At the 5 spot, Langlois makes a case for Nazr

[luniz]

Is there really any realistic chance of Nazr regaining the starting job or is that just more of yall's copious wishful thinking?

[WTFchris]

Assuming no more moves, he has a chance. I don't think they want to start Dyess. I assume that the preseason will detirmine whether they will start Nazr, Dyess or Max. I'm hopeing for Max myself with Sheed at center.

[Glenn]

WARNING: PROPAGANDA!!

Center of the Storm

by Keith Langlois
Thursday, July 19, 2007

Pistons fans are delighted that Chauncey Billups and Amir Johnson didn’t leave as free agents. They’re enthused about the glowing reports of Rodney Stuckey’s performance in the Las Vegas Summer League. And they’re intrigued by the arrival of 7-footer Cheick Samb a year ahead of schedule.

But if there’s one thing that has them vexed, it’s the identity of opening night’s starting center – particularly if it turns out to be Nazr Mohammed.

The hand-wringing is disproportionate to the consequences no matter how the question gets answered – whether it’s Mohammed back in the middle, whether he’s traded for his eventual replacement or whether he’s relegated to the end of the bench again by the re-signing of Chris Webber.

It would be a big deal if this were the NBA of 25 years ago, maybe. But it isn’t. So put a cold towel on your forehead, pop a few Tylenol and get off your feet. We’re going to talk you down from the ledge on this one.

First things first. You can’t think conventionally. Forget the artificial dividing line between “starters” and “reserves.” It’s almost meaningless. Manu Ginobili comes off the bench in San Antonio. But he’ll play 30 minutes a night and be there at the end of every important game.

The Pistons have someone almost like that in Antonio McDyess. He won’t play that many minutes and he won’t affect as many games to the degree Ginobili does, but chances are he’ll be on the floor when close games end more often than whoever starts at center. Chances are he’ll be one of the Pistons’ five best players many nights. And if he’s not, it’ll probably be because Stuckey or Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson nosed him out.

That there’s still enormous cachet associated with being a starter in the NBA is a testament to conditioning and to the league’s marketing acumen. Pregame player introductions have risen to the level of high theater, nowhere more so than The Palace where Mason holds a crowd like quite no one else.

But my guess is the Pistons’ starting center is going to be asked to hold his own for about 20 minutes a game. Twenty minutes out of 240 available. That’s … what? About 8 percent?

It doesn’t mean his role is inconsequential, but put it in perspective. Every team the Pistons play is going to rely on someone – or several someones – of Mohammed’s capability or less in greater roles than he’ll assume.

In the salary-cap NBA, every team has flaws it tries to mask. If Nazr Mohammed proves to be the Pistons’ biggest flaw while giving them eight points and six boards in 20 minutes a night – the numbers he essentially gave them last year as the starter – then, trust me, it’s going to be a pretty good season around here.

I’d contend that the Pistons’ far bigger void last season was the lack of any reliable perimeter depth. Too often Chauncey Billups would sit for four minutes and a game would turn. After Flip Murray played his way out of the rotation, Carlos Delfino became the backup to both Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince almost by default. Delfino would be pretty good one night and pretty invisible the next. Rodney Stuckey is going to make a huge difference in that regard next season and Arron Afflalo – because the Pistons know he’ll at the very least show up defensively every night – will help, too.

As for center, my best guess is that Mohammed comes back to the Pistons and that – given the way the roster is shaping up – there just isn’t going to be the room or the need for both him and Webber.

All else being equal, maybe the Pistons would prefer Webber. (Though Webber’s age, his injury history and the dip in his play from mid-March and beyond present a case for the opposing view.)

But all else isn’t equal. The Pistons are obligated to pay Mohammed about $25 million over the next four years. Webber is a free agent. If someone offered the Pistons a comparable player who would suit a need – say, a veteran small forward to back up Tayshaun Prince who could stretch a team defensively – then, sure, trade Mohammed and sign Webber to a low-risk, low-cost contract that still keeps the Pistons under the luxury tax.

Failing that, Nazr Mohammed is the opening night starter, in all likelihood. Now let’s recall what that entailed last year over the first 36 games, before Webber arrived. The Pistons were 21-15 in those games. Until his numbers dipped over the last eight games of that stretch, Mohammed was averaging 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20 minutes a night and playing respectable defense.

And there were complications. McDyess played miserably in November and December. Had he been the McDyess of January and beyond – after the old leather ball was reintroduced – the record would have been better and Mohammed wouldn’t have suffered by comparison.

There was also the huge adjustment period the whole team was experiencing in not having Ben Wallace as the last line of defense. Those 70 points in the paint the Pistons gave up against Milwaukee to start the season were only Mohammed’s fault if you expected him to be Big Ben – and no one did.

He gave the Pistons pretty much what they expected when he was a part of the rotation – 20 minutes, eight points, six boards. It’s about what you get from a mid-level exception big man, the slot the Pistons used to sign him as a free agent in July 2006. The adjustment of Mohammed to a new team, the adjustment of him to them, the dislocation of playing without their defensive security blanket, the early sputtering of McDyess – all those things conspired to chip away at the perception of Nazr Mohammed early in the season.

There’s also this: The way Mohammed handled what had to be a demoralizing situation for him – all of Pistons Nation rejoicing in Webber’s addition while he languished at the end of the bench, going from starter to DNP-CD most nights – resonated with his teammates, the coaching staff and the front office. Even through the playoffs, when it was clear he wasn’t going to be used, Mohammed was always one of the last to leave the gym, getting in extra practice time and then hitting the aerobics machines.

Now look at the picture going forward. The Pistons want to keep Rasheed Wallace’s minutes to around 30. Pencil McDyess in for right around 20. That’s 50. And it leaves 48 minutes to carve up at the two interior positions among the starting center, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson – the two young players Joe Dumars vows will be given opportunities to crack the rotation.

If Maxiell and Johnson split 25 to 30 minutes a night, that leaves 18 to 23 for the starting center – right in the range of expectation the Pistons have for the position. And that doesn’t include the possibility of Tayshaun Prince spending a few minutes at power forward, the odds of which go up as the NBA trend toward small ball continues.

So let’s review:

--The Pistons were hardly drowning last year with Nazr Mohammed as their starting center.

--His output was in line with expectations and his contract.

--Factors beyond Mohammed’s control were at work in shaping largely negative perceptions of him while he was in the lineup.

--His grace in handling a situation that would have soured 90 percent of his peers leaves the door wide open for his reintegration.

--Even if he doesn’t give the Pistons more than the eight points and six boards in 20 minutes he gave them last year, that’s still better than most teams are going to get from a guy who, in effect, is seventh or eighth in the pecking order of influencing a game’s outcome.

Put another way, if Nazr Mohammed as their starting center is the Pistons’ biggest worry going into the season, there are probably 28 NBA teams that would trade places with them. There, now. Isn’t that better than dangling out there on that ledge?

[Joe Asberry]

lets trade Nazr, Flip and a 2nd round pick for Turkoglu, then sign Cweb for the minimum! get it done Joe!

[WTFchris]

Good read, I agree with him. While I'd like to move Nazr, if Max and/or Amir can provide 25-30 minutes of solid play a night we'll be fine with Nazr for 20. He wasn't horrible, he just didn't provide the impact Ben had and our bench was no better than the year before. That magnified the situation.

[Black Dynamite]

Shitty read since it doesnt shed any light to the fact that we were nothing in middle with Nazr on defense. Did Flip help him write that? average on offense, atrocious on defense is what bothered me about nazr. No beef with nazr, but unless rasheed plays like tim duncan, we wont be the least bit threatening to the gilbert arenas, dwayne wade, lebron james slashers in the east.

[Uncle Mxy]

It's the fouls, pure and simple. He fouls enough to the point that he negates his positive impact on the court. It was sad that CWebb was an improvement on D.

[Black Dynamite]

if we dont sign another big guy its maxiell/amir or bust. Kudos to Joe for taking that chance if he does(even if some here will whine that its the budget forcing his hand).

Also i'mma lay off Joe when it comes to budgeting. i still hate his guts for keeping Flip. But After watching the suns make their money dump of interior idiocy, I'm glad his moves arent completely ignorant. whether work or not, they've been well thought.

[darkobetterthanmelo]

Play Nazr his minutes, end the game with Dyess.
I'm just looking for an opportunity to post my all time favorite pistons quote.

“When I’m young, I play football with my friends,” Samb said after a recent workout at the Pistons’ Auburn Hills practice facility. “And one day, every people, when I’m going out, saying to me, ‘Hey, you big. You have to play basketball.’ And I say, ‘Why I have to play basketball?’ I do try. I like basketball.”

[Black Dynamite]

Play Nazr his minutes, end the game with Dyess.
I'm just looking for an opportunity to post my all time favorite pistons quote.

Already did that, I didnt like the results which included but not limited to:

1.) Nazr bitching that as a starter he deserves more minutes.

2.) His inconsistent play coming back.

3.) Him blaming his inconsistent play, fouls, and bad defense on how many minutes he didnt get as if we are supposed to allow him to hack and shoot his way out of trouble. No thanks.

I think the fact that the last time we solely depended on Nazr was so long ago works in his favor with people here. But I remember why I didnt like him and I know that he wont be much different this year.


Also we overpaid him. He did not live up to his pay on defense and hacked way too much imo.