Glenn
09-12-2007, 12:11 PM
Not sure who "we" is, but hey...
We're back
August is over, training camp is three weeks away -- time to get back to work.
While I was off, the Pistons secured a veteran back-up small forward, Jarvis Hayes. If he can stay healthy (and with Arnie Kander taking charge of his well-being, you have to like his chances), Hayes is going to help. When right, he can score with the best of them. He isn't a great defender, but he's athletic and can be pesky, especially with the Pistons' zone looks. He's also working on a one-year deal, meaning he will be plenty motivated to produce -- which is never a bad thing. It was a good pick-up for Joe Dumars.
I know a lot of you have already written the Pistons off, and the additions of Hayes and the rookies Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo aren't enough to make you believe this team has another run in them. But I believe they do. Boston is going to be the darlings of the national media for a while, and for good reason. Bringing Kevin Garnett to the East, matching him with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- that's a compelling story. But it's going to take time for those guys to become a team. The Celtics still don't have a championship-caliber point guard (which could be fatal in this case) and while Pierce and Allen look good on paper, they could effectively cancel each other out on the court. Cleveland stood pat. Toronto stood pat. Chicago stood more or less stood pat. Orlando and Indiana got worse. Miami, with Wade back, will be better, but Shaq is another year older and they didn't exactly rejuvenate their supporting cast. I don't see any reason why the Pistons shouldn't still be considered among the elite in the East.
I don't think the Pistons roster is set in stone at this point. Dumars may still have a deal or two up his sleeve before the February trade deadline. The key, as always, will be Rasheed Wallace. He is the reason the Pistons maintain most of their cache in the conference. Remove him -- even though Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups are all-stars and Tayshaun Prince is one of the best small forwards in the league -- and the Pistons are pedestrian. But it has to be the good Sheed, the one we saw through the first two rounds of the playoffs through the first two games against the Cavs. It can't be the bad Sheed, the one that came unglued and ultimately torpedoed the Pistons in Games 5 and 6. As they are presently constructed, Sheed looks to be the starting center, with Jason Maxiell starting at power forward. Sheed won't be happy about that. He doesn't want to bang with the bigger bodies for 82 games at age 33 (he turns 33 on Friday). But unless Nazr Mohammed has a phenomenal camp, or Dumars finds a way to bring in another veteran center, playing Sheed at the five is the Pistons best hope. That will be a very delicate balance -- trying to preserve Wallace's mental and physical health -- something to pay close attention to as the preseason drags on.
What about Chris Webber, you say? Here's the deal: Dumars does not want four veteran bigs on the roster. Already, Sheed, Antonio McDyess and Mohammed are locked up. He wants the fourth big to be a younger player (like Amir Johnson, though he's not ready to play 30 minutes a night). If Dumars finds a way to deal Mohammed, then he would entertain the idea of re-signing Webber. But that is a longshot. Take a look around, there aren't a lot of quality bigs available. They would love to bring Marcus Camby in, but it would cost too much (at least one starter) to pry him out of Denver.
Back to the reasons why the Pistons aren't dead yet. I really think Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton were humbled by their post-season flameouts the last two years. I think both will be driven to make amends for that this season. Hamilton has never experienced that kind of failure before. It sickened him, and it should motivate him. I expect a career year from him this year, I really do. I think Chauncey will be further motivated by his experience this summer with Team USA. Even though he was one of the leaders of that team, one of the savvy vets that helped change the mindset of the national team off the court, he only played a bit role on the court. Jason Kidd was the main point guard. Chauncey played about 12 minutes a game, sharing the backup role with Deron Willams. There has been talk that he won't even make the Olympic team in 2008, if Wade and Chris Paul are healthy. You think he's not going to want to re-establish himself as one of the preeminent points in the game? I worry, though, that his shooting efficiency has declined the last two seasons. You hope it is a blip, a result of nagging leg and ankle injuries and not a sign of age and eroding skills. We'll see. I am not ready to write Billups off. He's too smart, too tough and too committed to winning another title.
A side note -- the Pistons did not send a scout to watch Allan Houston's workout in New York on Tuesday. They are not interested -- thankfully. There are 16 players already on the roster, and the Pistons are committed to infusing some young blood into the mix with Stuckey and Afflalo. Besides, name the last perimeter player in his mid-30s to return to the NBA after being out a couple of years who made any kind of impact. Michael Jordan couldn't do it (with Washington). Scottie Pippen couldn't do it. Allan Houston, as much as I like the guy personally and wish him well, he can't do it, either.
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We're back
August is over, training camp is three weeks away -- time to get back to work.
While I was off, the Pistons secured a veteran back-up small forward, Jarvis Hayes. If he can stay healthy (and with Arnie Kander taking charge of his well-being, you have to like his chances), Hayes is going to help. When right, he can score with the best of them. He isn't a great defender, but he's athletic and can be pesky, especially with the Pistons' zone looks. He's also working on a one-year deal, meaning he will be plenty motivated to produce -- which is never a bad thing. It was a good pick-up for Joe Dumars.
I know a lot of you have already written the Pistons off, and the additions of Hayes and the rookies Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo aren't enough to make you believe this team has another run in them. But I believe they do. Boston is going to be the darlings of the national media for a while, and for good reason. Bringing Kevin Garnett to the East, matching him with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- that's a compelling story. But it's going to take time for those guys to become a team. The Celtics still don't have a championship-caliber point guard (which could be fatal in this case) and while Pierce and Allen look good on paper, they could effectively cancel each other out on the court. Cleveland stood pat. Toronto stood pat. Chicago stood more or less stood pat. Orlando and Indiana got worse. Miami, with Wade back, will be better, but Shaq is another year older and they didn't exactly rejuvenate their supporting cast. I don't see any reason why the Pistons shouldn't still be considered among the elite in the East.
I don't think the Pistons roster is set in stone at this point. Dumars may still have a deal or two up his sleeve before the February trade deadline. The key, as always, will be Rasheed Wallace. He is the reason the Pistons maintain most of their cache in the conference. Remove him -- even though Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups are all-stars and Tayshaun Prince is one of the best small forwards in the league -- and the Pistons are pedestrian. But it has to be the good Sheed, the one we saw through the first two rounds of the playoffs through the first two games against the Cavs. It can't be the bad Sheed, the one that came unglued and ultimately torpedoed the Pistons in Games 5 and 6. As they are presently constructed, Sheed looks to be the starting center, with Jason Maxiell starting at power forward. Sheed won't be happy about that. He doesn't want to bang with the bigger bodies for 82 games at age 33 (he turns 33 on Friday). But unless Nazr Mohammed has a phenomenal camp, or Dumars finds a way to bring in another veteran center, playing Sheed at the five is the Pistons best hope. That will be a very delicate balance -- trying to preserve Wallace's mental and physical health -- something to pay close attention to as the preseason drags on.
What about Chris Webber, you say? Here's the deal: Dumars does not want four veteran bigs on the roster. Already, Sheed, Antonio McDyess and Mohammed are locked up. He wants the fourth big to be a younger player (like Amir Johnson, though he's not ready to play 30 minutes a night). If Dumars finds a way to deal Mohammed, then he would entertain the idea of re-signing Webber. But that is a longshot. Take a look around, there aren't a lot of quality bigs available. They would love to bring Marcus Camby in, but it would cost too much (at least one starter) to pry him out of Denver.
Back to the reasons why the Pistons aren't dead yet. I really think Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton were humbled by their post-season flameouts the last two years. I think both will be driven to make amends for that this season. Hamilton has never experienced that kind of failure before. It sickened him, and it should motivate him. I expect a career year from him this year, I really do. I think Chauncey will be further motivated by his experience this summer with Team USA. Even though he was one of the leaders of that team, one of the savvy vets that helped change the mindset of the national team off the court, he only played a bit role on the court. Jason Kidd was the main point guard. Chauncey played about 12 minutes a game, sharing the backup role with Deron Willams. There has been talk that he won't even make the Olympic team in 2008, if Wade and Chris Paul are healthy. You think he's not going to want to re-establish himself as one of the preeminent points in the game? I worry, though, that his shooting efficiency has declined the last two seasons. You hope it is a blip, a result of nagging leg and ankle injuries and not a sign of age and eroding skills. We'll see. I am not ready to write Billups off. He's too smart, too tough and too committed to winning another title.
A side note -- the Pistons did not send a scout to watch Allan Houston's workout in New York on Tuesday. They are not interested -- thankfully. There are 16 players already on the roster, and the Pistons are committed to infusing some young blood into the mix with Stuckey and Afflalo. Besides, name the last perimeter player in his mid-30s to return to the NBA after being out a couple of years who made any kind of impact. Michael Jordan couldn't do it (with Washington). Scottie Pippen couldn't do it. Allan Houston, as much as I like the guy personally and wish him well, he can't do it, either.
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