2017-2018 already looked to be something of a pivotal season for the Detroit Pistons and, on Monday evening, the team’s recent peril took a backseat to the bombshell acquisition of Blake Griffin. In truth, it has been an up-and-down campaign for Stan Van Gundy, Andre Drummond and company, ranging from the high of a red-hot start to the reality of slightly above-average play. In recent days, though, the bottom has fallen out for the once obviously playoff-bound Pistons and that set up nicely for a “make-or-break” feel to the remainder of the season.
At the time of the deal, the Pistons have dropped eight straight and, with that, have fallen completely out of the present playoff structure in the Eastern Conference. It should be noted, of course, that Detroit remains in striking distance and the addition of Griffin (and his monster contract) arguably improve the team on paper. Still, with Griffin owed more than $140 million (not a misprint) over four additional seasons and Detroit moving on from Tobias Harris who aside from Drummond has served as the team’s most consistent force, there’s reason to question the long-term upside of the trade.
In short, this is the definition of an “all-in” move from Van Gundy and the front office, pushing nearly every chip available into the middle in pursuit of a high-profile frontcourt pairing. Could the Drummond-Griffin duo work long-term? Perhaps, but it is far from a lock, with neither player providing much in the way of floor-spacing and both players operating in similar areas of the floor offensively.
Beyond the questions there and with Griffin’s contract, though, the Pistons now must address roster needs on the perimeter, with the Avery Bradley experiment serving as a cautionary tale and the loss of Harris’ shot creation leaving a hole. If Reggie Jackson can return in earnest, the Pistons would have that perimeter creator to lean on but, until that occurs, Detroit’s evaluation will be a tricky one and, without immediate progress, visions of a playoff berth as a result of this transaction are far from guaranteed.
Blake Griffin is in Detroit and, in the present, the Pistons might be better for it. For the front office, however, that “might” needs to be a definite, if only to offset the likely pain of owing Griffin more than $75 million over the final two years of his deal as the former All-Star advances into his mid-30’s on the aging curve.
In the meantime, it is virtually impossible to place the Pistons in our Dime Power Rankings. Alas, we try it anyway. Here we go.
1. Golden State Warriors (40-10, Last week — 1st)
Weirdly, it feels as if the Warriors are actually better than their current record. Winning at an 80 percent clip is, of course, nothing to be ashamed of for any team but the gap between the full-strength Warriors and everyone else remains stark. The rest of the league needs its A-game to compete with something lesser from Golden State.
2. Houston Rockets (35-13, Last week — 2nd)
The Rockets had a bit of a hiccup with a road loss to the Pelicans this week but, all told, Houston remains the closest thing to Golden State in the league. There have been times when the Rockets have been seriously challenged for the No. 2 spot but this week isn’t one of those times.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-20, Last week — 6th)
The loss of Andre Roberson absolutely stings and it will likely cost Oklahoma City some defensive potency in the future. At the moment, though, the Thunder have won eight straight and, outside of Oakland, no team is playing better basketball right now.
4. Toronto Raptors (33-15, Last week — 3rd)
It is clear that the Raptors aren’t playing quite as well recently but the team’s body of work to this point speaks for itself. It also helps that other teams within this tier are struggling, at least when compared to expectations.
5. Boston Celtics (36-15, Last week — 4th)
After a four-game losing skid, the Celtics have righted the ship. Boston took Golden State to the brink over the weekend and, aside from that, knocked off the Clippers and Nuggets on the road. That’s solid.
6. San Antonio Spurs (33-19, Last week — 7th)
It remains remarkable that the Spurs have done this without Kawhi Leonard and they’ve now won three of four. San Antonio can’t be killed.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (29-19, Last week — 11th)
It would be unwise to assume all is well in Cleveland and a trade (or two) is almost certainly coming. As of this week’s edition, though, the Cavs are riding two straight wins and that feels like an accomplishment.
8. Milwaukee Bucks (27-22, Last week — 12th)
Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak should be taken with a grain of salt, if only because the competition level hasn’t been high. The Bucks are playing well, though, and the Jason Kidd era is disappearing in the rear view mirror.
9. Miami Heat (29-21, Last week — 9th)
After a wholly inexplicable home loss to the woeful Kings, the Heat have responded with back-to-back wins. That saves them from a precipitous drop this week.
10. Indiana Pacers (28-23, Last week — 10th)
The Pacers are playing well and that manifests in the form of four victories over a five-game span. Is Indiana terrifying in a playoff series? Maybe not but, with each passing day, the notion of Victor Oladipo as a legitimate franchise player becomes more real.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (32-21, Last week — 5th)
This is a bit of an overreaction but Minnesota’s loss in Atlanta on Monday night was of the brutal variety. Beyond that, the Wolves have dropped three of four and, even with the Warriors (on the road) included in that group, it hasn’t been the best stretch.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (27-22, Last week — 15th)
Here come the Blazers? Portland just rattled off five wins in six games, including wins over the Pacers and Wolves. It would be a nice time to peak for the Blazers and gain some breathing room in the playoff race out west.
13. Los Angeles Clippers (25-24, Last week — 17th)
The Clippers may not be improved for this season after the Blake Griffin deal but, from an asset perspective, it is a victory. Of course, that does not get into the moral questions behind signing a player for five years and then flipping him six months later but, we digress. On the floor, the addition of Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley should soften the absence of Griffin and the Clippers are still playing well. It will be far more interesting to see what this team looks like after Feb. 8 with more deals likely on the horizon.
14. Washington Wizards (27-22, Last week — 13th)
The Wizards thrashed the Hawks in Atlanta without John Wall but the worry with the All-Star point guard’s knee (and a projected six-week timetable for recovery) is real. Washington has been maddening this season but that matters even less if Wall isn’t available and ready to go at full strength when April arrives.
15. Denver Nuggets (26-24, Last week — 16th)
The Nuggets were very close to four straight wins but fell to the Celtics by one point on Monday evening. The pending return of Paul Millsap will be interesting to monitor but this is a talented, dangerous team that also happens to be primed for a trade or two.
16. Philadelphia 76ers (24-23, Last week — 14th)
Back-to-back losses knock the Sixers down a peg but, in truth, losing to the Thunder and Bucks on the road isn’t all that punishable.
17. New Orleans Pelicans (27-22, Last week — 8th)
We’re building in the loss of DeMarcus Cousins here, as the Pelicans have a top-10 profile to this point in the calendar. It is tough to see how New Orleans withstands his absence and, even if Anthony Davis can produce the heroics necessary to key a playoff charge, the looming choices with Boogie entering free agency off of an injury that has wrecked many careers aren’t pleasant.
18. Utah Jazz (21-28, Last week — 26th)
After a significant dip a week ago, the Jazz bounce back after road wins over the Pistons and Raptors. In a weird way, that has kind of been the story of the season in Salt Lake City.
19. Charlotte Hornets (20-29, Last week — 18th)
There is no shame in losing single-digit decisions in Miami and Indiana, leaving the Hornets pretty much where they were a week ago.
20. Los Angeles Lakers (19-30, Last week — 22nd)
The Lakers have been legitimately good for a while. Los Angeles has won four of five and, in a big-picture sense, things have been trending upward for a while. Will it continue? We’ll see.
21. Memphis Grizzlies (18-31, Last week — 21st)
With Mike Conley shut down for the season, it is time for the tank to begin in earnest. The problem is that Memphis is actually playing better basketball in the present than they were a few weeks ago.
22. New York Knicks (22-28, Last week — 20th)
The Knicks just completed a marathon, seven-game road trip with a 3-4 record. That is quite respectable given where this team currently is and they should be praised for that level of competitiveness.
23. Detroit Pistons (22-26, Last week — 25th)
As noted above, nothing is going well for the Pistons on the court and the Blake Griffin experiment is a volatile one. Buckle up for what could be a wild few months in the Motor City.
24. Chicago Bulls (18-32, Last week — 19th)
Remember when the Bulls were enjoying (distant) playoff buzz? Poof. It’s gone.
25. Dallas Mavericks (16-35, Last week — 24th)
The Mavs have dropped seven of eight but six of those defeats came against playoff-bound opponents. Schedule strength matters, even if Dallas isn’t playing particularly well at the moment.
26. Atlanta Hawks (15-35, Last week — 28th)
It was a weird week for the Hawks, with a couple of real stinkers in their home venue. They make a jump, though, on the heels of a weird (and fun) win over the Wolves.
27. Brooklyn Nets (18-32, Last week — 23rd)
The Nets play hard but, with the overall talent level present, they can’t be expected to beat quality teams on a nightly basis. That is basically the synopsis.
28. Phoenix Suns (17-34, Last week — 27th)
This might be too high for Phoenix right now. The Suns have lost eight of nine and, in short, the team is only buoyed by the incompetence of the Kings and Magic. Yikes.
29. Sacramento Kings (15-34, Last week — 30th)
The Kings have the worst statistical resume in the league and it’s not particularly close. Sacramento did go into Orlando and win this week, though, which breaks any theoretical tie.
30. Orlando Magic (14-34, Last week — 29th)
You can’t lose to this Kings team at home and avoid the No. 30 spot, especially when your record is nearly identical when the games ends. It’s been a brutal campaign for the Magic.
