J.B. Bickerstaff, Ron Holland, and NBA Free Agency | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons have a new coach, a new draft pick, and will soon have a newly-signed point guard.
Good morning all, and welcome to another edition of the Palace of Pistons Weekly Drive. The Detroit Pistons hired J.B. Bickerstaff, Ron Holland is the newest member of the core, and free agency madness is underway. There’s a lot to get to, and most of it will be out of date by the time you read this, but let’s get into it.
J.B. Bickerstaff is the New Head Coach
The Pistons have reportedly hired J.B. Bickerstaff to a five-year contract per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The fifth year is an option, per ESPN.
This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I also cover the Cleveland Cavaliers for SB Nation’s Fear the Sword. So I have seen and heard a lot about Bickerstaff over the years, and I can say that he’s a good coach who fits in well for what the Pistons need: stability.
NBA head coaches don’t last long unless your name is Erik Spoelstra or Greg Popovich, but Bickerstaff remained in Cleveland for five years. He took over for John Beilein, when the Cavs were arguably at their lowest, and guided a group of young guys from the basement of the Eastern Conference to the second round of the playoffs. He nurtured the likes of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen helping them grow into not only good but All-Star-level players. He dealt with internal and other turmoil, rotation issues, and the integration of a major star Donovan Mitchell. He is, for all intents and purposes, an ideal hire for an organization that has had nothing but drama and strife for a half-decade.
Perhaps I am biased, but I like Bickerstaff. I think he’s a good person and simply ran out of time with the Cavaliers. The Pistons present a good spot for him, and I hope he succeeds.
The Pistons Draft Ron Holland
Oh, by the way, the NBA Draft happened. The Pistons selected Ron Holland from the G League Ignite, the first shocker of the evening in what was otherwise a boring event. Holland presents as an ultra-athletic wing with a shaky jumper.
Holland has quite a bit of upside, which interested the front office more than some of the safer picks that were being mocked to them. Holland himself was even more stunned because he had never even met with the team before the draft.
Holland’s fit with the rest of the roster is in flux until the free agency plans come to fruition. As currently constructed, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, newly acquired Tim Hardaway Jr, and Simone Fontecchio (who is expected to re-sign with the Pistons) make the addition of Holland clunky due to his poor shooting. New shooting coach Fred Vinson will have his work cut out for him.
Welcome Back to Michigan, Tim Hardaway Jr.
Detroit embarked on their first “trade stuff to get bad contracts and assets back” adventure by acquiring guard Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Quinton Grimes. The Pistons also got three second-round picks from the Mavericks for taking on Hardaway’s $16 million salary for the season.
You may be wondering why the Pistons moved off of Grimes so soon after acquiring him from the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Grimes was reportedly not only unhappy with the lowly Pistons organization but also not liked in the locker room, per a source. Instead of trying to make a round peg fit in a square hole, Detroit opted to just move on and recoup some assets.
It’s hard to see where Hardaway fits in the rotation, but he immediately fills a need as a shooter on an otherwise horrendous shooting team. They will find minutes for him.
Cade Cunningham Extension
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Pistons intend to sign Cade Cunningham to a five-year $226 million extension. ESPN’s Bobby Marks followed that up with a “nah” by saying the Pistons and Cunningham do not imminently have an extension agreed upon.
Regardless, the expectation appears to be that the Pistons and Cunningham are going to agree on a max extension this offseason. It may just not be yet.
Other News and Notes
The Pistons remain a threat to sign center Isaiah Hartenstein, per Yahoo Sports.
Detroit has also signaled to other teams that they will not be aggressive at the onset of free agency, per Yahoo again.
The Pistons waived Buddy Boeheim and Troy Brown Jr, per the official NBA transaction log.
Tobias Harris remains a target for the Pistons, though the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks are also reportedly interested per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
That’s a lot of information to digest, and by the time you read this, it may already be old news. As Pistons-related news continues to come in, we will be covering it so keep an eye on your inboxes. Thanks for reading.
Mike
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