Blake Griffin - Can His Trade be a Start of the New "Bad Boys" Era for Detroit Pistons

At first let's look at all the subjects of this trade:

Blake Griffin! A Superstar?

When we think of the roasters in the championships that Pistons have we can not see any superstar players in it and all those championships are won with team play rather than individual stars. Last superstar player that played for the Pistons was Grant Hill I think and after his trade to Orlando Magic, Pistons can able to create a team to the finals and won the 2004 cahmpionship. Also not just that year but about a decade Pistons' roaster was created to be a very strong and defensive (this will also be discussed below) team.

Now the question is that: Can we call Balke Griffin a superstar? He enters the league with great expectations; as a first round first overall pick in 2009 and continues his run as 5 times NBA All-Star, 3 times All-NBA Second Team, 1 time All-NBA third team, NBA Rookie of the year, and NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion. But due to his injury issues he was always one step behind from other superstars. On the other hand, he always protects his talents and became a strong veteran after all the years. Now he is in a team that he can fight and put on his offensive abilities.

In game play point of view both bad boys era and 2004 championship, Pistons always play hard and defensive which they are able to keep their opponents occasionally under 100 points. But when we think about the Stan Van Gundy's game plan(which he used to do the same thing in Orlando) this is way too different from others: One Center position (Andre Drummond) who can fight and deal inside while other four players' duty is to find a empty space to shoot 3's or long post shots. That means Stan Van Gudy is a bit changing his mind about his strategy. Now with the Griffin's both defensive and offensive power, Pistons are becoming more resistant inside the paint. Together with the power of Andre, they will be a eerie couple for the opponents.

The Losses of Detroit Pistons

Tobias Harris' name was usually at the top of the score sheet for Pistons and he was the flame burner when Pistons were winning comeback games in this season. He was one of the key players which made the team a good start to the season. But also when you think of getting Blake Griffin, his loss is eventual. Also, considering that the Pistons having other outside scorers at bench like Anthony Tolliver and Langston Galloway, this loss can meet this deficit.
Maybe leaving Boston was so hard for himafter seven years, but Avery Bradley played a great role at the start of the season for Detroit Pistons which they were 14-6 at the start of December. But in Januray, like the whole team, things are not going well for Avery Bradley. The decrease in his number also affect the team's 8 game loosing streak. I think one of the main reasons that made Stan Van Gundy sacrifce Avery is the performance of the rookie Luke Kennard. As he increased his numbers by playing from the bench, he started to strenghten his position with his confidence in Pistons and made everyone know he can be a perfect substition for the team.
The cool guy Boban. Boban Marjanovic, the presence of him had always a positive effect on team, but on the cort things are not that well. Considering his physique, NBA is way too fast for him to react and this resulted him ending up playing at garbage time.
Trading both 1st and 2nd round picks can be tricky for the upcoming years but Pistons show that they are trying to climb higher in the standings and become a part of the play-offs. This means, even if they have kept these draft rights they are not able to chose a potential player like Luke Kennard or Stanley Johnson.

What's Next?

The flame was lit when Pistons brought Stand Van Gundy, and now this flame is blazing more with Blake Griffin. If they are able to acquire another persistent defensive player next year, Detroit Pistons will be on fire in the upcoming years. Can they win a new championship, then? We will see.

Sources for the images: 1 2 3