Few NBA coaches understand the grind of a rebuild like Dwane Casey. He led one in Toronto that ultimately yielded an NBA championship and he's in the middle of another that's gaining steam in Detroit.
"We’re rounding the bend," the Pistons head coach told Bally Sports Detroit Wednesday night as he took in the Tigers-Mariners game at Comerica Park. "It’s an exciting time. We’ve added some veteran players in Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, which is going to help our young guys grow, but we really have turned the corner in the rebuild."
For the Pistons, the major pieces are in place. They have the face of the franchise in former first overall pick Cade Cunningham, "a star to be," said Casey. They have his running-mate in fifth overall pick Jaden Ivey, "another star to be," said Casey. They have talented young players up and down their roster like 13th overall pick Jalen Duren -- "reminds me a lot of (six-time All-Star) Sean Kemp," said Casey -- and former All-Rookie selections Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
"The internal growth is very important," said Casey. "One thing Troy Weaver has done is brought in a bunch of hard-working, high-character guys that have been working all summer, and I can see the improvement. All those guys, the game has slowed down for them. You can see the growth and we expect that. The ceiling, I’m not going to put a cap on it for where they go, but you will see significant improvement with the team going into this year."
We'll see what that means in the win-loss column. The Pistons are coming off their second straight last-place finish and have the worst record in the NBA over the last three seasons. They're probably still a year away from making the playoffs and one or two more from making a run. But doubt them at your own risk.
"This is going to be a dangerous team," Isaiah Livers said earlier this summer. "Guys are always, you know, 'Detroit Pistons,' and they’re going to overlook us. They’re going to have that 'L' on the calendar if they keep doing that."
Training camp is less than a month away, with preseason action starting shortly thereafter. The Pistons open the season Oct. 19 at home against the Magic, the first step toward the revival of De-troit Basketball.
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