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Andre Drummond - LeBron's Robin

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I saw someone commenting on hims trying to do too much in a pickup game, but can't find the video. Anyone? I wish he was working on what the cavs want him to do.

We have to trade him

Found it.
Is that Dion with whistle? He probably calling all drives to the basket as "aye and 1"
 
Drummond needs the motivation that must come from within if he is ever to reach a higher level of play.

How bad does he want it?

Has he ever had a coach, system and franchise culture that should have already made that happen?

He played for Jim Calhoun at UConn, but only for one year.

The Pistons have been a mess since Bill Davidson died. They've gone through a series of GMs and coaches. He probably played his best under Stan Van Gundy.

In 8 seasons in the NBA, he's played for a total of 6 coaches and 4 GMs.
 
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I think people are being unfair criticizing Drummond for adding or trying to improve other elements of his game. He's not trying to takeover at PG. He's simply trying to improve in his ball handling so that he can stay on the court. He wants to be able to put the ball on the floor so that teams can't just run him off the court.
 
Anyone that has played is always working on some aspect of their game, be it ever so small. An improved handle can show itself simply in NOT turning the ball over more. It is falling in LOVE with some of those elements which can take away from your overall impact. Rasheed Wallace sort of did this as well as Serge Ibaka but hell they BOTH won championships with their changed up games, so there is also that.
 
I think people are being unfair criticizing Drummond for adding or trying to improve other elements of his game. He's not trying to takeover at PG. He's simply trying to improve in his ball handling so that he can stay on the court. He wants to be able to put the ball on the floor so that teams can't just run him off the court.

Do you think that one of Drummond's flaws as an NBA center is that he too often tries to play like he's a guard?
 
Anyone that has played is always working on some aspect of their game, be it ever so small. An improved handle can show itself simply in NOT turning the ball over more. It is falling in LOVE with some of those elements which can take away from your overall impact. Rasheed Wallace sort of did this as well as Serge Ibaka but hell they BOTH won championships with their changed up games, so there is also that.

I truly do want him to develop his perimeter skills, but like you say, I don't want him falling in love with his weaknesses. He needs to work on his weaknesses, but also play to his strengths. Defense is the #1 thing that he is capable of bringing and he plays the most important defensive position.

Bringing the ball up is should not be his priority.

He literally needs to look at TT's game and realize if he would play within himself, while adding to his game little by little and trying new things out such that they don't hurt the team, he still has the potential to be a deadly force and contribute to winning more than he has in the past.

He thinks he isn't getting his big payday because he can't shoot. It is actually because he could be having a Gobert like effect on the game while being the best rebounder in the league, but he isn't.

I also think if he "played the right way" we woudl have much more tolerance for him launching a wide open 3 occasionally.
 
I truly do want him to develop his perimeter skills, but like you say, I don't want him falling in love with his weaknesses. He needs to work on his weaknesses, but also play to his strengths. Defense is the #1 thing that he is capable of bringing and he plays the most important defensive position.

Bringing the ball up is should not be his priority.

When should a center ever be bringing the ball up?

His perimeter game should consist of taking shots, or maybe posting up a smaller guy who gets switched onto him. But dribble penetration through a bunch of guards, etc., is pretty much an awful decision every time, no matter how much he practices it.
 
When should a center ever be bringing the ball up?

His perimeter game should consist of taking shots, or maybe posting up a smaller guy who gets switched onto him. But dribble penetration through a bunch of guards, etc., is pretty much an awful decision every time, no matter how much he practices it.

I've seen Bam, Jokic, and Kat start the break and get the ball ahead effectively but they are all better passers and ball handlers than Drummond by a lot.

Watching that video, Drummond dribbles with the palm of his hand A LOT. His ability to move is great, but his touch is not good, and his feel is not good. His quickness and dribble drive should really only be used from the block, which I have seen him use effectively.

I've rewatched some of his games with us, and he is just wild. I hope it was just not being familiar with the team. It's frustrating because he is super talented and durable. I still want TT on the team because I think he is the only guy with the cache and record to keep Drummond in line. Like pulling Drumond for Bell could meltdown the locker room, but putting TT in to finish the game is legit, and it is hard to argue a guy who dropped 30 on you and out rebounded you doesn't deserve it. He has a ring too.

I honestly think Drummond has the potential to help our guards a lot and to cover for Klove defensively. The problem is his head, and he was treated in the early part of his career as a superstar in Detroit before he had actually done any winning.

He's 27 and he is immature. He needs someone to be strict with him, and I think TT is the only guy capable of that. We really need a guy like Haslem or Perk to get his head right, but I am not sure he will listen. I see Drummond career arc going a little like Zach Randolph. A guy who is obviously talented but cannot play within himself. Touted as a super talent right away, but taking until the end of his career to realize what his game is and how to use it. He really needs to think about the trade package that nabbed him every day and needs to realize it wasn't his shooting or ballhandling that caused that.
 
I've seen Bam, Jokic, and Kat start the break and get the ball ahead effectively but they are all better passers and ball handlers than Drummond by a lot.

Watching that video, Drummond dribbles with the palm of his hand A LOT. His ability to move is great, but his touch is not good, and his feel is not good. His quickness and dribble drive should really only be used from the block, which I have seen him use effectively.

I've rewatched some of his games with us, and he is just wild. I hope it was just not being familiar with the team. It's frustrating because he is super talented and durable. I still want TT on the team because I think he is the only guy with the cache and record to keep Drummond in line. Like pulling Drumond for Bell could meltdown the locker room, but putting TT in to finish the game is legit, and it is hard to argue a guy who dropped 30 on you and out rebounded you doesn't deserve it. He has a ring too.

I honestly think Drummond has the potential to help our guards a lot and to cover for Klove defensively. The problem is his head, and he was treated in the early part of his career as a superstar in Detroit before he had actually done any winning.

He's 27 and he is immature. He needs someone to be strict with him, and I think TT is the only guy capable of that. We really need a guy like Haslem or Perk to get his head right, but I am not sure he will listen. I see Drummond career arc going a little like Zach Randolph. A guy who is obviously talented but cannot play within himself. Touted as a super talent right away, but taking until the end of his career to realize what his game is and how to use it. He really needs to think about the trade package that nabbed him every day and needs to realize it wasn't his shooting or ballhandling that caused that.

All of the above is a relatively new development. When Drummond came into the league he was the furthest thing from a superstar. He was taken 9th in the draft, and he seldom played. He worked hard and became a blue collar, lunch pale kind of player who specialized in rebounding. For the first 6 years of his career, he almost never handled the ball or took a 3 point shot. In fact, he shot more 3 pointers last year than he did his entire first 6 seasons.

I agree, that his desire for another big contract is altering the way he is playing. He sees guys like Blake Griffin get big paydays because they have developed handles and shoot 3 point shots. But Griffin never helped the Pistons win either.

The other issue is that the league suddenly transitioned away from big, low post centers into shorter quicker wiry centers like Bam or centers who can put the ball on the floor and shoot 3 pointers like AD, Jokic and Embiid. Drummond has obviously taken notice.


Everyone keeps mentioning Tristan Thompson, and I agree that that would be a good player for Drummond to model his career after. But let's not kid ourselves, Thompson never really got paid for his hard work. TT's biggest contract was the one he just completed, which paid him $82 million over 5 years, or about $16 million a year. That' s not a lot of money be todays NBA standards.

"Thanks for all your hard work and help with the championship Tristan. Please close the door on your way out." The NBA is a tough business.


And yes, Drummond is immature. He has the mentality of an 8 year old. He was hurt very deeply when he was left off of All Star teams, even though he led the league in rebounding for years, and when he was unceremoniously dumped by the Pistons for a bag of basketballs because the Pistons have to pay Griffin's insane salary.

But he seems to have taken to the Cavs, and clearly would like the stay. And he would likely help the team if he stays. It's up to Altman to negotiate a new contract, and Bickerstaff to best integrate him into the Cavs rotation.
 
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Next season Drummond will be paid as one of the elite players in the league. He will have at least one teammate who has been an NBA champion. He will be playing for a good coach, on a team that at least hopes to be a playoff contender. But he has no guarantees after next season.
If he expects to get an attractive contract extension, he needs to play like he's paid.
 
I've seen Bam, Jokic, and Kat start the break and get the ball ahead effectively but they are all better passers and ball handlers than Drummond by a lot.

Absolutely nothing wrong with a center starting the break if an opportunity exists -- it's what Love does and Unseld did with those blistering outlet passes. But that's different from a center trying to go coast-to-coast through traffic, or trying dribble drive penetration through a set defense. That's what I saw on those videos.

He's 27 and he is immature. He needs someone to be strict with him, and I think TT is the only guy capable of that. We really need a guy like Haslem or Perk to get his head right, but I am not sure he will listen. I see Drummond career arc going a little like Zach Randolph. A guy who is obviously talented but cannot play within himself. Touted as a super talent right away, but taking until the end of his career to realize what his game is and how to use it. He really needs to think about the trade package that nabbed him every day and needs to realize it wasn't his shooting or ballhandling that caused that.

Completely agree. Thing is, we've only got maybe a single season to turn that around before we have to make a decision on keeping him - less if we decide to move him before the deadline. I'm just not all that hopeful that we'll manage to do in one season what Drummond hasn't managed to do in his prior 8.
 
He seems like another Whiteside. Big athletic dude who makes some spectacular plays but your team just doesn't do any better when he's playing
 
He seems like another Whiteside. Big athletic dude who makes some spectacular plays but your team just doesn't do any better when he's playing

That is simply not true. Last year, before acquiring Drummond, the Cavs were 13-39 (.250) and were the 2nd worst team in the NBA. After acquiring Drummond, they went 6-7 (.462). The Cavs winning percentage increased by .212 with Drummond.

Last year, before they traded Drummond, the Pistons were 19-34 (.358). After they dumped Drummond they were 1-12 (.077), and became the single worst team in the NBA. The Pistons winning percentage decreased by .281 without Drummond.

Over the course of a full season, this represents 17-23 wins.
 
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