12/22/24
June 08, 2006
Dumars hopes to keep Pistons' nucleus together: If Detroit is able to re-sign Ben Wallace, an unrestricted free agent, the Pistons president of basketball operations said he expects to keep the team's nucleus intact to make another run after falling short of the NBA finals for the first time since 2003
posted by gradys_kitchen to basketball at 09:00 AM - 23 comments
The Pistons lose Big Ben then thy better figure out a way to get KG from the twolfs.Sign a coach thats been in the playoffs with a successful vetern team ...stop running your players into the ground during the regular season so you can win by 25pts instead of 15 & maybe you will have enough energy to finish in the playoffsagainst weaker teams!!!!
posted by dtriggs2 at 10:50 AM on June 08, 2006
I've been thinking KG would be a great fit too. He's played for Flip and he's HUNGRY. But is the deal possible?
posted by Bill Lumbergh at 10:55 AM on June 08, 2006
stop running your players into the ground during the regular season so you can win by 25pts instead of 15 & maybe you will have enough energy to finish in the playoffsagainst weaker teams!!!! Amen. Play the bench. In many of the blowout games it seemed as if Flip was trying to cover the spread as opposed to resting players.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 11:10 AM on June 08, 2006
I live in the Motor City & Love my home teams (How ‘bout those Tigers?) Now to my point, what I saw in the NBA playoffs was star players stepping up & taking over. The Pistons in recent years have lived under the “team with no star” philosophy. It worked for a while, but I think that runs is over, they need a “STAR” maybe KG? I also think they must keep Big Ben. All of the players have said he is the energy that gets the team going, you can’t lose that.
posted by directpressure at 11:35 AM on June 08, 2006
The Pistons have a larger problem than just Ben Wallace: anybody seen 'Sheed? The way that guy played down the stretch, you'd think his face was on a milk carton. Bringing Ben back is certainly a large part of the puzzle, but figuring out the enigma that is Rasheed is equally as crucial.
posted by The Afro Mafia at 12:00 PM on June 08, 2006
How much should Detroit pay to keep Ben? The best defensive player in the league, but he gives you close to nothing on offense.
posted by bperk at 12:21 PM on June 08, 2006
I dont see how they can stay together, but Dumars has too much savvy, he got Rasheed Wallace for Lindsay Hunter and a 1st round draft pick, Hunter went back to Detroit after 1 year and how did they get to draft Darko 2nd overall?
posted by Clevelander32 at 12:37 PM on June 08, 2006
Ben Wallace is a great help defender who can bother entry passes, but he gets outmuscled in the post when he has to play one-on-one against a bigger C. The best defensive player in the league is Ron Artest. As for Rasheed, he giveth, and now he taketh away. PLEASE stop with the KG wet dreams. I hear more than I can stand about this guy already in Los Angeles. Just as it's impossible for him to get traded to the Lakers, it's even more impossible for him to get traded to the pistons. The pistons are on the hook for about 42.5 million for next year, and that's without re-signing ben wallace and tayshaun prince. You won't be able to get KG without trading away your starters, and the salaries have to add up to $20 million. So who will it be? Rip and Rasheed? Chauncey, McDyess, and Rip? Not. Going. To. Happen. Besides, KG is the most overpaid second banana this side of Ray Allen.
posted by ninjavshippo at 01:09 PM on June 08, 2006
I've been saying KG all along, but the pistons would have to give up sheed and ben! But that would work because KG can replace both of them with his scoring and rebounding, he's a walking 20+12 guy every night! I agree that the "team" game has had its run and now it's time to recruit a slashing scorer with the ability to help defend.
posted by bkdet at 01:21 PM on June 08, 2006
While we're dreaming I'll take Elton Brand.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 01:44 PM on June 08, 2006
Why would ben do a sign and trade with the pistons, only to end up in the craphole that is Minnesota? as soon as the lakers trade for kirilenko, gilbert arenas, and bill russell, we're SET!
posted by ninjavshippo at 02:56 PM on June 08, 2006
Do you realize how much KG would cost Detroit? Tayshaun Prince can kiss the Pistons goodbye if any deal materalized. But Detroit doesn't have the assets that Minnisota is looking for (cough Darko cough). No trade will come unless the Pistons literally TEAR the team apart.
posted by chemwizBsquared at 03:21 PM on June 08, 2006
What has sickened me is the sports talk radio in Detroit that has been saying that Wallace is as good as gone. What happened to the philosophy "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Too many people are saying the Pistons need to undergo drastic change because they lost in the conference finals. Are people missing the fact that they were the best team in the regular season? Yes they stunk in the conference finals, but the people who are blaming it on Ben Wallace's lack of offensive power and inability to shoot free throws are ignorant. Chauncey Billups played like he didn't know what he was doing out there, the same with Rasheed Wallace. It isn't Ben's job to score, it never has been and it never will. The Pistons starting five are the best in basketball, four of them made the All-Star game this year. They have won a championship and came within minutes of winning another. The people who say this team is run down and should be altered are fools. They are still an amazing team. Yes the road will get harder as time goes on, but like the Spurs the Pistons will persevere.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:19 PM on June 08, 2006
Yes they stunk in the conference finals, but the people who are blaming it on Ben Wallace's lack of offensive power and inability to shoot free throws are ignorant. Chauncey Billups played like he didn't know what he was doing out there, the same with Rasheed Wallace. It isn't Ben's job to score, it never has been and it never will. This is probably the most cogent piece of commentary in this thread thus far. CB seemingly went away from the offense as the playoffs wore on, his decision making was poor (witness the drop in AST/TO from the regular season 4/1 to 2/1 in the playoffs) and his shooting was bad (40% FG, 35% 3P). And how is it that a player with Rasheed Wallace's length and skill drifts to the perimeter so often? Sheed killed the Lakers on the box regularly in the playoffs, now he rarely sets up down low. Whats up with that? Don't get me wrong, he's got a great jumper, but if you're in a playoff would you feel more comfortable with a shot from 25 ft away or 6?
posted by lilnemo at 05:37 PM on June 08, 2006
I think that Big Ben could slide in quite nicely in Cleveland, at the four...
posted by everett at 06:08 PM on June 08, 2006
assuming you don't resign ilgauskas, then that may be true. although considering you're losing flip murray, you're really straining the cavs for offense if you give ben big $.
posted by ninjavshippo at 08:13 PM on June 08, 2006
everett! bite your tongue!!!
posted by ctal1999 at 09:20 PM on June 08, 2006
ninja v... I say get rid of Hughes, and gooden... and like I said put Ben in at the four. Play: 1. Snow 2. Murray 3. Lebron (at the three, but he'll share the point with Snow anyway) 4. Big Ben 5. Ilgauskas Thats a Championship squad.
posted by everett at 09:40 PM on June 08, 2006
can't just dump hughes' big contract. the only way this works is if detroit does a sign/trade for hughes, giving up ben. not going to happen. Again: Z is going to command $10 mil, flip at least 4, big ben at least 10. just resigning Z and murray basically caps you out, assuming you can somehow get someone to take gooden (who ironically, you need as your best rebounder).
posted by ninjavshippo at 09:51 PM on June 08, 2006
Sign and trade for Hughes and Gooden... you don't think? Honestly, this is the one part of basketball that mystifies me, so if you say no, I'll probably tend to believe you.
posted by everett at 12:02 AM on June 09, 2006
Most are missing the true nature of Dumars' dilemma. In Big Ben you've got the spiritual leader of a defense-first team. When he's fired up, the Pistons are very hard to beat. On the other hand, you've got an aging star whose game depends, not on skills, but on athleticism and energy. How long and how consistently will Ben be able to bring it? How much money is it worth to gamble on him leading the Pistons back to the finals? I don't think anyone knows the answer to that question, but someone has to make some very tough decisions based on imperfect evidence: Dumars.
posted by RtV at 04:22 AM on June 09, 2006
Everett is just a fool for saying that starting 5 is a championship squad. Our starting 5 in the playoffs was better and we didnt win a title. Snow and Murray wouldnt start on our championship squad. Anyone who thinks we should get rid of Hughes must have not known that he missed 3/4 of the year last year. Gooden however is expendable. Anderson Varejao would split time with someone because he gets into too much foul trouble and Z isnt going anywhere. Another possible pick-up would be Jason Terry. He would be a great PG for us. Having Ben would be nice, but I dont see it in our cards.
posted by Clevelander32 at 02:15 PM on June 09, 2006
I think that the Piston's window closed tight when LeBron and the Cavs pushed them to seven games. That Cleveland team will push past Detroit next year and play Miami for the right to go to the Finals. That said, if Detroit can find a slasher to come off the bench, they could solidify this team for next season and potentially make a run for the finals again.