The Detroit Pistons Shouldn’t Be the Next Pelicans: Op-Ed

As a huge fan of all Detroit sports, I'm thrilled that the Detroit Pistons are taking some major steps this offseason to try to get the franchise back on track. In addition to being a fan, I'm also a sports podcaster and journalist, so I'm analyzing these changes to see if, in my opinion, they're really what the team needs. It's difficult to say what the Pistons need, really. There are also a lot of great things happening right now in the franchise, but there are also a lot of missing pieces. One thing I truly believe is that the Detroit Pistons shouldn't be the next Pelicans.

I wrote an op-ed a few weeks ago, when the Detroit Pistons first hired New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon to serve as their new Detroit Pistons president. I was, and still am, pretty positive about this move. I like the fact that Langdon has real general manager experience in today's NBA. I'm also glad that they went outside of the organization to hire someone, because we need new life in the Pistons' camp. But, my one concern right now is that I keep hearing names of guys from the Pelicans being brought into Detroit.

Listen. The Pelicans had a pretty good season this past season. They tied their second-best record in franchise history with a 49-33 record. They lost as the No. 8 seed in the first round of the playoffs. They weren't the best of the best, but they were sure a heck of a lot better than the Pistons. So, I'm happy that we have some Pelicans juice coming to Detroit. But, the Detroit Pistons shouldn't be the next Pelicans. They're just not that good of a team to want to emulate, and it makes me nervous that we're bringing so many Pelicans staffers in. The Detroit Pistons are hiring shooting coach Fred Vinson from the Pelicans to serve as their new assistant coach, sources recently confirmed to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. This was a good move, in my eyes. He had been with the Pelicans for 14 years and, according to Edwards, "has been credited with helping turn below-average 3-point shooters like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Naji Marshall into legitimately good 3-point shooters." We need that. So, I love this move. But, can we please stop here? I'm starting to get worried that we'll just bring a bunch of Pelicans guys on. Detroit needs to craft their own identity and success.

Here's another major move for the Pistons. The team let go of head coach Monty Williams on Wednesday (June 19). This is a massive surprise, as most experts thought Williams would stay on for at least one more year. Williams signed a mega six-year, $78.5 million contract with incentives a little over a year ago, and he's already out. All I can say is that I really hope they don't get a Pelicans staffer to take his place. Contact me with your thoughts on all things Pistons.

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