It was a disappointing week for the Detroit Pistons.
After battling into the playoffs for the first time since 2009, Detroit was swept straight out of the playoffs by the favorite to take the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Still, looking back at the series, it was far from a blowout. Other than Game 2, the Pistons kept each game close and even held late leads in both Game's 1 and 4. In crunch time, they didn't have the meddle to finish off a win, but they still proved to the NBA community that they're no longer the same sorry Pistons from the past few years.
An instrumental figure in their rise from the bottom of the league to a postseason berth is center Andre Drummond. The 22-year old (23 in August) will be a restricted free agent this summer, and after another stellar season in which he averaged 16.2 points and a league-leading 14.8 rebounds per game, he'll be in for a huge contract.
And, it appears that the Pistons will have no problem giving it to him. After being asked if he'll offer Drummond the maximum contract, Detroit owner Tom Gores was clear with his response.
“No hesitation,” Gores said, via ESPN's Nick Friedell. “Come on, look at all the big guys in the league. Come on.”
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Now, the real question is if Drummond will take that deal now, or if he'll sign a qualifying offer for one year that will make him an unrestricted free agent come 2017.
Gores is a little less certain about that.
“You'd have to ask Andre, but I think we have a great relationship,” Gores said. “I think he likes Detroit, but you'd have to ask him.”
Other than issues with his free throws, Drummond is one of the most complete centers in the NBA in all facets of the game. The fact that he's still so young is just icing on the cake.
While Gores remains less optimistic about Drummond signing in Detroit long-term, Andre seems excited about the foundation that's coming together in the Motor City. Drummond, via Friedell:
“I've been here for four long years, and it's been a struggle,” he said. “So for us to play the way we've played this season and come out and prove so many people wrong saying that we weren't going to be good enough, that we were such a young team. For us to overcome injuries, different things going on, and to be in the playoffs and play like that, you can't help but hold your head high.”
