It wasn't a great weekend of NBA news if you're a Pistons fan. Outside of the team's protracted coaching search, it was reported that the two clubs picking ahead of the Pistons in the draft -- the Rockets at No. 4 and the Trail Blazers at No. 3 -- are also looking to trade their top pick. Which will make it mighty hard for the Pistons to cash in on the trade market with the No. 5 pick.
"Coming out of the weekend, I have a viewpoint on this offseason where I am petrified," says Valenti. "I think the reverberations of falling to 5 in the lottery, I don't even know if people are going to realize it until it's way down the line."
Watching the four teams still standing in the NBA playoffs, Valenti says "you're seeing the only way forward" for the Pistons: "The anatomy of all these teams left is they have done some remarkable stuff with late picks."
"The Heat, with Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, four rotational players, all undrafted. The Nuggets, Nikola Jokic, 41st overall, even Christian Braun taken 21st overall and providing value to them. Lakers, Austin Reaves, undrafted. One problem. Troy Weaver tried to draft him and he told you to go bleep yourself -- I'd rather be undrafted and go to LA. True story. And then the Celtics, the big example would be Robert Williams, 27th overall, that perfect rebounder, rim-runner, shot blocker. Celtics didn't have to give up picks to go get him.
"Outside of that top 10, outside of the first round, Troy Weaver has to be better. Here's your problem, a couple of the deals you've made, you punted second-round picks. You have one this year. The future of the Pistons probably isn't in free agency. If the 5th pick is untradeable, is this the only way out? We have to hope and pray that Troy Weaver can emulate what these other four teams have done in order to create a pathway to prosperity for us."
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