It finally happened!

SportsCenter just announced Nazr for Herrmann and Brezec!

Pistons trade center Nazr Mohammed for two Bobcats, cut forward Ronald Dupree
December 14, 2007

By CHRIS SILVA

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

The Pistons traded center Nazr Mohammed to Charlotte on Friday and also waived forward Ronald Dupree.

The Pistons acquired center Primoz Brezec and forward Walter Herrmann in exchange for Mohammed, who appeared in every game this season except for Wednesday in Houston.

“We are pleased to welcome Primoz and Walter to the Pistons organization and we feel they will help add depth to our front court positions,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. “We appreciate hard work and professionalism that Nazr and Ronald both displayed during their time here in Detroit and we wish both of them well.”

Mohammed averaged 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 11.1 minutes a game this season, while Dupree was on the inactive list for all but two games this year.

The 7-1 Brezec started 18 of 20 games for Charlotte this season, averaging 1.9 points and 2.2 rebounds. Hermann averaged 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17 games off the bench.

Not bad!

Wow. Not too familiar with these guys. How will they fit in style wise?

I'll take it. though like nazr he's had trouble with playing under 25 minutes a game, i'll still take it to get nazr off our hands. what's primoz salary?.

Just stopping by to celebrate in the raping of the Catbobs by Mr. Dumars.

Me either...familiar with, but wondering if either one of them makes the rotation???

Wow. Not too familiar with these guys. How will they fit in style wise?
Brezec is a jump shooter. kinda plays like biz z in cleveland, but definitely quicker than him(that doesnt say much though).

Walter hermann is that guy netting 3 pointers on us last game? interesting. Argentine? carlos part deux?

Quicker than Z:
http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/06050704PD_box_turtle.jpg

Quicker than Z:
http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/06050704PD_box_turtle.jpg
hows his hook shot?

Sadly, not too good.

Quicker than Z:
http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/06050704PD_box_turtle.jpg

LMAO!!!! That pic caught me off guard.

Anyway, excellent move by Joe..more future cap room, two tradeable pieces and we even save on the cap this season. Hermann is decent and Brezec is really no different than Nazr...albeit more of a 10-15 than inside moves.

Brezec is soft and a crappy rebounder. Hermann is just plain goofy looking. This was just a good move to free up some cap space after this season and little more.

Brezec is soft and a crappy rebounder. Hermann is just plain goofy looking. This was just a good move to free up some cap space after this season and little more.
Thats a pretty not so useful assessment. mediocre rebounder? thats about right, but no more softer than big Z. Hermann goofy looking? what does that have to do with anything? He plays hard and shoots very good from 3 point land and has played very solid against some of our best as an argentine national player which is what got him the nba gig. In fact i think Herrmann can get playing time on our roster more so than brezec.

Looking forward to that 20 and 10 game vs. the Pistons next time they play.

Looks like Dumars took Barb's advice from the LLTP column.

I'm just happy Nazr's gone.

Thats a pretty not so useful assessment. mediocre rebounder? thats about right, but no more softer than big Z. Hermann goofy looking? what does that have to do with anything? He plays hard and shoots very good from 3 point land and has played very solid against some of our best as an argentine national player which is what got him the nba gig. In fact i think Herrmann can get playing time on our roster more so than brezec.

I wasn't looking for it to be an in-depth assessment. I simply think this was done simply to get Nazr's contract off of the books. I don't know if either will see much pt other than in blow outs. I could be pleasantly surprised but realistically if these guys weren't very good on the Bobcats, then I don't expect much at all.

Well I don't know where Walter is going to fit in. Hayes is strictly a 3 only while Hermann is not really a 4. Hayes and Hermann can split the pt at 3 I guess.

However after this season we got Brezec, HErmann, flip, hunter and jarvis all as free agents. Joe looking to sign someone big this offseason?

I don't care if these two guys ever see a minute of floor time. Nazr for expiring contracts is a good trade.

So, do you think this trade, along with the expiring contracts of Lindsey Hunter, Ronald Murray, and Jarvis Hayes, will allow us to grab a big time free agent?

Kwame Brown, Chris Duhon.

*splash*

there is a big range of players and this is arguably the best fa class for a while.

Gilbert Arenas, Baron Davis, AI, Trevor Ariza, Marion, Elton brand, corey maggette, ron artest, jermaine oneal. These players are early termination option players. Not sure if they signed extensions or have officially opted out. For sure, Gilbert has stated he wants to test the market.

Monta elli, Bobbie gibson, Jose Calderon, Louis williams, ryan gomes, magloire, Deng, Ben gordon are all rfa

Ricky Davis, Antawn Jamison, Duhon, fred jones, jason williams, Bonzi Wells, Matt Barnes, Pietrus, Gerald Green are all unrestricted free agents.

With the combination of the MLE and the expirings, we could potentially go as big as Ben Gordon.

Or we could just ship off our expirings at the deadline and get something decent

elton brand would be a dream pick up. him and sheed together would be a force.

how much would we actually be under the cap this offseason? anyone know the numbers? just trying to figure out how much we could potentially offer a FA.

in any case, this trade can be nothing but great for us. we save all that money and dump a player who was really a non-factor. plus both these guys are potentially very good pickups for us, even in spot minutes every few nights.

hermann can impersonate fabio, and...lol. j/k

but really brezec can shoot the rock. we need more shooting. he is only a couple of years removed from 13 & 7 per night i believe. (roughly)

and hermann showed he can be a very good scorer. he's a great hustle player and a very good shooter. again, we can definitely use the deep shooting as hayes has done very well overall but he is streaky.

our bench just improved even more, even if these guys don't get much burn. it's still a great addition.

the only move left now is to trade flip murray to the t-wolves for an unprotected 1st rounder. ;o)

Give it to Elton and get out of his way

A bit rusty on the new CBA... any trade restrictions on these new guys?... a lateral move for our new expirings?

Who called it? I want to hear it!

We can shop Brezec for a 2nd round pick from someone within 48 hours as part of the same trade, then sign CWebb, right?

Yeah, or I think we have to wait two months....which is right around the trade deadline, right? That's what I think we're looking at here.

Between Sheed, Rip, Chauncey, Tay, Amir and Stuckey alone, we're looking at just over $50M for next year which means all we'll have is the MLE anyways, regardless of the expirings.

With Brezec, Herrman, Hunter, Flip and Hayes we have just over $10M in expiring deals which would let us trade with some picks for I think like up to $12 M in a salary dump trade if we can find one (ala the sheed deal perhaps if anyone's dumb enough out there). Maybe we'd have to throw in Stuckey (not saying I want to). I'd like to think that this is What Joe D has in mind if he can pull it off.

My CBA knowledge is a bit fuzzy and the salaries are from the inconsistent hoopshype page so apologies if I'm way off base here.

I guess it could also (probably?) just be us getting ready to avoid the luxury tax next year as Sheed/Chauncey/Tay/Rips salaries accelerate but I can dream can't I?

Rip,Tay,CB, and Sheed use up 40 mil. Amir,Dice, Stuckey, and Jmax another 10 mil. Right now, our team is at about 50 mil. If we looking to avoid the tax, we are doing just that. If we want to spend and actually win...

"We get great financial relief, and it is a deal we had to make from that perspective, but we are also getting two guys we like," said Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

A couple of ways to interpret this, and I hope the one that I am thinking of is the incorrect interpretation.

Great trade, in the long term, for sure.

But is it a move to position us for better things or cheaper things in the future?

Happy Holidays
Charlotte trade a win-win deal that benefits the Pistons many times over

:langlois:
by Keith Langlois

Joe Dumars called it a win-win trade. He short-changed it by at least a few wins – and that’s just from his team’s perspective. The trade he pulled off Friday that sent Nazr Mohammed to Charlotte for Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann helps the Pistons on many fronts.

It saves the Pistons more than $20 million over the rest of this season and the next three. Except “saved” isn’t the most precise description. Yes, Charlotte assumes about $24 million left on the five-year, mid-level exception deal Mohammed signed in July 2006 while the Pistons are taking back only about $3.5 million since both Brezec and Herrmann’s contracts are expiring when this season is over.

But Pistons owner William Davidson isn’t going to pocket that money, in all probability. In fact, it merely allows Dumars another chance to invest it. What it really means is that the Pistons will now have the salary-cap flexibility next summer to pursue a quality free agent – and still have enough left over, perhaps, to re-sign Jarvis Hayes if both parties see the wisdom in extending their relationship.

Before the Mohammed trade, the Pistons were going to be about $5 million below the luxury-tax threshhold next summer. Now they’ll be about $10.5 million below the threshhold.

The $900,000 that the Pistons will save on payroll for the remainder of this season – the difference between the prorated portion of Mohammed’s 2007-08 salary and the combined prorated portions of Brezec and Herrmann’s salaries – will allow the Pistons to consider signing a veteran free agent sometime this season without exceeding the luxury-tax threshhold.
Translation: It opens the door a little bit wider for Chris Webber to return.

Now – make no mistake – that wasn’t the reason this deal was consummated. It’s a pleasant by-product of the deal, that’s all.

And, remember, the Pistons’ roster stands at 15 – they needed to waive good-guy veteran Ronald Dupree to get to the NBA limit after swinging the 1-for-2 trade – which means if they were to sign a veteran free agent, they’d have to waive somebody.

If Webber were to be signed, it would be in a niche role. He wouldn’t be a starter and he would not replace Jason Maxiell as the top frontcourt reserve. He’d become, essentially, what Elden Campbell and Dale Davis and Mohammed were before him – the veteran big guy with six fouls to give and a specific skill set to offer on nights where the matchup would favor the Pistons.

Except he’d be a nice upgrade over those other guys.

Bottom line on Webber: It might happen or it might not and it certainly isn’t going to happen anytime soon. But the chances went from a long shot to a reasonable possibility with this deal.

It gives the Pistons two players they genuinely like – two guys who, like many before them who sputtered elsewhere but found a place in Detroit, have a few holes in their game but give them two more shooters in a game that increasingly values players who can stretch defenses.

Brezec’s career plateaued the last few seasons in Charlotte, but he’s a very long guy – listed at 7-foot-1 – who can shoot it especially well to 20 feet and is only 28. Indiana hated losing him to the Bobcats in the expansion draft four years ago and he averaged in double figures his first two years in Charlotte.

Herrmann, also 28, has a little of the feistiness of Argentinian national teammate Andres Nocioni in him and proved himself a terrific perimeter shooter over the final quarter of last season when the Bobcats moved him into the starting lineup ahead of rookie Adam Morrison. For whatever reason, he didn’t click with first-year coach Sam Vincent, but Dumars always (lol) sees the player beyond the circumstances – witness the transformation of the careers of Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, et al, after middling success elsewhere.

Neither one is going to get significant minutes here, but each is a veteran who’s had both international and NBA experience and – and this is an important consideration – understands the importance of finding your niche within a team through their national team experience.

And, finally, our last point probably won’t ever come into play, but it’s nice to have in your back pocket, anyway – expiring contracts are often the thing that facilitates blockbuster trades, and both Brezec and Herrmann have expiring contracts.

If not for the expiring contracts of guys like Bob Sura, Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins, and Zelijko Rebraca, the Pistons would not have been able to pull off the Rasheed Wallace trade at the deadline in February 2004 – and I think we all remember how that worked out.

Now, what’s the likelihood of a player of that magnitude hitting the market and the Pistons having a match? Not very good. But significantly better today than before Friday’s trade.

The holidays will be very happy around Five Championship Drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwnqqj5Q1BU

Salary dump of the Century! bye bye Nazr!

edit: i am too dumb to make this youtube thing work, everyone should see it!

God, I still can't believe that Nazr contract is off the books...I don't care if Herrmann and Brezec combine for -2 points in their tenure in Detroit, I'm just glad that thing (Nazr) is gone...

Hermann can shoot though. don't know much about his defense though(though it seems most Argentines play at least decent defense). as far as space on the roster for him? don't know yet.


The deal gives the Pistons' Herrmann, someone they've coveted, and dumps salary. Mohammed is due about $25 million in a deal that runs through the 2010-11 season. Brezec and Herrmann are in the final year of their deals.

I doubt Herrmann will be back next year, but from what I do know about him, he can shoot the 3...so you know he'll be on Flip Saunders' good side for that reason alone...


as for Brezec, he hasn't scored in double figures at all this year, and I doubt he'll see the floor much...

Hermann can shoot though. don't know much about his defense though(though it seems most Argentines play at least decent defense). as far as space on the roster for him? don't know yet.

Let's just say he got 55 points in his last 2 season games in the 07 season going 10/15 from 3pt land.

Let's just say he got 55 points in his last 2 season games in the 07 season going 10/15 from 3pt land.


That was enough to get him on the All-NBA Rookie 2nd Team...

Well, all we can do now is sit back and see how he plays. I wouldn't mind seeing Brezec put up a few great games to raise his trade value toward the trade deadline.

great trade. i still am shocked joe signed nazr in the first place, but we finally found a sucker (jordan) to nix that.

it wasnt so long ago that brezec looked like an up and coming workable center. i wouldnt be surprised to see him actually get some play time.

The other thing to note with this trade is that these two have a much better chance to get minutes than Nazr and Dupree had. Why is that significant? Well, it's obvious there is a mandate to rest our starters more this year. This gives the bench even more flexibility and can cut the starters minutes by an additional 100-200 minutes over the course of the remainder of the season. That means more fresh legs in the playoffs. That's big. Thus the win on multiple fronts. Our team will have more energy come playoff time for a better shot at a title, and THEN the roster flexibility for next year's squad.

Yeah, this trade is just perfect all the way around. I'm really not sure how Charlotte agreed to it. Don't get me wrong, these guys aren't stars by any means, but this deal just helps us so much it's ridiculous. Nazr definitely had the worst contract on the team, and to get out from under it for a couple expirings who may be of service this year (more Herrmann than Primo) is a goldmine. Well done, Joe.

after a 2-3 year period where it really looked like joe had completely lost his touch, hes definitly rolling again.

Next year Sheed is an expiring, right? What could we get for him and Amir? Brand in a S&T?

That'd be ideal.

amazing.....i thought for sure we'd have to part with a draft pick, but Joe D did it again.

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/2692/1106largepw8.jpg

Brezec is serviceable but not tough enough to play a defensive style.

Hermann though...if he ever gets real playing time, he's going to remind a lot of people of a mix between Jon Barry and Terry Mills. Hermann is a fantastic role player. He can put the ball on the floor, finish, pass, and shoot with unlimited range.

I just have one question: can Hermann flop? If so, GREAT acquisition.

Both will be playing tomorrow against Golden State, correct?

they'll be there, but we need to de-activate someone to take Dupree's spot.

BTW, Hermann was the MVP in Europe in 2003. Here's the highlight from that year. The music is annoying, but he shows some eye-popping skill.


saYVKxLsJes

BTW, after that season, Hermann lost his mother, girlfriend and sister all in the same car accident. Word is it really fucked up his passion for the game, but he showed some fire at the tail end of last year, so maybe a winning team can help him get his mojo back.

Damn, I would have taken 2 ex contracts but this guy has some game. He looks like he could be great coming off the bench for us.

That sucks about his family. Sounds like a change of address might do him well.

That person who wrote Langlois will be happy to see the Pistons got a couple white players. :rolleyes:

Ah, some hardcore metal in that video.

BTW, check out this excerpt from a dunk contest...weird and hilarious at the same time.


Zsk49Am1jqg

That was awesome. Doubt he'd try that during games though.

check out his highlight video. He did.

I doubt Brezec sees the floor tomorrow (unless we get blown out), but Herrmann will probably get a couple minutes I imagine...just to see what he can bring to the table if for no other reason

BTW, Hermann was the MVP in Europe in 2003. Here's the highlight from that year. The music is annoying, but he shows some eye-popping skill.


Herrmann is certainly athletic enough and has the desire to take it to the rack. While the Nazr trade looks great financially, getting a potential player might be gravy.

He looks like another energy/change of pace guy like Maxiell is off our bench. I'll be intrigued as to he fits into our team.

So kind of like a poor-mans Andres Nocioni?

So kind of like a poor-mans Andres Nocioni?
That's the way I've heard him described. I love how he likes to drive to the rim, we need that more. He has range but he's not afraid to take it inside. Who knows, maybe we'll get a look at whether he or Hayes fits the team better and we'll know which one to go after to bring back next year. Also, did he really just take his shirt off to dunk IN GAME?! That's got to be a slap in the face of the other team. I like it.


Also, I loved the music that went with it so everyone else can kiss my ass, haha.

So kind of like a poor-mans Andres Nocioni?

I honestly don't think Nocioni is much better than Hermann.

He's a bigger name, but he's been in the NBA much longer, and he's been on a bigger stage.

Hermann is an energy guy like Nocioni, but they play different games, IMO. Nocioni is a better defender and Hermann gives you more consistent offense.

I don't think Nocioni is much better than Nazr.

I like a player who brings enthusiasm, who brings energy, and shows his passion for the game. Hermann seems like a guy who does that.

That's exactly what I want coming off our bench. He's like Max for the SF position. If Stuckey comes in as a high energy guy off the bench we'll be able to keep that high-energy game our starters always come out with going through the first half.

True story: I was "blackballed" from most of the parks because I made myself look like an ass while playing ball.

Plus that charge against me...

Plus that charge against me...
Pics or it didn't happen.

http://www.police.qld.gov.au/Resources/Internet/news%20and%20alerts/mediaReleases/images/F8B81046_Robbery%20Enoggera.03.jpg

:mccosky:


Trade deal gives Pistons leverage to improve

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The first things new Pistons Walter Herrmann and Primoz Brezec better make sure they have are thick skin and a sense of humor.

Because they are going to get hit with a verbal initiation like they've never dealt with before.

"They will be battle-tested early," Lindsey Hunter said. "As soon as they walk in, there will be no ifs, ands or buts about it. They will know from Day 1 if they can cut it. That's just the way we are."

Herrmann, the Argentine with the flowing hair, can expect to be called anything from Goldilocks to Fabio. He's already gotten a little taste of that. When he played against the Pistons a week ago Sunday, Rasheed Wallace kept yelling, "Who's got Blondie? Who's covering Blondie?"

Both will have their style of clothes and personal grooming habits critiqued mercilessly. They will be dogged for a long time about coming from a lottery team. Every time they make a mistake, they will hear some version of this line:

"You better not bring that Bobcat junk in here."

It's all part of becoming a member in good standing with the Pistons. Jarvis Hayes is still going through it, and he's been here since the start of the season.

"Both of those guys can play," Hunter said. "On-the-court stuff won't be a problem. It's just passing our team-regulations stuff. We're a family. You've got to fit in. There is nobody outside the family circle. They will be tested to see if they can enter the circle of trust."

Realistically, the Pistons probably didn't make a vast upgrade to their team by sending Nazr Mohammed to the Bobcats for Brezec and Herrmann. Neither is likely to come right in and take on major rotation responsibilities.

"Primoz is a big guy and he could be serviceable inside," coach Flip Saunders said. "Walter is a four-three (power forward-small forward) who has the ability to shoot the ball on the perimeter. We just have to wait and see how they fit in. Hopefully, they can bolster our bench."

Saunders is hopeful that Brezec can handle the 10-minutes-per-game, fourth big-man role Mohammed played. He is also hopeful that Herrmann, who is listed at 6-foot-9, can defend well enough to help at power forward. He's not likely to usurp Hayes' minutes at small forward.

But here's the beauty of the trade. It doesn't really matter, in the long term, how they perform. Any contribution they provide would be a bonus. Both are on expiring contracts and may not be here at the end of the season; certainly not beyond this season.

The victory for the Pistons was in the $20 million they lopped off their payroll by moving Mohammed's contract -- a contract, by the way, categorized by many league executives as unmovable. They also got themselves about $1.7 million under the luxury tax threshold for this season, which gives them the flexibility to sign another veteran player this season if they choose to.

President Joe Dumars said Saturday that this deal was not made to facilitate any future deal. The chance to get from under Mohammed's contract was motivation enough to do the deal. But there is no denying that the debris has been cleared to re-sign Chris Webber, if the Pistons ever feel the need to.

Dumars has no immediate intention of doing that. And he has made it clear that if Webber were to come back, it would be as the fourth big man. He would not start in place of Antonio McDyess or Wallace, nor would he take Jason Maxiell's sixth-man role. He would play the same role that Elden Campbell and Dale Davis played in past seasons.

More importantly, Dumars now has some flexibility to make a trade at the Feb. 21 trade deadline, if he believes he needs to do so. He now has room under the luxury tax, plus the expiring contracts of Brezec, Herrmann and Flip Murray to package as potential trade bait.

So, are the Pistons a better basketball team today than they were Friday? Not really. Have they put themselves in a position to be potentially better by the end of the season? Absolutely.

Bold please:mccosky:

He (Saunders) is also hopeful that Herrmann, who is listed at 6-foot-9, can defend well enough to help at power forward. He's not likely to usurp Hayes' minutes at small forward.
So he'll take Max's minutes before he takes Hayes' minutes? That better be a fucking joke. Where's the green text McCosky?

Amir

I don't want him taking minutes from either. I want him playing SF and only SF. The only PF time he should see is if there's foul trouble or an injury.

Newcomers want to stay in Detroit
'Hopefully, we're not going to be here just one year,' Brezec says.

:dana:
By Dana Gauruder
Journal Register News Service

AUBURN HILLS - Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann plan on being here for the long haul, no matter how many snowstorms they have to endure.

The newest Pistons, acquired from Charlotte for Nazr Mohammed, couldn't contain their glee Sunday. Though both players have expiring contracts, they want to be a big part of the Pistons' future.

"We're so glad, happy, excited," said Brezec, a 7-foot-1 center from Slovenia. "Hopefully, we're not going to be here just one year. We want to be here for a long period of time. We both talked and we want to retire as Pistons because they have such a great team here."

Both players were unhappy with their roles in Charlotte this season under first-year coach Sam Vincent, though there's no guarantee of steady playing time with their new team. Brezec was a part-time player in Indiana for three seasons, then became a starter in Charlotte during the 2004-05 season. He averaged 13.0 and 12.4 points his first two seasons, then dropped to 5.0 last year.

Though Brezec continued to start this season, he was shut out of the offense, averaging just over two field-goal attempts and 1.9 points. He'll back up Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace when the Pistons play against bigger frontcourts.

"I don't mind. I'll do anything," Brezec said. "The first years in Charlotte, I was the first or second option on offense. This year I was a starter but getting no shots. I was doing the dirty work.

"I hear a lot of guys in the media talk that I'm not a very good defender. I don't want to sound arrogant or cocky but I became one of the best defenders on our team."

Herrmann, an Argentinian in his second NBA season, averaged 9.2 points last year but also saw his minutes diminish. He'll fight for playing time at both forward spots in Detroit.

"It's an excellent opportunity for me because this system in Charlotte, I didn't play," said Herrmann, who was inactive Sunday. "I was playing five minutes, 10 minutes but here in Detroit, it's different because they have a very good team. We're going to compete every single game."

Flip Saunders says there's not much playing time to go around for his latest additions.

"You've got to realize, Nazr wasn't playing a lot, just spot minutes," he said. "So it's not like they're coming into a situation that there are minutes put aside for them. It's kind of wait and see but those guys are going to be able to help us at some point."

Brezec, who broke his nose earlier this week, will gladly take his chances here. He'll try to earn a contract offer by doing and saying all the right things.

"I kind of forced the trade," he said. "I wanted to get out of Charlotte because it was just not a good opportunity for me with the new system and new coach. (Former coach) Bernie (Bickerstaff) brought me there and gave me a chance. I played good the first two years. ... I'm just so happy, so glad to be here in this organization with this kind of team. The Detroit Pistons is the definition of what team basketball is supposed to be."

They were greeted by a monster snowstorm in their first day with the club, something that just made them shrug their shoulders and smile. "We're not here for the snow," Brezec said. "We're here to win. Charlotte was nice, beautiful weather but that doesn't bother us."

Brezec wasn't expected to play Sunday but made his Pistons debut with 6:41 remaining because of the lopsided score. He was reluctant to shoot but had three rebounds and two assists as well as two turnovers. "He got out there and ran around a little bit," Saunders said. "People yelled at him a little bit, too, so it was good."

On Friday, the Detroit Pistons made a deal that took just an hour to come together. Maybe it was because Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars was afraid Charlotte would come to its senses. The Pistons dumped Nazr Mohammed, who had been mostly a flop in Detroit after signing a five-year, $30 million deal two years ago, for the expiring contracts of Primoz Brezec and Walter Hermann. Not only did it save the Pistons about $20 million over the next three years, but it gave them some trading chips to bargain with at the trading deadline.

The Bobcats have needed a big man with Sean May out for the season and have been making desperate moves, including signing Varejao to an offer sheet, in an attempt to get one. Based on speaking with some league executives, this one irked much of the Eastern Conference because it helped the Pistons out in both the short and long term.
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/12555266.html?page=2&c=y

Next year Sheed is an expiring, right? What could we get for him and Amir? Brand in a S&T?

I wish. I could see LA doing that only if Brand told them %100 that he's gone (which isn't far fetched).

Even if not, we'll have more space when Sheed is up than with Nazr's 5-6 mil on the books.

I like the deal. Not much talent wise, but the salary dump is worth it. Certainly Hermman is better than Dupree if we are ravaged by injuries or foul trouble.

So if Herrmann actually proves he can be a solid backup at the 3, how much do you think it would take for us to resign him?

probably less than Hayes would get I imagine.

Exactly, so if he proves to be about as valuable as Hayes (who's been somewhat inconsistent so far), then I wouldn't mind keeping him around. That's just if he shows he has some skill though. Until we actually see something from him, this is all just speculation.

Anyone know Herrmann's injury history from before he came to the NBA?

It's kinda funny how things work out man.

Primoz Brezec as I recall was a guy that looked like a great fit for us here as
a backup center and then as a serviceable big-man here before we got Naz.
I was almost positive that this dude was in the running for most improved
player a couple years back and a very effective shotblocker given 48 min.
I went back to dig up the stats (forgive me for not watching Bobcats games)
and my hunch was confirmed. The kid was turning in to a beast and a solid big.

Watching the Olympics, I noticed that Hermann was a quick dude with a nice
handle, a nice shot and a good drive to the basket. I also noticed that he
looked like Fabio and it was hilarious that he was throwing down facials on
Team USA, left and right. I didn't know how he'd do in the NBA, but he had
a solid showing last year and looked pretty good given minutes this year.

Dumars is amazing. Whether we keep these dudes or not, I'm ecstatic.

This really is an excellent trade. There is literally no possible way we could get worse from it - AT WORST we hold pat and with even a little bit of luck we become better in both short AND long term ($$).
The only way this could go south is if Herman and the other guy BOTH turn out to be child molesters who go out on a raping spree. Even then, we'd still be in better financial shape without Nazr's contract!!!!

The only way this could go south is if Herman and the other guy BOTH turn out to be child molesters who go out on a raping spree.


http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4817/rkelly1pz7.jpg

Is it possible that this deal turns out to be good for both teams?

Nazr is better on a crappy team that needs him. Plain and simple. Look at his best years and they were with mediocre teams that he was a top player on. Maybe Charlotte actually knew what they were doing.