Archive for the 'Detroit Pistons' Category

NBA at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on June 4, 2007
in Detroit Pistons, NBA and NBA Draft 2007
. 7 Comments

It’s a big off-season for Joe Dumars.

On one hand, he’s escaped a lot of criticism by winning a Championship. On the other hand, he’s gotten a lot more criticism than he deserved because he passed on Carmelo, D-Wade, and Bosh (and later in that same draft he passed on Barbosa and Josh Howard). He did, however, make great signings in Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billups, traded for Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace, and drated Mehmet Okur and Tayshaun Prince. For some reason, though, I feel he will always be judged on what he does this off-season.

First thing Dumars has to do is re-sign Chauncey Billups. He needs to do this before the draft so they can move on and not look for a starting PG (despite possibly not being “officially” not able to do it until after). Billups will be 31 next season and while his 3-Point percentage dropped below 40% this year, he still put up 17 PPG and 7 APG. He will likely get a 4-year, $52 million deal.

The other person with a player option/restricted free agent is Antonio McDyess. He played great for the Pistons this year, but after another heart-breaking season, will he opt to stay on the team? I say he won’t, instead looking for a more stable situation (i.e. Spurs/Cavs/Bulls/Suns/Rockets/Mavericks/Heat) that gives him a 2-3 year deal, guaranteed (even if for less money per year than he would have made staying with the Pistons). I also think Flip Murray will opt out to get a longer deal and they should let Will Blalock walk, too. Amir Johnson, their NBDL stud, is a restricted free agent and should get a Kendrick Perkins type of deal. Chris Webber is the only question mark- you have to assume he isn’t looking for big money and with McDyess leaving, there already is space for Maxiell- but I see them letting Webber go/Webber wants one last contract and Detroit just doesn’t need him at this point. Especially with Amir Johnson possibly stepping up.

That puts the Pistons over the Cap, but well below the Luxury Tax (even if McDyess and Murray stay, they will be right under the Tax and probably right at it with their draft picks, so no worries there- they just can’t sign any free agents). The question now will be who to trade? Hamilton and Prince have logged many good minutes for the team, but Prince had a very shaky Cavs series. Tayshaun is only 2 years younger than Rip, but Rip seems to me much more consistent and more valuable a player (despite Tayshaun’s better defensive game). But they are both locked into reasonable contracts and I wouldn’t move either of them.

The 2 men everyone will be looking at to get rid of are Rasheed Wallace and Flip Saunders (who really has a bad haircut). I really don’t see both of them coming back and possibly neither of them. The team turned on Flip both this year and last year and when an NBA coach has lost the ears of their players he is usually soon shown the door. As for Rasheed, he quit on his team and acted like the old Rasheed. Not many teams will be out there for him, despite only 2 years left on his deal (about $26 million). Players like Zach Randolph at least had problems off the court- Rasheed did it ON the court. No one wants that.

Honestly, I only see Dumars being able to trade Rasheed- if he wants to (I think Rasheed is their best player)- to the Knicks or Lakers. The Knicks could offer a package of Channing Frye, Nate Robinson, Malik Rose and this year’s 23rd overall pick for Rasheed, but if I’m Detroit I would want to get out of Nazr Mohammed’s contract as well (4 years and about $25 million left). That would mean having to get Steve Francis back in return instead of Malik Rose, though. I don’t think the Pistons want $33.5 million tied up for the next two years with a back-up combo guard (which they will be getting for much cheaper in Nate Robinson anyway). As for the Lakers, the key would be getting Kwame Brown’s expiring deal and Andrew Bynum. Lamar Odom would be nice- but I’m not sure that trade gets accepted by the Lakers. Plus Lamar would be playing the 4 in Detroit with Tayshaun already at the 3. And I’m not sure the Lakers would even give up Bynum to appease Kobe for 2 years (when he can opt out anyway).

So, in the end, I don’t trade anyone (even Nazr because, realistically, no one will take him and I don’t really want to give up a draft pick along with him just in order to save cap space because I don’t really need that cap relief)- and I fire Flip Saunders. It’s a player’s league, there’s no mistaking that, and Flip has run out of good favor with the players in Detroit. You get a coach in there like Jeff Van Gundy and you slow up the league again. Van Gundy can deal with Rasheed for a couple of years and by then you’ll hopefully be offering Jason Maxiell an extension and letting Rasheed walk (or trade his expiring deal next off-season).

This leaves the roster, basically, the same:

G - Chauncey Billups (pending re-sign)
G - Lindsey Hunter
G - Rip Hamilton
G - Carlos Delfino
G - Ronald Dupree
F - Tayshaun Prince
F - Rasheed Wallace
F - Jason Maxiell
F - Amir Johnson (pending re-sign)
C - Nazr Mohammed

That is already a potential 1-seed again in the East and no less than the 5-seed (Chicago and Cleveland are in their division). Now you move to the Draft with the 15th and 27th overall picks and you are just drafting roll players- or, what I think they should do, trade the picks to move up a few slots (Philly, NO, or Atlanta) and select Jeff Green or Al Thornton, someone who probably won’t be there at 15 and someone who can help you now with quality bench minutes (and it won’t tie up guaranteed money to 2 players for a few years). I’ll say Jeff Green. Then take D.J. Strawberry, Sean Singletary, or Aaron Brooks late in the 2nd Round. I’ll go with Strawberry here (anyone who can play defense can play for Jeff Van Gundy).

So this leaves your starters at:

G - Chauncey Billups
G - Rip Hamilton
F - Tayshaun Prince
F - Rasheed Wallace
F - Jason Maxiell

With experience in Nazr or Lindsey Hunter off the bench and younger guys like Jeff Green, Carlos Delfino, and Amir Johnson putting in big minutes, too. This leaves you with a team with a bright future (if developed), but still a chance at the 2008 NBA title, which is all you can ever really ask for.

But first you need stability within the organization (head coach) and then you can make a run for another Championship.

SPORTS AT RANDOM OFF-SEASON PREVIEWS:

UTAH JAZZ
CHICAGO BULLS
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
DENVER NUGGETS

NBA at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on May 21, 2007
in Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and NBA
. 1 Comment

While everyone here at Sports at Random starts pre-gaming for the Lottery (Adam Silver’s first- very exciting), I wanted to take a minute and tell you why I picked the Cavs to make it to the NBA Finals before the playoffs started (and even before the season ended)- and more specifically why they can beat the Pistons- despite what happens tonight.

Ok, let’s see… well… you got the… well and then there’s the… well Cleveland has got, uh… well Detroit matches up… ok- I only have one reason- Lebron James.

Lebron James is the one and only reason. Not Guard play, not rebounding, not Defense, not anything else- just Lebron. Yes, I think Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas can play well enough in the post to spread the floor for Lebron to drive or for Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic to knock down some 3’s, but it doesn’t really matter. Detroit is the better team. They have the homecourt advantage, as well. The only game this season that Cleveland won against Detroit was in Overtime and Lebron went for 41, 8, and 7- but that’s the exact reason I think he can do it.

When Lebron gets 35 or more points, the Cavaliers’ winning percentage goes up (.667 35 points or more, .597 with him scoring less and/or without him). Who’s stopping Lebron from getting 38 3 times this series? Rip Hamilton? Lindsey Hunter? Tayshaun Prince? Please. Lebron can bench Tayshaun with Lindsey Hunter and Rip Hamilton hanging on to Tayshaun’s ankles. So if Lebron averages 35 a night in this series, I think they will win it in 7. I’ve watched more Lebron the last two years than anyone else in the League- he can do what he wants, he just often wants to jack up a jumper with a foot on the 3 point line.

Now Lebron must take his power and his it for good. He can take any guy in the NBA off the dribble. He can jump higher and run faster than the majority of them. He’s stronger than most, also. Even when they double and triple team him, if he passes out of that coverage, then gets it back to make a quick move on his man, one on one, then he will still get his points. There literally is only one man who can stop Lebron James (other than Dwight K. Schrute): Lebron James.

So while everyone else is complaining about how awful a Pistons/Spurs final will be, I’ll be relaxing, just watching King James do his thing and take down the Pistons.

NBA at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on May 5, 2007
in Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and NBA
. 0 Comments

Ah, there’s nothing better than a Game 7, right? Right?

Well, maybe except for a big fight. Or maybe the beginning of the Ben Wallace Series.

Now obviously a Game 7 is great, but it’s never as good as it seems when the home team has won every game leading up to the Game 7. It takes a little air out of it- now I’m expecting Houston to win- almost like there’s no question about it.

So, with that happening (and the fight), I’d like to preview the Bulls/Pistons Series AKA Ben Bowl I.

I picked Detroit in this series before the playoffs started and I’m sticking by that prediction (only 2nd Round Series where I got both teams right- awful, I clearly know nothing about the NBA). The reason for this is Detroit’s front court. Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess are much better than Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown, and Tyrus Thomas (throw Nocioni in there, too, I guess). No one realizes how well Antonio McDyess has been playing all year- all year mostly healthy, too. He’s the best bench player left in the East by far. I would take Luol Deng over Tayshaun Prince any day, but Detroit has the advantage at every other position, only possibly Ben Wallace vs. C-Webb as the sole questionable advantage (I think Ben hurts you on offense more than Webber hurts you on defense, though). Despite McDyess being the best sub, Chicago goes a little deeper- and in a 7 Game Series, which I think it will go, that does mean something.

Chicago won 3 of 4 during the season, but the only time the teams were at full strength was Detroit’s win at home. Webber wasn’t there for two of the other games, Chauncey wasn’t there for one, and Rip Hamilton didn’t play in one. That February 25th win by Detroit was close, though- Chris Webber had a last second tip-in that won the game for them, ruining Ben Wallace’s first game back at the Palace since Detroit offered $10 million less for his services than Chicago did.

Ben was relaxed that game, going out to dinner with Chauncey Billups and even entering Detroit’s showers to make fun of some people (probably the diminutive (what do I mean by that) Carlos Delfino). Now it’s the playoffs, though. Ben will have to play better than he did against a lost Miami team and the Bulls as a whole will have to shoot as well as they did, which is not going to happen. I see these teams splitting the first 4 games (winning an away game apiece) and then Detroit taking care of business on their home floor in Game 7.

I just can’t picture Chicago winning if it comes back to Detroit for a Game 7. Chicago better hope it doesn’t come to that.

NBA at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on April 23, 2007
in Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, NBA, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz
. 0 Comments

Two games tonight. Why, in all your wisdom, King Stern, would you put the two most boring series on in the same night?

ORLANDO MAGIC AT DETROIT PISTONS

The fans in Detroit are booing Darko Milicic hard. Because that makes sense. They blame him for being a bust- and not Joe Dumars for picking him. (I guess it makes sense- the Ford Family and the Lions are also in Detroit. Something strange must be going on up there.) Darko said, “I don’t really care. Back home fans used to throw baseball (bats) at me. They used to try to kill me back home.” Looks like the bleach blonde look goes as far in Serbia-Montenegro as it does here.

Anyway, Game 1 saw Detroit win by 8- while Orlando pulled within 3 twice in the last minute and also missed 18 free throws. This is why I don’t see Detroit coming out of the East. They will play better, though. Orlando will win Game 3 in Orlando and that’s it.

UTAH JAZZ AT HOUSTON ROCKETS

Deron Williams almost had a triple-double in the 1st half. Then when the game ended, he still only almost had a triple-double. The Jazz fell apart (or T-Mac and Crew pulled it together) in the 2nd half and the Rockets won Game 1. I’m going to go with “the Jazz fell apart“. (you want to talk about a game changer- click that link, watch that video- that is Houston’s first lead since the 4:21 mark of the 1st Quarter- and they never relinquished the lead after that moment. Crazy)

Utah will play better at home and I see this series going 6, with Tracy McGrady finally getting to the 2nd Round- but he won’t be the reason. Name me anyone who can cover Yao Ming in the West. Or in the East for that matter.

NBA at Random

Published
by
Daniel-San
on March 7, 2007
in Detroit Pistons and NBA
. 0 Comments

Lindsey Hunter smokes pot!

Lindsey Hunter has been suspended by the NBA for 10 games for testing positive for a banned substance- phentermine.

“I just hope people don’t think I’m out smoking marijuana, ” Hunter said. Oh, sorry about that headline, Lindsey.

Phentermine is mainly used by obese people to lose weight. Now that Reggie Miller retired, Lindsey is one of the skinniest people in the league. Yet he claims it was just a diet pill he was taking. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the drug increases your alertness. It’s just that his body idol is Nicole Ritchie.