Glenn
12-03-2007, 04:34 PM
Monday, December 3, 2007
Chad (Saginaw): I believe Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden and The Palace are the only three NBA arenas that have not sold their naming rights to a bank, airline or other huge corporation. Why?
Langlois: Boston Garden didn’t sell its naming rights, Chad, you’re correct – but nobody’s used it for 12 years, either. The Celtics now play in TD Banknorth Garden. The Palace has had many opportunities to sell naming rights, but management has consistently decided against doing so. The Rose Garden in Portland also does not have a corporate naming partner.
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Maxiell has been incredible lately and seems to be getting into a groove with his 15-foot jumper. Do you think he will have bigger numbers when Stuckey returns if Stuckey is as good as advertised?
Langlois: Not sure how Stuckey’s return will affect other players. But his ability to penetrate and get to the rim, in theory, should mean more opportunities for Maxiell to dive to the rim and maybe clean up more offensive rebounds as help defenders move to thwart Stuckey.
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Andrea (Battle Creek): I think it’s wonderful that Tayshaun and his wife are sponsoring a suite for children with cancer and their parents. I’m sure that gives those brave families something to look forward to and put their problems aside for a while. Give him a pat on the back for me.
Langlois: You just did it for me, Andrea. Thanks.
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Preston (Muskegon): I know the whole world thinks the Celtics are a great team. I know it’s a long way away but would you tell Flip Saunders when they travel to play the Celtics to play Rasheed and Cheikh Samb together to shut down Kevin Garnett?
Langlois: The Pistons think highly of Samb’s future, Preston, but I’m not sure they think he’s ready to be the antidote to Kevin Garnett. But I’ll guarantee you that if Saunders thought Samb would hold his own in that matchup, he’d have thought of it before you or me.
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Eamonn (Livonia): I’m a little confused about Amir Johnson’s height. I thought he was 6-foot-11 at last year’s training camp, but he’s currently listed at 6-foot-9. What happened?
Langlois: A frequent question, Eamonn. I’ll refer you to our Mailbag FAQ for the answer.
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Jeremy (Ann Arbor): If Jarvis Hayes continues his current level of play, will the Pistons have a shot at re-signing him? When Stuckey comes back, will we still see Afflalo? I’m willing to buy Stuckey as Chauncey’s primary backup, but will the Pistons be willing to accept him as a shooting guard if that’s what he turns out to be?
Langlois: Stuckey’s going to command minutes. How they get allotted upon his return is going to be determined by how they play. But I can’t see Stuckey being anything other than the first guard off the bench once he gets his legs under him. The Pistons are confident Stuckey will be perfectly comfortable as a point guard, but more than that they’re sure he’s going to be a bona fide player no matter where he ends up. As for the Hayes part of the question, I’ll also refer you to Mailbag FAQ.
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Alan (Wolverine Lake): Daydream thoughts: How would a player like LeBron fit in with these Pistons? Who was the greatest Pistons flop of all-time?
Langlois: I think there are 29 NBA general managers who would love the chance to make LeBron a fit for their team. We saw what the Cavs are without LeBron when they got outscored by 30 points in the second half of last week’s 35-point Pistons win at The Palace. The Cavs without LeBron are basically the Minnesota Timberwolves … without Al Jefferson. As for the greatest Pistons flop … I’m guessing Darko Milicic would win the popular vote, but that’s not even close. If Darko were a flop, he wouldn’t have been the only NBA free agent of the summer to get a contract at a higher annual salary than the mid-level exception. Rodney White was a huge disappointment, washing himself out of the league after four nondescript seasons spanning 218 games for three franchises. There were a string of first-rounders in the ’70s when the Pistons had a very good core that just needed some support players – No. 1 picks like Leon Douglas (fourth overall), Bob Nash (ninth) and Al Eberhard (15th) – who didn’t amount to much.
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Matt (St. Clair Shores): Why would the Pistons sign Jarvis Hayes instead of a young player with talent? Hayes is OK, but we should be signing young D-League players like Jeremy Richardson of Fort Wayne. The young players the Pistons have like Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo can’t do it all after the vets retire.
Langlois: Hayes is 26, Matt. Richardson will be 25 in a few months. Richardson might be a decent NBA player someday, but he got cut by the Miami Heat – a team in desperate need of bench depth – out of training camp last month. The Pistons have players 24 or younger – Maxiell, Johnson, Afflalo, Rodney Stuckey and Cheikh Samb – they think will be rotation fixtures in the NBA for years to come. Not many teams who are currently contenders can say the same. The Pistons are balancing the future and the present far better than almost everyone else.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills): The last column in box scores on NBA.com now is “BA.” What does that stand for?
Langlois: Blocked attempts – shots that player attempted that were blocked by the other team.
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Ian (Lansing): I’ve seen some comparisons made regarding Rodney Stuckey that have made him sound pretty great, but I still don’t have an idea of how good he’ll be. Can you give me the name of a player you think he’ll be comparable to?
Langlois: I’m not a big fan of making comparisons when you have to sit and really think about it, Ian, because if you have to think too hard about it, it probably isn’t a great comparison. The player Stuckey’s been most often compared to is Dwyane Wade, who also happens to be his favorite player and the reason he’s chosen to wear No. 3 for the Pistons. Keep in mind that the comparison isn’t a suggestion that Stuckey will rise to Wade’s level, only that they have a similar way of playing. It’s valid to the degree that Stuckey, like Wade, seems to have an uncanny ability to dribble his way through traffic, get to the basket and either score or draw the foul – often both. The reviews on Stuckey since the Pistons drafted him, starting with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League, have been universally terrific. Chauncey Billups, by the way, said he sees a little bit of Baron Davis in Stuckey for his strength.
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Rick (Harper Woods): I see that Sammy Mejia isn’t on the Fort Wayne roster. Is he playing in Europe?
Langlois: Not as of last week he wasn’t, Rick. George David, Pistons personnel director, told me he thinks Sammy is pondering an option to play in China. Mejia got cut by Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League because, the Pistons said, he never fully recovered from the sprained ankle suffered just before training camp opened. Because D-League rosters are limited to 10 players, teams there can’t afford to carry injured players for long if they have other options.
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Aaron (Royal Oak): I hate being the fan who offers ridiculous trade scenarios, but it appears the Pacers might move Jermaine O’Neal by the trade deadline. Given his recent plethora of injuries, what would it take to get him in Pistons’ red, white and blue? The thought of having O’Neal and Rasheed Wallace defending the paint is intriguing.
Langlois: It is intriguing, Aaron, but I don’t think it’s possible. The problem is O’Neal’s contract. He’s making almost $20 million this season. He also has the right to opt out of his deal after this season, though it would be a huge risk for him given his injury history to walk away from the $44 million he has coming over the next two seasons on the chance that somebody would give him a five-year deal for big money. The Pistons would have to package at least about $16 million in salaries to make the deal work. There’s no way to do that without cutting into the heart of the team. Would you trade, say, Tayshaun Prince, Nazr Mohammed and Amir Johnson for O’Neal? I wouldn’t, even though I think he’s a terrific player when healthy.
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Prasad (Los Angeles): I was glad to see the Pistons running more motion sets against Cleveland, especially after getting a chance to see what Utah’s offense did against the Pistons. Please tell me this will be the norm moving forward.
Langlois: It’s always Flip Saunders’ desire to have movement on offense – both ball movement and player movement. It’s a balancing act. The Pistons have also made a point of attacking mismatches this year. Sometimes those two things aren’t compatible.
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David (Grand Rapids): Why don’t the Pistons play Cheikh Samb more? He had a great defensive game against the Lakers and hasn’t gotten much playing time since. In my opinion, Cheikh is the closest thing to Ben Wallace.
Langlois: Ben Wallace would snap Cheikh Samb like a twig right now. The Pistons think highly of him, David, and he’s definitely shown that they can throw him in there and survive. But there are five big men ahead of him right now, and nobody’s sixth big man sees much playing time. Another year or two to absorb experience and knowledge of the game and work on his lower-body strength and the Pistons will give Samb all the playing time he can handle.
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Byron (Detroit): Flip Saunders recently said he was going to start playing Lindsey Hunter more, but how can this work when Rodney Stuckey is on his way back from injury?
Langlois: He also said that things would change again when Stuckey returned. Stuckey will become Chauncey Billups’ primary backup and Arron Afflalo and Flip Murray are going to scrap for minutes behind Rip Hamilton. Stuckey could eventually force his way into the mix at both backup guard spots. I expect Hunter will go back to being inactive for most games when everybody else is available in the backcourt.
Chad (Saginaw): I believe Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden and The Palace are the only three NBA arenas that have not sold their naming rights to a bank, airline or other huge corporation. Why?
Langlois: Boston Garden didn’t sell its naming rights, Chad, you’re correct – but nobody’s used it for 12 years, either. The Celtics now play in TD Banknorth Garden. The Palace has had many opportunities to sell naming rights, but management has consistently decided against doing so. The Rose Garden in Portland also does not have a corporate naming partner.
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Maxiell has been incredible lately and seems to be getting into a groove with his 15-foot jumper. Do you think he will have bigger numbers when Stuckey returns if Stuckey is as good as advertised?
Langlois: Not sure how Stuckey’s return will affect other players. But his ability to penetrate and get to the rim, in theory, should mean more opportunities for Maxiell to dive to the rim and maybe clean up more offensive rebounds as help defenders move to thwart Stuckey.
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Andrea (Battle Creek): I think it’s wonderful that Tayshaun and his wife are sponsoring a suite for children with cancer and their parents. I’m sure that gives those brave families something to look forward to and put their problems aside for a while. Give him a pat on the back for me.
Langlois: You just did it for me, Andrea. Thanks.
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Preston (Muskegon): I know the whole world thinks the Celtics are a great team. I know it’s a long way away but would you tell Flip Saunders when they travel to play the Celtics to play Rasheed and Cheikh Samb together to shut down Kevin Garnett?
Langlois: The Pistons think highly of Samb’s future, Preston, but I’m not sure they think he’s ready to be the antidote to Kevin Garnett. But I’ll guarantee you that if Saunders thought Samb would hold his own in that matchup, he’d have thought of it before you or me.
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Eamonn (Livonia): I’m a little confused about Amir Johnson’s height. I thought he was 6-foot-11 at last year’s training camp, but he’s currently listed at 6-foot-9. What happened?
Langlois: A frequent question, Eamonn. I’ll refer you to our Mailbag FAQ for the answer.
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Jeremy (Ann Arbor): If Jarvis Hayes continues his current level of play, will the Pistons have a shot at re-signing him? When Stuckey comes back, will we still see Afflalo? I’m willing to buy Stuckey as Chauncey’s primary backup, but will the Pistons be willing to accept him as a shooting guard if that’s what he turns out to be?
Langlois: Stuckey’s going to command minutes. How they get allotted upon his return is going to be determined by how they play. But I can’t see Stuckey being anything other than the first guard off the bench once he gets his legs under him. The Pistons are confident Stuckey will be perfectly comfortable as a point guard, but more than that they’re sure he’s going to be a bona fide player no matter where he ends up. As for the Hayes part of the question, I’ll also refer you to Mailbag FAQ.
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Alan (Wolverine Lake): Daydream thoughts: How would a player like LeBron fit in with these Pistons? Who was the greatest Pistons flop of all-time?
Langlois: I think there are 29 NBA general managers who would love the chance to make LeBron a fit for their team. We saw what the Cavs are without LeBron when they got outscored by 30 points in the second half of last week’s 35-point Pistons win at The Palace. The Cavs without LeBron are basically the Minnesota Timberwolves … without Al Jefferson. As for the greatest Pistons flop … I’m guessing Darko Milicic would win the popular vote, but that’s not even close. If Darko were a flop, he wouldn’t have been the only NBA free agent of the summer to get a contract at a higher annual salary than the mid-level exception. Rodney White was a huge disappointment, washing himself out of the league after four nondescript seasons spanning 218 games for three franchises. There were a string of first-rounders in the ’70s when the Pistons had a very good core that just needed some support players – No. 1 picks like Leon Douglas (fourth overall), Bob Nash (ninth) and Al Eberhard (15th) – who didn’t amount to much.
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Matt (St. Clair Shores): Why would the Pistons sign Jarvis Hayes instead of a young player with talent? Hayes is OK, but we should be signing young D-League players like Jeremy Richardson of Fort Wayne. The young players the Pistons have like Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo can’t do it all after the vets retire.
Langlois: Hayes is 26, Matt. Richardson will be 25 in a few months. Richardson might be a decent NBA player someday, but he got cut by the Miami Heat – a team in desperate need of bench depth – out of training camp last month. The Pistons have players 24 or younger – Maxiell, Johnson, Afflalo, Rodney Stuckey and Cheikh Samb – they think will be rotation fixtures in the NBA for years to come. Not many teams who are currently contenders can say the same. The Pistons are balancing the future and the present far better than almost everyone else.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills): The last column in box scores on NBA.com now is “BA.” What does that stand for?
Langlois: Blocked attempts – shots that player attempted that were blocked by the other team.
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Ian (Lansing): I’ve seen some comparisons made regarding Rodney Stuckey that have made him sound pretty great, but I still don’t have an idea of how good he’ll be. Can you give me the name of a player you think he’ll be comparable to?
Langlois: I’m not a big fan of making comparisons when you have to sit and really think about it, Ian, because if you have to think too hard about it, it probably isn’t a great comparison. The player Stuckey’s been most often compared to is Dwyane Wade, who also happens to be his favorite player and the reason he’s chosen to wear No. 3 for the Pistons. Keep in mind that the comparison isn’t a suggestion that Stuckey will rise to Wade’s level, only that they have a similar way of playing. It’s valid to the degree that Stuckey, like Wade, seems to have an uncanny ability to dribble his way through traffic, get to the basket and either score or draw the foul – often both. The reviews on Stuckey since the Pistons drafted him, starting with his play in the Las Vegas Summer League, have been universally terrific. Chauncey Billups, by the way, said he sees a little bit of Baron Davis in Stuckey for his strength.
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Rick (Harper Woods): I see that Sammy Mejia isn’t on the Fort Wayne roster. Is he playing in Europe?
Langlois: Not as of last week he wasn’t, Rick. George David, Pistons personnel director, told me he thinks Sammy is pondering an option to play in China. Mejia got cut by Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League because, the Pistons said, he never fully recovered from the sprained ankle suffered just before training camp opened. Because D-League rosters are limited to 10 players, teams there can’t afford to carry injured players for long if they have other options.
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Aaron (Royal Oak): I hate being the fan who offers ridiculous trade scenarios, but it appears the Pacers might move Jermaine O’Neal by the trade deadline. Given his recent plethora of injuries, what would it take to get him in Pistons’ red, white and blue? The thought of having O’Neal and Rasheed Wallace defending the paint is intriguing.
Langlois: It is intriguing, Aaron, but I don’t think it’s possible. The problem is O’Neal’s contract. He’s making almost $20 million this season. He also has the right to opt out of his deal after this season, though it would be a huge risk for him given his injury history to walk away from the $44 million he has coming over the next two seasons on the chance that somebody would give him a five-year deal for big money. The Pistons would have to package at least about $16 million in salaries to make the deal work. There’s no way to do that without cutting into the heart of the team. Would you trade, say, Tayshaun Prince, Nazr Mohammed and Amir Johnson for O’Neal? I wouldn’t, even though I think he’s a terrific player when healthy.
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Prasad (Los Angeles): I was glad to see the Pistons running more motion sets against Cleveland, especially after getting a chance to see what Utah’s offense did against the Pistons. Please tell me this will be the norm moving forward.
Langlois: It’s always Flip Saunders’ desire to have movement on offense – both ball movement and player movement. It’s a balancing act. The Pistons have also made a point of attacking mismatches this year. Sometimes those two things aren’t compatible.
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David (Grand Rapids): Why don’t the Pistons play Cheikh Samb more? He had a great defensive game against the Lakers and hasn’t gotten much playing time since. In my opinion, Cheikh is the closest thing to Ben Wallace.
Langlois: Ben Wallace would snap Cheikh Samb like a twig right now. The Pistons think highly of him, David, and he’s definitely shown that they can throw him in there and survive. But there are five big men ahead of him right now, and nobody’s sixth big man sees much playing time. Another year or two to absorb experience and knowledge of the game and work on his lower-body strength and the Pistons will give Samb all the playing time he can handle.
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Byron (Detroit): Flip Saunders recently said he was going to start playing Lindsey Hunter more, but how can this work when Rodney Stuckey is on his way back from injury?
Langlois: He also said that things would change again when Stuckey returned. Stuckey will become Chauncey Billups’ primary backup and Arron Afflalo and Flip Murray are going to scrap for minutes behind Rip Hamilton. Stuckey could eventually force his way into the mix at both backup guard spots. I expect Hunter will go back to being inactive for most games when everybody else is available in the backcourt.