also want it feels good to know that like more than anybody else this organization believed in me and what I can do for this team and I I I don’t think he takes that lightly so yeah I I think honestly having that first time getting hired as a head coach right out the gate I think that’s that’s that’s a bit of motivation for JB right like I think that that although maybe he may downplay it a little bit in public there’s no way that’s not feeling you a little bit to say hey I’m not an interim head coach I’m a head coach you go out and you you have to go to rather than you know the other way around so I I think I think this is I think that there’s a similar thing with a lot of players on the team with just the identity if we’re talking identity of the team can I swear oh yeah okay it’s kind of this [ __ ] you attitude right like I think they’re not gonna come out and say it but it’s a [ __ ] you attitude like it’s like Cade right like you can look at someone like Kade just got his max extension and as a result people who aren’t you know really too tuned in to Detroit Pistons basketball the NBA is in a horrible Place guys like this who haven’t made an All-Star team last last year his team won 14 games are getting Max extension people have no clue how the money works yeah yeah it it it’s it’s it’s ridiculous but at the same time you know he sees it or hears it a little right like I know Kate I don’t think Kad two online but I definitely know that he hears the slander and sees the slander and he felt it right he felt it last year with a coach who I mean for all intents and purposes didn’t make his life easier a GM who wasn’t really making his life any easier and as a result he kind of was disrespected with the roster construction right like there was so much put on his plate that it was like it was impossible for him to do it was almost like he was maybe not purposely but he was set up to fail and I think this year he’s kind of being like okay [ __ ] you guys year off by the way yes yeah coming off of a a season ending surgery I think he kind of has this add where was like I was the number one draft pick in a loaded class here’s my hot takee before I get to the the other members of this team who may have that similar attitude here’s my hot take yep I think Kade Cunningham and Cooper flag are on the same level Prospect wise I love I think they’re on the same level Prospect wise I love that I I don’t think Cooper flag is that much better of a prospect than Kade Cunningham I think if you look back to 2020 Kade Cunningham was getting the Cooper flag hype right like he may not have been in a USA team select but that was also probably because of Co there were so many things that played into his hype quote unquote Kade Cunningham on any other team would be considered probably top 25 under 25 top three 1,000% and I think it’s absolutely disrespectful how he’s discussed the fact that him getting a Max extension was even a question I mean the guy averaged 23 points I I can’t pull up his assist off the top of my head but they’re way more than he should have had with the spacing that he was given I believe the only other players that put up his type of Statistics this last year were LeBron James Nico yic and Luca donic like 20 plus points five plus five plus rebounds five plus assists like that’s not something that people do very often let alone his age with his situation that he was in and you know the the thing as well like Cade would have absolutely like just let’s just call it the way it is Kade would have had every right to request a trade with how things have gone over the last couple years especially how this year had gone and the fact that not only he never complained in public never never complained behind closed doors never leaked anything as far as reports goes and worked his butt off each and every day and you know and and even after the season was even after that season was like I’m more excited to be a piston than ever like that that’s every reason and more that you give that guy that type of extension but in addition the fact that he that he’s doing all of that with the spacing equivalent of a stray jacket and now you get him multiple like high 30 low 40% plus three-point Shooters you still have $20 million in cap space to play with and even just or two of those Shooters will make a massive massive difference having all those guys available like there’s legitimate reason to believe that he’s he could have an All-Star caliber season and it wouldn’t be crazy that he’d be in like third Team all NBA conversations like this is how good K Cunningham is and the people that don’t realize it just have only have like really only focused on the fact that it’s Detroit people have really forgotten like how good Kade Cunningham is like I think people started to get reminded ironically during the losing streak because that was the first time they really tuned into the Detroit Pistons in probably I don’t know three four five years uh if that because the the team never really had gotten so many n so much national attention before that and granted the losing streak was horrible but the world got to see how special Kade Cunningham is and how even if he has what was it two three 40o games in a row it still wasn’t enough and it’s not his it wasn’t his fault nobody I’m sorry nobody could have gotten that situation any better than it than it did so I I think that I should say no one person right would have gotten that situation any better so I I think he’s definitely coming into the season yes he did get his extension from Detroit but the the discussion around it the questioning around it definitely fuels him a little bit even if he won’t come out and say it and I think the same thing for Tobias right Tobias is someone who for all accounts in my eyes is the most slandered player in the NBA maybe next Thompson can I just say yeah the discourse around and sorry to interrupt but the but the discourse around Tobias Harris has gone way too far I mean first of all the contract was not his fault that was the contract that was offered by the Philadelphia 76ers they were the one that gave him the max over Jimmy Butler just because he’s not Jimmy Butler doesn’t mean he’s a highquality NBA player let alone a quity starter and the other thing as well is I know he didn’t play well in the playoffs but if you’re going to sit here and tell me with a straight face Philly’s playoff issues are because of Tobias Harris and not because of the stars that they’ve had issues with over the years like Joel embiid not being able to stay healthy Ben Simmons was some of the most historic choking we’ve seen in the playoffs ever James Harden you know not exactly being the greatest version of James Harden they needed like the I like yes Tobias Harris was not a Max Level player but is he a Max Level player in Detroit no he is two years $52 million and by the end of his time will probably be your third or fourth option for that Tobias Harris is a perfect player to have in that position not only that by all accounts one of the most respected guys in the league just as far as a human being when you have a person who wants to come back to Detroit even after the historic streak you had not just because of the the money that you’re offering him but because he has ties to the community he loves that City and wants to go back like that’s something you don’t take lightly either and he was good in his time in Detroit he was he was good and I think that time in Detroit is also something that’s worth talking about as well like the fact that someone who was already here wants to come back here says a lot right and I think also the fact that let’s be honest right Detroit’s not a huge free agent market and just by Nature right like they they never really were but also now we talk about culture and guys wanting to come here not necessarily the most desirable situation on the outside at least as far as it went this year right like we where’re you’re going to a team that had the worst losing streak and like a lot of discussions were had about how it’s run now it’s run by new people and you get someone like Tobias I think that’s really we we we’re gonna probably hit on this a couple more times culture right like yep that establishes a culture but I think he definitely has that [ __ ] you attitude where it’s like I am sick of hearing my name being used as an insult yep I am sick of having everyone tell me like how terrible I am while I’m still averaging good points as a third option on a contender I and I’m really eager to prove everyone wrong and say hey you forgot about how good I am because of your hatred if you hated my contract that sucks hate your front office don’t hate me and I think that’s kind of the the the the mentality he has coming into this season it’s it’s that [ __ ] you attitude right and then same for JB you know coming from Cleveland where he was pushed out and the same day he was pushed out you start hearing about like all this stuff and with the lock room and everything like that before he was even pushed out he had there were articles that came out before the fourth quarter was even done of their final in Boston and by the way even with a healthy Donovan Mitchell JB bicker staff could have been Prime Phil Jackson in that series they weren’t beating Boston no and I think like yes maybe maybe maybe he did I wouldn’t say l i i i kind of tweeted this previously and I I I don’t want to say he lost the locker room I more so would say like he just grew out of it they grew out of you know like there was just a certain point where like it just the same impact anymore and it’s they needed a new one and I’m sorry like you could be the greatest coach ever and like sometimes that just happens right like it just happens where guys kind of are like they’ve heard you for a long time and now they not hearing you anymore so I I I think he has that that eagerness and that hunger to prove everyone wrong too so I think organizationally there’s a desire to prove people wrong like I know Tran probably does as well yep you know he’s he’s he he’s someone who who started as um he he he started in the g-league he had he had spent time in the g- league and now he’s coming to Detroit where upon arrival people are already questioning everything he does because of a previous regime so he’s like hey I’m My Own guy I have my own plan watch this right and I think he had mentioned how proud he was of his front office and everything they’ve accomplished in such a short period of time that like yeah I think maybe he’s not going to come out and say but like there’s this eagerness to prove everyone like hey like yes this was a bad team last year but have some faith in me right like give me some credit and I I think there’s that shared mentality that really is gonna if they do improve this season it’s going to be because of that right it’s going to be because of that hunger and that that innate desire to kind of spite everyone and be like hey I’m better than what you give me credit for and I’m tired of hearing the disrespect even Tim Hardway Jr a guy who was just the third leading scorer on the team that just made the finals had some slight injury issues and then you know went on a shooting slump was all of a sudden called a liability in Dallas like okay fine you don’t want me let me go prove it somewhere else and you know going back where you know again someone who probably you know not sure if he would have chosen you know Detroit if it was for agency but clearly with his playing days at the UFM back in the day seems excited about being able to go back home you know what I mean so I think in that sense too like you just you have like you said you have multiple players that want to you know to prove themselves and to prove you know like who they are when you have that you know top down in the organization that is something that can push things forward you know you brought up the Dan Campbell comparison earlier like I think you know th those are kind of all the when you are looking at those parallels like those are kind of the recipes that you do look at of you know potential you know success so not saying that like this is like definitively like everything’s fixed but just to say if you are looking for what are the encouraging signs you want to see for for a franchise that’s getting resuscitated those are the those are the early signs you want to look for yeah I I don’t want to make it seem like I’m sipping the Kool-Aid or something right like right obviously when I say Improvement I mean like they can win 30 to 35 games 100% like even even winning 28 games doubling their win total would be a huge win getting like getting to 25 wins would even be a would even be an improvement over where they were yeah so when we talk about the the expectations they’re still they’re still not high don’t get me wrong but yeah it it seems like it it seems like there’s adults in the room who know how to get to the path and that’s something that we just didn’t have a few months ago yeah like they they they they said steps a lot they said they don’t want to skip steps and I think steps means yes we’re not expecting to go from worst to first right but that doesn’t mean going from worse to maybe tenth um isn’t worth you know noting and isn’t a notable part of growth that’s not a notable Improvement because it is um so I think this year we’ve said the word foundation I don’t even know how many times in the last four years playing the concrete foundation rebuild yep I think Foundation this year doesn’t mean picking in the top five again right I think Foundation doesn’t mean cap space even though yes that could include cap flexibility that’s not like laying the foundation right I think laying the foundation is what happens on the basketball court from here on out I think 100% laying a foundation is showing Improvement on the basketball court and in the win column I know they’ve been very hesitant to promise any sort of number in terms of win you know win totals but they they’ve said Improvement that means stacking more wins that means when it comes to February and March you’re playing meaningful basketball games and you’re not just kind of coasting think looking at tank ofon every two days right I think I think that’s why it’s hard not to feel enthusiastic even as an observer it’s not hard to feel enthusiastic about the future of this team because it’s like it’s something that like and I I I have to go back to wrestling right it’s like watching it’s like watching the guy who you know is really talented right like you know he’s he maybe he he did great in like the smaller Independence and now he’s you know in WWE it’s like watching that guy constantly lose and you know he’s capable of winning and it doesn’t even it it turns into a thing where he’s just essentially like a jobber like he’s just completely losing all the time and kind of gets a joke made out of him and you’re really hoping for him to kind of show that he here we go Chad Gable if you watch WWE um you will you will enjoy this if you don’t stay with me because it will make sense I promise and if you don’t you’re also just objectively wrong and need to go you know and reevaluate your life but please continue yeah so um Chad Gable is a wrestler for the WWE Yes WWE is predetermined stay with me Chad Gable started out as a tag team wrestler in NXT which is like kind of the lower ranks of WWE yep whatever we’ll focus on his time on the main roster which is Raw and SmackDown he was someone who was positioned to be really good and had a lot of hype around him from wrestling fans when he first you know kind of arrived on the scene then kind of started to decline right and it was like shorty G yeah so that’s the thing I was going to get it was it went from like okay Chad Gable now is tag team partners with this guy and this guy and this guy you’re like what are they doing to the point where it got to where they took someone who Chad Gable is an Olympic level wrestler real life Olympic level wrestle they they gave him basketball shorts and the letter G on a shirt and made him shorty G instead of Chad Gable and that’s kind of what the Pistons were the last year with Shorty G now Chad Gable is kind of taken seriously on the WWE he’s he’s he’s featured heavily and yes he has won the Intercontinental champ he hasn’t won a singles Championship yet but he’s a main he’s a main stay of the show and being a main stay of the show yes may not be the exactly that is what they made this man that’s what they made him before and now he’s taken seriously as kind of this Olympic wrestler who is kind of an [ __ ] and yep he’s now in the position to win championships and and to be featured on TV so if you want to look at that in the terms of basketball yes the Pistons may not this year be making a play in spot but if they’re at least fighting for one at the end of the season that’s a huge Improvement and I think that’s kind of what they’re what they’re going for yeah and again I know teams I I know fans want to see the team turn it around as quickly as possible I wholeheartedly you know understand you know it’s hard to hear about patience when you’ve been waiting you know like 16 plus years for them to win a playoff game totally get that but in this league and just in professional sports as a whole that’s the only way you get back because you there’s there you just don’t see teams all of a sudden just become a playoff team overnight that’s just not how it works and in championship teams you you have to slowly fail in in in each point you have to like like you have to make it to the first round and then you have to make it to the second and then you have to make it you know you have to just slowly chip away and and do that each year and and again if they can just start heading in the right in the right direction win total it’s only going to get it’s only going to get easier and easier to do that but you brought up uh exactly uh a person I wanted to talk about Kade Cunningham we’ll get to his extension just a second first there was some breaking news again this happen sometimes when when we’re recording pods I think the last time we recorded together the US roster was leak was announced uh well this time according to wge uh sadik Bay has agreed on a three-year $20 million contract with the Washington Wizard his ownown team but also back with Troy Weaver reunited real quick what’s your take on sadique Bay in Washington ohh man um I was getting kind of worried for sadique I’m not gonna lie I was getting a little I was getting a little concerned uh just because he hadn’t gotten signed yet and I I I had seen from where he started rookie year to where he is kind of now where he he was a late free agency signing it it kind of stings a little right because even though he’s not a Detroit Piston or whatever I always like sadique the Prospect and I think I thought he would pan out a lot better than he did at the same time I think in Washington he’ll get to kind of take the Denny AIA role and I think that’s kind of really important for for Washington I think that’s gonna be really important for him I know he’s coming off of an injury so signing a three-year deal kind of gives him time to recover and hopefully in a place where there isn’t super high expectations and there’s not you’re not are we rebuilding and trading Trey and de jante or are we you know going all in you’re not doing that you kind of know exactly what you’re going for I think he’ll be in a good position to hopefully um show what he’s capable of and and continue to grow in the NBA because I’ve always been a fan of sadik’s game so I hope it works out for him um I wonder what that means for Kyle kozma yep um because I I I know you know there Sacramento needs a power forward yep um so you know something to keep an eye on but yeah I I uh I I think I think it’ll be really interesting and I I’m I shouldn’t be surprised that that Troy Weaver went out and and got one of his guys once again after also mind you now doing the double Big Thing Once Again with Jonas Valen chunis and Alex alexar oh yeah 100% And you know like again with sadique it’s it’s one of those guys where you know you wish it could have worked in Detroit there was a lot to like about his game I think uh kind of a player as he’s developed he came into the league with this kind of initially just this you know kind of very what seemed to be a clear role and path for him but I almost feel like there’s kind of been some identity issues within his game over the last couple of years I never I never really L the fit with Atlanta just because I know that uh players just generally not not a lot of players generally love playing around Trey young that’s that’s not you know not an opinion that’s just an observation it’s just kind of reality but you know in Washington I think he’ll definitely have consistent playing time I I imagine that he’ll have a have a decent role I I hope that he can play himself into a a point where he can either you know get himself like you know an extension or a longer term contract you know in Washington or maybe even get himself on a contender at some point if if he improves you know just really just want to see him continue to be healthy see continue to see him head in that right direction because there is a lot to like about his game especially when he’s hitting shots the sooner sadik Embraces the three and D rooll the better off 100% yep I think that was I think that was kind of his undoing in Detroit in my opinion I think when he tried to become a little more Dynamic with his offensive game not that there’s anything wrong with players wanting to expand their game but I think certain players you can kind of miss the forest or the trees in my opinion there’s like you there’s a lot of money to be made in this league if you can just hit some shots stay in front of your guy it is amazing how much money you can make just doing those two things absolutely it’s uh man it’s it’s like it’s one of those things where I I I’m always hesitant to kind of like blame sadique for wanting to explore his game more because you look at the situation and like there wasn’t defined roles for guys so when there’s not defined roles for guys they’re going to start making their own um so I think sadik was one of those guys who was like okay well hey I’m not in a spefic spefic role and yeah maybe like you want me to be a three and D guy but you want me to be a three and D guy while I don’t know you have Marvin baggley and Jaylen Duran out there at the same time you know like it’s how how am I supposed to you know so it’s it’s a thing where I I can’t blame him too much for wanting to expand his game but I think now at this point it’s going to benefit him to kind of reel it in a little bit more and and focus primarily on on the three and D role and I think once he does that I think he’ll be he he’ll restore his value uh back in the NBA yeah I think I think I heard I I forget which coach said it but the phrase was if you’re good at one thing in this league you’ll have a job for a long time if you’re good at two things you’re an All-Star if you’re good at three things you’re like you’re a Rari air we’re talking about a superstar if you’re good at four things you’re in Europe like that’s the like that that’s really the mattra is like you know the guys who know who they are and and you know just Embrace that like day one honestly like not to go on too much of a tangent that’s kind of my my thing with Jaylen Duren is as much as I love the potential of what his offensive game could be he could be an Allstar within two years if he just became a if he just became a good Rim good rim protector and did nothing on the offensive head if he was just the the same lob threat that he was with his with his touch around the around the post and then he was about 80 % bam at a bio you have a Sol starting level Center who’s going to be in this league for 15 years I I think it’s one thing that like we’ve been talking about a lot is like oh if aar’s three-point shot gets around then like this team ceiling really changes yes I do think that’s true but I think more than anything if Jaylen durren becomes a respectable to above average interior Defender this team ceiling is is is exponentially larger both in the short and long term uh just because that’s something they really really desperately need and he yes we’re we’re all very aware Jaylen Duran is quite talented offensively right like yes he may not have the three-point shot yet but he does have a little bit of a bag he likes to show off sometimes um he does he does occasionally hit a hit a post shot at a mid-range shot occasionally or a lot of putb dunks a lot of he has a lot of vertical space right yep we kind of know that if you can show that you can be a Defender that makes a difference in the fourth quarter in an important game yep that changes so much because they haven’t had that and if they can just have that if they can just have him be above average defensively not be a liability defensively I cannot emphas ize how much better this team will be if Jaylen durren is a healthy and B an above average Defender I know people looked at this I I I know people remember this last season and just think of it Doom and Gloom from beginning to end but people forget those first three games there were there was a lot of reason to be hopeful in those first three games and to me the difference between those first three games in the rest of the season was Jaylen Duran’s play on the defensive end like 100 those three games games he was he was locked in he was looking as good as anybody once he started dealing with those like slight injury issues and I think kind of got out of that Rhythm that he was in that he just never recovered was that same guy on that end of the ball and you know and and granted part of the problem with the roster was it was too riant on guys like him to be ready for that day one I mean For Heaven’s Sake he’s still 20 years old this a guy who still has Isn’t 21 yet it’s it’s terrifying I mean’s I’m 22 and he makes me feel old EXA ex like you’re a young dude and he’s and he’s two years younger than you you know what I mean it’s C crazy it’s crazy yeah man it it it is nuts this man was literally not alive when LeBron was drafted in the league so like like there is there’s still so much upside there and there is still you know a lot of a lot of room for for that Runway but again when you talk about the importance of like development and those like like next steps you know again I know people want to see you know like jayen Duren like with like a with like a jump shot Beyond The Arc or handles and things like that all those flashy things that you want to see your Superstar players have but again in this league it is the simple things it is those like those those little like if you can e if you can be a a superstar at your role as cheesy as that sounds that truly can can change a team 100% yeah uh now real quick uh you brought up Malik Bey Beasley earlier am I crazy to think that that might be one of if not the best contract in the off season like NBA wide like as far as what Detroit got what they’re paying him and they still maintain flexibility going forward like am I crazy that I don’t think that’s crazy at all I actually had saw a tweet from someone who’s not even closely related to the Pistons I I believe as a reporter said Malik Beasley was the second best value signing made during NBA free agency thus far and I mean it’s it’s hard to say like that’s untrue I mean Malik Beasley is someone who I mean if you were to just tell me okay what would you think Malik Beasley would get in the open market 10 to4 million I feel like it is pretty reasonable and I I think getting Malik Beasley on your team for what was it six million yep $6 million is unreal value right and I think yes he’s not an Allstar but you want to talk about superstar in your role that’s someone who can definitely be a superstar in their role right like amazing three-point shooter right like cannot understate how reliable he is from three-point and he’s also a really available three-point shooter he plays a lot of games I know everybody’s probably been beaten to death with with the availability thing but it’s really important this team has two guys who either couldn’t play or can’t play yeah and then you get three guys who all played High 70 plus games over the last couple of years like that is not nothing because not only is it guys who are available but there’s a correlation of passion in the amount of minutes you’re on the court as just saying like certain guys work harder to get back than others let’s just call it the way it is for sure and I I I think also like you know age definitely plays a factor as well I think Bon’s a little on the older side so you just might not be able to do it anymore and I think that’s fine right but I think having someone like Malik Beasley on your team ra like okay let’s let’s look at it this way last year what was your what was your starting five and what was your bench five starting five to start the year Kade Cunningham Killian Hayes assar Thompson Isaiah Stewart Jaylen Duren then your bench five was It was supposed to be vonte Morris but it was Jayden Ivy Alec Burks uh isaah liers didn’t start who was the who was the back up three on this team oh man so initially they so they brought in Kevin Knox about a about a month into the season and he kind of night one though night one man that’s I I would have to pull up the Rost that’s that’s the other thing that’s difficult though is I might not I might not might not even remember just looking at the roster because they had like they had almost 40 players on the team last year yeah because it was supposed to be livers but he he was was injured at the beginning of last season so I’m really drawing a blank on yeah was the back you know but like okay and then back that’s that’s that almost says it in itself though you know what I’m saying that almost says it in itself exactly so I I I think going from that to now this year having Cade Beasley uh fonio uh Tobias uh durren you have Tim Hardaway Jr uh you still have jayen Ivy you have now assar Thompson you have Paul Reed as well uh I don’t know if I already said Isaiah Stewart but you still have Isaiah Stewart um and then you also like you have a lot of Talent on your team but you also have more than two floor spacers who can shoot the ball yep right like I I cannot emphasize how important that is because if this was last season and even if we were just looking at the Pistons off season in a vacuum and we could pick two people just to keep on the team um it would probably looking at how things have gone Tim Hardway Jr and like I guess Tobias and that would probably be it yep as far as floor spacers now you have fonio now you have Beasley now you have Tobias now you have a Tim Hardway that’s four people right you’ve already doubled the amount of people who can be considered uh Sharpshooters on your team another good contract by the way Simone for two years oh insane contract yeah like when I saw that I I had a double take because I thought I thought it was at least going to be like something like four years 64 or something you know I I I and I thought you know like it might have been it might have seemed excessive but I thought he might have possibly earned it too but I mean he might not even be their Sixth Man guaranteed day one whereas at the trade deadline if he wasn’t starting we were screwed yeah I I I I think he’s uh I think I can’t believe the value of his signing for first of all like I I think I remember having a discussion with uh I think some members of the Pistons media I can’t remember I think it was exit interviews yeah and we were saying like oh where do you think um where do you think Simone is gonna end up like as the highest paid piston next year and I was like third I feel like third’s that like you know Fair because I was like feel he’ll roughly get the same deal Isaiah Stewart got so like I would say Cade I did say Tobias at the time I was like Kade Tobias then I’d probably go see but he’s and correct me if I’m wrong Tobias K or I’m sorry Tobias Stewart Cade because he’s not his extension as a factored in yet yep and then Paul Reed oh no I’m sorry Tim Hardaway Jr Paul Reed and then Simone fonio that’s ridiculous that’s absolutely ridiculous he has so many numbers that say like I think it was like uh second best or first best catch and shoot three-pointer uh that was a secondy year player uh he just has so many numbers in his favor and the play also the eye test totally matches it Simone is a guy who I was really impressed with on defense he was someone who was like okay I wasn’t overly familiar with him in Utah he killed Detroit like he killed Detroit last year and he he’s someone who’s just like unbelievable shooter but he’s not a bad Defender either which completely shocked me so I think Simone is a guy who the fact that he’s like sixth I think highest played player on your team unbelievable yeah wholeheartedly agree and you know just just overall from top to bottom thus far just been impressed with with the vision there one last thing I want to talk to you about before I let you go because I mean again we we we could talk for a long time it’s already been almost an hour it flies by whenever we talk seriously um but summer league the I that I bring it up last because I think that’s about where the importance of it is not to uh immediately poo poo it away um they did confirm uh that assar Thompson is fully cleared for basketball activity they just took the precautious road with with with Summer League which in my opinion makes a lot of sense personally you know are you what is your expectation level as far as what are you looking to see in summer league and how much are you actually taking away from from Summer League because I think I I mean I’ll just I’ll just blow the lead right here this might be the least I’ll look into summer league in my time watching or covering the Pistons but I I don’t think that means you can’t take anything away from it you know yeah I I think um I think it’s interesting right because like I’m I just turned 22 years old what’s today the ninth or 10th four days ago I turned 22 right so for the 22 years I’ve been alive I want to say I started paying attention to Summer League uh for about seven of them and for seven of them not all seven of them I I totally paid attention and I think really when the Pistons rebuild fully started kind of also aligned when I really started to take just overall being an NBA Observer and and taking basketball a lot more seriously I think it kind of aligned with the similar timeline so I started watching a lot more summer league obviously not just Pistons I watched pretty much every summer league game I I was watching the uh Grizzlies Jazz game last night which was electric by the way yeah um but it’s it’s something that I’ve kind of learned isn’t that serious but when I started I I took it very seriously I yeah I was getting pissed at rotations I was getting pissed at Tyler cook uh I was I was getting I was getting pissed you know it was just I was I would get pissed like coaching I would get pissed at other teams so just watching other teams I would be like what’s going on kind of realized what it is right and it’s it’s it’s basically a showcase it’s a showcase and it’s it’s not regular season games it’s not really to be taken too seriously but that’s also to say there’s nothing you can take from it right like assar last year looked great and in summer league and a lot of that did translate to to the regular season granted the shooting didn’t but his overall presence on the court you kind of got to see what that would look like for the first time in summer league um so I think although it is not completely indicative I.E Victor wanyama last year right um it’s not completely indicative of how someone’s rookie season or career is going to go I think it’s definitely a good look into where they are at this current moment in terms of their development yep by night one of the regular season a lot may change but at the same time there there’s still a blueprint of kind of what is right now because I think with the draft a lot of things become hypotheticals and they become numbers and they become discussions rather than what actually is on the court so I think kind of having the context of what is on the court is a is something that that you can take away you’re you’re not saying any you know definitive this is this guy Forever This is this guy for this season but this is this guy right now so it kind of helps reel in expectations it kind of helps set things in reality to where people can be like okay this guy is at this point and maybe this guy looks a lot more ready than we gave him credit for you know um there’s always the players who have great summer leagues that never translate but for the most part I think especially with your top prospects if they can have I think honestly a good sign is if your if your top prospects the guys you really want to see if they can play their role if they’re not like Michael Jordan in summer league if they can just play their role really well in summer league I think that’s really indicative of what could be in the regular season now if they’re just all of a sudden the greatest player of all time then you’re like okay it’s summer league right because that’s just not going to happen in the regular season but if there’s someone who can really like Ron Holland for example if he if he starts being able to drive a lot of Rim pressure and he shows a lot of great uh perimeter defense and also maybe some interior defense as well because he he does have in say in wingspan um you could also say Bobby clitman right like if he can be a good three and D guy with occasional post touches I think you’re you can kind of see something there right especially Marcus Sasser like if you can start seeing a lot more scoring but also some some more playmaking from him I think that’s really good right so I think those are the things you want to watch for like Ron Holland especially like if you can see that his game fits a certain role even on a summer league team and where you can see him doing the small things on the court I think that’s really indicative of of what he could be yeah 100% I think I think a lot of things you said there is really good and you know I think the the way I would put it is I don’t look for results I look for attributes I look for I look for characteristics I look for skill sets like for example like like K Cunningham he did not come out and blow the world up by you know by by storm in his summer league especially his first game he struggled from the field but the things that jumped off the page right away were his leadership were his passing ability were were the things that he was seeing on the court the other thing I think you want to see as well it’s not that you want to see players that they have to necessarily go out and dominate in summer league but do they look more comfortable at the end than when they started out at the beginning did they develop and and and see improvement over time because when you have players who are uncomfortable the entire time not to say that that’s you know that that’s just who they are but it’s indicative of where they’re going to be when the season starts right and like you said with assar you know that’s a player again I I don’t remember any of his statistics for Summer League last year I remember they were good I remember he played well but the things that that stuck that stuck out were man this guy is an amazing athlete and also this guy clearly knows what he’s doing and really gives a [ __ ] on the defensive side of the ball and if we’re looking at the Pistons summer league roster if we’re really being honest like like pessimistically speaking there’s really only one player on the team you can say for certains in in the rotation next year and that’s not even Marcus Sasser that’s Ron Holland I think for Sasser this is kind of a an audition for his time in Detroit moving forward yeah but um you know I I I would say you just want to see what these players you know like what what what attributes like like for Ron Holland the things I want to see how hard does he play on the defensive side of the ball how comfortable does he look offensively and just what are the hustle plays like like he says he’s a 50-50 ball guy I want to see them you know what I mean so th those are the things I would say again not that it’s all life or death not that it’s all you know that you that you learn exactly who a player is but those traits like you know I think another really good example is you know like Jabari Smith Jr like um a couple years ago I remember after summer league people thought that he sucked and he clearly doesn’t he’s a good NBA player right but I think it was pretty clear that he might not reach the level that certain PE that that everyone thought he would be that’s he’s not gonna be KD exactly right but you know but it is again like I think there’s a lot you can learn about who who they are you know as as players and as people and again not that that that can’t CH but I think it give I think it can give you a decent inkling of what you’re getting you know what I’m saying for sure I I think um I think assar is a perfect example I think even the Improvement Jabari showed last year was a good example as well like comparing that to his rookie year I remember the game against the Pistons he was talking cash [ __ ] and he looked really confident and that was night and day compared to where he was the year before so I I think yeah it’s like that you could see that maybe with a Marcus Sasser this year even though like he did have 40 ball last year so you know but um he might go get a 40 ball in every game this year yeah you know so I I think honestly like confidence looking at the guys who are returning to summer league and confidence by the end of summer league for the guys who are you know firsttime rookies or First Time In Summer League I think that’s something to really watch for and I think that’s really indicative of what could be MH and I know this draft class as a whole has been talked has been talked upon you know just lowly because there isn’t those players that pop out day one as you know potential Superstars or guys who are going to change a league day one but that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be damn good basketball players and people who are going to be All-Star caliber at some point absolutely so yeah there you you will see players who will Who will make names for themselves this summer league even even if it won’t be the same as other year but for sure but Zar for real man thank you so much for taking the time and coming on the Pod I seriously love having you we’ll have to do this we’ll do we’ll have to do this again soon before the season starts sure where can where can people find your work and what you’re doing um yeah so I run bullyball it is a media Outlet where we talk about sports and we also cover Sports as well um we try to thread the needle between entertaining and also kind of informing you guys about like Humanity side of of of everything right like I I my most proud story I’ve ever done um was this year with uh kid name Ezekiel who came to visit the Detroit Pistons that was an awesome story thank you yeah and by the way update on them is you know the when when I had done the story they were unhoused and living in a shelter they’ve now secured an apartment um which is which is amazing so it’s it’s things like that while also kind of looking at yeah like things like the Monty Williams firing predicting the Pistons offseason so I just like to have fun but also have meaningful um parts of what we do so you can find our website at bullyball or ww. bully ball.net and we’re also starting a substack where by the end of 20124 all of this will be moving too um just so that way we can keep things running because for clarity I run this basically uh me my friend Jake and um we take help where we can but you know we got to keep the lights on somehow so yeah uh we’ll be starting a substack as well which you can find the link to on real bullyball which is all of our socials um yeah I I I do a lot man of Manny hats I do photography as well photography videography uh all of my Pistons photography is on my Instagram and Bully balls Instagram at Zar Xavier real bullyball and I think that covers all my bases oh I’ll have something up this weekend rather uh written or video piece I’ll have something about just overall my thoughts on Pistons off season and JB bicker staff and all that fun stuff so keep an eye out yeah definitely definitely follow bullyball and the work that they’re doing not just for great photography for great media for from that side but also great articles great Intel SAR does does just about everything in the basketball media space this guy’s seriously a killer again dude thank you so much for for joining Absolut got nothing but love for you and thank you to everyone for for listening and joining this episode if you liked it be sure you like down low and also subscribe to the channel because we’ll have plenty of content coming up this off seon as well you also want to follow myself at Sean halfcourt for any news updates as well as any uh live tweeting of press conferences all that type of stuff but that’s going to do it for today thank you so much for listening we’ll catch you guys next time from half court be sure you subscribe [Music] he [Music]

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JB Bickerstaff, Trajan Langdon, Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons