When was the last time Andre Drummond played for an NBA team that was competing for a championship? We’ll wait…
Sometimes simplicity is the object of genius. Sometimes the information is rude, callous and mean. However, somewhere in Kyle Kuzma’s analysis of Andre Drummond’s situation, it’s probably the truth.
Kyle Kuzma attributes Drummond’s struggles to finally being part of a winning program following stints in Cleveland and Detroit via ESPN.
"“I mean, it’s just a process, man. It’s not going to happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built overnight,” Kuzma said. “I think for him, it’s a big adjustment. When you think about it, he’s kind of never really been coached in his career – in Detroit, in Cleveland, and then coming here to a championship organization, it’s tough. “He’s handled it well, and it’s an adjustment period, and I think once the two big dogs get back, it’s going to be much, much easier for him because it’s going to be a lot more simplified. And you’ll see some big impact games from him down the road,” Kuzma added."
No, Kyle Kuzma’s in-your-face analysis is not from reading Lake Show Life material (But if it is, we’ll definitely take credit for it!), but the man is spot on right here.
Where’s the consistency when Drummond has played for a laundry list of coaches including Lawrence Frank, Maurice Cheeks, John Loyer, Stan Van Gundy, Dwane Casey, John Beilein and J.B. Bickerstaff?
Let’s take a look at his time in Detroit and Cleveland.
Detroit Pistons:
Andre Drummond was a two-time All-Star who was the player Detroit was supposed to building their franchise around.
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The Pistons were going to pair him with Blake Griffin after he signed a huge $171 million contract with the Clippers six months prior. After giving Drummond a huge $100 million dollar contract, the salary cap was nearly full paying these two huge contracts alone and couldn’t build the team with good players being cap-strapped.
The front office was a mess with the Stan Van Gundy divorce. First they took his GM duties away and then they fired him as coach. Then the Pistons went to their youth movement clearing out all of the high priced veterans starting with Drummond.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
This could start with “When have the Cleveland Cavaliers ever been a good situation without LeBron James in the last 20 years?” but that would be lazy.
The Cavaliers started the season with John Beilein at head coach which went down as one of the most disastrous coaching tenures in NBA history (Google John Beilein and the word thug and that’s the story!), followed up by one of the most tenuous interim replacement negotiations in NBA history with Larry Drew (Folks this is not an exaggeration!) shows the culture Andre Drummond was going into when he was traded. Fun fact: The Cavaliers weren’t that good.
Why should Lakers fans listen to Kyle Kuzma?
Kuzma was near 20 point scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers when they were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis while being coached by Luke Walton. When his scoring numbers dropped and the rest of the box score numbers increased, the Lakers became NBA champs.
There you have it. Lake Show Life’s detailed look at Andre Drummond’s issues as of late. Check out these other pieces covering Andre Drummond.
- Andre Drummond’s comments reveal Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest issue
- Los Angeles Lakers: Why Andre Drummond won’t return after this season
With the season winding down, asking for patience with Andre Drummond will be tough, but needed until the roster becomes whole again.