Glenn
06-02-2008, 12:01 PM
:langlois:
Monday, June 2, 2008
Whatever the previous 60-hour record for Mailbag entries was, we smashed it in the time since Friday night’s Game 6 loss to Boston ended the Pistons’ season and this morning. I fielded a representative sampling of Mailbag questions for this edition, but check back with Pistons.com later today when we’ll let our correspondents vent, ruminate on what changes the Pistons should consider or analyze what went wrong against Boston. Thanks for your interest in and passion for the Pistons. On with Mailbag …
Tony (Bloomfield Hills): I remember several years ago the Tigers traded managers. Can this be done in the NBA? If so, what about trading Flip to Atlanta for Mike Woodson? Flip has worn out his welcome here with the players and they – translation: Rasheed – really respected Woodson when he was here coaching under Larry Brown. If anybody could broker that deal, it would be Joe Dumars and Rick Sund.
Langlois: Now that’s creative thinking, Tony. To be honest, I don’t know if it would be allowed or not. Not sure if there’s any language in coaching contracts to prohibit them from being traded – not sure anyone would have ever thought to have it included. Actually, I think both of those guys would be very good fits. Saunders would do well with that young roster of talented athletes in Atlanta and Woodson is very highly respected by the Pistons. Joe Dumars told me earlier this year how impressed he was with Woodson’s coaching job in Atlanta – that he had those young kids playing hard and playing smart.
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John (Holland, Mich.): So, 29 points allowed in the last 10:01. You’re kidding, right? You don’t get three mulligans (games 1, 3 and 5) when you don’t have home-court advantage. For the fourth straight off-season, Tay needs a real backup.
Langlois: I think Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo’s greater roles next season are going to mean Rip Hamilton might be the guy who emerges as Prince’s “backup.” If Stuckey and Afflalo can gobble up about 50 minutes of playing time next year – and I think Stuckey is going to be on the floor for at least 30 minutes a game, maybe more, then Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince would be splitting up the remaining 94 minutes available at the three perimeter positions. (Three times 48 equals 144 minutes at those three spots.) That sounds about right, keeping their minutes in the low to mid 30s as they were this year.)
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Lakisa (Atlanta): The key to getting over the hump is acquiring Bonzi Wells. I’ll bet my life’s savings.
Langlois: Don’t do it, Lakisa. Bonzi Wells has been and can be a useful player, but he sure didn’t do much for New Orleans in the conference semifinals against San Antonio. I think if Bonzi Wells was destined to be a Piston, it would have happened at a few junctures earlier in his career.
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Jos (Detroit): Would it be a good idea to trade McDyess, Samb and Herrmann for Kenyon Martin from Denver?
Langlois: I wouldn’t touch that one and I doubt Joe Dumars would, either. Martin, coming off two microfracture surgeries, played OK this year – but he’s not anywhere close to the player his contract suggests he should be. He has three years and about $46 million left on it. Why would the Pistons give up a young big man in Samb and a reliable veteran in McDyess making reasonable money for a flawed and oft-injured – and, by the way, temperamental – undersized power forward?
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Darryl (Upper Darby, Pa.): I think Joe Dumars should trade Wallace and Prince but keep Billups and Hamilton.
Langlois: Depends what he’d get back, Darryl. It will be interesting to see what Joe D says when he addresses the media, as he does a week or so after every season ends. Last year the theme was complacency is finished here and young players would get their opportunity to compete for minutes. Those young players he was talking about showed well this year and are almost certainly due for expanded roles next year. That will factor into trade possibilities, as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garrett (Bellevue, Neb.): What happened to the bench the Pistons used all year? When other players couldn’t step up, Flip Saunders should have used the bench.
Langlois: Jarvis Hayes’ role all but disappeared as the playoffs unfolded, in large measure because the small forwards the Pistons ran up against – Andre Igoudala, Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Pierce – all were very good off the dribble and gave Hayes trouble. Amir Johnson got squeezed out of the big man rotation. Arron Afflalo’s minutes, already limited, evaporated. I don’t think any of that was terribly surprising or unexpected. Everybody’s rotation shrinks somewhat in the playoffs. Doc Rivers cut his down even more severely and it worked out OK for Boston.
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Yasir (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I think Joe D is going to trade at least one person from the starting five. Who do you think it will be?
Langlois: Most speculation centers on Rasheed Wallace and it makes sense based mostly on one thing – his contract. Wallace has one year left. As one of the NBA’s most multitalented big men, teams that view themselves as one key piece away – and there are a lot of teams who fit that description in the Western Conference – might surprise you with how highly they would value Wallace. But Joe Dumars isn’t giving him away. Dumars has been highly supportive of Wallace, coming to his defense when he came under fire amid last season’s playoff demise and continuing to speak highly of him throughout the season. If somebody wants Wallace, Dumars isn’t going to do it unless he has other moves in the pipeline that would, in his view, give him the same or better chance to win a title next year.
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Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.): Do you think the Pistons will keep the team together after losing a third straight conference finals?
Langlois: There will be some turnover – Hunter and Ratliff could retire, Hayes and Dixon are unrestricted free agents and Herrmann is restricted and will draw interest from European teams. Whether the changes continue through the top half of the roster remains to be seen. As difficult as it might seem for many to imagine, Dumars might look at his team and decide that there is so much room for growth among players like Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo and Cheikh Samb that he’s best served hanging on to what he has.
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Richard (Novi): Could you explain why the Pistons would consider drafting another big man. When we had Theo, we already had six – seven if you include Walter Herrmann.
Langlois: Because McDyess and Wallace will both be 34 when next season starts. Samb is at least one more year away from joining the rotation. Maxiell, though a valuable piece of the rotation, is always going to be undersized and that might mean more of a role player than a starter type. In two years, after McDyess’ contract is up and Wallace could be elsewhere – and will be going on 36 wherever he is – that would leave the Pistons with a big man rotation of Maxiell, Johnson and Samb. If they draft a young big man now, they’d have two years to coach him up to be ready to offer competition and depth. No such thing as too many big men.
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Robert (Troy, Mich.): The Pistons should trade Rasheed and Jarvis Hayes for Jermaine O’Neal.
Langlois: If O’Neal is healthy, he’s a terrific two-way player. But that’s a huge if, given his track record. And his salary – two more years at a whopping $44 million – would be very difficult to swallow. The Pistons can’t trade Hayes – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July – so it would take Wallace’s deal and another significant contract, like McDyess or Prince’s. That’s not happening.
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Roz (Ann Arbor, Mich.): I hear trade rumors involving Chauncey and Rip – that hurts to even think about. This time of year is nerve-wracking for a fan. I don’t want to see any of the core players gone.
Langlois: I think Billups and Hamilton are far more likely than not to be back, Roz. I think Dumars looks at Billups, Hamilton and Stuckey as giving him a tremendous weapon – a backcourt that can beat you in a lot of ways. I also think Hamilton’s ability to defend many small forwards has him thinking, especially with the way the NBA has evolved, he can field a lineup that includes all three for significant stretches of games, especially with Arron Afflalo around to offer the backcourt depth to enable it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom (Davao City, Philippines): If Rasheed Wallace is the one who gets traded, who is the very best available on the market?
Langlois: Impossible to guess at, Tom. As I’ve said, though, I think Wallace – because of his tremendous all-around ability and versatility at both ends of the floor and because of his very favorable contract – could fetch some very valuable assets on the trade market. It might be someone younger and not quite the player Wallace is now, or it might be a highly productive veteran with a slightly less favorable contract, or it might be some combination of one or the other plus a draft pick, but Wallace won’t be dumped just to dump him.
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Diane (Bloomingdale, Mich.): Do you feel Rasheed has hurt this team over the last two years? It seems he has a major impact on how the season turns out. Are the players tired of it?
Langlois: His teammates have publicly stood by him consistently, Diane. If you polled them privately, I doubt it would be any different. A season ago – during the regular season, not the playoffs – the criticisms of his wavering effort carried more legitimacy than it did this year. I thought he was very consistent this season. He did wear down a little bit in the playoffs after a tough series with Dwight Howard and then going up against Kevin Garnett. I think asking 40 minutes of him is a little much these days.
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Mike (Kalamazoo, Mich.): The Pistons had a great year. Forget the naysayers – they were great for me and my 13-year-old son to watch. He loves to watch Tayshaun Prince.
Langlois: You raise an important point, Mike – it’s OK to be disappointed that the Pistons lost to Boston in the conference finals, and Joe Dumars won’t ever go into a season saying it doesn’t matter if the Pistons don’t compete for an NBA title. But to win 59 games, advance through two playoff rounds and help secure a bright future by breaking in three or four young players … well, if that’s an unsuccessful season, there are about 20 NBA franchises who would have killed to have a similarly unsuccessful season.
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Nickie (Grand Rapids, Mich.): Would the Pistons trade McDyess for Jason Kapono and Rasheed for Dwight Howard?
Langlois: The Pistons wouldn’t do the McDyess deal and Orlando would politely decline any deal involving Dwight Howard that didn’t include LeBron James.
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Mike (Ann Arbor, Mich.): I love this Pistons team. It was defeated by an outstanding opponent. To break it up would be foolish in light of the incredible young talent about to break on the scene – Stuckey, Afflalo, Johnson, Maxiell and Samb. If I could fault the Pistons for anything this year, it was not playing that young talent against a more athletic and longer Boston team.
Langlois: Amir Johnson and Arron Afflalo might have offered some physical qualities that could have translated into positive results against Boston, but it’s hard to roll the dice on too many young players at once against an opponent of that caliber under those circumstances. Next year might be a different story, though, Mike. The process that began this year will be expanded next year, so that by the time the 2009 playoffs roll around the Pistons could look significantly different.
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John (Macomb Twp., Mich.): My thoughts on this era of Pistons basketball can be summed up in two words: not enough. Not enough to show for six straight years of making the conference finals – only two trips to the NBA Finals and one championship. They accomplished more than some teams can or will, but it was not enough.
Langlois: Not enough by what standard is how I’m inclined to respond, John. Would they have liked to have more shiny trophies to show for the last six years? Sure. But Jeff Van Gundy, I thought, made a very good point during one of the ESPN conference finals telecasts when he said it was incredible for the Pistons to go to six straight conference finals without a Hall of Fame player. Now, Rip Hamilton is young enough and might pile up enough points to get there eventually. Chauncey Billups might have a shot, too. But there’s a decent chance these Pistons won’t send anyone to Springfield. Look at the teams they’ve lost to in this six-year run – there’s no doubt they all had at least one Hall of Fame lock.
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L.C. (Battle Creek, Mich.): What do you think about Tayshaun Prince adding 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in the off-season?
Langlois: I’m all for it. I think Jason Maxiell should grow about 4 inches, too. Look, Prince is what he is. He has a certain body type. It’s not like he hasn’t worked at it since before he arrived at Kentucky. The Pistons have a very sophisticated strength and conditioning staff and program. For as lean and lanky as Prince looks, he doesn’t often get overpowered. If you say what about LeBron James, I’ll see name someone James doesn’t overpower.
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Matthew (Fostoria, Ohio): Hate to see us lose another Game 6 in the conference finals but proud of the way we played this season. We have so much talent with Stuckey and Maxiell. I know it’s extremely early, but any idea what’s in store for our starting core and what do you see happening this summer in the free-agent market?
Langlois: The first hint of what’s in store will come when Joe Dumars addresses the media, probably sometime within the next week or so. The draft will be the first step and help determine what the Pistons do in free agency and the trade market. I think anything is in play.
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Josh (London): Is it just a coincidence or proof that the NBA has rigged the Finals – the Lakers got Gasol from Memphis, where the ex-GM was Jerry West, and the Celtics got Garnett from Minnesota, where the GM is Kevin McHale?
Langlois: It makes for a great Oliver Stone movie, Josh, but if the NBA was intent on buffing up its most storied franchises, wouldn’t they have rigged the lottery so Tim Duncan would have wound up in Boston or Greg Oden would have landed there last year? Wouldn’t they have made sure the Knicks had gotten the No. 1 pick this year? There’s no doubt the NBA is thrilled that the Lakers and Celtics are back among the elite, but I refuse to believe they’ve manipulated trades.
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Scott (Vacaville, Calif.): I think the Pistons should put an effort into obtaining Ben Wallace in the off-season.
Langlois: Tough to do, Scott. Wallace is on the books for $14.5 million next year. You’d have to trade either Rasheed Wallace or Chauncey Billups to make it work under cap rules – I’m sure Cleveland would heartily agree.
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Josh (Norwich, England): What’s your opinion on the NBA next season fining floppers and do you think the Pistons will be affected by this?
Langlois: My first thought was “Anderson Varejao becomes a less valuable player to the Cavs.” Then again, if the officials are rewarding the flop during the games – that is, if Varejao flops and they call a charging foul on the guy who “ran into” him – can the league office, upon review, fine Varejao? The Pistons should be affected hardly at all – they don’t look very kindly on the practice.
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Byron (Detroit): Stuckey is great and Maxiell is a beast, but how good do you see Amir Johnson and Afflalo becoming next season and will Cheikh Samb crack the rotation?
Langlois: I think Johnson could be a star someday, though he has to develop a 15-foot jump shot and expand his range from there and find a low-post move or two he can go to until his game rounds out. Afflalo will come back a significantly better player, I’m convinced. He’ll outwork his problems. I’ll bet we see a markedly improved outside shot from Afflalo next winter. Samb? No, I don’t think he’ll be in the rotation next year – the year after that, probably.
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Greg (Marquette, Mich.): I think the Pistons have played at almost exactly the same level since they won the championship in 2004. The difference is the quality of the competition has improved. Would you agree?
Langlois: You raise an excellent point, Greg. All champions tend to get viewed equally and everybody else on a plane below that, but there are external factors in play that warrant greater scrutiny. The 2005 Pistons that came within a few minutes of repeating probably were a better team than the 2004 Pistons – they just ran up against a better Spurs team in ’05 than the Lakers were in ’04. I think this year’s Pistons were better than last year’s version – and this year’s Pistons would have handled last year’s Cleveland team in the conference finals.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Whatever the previous 60-hour record for Mailbag entries was, we smashed it in the time since Friday night’s Game 6 loss to Boston ended the Pistons’ season and this morning. I fielded a representative sampling of Mailbag questions for this edition, but check back with Pistons.com later today when we’ll let our correspondents vent, ruminate on what changes the Pistons should consider or analyze what went wrong against Boston. Thanks for your interest in and passion for the Pistons. On with Mailbag …
Tony (Bloomfield Hills): I remember several years ago the Tigers traded managers. Can this be done in the NBA? If so, what about trading Flip to Atlanta for Mike Woodson? Flip has worn out his welcome here with the players and they – translation: Rasheed – really respected Woodson when he was here coaching under Larry Brown. If anybody could broker that deal, it would be Joe Dumars and Rick Sund.
Langlois: Now that’s creative thinking, Tony. To be honest, I don’t know if it would be allowed or not. Not sure if there’s any language in coaching contracts to prohibit them from being traded – not sure anyone would have ever thought to have it included. Actually, I think both of those guys would be very good fits. Saunders would do well with that young roster of talented athletes in Atlanta and Woodson is very highly respected by the Pistons. Joe Dumars told me earlier this year how impressed he was with Woodson’s coaching job in Atlanta – that he had those young kids playing hard and playing smart.
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John (Holland, Mich.): So, 29 points allowed in the last 10:01. You’re kidding, right? You don’t get three mulligans (games 1, 3 and 5) when you don’t have home-court advantage. For the fourth straight off-season, Tay needs a real backup.
Langlois: I think Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo’s greater roles next season are going to mean Rip Hamilton might be the guy who emerges as Prince’s “backup.” If Stuckey and Afflalo can gobble up about 50 minutes of playing time next year – and I think Stuckey is going to be on the floor for at least 30 minutes a game, maybe more, then Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince would be splitting up the remaining 94 minutes available at the three perimeter positions. (Three times 48 equals 144 minutes at those three spots.) That sounds about right, keeping their minutes in the low to mid 30s as they were this year.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lakisa (Atlanta): The key to getting over the hump is acquiring Bonzi Wells. I’ll bet my life’s savings.
Langlois: Don’t do it, Lakisa. Bonzi Wells has been and can be a useful player, but he sure didn’t do much for New Orleans in the conference semifinals against San Antonio. I think if Bonzi Wells was destined to be a Piston, it would have happened at a few junctures earlier in his career.
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Jos (Detroit): Would it be a good idea to trade McDyess, Samb and Herrmann for Kenyon Martin from Denver?
Langlois: I wouldn’t touch that one and I doubt Joe Dumars would, either. Martin, coming off two microfracture surgeries, played OK this year – but he’s not anywhere close to the player his contract suggests he should be. He has three years and about $46 million left on it. Why would the Pistons give up a young big man in Samb and a reliable veteran in McDyess making reasonable money for a flawed and oft-injured – and, by the way, temperamental – undersized power forward?
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Darryl (Upper Darby, Pa.): I think Joe Dumars should trade Wallace and Prince but keep Billups and Hamilton.
Langlois: Depends what he’d get back, Darryl. It will be interesting to see what Joe D says when he addresses the media, as he does a week or so after every season ends. Last year the theme was complacency is finished here and young players would get their opportunity to compete for minutes. Those young players he was talking about showed well this year and are almost certainly due for expanded roles next year. That will factor into trade possibilities, as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garrett (Bellevue, Neb.): What happened to the bench the Pistons used all year? When other players couldn’t step up, Flip Saunders should have used the bench.
Langlois: Jarvis Hayes’ role all but disappeared as the playoffs unfolded, in large measure because the small forwards the Pistons ran up against – Andre Igoudala, Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Pierce – all were very good off the dribble and gave Hayes trouble. Amir Johnson got squeezed out of the big man rotation. Arron Afflalo’s minutes, already limited, evaporated. I don’t think any of that was terribly surprising or unexpected. Everybody’s rotation shrinks somewhat in the playoffs. Doc Rivers cut his down even more severely and it worked out OK for Boston.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yasir (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I think Joe D is going to trade at least one person from the starting five. Who do you think it will be?
Langlois: Most speculation centers on Rasheed Wallace and it makes sense based mostly on one thing – his contract. Wallace has one year left. As one of the NBA’s most multitalented big men, teams that view themselves as one key piece away – and there are a lot of teams who fit that description in the Western Conference – might surprise you with how highly they would value Wallace. But Joe Dumars isn’t giving him away. Dumars has been highly supportive of Wallace, coming to his defense when he came under fire amid last season’s playoff demise and continuing to speak highly of him throughout the season. If somebody wants Wallace, Dumars isn’t going to do it unless he has other moves in the pipeline that would, in his view, give him the same or better chance to win a title next year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo.): Do you think the Pistons will keep the team together after losing a third straight conference finals?
Langlois: There will be some turnover – Hunter and Ratliff could retire, Hayes and Dixon are unrestricted free agents and Herrmann is restricted and will draw interest from European teams. Whether the changes continue through the top half of the roster remains to be seen. As difficult as it might seem for many to imagine, Dumars might look at his team and decide that there is so much room for growth among players like Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo and Cheikh Samb that he’s best served hanging on to what he has.
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Richard (Novi): Could you explain why the Pistons would consider drafting another big man. When we had Theo, we already had six – seven if you include Walter Herrmann.
Langlois: Because McDyess and Wallace will both be 34 when next season starts. Samb is at least one more year away from joining the rotation. Maxiell, though a valuable piece of the rotation, is always going to be undersized and that might mean more of a role player than a starter type. In two years, after McDyess’ contract is up and Wallace could be elsewhere – and will be going on 36 wherever he is – that would leave the Pistons with a big man rotation of Maxiell, Johnson and Samb. If they draft a young big man now, they’d have two years to coach him up to be ready to offer competition and depth. No such thing as too many big men.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert (Troy, Mich.): The Pistons should trade Rasheed and Jarvis Hayes for Jermaine O’Neal.
Langlois: If O’Neal is healthy, he’s a terrific two-way player. But that’s a huge if, given his track record. And his salary – two more years at a whopping $44 million – would be very difficult to swallow. The Pistons can’t trade Hayes – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July – so it would take Wallace’s deal and another significant contract, like McDyess or Prince’s. That’s not happening.
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Roz (Ann Arbor, Mich.): I hear trade rumors involving Chauncey and Rip – that hurts to even think about. This time of year is nerve-wracking for a fan. I don’t want to see any of the core players gone.
Langlois: I think Billups and Hamilton are far more likely than not to be back, Roz. I think Dumars looks at Billups, Hamilton and Stuckey as giving him a tremendous weapon – a backcourt that can beat you in a lot of ways. I also think Hamilton’s ability to defend many small forwards has him thinking, especially with the way the NBA has evolved, he can field a lineup that includes all three for significant stretches of games, especially with Arron Afflalo around to offer the backcourt depth to enable it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom (Davao City, Philippines): If Rasheed Wallace is the one who gets traded, who is the very best available on the market?
Langlois: Impossible to guess at, Tom. As I’ve said, though, I think Wallace – because of his tremendous all-around ability and versatility at both ends of the floor and because of his very favorable contract – could fetch some very valuable assets on the trade market. It might be someone younger and not quite the player Wallace is now, or it might be a highly productive veteran with a slightly less favorable contract, or it might be some combination of one or the other plus a draft pick, but Wallace won’t be dumped just to dump him.
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Diane (Bloomingdale, Mich.): Do you feel Rasheed has hurt this team over the last two years? It seems he has a major impact on how the season turns out. Are the players tired of it?
Langlois: His teammates have publicly stood by him consistently, Diane. If you polled them privately, I doubt it would be any different. A season ago – during the regular season, not the playoffs – the criticisms of his wavering effort carried more legitimacy than it did this year. I thought he was very consistent this season. He did wear down a little bit in the playoffs after a tough series with Dwight Howard and then going up against Kevin Garnett. I think asking 40 minutes of him is a little much these days.
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Mike (Kalamazoo, Mich.): The Pistons had a great year. Forget the naysayers – they were great for me and my 13-year-old son to watch. He loves to watch Tayshaun Prince.
Langlois: You raise an important point, Mike – it’s OK to be disappointed that the Pistons lost to Boston in the conference finals, and Joe Dumars won’t ever go into a season saying it doesn’t matter if the Pistons don’t compete for an NBA title. But to win 59 games, advance through two playoff rounds and help secure a bright future by breaking in three or four young players … well, if that’s an unsuccessful season, there are about 20 NBA franchises who would have killed to have a similarly unsuccessful season.
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Nickie (Grand Rapids, Mich.): Would the Pistons trade McDyess for Jason Kapono and Rasheed for Dwight Howard?
Langlois: The Pistons wouldn’t do the McDyess deal and Orlando would politely decline any deal involving Dwight Howard that didn’t include LeBron James.
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Mike (Ann Arbor, Mich.): I love this Pistons team. It was defeated by an outstanding opponent. To break it up would be foolish in light of the incredible young talent about to break on the scene – Stuckey, Afflalo, Johnson, Maxiell and Samb. If I could fault the Pistons for anything this year, it was not playing that young talent against a more athletic and longer Boston team.
Langlois: Amir Johnson and Arron Afflalo might have offered some physical qualities that could have translated into positive results against Boston, but it’s hard to roll the dice on too many young players at once against an opponent of that caliber under those circumstances. Next year might be a different story, though, Mike. The process that began this year will be expanded next year, so that by the time the 2009 playoffs roll around the Pistons could look significantly different.
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John (Macomb Twp., Mich.): My thoughts on this era of Pistons basketball can be summed up in two words: not enough. Not enough to show for six straight years of making the conference finals – only two trips to the NBA Finals and one championship. They accomplished more than some teams can or will, but it was not enough.
Langlois: Not enough by what standard is how I’m inclined to respond, John. Would they have liked to have more shiny trophies to show for the last six years? Sure. But Jeff Van Gundy, I thought, made a very good point during one of the ESPN conference finals telecasts when he said it was incredible for the Pistons to go to six straight conference finals without a Hall of Fame player. Now, Rip Hamilton is young enough and might pile up enough points to get there eventually. Chauncey Billups might have a shot, too. But there’s a decent chance these Pistons won’t send anyone to Springfield. Look at the teams they’ve lost to in this six-year run – there’s no doubt they all had at least one Hall of Fame lock.
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L.C. (Battle Creek, Mich.): What do you think about Tayshaun Prince adding 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in the off-season?
Langlois: I’m all for it. I think Jason Maxiell should grow about 4 inches, too. Look, Prince is what he is. He has a certain body type. It’s not like he hasn’t worked at it since before he arrived at Kentucky. The Pistons have a very sophisticated strength and conditioning staff and program. For as lean and lanky as Prince looks, he doesn’t often get overpowered. If you say what about LeBron James, I’ll see name someone James doesn’t overpower.
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Matthew (Fostoria, Ohio): Hate to see us lose another Game 6 in the conference finals but proud of the way we played this season. We have so much talent with Stuckey and Maxiell. I know it’s extremely early, but any idea what’s in store for our starting core and what do you see happening this summer in the free-agent market?
Langlois: The first hint of what’s in store will come when Joe Dumars addresses the media, probably sometime within the next week or so. The draft will be the first step and help determine what the Pistons do in free agency and the trade market. I think anything is in play.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh (London): Is it just a coincidence or proof that the NBA has rigged the Finals – the Lakers got Gasol from Memphis, where the ex-GM was Jerry West, and the Celtics got Garnett from Minnesota, where the GM is Kevin McHale?
Langlois: It makes for a great Oliver Stone movie, Josh, but if the NBA was intent on buffing up its most storied franchises, wouldn’t they have rigged the lottery so Tim Duncan would have wound up in Boston or Greg Oden would have landed there last year? Wouldn’t they have made sure the Knicks had gotten the No. 1 pick this year? There’s no doubt the NBA is thrilled that the Lakers and Celtics are back among the elite, but I refuse to believe they’ve manipulated trades.
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Scott (Vacaville, Calif.): I think the Pistons should put an effort into obtaining Ben Wallace in the off-season.
Langlois: Tough to do, Scott. Wallace is on the books for $14.5 million next year. You’d have to trade either Rasheed Wallace or Chauncey Billups to make it work under cap rules – I’m sure Cleveland would heartily agree.
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Josh (Norwich, England): What’s your opinion on the NBA next season fining floppers and do you think the Pistons will be affected by this?
Langlois: My first thought was “Anderson Varejao becomes a less valuable player to the Cavs.” Then again, if the officials are rewarding the flop during the games – that is, if Varejao flops and they call a charging foul on the guy who “ran into” him – can the league office, upon review, fine Varejao? The Pistons should be affected hardly at all – they don’t look very kindly on the practice.
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Byron (Detroit): Stuckey is great and Maxiell is a beast, but how good do you see Amir Johnson and Afflalo becoming next season and will Cheikh Samb crack the rotation?
Langlois: I think Johnson could be a star someday, though he has to develop a 15-foot jump shot and expand his range from there and find a low-post move or two he can go to until his game rounds out. Afflalo will come back a significantly better player, I’m convinced. He’ll outwork his problems. I’ll bet we see a markedly improved outside shot from Afflalo next winter. Samb? No, I don’t think he’ll be in the rotation next year – the year after that, probably.
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Greg (Marquette, Mich.): I think the Pistons have played at almost exactly the same level since they won the championship in 2004. The difference is the quality of the competition has improved. Would you agree?
Langlois: You raise an excellent point, Greg. All champions tend to get viewed equally and everybody else on a plane below that, but there are external factors in play that warrant greater scrutiny. The 2005 Pistons that came within a few minutes of repeating probably were a better team than the 2004 Pistons – they just ran up against a better Spurs team in ’05 than the Lakers were in ’04. I think this year’s Pistons were better than last year’s version – and this year’s Pistons would have handled last year’s Cleveland team in the conference finals.