Pistons news: Recycled player now makes no sense in Detroit
The Detroit Pistons still have an open roster spot to fill, so fans are on the lookout for any potential bargains that might hit the market.
One familiar name just landed on the waiver wire yesterday, as our old friend Bol Bol was waived by the Orlando Magic:
Tuesday was the deadline to guarantee the $2.2M contract of Bol. He is eligible to be claimed by a team that has room or a trade exception. The waiver claim order is based on the regular season standings (Detroit #1). https://t.co/pNTu9w3u9B — Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 4, 2023
Since the Pistons were the league’s worst team, they have first dibs on the waiver wire and I’ve already had a heap of fans telling me Detroit should “go get him!”
Detroit tried in the past, as they actually traded for Bol Bol two seasons ago but then backed out at the last minute after he failed his physical. Bol went on to have surgery that year, but made a little comeback this past season.
Some fans get fixated on certain players for whatever reason and Bol Bol has been one of them for Detroit. It makes sense, as his height, coupled with his skill make him an intriguing player, but not one worth taking a flyer on (again) for the Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Big no on Bol Bol
The time to take a chance on Bol Bol was last season, as Detroit was still tanking, had copious injuries and available minutes and could have given him the lengthy tryout he got in Orlando.
But as the Magic pivot towards trying to win, guess who they cut first?
I’ve had a lot of fans telling me “he’s a stretch five, the Pistons need one!” I think some of these folks just remember the myth and not the reality because Bol is far from a stretch anything. He shot a whopping 26 percent from 3-point range last season after a hot start.
Bol did have a good stretch at the beginning of last year where he was shooting over 40 percent from long range and it looked as though the Magic had gotten a steal. But he fell off a cliff and ended up averaging just nine points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, not terrible, but hardly anything to get excited about.
As my mom used to say when I wanted her to stop for McDonald’s as a kid, “We’ve got food at home,” and Detroit has several players who are better than Bol Bol, so signing him to sit on the end of the bench is pretty pointless.
The Pistons already have a glut of big men, all of whom are better than Bol, and need to balance their roster with more forwards, not add another tweener center who can’t shoot.
I have a feeling this is going to happen every time he becomes available, which will likely be many more times, so welcome to Bol Bol season, those first few days of the waiver wire where fans “print the legend” instead of the history.
Source: Piston Powered
