00:00Okay, it is Carson Anderson here on 97.1.
00:03Hope everybody's having a great Monday and hope you had a great weekend.
00:07Wasn't great for Michigan and Michigan State.
00:09We've talked about the Wolverines, gotten some calls,
00:12and want to get to the Spartans before this hour is done.
00:16But we said we get to the, and obviously Lions talk is been at the fore
00:23for most of our callers and listeners today,
00:25and we do appreciate your phone calls on that.
00:27But the Jalen Duren story any other time would be huge.
00:33If you're looking at this whole situation,
00:39it has gotten to the point where the reporting is that Jalen Duren
00:44feels disrespected by the process.
00:48And, you know, everybody has their own decisions to make
00:55in their own careers.
00:58I tend to fall in line with a wives man that once said,
01:02F pride, butch.
01:06Which is a line from the movie Pulp Fiction.
01:08The school of Marcellus Wallace.
01:11And, you know, the Pistons have a $200 million deal
01:16over the next five years on the table.
01:20And the most he can get if everything goes perfect elsewhere is $198 million
01:26over five years, given the league rules.
01:31So they've got what is a competitive offer.
01:37And more than he can get from another team at this point.
01:40I mean, I suppose there might be a scenario or something.
01:42I don't know.
01:43But all the reporting I've seen is that this is the most money he can get
01:48if he plays the one year in the qualifying offer
01:52and leaves and gets a maximum contract from another team
01:56as an unrestricted free agent.
01:58So I guess it would stand to reason if you're turning down the most money
02:02that indeed you are offended by the process
02:05or the Pistons approach to this whole thing.
02:07Trajan Langdon's going to speak in an hour.
02:10And we'll hear what he has to say.
02:14I'm a fan of Jalen Dern.
02:15I'd like to see them sign him and bring him back.
02:18But I don't think I'm budging off this offer if it's me.
02:22And quite frankly, I'm not going to sweat it if he doesn't take it.
02:27Because, okay, you know what you get?
02:29You get a player who you might say,
02:34I don't want this unhappy player in my locker room.
02:38I don't want this.
02:39You worry about it becoming a cancer.
02:41But he's in a weird position that he has to perform this year.
02:48He has to have a great year.
02:51Because he's banking on getting the max offer
02:55as an unrestricted free agent.
03:00So I'm okay with him taking the qualifying offer.
03:03Then the Pistons, A, have more cap space this year.
03:08And, B, will take the Jalen Dern money into free agency the next year.
03:13And bring in somebody who wants to be here.
03:16And wants to try and win a championship here.
03:20I'm not convinced that this isn't a scenario that is quite just fine
03:26with the Detroit Pistons if he decides to take the qualifying offer.
03:30And I know there's plenty of people out there that don't think Dern's worth the money.
03:33Well, you might be getting your way.
03:35You know, everybody who thinks that Dern isn't worth the money
03:42doesn't think he's going to improve upon last year's postseason experience.
03:46And that's fine.
03:47If you believe that.
03:49I think he's so young that he could absolutely improve.
03:52But whoever's right and whoever's wrong here,
03:54I'm not going to argue about,
03:57okay, take the qualifying offer.
04:00And make the best of the situation.
04:02You go to Dern and say, all right, you're here.
04:04It does you no good and us no good for this to go south.
04:08So we're rooting for you.
04:10And you go get your money.
04:12And we'll play you.
04:13And we'll give you your opportunities.
04:16And you're kind of using us.
04:18And we're kind of using you.
04:19We're using you to try and win a championship now.
04:21You're using us to try and get the most as you can from another team.
04:26And we will try and trade you.
04:30Because, you know, maybe that's what's best.
04:33But we're not going to give you away either.
04:35Nor should you expect us.
04:38And that's if I'm in trade in Langdon's shoes.
04:40I don't think this is a terrible situation.
04:42It might get terrible.
04:46You're going to have to figure out a way to make sure that he,
04:48you know, is going to act upon his ability to create his own elite market.
04:54But, hey, man, okay, we're here.
04:57What do you do now?
04:59To me, you convince a player it's in nobody's,
05:02does nobody any good for you to pout and to undermine this team.
05:05Well, this is, it's a really unfortunate situation
05:07because I thought this team had a nice core group of players
05:10to build around and continue to make long playoff runs.
05:16And it's obvious by the reporting that he doesn't want to be here anymore.
05:20And so what do you do?
05:22I don't know what's going to work out best for the Pistons
05:25because, okay, does it seem like he's just going to have to accept
05:28the qualifying offer and just play the rest of the season?
05:31And then they'll look to trade him the entire season.
05:35So whatever it's going to be, the long-term outlook for the Pistons
05:38is it's delayed gratification.
05:40This team won 60 games last year.
05:42They won the, they were best record in the Eastern Conference
05:46and fell short in the playoffs.
05:48Okay, great.
05:48Let's, let's, you know, pick ourselves up and be better in the next season.
05:52And then all the other teams went out there, got better.
05:54And now the Pistons have changed their, their, their makeup dramatically
05:59by becoming a, what looks to be a shooting team now,
06:03which goes completely in the reverse direction of what we've,
06:06what we've seen from this team the last couple of years.
06:08So they weren't one of the better shooting teams in the league
06:10because they were built on toughness and other factors,
06:12which Dern was a part of.
06:15And Isaiah Stewart was a part of, and now they moved on from both.
06:19It looks like, well, they definitely moved on from Isaiah Stewart.
06:21And it looks like they're going to have to move on from Jalen Dern as well.
06:24So it's like going to have this,
06:26this upcoming season feels like it's,
06:27it doesn't even have a chance to get off the ground because of this.
06:30This casts a really dark cloud over what happens here,
06:33unless they're able to trade him for something that is market value
06:38or even better, which isn't likely at some point during the season
06:43where you, you get the better of the deal.
06:46But I don't, I just got to, I don't see that happening right now.
06:49Yeah.
06:50I've reached my breaking point with Jalen Dern.
06:51And if he doesn't want to accept the $200 million offer,
06:54because feelings were hurt during the process,
06:56I mean,
06:57he's got to know and his representation has to know that it is a business as
07:01well.
07:01And I know it's a people business,
07:03but I doubt Trajan Langdon said some really off color stuff during
07:06negotiations or, or, you know, just, you know,
07:09his style.
07:10Exactly.
07:10And then everything we've heard publicly,
07:12at least that's been leaked is they've continually said,
07:14we want him back.
07:15We don't even want to entertain a sign and trade.
07:18We want him to match every deal.
07:19Yes. And then now we've gotten to the point where, Hey,
07:21we're offering you more than anyone else can offer you in the next five
07:25years. Okay.
07:26And then after that, you can still play for a new contract.
07:29But if it's not about the money anymore and it's about the process,
07:33then you know what?
07:35Addition by subtraction.
07:36I don't want to lose Jalen Dern for nothing,
07:38but you want to sign the qualifying offer and play your ass off.
07:41Cool.
07:42We'll do that.
07:43We'll part ways.
07:44If there's a trade offer out there that we can do,
07:47that makes this team better than not having you at all,
07:51then I would do that.
07:52But the thing is,
07:52if he signs a qualifying offer,
07:54his contracts are only going to be like 9.6,
07:569.8 million.
07:56You have to have contracts match,
07:58you know?
07:58So what kind of player are you getting in return?
08:00Like I said,
08:02it might be addition by subtraction at the end of this thing because he's
08:04not happy,
08:05but he's still got to play his ass off if he wants that max deal next
08:08year.
08:09So,
08:11you know,
08:11I don't know that players take into account and they probably don't
08:15care,
08:16but when there's ever a perception that you care more about yourself than
08:22your team,
08:23it doesn't go over well.
08:26That doesn't sit well with fans.
08:28And I suspect that in this moment in time,
08:31he's probably lost some support from the fan base and whether or not he
08:35cares about that,
08:37well,
08:37that never,
08:38that never plays well.
08:40Certainly love to hear his side of it from his mouth.
08:42Like what's,
08:43what's the part of the process that you didn't like?
08:44Was it that they said they were going to match any deal if it was a sign
08:48and trade?
08:48So you thought for sure you're going to go out to the West coast and here we
08:51go.
08:52And then that West coast team says,
08:53yeah,
08:53they're going to match any deal.
08:55So we can't,
08:55it doesn't make sense for us to try to even pursue this trade.
08:59Cause it's not going to happen.
09:01Is that where he got upset about it?
09:03Or is it more than that?
09:05It's a good question.
09:06And,
09:06and does it even start with,
09:08with him not wanting to be here in the first place?
09:10And then this exasperates it.
09:12Two,
09:13four,
09:13eight,
09:13five,
09:14three,
09:14nine,
09:1497,
09:1597 exacerbates it.
09:17Exacerbates it.
09:17There you go.
09:18Yep.
09:18Well done.
09:19Take two and three,
09:20two,
09:20one DJ in Detroit.
09:22What's up?
09:23Exasperated.
09:24Doug and Gary,
09:25what up though?
09:25Hey,
09:27what's up,
09:27man?
09:28Hey,
09:29so one of the most probably forgotten about,
09:31but at the time it was one of the most talked about soundbots of all time was Mike Singletary.
09:35And he made what I tell you guys about all the time to me,
09:39me,
09:39me,
09:39me.
09:39Remember he was talking about Vernon Damon,
09:41Vernon,
09:41Vernon Davis.
09:42He said,
09:43guys who make it more about them than they do the team can't win with them.
09:48Don't want them.
09:49That's during Jalen Dern at this point,
09:51guys.
09:52If you remember our 04 Pistons to this day,
09:54Rashid Wallace,
09:55Ben Wallace,
09:56Rip Hamilton,
09:57all of those guys say on podcasts and on the internet all the time,
10:02one of the reasons why they won and they beat so many teams because none of it was ever about
10:06them.
10:07You understand what I'm saying?
10:08He's letting you know it's about him.
10:10And my thing is this,
10:11man,
10:11and I know y'all be up against it.
10:13One of the,
10:13one of the ways that I gain respect for the late,
10:15great Kobe Bryant,
10:16you won't even believe this,
10:17Doug Gator.
10:18We all know Kobe shot the ball more than anybody in the history of the NBA.
10:21But do you realize in game,
10:22I think it was game six or game seven against Boston,
10:25he was six for 24.
10:27But you know what Kobe Bryant did in those finals?
10:29He had 16 rebounds and seven steals because you know what he said?
10:32Hey man,
10:33I still got to win.
10:34So Jalen Dern against Cleveland,
10:36against these other teams,
10:37did you lead us in rebounding?
10:39Did you lead us in blocks when you wasn't playing good?
10:41If you even did that Jalen Dern,
10:43you would justify a contract.
10:44But with your talent,
10:45you don't even lead the league in rebounding the blocks.
10:47So go on about your business,
10:48man.
10:48I'm good.
10:50Hey DJ,
10:51how's that car running,
10:52man?
10:52I saw that picture.
10:53That,
10:53that,
10:53that silver color is sick.
10:55Oh,
10:56I appreciate it.
10:57My dog,
10:57man.
10:57It felt great to set light.
10:59So that's the first time I ever drove something like that.
11:01I tapped on the gas and shot out.
11:03Like I was surprised,
11:04man.
11:04That,
11:04that thing,
11:05that thing is fast,
11:05man.
11:05I'm gonna have to watch it next summer.
11:07I tapped on the gas and he shot out.
11:08Look,
11:09it rolled great,
11:10man.
11:10Yeah.
11:10Look out,
11:11man.
11:11DJ,
11:12thank you for the phone call.
11:12look,
11:13there's also examples of guys around the league taking less money,
11:18but they're not even asking them to take less money.
11:20They're giving them more than what he's worth.
11:22Right.
11:23And,
11:23and,
11:24but offering more than what,
11:24but in a context of Victor Webb and Yama did it,
11:28who else did it?
11:29Somebody else did it.
11:29Jalen Brunson just did it with the Knicks a couple of years ago to help them
11:33win a championship,
11:34which they won.
11:35Which they did.
11:36Yes.
11:36Because Jalen Dern or Jalen Brunson,
11:38I'm sorry,
11:38left like over a hundred some million dollars on the table.
11:41So they could go sign guys like OG and get cat.
11:44And that,
11:44that puts you in a place where some people think Jalen Dern is doing the
11:48Pistons a favor by not taking the contract.
11:51Well,
11:51he's not going to host Saturday night live this way.
11:54Carson Anderson,
11:5697 one.
11:59So,
