Glenn
07-24-2008, 03:51 PM
:langlois:
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008
It wasn’t the snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night … it was the Tracy McGrady rumors! After delivering Mailbag faithfully twice every week since the starting of the October 2006 training camp, we’re taking a one-week hiatus. The next Mailbag will be posted on August 4.
Mike (Los Angeles): How long does a team retain the rights to a drafted player before they have to sign him or lose him and how can a team retain the rights to a player they send overseas?
Langlois: For the first part of your question, Mike, it depends where the player was drafted. First-year picks have guaranteed deals for two years. But the team that drafted the player can ensure his rights for the third year by extending him a qualifying offer by Oct. 31 of the start of his second season and, likewise, can do the same thing the following year to ensure his rights for the fourth year. (Golden State did not exercise the option on Patrick O’Bryant last October, for instance, which made him a free agent who signed with Boston recently.) If a team exercises both options, then after the player’s fourth year he can become a restricted free agent. That’s where the Pistons are at now with Jason Maxiell, entering his fourth season. They probably will negotiate a contract extension at some point, but if not Maxiell would play in 2009-10 for roughly $2.8 million and then become an unrestricted free agent. That’s also where several NBA players entering their fourth seasons are at – Emeka Okafor, Andre Igoudala, Ben Gordon, Josh Smith and Josh Childress, who just signed to play in Europe. They’re restricted free agents this summer, but if they come back for a fifth season on the qualifying offers, then they become unrestricted free agents next summer. There are no rules for second-round picks. Teams can sign them for however long they choose. It used to be that when that first contract expired, second-rounders would become unrestricted free agents and, unless they had been with the team for three years or longer, the team would not have that player’s Bird rights and, therefore, could not exceed the salary cap to sign him. That’s how Golden State and the Pistons, for two relevant examples, lost Gilbert Arenas and Mehmet Okur after their second seasons. Teams that had sufficient cap space could sign them to offer sheets that their teams did not have the ability to match if they were over the salary cap. That loophole was closed in the collective bargaining agreement struck in 2005. That’s why Amir Johnson became a restricted free agent in 2007, as opposed to unrestricted. The Pistons will face a similar situation after the coming season with Cheikh Samb. An NBA team will continue to hold rights to a player who plays internationally for as long as it chooses to do so. In effect, the clock stops ticking when a player goes elsewhere. That’s why the threats of disgruntled Cleveland players Sasha Vujacic and Anderson Varejao to play overseas didn’t give them much leverage last fall. They would have been facing the same situation had they come back to the NBA this fall. Whenever Childress decides to return to the NBA, he will again be a restricted free agent and Atlanta will have the right to match offers.
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Renae (Atlanta, Ga.): Does Joe Dumars listen to and consider feedback and input on trades, player movement, etc., from fans? If so, I have an earful for him.
Langlois: You and a few million others on every continent, Renae. While he appreciates the interest in and passion for the Pistons, he has to trust his own judgment and those of the people he hires to advise him. Those people devote their entire professional lives to watching hundreds of games and viewing thousands of hours of tape every year to evaluate personnel. They poke around on their own to learn as much as they can about what players are like off the court and in the locker room to build a catalog of information they bring to the table with them every day as they discuss possible personnel moves internally and explore them externally. Fans are armed with a fraction of that knowledge. There’s also the reality of the collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap that go a long way toward dictating personnel moves, the intricacies of which elude the vast majority of fans. So, bottom line, any NBA general manager or president who puts much stock in fans’ wishes on trade issues isn’t destined to keep his job for long.
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Josh (Chicago): T-Mac? No, please not T-Mac! This is one trade rumor that will not go away. But it should. An injury-prone, egomaniacal superstar will not bring the Pistons to the championship. Not to mention that as far as superstar swingmen go, T-Mac is probably only the third or fourth best in the league. Giving away both Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince is way too much for T-Mac.
Langlois: It’s been about two weeks since the McGrady rumor surfaced and about 13 days since sources in both cities flatly denied anything was imminent. It won’t go away only because fans keep reacting to the original story, which came out of Toronto and never appeared to have a very solid foundation. Toronto? Why? Because McGrady began his NBA career there 11 years ago and there’s probably someone there who knows someone who once knew his agent? The two sides talked in June, it appears, but that’s one of many conversations Joe Dumars has had since the season ended – and he would have had a number of exploratory conversations even if he hadn’t publicly declared his intention to shake up the roster. Is it possible the Pistons and Houston talk again? Sure. It’s even possible something eventually gets done. But, as of now, it’s no more likely than a dozen other scenarios.
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Rik (Pasadena, Calif.): Why not try a sign-and-trade for Andre Igoudala? He’s exactly what the Pistons need – a big, scoring small forward who can guard guys like Pierce, James and Marion and take pressure off of the older guys like Rip or Billups.
Langlois: The way Philly’s lineup shapes up, I think Igoudala is destined to spend most of his minutes at shooting guard next season with Thaddeus Young sliding to his natural small forward position to make room for Elton Brand at power forward. It’s possible Philly could be persuaded to do a sign-and-trade for Igoudala, who turned down a $57 million contract extension before last season began. What would it cost the Pistons? Given the hole at shooting guard, Philly would probably ask for Rip Hamilton. Do you still like the prospect of adding Igoudala?
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Ma’ayan (Natanya, Israel): Do you think Walter Sharpe is good enough to be a backup for Tayshaun Prince?
Langlois: I think Sharpe showed enough in Las Vegas that the Pistons won’t be forced into any desperate bids to land a veteran at that position. I don’t know that they’d want to commit to Sharpe as the clear No. 2 backup to Prince just yet, but Sharpe showed that his limited background might mean his learning curve will be accelerated as he adapts to the pace of the NBA game. He’s very skilled and his size gives him matchup advantages at that position. It would probably be unreasonable to expect Sharpe to be able to defend scoring small forwards at this point, but who knows where he’ll be by next February?
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Cedric (Detroit): I propose two trades. The first is the one that’s been talked about – Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince for Tracy McGrady. The second is Rasheed Wallace for Zach Randolph, which would give us the low-post presence we need.
Langlois: Donnie Walsh would propel a rickshaw himself from New York to deliver Zach Randolph if it meant getting the $48 million remaining over the next three seasons on Randolph’s contract off the books. Randolph is viewed very skeptically around the league – tremendous talent, but not regarded as a guy with a burning desire to win and seen as a negative locker-room influence. Dumars generally prefers guys who have check marks in all three of those categories, not just one. That said, a lineup of Stuckey, McGrady, Hamilton, Randolph and McDyess would be potent offensively, less so defensively. The Knicks would definitely need to sweeten the deal with draft picks. I think Walsh is more inclined to hang on to Randolph this year and deal him next summer – or at the February trade deadline – when his contract will only have two years to run and not be quite the albatross it is today.
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Fredrick (Detroit): If the Tracy McGrady trade were to happen, it would take both Detroit and Houston back a step. McGrady has been injury prone and Detroit can’t afford injuries and Houston would lose a star player they need because Yao can’t lead a team by himself.
Langlois: If the trade were to involve just the three players mentioned most prominently – McGrady on Houston’s side, Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups’ on Detroit’s – then I’d be pretty surprised if the Rockets wouldn’t be extremely tempted to act. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a worthwhile gamble on Detroit’s part, but the risk would be more on Detroit than on Houston. The Rockets would be getting two extremely durable stars in exchange for a player with a spotty health record. They’d also be getting two players with enormous playoff experience, the value of which is hard to overstate in a Western Conference field where every edge must be considered.
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Ben (Plumpton, Australia): T-Mac said he would like to go to Detroit. Why are we not doing anything about it?
Langlois: He said Detroit would be an acceptable destination if the Rockets decided to move him, but he’s Houston’s property. There’s not a lot the Pistons can do beyond talk to Rockets management, which they’ve admitted has taken place.
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Tony (Sterling Heights, Mich.): With the recent free-agent signings by teams like the Clippers and 76ers, what is the likelihood the Pistons can make a serious push to acquire Josh Smith via a sign-and-trade agreement with the Hawks?
Langlois: Don’t know. Things are very unclear in Atlanta. They have a new GM in Rick Sund who spent one year in a quasi-mentoring role for Joe Dumars before Joe D took over as Pistons president in June 2000, but Sund’s hands might be tied in doing long-term deals that commit major money by an uncertain ownership situation. It’s conceivable the Hawks would be tempted by a deal involving Rasheed Wallace, whose contract comes off the books after next season. But Wallace remains a very key piece of the puzzle for the Pistons, too, for his defense and tremendous all-around feel for the game. Even though Smith’s future is tantalizing, the Pistons would have to weigh that deal very carefully for what it might mean for their chances at competing for titles in the near future. The fact Atlanta has been stunned and embarrassed by Childress’ departure for Europe increases pressure on team management to either keep and appease Smith or get something impressive in return.
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Angelo (Malm, Sweden): I was searching player stats on NBA.com and found that the Pistons last season were not only the best defensive team for 3-pointers but also, more surprisingly to me, the team with the most blocked shots per game. Without a big man like Dwight Howard or Marcus Camby, that’s a very impressive result. The only explanation is that, besides the contributions of young players like Maxiell and Johnson, the perimeter players have done a very good defensive job and allowed the big men to close paths to the basket.
Langlois: Well, close. The Pistons were actually third in the league in blocked shots behind Denver and Phoenix and second in the league in 3-point percentage defense behind Boston. The Pistons were essentially in a tie for first with Dallas for 3-point baskets given up per game, the Pistons giving up 4.99 per game and the Mavs 4.98. Only Dallas and Houston had fewer 3-point attempts taken against them than the Pistons. It kind of puts the lie to the stream of fan complains about the Pistons’ defense since Larry Brown and Ben Wallace left, doesn’t it?
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Joel (Calgary, Alberta): The Pistons should sign a decent defensive small forward who would be willing to come off the bench. That seems like all we need to get through the playoffs against teams with a good small forward. With our veterans and developing bench, a championship would almost be inevitable.
Langlois: I think teams that do business in the Eastern Conference have to be cognizant of LeBron James’ presence. Not that the Cavs are the measuring stick, but James is such a force that unless you have multiple defensive options, your team is going to be vulnerable against Cleveland in the playoffs. But there are a lot of elements that must be in place before a championship becomes “inevitable.” And I’m not sure there was anyone out there in free agency so defensively proficient that he would have given Joe Dumars and Michael Curry restful nights thinking they had the likes of James, Paul Pierce and Andre Igoudala solved.
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Marcus (Richmond, Va.): Do you think the Pistons have any shot at a sign and trade for Josh Smith? If so, I think the Pistons should give up Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson and draft picks. What do you think?
Langlois: They’d have more than a shot if they brought that offer to the table, Marcus. Joe Dumars would have to swallow awfully hard to part not only with Prince but Amir Johnson, too – never mind the draft picks. But there’s another equally important element to the deal – how big will the contract be? Five years and $50 million is one thing, but five years and $80 million is another.
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Jesse (Livonia, Mich.): There have been recent rumors about the Pistons’ interest in Josh Smith. If a sign and trade might not be possible, could the Pistons sign him to their full mid-level exception of approximately $6 million and backloading the contract so it averages the $10 million to $12 million a year he’s looking for?
Langlois: No. Can’t do it that way. Raises are limited to 8 percent per year if a team signs someone else’s free agent and 10.5 percent per year for their own free agents. So if the Pistons signed Smith for the full mid-level exception – because he’d be another team’s free agent – he’d get a five-year deal for a little less than $33 million. But even if Smith were inclined to accept a contract that understates his value by half, roughly, the Pistons still wouldn’t get him. Because Atlanta would be thrilled to match that offer and retain him at below-market rates. It would be crazy for Smith to do that. The worst-case scenario for Smith is to sign Atlanta’s one-year qualifying offer, play out next season for roughly $3.2 million and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer at 23, when some team might be inclined to throw a maximum contract at him.
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Jake (Atlanta): I’ve been reading your blog and message boards and I’m really confused why fans think Josh Smith would be worth Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson. Smith is an amazing athlete but really lacks polish. He is turnover prone and can kill offensive flow with terrible shot selection. Smith was great against Boston in the playoffs but I question whether he could maintain that intensity for two, three or four playoff series, let alone two, three or four years. Prince is an Olympian, for goodness sake. While your readers probably wouldn’t believe it, I don’t think there’s a team in the league that wouldn’t salivate to get Prince and the various things he brings to the court.
Langlois: Your comments take me to a larger point, Jake. If you could erase the memory of the Cleveland 2007 series and, to a lesser degree, the Boston 2008 series, Prince would be wildly celebrated by Pistons fans. Given a tough role – always asked to guard elite scorers and only occasionally used as a primary scoring option – he’s thrived to the point where he’s on the fringe of All-Star status. But because he’s had unprecedented playoff exposure – no one’s played more postseason games in his first six seasons on NBA history – his imperfections are more widely known than most. A player like Smith – young, unbelievably athletic, big numbers on his resume – whom fans see a couple of times a year doesn’t have those warts revealed. To get a full understanding of Smith, fans would need to watch in detail every game he played over the course of a month or so. Most Pistons fans know Josh Smith from the spectacular dunks and blocks that show up on the top 10 plays on “SportsCenter.” They don’t see the bad shots and effort and concentration lapses that have the Hawks privately wondering just how high they’re willing to go should Smith bring back an imposing contract offer as a restricted free agent. Thanks for the reality check as an Atlantan, Jake.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): I’ve heard rumors that Theo Ratliff and Lindsey Hunter are both thinking about returning for one more season. I think that would be fantastic because they’re both difference makers at the defensive end for short stretches. With Will Bynum being singed, though, does that make Lindsey’s return unlikely? I sure hope both of those guys are Pistons for one final season.
Langlois: I think it’s more likely than not that both players return, Kevin, but I don’t think either one has come to an ironclad decision just yet. And the Pistons are OK with that. It gives them roster flexibility in case something else develops and it makes it more certain that those players will reach the right decision if they let it play out until closer to training camp to see what their bodies and spirits are telling them about another year’s commitment. I don’t believe Hunter’s decision will have much, if any, bearing on Bynum’s chances to stick, or Bynum’s signing, if it occurs, will have a significant impact on Hunter’s decision. The Pistons will use Hunter, if he returns, much as they used him last year – meaning he’ll be inactive most nights, but there as an insurance policy and a potent defensive weapon for the postseason. I would also expect that Ratliff will be used more selectively this year with Amir Johnson likely clearly jumping ahead of him into the No. 4 spot in the big man rotation, or even challenging Jason Maxiell at No. 3. It’s even possible Cheikh Samb noses his way into the No. 5 spot intermittently.
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Mark (Dewitt, Mich.): With all the talk about free agency and trades, I haven’t heard anything about Antonio McDyess.
Langlois: Not much to hear, Mark. McDyess has two years left on his contract, has said he would seriously consider retirement rather than starting over in another city and is appreciated by management. It’s very unlikely McDyess would be traded.
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Byron (Detroit): I was just wondering if we could get Josh Childress without having to give up any of the five starters. He would be a great fit backing up Tayshaun Prince along with Walter Sharpe.
Langlois: Childress is a restricted free agent who just signed to play in Europe. The Pistons could only have offered him the mid-level exception and then hoped Atlanta didn’t match, but if you’re going to give somebody that kind of money – five years and about $33 million – the economics of the game pretty much demand that he be a starter. You can’t commit that type of contract to a player who isn’t going to play 30 minutes a game – and unless the Pistons have another move certain to drop that would clear space for him, they just wouldn’t have had the 30 minutes a game for Childress.
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Alec (Detroit): You said in the previous Mailbag that you don’t think teams number their scoring options. It seems to me some consideration has to go to scoring options when teams are put together. If, for example, the Pistons traded Tayshaun Prince for a more established scorer, wouldn’t Joe Dumars have to consider that one or more of his established players, maybe Hamilton or Billups, would get fewer shots to accommodate the new scorer and find the best balance?
Langlois: I meant that nobody sits down and actually designates somebody as first scoring option, second scoring option, etc. It develops as players’ abilities reveal themselves and then the playbook evolves to take advantage of those abilities. If Tayshaun Prince had spent the first six years of his career playing elsewhere, chances are he would be that “more established scorer” you’re talking about. In games where the Pistons were missing one of their other starters last year, Prince’s offensive numbers were markedly improved from games in which all five starters were in the lineup. Now, if the Pistons were to stick LeBron James into the lineup at small forward, I would expect he’d be their leading scorer and the playbook would be altered to make sure the ball was in his hands on 95 percent of possessions.
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008
It wasn’t the snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night … it was the Tracy McGrady rumors! After delivering Mailbag faithfully twice every week since the starting of the October 2006 training camp, we’re taking a one-week hiatus. The next Mailbag will be posted on August 4.
Mike (Los Angeles): How long does a team retain the rights to a drafted player before they have to sign him or lose him and how can a team retain the rights to a player they send overseas?
Langlois: For the first part of your question, Mike, it depends where the player was drafted. First-year picks have guaranteed deals for two years. But the team that drafted the player can ensure his rights for the third year by extending him a qualifying offer by Oct. 31 of the start of his second season and, likewise, can do the same thing the following year to ensure his rights for the fourth year. (Golden State did not exercise the option on Patrick O’Bryant last October, for instance, which made him a free agent who signed with Boston recently.) If a team exercises both options, then after the player’s fourth year he can become a restricted free agent. That’s where the Pistons are at now with Jason Maxiell, entering his fourth season. They probably will negotiate a contract extension at some point, but if not Maxiell would play in 2009-10 for roughly $2.8 million and then become an unrestricted free agent. That’s also where several NBA players entering their fourth seasons are at – Emeka Okafor, Andre Igoudala, Ben Gordon, Josh Smith and Josh Childress, who just signed to play in Europe. They’re restricted free agents this summer, but if they come back for a fifth season on the qualifying offers, then they become unrestricted free agents next summer. There are no rules for second-round picks. Teams can sign them for however long they choose. It used to be that when that first contract expired, second-rounders would become unrestricted free agents and, unless they had been with the team for three years or longer, the team would not have that player’s Bird rights and, therefore, could not exceed the salary cap to sign him. That’s how Golden State and the Pistons, for two relevant examples, lost Gilbert Arenas and Mehmet Okur after their second seasons. Teams that had sufficient cap space could sign them to offer sheets that their teams did not have the ability to match if they were over the salary cap. That loophole was closed in the collective bargaining agreement struck in 2005. That’s why Amir Johnson became a restricted free agent in 2007, as opposed to unrestricted. The Pistons will face a similar situation after the coming season with Cheikh Samb. An NBA team will continue to hold rights to a player who plays internationally for as long as it chooses to do so. In effect, the clock stops ticking when a player goes elsewhere. That’s why the threats of disgruntled Cleveland players Sasha Vujacic and Anderson Varejao to play overseas didn’t give them much leverage last fall. They would have been facing the same situation had they come back to the NBA this fall. Whenever Childress decides to return to the NBA, he will again be a restricted free agent and Atlanta will have the right to match offers.
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Renae (Atlanta, Ga.): Does Joe Dumars listen to and consider feedback and input on trades, player movement, etc., from fans? If so, I have an earful for him.
Langlois: You and a few million others on every continent, Renae. While he appreciates the interest in and passion for the Pistons, he has to trust his own judgment and those of the people he hires to advise him. Those people devote their entire professional lives to watching hundreds of games and viewing thousands of hours of tape every year to evaluate personnel. They poke around on their own to learn as much as they can about what players are like off the court and in the locker room to build a catalog of information they bring to the table with them every day as they discuss possible personnel moves internally and explore them externally. Fans are armed with a fraction of that knowledge. There’s also the reality of the collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap that go a long way toward dictating personnel moves, the intricacies of which elude the vast majority of fans. So, bottom line, any NBA general manager or president who puts much stock in fans’ wishes on trade issues isn’t destined to keep his job for long.
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Josh (Chicago): T-Mac? No, please not T-Mac! This is one trade rumor that will not go away. But it should. An injury-prone, egomaniacal superstar will not bring the Pistons to the championship. Not to mention that as far as superstar swingmen go, T-Mac is probably only the third or fourth best in the league. Giving away both Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince is way too much for T-Mac.
Langlois: It’s been about two weeks since the McGrady rumor surfaced and about 13 days since sources in both cities flatly denied anything was imminent. It won’t go away only because fans keep reacting to the original story, which came out of Toronto and never appeared to have a very solid foundation. Toronto? Why? Because McGrady began his NBA career there 11 years ago and there’s probably someone there who knows someone who once knew his agent? The two sides talked in June, it appears, but that’s one of many conversations Joe Dumars has had since the season ended – and he would have had a number of exploratory conversations even if he hadn’t publicly declared his intention to shake up the roster. Is it possible the Pistons and Houston talk again? Sure. It’s even possible something eventually gets done. But, as of now, it’s no more likely than a dozen other scenarios.
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Rik (Pasadena, Calif.): Why not try a sign-and-trade for Andre Igoudala? He’s exactly what the Pistons need – a big, scoring small forward who can guard guys like Pierce, James and Marion and take pressure off of the older guys like Rip or Billups.
Langlois: The way Philly’s lineup shapes up, I think Igoudala is destined to spend most of his minutes at shooting guard next season with Thaddeus Young sliding to his natural small forward position to make room for Elton Brand at power forward. It’s possible Philly could be persuaded to do a sign-and-trade for Igoudala, who turned down a $57 million contract extension before last season began. What would it cost the Pistons? Given the hole at shooting guard, Philly would probably ask for Rip Hamilton. Do you still like the prospect of adding Igoudala?
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Ma’ayan (Natanya, Israel): Do you think Walter Sharpe is good enough to be a backup for Tayshaun Prince?
Langlois: I think Sharpe showed enough in Las Vegas that the Pistons won’t be forced into any desperate bids to land a veteran at that position. I don’t know that they’d want to commit to Sharpe as the clear No. 2 backup to Prince just yet, but Sharpe showed that his limited background might mean his learning curve will be accelerated as he adapts to the pace of the NBA game. He’s very skilled and his size gives him matchup advantages at that position. It would probably be unreasonable to expect Sharpe to be able to defend scoring small forwards at this point, but who knows where he’ll be by next February?
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Cedric (Detroit): I propose two trades. The first is the one that’s been talked about – Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince for Tracy McGrady. The second is Rasheed Wallace for Zach Randolph, which would give us the low-post presence we need.
Langlois: Donnie Walsh would propel a rickshaw himself from New York to deliver Zach Randolph if it meant getting the $48 million remaining over the next three seasons on Randolph’s contract off the books. Randolph is viewed very skeptically around the league – tremendous talent, but not regarded as a guy with a burning desire to win and seen as a negative locker-room influence. Dumars generally prefers guys who have check marks in all three of those categories, not just one. That said, a lineup of Stuckey, McGrady, Hamilton, Randolph and McDyess would be potent offensively, less so defensively. The Knicks would definitely need to sweeten the deal with draft picks. I think Walsh is more inclined to hang on to Randolph this year and deal him next summer – or at the February trade deadline – when his contract will only have two years to run and not be quite the albatross it is today.
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Fredrick (Detroit): If the Tracy McGrady trade were to happen, it would take both Detroit and Houston back a step. McGrady has been injury prone and Detroit can’t afford injuries and Houston would lose a star player they need because Yao can’t lead a team by himself.
Langlois: If the trade were to involve just the three players mentioned most prominently – McGrady on Houston’s side, Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups’ on Detroit’s – then I’d be pretty surprised if the Rockets wouldn’t be extremely tempted to act. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a worthwhile gamble on Detroit’s part, but the risk would be more on Detroit than on Houston. The Rockets would be getting two extremely durable stars in exchange for a player with a spotty health record. They’d also be getting two players with enormous playoff experience, the value of which is hard to overstate in a Western Conference field where every edge must be considered.
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Ben (Plumpton, Australia): T-Mac said he would like to go to Detroit. Why are we not doing anything about it?
Langlois: He said Detroit would be an acceptable destination if the Rockets decided to move him, but he’s Houston’s property. There’s not a lot the Pistons can do beyond talk to Rockets management, which they’ve admitted has taken place.
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Tony (Sterling Heights, Mich.): With the recent free-agent signings by teams like the Clippers and 76ers, what is the likelihood the Pistons can make a serious push to acquire Josh Smith via a sign-and-trade agreement with the Hawks?
Langlois: Don’t know. Things are very unclear in Atlanta. They have a new GM in Rick Sund who spent one year in a quasi-mentoring role for Joe Dumars before Joe D took over as Pistons president in June 2000, but Sund’s hands might be tied in doing long-term deals that commit major money by an uncertain ownership situation. It’s conceivable the Hawks would be tempted by a deal involving Rasheed Wallace, whose contract comes off the books after next season. But Wallace remains a very key piece of the puzzle for the Pistons, too, for his defense and tremendous all-around feel for the game. Even though Smith’s future is tantalizing, the Pistons would have to weigh that deal very carefully for what it might mean for their chances at competing for titles in the near future. The fact Atlanta has been stunned and embarrassed by Childress’ departure for Europe increases pressure on team management to either keep and appease Smith or get something impressive in return.
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Angelo (Malm, Sweden): I was searching player stats on NBA.com and found that the Pistons last season were not only the best defensive team for 3-pointers but also, more surprisingly to me, the team with the most blocked shots per game. Without a big man like Dwight Howard or Marcus Camby, that’s a very impressive result. The only explanation is that, besides the contributions of young players like Maxiell and Johnson, the perimeter players have done a very good defensive job and allowed the big men to close paths to the basket.
Langlois: Well, close. The Pistons were actually third in the league in blocked shots behind Denver and Phoenix and second in the league in 3-point percentage defense behind Boston. The Pistons were essentially in a tie for first with Dallas for 3-point baskets given up per game, the Pistons giving up 4.99 per game and the Mavs 4.98. Only Dallas and Houston had fewer 3-point attempts taken against them than the Pistons. It kind of puts the lie to the stream of fan complains about the Pistons’ defense since Larry Brown and Ben Wallace left, doesn’t it?
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Joel (Calgary, Alberta): The Pistons should sign a decent defensive small forward who would be willing to come off the bench. That seems like all we need to get through the playoffs against teams with a good small forward. With our veterans and developing bench, a championship would almost be inevitable.
Langlois: I think teams that do business in the Eastern Conference have to be cognizant of LeBron James’ presence. Not that the Cavs are the measuring stick, but James is such a force that unless you have multiple defensive options, your team is going to be vulnerable against Cleveland in the playoffs. But there are a lot of elements that must be in place before a championship becomes “inevitable.” And I’m not sure there was anyone out there in free agency so defensively proficient that he would have given Joe Dumars and Michael Curry restful nights thinking they had the likes of James, Paul Pierce and Andre Igoudala solved.
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Marcus (Richmond, Va.): Do you think the Pistons have any shot at a sign and trade for Josh Smith? If so, I think the Pistons should give up Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson and draft picks. What do you think?
Langlois: They’d have more than a shot if they brought that offer to the table, Marcus. Joe Dumars would have to swallow awfully hard to part not only with Prince but Amir Johnson, too – never mind the draft picks. But there’s another equally important element to the deal – how big will the contract be? Five years and $50 million is one thing, but five years and $80 million is another.
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Jesse (Livonia, Mich.): There have been recent rumors about the Pistons’ interest in Josh Smith. If a sign and trade might not be possible, could the Pistons sign him to their full mid-level exception of approximately $6 million and backloading the contract so it averages the $10 million to $12 million a year he’s looking for?
Langlois: No. Can’t do it that way. Raises are limited to 8 percent per year if a team signs someone else’s free agent and 10.5 percent per year for their own free agents. So if the Pistons signed Smith for the full mid-level exception – because he’d be another team’s free agent – he’d get a five-year deal for a little less than $33 million. But even if Smith were inclined to accept a contract that understates his value by half, roughly, the Pistons still wouldn’t get him. Because Atlanta would be thrilled to match that offer and retain him at below-market rates. It would be crazy for Smith to do that. The worst-case scenario for Smith is to sign Atlanta’s one-year qualifying offer, play out next season for roughly $3.2 million and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer at 23, when some team might be inclined to throw a maximum contract at him.
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Jake (Atlanta): I’ve been reading your blog and message boards and I’m really confused why fans think Josh Smith would be worth Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson. Smith is an amazing athlete but really lacks polish. He is turnover prone and can kill offensive flow with terrible shot selection. Smith was great against Boston in the playoffs but I question whether he could maintain that intensity for two, three or four playoff series, let alone two, three or four years. Prince is an Olympian, for goodness sake. While your readers probably wouldn’t believe it, I don’t think there’s a team in the league that wouldn’t salivate to get Prince and the various things he brings to the court.
Langlois: Your comments take me to a larger point, Jake. If you could erase the memory of the Cleveland 2007 series and, to a lesser degree, the Boston 2008 series, Prince would be wildly celebrated by Pistons fans. Given a tough role – always asked to guard elite scorers and only occasionally used as a primary scoring option – he’s thrived to the point where he’s on the fringe of All-Star status. But because he’s had unprecedented playoff exposure – no one’s played more postseason games in his first six seasons on NBA history – his imperfections are more widely known than most. A player like Smith – young, unbelievably athletic, big numbers on his resume – whom fans see a couple of times a year doesn’t have those warts revealed. To get a full understanding of Smith, fans would need to watch in detail every game he played over the course of a month or so. Most Pistons fans know Josh Smith from the spectacular dunks and blocks that show up on the top 10 plays on “SportsCenter.” They don’t see the bad shots and effort and concentration lapses that have the Hawks privately wondering just how high they’re willing to go should Smith bring back an imposing contract offer as a restricted free agent. Thanks for the reality check as an Atlantan, Jake.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): I’ve heard rumors that Theo Ratliff and Lindsey Hunter are both thinking about returning for one more season. I think that would be fantastic because they’re both difference makers at the defensive end for short stretches. With Will Bynum being singed, though, does that make Lindsey’s return unlikely? I sure hope both of those guys are Pistons for one final season.
Langlois: I think it’s more likely than not that both players return, Kevin, but I don’t think either one has come to an ironclad decision just yet. And the Pistons are OK with that. It gives them roster flexibility in case something else develops and it makes it more certain that those players will reach the right decision if they let it play out until closer to training camp to see what their bodies and spirits are telling them about another year’s commitment. I don’t believe Hunter’s decision will have much, if any, bearing on Bynum’s chances to stick, or Bynum’s signing, if it occurs, will have a significant impact on Hunter’s decision. The Pistons will use Hunter, if he returns, much as they used him last year – meaning he’ll be inactive most nights, but there as an insurance policy and a potent defensive weapon for the postseason. I would also expect that Ratliff will be used more selectively this year with Amir Johnson likely clearly jumping ahead of him into the No. 4 spot in the big man rotation, or even challenging Jason Maxiell at No. 3. It’s even possible Cheikh Samb noses his way into the No. 5 spot intermittently.
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Mark (Dewitt, Mich.): With all the talk about free agency and trades, I haven’t heard anything about Antonio McDyess.
Langlois: Not much to hear, Mark. McDyess has two years left on his contract, has said he would seriously consider retirement rather than starting over in another city and is appreciated by management. It’s very unlikely McDyess would be traded.
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Byron (Detroit): I was just wondering if we could get Josh Childress without having to give up any of the five starters. He would be a great fit backing up Tayshaun Prince along with Walter Sharpe.
Langlois: Childress is a restricted free agent who just signed to play in Europe. The Pistons could only have offered him the mid-level exception and then hoped Atlanta didn’t match, but if you’re going to give somebody that kind of money – five years and about $33 million – the economics of the game pretty much demand that he be a starter. You can’t commit that type of contract to a player who isn’t going to play 30 minutes a game – and unless the Pistons have another move certain to drop that would clear space for him, they just wouldn’t have had the 30 minutes a game for Childress.
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Alec (Detroit): You said in the previous Mailbag that you don’t think teams number their scoring options. It seems to me some consideration has to go to scoring options when teams are put together. If, for example, the Pistons traded Tayshaun Prince for a more established scorer, wouldn’t Joe Dumars have to consider that one or more of his established players, maybe Hamilton or Billups, would get fewer shots to accommodate the new scorer and find the best balance?
Langlois: I meant that nobody sits down and actually designates somebody as first scoring option, second scoring option, etc. It develops as players’ abilities reveal themselves and then the playbook evolves to take advantage of those abilities. If Tayshaun Prince had spent the first six years of his career playing elsewhere, chances are he would be that “more established scorer” you’re talking about. In games where the Pistons were missing one of their other starters last year, Prince’s offensive numbers were markedly improved from games in which all five starters were in the lineup. Now, if the Pistons were to stick LeBron James into the lineup at small forward, I would expect he’d be their leading scorer and the playbook would be altered to make sure the ball was in his hands on 95 percent of possessions.