Glenn
07-18-2008, 11:56 AM
:langlois:
THURSDAY, July 17
Shamir (Tel Aviv, Israel): The Nuggets just gave Marcus Camby up for basically nothing. I know he’s 34 and has a monster contract to absorb, but don’t you think if the Pistons would have brought him on board they would have instantly become major contenders? Plus, Amir, Jason and Cheikh would have someone to learn from.
Langlois: But the Pistons could not have done the deal that the Clippers made. Because Elton Brand left the Clippers, they were operating well below the salary cap and could absorb Camby’s big contract without having to give up a similar amount in return. The Pistons would have had to have been about $10 million or so under the cap to have been in position to do that deal. A number of other Mailbag questioners wondered if Denver did the Camby deal as a precursor to another trade, perhaps the long-rumored one involving Carmelo Anthony and the Pistons. I think the Camby deal was strictly about getting a big contract off the books. The Nuggets were deep into luxury tax territory last year, meaning that removing a $10 million contract is actually a $20 million savings for Denver – in addition to not having to pay Camby, the Nuggets won’t have to send a matching amount to the league for being above the luxury tax limit.
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Kenneth (Washington, D.C.): Amir Johnson has played pretty poorly throughout the Summer League against competition you would expect him to dominate. So how do you see his play translating to the regular season? And the way the Pistons collapsed about the Bucks in the fourth quarter, is that a reflection of Michael Curry’s coaching?
Langlois: He’s not played poorly, Kenneth. He hasn’t put up big numbers, but I’m not sure the Pistons threw the ball to him in the low post and told him to go to work more than once or twice in their first three Summer League games. He was extraordinarily active defensively. New assistant coach Darrell Walker told me that after he saw Johnson for a few days, he told Joe Dumars that Johnson was the type of player who did things defensively that aren’t reflected in the box score, beyond the blocked shots and steals, things like trapping guards and recovering in time to take away passing lanes to his man, harassing the point guard in the backcourt to chew up some of the 24-second clock, getting his hands on loose balls, etc.
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James (Canberra, Australia): I’m wondering if Rip Hamilton is almost guaranteed of staying considering Michael Curry said that Arron Afflalo would be the backup shooting guard next year.
Langlois: I wouldn’t read too much into that, James. Curry was just talking from the standpoint of the roster he has at his disposal right now. Curry is perfectly willing to coach whatever roster Joe Dumars gives him when the season rolls around. But his mind-set right now, until told differently, is that he has all hands on deck – Hamilton, Billups, Wallace, McDyess and Prince included. But I’ve said all along that I believe Hamilton is the least likely of the core group to be dealt.
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Alex (Grand Rapids, Mich.): What do you think of the idea of the Pistons developing Walter Sharpe as Prince’s backup instead of signing a swing man out of free agency? Are there any legitimate free agents left the Pistons would be interested in? Also, do you think the Tracy McGrady rumor has any legs on it after Stephen A. Smith stated that McGrady told him he had some interest in Detroit?
Langlois: Sharpe has given the Pistons some signs that he might be ready for a limited role as Prince’s backup, but I don’t know if they’d feel confident enough going forward with him as their first option at small forward off the bench. The question will be do they think they can cobble together a backup small forward between Sharpe, Arron Afflalo and somebody else, say, Walter Herrmann, should they re-sign him as a free agent.
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Borat (Auburn Hills, Mich.): Do you have any more info on the supposed trade offer of Chauncey Billups for Andris Biedrins? I actually think it would be a good move for Detroit.
Langlois: I think it makes more sense on the surface for Golden State, which is badly in need of a point guard. I don’t buy the line of thinking that Billups wouldn’t be a good fit for Don Nelson’s system. He’s one of the top handful of point guards in the league. If Nelson would reject Billups based on fit for his system, then he really ought to consider tinkering with his system. The Pistons, unless they would have had another move ready to go, wouldn’t seem to have a glaring need for Biedrins, though, I’ll admit, a 22-year-old big man with his ability to affect games with his defense and rebounding would be tempting.
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Jessie (Houston): Trent Plaisted has been impressive on the defensive end thus far in the Summer League and seems to have a very high basketball IQ although he has been very quiet on the offensive end. He had a few post moves at BYU. How would you evaluate Trent’s game at the next level?
Langlois: I’m working on a story on Plaisted now, Jessie. I talked to him the other day in Las Vegas and he said he knows he needs to work on his mid-range game. Michael Curry has been effusive in his praise of Plaisted, especially his ability to defend the pick and roll, which has become the single most important play in the NBA – and the single most important play to defend.
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Lyndsey (Lake Orion, Mich.): If Joe Dumars is unable to move one of the core players because he can’t get a top player in return, do you think it could create the “chip on their shoulders” mentality in the veterans, who once again might see it as not being “wanted” and go back to trying to prove people wrong?
Langlois: Interesting theory, Lyndsey, but my hunch is they’d see it as Dumars still valuing them highly enough to not want to deal them for what he’s being offered. I suppose if one player knows that a particular team turned down a certain deal, he might want to prove something to that particular team. I don’t put much stock in artificial motivation and that’s what that seems like more than anything.
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Jeff (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I know everyone will think I’m an idiot, but I would consider trading for Ron Artest. There has never been a question about his talent and intensity, just his sanity. The night of the brawl – I was there – he was easily the best player on either team. The only question is if he can avoid going psycho. I’m pretty sure you could trade Tayshaun for him even up if the salaries work. He has more upside than the other deals being bandied about.
Langlois: And way more downside, too. For all of Artest’s ability, bad things seem to happen to teams he joins. Even if the brawl had happened anywhere else, I’d have a hard time seeing Joe Dumars rolling the dice on Artest when he’s dealing from the position of having won 59 games last season.
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Matt (Windsor, Ontario): I was looking at Jarvis Hayes’ profile and it said last season he signed a four-year contract with the Pistons. So how was he a free agent? Did he have a player option or something?
Langlois: Not sure where you were looking, Matt, but that was bad information. Hayes signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Pistons last August. He just signed with New Jersey.
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Shawn (Garden Grove, Calif.): Do you think the Pistons will try to sign Matt Barnes?
Langlois: I’ve not heard his name linked to the Pistons, Shawn. He’s an interesting player who would be attractive to any team at the right price. For whatever reason, Barnes hasn’t been getting much play, at least not on the surface.
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Jose (Detroit): Who are the Pistons targeting now that Maggette, Brand and Davis are off the board?
Langlois: Your question implies that they ever targeted any of those three guys, which is wrong. Brand and Davis were priced way out of their range – only teams that had more than $10 million in cap room, and there were three or four of them in the entire league, could seriously enter bidding for them – and so was Maggette as soon as Golden State stepped forward with a $10 million-a-year deal. The Pistons are waiting for the market to cool. There was no free agent out there willing to sign for the MLE or below who could start for them, and they weren’t going to pay starter’s money to players whose talents indicated they would be playing relatively insignificant roles for them. That might make fans impatient, but how would they feel next summer if, for instance, Rip Hamilton opts out of his contract and the Pistons can’t enter the bidding for him because they’d committed $6 million in 2009-10 salary to a backup small forward?
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Josh (Walled Lake, Mich.): If you look around the Eastern Conference, it seems like it’s getting stronger with Elton Brand coming to Philadelphia, Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto and Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee. Do you think the Pistons’ main focus is to bring in a premier scorer and, if so, who would you like to see come to Detroit?
Langlois: No question, Josh, Philadelphia and Toronto have put themselves in great position to be major players in the East. Those two, plus the Pistons, Boston, Cleveland and Orlando give the East a top six that is going to match up much better next season with the top six in the West than the last few years. As for what the focus of the Pistons will be, Joe Dumars has said his preference is to bring in someone who is an impact player at either end of the floor. Offensive impact players are more numerous than defensive impact players, so I guess a 20-point per game scorer is more likely to be added than a Ben Wallace, circa 2005-level defender. But Dumars really is looking more for the right fit at the right price.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): If the Pistons don’t make a trade, that still leaves them with a need at backup small forward. I’d be happy seeing Walter Herrmann back. Do you know if they’ve considered Ricky Davis at all? He’s a huge character risk, but that guy can flat-out score. Also, I’m not sure of the rules on trades. Would the Pistons have to trade a player to get one back or could they trade for a guy who makes around the same as they could spend on a free agent? I know Portland is looking to ship out either Travis Outlaw or Martell Webster and Milwaukee is probably looking to dump Desmond Mason since they got Jefferson and Alexander. Could the Pistons trade some of their extra draft picks for one of those guys?
Langlois: Haven’t heard much on Walter Herrmann for a while, but I didn’t expect to – unless he signs with a European team, he’s one of those guys whose status won’t be determined until teams make their more significant moves. Remember, the Pistons didn’t sign Jarvis Hayes last year until the middle of August. Davis? On the surface, he doesn’t seem like the type of player the Pistons would seek, but they might know him differently than his reputation. The way he played in Miami this year would seem a red flag. As for the second part of your question, no, the only time you can take a player in trade without sending a like amount back in salary is when you are under the salary cap. Case in point: Last year on draft day, Golden State shipped Jason Richardson to Charlotte for the No. 8 pick in the draft, Brandan Wright, because the Bobcats were about $20 million under the cap and could absorb all of Richardson’s huge contract. Teams over the cap have to trade salaries within 125 percent of each other. So – and this is rough math here – if the Pistons were to trade for a player who makes about $5 million, they’d have to ship back a player making somewhere between $4 million and $6 million, give or take a few hundred thousand.
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Ammar (Farmington, Mich.): What happened to Will Blalock? Didn’t we draft him like two years ago? Does he still have a chance to be part of the Pistons in the future?
Langlois: The Pistons didn’t pick up their option on Blalock after the 2006-07 season. He played in Europe for part of the season last year, then finished up in the NBA D-League. The Pistons do not have any claim to his rights, but they’re free to negotiate a contract with him, as are all 29 other NBA teams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike (Hazel Park, Mich.): What is Jason Maxiell’s salary, what about the biannual exception and how much can we use this year to a sign a free agent?
Langlois: Maxiell is scheduled to earn a little less than $2 million this season. The biannual exception allows teams that are over the salary cap to sign a free agent every other year for about $2 million a season. The Pistons, as all teams who are over the cap, can use their mid-level exception to sign a player. The MLE was just set last week at $5.58 million for the first year of a multiyear deal. So the Pistons have all of that to use and also have the right to use the biannual exception, plus veteran’s minimum contracts if Lindsey Hunter and Theo Ratliff express the desire to play another season.
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Jason (Tallahassee, Fla.): I know Joe Dumars is trying to get somebody else’s best player, but wouldn’t it make more sense to just go after a team’s best bench players? If Houston is trying to make a run for it, I would think they would want a guy like Chauncey. But instead of Tracy McGrady, how about Shane Battier and Bobby Jackson?
Langlois: Battier came within in a minute per game of playing more than both McGrady and Yao Ming a year ago, so he’s not a bench player. He gives Houston many of the same things Tayshaun Prince gives the Pistons, but to have those two sharing the position would be a pretty big luxury. If the Pistons are going to dangle Chauncey Billups, you’d have to think they’d want more than someone who could job share. As for Jackson, nice player, but getting up there in age and he’s been brittle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walt (Oak Park, Mich.): I read recently that Mr. Davidson sold his NHL franchise, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Is he planning on selling the Pistons and Shock, too?
Langlois: Not a chance. When I interviewed him a year ago and we began talking about how the value of NBA franchises has escalated since he paid about $6 million or so for the Pistons in 1974, he said it didn’t matter how much the franchise was worth today because he was never going to sell it, anyway. He’s also said a plan for succession of ownership is in place, as well, to keep it within the family. The decision to sell the Lightning came from a variety of factors. An interested ownership group approached them, for one. The fact Mr. Davidson wasn’t getting down to Florida very frequently any more made it easier. And I think there was also some concern that the NHL’s finances didn’t get fixed to a sufficient degree even after the lockout of a few years ago.
THURSDAY, July 17
Shamir (Tel Aviv, Israel): The Nuggets just gave Marcus Camby up for basically nothing. I know he’s 34 and has a monster contract to absorb, but don’t you think if the Pistons would have brought him on board they would have instantly become major contenders? Plus, Amir, Jason and Cheikh would have someone to learn from.
Langlois: But the Pistons could not have done the deal that the Clippers made. Because Elton Brand left the Clippers, they were operating well below the salary cap and could absorb Camby’s big contract without having to give up a similar amount in return. The Pistons would have had to have been about $10 million or so under the cap to have been in position to do that deal. A number of other Mailbag questioners wondered if Denver did the Camby deal as a precursor to another trade, perhaps the long-rumored one involving Carmelo Anthony and the Pistons. I think the Camby deal was strictly about getting a big contract off the books. The Nuggets were deep into luxury tax territory last year, meaning that removing a $10 million contract is actually a $20 million savings for Denver – in addition to not having to pay Camby, the Nuggets won’t have to send a matching amount to the league for being above the luxury tax limit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth (Washington, D.C.): Amir Johnson has played pretty poorly throughout the Summer League against competition you would expect him to dominate. So how do you see his play translating to the regular season? And the way the Pistons collapsed about the Bucks in the fourth quarter, is that a reflection of Michael Curry’s coaching?
Langlois: He’s not played poorly, Kenneth. He hasn’t put up big numbers, but I’m not sure the Pistons threw the ball to him in the low post and told him to go to work more than once or twice in their first three Summer League games. He was extraordinarily active defensively. New assistant coach Darrell Walker told me that after he saw Johnson for a few days, he told Joe Dumars that Johnson was the type of player who did things defensively that aren’t reflected in the box score, beyond the blocked shots and steals, things like trapping guards and recovering in time to take away passing lanes to his man, harassing the point guard in the backcourt to chew up some of the 24-second clock, getting his hands on loose balls, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James (Canberra, Australia): I’m wondering if Rip Hamilton is almost guaranteed of staying considering Michael Curry said that Arron Afflalo would be the backup shooting guard next year.
Langlois: I wouldn’t read too much into that, James. Curry was just talking from the standpoint of the roster he has at his disposal right now. Curry is perfectly willing to coach whatever roster Joe Dumars gives him when the season rolls around. But his mind-set right now, until told differently, is that he has all hands on deck – Hamilton, Billups, Wallace, McDyess and Prince included. But I’ve said all along that I believe Hamilton is the least likely of the core group to be dealt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex (Grand Rapids, Mich.): What do you think of the idea of the Pistons developing Walter Sharpe as Prince’s backup instead of signing a swing man out of free agency? Are there any legitimate free agents left the Pistons would be interested in? Also, do you think the Tracy McGrady rumor has any legs on it after Stephen A. Smith stated that McGrady told him he had some interest in Detroit?
Langlois: Sharpe has given the Pistons some signs that he might be ready for a limited role as Prince’s backup, but I don’t know if they’d feel confident enough going forward with him as their first option at small forward off the bench. The question will be do they think they can cobble together a backup small forward between Sharpe, Arron Afflalo and somebody else, say, Walter Herrmann, should they re-sign him as a free agent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borat (Auburn Hills, Mich.): Do you have any more info on the supposed trade offer of Chauncey Billups for Andris Biedrins? I actually think it would be a good move for Detroit.
Langlois: I think it makes more sense on the surface for Golden State, which is badly in need of a point guard. I don’t buy the line of thinking that Billups wouldn’t be a good fit for Don Nelson’s system. He’s one of the top handful of point guards in the league. If Nelson would reject Billups based on fit for his system, then he really ought to consider tinkering with his system. The Pistons, unless they would have had another move ready to go, wouldn’t seem to have a glaring need for Biedrins, though, I’ll admit, a 22-year-old big man with his ability to affect games with his defense and rebounding would be tempting.
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Jessie (Houston): Trent Plaisted has been impressive on the defensive end thus far in the Summer League and seems to have a very high basketball IQ although he has been very quiet on the offensive end. He had a few post moves at BYU. How would you evaluate Trent’s game at the next level?
Langlois: I’m working on a story on Plaisted now, Jessie. I talked to him the other day in Las Vegas and he said he knows he needs to work on his mid-range game. Michael Curry has been effusive in his praise of Plaisted, especially his ability to defend the pick and roll, which has become the single most important play in the NBA – and the single most important play to defend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyndsey (Lake Orion, Mich.): If Joe Dumars is unable to move one of the core players because he can’t get a top player in return, do you think it could create the “chip on their shoulders” mentality in the veterans, who once again might see it as not being “wanted” and go back to trying to prove people wrong?
Langlois: Interesting theory, Lyndsey, but my hunch is they’d see it as Dumars still valuing them highly enough to not want to deal them for what he’s being offered. I suppose if one player knows that a particular team turned down a certain deal, he might want to prove something to that particular team. I don’t put much stock in artificial motivation and that’s what that seems like more than anything.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I know everyone will think I’m an idiot, but I would consider trading for Ron Artest. There has never been a question about his talent and intensity, just his sanity. The night of the brawl – I was there – he was easily the best player on either team. The only question is if he can avoid going psycho. I’m pretty sure you could trade Tayshaun for him even up if the salaries work. He has more upside than the other deals being bandied about.
Langlois: And way more downside, too. For all of Artest’s ability, bad things seem to happen to teams he joins. Even if the brawl had happened anywhere else, I’d have a hard time seeing Joe Dumars rolling the dice on Artest when he’s dealing from the position of having won 59 games last season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt (Windsor, Ontario): I was looking at Jarvis Hayes’ profile and it said last season he signed a four-year contract with the Pistons. So how was he a free agent? Did he have a player option or something?
Langlois: Not sure where you were looking, Matt, but that was bad information. Hayes signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal with the Pistons last August. He just signed with New Jersey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shawn (Garden Grove, Calif.): Do you think the Pistons will try to sign Matt Barnes?
Langlois: I’ve not heard his name linked to the Pistons, Shawn. He’s an interesting player who would be attractive to any team at the right price. For whatever reason, Barnes hasn’t been getting much play, at least not on the surface.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jose (Detroit): Who are the Pistons targeting now that Maggette, Brand and Davis are off the board?
Langlois: Your question implies that they ever targeted any of those three guys, which is wrong. Brand and Davis were priced way out of their range – only teams that had more than $10 million in cap room, and there were three or four of them in the entire league, could seriously enter bidding for them – and so was Maggette as soon as Golden State stepped forward with a $10 million-a-year deal. The Pistons are waiting for the market to cool. There was no free agent out there willing to sign for the MLE or below who could start for them, and they weren’t going to pay starter’s money to players whose talents indicated they would be playing relatively insignificant roles for them. That might make fans impatient, but how would they feel next summer if, for instance, Rip Hamilton opts out of his contract and the Pistons can’t enter the bidding for him because they’d committed $6 million in 2009-10 salary to a backup small forward?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh (Walled Lake, Mich.): If you look around the Eastern Conference, it seems like it’s getting stronger with Elton Brand coming to Philadelphia, Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto and Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee. Do you think the Pistons’ main focus is to bring in a premier scorer and, if so, who would you like to see come to Detroit?
Langlois: No question, Josh, Philadelphia and Toronto have put themselves in great position to be major players in the East. Those two, plus the Pistons, Boston, Cleveland and Orlando give the East a top six that is going to match up much better next season with the top six in the West than the last few years. As for what the focus of the Pistons will be, Joe Dumars has said his preference is to bring in someone who is an impact player at either end of the floor. Offensive impact players are more numerous than defensive impact players, so I guess a 20-point per game scorer is more likely to be added than a Ben Wallace, circa 2005-level defender. But Dumars really is looking more for the right fit at the right price.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): If the Pistons don’t make a trade, that still leaves them with a need at backup small forward. I’d be happy seeing Walter Herrmann back. Do you know if they’ve considered Ricky Davis at all? He’s a huge character risk, but that guy can flat-out score. Also, I’m not sure of the rules on trades. Would the Pistons have to trade a player to get one back or could they trade for a guy who makes around the same as they could spend on a free agent? I know Portland is looking to ship out either Travis Outlaw or Martell Webster and Milwaukee is probably looking to dump Desmond Mason since they got Jefferson and Alexander. Could the Pistons trade some of their extra draft picks for one of those guys?
Langlois: Haven’t heard much on Walter Herrmann for a while, but I didn’t expect to – unless he signs with a European team, he’s one of those guys whose status won’t be determined until teams make their more significant moves. Remember, the Pistons didn’t sign Jarvis Hayes last year until the middle of August. Davis? On the surface, he doesn’t seem like the type of player the Pistons would seek, but they might know him differently than his reputation. The way he played in Miami this year would seem a red flag. As for the second part of your question, no, the only time you can take a player in trade without sending a like amount back in salary is when you are under the salary cap. Case in point: Last year on draft day, Golden State shipped Jason Richardson to Charlotte for the No. 8 pick in the draft, Brandan Wright, because the Bobcats were about $20 million under the cap and could absorb all of Richardson’s huge contract. Teams over the cap have to trade salaries within 125 percent of each other. So – and this is rough math here – if the Pistons were to trade for a player who makes about $5 million, they’d have to ship back a player making somewhere between $4 million and $6 million, give or take a few hundred thousand.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ammar (Farmington, Mich.): What happened to Will Blalock? Didn’t we draft him like two years ago? Does he still have a chance to be part of the Pistons in the future?
Langlois: The Pistons didn’t pick up their option on Blalock after the 2006-07 season. He played in Europe for part of the season last year, then finished up in the NBA D-League. The Pistons do not have any claim to his rights, but they’re free to negotiate a contract with him, as are all 29 other NBA teams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike (Hazel Park, Mich.): What is Jason Maxiell’s salary, what about the biannual exception and how much can we use this year to a sign a free agent?
Langlois: Maxiell is scheduled to earn a little less than $2 million this season. The biannual exception allows teams that are over the salary cap to sign a free agent every other year for about $2 million a season. The Pistons, as all teams who are over the cap, can use their mid-level exception to sign a player. The MLE was just set last week at $5.58 million for the first year of a multiyear deal. So the Pistons have all of that to use and also have the right to use the biannual exception, plus veteran’s minimum contracts if Lindsey Hunter and Theo Ratliff express the desire to play another season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason (Tallahassee, Fla.): I know Joe Dumars is trying to get somebody else’s best player, but wouldn’t it make more sense to just go after a team’s best bench players? If Houston is trying to make a run for it, I would think they would want a guy like Chauncey. But instead of Tracy McGrady, how about Shane Battier and Bobby Jackson?
Langlois: Battier came within in a minute per game of playing more than both McGrady and Yao Ming a year ago, so he’s not a bench player. He gives Houston many of the same things Tayshaun Prince gives the Pistons, but to have those two sharing the position would be a pretty big luxury. If the Pistons are going to dangle Chauncey Billups, you’d have to think they’d want more than someone who could job share. As for Jackson, nice player, but getting up there in age and he’s been brittle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walt (Oak Park, Mich.): I read recently that Mr. Davidson sold his NHL franchise, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Is he planning on selling the Pistons and Shock, too?
Langlois: Not a chance. When I interviewed him a year ago and we began talking about how the value of NBA franchises has escalated since he paid about $6 million or so for the Pistons in 1974, he said it didn’t matter how much the franchise was worth today because he was never going to sell it, anyway. He’s also said a plan for succession of ownership is in place, as well, to keep it within the family. The decision to sell the Lightning came from a variety of factors. An interested ownership group approached them, for one. The fact Mr. Davidson wasn’t getting down to Florida very frequently any more made it easier. And I think there was also some concern that the NHL’s finances didn’t get fixed to a sufficient degree even after the lockout of a few years ago.