Glenn
09-18-2007, 09:40 AM
:cornbread:
:langlois:
On Track
by Keith Langlois
Monday, September 17, 2007
Joe Dumars is impressed by actions, not words, by results, not projections. But with two weeks to go until training camp and the heavy lifting of his off-season accomplished, there’s a sense about the Pistons’ practice facility that they’ve rediscovered themselves over the summer.
Everybody’s got a little more bounce to their step, from management to coaches to support staff to established veteran players to eager young ones.
And it reinforces the notion that Dumars is perfectly in sync with his job. He doesn’t get swept up by the emotional tide of wins and losses. Revisit the Cleveland playoff loss last spring for the perfect example.
Dumars did nothing to hide his disappointment after emerging from a weeklong seclusion to put his thoughts in order, speaking openly of a complacency he found unacceptable and not so subtly suggesting his veterans had gotten too comfortable and would be challenged by young players who would be given genuine opportunities come the fall.
But that’s as far as he went. He didn’t bat an eye in the face of intense public and media pressure to break up the core of the 2004 championship team. Joe D said he’d be willing to listen to any and all offers, but it wasn’t his intention to go shopping Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince – it was his intention to both push them and help them by finding more talented players to go alongside them and by letting the young players already in place know hard work over the summer would be rewarded with defined and expanded roles in the future.
And based on everything we’ve learned over the summer, that was precisely the right course. Why the sense of excitement that pervades the practice facility these days? Let’s review:
Rodney Stuckey – The buzz about the kid continues unabated. As members of Dumars’ front office staff have made their rounds this summer, peers in other NBA front offices keep telling them how many other teams are already kicking themselves for passing on Stuckey.
The consensus about last June’s draft was that it was both one of the deepest and most star-laden in a generation, and nothing about the summer has changed that perception. But Dumars and personnel director George David have both been told more than once that if the draft were to be held again, Stuckey would go much higher – and many have said he’ll become one of the five best players in this draft.
Arron Afflalo – He might have to fight for minutes this season, but Dumars is thrilled to have him. He told me last week that every championship team needs to have someone like Afflalo, a player who’ll sacrifice anything – from his stats to his body – in pursuit of wins and championships.
David told me his hope is that Afflalo will develop into a Bruce Bowen-type defender with a more rounded offensive game and believes it’s within his reach. He didn’t shoot for a high percentage in the Las Vegas Summer League, but in summer workouts he’s been shooting it like he did at UCLA. For this season, Afflalo probably won’t be called upon to score much, but down the road he could develop into a terrific two-way player.
Dumars also said both Stuckey and Afflalo are absolute gym rats. They put in their two hours during workouts and then put in two more on their own.
Jarvis Hayes – It caused very little stir around the NBA, but Dumars thinks the Hayes signing solidified his summer. It was a high-reward, no-risk signing for the Pistons, who get a guy who was the 10th pick in the draft four years ago, had a very promising rookie season and then spent two years fighting a knee injury.
He came back last year but was still sort of feeling his way. And he had to do it under tough circumstances on a Washington team that already had established perimeter scoring threats in Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. This year he figures to hit the ground running at a perfect point in his career – and with something to prove in a contract year.
Amir Johnson – Dumars disputes an ESPN The Magazine story that says he was approached by 12 teams interested in sign-and-trade agreements for his prized third-year forward. But he did say that Johnson’s agent, Bill Duffy, was swamped by teams wondering what it would take to pry him loose. Houston and San Antonio, in particular, made hard plays for Johnson, who eventually signed a three-year contract that will put him back on the market as a 23-year-old, five-year veteran.
It’s possible that Johnson will become the first player to whom Dumars offers a maximum contract, but the Pistons should be well-positioned that summer to do whatever it takes to keep Johnson in Detroit. Johnson’s play this summer – a one-game stint in the Las Vegas Summer League after signing his contract, then his showing at Tim Grgurich’s weeklong camp in Vegas for NBA players – has NBA insiders convinced he’s close to being an impact player.
Rasheed Wallace – Wallace might not have lost quite as much weight as the 30 pounds or so Jason Maxiell dropped, but he’s dropped a good 25 since the season ended and looked great in workouts last week at the practice facility. Every bit as encouraging to Dumars is how Wallace has continued to take an active leadership role by helping steward the Pistons’ young players. Dumars told me that Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups have all reached out to the young players this summer and that the veterans seem energized at the prospect of young blood entering the mix after several seasons of sameness.
It will be the results, not the projections, on which Joe Dumars ultimately judges the productivity of his summer. But it’s been a summer that at least has the Pistons eager for the winter to arrive.
:langlois:
On Track
by Keith Langlois
Monday, September 17, 2007
Joe Dumars is impressed by actions, not words, by results, not projections. But with two weeks to go until training camp and the heavy lifting of his off-season accomplished, there’s a sense about the Pistons’ practice facility that they’ve rediscovered themselves over the summer.
Everybody’s got a little more bounce to their step, from management to coaches to support staff to established veteran players to eager young ones.
And it reinforces the notion that Dumars is perfectly in sync with his job. He doesn’t get swept up by the emotional tide of wins and losses. Revisit the Cleveland playoff loss last spring for the perfect example.
Dumars did nothing to hide his disappointment after emerging from a weeklong seclusion to put his thoughts in order, speaking openly of a complacency he found unacceptable and not so subtly suggesting his veterans had gotten too comfortable and would be challenged by young players who would be given genuine opportunities come the fall.
But that’s as far as he went. He didn’t bat an eye in the face of intense public and media pressure to break up the core of the 2004 championship team. Joe D said he’d be willing to listen to any and all offers, but it wasn’t his intention to go shopping Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince – it was his intention to both push them and help them by finding more talented players to go alongside them and by letting the young players already in place know hard work over the summer would be rewarded with defined and expanded roles in the future.
And based on everything we’ve learned over the summer, that was precisely the right course. Why the sense of excitement that pervades the practice facility these days? Let’s review:
Rodney Stuckey – The buzz about the kid continues unabated. As members of Dumars’ front office staff have made their rounds this summer, peers in other NBA front offices keep telling them how many other teams are already kicking themselves for passing on Stuckey.
The consensus about last June’s draft was that it was both one of the deepest and most star-laden in a generation, and nothing about the summer has changed that perception. But Dumars and personnel director George David have both been told more than once that if the draft were to be held again, Stuckey would go much higher – and many have said he’ll become one of the five best players in this draft.
Arron Afflalo – He might have to fight for minutes this season, but Dumars is thrilled to have him. He told me last week that every championship team needs to have someone like Afflalo, a player who’ll sacrifice anything – from his stats to his body – in pursuit of wins and championships.
David told me his hope is that Afflalo will develop into a Bruce Bowen-type defender with a more rounded offensive game and believes it’s within his reach. He didn’t shoot for a high percentage in the Las Vegas Summer League, but in summer workouts he’s been shooting it like he did at UCLA. For this season, Afflalo probably won’t be called upon to score much, but down the road he could develop into a terrific two-way player.
Dumars also said both Stuckey and Afflalo are absolute gym rats. They put in their two hours during workouts and then put in two more on their own.
Jarvis Hayes – It caused very little stir around the NBA, but Dumars thinks the Hayes signing solidified his summer. It was a high-reward, no-risk signing for the Pistons, who get a guy who was the 10th pick in the draft four years ago, had a very promising rookie season and then spent two years fighting a knee injury.
He came back last year but was still sort of feeling his way. And he had to do it under tough circumstances on a Washington team that already had established perimeter scoring threats in Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. This year he figures to hit the ground running at a perfect point in his career – and with something to prove in a contract year.
Amir Johnson – Dumars disputes an ESPN The Magazine story that says he was approached by 12 teams interested in sign-and-trade agreements for his prized third-year forward. But he did say that Johnson’s agent, Bill Duffy, was swamped by teams wondering what it would take to pry him loose. Houston and San Antonio, in particular, made hard plays for Johnson, who eventually signed a three-year contract that will put him back on the market as a 23-year-old, five-year veteran.
It’s possible that Johnson will become the first player to whom Dumars offers a maximum contract, but the Pistons should be well-positioned that summer to do whatever it takes to keep Johnson in Detroit. Johnson’s play this summer – a one-game stint in the Las Vegas Summer League after signing his contract, then his showing at Tim Grgurich’s weeklong camp in Vegas for NBA players – has NBA insiders convinced he’s close to being an impact player.
Rasheed Wallace – Wallace might not have lost quite as much weight as the 30 pounds or so Jason Maxiell dropped, but he’s dropped a good 25 since the season ended and looked great in workouts last week at the practice facility. Every bit as encouraging to Dumars is how Wallace has continued to take an active leadership role by helping steward the Pistons’ young players. Dumars told me that Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups have all reached out to the young players this summer and that the veterans seem energized at the prospect of young blood entering the mix after several seasons of sameness.
It will be the results, not the projections, on which Joe Dumars ultimately judges the productivity of his summer. But it’s been a summer that at least has the Pistons eager for the winter to arrive.