Joe D: "We just aren't making shots"

[Glenn]

Kstat's head explodes.

Nobody Asked Me, But ...

Any chance Joe Dumars wishes he had that cap room back?

"No," Dumars e-mailed Sunday, and what could he say, really? But Dumars used the room he got from Allen Iverson's expiring contract to give $55 million to Ben Gordon and $37 million to Charlie Villanueva last summer, and that's locked in his team in for the foreseeable future. And that team has lost 12 straight games, including Saturday's horrifying effort at home against the equally woeful 76ers -- when Detroit trailed by 26 in the first half. It's the Pistons' longest losing streak in more than 15 years.

Dumars could have rolled that cap room over until this summer and made Detroit a player for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, et. al. But he chose to strike last summer, when there were a lot fewer potential competitors -- but fewer impact free agents as well. The Pistons didn't waste any time snatching Gordon from Chicago and Villanueva from Milwaukee, and added Chris Wilcox, Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace as well before training camp.

For six weeks, the Pistons withstood injuries to Gordon, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, hanging around .500 with contributions from the likes of Rodney Stuckey, guard Will Bynum and rookie forward Jonas Jerebko. Wallace also stepped into the Wayback Machine for a minute, looking more like circa 2003 Ben than the 35-year-old version. But Detroit hit a wall before Christmas. The Pistons aren't just losing, they're getting drilled, losing nine of the 12 straight by 10 points or more. What used to be one of the most reliable sellout crowds in the league is a distant memory; The Palace of Auburn Hills is a mausoleum many nights.

What's most surprising is that the Pistons aren't scoring. They're next to last in the league in points per game, averaging just more than 91 per game.

"We just aren't making shots," Dumars said. "Transitioning from a championship contender to a team that's rebuilding is aways tough."

First-year coach John Kuester is safe ("I really like Q and he's doing a good job," Dumars wrote), but coaches lit into the players after Saturday's debacle, asking how long the team is going to accept its fate. Many around the league think it's just a matter of days before Dumars pulls the trigger and moves Hamilton or Prince, the two still-viable pieces from the '04 title team, for an impact big man. Dumars says he won't make a trade just to shake things up. But something has to change.

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1

[WTFchris]

He wouldn't say he wants the space back even if he thinks it. That would be a huge knock on CV and BG.

[Varsity]

Hamilton has to go- we have a ridiculous glut of guards that like to shoot- he's the oldest and might bring the most value. Would we actually get a decent big man for him or are we looking more like Tyson Chandler types? (a guy with a injury/contract that not a lot of people want)

[Pharaoh]

IF we got Chandler for RIP I'd be over the moon.

Chandler's contract expires when Tay's does so we'd be looking at a lot of cap space.

What we fucking do with that space might bring me crashing back to Earth but at least I'd have hope for a season and a bit lol

[Zekyl]

Hamilton isn't going to have a ton of value, at this point. He's getting old and he just signed that big extension last season. For a team that has a PG that's got solid court vision, he's fantastic, but he can't make things happen on his own. He's got to have someone looking to get him the ball. That keeps him from being an ideal fit on quite a few teams.

[UxKa]

I'd like to make a ton of money to just not make shots. Seems like a cushy gig.