Glenn
08-04-2008, 12:37 PM
:langlois:
MONDAY, August 4, 2008
Jason (Detroit): I think the Pistons should have gone after Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson. They both want a ring and Iverson is not the second-best player on Denver – he is just playing in the shadow of Carmelo Anthony. We would have a shot-blocker and a scorer that would go well with Rip.
Langlois: The Pistons would also have another $30 million on the payroll. I’m not sure how you propose the Pistons should have added those two players and their weighty contracts to the roster, but as a team – like almost every other – over the salary cap, they would have had to trade a like amount away in salary. So to add Camby and Iverson would have meant, theoretically, dumping Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince. Do you really like that trade? The Clippers were able to take Camby off of Denver’s hands for nothing because they were temporarily way under the salary cap after Elton Brand jilted them in free agency.
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Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): I enjoyed your Summer League article on Cheikh Samb. Michael Curry was quoted as saying Samb would get some regular-season minutes. I’m sure he said that before the Kwame Brown signing. Has the plan for Samb changed since then?
Langlois: Brown’s addition crowds the frontcourt, Kevin. I don’t think it was done with a concrete next move in mind. Rather, I think he became a value too good to pass up as other teams spent their money and a young, athletic big man was still on the market. The addition of Brown most directly affects Theo Ratliff, I would think. With Walter Herrmann now on board and Lindsey Hunter still likely to return, that fills out the roster. If the Pistons start the regular season with Wallace, McDyess, Maxiell, Johnson, Samb and Brown, they’ll have five players ahead of Samb in the rotation – but had Ratliff signed instead of Brown, they still would have had five players ahead of him. Curry said he wanted to look for opportunities to use Samb. It will be up to Samb, from the start of training camp, to give Curry further reason to consider him for anything more than that.
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Adam (Harrison Twp., Mich.): Quality, not quantity. That should have been Joe D’s motto in the draft. When he made the trade with Seattle involving D.J. White, I was furious. I love D.J. White. I think he could have been the next Tim Duncan. Can you tell me what Joe was thinking?
Langlois: I can tell you what he said that night – that he, too, liked White, but felt that ultimately he was too close in style to Jason Maxiell, another undersized power forward. I think White will be a solid pro who someday – and perhaps as early as this season – forces his way into someone’s rotation. But Tim Duncan? That’s a looong stretch.
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Ray (Troy, Mich.): During the off-season, Jarvis Hayes became a free agent and signed with the Nets in July. How does Joe Dumars feel about that and who is going to replace him?
Langlois: The Pistons didn’t express interest in retaining Hayes. They liked him well enough, but the nights when he brought something to the table offensively became too sporadic to cover for his lack of one-on-one defensive ability, a weakness that became glaringly exposed in the playoffs when he quickly fell out of the rotation. Who replaces him? I think Rodney Stuckey’s emergence is going to play a big role. Stuckey won’t be playing small forward, but the 30 minutes or so a game he figures to demand will mean Rip Hamilton will spend some minutes playing small forward this season – Hamilton’s been surprisingly effective defending players like LeBron James and Andre Igoudala. Also, Arron Afflalo, Walter Herrmann and rookie Walter Sharpe will have their chance to fight for the 10 or 15 minutes that might be available.
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Aaron (Three Rivers, Mich.): Why does everyone freak out because the Pistons haven’t made a big deal yet? Since Joe Dumars has been around, haven’t we learned one thing? He is good at what he does. Fans should sit back and relax. Let Dumars do his job.
Langlois: Well put, Aaron. The fact that it’s August and nothing dramatic has happened over the summer shouldn’t be cause for alarm. If the worst-case scenario is that the Pistons go to training camp with the roster as it stands now, that’s still pretty good. You’re talking about a 59-win team with room for internal growth that pushed the eventual NBA champions pretty good in the conference finals and has reason to believe the change in coaches will energize the veterans. There’s also the reality that the trade deadline is almost seven full months away. That gives Dumars a very wide window of possibility.
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Crafty (Las Colinas, Texas): You are optimistic to a fault, but even you have to see the obvious issue with our leader for wasting the team’s time and money on Kwame Brown. I want to explode just thinking about that move. I wish Joe Dumars would stop trying to find a cheap diamond in the rough and just flat-out go and get a really good, proven player.
Langlois: Because he didn’t live up to being the No. 1 pick in the draft, Kwame Brown is viewed as a crushing disappointment. But for $4 million a year over two years he represents great value. Not sure why that signing would cause you to explode. The Pistons got him for less than the average NBA player will earn next season and they anticipate him assuming a role in line with that salary. They’re not asking him to carry them to an NBA title and they’re not selling the move to fans that way. Why would you ever want the chief executive of the team you follow to stop trying to find undervalued talent? That’s how championships are won. Yeah, Boston is the reigning champ partly because the Celtics were able to take advantage of Minnesota’s desperation to add Kevin Garnett, but also because Danny Ainge found great value late in the first round to draft Rajon Rondo and picked up an undervalued veteran, James Posey, after last summer’s first wave of free agency left him in a situation where he was forced to accept a below-market contract – much like Kwame Brown did last week.
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Sasha (Grand Ledge, Mich.): I recently found a link on the NBA site in which Paul Pierce firmly said he was the best player in the world. I think it’s garbage, but I was wondering what you think?
Langlois: If it’s fantasy world and they give me a franchise and I get to pick my roster from scratch, he wouldn’t be my first choice. But Pierce is good enough that on any given night, he could be the best player on the floor, no matter who else is out there. He’s a top 20 talent, maybe a top 10 talent, and anybody that good should believe he’s the best player out there.
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Garrett (Lansing, Mich.): Take a look at the Team USA roster. Tayshaun Prince is playing with some of the very best players in the league. Are we seriously underrating this guy by that much? His name comes up time after time in trade rumors. The truth is his outstanding defense, steady offense and all-around feel for the game make him one of the elite young players in basketball. Why doesn’t it seem like this guy is recognized that way around the league?
Langlois: The fact USA Basketball committed one of its 12 roster spots to him says a lot of very knowledgeable and influential people in basketball do see him just that way, Garrett. The Pistons are a little like the Beatles in that each one of them has a significant following that likes their guy best and Prince surely has his share of Pistons fans who wear his jersey above all others. But I do get the sense that Prince is more deeply appreciated elsewhere than here sometimes. As I’ve written before, because Prince has played in so many big games in his six years – getting to the conference finals every season of his NBA career – his every imperfection or mediocre game is magnified and made more memorable. But every GM in the league worth his salt would want to have Prince on his side.
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Matt (Sterling Heights, Mich.): What is the chance that Rodney Stuckey will be on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team?
Langlois: Hard to project at this point, Matt, but the fact he was picked for the U.S. Select Team proves he’s already in the mix. You would have to expect that Chris Paul and Deron Williams – if they’re healthy and express the desire to continue playing internationally – will be on that team. Stuckey is probably at the front of the next group to be considered. How he progresses over the next few seasons compared to players like Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo will be closely monitored.
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Richard (Salt Lake City): Walter signs! Now we have a team to go to war with. What do you think about that, Keith?
Langlois: The Pistons now lead the league in Walters – Herrmann and Sharpe. As I’ve said, I believe the guy who’ll get more minutes than anyone besides Tayshaun Prince at small forward for the Pistons next season could be Rip Hamilton. But I am curious to see more of Herrmann, as well. I think the Pistons wanted to get a better look at him last season but they were committed to Jarvis Hayes and wanted to keep his confidence propped up, believing Hayes would eventually blossom into a consistently reliable bench scoring option. But when Hayes proved a defensive liability, the Pistons cut the cord with him and now have the opportunity to let Herrmann fully audition for an expanded role.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goktug (Istanbul, Turkey): Is there any chance the Pistons might go for a sign-and-trade for Ben Gordon?
Langlois: I’d never say never, Goktug, but I see that one as a real long shot. First, Gordon is asking for the moon. As explosive as he can be as a scorer – truly, one of the likeliest guys to get you 20 in a quarter as there is – he’s streaky and doesn’t do anything else to help you win. He’s also an undersized defender which doesn’t fit the mold of what Joe Dumars has stocked his backcourt with in the past.
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Monica (South Bend, Ind.): I think the Kwame Brown acquisition was a good move despite fan criticism. That kid came out of high school and was abused by Michael Jordan, then went to the Lakers and was abused by Kobe Bryant. I don’t think he was ever properly developed to be a pro.
Langlois: By most accounts, Brown’s had maturity and motivational issues, but no one believes he’s a bad seed. You raise a good point – competitors like Jordan and Bryant would have had little patience for talented players who seem to coast. But Brown comes here with a clean slate and he’ll find an environment conducive to bringing out whatever he has to offer here. I think the reality of how his free agency played out, too, will sink in for him. Brown knows his career is at a crossroads – play well in Detroit and he could get a major contract next summer. Squander this opportunity and he could be looking for a series of veteran’s minimum deals.
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Bill (Grand Blanc, Mich.): What do you see Kwame Brown’s role as and do you see the Pistons doing a trade of any kind?
Langlois: Brown’s role will depend on many things, but none more than on Brown himself. If he comes to camp in great shape and works hard and produces, it’s conceivable he could convince Michael Curry that he belongs in the starting lineup pulling down 30 minutes a game. If he doesn’t hit the ground running in October, he could find himself buried as the No. 5 big man flirting with a string of DNP-CDs. I don’t have any indication that there’s anything close to fruition on the trade market right now, Bill, but that can change on any day with one phone call. Remember, there are GMs all over the league who aren’t wholly satisfied with their rosters who know that Joe Dumars is willing to talk.
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Christian (Saint Clair, Mich.): Do you think we signed Kwame Brown so we could trade Amir and Tayshaun for Josh Smith?
Langlois: As I’ve said, I don’t think Kwame Brown was signed as the first step in anything else. He just represented great value at that price and he gives both Joe Dumars and Michael Curry tremendous flexibility – Dumars as he goes to the trade table, Curry as he assembles a rotation if no other changes take place. By the way, I’ve heard it suggested Brown was signed so he could be packaged in trade. Maybe, but Brown can’t be traded until Dec. 15 at the earliest. Draft picks can be traded 30 days after signing a contract – that, supposedly, is why the Ron Artest to Houston deal can’t be announced until the middle of the month, as the deal involves rookie Donte Green going to Sacramento – but veterans can’t be dealt until three months after signing a contract or Dec. 15, whichever comes last. So even though Brown’s three-month window will open in late October, the Dec. 15 deadline will take precedence.
MONDAY, August 4, 2008
Jason (Detroit): I think the Pistons should have gone after Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson. They both want a ring and Iverson is not the second-best player on Denver – he is just playing in the shadow of Carmelo Anthony. We would have a shot-blocker and a scorer that would go well with Rip.
Langlois: The Pistons would also have another $30 million on the payroll. I’m not sure how you propose the Pistons should have added those two players and their weighty contracts to the roster, but as a team – like almost every other – over the salary cap, they would have had to trade a like amount away in salary. So to add Camby and Iverson would have meant, theoretically, dumping Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince. Do you really like that trade? The Clippers were able to take Camby off of Denver’s hands for nothing because they were temporarily way under the salary cap after Elton Brand jilted them in free agency.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): I enjoyed your Summer League article on Cheikh Samb. Michael Curry was quoted as saying Samb would get some regular-season minutes. I’m sure he said that before the Kwame Brown signing. Has the plan for Samb changed since then?
Langlois: Brown’s addition crowds the frontcourt, Kevin. I don’t think it was done with a concrete next move in mind. Rather, I think he became a value too good to pass up as other teams spent their money and a young, athletic big man was still on the market. The addition of Brown most directly affects Theo Ratliff, I would think. With Walter Herrmann now on board and Lindsey Hunter still likely to return, that fills out the roster. If the Pistons start the regular season with Wallace, McDyess, Maxiell, Johnson, Samb and Brown, they’ll have five players ahead of Samb in the rotation – but had Ratliff signed instead of Brown, they still would have had five players ahead of him. Curry said he wanted to look for opportunities to use Samb. It will be up to Samb, from the start of training camp, to give Curry further reason to consider him for anything more than that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adam (Harrison Twp., Mich.): Quality, not quantity. That should have been Joe D’s motto in the draft. When he made the trade with Seattle involving D.J. White, I was furious. I love D.J. White. I think he could have been the next Tim Duncan. Can you tell me what Joe was thinking?
Langlois: I can tell you what he said that night – that he, too, liked White, but felt that ultimately he was too close in style to Jason Maxiell, another undersized power forward. I think White will be a solid pro who someday – and perhaps as early as this season – forces his way into someone’s rotation. But Tim Duncan? That’s a looong stretch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray (Troy, Mich.): During the off-season, Jarvis Hayes became a free agent and signed with the Nets in July. How does Joe Dumars feel about that and who is going to replace him?
Langlois: The Pistons didn’t express interest in retaining Hayes. They liked him well enough, but the nights when he brought something to the table offensively became too sporadic to cover for his lack of one-on-one defensive ability, a weakness that became glaringly exposed in the playoffs when he quickly fell out of the rotation. Who replaces him? I think Rodney Stuckey’s emergence is going to play a big role. Stuckey won’t be playing small forward, but the 30 minutes or so a game he figures to demand will mean Rip Hamilton will spend some minutes playing small forward this season – Hamilton’s been surprisingly effective defending players like LeBron James and Andre Igoudala. Also, Arron Afflalo, Walter Herrmann and rookie Walter Sharpe will have their chance to fight for the 10 or 15 minutes that might be available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron (Three Rivers, Mich.): Why does everyone freak out because the Pistons haven’t made a big deal yet? Since Joe Dumars has been around, haven’t we learned one thing? He is good at what he does. Fans should sit back and relax. Let Dumars do his job.
Langlois: Well put, Aaron. The fact that it’s August and nothing dramatic has happened over the summer shouldn’t be cause for alarm. If the worst-case scenario is that the Pistons go to training camp with the roster as it stands now, that’s still pretty good. You’re talking about a 59-win team with room for internal growth that pushed the eventual NBA champions pretty good in the conference finals and has reason to believe the change in coaches will energize the veterans. There’s also the reality that the trade deadline is almost seven full months away. That gives Dumars a very wide window of possibility.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crafty (Las Colinas, Texas): You are optimistic to a fault, but even you have to see the obvious issue with our leader for wasting the team’s time and money on Kwame Brown. I want to explode just thinking about that move. I wish Joe Dumars would stop trying to find a cheap diamond in the rough and just flat-out go and get a really good, proven player.
Langlois: Because he didn’t live up to being the No. 1 pick in the draft, Kwame Brown is viewed as a crushing disappointment. But for $4 million a year over two years he represents great value. Not sure why that signing would cause you to explode. The Pistons got him for less than the average NBA player will earn next season and they anticipate him assuming a role in line with that salary. They’re not asking him to carry them to an NBA title and they’re not selling the move to fans that way. Why would you ever want the chief executive of the team you follow to stop trying to find undervalued talent? That’s how championships are won. Yeah, Boston is the reigning champ partly because the Celtics were able to take advantage of Minnesota’s desperation to add Kevin Garnett, but also because Danny Ainge found great value late in the first round to draft Rajon Rondo and picked up an undervalued veteran, James Posey, after last summer’s first wave of free agency left him in a situation where he was forced to accept a below-market contract – much like Kwame Brown did last week.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sasha (Grand Ledge, Mich.): I recently found a link on the NBA site in which Paul Pierce firmly said he was the best player in the world. I think it’s garbage, but I was wondering what you think?
Langlois: If it’s fantasy world and they give me a franchise and I get to pick my roster from scratch, he wouldn’t be my first choice. But Pierce is good enough that on any given night, he could be the best player on the floor, no matter who else is out there. He’s a top 20 talent, maybe a top 10 talent, and anybody that good should believe he’s the best player out there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garrett (Lansing, Mich.): Take a look at the Team USA roster. Tayshaun Prince is playing with some of the very best players in the league. Are we seriously underrating this guy by that much? His name comes up time after time in trade rumors. The truth is his outstanding defense, steady offense and all-around feel for the game make him one of the elite young players in basketball. Why doesn’t it seem like this guy is recognized that way around the league?
Langlois: The fact USA Basketball committed one of its 12 roster spots to him says a lot of very knowledgeable and influential people in basketball do see him just that way, Garrett. The Pistons are a little like the Beatles in that each one of them has a significant following that likes their guy best and Prince surely has his share of Pistons fans who wear his jersey above all others. But I do get the sense that Prince is more deeply appreciated elsewhere than here sometimes. As I’ve written before, because Prince has played in so many big games in his six years – getting to the conference finals every season of his NBA career – his every imperfection or mediocre game is magnified and made more memorable. But every GM in the league worth his salt would want to have Prince on his side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt (Sterling Heights, Mich.): What is the chance that Rodney Stuckey will be on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team?
Langlois: Hard to project at this point, Matt, but the fact he was picked for the U.S. Select Team proves he’s already in the mix. You would have to expect that Chris Paul and Deron Williams – if they’re healthy and express the desire to continue playing internationally – will be on that team. Stuckey is probably at the front of the next group to be considered. How he progresses over the next few seasons compared to players like Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo will be closely monitored.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard (Salt Lake City): Walter signs! Now we have a team to go to war with. What do you think about that, Keith?
Langlois: The Pistons now lead the league in Walters – Herrmann and Sharpe. As I’ve said, I believe the guy who’ll get more minutes than anyone besides Tayshaun Prince at small forward for the Pistons next season could be Rip Hamilton. But I am curious to see more of Herrmann, as well. I think the Pistons wanted to get a better look at him last season but they were committed to Jarvis Hayes and wanted to keep his confidence propped up, believing Hayes would eventually blossom into a consistently reliable bench scoring option. But when Hayes proved a defensive liability, the Pistons cut the cord with him and now have the opportunity to let Herrmann fully audition for an expanded role.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goktug (Istanbul, Turkey): Is there any chance the Pistons might go for a sign-and-trade for Ben Gordon?
Langlois: I’d never say never, Goktug, but I see that one as a real long shot. First, Gordon is asking for the moon. As explosive as he can be as a scorer – truly, one of the likeliest guys to get you 20 in a quarter as there is – he’s streaky and doesn’t do anything else to help you win. He’s also an undersized defender which doesn’t fit the mold of what Joe Dumars has stocked his backcourt with in the past.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monica (South Bend, Ind.): I think the Kwame Brown acquisition was a good move despite fan criticism. That kid came out of high school and was abused by Michael Jordan, then went to the Lakers and was abused by Kobe Bryant. I don’t think he was ever properly developed to be a pro.
Langlois: By most accounts, Brown’s had maturity and motivational issues, but no one believes he’s a bad seed. You raise a good point – competitors like Jordan and Bryant would have had little patience for talented players who seem to coast. But Brown comes here with a clean slate and he’ll find an environment conducive to bringing out whatever he has to offer here. I think the reality of how his free agency played out, too, will sink in for him. Brown knows his career is at a crossroads – play well in Detroit and he could get a major contract next summer. Squander this opportunity and he could be looking for a series of veteran’s minimum deals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill (Grand Blanc, Mich.): What do you see Kwame Brown’s role as and do you see the Pistons doing a trade of any kind?
Langlois: Brown’s role will depend on many things, but none more than on Brown himself. If he comes to camp in great shape and works hard and produces, it’s conceivable he could convince Michael Curry that he belongs in the starting lineup pulling down 30 minutes a game. If he doesn’t hit the ground running in October, he could find himself buried as the No. 5 big man flirting with a string of DNP-CDs. I don’t have any indication that there’s anything close to fruition on the trade market right now, Bill, but that can change on any day with one phone call. Remember, there are GMs all over the league who aren’t wholly satisfied with their rosters who know that Joe Dumars is willing to talk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian (Saint Clair, Mich.): Do you think we signed Kwame Brown so we could trade Amir and Tayshaun for Josh Smith?
Langlois: As I’ve said, I don’t think Kwame Brown was signed as the first step in anything else. He just represented great value at that price and he gives both Joe Dumars and Michael Curry tremendous flexibility – Dumars as he goes to the trade table, Curry as he assembles a rotation if no other changes take place. By the way, I’ve heard it suggested Brown was signed so he could be packaged in trade. Maybe, but Brown can’t be traded until Dec. 15 at the earliest. Draft picks can be traded 30 days after signing a contract – that, supposedly, is why the Ron Artest to Houston deal can’t be announced until the middle of the month, as the deal involves rookie Donte Green going to Sacramento – but veterans can’t be dealt until three months after signing a contract or Dec. 15, whichever comes last. So even though Brown’s three-month window will open in late October, the Dec. 15 deadline will take precedence.