FS1's Chris Broussard on Detroit Pistons rebuild, Trajan Langdon, and Isiah Thomas

Current perception of the Detroit Pistons all right everybody this is Cory Woods your Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions beat reporter with M live I have a special guest for today's interview we have the one and only from FS1 chist sard sir thank you for taking your time to speak with me today it's great to be on man I'm looking forward to the conversation and you know right now you know talk about Detroit Pistons there's a lot of things going on with the with the franchise as we know but before we get into some of that stuff just from your time covering the league the people you know the things that you heard what is the current perception of the Detroit Pistons around the league right now it's bad I mean it's it's terrible um the perception is that they're not well-run and that it's a shame because the Pistons had been one of the greatest franchises in the league you know obviously Isaiah Thomas built them into a great team with his play with the first couple championships with Joe Dumars and the bad boys and all that and then Dumars you know beca became their president and rebuilt you know the championship culture and team and obviously they won a championship and then since that team has kind of you know went away it's just been downhill ever since and it is it's kind of a shame because like I said for a long time the Pistons were uh one of the the top teams you thought about when you thought about the NBA I mean obviously the Lakers and Celtics and um bulls with Jordan and the Sixers and the Spurs with Duncan but the Pistons were certainly a top 10 team 10 franchise uh when you thought about the NBA for a long time and now they're essentially completely off the New Pistons GM Trajan Langdon radar and yeah you did just mention something about them being a poorly ran they just went ahead and made a new hire trer Landon got him from the New Orleans Pelicans he's now going to be the new president of basketball operations and during their introductory press conference we heard some different things about the franchise that Lon plans to do one of them is he plans to take one bad contracts as long as they're attached with some young assets and they're going to be roughly working with around 60 million give or take this free agency just in your opinion what do you think is going to be the quickest way for them to turn this around under langon and what is your impression of the hire well look I like tra Tran um he's got experience he's worked with several franchises and and been you know learned under some good uh GMS and so I think he'll do a you know I think he'll do a good job you never know until they get in there I thought Troy Weaver was a good higher at the time and it just hadn't didn't work out for Troy but um I do think Tran like I said will do a good job or was a good hire I think he can create a culture um which is one of the first things you you have to create a great culture uh I remember when LeBron James was in Cleveland his first go round and it was I think I don't know if it was the year he was going to be a free agent uh That season prior to that off that summer where he'd be a free agent or maybe the year before but e either way we were talking about it and he mentioned to me that if I remember correctly it was like he said there were there only like six franch franchises that have won championships recently you know and he named them obviously you had the Lakers you had the the heat with Dwayne Wade that in 2006 um he mentioned a few of the franchises and what he was saying is that it Championship culture is important and he was looking at a team that had that type of culture and so of course he ended up going to Miami and they did have a championship culture and he won his Rings some rings there so um that is what is important that's the first step they need to build and obviously their Co coing hire will have a lot to do with that and we'll see who trun ends up going with obviously he's got a history with James bgo back in New Orleans um and some of the other candidates Mike an nor and a few others have some connection to the Pistons so uh we'll see what he does there but you know then it's just about it's about building your culture and then getting players um that can be good now look the interesting thing is I do think they have some young Talent um you know obviously K Cunningham who's going to be extended um I think he's a great talent and then Jay NY is good uh you got a SE Thompson like but those three guys I mentioned they're your they're three perimeter guys right now the challenge or one of the challenges is that they can't shoot like this is a three-point shooting league now and you've got three perimeter guys that really can't shoot you know for the most part they're not good outside Shooters so they have to figure something out um and I think obviously they're building around Cade and you got to get some shooting to put around him um and that's those are some of the things they need to to build on you you Cade Cunningham said a couple of things that I want to get get at one by one but the first one I going to start with is with cave Cunningham obviously he's up for the rookie extension but there's an expectation that he's going to get it he talked about it at the exit interiew now and I get your opinion is there are some local media here that believe that the Pistons should go ahead and move on from cage cuningham I've seen something I've seen a trade floating like send him to the San Antonio Spurs for K and Johnson and some draft pick what would you what are your thoughts about the idea of the Pistons moving on from a t like cage Cunningham because I mean last season he was one of like seven players to average even though it was on a bad team he was one of seven players to average at least 20 points and seven assists per game what do you think about them moving on from him too early well I like Kade a lot um and now and I've heard the rumors or the talk at least about s San Antonio and I gotta be I gotta keep it real with you I'd love to see him in San Antonio with Victor wanyama oh my gosh it would be oh because I think wanyama is incredible and has goat potential not that he he we'll see if he fulfills it but I think that's his potential and to get a guy like Cade in a great organization good culture with a great coach like Greg papovich that would be tremendous um and if you're now here's the thing you have to think about if if you're the Pistons I I understand the sentiment even though those players that you're talking about from San Antonio aren't as good as Cade the sentiment is that we could get some draft picks as well um not gonna be great ones because I think the Spurs with Kad and wi Bama would be a pretty good team but you know you you you really kind of push the clock back and Tran and a new coach if you were to do something like that it just makes it a full on rebuild and the the fans are patient the ownership is a little more patient because they understand we're we're starting over whereas if you so that can be favorable for the front office and the coaching staff because it's like it lowers expectations if you pay the max um then even though the team is still young and still building the patience is not as much as it would be and you're like okay we we just signed a guy to a max deal who's now what would he be in his fourth year I think you know we're starting to expecting them to do a little winning which they're not really ready to do so I I can understand both viewpoints um one thing I'd say though is if you trade Kade and you get some draft picks for him guess what you're looking to do with those picks or with some other trades get another K Cunningham you know so when you have one in the building you uh typically want to keep him um and again I think they need he's not a great shooter but he can do pretty much everything else and he's I one thing if I'm tran I am talking all three of those guys and I and I'm just like shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot in the off seon you you have got to improve your three-point shooting uh if you're a perimeter guy in this league uh so I'm focusing on that but I'm also if I if I do resign Cade I'm gonna try to put some Shooters around him that's a good punch Pistons free agency you made right there and I think um Tron probably seen that as well that's why they I know they brought in Fred vincon oh from the Pelican as well he's been regarded as a shooting special so maybe that could um lead to that as well but about them about the about their free agency again they have the roughly the 60 million 60 million plus they'll be working with as far as trying to add solid players are Allstar level of talent do you think it's more realistic for them to find that through a free agency or through going through the trade going through trades because historically the Pistons have reloaded their team better through trade as opposed to assigning big name free agent yeah because Detroit isn't as a city you know um is not a destination place you know even though they've had a great history uh with the Pistons um and let's just face it there aren't it's not a great free agent market and Veteran free agents who can really play uh Star level guys who are looking to win they're not going to go to the pit so I I just think it's it's unquestionably more realistic to rebuild this team through trads there's no ifs hands or buts about it and I think maybe a lot of this first year or certainly the offseason but probably even this year uh for this new regime it's gonna be about finding out who's a keeper what which of these young players will be a part of our nucleus going forward and um you know kind of determine like I said building the culture and figuring out what type of players you want to have going forward and which of these guys are Keepers um because they're all good like Jaden is really talented and obviously Kade is and so is assur but um you know can they all play together effectively is a question that has to be answered too now Pistons rebuild obviously the pistol would probably want to keep on to a guy like K if you're trying to you know rebuild or try to turn around this franchise but some of those other pieces if you were would you do you think it's smart to probably move on from a guy like lar or jayen Ivy some guys like you just said that have had some shooting struggles but if you package them in in a trade that you could probably Land one of those solid players or All-Star caliber players yeah I mean you have to look at if you're the Pistons everything is on the table including Kade not that I'd want to trade him but I'm open to anything all right um that helps our franchise so I I would certainly like to you know I'm sure the new coach whoever that ends up being in tran I'm sure they're SC devouring the film and figuring out because they have to figure out a system that either these guys can play in and Excel or begin moving on from some of these guys uh and you just can't have three non Shooters on your perimeter I mean you look at John Mor he's not a great three-point shooter he's improved but they got Shooters around you know Desmond bang was was a shooter they had Shooters around him so they're gonna have to get some Shooters I like Jaden a lot um but I would if I'm the Pistons I'm listening to everything um and again first they got to get a coach in determin start building their culture and um determine how they want to play um or what you know really it's about playing to the strengths of your team like they should not if this is their team going forward at least this year you can't have a three-point gunning team because these guys don't shoot it well from three unless there's big improvement over the summer um and so I think the best coaches are ones that fit their style of play and their system to the talent that they have not coaches that try to you know force a team to play one certain way even if they don't have the ability to do it so they they gotta obviously get a coach and start building this culture before they can fully determine which way they're going with the players Monty Williams fired and you there you just mentioned about the coach um they have and now go search for new coach obviously we knew that I don't say Obviously but there was an expectation that they couldn't move on from Troy Weaver as general manager uh 74 244 over the past Four Seasons but to sign Monty Williams to a historic six years 78.5 million contract and then part ways with him after one season and eat that 65 million what was your shock level of them dismissing ma oh my shock level was High I mean I I thought that contract would um keep him from being fired I really did and I think Mon's a a very good coach um I just didn't work out and it wasn't it w I think he's now more like better for veterans like I actually thought the Lakers should have strongly considered him and then I heard a lot of talk about oh you know if it had been two or three weeks before that they would have that that's hogwash I mean they hadn't hired reic yet and so they should have done their due diligence with Monty he had a great relationship with Anthony Davis when they were in New Orleans um so I think Monty is still a very good coach it just wasn't a good situation for him there in Detroit it wasn't a great fit um but I was I was shocked because I thought with that much money um that he would they would you know at least keep him another at least one more year uh and see but you know whenever you bring in a new front office they they tend to want to bring in their own guy as coach and so that you know that part of it wasn't that surprising but the money really made it a shock you know a couple names you Who could land the job mentioned earlier that that are being linked to this job James bgo now he's being linked to with not that the Cavaliers have went ahead and hired Kenny Aon Michael Nory Sean Sweeny from Dallas JB bicker staff of that group who do you think in your opinion could possibly land this job or is there going to be some outside candidates that could probably sneak in I know they said that they're going to open up the search accorting the um some other reporters out there who is there anybody else would you like to see possibly get an interview like a a Chris Quinn or a Sam Cel maybe added to that list well those are two good names I was gonna say sam Cassel um one of the guys that for whatever reason is Persona n GR in head coaching circles is Mark Jackson uh but when you look at what he did with golden state instilling a culture a defensive mentality and helping two young guards and Stephen Clay develop and become what they did now they're very different from Kade and Jadon but he would be someone would look at I don't think they will but I think you mentioned the names um and Cassel for whatever reason I don't know why he hasn't gotten a look a serious look he's been an assistant for 15 years was a very good player in the league was a leader as a player has worked from for some tophe head coaches um I I would think he would be a serious candidate but if I had to and this is just kind of speculation but if I had to name who I think is probably a front runner looking at Tran's history uh I would say bgo um is prob is is I think the front runner um I think JB bicker staff did a really good job in Cleveland um I didn't think they needed to get rid of him uh so he's somebody that they should look at and then you mentioned you know the other assistants Mike nor obviously won a champion or or was with Minnesota I'm sorry uh but was with Denver under Mike Malone and and and obviously got his you know feet wet with some head coaching uh in the playoffs just because of the injuries you know um to the head coach so it'll be interesting but I I would think bgo is probably uh the front runner just because of his relationship with Tran from New Isiah Thomas statue Orleans all right um first off Chris again thank you again I'm going to get you out here on this on this one fun one been kind of a kind of a touchy subject here in Detroit so we know the Detroit Pistons they play little Arena they're sharing an arena right now with the Detroit Red Wings and we saw last year with the uh Detroit Lions they put up a statue of Barry Sanders finally outside of Ford Field one thing that's been talked about in this city is when is Isaiah Thomas going to get his statue of some sort whether it's outside of LCA or somewhere in Detroit do you think it's over it's about time that Isaiah get that honor oh absolutely I mean Isaiah Thomas is an absolute Legend uh he's the best piston ever he put that that franchise I mentioned how good they had been they hadn't been good before him you know he put him on the map built that team he's one of the greatest players ever I I think one of the 20 greatest players I I would maybe even say top 15 greatest players ever I think he's the second greatest small player just next to Steph Curry ever uh Isaiah would tell you he's I don't know if given truth serum he would tell you he's the best um and I mean Isaiah in in his argument he beat Larry Bird Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and he did not have the the star studded roster that bird and Magic had you know and he was able to beat them and they came darn close I who knows how how it would have played out had they won it in 1988 but they came darn close to winning three championships straight you know and so Isaiah I mean he is Detroit Pistons basketball so he definitely deserves a statue and um you know you want the players to get their statues and he's still young you know um so got a long way to go uh in life but you want these players to get their statues when they can see them and uh appreciate them I mean Allan Iverson the great Allen Iverson he got his statue in Philadelphia already yeah so how can Isaiah Thomas not have statue in Detroit that that's ridiculous there it is uh Chris just uh thank you again for speaking with me hopefully this is not hopefully this is the first time of many we'll be able to you know have this kind of chat and again second time to talk to me yo anytime man and uh by new