Detroit Pistons Field Calls for Center Andre Drummond
It appears that the Detroit Pistons have been fielding calls from a handful of teams for center Andre Drummond.
Washington Post's Tim Bontemps has reported that the Pistons have been shopping Drummond once again. But so far, they are not satisfied with the potential return for their starting center.
It's clear that Pistons president/head coach Stan Van Gundy is still not convinced of Drummond's long-term viability as one of the cornerstones of the team. They also placed him on the block before the trade deadline in February to gauge his market value.
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There was a time when basketball enthusiasts thought Drummond was going to become the next great big man in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The athletic center was posting ridiculous rebounding numbers and he was making an impact on the defensive end of the floor with his ability to block or challenge shots. Unfortunately, he failed to improve last season. Some would even say that he actually regressed.
However, it doesn't sound like Van Gundy is giving up on him.
"We really have tried to impress upon him how important the defensive end of the floor is. He's got all the tools to be a first-team All-Defense type of guy. He can really move his feet, guard pick-and-roll and he's big enough and strong enough to guard his guy one-on-one in the post," Van Gundy told the Detroit News.
"There's nothing holding him back from being a great defensive player. If he takes that pride in that, we go a long way toward being a better team," he added.
Van Gundy is right. Drummond has all the physical tools to become an elite defender. While he may never develop into an effective player on offense, Drummond can still help the Pistons if he continues to make huge strides on the defensive end of the floor.
If he shows some improvement next season, the Pistons may not have to trade him.
