Looking at Possible Pistons Free Agent Targets

The NBA free agency period is less than 48 hours away, so as you might have gathered from the title of this post, we're going to be looking at a number free agents who will be available when 12:10am Eastern Standard Time hits on July 1st. This is not a comprehensive list (as there are over 120 free agents) but is instead a list of big-name and small-name players who would actually make sense as potential Pistons targets in my eyes. We'll be tackling them by breaking down whether or not they're actually realistic targets and why/why not.

A quick primer if you're not 100% solid on the intricacies of NBA free agency, with definitions directly from the NBA's website:

- An unrestricted free agent (UFA) is free to sign with any team, though some unrestricted free agents have options on their existing contracts that, if exercised, may impact their choices.

- A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player's original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. The original team is said to have the "right of first refusal."

- A team option grants the original team the right to keep a player for another year.

- A player option grants the player the power to decide whether to stay for another year or become a completely unrestricted free agent.

(In either case, if the option is refused, the player is completely unrestricted, free to sign with any team.)

Now let's break down those free agents, shall we?


"SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL" TARGETS

LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers (Player Option): LeBron has the power to opt out opted out of his current contract with the Cavaliers, and while there's a sliver of a chance that he could bolt for another team if he doesn't like how Cleveland's offseason goes, the odds are very much against it. The plan is for LeBron to re-sign with the Cavs on another two-year contract with a player option for the second year (exactly like he signed last year) but for more money. That way he retains the ability to hit free agency again when the salary cap spikes in 2016-17. Even if he were to leave Cleveland again it won't be for Detroit.

LaMarcus Aldridge, PF, Portland Trail Blazers (UFA): ESPN's Chris Broussard reports that it's "a 99.9% chance" that Aldridge leaves. If he does ultimately leave Portland, the common belief is Aldridge wants to return to his home state of Texas. All three Texas-based NBA franchises would very much love to have him, too. He could be the heir to Tim Duncan in San Antonio, or the heir to Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, or he could be the piece that maybe pushes Houston (who just missed out on signing Chris Bosh last year) over the top in the West. 

San Antonio sounds like the leading contender for his services, but the Lakers are apparently moving up the list as free agency nears. Aldridge lives in the Los Angeles area in the offseason and they'd be able to offer him a lot of money, but Aldridge also sounds like he wants to win a title. If he wants to win and get paid he'll go to San Antonio. There's also a good chance Aldridge will seek a one-and-one deal similar to LeBron so he can hit free agency again in 2016-17 in order to maximize his earnings potential. Bottom line: Detroit's nowhere near this conversation.

Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies (UFA): Gasol will have some suitors like the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks but it's very unlikely he leaves. Gasol grew up in Memphis while his older brother Pau was playing for the Grizzlies; and while Marc was drafted by the Lakers, he was traded to Memphis before ever playing an NBA game, so he's techincally played his whole NBA career in Memphis. Oh, he's also Memphis' prime target, and they can offer him more money than any other team, so don't expect him to go anywhere.

Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs (RFA): There is absolutely no way that San Antonio doesn't match any offer sheet Leonard may sign. It wouldn't shock me if San Antonio just straight up offered him a monster extension anyway. Either way, Leonard will be a Spur next season.

Draymond Green, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors (RFA): See Leonard, Kawhi; especially after winning a title. Golden State is looking for a trade partner to take David Lee and his albatross of a contract so they can offer Green max money, regardless. Even though Green has expressed interest in the past about playing for the Detroit, and recent reports say Green is going to be taking some face-to-face meetings with potential suitors including the Pistons, it all goes back to Golden State matching any offer he gets. If Green ever becomes a Piston it'll most likely be in a few years when he's an UFA.

2015 NBA Mock Draft 3.1

The 2015 NBA Draft is tonight, so here's what is likely to be my final version of my Keck Thoughts Mock Draft. Like last week's update, I've read and heard enough that I've made plenty of changes. Unlike the first two versions, I'm going to go through the entire Top 10 just because.

Prefacing this one last time that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, briefly chatted with a couple of guys at work who really know this stuff, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

Again, I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 3.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

Minnesota President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Flip Saunders has been publicly saying they will take the Best Player Available, even going so far as to say the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets missed out on Michael Jordan in 1983 because they drafted for need instead of just taking the best player. Towns is the best player in this draft and he's the right pick here. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State 

Call me a believer. Just as the draft is about to begin I'm buying the rumblings that the Lakers believe they can get one of the big frontcourt free agents this year, whether it's Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge or Greg Monroe. Because of that they're leaning towards taking the best point guard in the draft, hoping he's the next James Harden. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

Possible Pistons Pick: Stanley Johnson or Devin Booker?

The 2015 NBA Draft is tomorrow and as we get closer and closer to the event actually unfolding, the more it sounds like the potential targets most people believe the Pistons want will be gone when their pick rolls around at #8. Ideally the Pistons would love if Mario Hezonja or Justise Winslow would fall to them at 8, but most mock drafts have them going earlier than that.

If Hezonja and Winslow (or any of the other top 7 players) are indeed gone by the Pistons' selection, and assuming the Pistons don't wind up trading up or down, it sounds like the choice will ultimately come down between two players: Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson and Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker.

Let's take a look at each player and see what their pluses and minuses are, and how those might fit/not fit for the Pistons.

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
Height: 6' 6.5"
Weight: 232 lbs.
Wing Span: 6' 11.5"
College Stats (1 season): 28.4 MPG, 13.8 PPG, 44.6 FG%, 37.1 3FG%, 74.2 FT%

Johnson is generally regarded as the third-best small forward in this year's draft behind Hezonja and Winslow. Johnson is the biggest of the three and probably has the most NBA-ready body of the three (if not in the whole draft), and with a good height of 6' 6.5" and a wingspan of 6' 11.5", he's probably the perfect physical fit for what the Pistons want out of the small forward position. Listening to interviews he's made during the draft season, he sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and he seems to relish the opportunity to play for Detroit. That doesn't hurt.

2015 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is tonight, so here's what is likely to be my final version of my Keck Thoughts Mock Draft. Like last week's update, I've read and heard enough that I've made plenty of changes. Unlike the first two versions, I'm going to go through the entire Top 10 just because.

Prefacing this one last time that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, briefly chatted with a couple of guys at work who really know this stuff, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

Again, I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 3.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

Minnesota President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Flip Saunders has been publicly saying they will take the Best Player Available, even going so far as to say the Portland Trailblazers and Houston Rockets missed out on Michael Jordan in 1983 because they drafted for need instead of just taking the best player. Towns is the best player in this draft and he's the right pick here. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

The closer you get to the actual draft the crazier things around the league become. On the precipice of the draft the popular word is that the Lakers were not impressed with Okafor when he came in for a second workout, but were impressed with D'Angelo Russell. That said, I think Okafor is still the pick because he fills a big need for L.A., he's the most NBA-ready post player to come out of college in a long time, and if the Lakers do end up trading for Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, you can bet the Kings will want Okafor to replace him. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

2015 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is one from tonight, and as we get closer to the actual draft the rumors and rumblings around the league are continuing to swirl and… rumble, I guess. Regardless, I've read enough that I've made a few changes in my first update. Again, because I only really care about who the Detroit Pistons can and will be drafting with the 8th overall selection, I've only mocked the first eight picks.

Prefacing again that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, as well as read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

I will make one more update a week from today on the day of the draft, so there may be some changes to come.

I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 2.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

The rumblings that Flip Saunders prefers Jahlil Okafor are slowly dying, but aren’t quite dead yet. I still think common sense will prevail and Saunders will take the post player that better fits alongside the talent Minnesota already has, and that’s Towns. (Previous pick: Karl-Anthony Towns)

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

The Lakers are apparently debating between 3 players: Okafor, D’Angelo Russell and Kristaps Porzingis. Russell and Porzingis have perked their ears after impressive workout showing, and while both would fill needs for the Lakers, I think Okafor is still the best option because he’s the most pro-ready post player to come out of college in a long time. (Previous pick: Jahlil Okafor)

2015 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

The 2015 NBA Draft is two weeks from tonight, and because I needed something to entertain myself the other day I decided to write up my own short little mock draft. This isn't a comprehensive, full first round mock draft though. Because I only really care about who the Detroit Pistons can and will be drafting with the 8th overall selection, I've only mocked the first eight picks.

I should preface this post with the obvious and state that I have no first-hand knowledge of who will be drafting whom. What I've done is scoured the interwebs and read about as many mock drafts as I could by people who have done them and done them well for a long time, as well as read up on the rumors and rumblings from around the league by people in the know, and then included my own intuition to make my final picks. This is not scientific by any means.

I will also be updating this mock draft two times before the real draft - the first update will be one week from today and the second will be the day of the draft. So there may be some changes.

I should also note that I have not mocked any trades that have not yet been made. I hate it when other mock drafts do this, so I refuse to do it myself. So without further ado, here are some Keck Thoughts on the NBA Draft.

KECK THOUGHTS NBA Mock Draft 1.0


1.) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Karl-Anthony Towns, C/PF, Kentucky 

There’s lot of chatter about Timberwolves President/Head Coach Flip Saunders preferring Duke’s Jahlil Okafor over Towns, but Towns is the player with the higher ceiling. He’s the better defender and he has more range than Okafor, which makes him a better fit alongside Nikola Pekovic, Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio.

2.) LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke 

Los Angeles is praying that Towns falls to them, but Okafor is a great consolation prize. He’s the most pro-ready post player in the draft to come out of the draft in a long time, and he’ll make a really nice building block alongside 2014 first-round pick Julius Randle in the frontcourt.

Suh Long! Farewell! What Do the Lions Do Now?

On Saturday afternoon the news broke that Lions free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had reached an agreement in principle with the Miami Dolphins on a record-breaking 6-year, $114 million contract that will guarantee Suh $60 million. While Suh can't officially sign the contract until 4:00pm EST today, it's probably a safe bet another team (like the Lions) won't be able to swoop in and change Suh's mind.

So let's assume Suh is officially no longer a Detroit Lion. It's a huge blow to the Lions defense, which was the 2nd-best defense in the entire NFL in 2014. The Lions basically built their defense around Suh considering his dominance at the DT position, so it leaves a large hole to fill through free agency and the draft.

That said, losing Suh gives the Lions somewhere close to $17 million in cap space they can spend on free agents to fill some holes they have at multiple positions like offensive line, cornerback and, of course, defensive tackle.

So in this post not only will we take a look at which free agents the Lions might go after, we'll be taking a look at why the Lions might consider switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense now that Suh leaving. In fact, after the jump that's the first part we're going to tackle.

Where Could Ndamukong Suh Sign?

While the deadline to decide whether or not to place the franchise tag on star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh wasn't until 4:00pm EST, the Detroit Lions announced they had made up their mind and were going to let Suh go untagged. Thus came the conclusion to the first part of the Suh free agency saga and the beginning of the next part. 

Suh is now scheduled to become a free agent on March 10th, should he and the Lions not come to a contract extension between now and then. Should Suh hit the market he'll arguably become the largest defensive free agent since Reggie White left the Philadelphia Eagles for the Green Bay Packers. 

Suh will be looking to become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt currently holds that title with the 6-year, $100 million deal he agreed to with Houston back in September, which also came with a staggering $51.8 million signing bonus. As I mentioned in my post about Suh back in January, I predicted Suh would land at least a contract of 6 years, $102 million overall with a $52 million signing bonus. If he actually hits the free market, he'll probably make even more.

I still think the Lions have a real shot at re-signing Suh because they have exclusive negotiating rights with him until Saturday, March 7, when a three-day negotiating period opens for the rest of the league. But it's going to take a big contract to bring him back, which is why I think they're first going to have to let him see what his market is and they try to win him back.

So after the jump let's take a look at where Suh might actually wind up should he leave the Honolulu Blue behind, starting with a peak at the 20 teams that have more cap space than the Lions do. These numbers are each team's estimated cap space according to Over The Cap.

The Detroit Lions and a Man Named Suh

The Detroit Lions concluded their relatively successful 2014 season on a sour note this past Sunday, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Now they move on to the offseason and it looks to be not only a busy one but possibly their most important one under general manager Martin Mayhew; one rife with questions all along the roster. 

Of those questions, none looms larger than "Should the Lions re-sign Ndamukong Suh?" It's a relatively heated topic considering Suh's history both on and off the field. Honestly, this should be a no-brainer, but because of Suh's checkered history in his time as a Lion, it's not as cut-and-dried as you'd think it would be.

When people think of Suh, these are just a few of the transgressions that stand out in their minds:

- 2010: A $20,000 fine for twisting Cleveland Browns QB Jake Delhomme's helmet around on a sack attempt in a preseason game, and a $15,000 fine for roughing Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler (in what most assuredly was a clean but strong shove on Cutler while he was scrambling)

- 2011: Stomping on Green Bay Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith's arm, which garnered both a $165,294 fine and a two-game suspension (the only games Suh has ever missed as a Lion)

- 2012: Kicking Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub in the groin, resulting in a $30,000 fine

- 2013: A low block on Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan during a DeAndre Levy interception return that resulted in a gigantic $100,000 fine.

This season Suh had a clean slate up until he stepped on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers while he laid on the ground, which originally got Suh suspended for the Wild Card game against Dallas but was eventually turned into a simple $70,000 fine on appeal.

It's quite a long rap sheet and I've left a few out. Plus, those are just some of the on-field transgressions that he was actually fined for. He's regarded as a dirty player who hits late, pushes players' heads into the ground, twists players' ankles in scrums, etc. Suh has also had a number of traffic incidents that have resulted in legal fines and even one lawsuit.

Needless to say, it's easy to see why some Lions fans and national pundits believe the Lions shouldn't re-sign Suh. "He's a dirty player," they say. "He's not a team player," they claim. "He only cares about himself," is a popular one.

All those things may be true. But here are some other facts:

- Suh just completed his fifth season in the NFL and he has been named All-Pro first-team in four of those years. Less prestigious but still somewhat noteworthy is that Suh is also a four-time Pro Bowler.

- Suh has amassed 241 tackles, 36 sacks (including a back-to-back pair in Sunday's Wild Card game), 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception. 

- Suh has grown as a position leader, if not necessarily a team leader, having given his fellow defensive linemen reclining seats for the film room in the past, and gifting tubs of popcorn for film room this year along with ugly Christmas sweaters for a group photo just last month.

- And as AOL's Annie Moore points out…

"Suh was named America's most charitable athlete by The Giving Back Fund in 2011. Suh donated $2.6 million to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, to go towards strength and conditioning programs, as well as set up an endowed fund for the Nebraska College of Engineering -- which Suh graduated from with a degree in construction management. Suh's $2.6 million donation was more than Eli Manning (University of Mississippi) and Tom Brady (the Red Cross) donated, combined. Not to mention his efforts through his own charity programs, including the Ndamukong Suh Family Fund, Camp SUH, the 90 Backpack Program and SUH's Scholar Program."

Those points are usually left out of the conversation when discussing Suh's career as a Detroit Lions.

Now, I'm sure some of you might be asking how any of that pertains to the future and whether the Lions should bring Suh back or not. Fair enough. Let's get to talking about Suh's value on the field and on the bottom line after the jump.

Are the Detroit Lions For Real?

In 2013 the Detroit Lions were 6-3 after the first ten weeks of the season. Things were looking good. Really good actually. Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler were both out for the majority of the remaining season with injuries, while Detroit was in the driver's seat in their quest to win their first NFC North Division title. 

We all know how the rest of the season played out. They absolutely imploded down the stretch, losing every game but one dominant performance against a Rodgers-less Packers team on Thanksgiving, going 1-6 to finish the season 7-9. The kicker of it all? The Packers won the division with an 8-7-1 record. The division was there for the Lions' taking, and they squandered it.

Fast-forward to the present and the 2014 Detroit Lions are preparing for a Wild Card game vs. the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday, having just wrapped up a very successful regular season campaign. Last week Detroit went into their Week 17 matchup with the Green Bay Packers sitting at 11-4 and in first place in the division, but their 30-20 loss to Green Bay gives them a final record of 11-5 and the 6-seed in the NFC bracket.

Despite an excellent 11-5 season that fell just shy of a possible 2-seed and bye week in the playoffs, a number of Lions fans are still skeptical about having any sort of sustained success in the postseason let alone this success carrying over to future seasons.

I personally am not one of those Lions fans who is skeptical about the team's chances in the playoffs. But I understand those that are. We Lions fans have been burned too often and at times this Lions team has been…not good. Because of that, I decided to look at this Lions team and attempt to discern whether or not they're a legitimate playoff team with a bright future or if they're just Lions in sheep's clothing. First we'll take a look at the methods we'll use after the jump.