The Pistons enter their fourth offseason under GM Troy Weaver at a potential crossroads as a franchise. After three straight seasons of 50-plus losses and zero progress in the standings, next season has to be better. Which starts this summer, Mike Valenti said Monday:
"If Tom Gores wants anyone to believe that he's not all the things we believe him to be -- and none of them are flattering -- and the Pistons at all want to act like a team that is one of the very few in this league to have won multiple championships in our lifetime, this summer is everything. Because this can't continue next year.
"Newsflash, the same offseason that Troy Weaver was hired, the guy who's running the Kings (Monte McNair) was hired and their owner is a clown, but they hired the right people and they stayed out of the way and now the Kings are third in the West. All of a sudden the Kings are a hot commodity again. You can't go on an endless rebuild. So (the Pistons) better get this coaching hire right and they need a roster."
Weaver and the Pistons will be searching for a new head coach this offseason after Dwane Casey transitioned to a role in the front office. They'll also be praying they win the draft lottery for the second time in three years, which would give them the right to select French superstar Victor Wembanyama.
"Look, there is a crisis of confidence here," Valenti said. "We don't know if Troy Weaver is any good. They didn't get anything (in a potential trade) for Bogdanovic, which is still a bizarre move to me. His entire first draft has been blown out of here -- Killian has no future here, Bey is gone and Beef Stew is a nothing. The problem is, if you pin your hopes to winning the lottery and taking this unicorn player, the kid has now grown to 7'5, it is going to take a minimum of two years of development to get him to the player you want him to be. And it can't be year seven of a rebuild."
Valenti added that if the Pistons don't win the lottery -- they only have a 14 percent chance of doing so -- "I'm not using that draft pick, I'm moving it for a player because this has got to stop."
"Here's an idea, how bout Troy Weaver gets basketball players? Can Troy Weaver do that for me?" Valenti said. "Anyone can sit up there with the No. 1 pick in the draft and take Cade. Anybody. My dog would have selected Jaden Ivey No. 5. Period, it was easy. He needs to show me adults. Go get someone who's actually good on a nightly basis.
"This summer is everything. I am so tired of not having confidence in the people who are the stewards of these franchises. Weaver got off to a good start, but their biggest problem, they don't have a warchest (of draft picks), but you gotta get out there this summer and make an impactful move. I don't think anyone's taking your money (in free agency), so that would mean a trade. But trade with what? Weaver hasn't given us a warchest. What is this core I'm attaching myself to exactly?"
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