Why the Pistons waived Josh Smith, and what could happen next (Ball Don’t Lie)

It was a massive surprise until you truly thought it out. The Detroit Pistons waived Josh Smith on Monday using the NBA's stretch provision , a collective bargaining agreement complement that allows you to dump his player without having to see the full amount of his salary weighted against your salary cap totals at the rate of the originally signed-for yearly rates. Smith had disappointed terribly in his two seasons with the Pistons, as was his gradual decline over his last season in Atlanta. Former Pistons general manager Joe Dumars, in last-ditch attempt to turn around his team's lacking fortunes via the free agent market, whiffed on signing Smith to a four-year, $54 million contract in the summer of 2013 despite scads of information that would tell you that a giant frontcourt featuring Smith, power forward Greg Monroe, and center Andre Drummond absolutely would not work. It was the last straw that cost Dumars his job, as the triptych predictably struggled. New Pistons coach and overall personnel boss Stan Van Gundy decided on giving Josh one last shot over his first offseason, which likely had less to do with his thoughts on Smith's potential and more to do with the asset-less...