Detroit Pistons: 2009-Present

The Pistons looked to be on an upswing after a solid campaign last year, but things have gone awry this season. Detroit seems to think they found their star in Andre Drummond, but outside sources question whether he can really be the player they expect him to be.

The roster is full of useful players, but the team has struggled to find the chemistry to turn that talent into wins. The Pistons moved on from Brandon Jennings in a trade for Tobias Harris, and trusted Reggie Jackson to run the point. Jackson initially responded well and had a career season, but this year his numbers have dipped significantly. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris have played well, but it’s clear they’re nothing more than role players. The team has gotten themselves back into playoff contention this year, however it seems unlikely that they’ll make any noise in a top-heavy playoffs. Detroit’s lack of defense and outside shooting has hurt them big time.

The Pistons seem to be stuck in the no-man’s-land of being too good to get a high lottery pick, but not nearly good enough to be in title contention. They’re in need of a roster shake-up to climb out of the hole they’ve been in for the past eight years. Detroit has plenty of solid role-players who can contribute on any NBA roster, but they’re lacking “the guy” who can take over a game or change a franchise.

It’s hard to move on from guys that can come in and produce on a nightly basis, but the Pistons need to look to the trade market to find a true star to build around. Drummond may be the star Detroit desperately wants him to be, but regardless, he surely needs more help than he has. In the age of super-teams, Detroit should look to take less “good” players and do what they can to acquire someone a little more “super.” Sometimes there aren’t any stars on the trade market for years at a time, but if the opportunity presents itself, Detroit ought to jump on it.

Orlando Magic: 2012-Present

The Magic were pretty good in 2010–2011 when led by Dwight Howard, but since he demanded to be traded away the franchise has struggled to recover.

They’ve aimed to build through the draft, but haven’t used their draft picks very well in recent years. Orlando used their top draft picks to acquire a young core comprised of Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, and Mario Hezonja, but none of these have worked out for the team the way they hoped.

Harris was traded to Detroit for two veterans who are no longer on the team. Oladipo and another top pick was traded to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka, but Serge’s presence took away the playing time and development of Gordon. The front office apparently realized their mistake and traded away Ibaka, but all they received in return was Terrance Ross and a first round pick. Essentially, they traded away Oladipo for a worse player of the same position, and a worse and delayed draft pick. Meanwhile, Hezonja remains with the team, but has under-performed expectations in every way.

Their streak hasn’t been going on long, but it might be awhile before they really recover from the mess Dwight left in his wake. Orlando has been searching for a franchise player in his wake, but hasn’t been satisfied yet. Maybe someday they’ll stop trading away anyone who could possibly take up the mantle.

Phoenix Suns 2011-Present

Similarly to Orlando, the Suns haven’t found success since trading away their star to the Lakers either. Granted, the Suns weren’t very good in his last year in Pheonix, but since trading Steve Nash to Los Angeles, Phoenix has struggled big time.

Eric Bledsoe is a star, and Devin Booker has proven himself as a bonfide scorer, but aside from that the Suns are bleak. They have one of the youngest rosters in the league, but very few of their other players have performed up to expectations. Alex Len still hasn’t quite found his role in the NBA, and rookies Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender haven’t played liked Pheonix hoped.

The roster is desperate for development and growth, but instead they seem content to play aging veterans heavy minutes. It makes sense for a team desiring a playoff push to play veterans over their rookies, but the Suns sit at the bottom of the Western Conference. With no chance of seeing the playoffs, it seems that Pheonix should do what they can to rid themselves of their veterans, and let the youngsters develop as much as possible.

Phoenix is a rare instance of a team that’s young but really not all that interesting. Until their youngsters show more potential to be something special, the Suns are stuck in this rut. Keep drafting, Pheonix.

Sacramento Kings: 2006-Present

The Kings are perhaps the most interesting rebuild in the NBA. DeMarcus Cousins has proven to Sacramento that you have to take the good with the bad. His performance on the court has been absolutely phenomenal throughout his career, but his attitude problems have cost them coaches, players, and most likely quite a few wins.

The organization seems committed to retaining their star, and hoping to build around him for the future, but they’ve been largely unsuccessful at that so far. Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, Tyreke Evans, and Rajon Rondo have all failed at being the sidekick Cosuins needs to succeed. The Kings know that they have a star, and don’t want to move on from a perennial All-Star, but Cousins has proven to be more difficult to build around than most.

The Kings haven’t drafted too well over the past few years, and when they have found hits, they’ve consistently moved on too soon. Isaiah Thomas and Hasaan Whiteside were both drafted by the Kings in the second round, but were both on their way out within three years. Sacramento has also had a top-10 pick every year since 2009, and every one has either been a clear miss or traded away since Cousins was drafted in 2010.

If Sacramento is intent on keeping Cosuins around for the long haul, they need to do something different to build around him. Maybe it’s being more active in the trade market, maybe it’s signing more strong veterans to play around him, or maybe it’s just having better luck in the draft, but whatever they’re doing now isn’t working. They’ve been stuck for years and if they don’t try to think outside the box, they’re going to find themselves on the wrong side of that 12 year average.

Keeping Boogie happy is the name of the game, and we’ll see if the Kings can accomplish that and win at the same time. Hopefully one will take care of the other.