Glenn
09-24-2007, 03:14 PM
Paul (Essexville): With the news of Greg Oden missing the entire season, does he lose his eligibility to be Rookie of the Year next season if he doesn’t play a single game this year?
Langlois: Nope. If he doesn’t play a game this year, he’ll be a rookie in 2008-09.
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Casey (Wayland): Since Andrei Kirilenko wants out of Utah, do you think Joe Dumars would go after him? What would the Pistons have to give up to get him?
Langlois: I think Dumars thinks highly of Kirilenko. When I asked him last year to name the best one-on-one defenders at each position, Kirilenko was one of his five. The problem is Kirilenko’s contract. At $10 million a year, he’d be a nice player. At the nearly $16 million a year he’s making – four more years at $63 million – it simply doesn’t work. He’s the No. 4 option in Utah behind Boozer, Okur and Williams and seems to play better at power forward than small forward. The Pistons could do a deal by swapping Rasheed Wallace – their salaries are close enough this season to match – but there’s no way Dumars would do that deal. One, it would leave the Pistons without a post scorer and without their best interior defender. Kirilenko, though a terrific defensive player, doesn’t have the bulk to duplicate what Wallace provides the Pistons inside at either end. Two, the fact Kirilenko has two extra years (four compared to two for Wallace) would be a deal-breaker.
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Angie (Toledo): Who do you think will be the starting five this year?
Langlois: Everybody knows who four of them will be, Angie. Best guess as we sit here a week from training camp as to the fifth starter is Antonio McDyess. It makes sense for a lot of reasons and I’ll be writing about that later this week.
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Robert: So what is the story with Chris Webber? Did he sign with another team or will he be with the Pistons this season?
David (Lexington, Ky.): What’s up with every other question in Mailbag being about Chris Webber? I don’t understand other Pistons fans clinging so hard to him. Yes, Webber gave us a great boost last season but he didn’t bring much in the playoffs. Can you explain why so many fans have Chris Webber on the brain?
Langlois: There does seem to be a fascination with Webber’s situation, David, but it’s pretty understandable. He had rock-star status in Michigan before he got to the NBA. The Fab Five were, truly, a worldwide phenomenon, sending sales of Michigan attire soaring in Europe, Asia and beyond. Then he became an NBA All-Star. So when the Pistons signed him last year, it resonated with fans beyond proportion to his skills, which had been diminished, sadly, by his 2003 knee injury. He was the most impressive ninth-grade basketball player I’ve ever seen and one of the handful of top physical specimens to ever come out of Michigan. If leaving for the NBA out of high school had been in vogue when Webber was leaving Detroit Country Day – trust me – scouts would have been weighing him as the No. 1 overall pick in a year Larry Johnson went first. Robert, as to your question, he hasn’t signed with anyone and I suspect he won’t unless an opportunity arises during the season where he will have a role with a playoff contender.
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Mel (St. Augustine, Fla.): Your article about the possible outcomes if superstars had been drafted by different teams brought this thought to my mind: How do you think the Pistons would have changed had they drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko?
Langlois: Hard to say. Larry Brown would not have been easy on Anthony, that’s for sure. Tayshaun Prince would have remained the starter at that position. Remember, the Pistons were 2004 champions in Anthony’s (and Darko’s) rookie year. When I asked Joe Dumars about Anthony right before the NBA Finals started that year, he said Carmelo’s high-scoring rookie season didn’t surprise him much. Then he said, no slap intended at Anthony, that he was very happy it was Tayshaun Prince who was chasing down Reggie Miller to block that layup at the end of Game 5 in the conference finals and glad it was Prince meeting Al Harrington at the rim to block another huge shot in the Game 6 clincher at The Palace. There’s no way to deny that the Pistons would have been better off drafting Anthony (or Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh, who might have been the best fit of all for this team), but somebody would have been traded by now. If Rodney Stuckey turns out to be as good as I think he’s going to be, drafting Darko isn’t going to be the drag on the franchise it appeared it would be. Stuckey is going to be the reward for shipping Otis Thorpe to Vancouver for a future No. 1 pick a decade ago.
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Lee (Oklahoma): Do you think the gambling probe of the NBA has affected any player movement? If I were a GM and had a player I thought might be involved, I would pretend ignorance and trade him off even for a gym bag.
Langlois: There’s absolutely nothing to indicate the gambling probe goes any farther than one wayward official, Lee, and certainly no reason to believe any players are involved.
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Pierce: Why don’t the Pistons start Amir Johnson? He’s probably way better than Nazr and he brings great athletic ability. And Antonio McDyess prefers not to start anyway. I don’t think 10 minutes a game is enough for Amir.
Langlois: Ten minutes might not be enough for Amir, but thrusting the kid into the starting rotation might be a little too much too soon. I wouldn’t make too much of McDyess’ preference for coming off the bench. McDyess, as a hypnotist might say, is highly suggestible. He accepted a reserve role when he arrived in Detroit because he had the Wallaces ahead of him and the role the Pistons were offering suited him at the time, coming off three seasons where he played very little because of his knee injuries. Now the situation has changed and McDyess had three injury-free seasons behind him. He’ll embrace starting, if that’s the decision that’s made, because he’ll be convinced it’s best for the team. I think there’s going to be somewhere around 40 minutes a game available for the Pistons’ reserve big men. Most nights, my hunch is that will get split fairly evenly between Maxiell and Johnson – maybe Maxiell gets a few more minutes most nights, but I still see more than 10 going to Amir as long as he plays as well as the Pistons expect.
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Mark (Grand Rapids): The newest ESPN poll asked which of the top four Eastern teams are going to reach the Finals and almost everyone but Michigan, of course, rated the Pistons dead last. The consensus here is that the Pistons are better and deeper than they have been in recent years, but now it looks like they are further under the radar. Concerning the Pistons’ core four, do you think they crank up their games in these situations and are just all-around more motivated and focused?
Langlois: They do seem more comfortable as the hunter rather than the hunted, Mark. I’m not surprised that the Pistons are being somewhat overlooked nationally. In basketball circles, it’s generally conceded that Rodney Stuckey is going to have a significant impact and that Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are going to bring a different look than the Pistons have had. But that leaves the other 98 percent of the world whose last impression of the Pistons was four straight losses to Cleveland that left them looking pretty demoralized.
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Ziga (Slovenia): I like the fact that McDyess might be starting because he deserves it and Maxiell and Johnson can also contribute. But I don’t think Mohammed should just sit on the bench.
Langlois: We’ll see how it shakes out, Ziga. Generally, it’s tough to find playing time for five big men fighting over two positions. But it could be a night-by-night deal with Mohammed leaping over Maxiell and Johnson on certain nights – probably those nights when the Pistons are playing Houston (Yao), Cleveland (Ilgauskas), New York (Curry) or the few other teams that have legitimate post scoring threats.
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Kyle (Detroit): Do you think a slimmed-down Rasheed will be able to come from the weak side and block shots more quickly? Also, do you believe our young bench will get out and run more as a change of pace?
Langlois: Rasheed’s always had above-average lateral mobility for a big man, but I suspect shedding weight will make him quicker – or at least neutralize the effects of again. Rasheed’s conditioning is another reason this training camp holds so much intrigue for Pistons fans. Yeah, I think the bench is going to change the way the Pistons play this year far more than it has in recent seasons. This bench has a real chance to establish its own unique identity – a more unpredictable style of basketball. There will be some growing pains involved with that, but it will also present some real matchup difficulties for opposing benches.
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Jeff (Albion): With the Tim Donaghy scandal somewhat casting a shadow over the integrity of the NBA and its officials, does David Stern plan to do anything to restore the faith of NBA fans? Is this going to be brushed under the rug or can we expect changes to improve the game?
Langlois: I think he’s handled this about as well as anyone could, given the gravity of the situation, Jeff. He’s appointed a special investigator with impeccable credentials and that probe is ongoing. He’s vowed unprecedented transparency in whatever the NBA discovers. Let’s let the situation play itself out before rushing to judgment.
Langlois: Nope. If he doesn’t play a game this year, he’ll be a rookie in 2008-09.
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Casey (Wayland): Since Andrei Kirilenko wants out of Utah, do you think Joe Dumars would go after him? What would the Pistons have to give up to get him?
Langlois: I think Dumars thinks highly of Kirilenko. When I asked him last year to name the best one-on-one defenders at each position, Kirilenko was one of his five. The problem is Kirilenko’s contract. At $10 million a year, he’d be a nice player. At the nearly $16 million a year he’s making – four more years at $63 million – it simply doesn’t work. He’s the No. 4 option in Utah behind Boozer, Okur and Williams and seems to play better at power forward than small forward. The Pistons could do a deal by swapping Rasheed Wallace – their salaries are close enough this season to match – but there’s no way Dumars would do that deal. One, it would leave the Pistons without a post scorer and without their best interior defender. Kirilenko, though a terrific defensive player, doesn’t have the bulk to duplicate what Wallace provides the Pistons inside at either end. Two, the fact Kirilenko has two extra years (four compared to two for Wallace) would be a deal-breaker.
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Angie (Toledo): Who do you think will be the starting five this year?
Langlois: Everybody knows who four of them will be, Angie. Best guess as we sit here a week from training camp as to the fifth starter is Antonio McDyess. It makes sense for a lot of reasons and I’ll be writing about that later this week.
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Robert: So what is the story with Chris Webber? Did he sign with another team or will he be with the Pistons this season?
David (Lexington, Ky.): What’s up with every other question in Mailbag being about Chris Webber? I don’t understand other Pistons fans clinging so hard to him. Yes, Webber gave us a great boost last season but he didn’t bring much in the playoffs. Can you explain why so many fans have Chris Webber on the brain?
Langlois: There does seem to be a fascination with Webber’s situation, David, but it’s pretty understandable. He had rock-star status in Michigan before he got to the NBA. The Fab Five were, truly, a worldwide phenomenon, sending sales of Michigan attire soaring in Europe, Asia and beyond. Then he became an NBA All-Star. So when the Pistons signed him last year, it resonated with fans beyond proportion to his skills, which had been diminished, sadly, by his 2003 knee injury. He was the most impressive ninth-grade basketball player I’ve ever seen and one of the handful of top physical specimens to ever come out of Michigan. If leaving for the NBA out of high school had been in vogue when Webber was leaving Detroit Country Day – trust me – scouts would have been weighing him as the No. 1 overall pick in a year Larry Johnson went first. Robert, as to your question, he hasn’t signed with anyone and I suspect he won’t unless an opportunity arises during the season where he will have a role with a playoff contender.
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Mel (St. Augustine, Fla.): Your article about the possible outcomes if superstars had been drafted by different teams brought this thought to my mind: How do you think the Pistons would have changed had they drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko?
Langlois: Hard to say. Larry Brown would not have been easy on Anthony, that’s for sure. Tayshaun Prince would have remained the starter at that position. Remember, the Pistons were 2004 champions in Anthony’s (and Darko’s) rookie year. When I asked Joe Dumars about Anthony right before the NBA Finals started that year, he said Carmelo’s high-scoring rookie season didn’t surprise him much. Then he said, no slap intended at Anthony, that he was very happy it was Tayshaun Prince who was chasing down Reggie Miller to block that layup at the end of Game 5 in the conference finals and glad it was Prince meeting Al Harrington at the rim to block another huge shot in the Game 6 clincher at The Palace. There’s no way to deny that the Pistons would have been better off drafting Anthony (or Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh, who might have been the best fit of all for this team), but somebody would have been traded by now. If Rodney Stuckey turns out to be as good as I think he’s going to be, drafting Darko isn’t going to be the drag on the franchise it appeared it would be. Stuckey is going to be the reward for shipping Otis Thorpe to Vancouver for a future No. 1 pick a decade ago.
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Lee (Oklahoma): Do you think the gambling probe of the NBA has affected any player movement? If I were a GM and had a player I thought might be involved, I would pretend ignorance and trade him off even for a gym bag.
Langlois: There’s absolutely nothing to indicate the gambling probe goes any farther than one wayward official, Lee, and certainly no reason to believe any players are involved.
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Pierce: Why don’t the Pistons start Amir Johnson? He’s probably way better than Nazr and he brings great athletic ability. And Antonio McDyess prefers not to start anyway. I don’t think 10 minutes a game is enough for Amir.
Langlois: Ten minutes might not be enough for Amir, but thrusting the kid into the starting rotation might be a little too much too soon. I wouldn’t make too much of McDyess’ preference for coming off the bench. McDyess, as a hypnotist might say, is highly suggestible. He accepted a reserve role when he arrived in Detroit because he had the Wallaces ahead of him and the role the Pistons were offering suited him at the time, coming off three seasons where he played very little because of his knee injuries. Now the situation has changed and McDyess had three injury-free seasons behind him. He’ll embrace starting, if that’s the decision that’s made, because he’ll be convinced it’s best for the team. I think there’s going to be somewhere around 40 minutes a game available for the Pistons’ reserve big men. Most nights, my hunch is that will get split fairly evenly between Maxiell and Johnson – maybe Maxiell gets a few more minutes most nights, but I still see more than 10 going to Amir as long as he plays as well as the Pistons expect.
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Mark (Grand Rapids): The newest ESPN poll asked which of the top four Eastern teams are going to reach the Finals and almost everyone but Michigan, of course, rated the Pistons dead last. The consensus here is that the Pistons are better and deeper than they have been in recent years, but now it looks like they are further under the radar. Concerning the Pistons’ core four, do you think they crank up their games in these situations and are just all-around more motivated and focused?
Langlois: They do seem more comfortable as the hunter rather than the hunted, Mark. I’m not surprised that the Pistons are being somewhat overlooked nationally. In basketball circles, it’s generally conceded that Rodney Stuckey is going to have a significant impact and that Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are going to bring a different look than the Pistons have had. But that leaves the other 98 percent of the world whose last impression of the Pistons was four straight losses to Cleveland that left them looking pretty demoralized.
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Ziga (Slovenia): I like the fact that McDyess might be starting because he deserves it and Maxiell and Johnson can also contribute. But I don’t think Mohammed should just sit on the bench.
Langlois: We’ll see how it shakes out, Ziga. Generally, it’s tough to find playing time for five big men fighting over two positions. But it could be a night-by-night deal with Mohammed leaping over Maxiell and Johnson on certain nights – probably those nights when the Pistons are playing Houston (Yao), Cleveland (Ilgauskas), New York (Curry) or the few other teams that have legitimate post scoring threats.
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Kyle (Detroit): Do you think a slimmed-down Rasheed will be able to come from the weak side and block shots more quickly? Also, do you believe our young bench will get out and run more as a change of pace?
Langlois: Rasheed’s always had above-average lateral mobility for a big man, but I suspect shedding weight will make him quicker – or at least neutralize the effects of again. Rasheed’s conditioning is another reason this training camp holds so much intrigue for Pistons fans. Yeah, I think the bench is going to change the way the Pistons play this year far more than it has in recent seasons. This bench has a real chance to establish its own unique identity – a more unpredictable style of basketball. There will be some growing pains involved with that, but it will also present some real matchup difficulties for opposing benches.
------------
Jeff (Albion): With the Tim Donaghy scandal somewhat casting a shadow over the integrity of the NBA and its officials, does David Stern plan to do anything to restore the faith of NBA fans? Is this going to be brushed under the rug or can we expect changes to improve the game?
Langlois: I think he’s handled this about as well as anyone could, given the gravity of the situation, Jeff. He’s appointed a special investigator with impeccable credentials and that probe is ongoing. He’s vowed unprecedented transparency in whatever the NBA discovers. Let’s let the situation play itself out before rushing to judgment.