You can always get to it by clicking “Salaries”  on the menu at the top of this site. I will do a better job of updating it in a timely manner.

Trade

Pistons receive:

• Chris Paul (18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 0.2 blocks, 2.1 steals)
• Emeka Okafor (10.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.5 blocks, 0.7 steals)

Hornets receive:

• Tayshaun Prince (13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 steals)
• Rodney Stuckey (16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.4 steals)
• Greg Monroe (16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.2 steals)
• Austin Daye (5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.4 steals)
• Chris Wilcox (4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.4 steals)
• 2012 first-round pick
• 2014 first-round pick
• 2011 Denver Nuggets second-round pick

Salaries

Data from ShamSports.com

Pistons receive:

Hornets receive:

• Player option/ early termination
• Team option
• Qualifying offer

Pistons’ perspective

Yes, just a couple months ago, I penned a post titled, “Pistons have NO chance of trading for Chris Paul.” A lot has changed since then. Mainly, Chris Paul has indicated a desire to leave New Orleans, and Detroit drafted Greg Monroe.

I still think the Pistons landing Paul is an extreme long shot, but let’s look at what it would take.

First off, would New Orleans even trade Paul? Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has the scoop on Paul’s meeting with the Hornets yesterday:

The Hornets are concentrating on Eastern Conference teams as trade partners in the event they decide it isn’t feasible to enter the 2010-11 season with their franchise player wanting out. And despite Monday’s optimistic spin, that is where things are headed, sources say.

Although Berger doesn’t mention the Pistons among the teams the Hornets are eyeing – and Paul didn’t include them on his list – they are in the Eastern Conference. So, that’s a plus.

The first move for Joe Dumars would be calling someone close to Chris Paul – as close as possible, to avoid Paul’s people squashing the idea based on Detroit’s reputation (the city’s, not the team’s) – and see if he would be receptive to joining the Pistons. I think winning is the biggest force behind Paul’s demands (although it may not be the biggest reason those close to him are pushing a trade, too), and Dumars could sell him on the fact that he already put together one championship team.

If Paul wouldn’t be content with a trade to Detroit, that’s the end of it. If he would be, Dumars should call the Hornets.

I think this a competitive offer the Hornets would have to take seriously if they’re actually willing to deal Paul.

Tayshaun Prince is a very good player, and Rodney Stuckey is already solid and still has potential to grow. Plus, both have expiring contracts, which would give New Orleans a lot of flexibility.

Greg Monroe and Austin Daye are talented players with skills in drove, and with a combined seven years left on their rookie contracts, they’re extremely affordable.

Chris Wilcox is 27, but talented enough that many believe he could still find his niche in the league. (For the record, I don’t.) Mostly, he’s there to make the numbers work, but for filler, he’s not bad.

Those two first-round picks could be valuable if Paul doesn’t help the Pistons win any more than he helped New Orleans. Even if he does, two picks are two picks.

Besides acquiring a player with a non-guaranteed contract (like Erick Dampier), this trade would save the Hornets about as much money this year as possible in a trade giving up only Paul and Okafor. And given Okafor’s hefty contract, the savings in future years would be significant, too.

By trading Paul, the Hornets would almost certainly be rebuilding. I doubt anyone will trade someone near Paul’s talent level to get him (meaning nobody like LeBron James, Dwight Howard or Kevin Durant will be on the move). This trade would give New Orleans a lot of young talent, draft picks and cap flexibility to start over.

But trading for Paul is tricky. Not only do you have to give up enough to satisfy the Hornets, you must have enough left to build a competitive team before Paul becomes a free agent in two years. I think this trade would give the Pistons a real shot doing that.

Check out this lineup:

• Paul
• Richard Hamilton/ Ben Gordon
• Jonas Jerebko
• Ben Wallace
• Emeka Okafor

For everyone who says Hamilton needs to play next to a traditional point guard, he’d get one. He and Gordon would be the team’s main scorers, and Paul would certainly help there, too.

The front line would do the dirty work/rebounding/etc. Plus, Paul could get those three their share of easy baskets.

Perhaps best of all, it would be a good group defensively. With a pair of athletic shot blocker in Wallace and Okafor, Hamilton could even play a fair share of his minutes at small forward.

The Pistons would have a solid reserves unit with Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum and the mid-level exception (Josh Howard?).

I think that’s the type of team that could make a run deep into the playoffs. That’s only a ‘could,’ though, and there are long-term questions.

What happens when Wallace retires? Maybe Jerebko could take over that role, but Wallace is a big reason I think that team could do damage. Those would be mighty big shoes to fill.

How big of a burden would Okafor’s contract be? He’s overpaid, no doubt. But he’s still productive and plays a critical position. Obviously, the salary cap has yet to be determined for future seasons (and it’s especially unpredictable given the Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire), but if the new CBA is similar to the current one, I think the Pistons could avoid paying the luxury tax – even with this trade.

How costly will giving up those draft picks be? I designed the offer with 2012 and 2014 picks because those are the years Paul and Okafor will likely be free agents. If there are any years the Pistons would rather have the extra cap room than the picks, it would be those. So, the risk is still there, but I think it’d be hedged a little bit.

And of course, the big question: What if Paul leaves in 2012? That’s the risk I think you take to get a player whom I think has a good shot at becoming the second-best point guard of all time.

Hornets’ perspective

Ryan Schwan of Hornets247.com solicited Chris Paul trade ideas from several TrueHoop Network members and ranked them in reverse order. Guess which offer he listed last – or to be clear, won the competition. Yup, this one.

OK, the Pistons were 1B of the two teams in the “Let’s talk Business” group. The Magic were 1A – on the condition the Hornets could flip Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter. I think that’s much easier said than done, so I’m declaring the Pistons the winner.

Schwan on this offer:

It’s freakish that I’m picking the Pistons offer as one of the best ones.  I didn’t think they’d have enough talent to swing it, honestly.  Still – Monroe fills the hole at center, Prince/Daye fill the hole at the 3, and Stuckey is the perfect combo guard behind Collison and Thornton.  Oh – and since what’s left in Detroit won’t be world-shaking, the picks they are offering should at least still be mid-rounders.

My response

It surprised me, too, that the Pistons could be in position to land Paul. Even if the trade isn’t made, it’s just further evidence Monroe was an excellent draft pick. Without him, Detroit wouldn’t be in the discussion.

I’m not stunned by Schwan’s lack of confidence in a post-trade Pistons team. They’d be far from a sure thing. But like I said above, I think the players would complement each other well

A Hornets partisan believes this offer deserves consideration. That’s a good sign. Dumars, get on the phone.

Verdict

Make no mistake: this trade wouldn’t put the Pistons out of the woods yet. Paul can become a free agent in two years, and whoever acquires him must spend that time convincing him to stay. There is no guarantee the Pistons can do that.

Because they don’t play in a destination city, the Pistons must show Paul they can win a title with him. And even then, it might not be enough.

This trades calls for the Pistons to give up a huge amount of young, affordable talent – plus draft picks and taking Emeka Okafor’s contract. If Paul leaves in two years or decides he doesn’t want to be in Detroit a year from now, the trade could set the Pistons back nearly a decade.

But I think Henry Abbott of TrueHoop said it best:

Here’s a rule of thumb I’ve developed to help you through it: If you’re getting Chris Paul, it’s a good deal.

• Dave Pemberton, The Oakland Press
• Chris Iott, MLive.com/ Booth Newspapers
• Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press
• Jamie Samuelsen, Detroit Free Press
• Keith Langlois, True Blue Pistons
• Eli Zaret, Detroit Pistons
• Patrick Hayes, Full-Court Press
• Justin Rogers, Full-Court Press
• Natalie Sitto, Need4Sheed
• Brian Packey, Detroit Bad Boys
• Kevin Sawyer, Detroit Bad Boys
• Mike Payne, Detroit Bad Boys
• Jesse Murphy, Pistons Nation
• Jon Young, Flagrant2
• Dan Feldman, PistonPowered

I  want to thank everyone listed above for participating. But I don’t want to hear just from them. Please post your answers to the question in the comments.  We can make this an even larger collection of thoughts about the Pistons.

Here’s today’s question:

If you were Joe Dumars, would you be on a one-year plan, two-year plan, three-year plan, etc.? What does your answer mean for this offseason?

Dave Pemberton, The Oakland Press

My top priority this offseason would be to bolster the Pistons frontcourt and help get the team in position to compete for a playoff spot next season. Whether it be in the draft, free agency or a trade, the Pistons have to improve up front. It’s frightening to think how bad Detroit’s frontcourt would have been without Ben Wallace this season.

This all starts with the draft and depending on the pick is likely the best option. Free agency won’t bring anything more than a temporary solution. Signing someone like Brad Miller, Erick Dampier or Brendan Haywood would be an improvement, but not a long-term solution. Bringing back Wallace would be among my plans, but only with a deal similar to the one he had this season.
Re-signing Will Bynum would also be a priority this offseason. Bynum’s a young player that has shown he can provide a nice spark off the bench and fill in as the starting point guard if needed.

Adding young talent this offseason or during next season would be part of my long-term plan because I would be looking to compete for a championship two or three years down the road.

Tayshaun Prince will be an attractive option in trades because of his expiring contract, but I wouldn’t give him away. He’s shown he can still play and with the motivation of getting a new contract could be a nice piece for Detroit next season. I would actively shop other veterans, but make sure I get some value in return.

Chris Iott, MLive.com/ Booth Newspapers

Joe Dumars has to be on an "every-year plan." Championship teams are not built overnight or even an offseason. Dumars has his work cut out for him, but no matter what he does, the Pistons are not going to win the 2010-11 NBA title. The Pistons can make a leap forward and make the playoffs next season, but Dumars will have to make one really good to great move in free agency and via a trade in addition to getting it right when it comes to the draft. But even a perfect offseason will leave another year or two of work to do. This truly is a team in transition.

Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press

I wouldn’t necessarily put a time frame on when the Pistons could return to challenging for a title. I would just treat this season as hitting rock bottom and work from there. If it takes one, two, three or however long, that’s how I would treat it. As for this off-season, without even making a move you are looking at a top-five pick, a high second-rounder and the midlevel exception. That offers the potential for three nice pieces (two of those slots should be big guys). And you assume Rip or Tay will be moved so who knows how many more new players will be around.  I will say this off-season will be huge for the future.

Jamie Samuelsen, Detroit Free Press

It’s impossible to define how long a plan can be. Dumars made it clear last off-season that he wasn’t content to allow for a long rebuild. So he got aggressive and signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to awful contracts. And with the future of the franchise so unclear, I wonder how aggressive Dumars will be allowed to be. But I’m sure he’d love to unload some contracts, so there will be a lot of proposals and phone calls and offers. But in this economy, what team is going to want Rip Hamilton for three more years at 12.6 mil per year? Dumars has had a very good run as the Pistons GM. And I think he deserves the chance to fix this mess. But he did create the mess. And I don’t see many ways out. At least not in the short term.

Keith Langlois, Detroit Pistons

My answer would be that I won’t limit the possibilities for next season but I also won’t do anything that limits the possibilities beyond next season. I think he’d say his intent is to put the Pistons in the best position to win as many games as possible next season without damaging their future beyond that. Get better now, but avoid the quick fix. He’s more likely to trade veterans for younger talent than vice versa, but I don’t think he’d rule out anything that would improve the Pistons now without recklessly endangering their future. As for what will shape his off-season, I think where the May 18 lottery places them will be a big piece of the picture.

Eli Zaret, Detroit Pistons

I think it’ll be at least a 2- if not a 3-year plan. This offseason he’ll get a top 5 pick; will probably try to trade some of his assets that need a change of scenery, like Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince and use his midlevel exception wisely. Billups was a midlevel back in ‘02-’03 and that worked out pretty well.

Patrick Hayes, Full-Court Press

The Pistons aren’t far off. They need what most teams do – a star playmaker, regardless of position. You can’t win in the NBA right now without a guy who can get his own shot on any possession. If the Pistons luck out in the draft and end up with Wall or Turner, then sign a serviceable big for part of the midlevel or make a trade for one, they’ll be a middle of the pack playoff team in the East next year.

This rebuilding project is going to take as long as it takes for the Pistons to get a top two pick in the draft. If that happens this year, they’ll be back soon. If it doesn’t, next year they should be better with improved health, but not significantly enough to become a playoff threat.

Justin Rogers, Full-Court Press

The Pistons are at least two years away, but they can make significant strides this offseason. First and foremost the Pistons can start the turnaround process in the NBA draft.The team is likely to have a top-six-or-seven pick, hopefully top three. Second, Tayshaun Prince’s value is starting to peak again. He’s been fantastic on the last third of the season and he’s entering in the final year of his contract. Dumars should be able to get pretty good value in a trade. Finally, the MLE must be used wisely. Free agency is flooded with superstars, so Dumars should be able to find a bargain on the market. Obviously the goal is to find another player like Billups, a younger player who is hasn’t met their potential, but is willing to work hard. Clearly that’s easier said than done.

Natalie Sitto, Need4Sheed

Right now you want to get better every season. You don’t ever want to be on a two- or three-year plan. You focus around making your team the best you can every season. If it takes three years to make a championship push, so be it, but you need to go all out each year if you think you have the pieces that might work together.

As far as the offseason, Dumars needs size. Kwame Brown is gone, Ben Wallace might retire, and Chris Wilcox was like a ghost all season. That just leaves the undersized Jason Maxiell. If Austin Daye doesn’t go on a weightlifting, eating binge during the summer or gets blasted with whatever Bruce Banner did, the Pistons are in serious trouble.

Dumars also either needs to resign Will Bynum, who will get much more than his $825,000 salary next season, or find a point guard to take his place.

As for the current duo of Tayshaun and Rip, I’m sure he’ll take calls on both. Rip has a difficult contract to move, but Tayshaun’s 12 million will come off the books after the 2011 season, so the Pistons could get someone to make that deal.

Brian Packey, Detroit Bad Boys

Presumably, the Pistons are going to add 2-3 quality talents this off-season with the draft and the MLE. Hopefully, one of those will be the big-man, paint presence the Pistons so desperately need. Of course, whether this year was a result of all the injuries, or a true indication of the talent on this team will also affect Joe’s plan significantly.

Kevin Sawyer, Detroit Bad Boys

I’d look toward 2011-2012. Gordon and Villanueva will still be in their 20s, Stuckey will be hitting his stride, Austin Daye should be a major player and our lottery pick will have a year under his belt. I think Dumars needs to think about what he can do to move Hamilton. If that means moving an asset (like Jerebko, or even a draft pick), I think that he should consider doing so.

That said, economics being what they are, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend a few million toward a playoff push next year.   

Mike Payne, Detroit Bad Boys

Although I’d love to see Joe Dumars turn this ship around in one, two or even three years, I remain pessimistic about the future. The Pistons are locked into some serious contracts with under-performing players and a roster with no real identity. Sadly, my hope for this team’s future is entirely dependent on numbered balls in a lottery machine.

If Detroit winds up with any of the top three picks, the future will again be bright. I like DeMarcus Cousins and Evan Turner a lot more than I like John Wall, and would prefer either going forward. If we draft 4th or beyond, we’ll likely snag a role player and a longer wait for a turn-around.

Should we draft after the top three are taken, and Minnesota nets DeMarcus Cousins, we could find a trade partner in Wolves GM David Kahn. I suggested a trade scenario with Minny back in January, moving Tayshaun and Stuckey for Jefferson and Sessions. If Minnesota drafts Cousins they will most certainly move Jefferson, and Detroit should do whatever it can to bring him to Detroit. A starting line of Sessions, Gordon, Jerebko, Jefferson and Aldrich sounds quite attractive to me (well, any lineup with Jerebko is attractive, of course). Although some may question giving Sessions the keys at the point, he is precisely the kind of rare player that ends up making a GM look brilliant – just like Chauncey did of Dumars many years ago.

Jesse Murphy, Pistons Nation

That’s a tough question because of the salary commitments that Joe has made the past few seasons, see question #2.

Jon Young, Flagrant2

If I was Joe Dumars I would be on a one-year plan.

The Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva contracts look real bad right now, and the chance of shedding them is unlikely. If they could find any team willing to trade an above average big man for Rip I would jump on it.

The offseason depends a lot on the draft. If the Pistons get the #1 pick I think they would get John Wall at point guard and move Stuckey to the 2 guard. That would make trading Rip a lot easier. If they get a big man in the draft they could cut Chucky Atkins and go for a veteran point guard, not even necessary to start but to help run the team and manage the offense (Jason Williams for example).

The Pistons need to find a big man this offseason, preferably one who can shoot the ball maybe a Brad Miller type. The post has been very weak this year. I don’t see any point in resigning Kwame Brown, Chris Wilcox hasn’t done nearly as much as expected and Ben Wallace isn’t going to give you a scoring option. If the Pistons can draft a solid big man and keep Ben Wallace around for defense, the post situation will at the very least upgrade from this year. Tayshaun has been playing good lately and he might be the best option for acquiring a big man through trade, which if you’re Joe Dumars you have to be looking for.

Jonas is most likely going to improve next year, Charlie V has something to prove, and Ben Gordon can’t be any worse than this season. Through the draft, hopefully a trade, and development of the current roster the Pistons should improve in the next few seasons.

Dan Feldman, PistonPowered

I’d be on a one-year plan – almost completely.

I’d still draft the best player available rather than someone with limited upside who’s more apt to contribute right away. And I wouldn’t trade Rodney Stuckey, Jonas Jerebko or Austin Daye for someone much older.

But I’d be willing to trade Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon or Will Bynum for someone with less upside, but who would be better right now.

I’d also go for need over luxury in free agency – not what Joe Dumars did with Ben Gordon last summer.

Dumars isn’t stupid. He knows Gordon plays a similar role to Richard Hamilton. But I think he saw Gordon as the type of special player on whom you don’t pass. (Whether he’s right remains to be seen.)

I’d use the mid-level exception on the big man who can help Detroit most right now – regardless of his age. Luis Scola or Marcus Camby would be ideal, but they’re probably a stretch. Someone like Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem or Drew Gooden would likely make more sense.

The goal should be to get good right away, especially because it will increase the value of the expensive players the Pistons already have. Detroit’s high-priced players are good, but if they play for a loser too long, their value will plummet.

Look at Andre Iguodala, Elton Brandon and Samuel Dalembert in Philadelphia. They’re overpaid, but all three can still play. Their trade value is shot because the 76ers have been so miserable.

On the other hand, check out Rashard Lewis in Orlando or Kenyon Martin in Denver. They’re overpaid and productive, too. But their trade value is much higher than it should be because their teams are so good.

Winning masks a lot of issues, and the Pistons have plenty of those. Winning won’t make the problems completely disappear, but it will make them a lot easier to fix.

Previous

• How good would the Pistons have been this season if they weren’t hit with so many injuries?
• If you had to build a team around a current Piston besides Rodney Stuckey or Jonas Jerebko, whom would it be and why? (Please note if you’d rather build around this player than Stuckey or Jerebko.)
• Rodney Stuckey has been a key part of the Pistons’ long-term plans. Should that status change?

Like with the other questions, please post your answer in the comments. I’d like this roundtable to involve everyone reading, too.

Jonas Jerebko becoming the Pistons’ starting power forward has been a major storyline. But another undersized frontline player’s increased minutes as a result of that move has been overlooked.

That should change now.

Although he played the position at times prior, Jason Maxiell has become Detroit’s primary backup center in its revamped rotation.

In last night’s 93-81 win over the Bucks, Maxiell had 14 points, 10 rebounds and two steals – first double-double of the season. He was also a team-best plus-21.

Chris Wilcox and Kwame Brown have played just a combined 21 minutes in the five games since Jerebko became the starting power forward.

Maxiell has played 74 minutes at center in the span. He’s averaging 9.6 and 7.0 rebounds in 23 minutes per game and making 65 percent of his shots.

With Ben Wallace planted on the bench, Maxiell played the entire fourth quarter at center last night. The Pistons outscored the Bucks, 29-19, in the final frame.

Still, Maxiell has played 36 percent of his minutes at power forward in the last five games, and his plus-minus has been better at that position.

• Power forward: plus-15 in 42 minutes.
• Center: even in 73 minutes.

But Maxiell’s center play is certainly intriguing.

In the short term, he’s easily the Pistons’ best backup center. They’re an extreme long shot for the playoffs, so that probably doesn’t matter. But let’s check it out just in case.

82Games breaks down every Pistons’ production by position through Feb. 3. Here are the plus-minuses per 48 minutes at center for each player who has spent a significant amount of time at the position:

• Ben Wallace: –2.4
• Jason Maxiell: –3.1
• Kwame Brown: –6.8
• Chris Wilcox: –19.5

The long-term possibilities of Maxiell becoming a center are less certain, but they offer a much greater reward.

Until this run, Detroit’s only reliable center had been a 35-year-old Ben Wallace. Wilcox and Brown definitely aren’t long-term answers at the position, either.

I don’t think Maxiell, who will be 27 a week from Thursday, can be a reliable starting center in the NBA. There would just be too many nights he’d be too small.

But if you had to pick a Piston most likely to be in the rotation at position in three years, wouldn’t you have to say Maxiell? You could make a case for Jonas Jerebko, but I think he projects best at small forward.

Joe Dumars has said he wants to use the rest of this season to determine what type of team the Pistons have. I hope he’s keeping a close eye on whether they can be successful with Maxiell as their backup center.

Benching the other backup centers

Jerebko taking his power forward minutes hasn’t been the only reason Maxiell has become the backup center. The other centers on the team have been benched.

This makes a lot of sense with Wilcox. He was given a chance and failed.

But what about Kwame Brown? From Terry Foster of the Detroit News:

"Our biggest concern and I have discussed it with him is defense," Kuester said. "We have to make sure he continually plays the consistent defense that I want to in the scheme. That is pick-and-roll, high pick-and-roll. Just making sure he knows."

If Brown didn’t know, he knows now. That is why he laughed when Kuester’s words were relayed to him.

"Listen, man, I don’t want something to be flared up on what I say," Brown said. "I will do what the coach says in order to get better, although that is a first because there is one thing I do bring to the table and that is defense. That’s the first time I heard that. It’s the first time a coach said I don’t play defense. But like I said, I will learn to play the defense he wants me to play."

This obviously isn’t the only reason Brown hasn’t played much. He’s definitely a better defender than Wilcox, and Wilcox has received a lot more playing time. Foster gives a clue at the reason:

Brown is frustrated and some of that might have flared up during a blowout loss to the Pacers. Kuester summoned Brown into the game but didn’t like how long it took him to get off the bench and decided against using him.

Brown said the incident has been resolved and that he was not angry with Kuester for putting him in during garbage time.

"I have played during 20-point blow-outs. I have come in during the last two minutes of a game," Brown said. "It doesn’t matter. I am paid to play whenever they tell me to. It does not matter to me."

That doesn’t explain why Brown had been stuck on the bench before Friday. Maybe that incident is just an example of an attitude problem. A Ben Wallace quote gives a little more insight. Via Foster:

"Without a doubt he can contribute," Wallace said. "But he got to want it. He’s got to be hungry, man. For me to say you got to do this and do, that’s pointless. You got to want it. Look, man, when you go out there, you got to do what you got to do. If you go out there and are making the same mistakes the starters are making, then you don’t need to be out there."

It’s obvious Brown has the physical ability to play better than he has this year – and his entire career, frankly. If I had a guess, Kuester is trying to motivate Brown to play with more intensity. But I’m not sure Kuester will be the cause if that happens.

His looming free agency might be enough for Brown to get his act together.

Win feels good

The Pistons have won back-to-back games for the first time 24 days. They also picked up their first win in 20 days against a team not on pace to have the worst single-season record of all time.

Credit for new features

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been starting each game review with a couple links at the top. It’s time to come clean.

I completely stole the idea from Royce Young of Daily Thunder. He does a great job, and I definitely recommend following his blog if you want to know about the NBA’s next elite team.

I also added a third link beginning today. Sebastian Pruiti, who runs Nets Are Scorching and NBAPlaybook.com, directed me to PopcornMachine.net. It’s a cool site that tracks how different lineups perform in each game.

More coverage

Check out Jeremy Schmidt’s recap on Bucksketball.

But in all likelihood, they won’t. And I think there’s good reason.

I’m all for making trade that upgrades the team – whether that be short- or long-term. But the odds of that happening are low. Nearly any trade the Pistons could make would involve selling low.

Go through the Pistons’ roster. How many players do you think will be more valuable at this time next year than they are right now?

Charting expected value

Value is determined by two factors: how good a player is and how much he makes. (Age factors into both). So, here’s how I see each factor applying to the Pistons’ trade bait.

• A plus mean a player should be more valuable next year.
• A minus mean a player should be less valuable next year.
• An equal sign means the player should be equally valuable next year.

The Pistons seem intent on building around Rodney Stuckey, so I don’t think he’s tradable. And rookies aren’t traded often, so I didn’t include them, either.

My thinking on the first seven players in the chart:

• Hamilton, Prince, Gordon and Bynum all lost significant time to injury. They have to be better next year, right?
• Hamilton will have one fewer season left on his contract, and Prince’s expiring deal could be quite valuable. On a smaller scale, the same is true with Maxiell and Wilcox’s expiring contract.
• Gordon and Villanueva will each have one few year left on their contracts, but the amount they’re owed per year goes up. Any team that acquires one of them would making a long-term commitment. I’d call that a wash.
• Bynum’s contract is up after this season, and he will be paid more next year, likely by Detroit.

The exceptions

That leaves only two players whose value will likely decrease next year – Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown.

It’s amazing what Wallace is doing at 35. He’d be even more amazing if he’s doing it at 36. His value is probably the highest it will be the rest of his career.

But he came back to play in Detroit. I don’t think he’ll be traded without his permission.

So, the only player I think the Pistons should make a concerted effort to trade is Brown. Many teams need an extra center and an expiring contract, and he would provide both.

Brown hasn’t been in the Pistons’ rotation in a couple months, so I’d guess this is his last year in Detroit. If his contract expires at the end of the season and he signs elsewhere, the Pistons will get nothing in return for him.

Maybe the right deal is out there for Hamilton or Prince – but it’s far more likely Detroit would receive the most value from trading Brown.

Trade

Pistons receive:

• Amar’e Stoudemire (21.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, 0.7 steals)
• Jarron Collins (0.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.0 steals)

Suns receive:

• Charlie Villanueva (13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.7 steals)
• Kwame Brown (3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds,  0.6 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.3 steals)
• Chris Wilcox (4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.4 steals)
• First-round draft pick (lottery protected this year, top-10 next year, top-5 the next year and top-1 forever)

Salaries

Pistons receive:

Suns receive:

Player option

Pistons’ perspective

Well, I figured it was about time I tackled the Amar’e-to-Detroit rumors. Right off the bat, let me say this: I don’t think the Pistons have what it takes to land Stoudemire. But Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns and I discussed a few ideas, and we think this is the most realistic option.

I think this deal would have to be a no-brainer for the Pistons. They’re essentially trading three bench players and a draft pick for a star – a young big man at that.

All of a sudden, they’d have a guards Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon, forwards Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko and Stoudemire at center. That’s a young lineup full of promise to build around for the next several years.

I think a Gordon and Stoudemire could be deadly on the pick-and-roll. And Stoudemire’s inside play would create jump shots for Daye and to a degree, Jerebko and Stuckey.

There are a few drawbacks, though.

If Stoudemire opts out of his contract, he could be gone after this year. The Pistons likely wouldn’t have the cap room to sign a max free agent, but they still could get an excellent player.

If Stoudemire doesn’t opt out, the Pistons could be forced to let Ben Wallace and/or Will Bynum walk or trade someone else to stay under the luxury-tax line next season.

Detroit has very little size and would be losing a lot of it. Jarron Collins would be a stop-gap to help that problem a little. The Pistons would probably look to add a free agent center for the rest of the season, too.

And of course, if the Pistons struggle after this trade, that draft pick could end up pretty valuable.

John Hollinger also analyzed the trade in a recent column (Insider):

Detroit: Nobody is quite sure whether the Pistons are coming or going these days, but one option to think about is a trade of Charlie Villanueva for Stoudemire. That would get the Suns a younger player at a more reasonable salary and pave the way for the rebuilding process, and the Pistons could line the deal with expiring contracts (Chris Wilcox and Kwame Brown) to make the salary-cap math work. Such a deal would give Phoenix $10 million of additional wiggle room around the luxury tax and, of course, a replacement for Stoudemire.

From Detroit’s perspective, it would be taking a risk by committing to Stoudemire and adding another long-term contract to a fairly large stable of them. Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Jason Maxiell all have at least two years left after this one at big numbers, and Rodney Stuckey is likely to join them because the Pistons can extend him this summer. Although there isn’t any threat that the Pistons could become a tax team, it would be a heavy salary structure for a club that’s losing big and is in the process of changing owners.

For that reason, the odds tilt heavily against such a deal taking place, but from the Phoenix perspective, it would be one of the more intriguing options.

Suns’ perspective

For each trade, I will seek the analysis of the other team’s TrueHoop Network blogger.

Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns:

“Although lately the Amare Stoudemire trade rumors that have interested me the most have been those involving Andre Iguodala and Philadelphia, if I were Suns GM Steve Kerr I would at least take a moment to contemplate it if Joe Dumars offered me Charlie Villanueva, Kwame Brown, Chris Wilcox and a protected first-rounder for Stoudemire.

I believe the Suns need to get a potential All-Star young stud and a big in any Amare trade. In the right deal that could be the same person, such as a Michael Beasley or Al Jefferson.

This Detroit deal would essentially involve the Suns receiving cap relief/filler and Charlie V.

There are many things I love about Villanueva, and it’s not just because I follow him on Twitter. He’s a young big who knows how to score the basketball and would play well with Nash on the offensive end (but then again, who doesn’t?). His salary ranging from $6.5 million this year to an $8.5 million player option in 2013-14 is fairly reasonable for a guy of his skill set.

On the other hand, he doesn’t even defend or rebound as well as Amare does, and that’s not tough to do for a 6-foot-11 performer.

As for the salary reasons, the Suns would be taking back nearly $3 million less in salary, which would amount to a savings of close to $6 million when factoring in luxury tax savings. Losing Brown’s expiring deal next season, the Suns would save $7-10 mil next year depending on if Wilcox picks up his $3 mil option (likely) as compared to their cap situation if Amare stays and picks up his $17.7 mil option.

That would put the Suns in the $52-55 million range if Grant Hill and Channing Frye pick up their options (or more if they decline and are re-signed for more), which means this deal would take Phoenix out of the Summer of 2010.

If Amare were to opt out and leave, this deal would add $7 or $10 mil to Phoenix’s 2010-11 cap in comparison to what it would be without him.

So in summary, the Suns would be receiving a solid player in Charlie V and a solid draft pick as well as some short-term cap relief but a 2010 cap detriment that limits Phoenix’s future flexibility.

Upon further review, I would decline this deal if I were Suns GM Steve Kerr because Villanueva is not the kind of player who would move me to get rid of Amare, especially with the Suns having won five in a row to vault into the No. 5 spot in the West.

My response

I completely agree. Stoudemire should fetch a better player than the Pistons have to offer. They could probably get better cap relief than having to take Chris Wilcox, too.

Verdict

The Pistons would say yes. The Suns would say no.

Previous

• Getting out of Richard Hamilton’s and Jason Maxiell’s long-term contracts and getting immediate help
• Bring David West to the Detroit Pistons
• Dumping Jason Maxiell
• Acquiring Ty Lawson in a three-way trade

Highest grade for each player – Lowest grade for each player

DF: Dan Feldman of PistonPowered

VE: Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

DP: Dave Pemberton of The Oakland Press

PH: Patrick Hayes of Full-Court Press

CI: Chris Iott of MLive

JR: Justin Rogers of Full-Court Press

KS: Kevin Sawyer of Detroit Bad Boys

NS: Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed (Unfortunately, I misplaced my Sheed-to-GPA conversion chart, so Natalie’s grades aren’t included in the average.)

• Grades are based on how much each person has contributed to the Pistons this season. So, injuries will lower a player’s grade.
• Grades are curved toward expected roles. For example, if a starter and bench player perform equally, the bench player would get a higher grade.
• A ‘C’ is average.

Rodney Stuckey: A-minus

The rest of these are in alphabetical order, but I moved Stuckey to the top. I original had him pegged at a ‘B,’ but looking closer, I don’t think we’ve appreciated his season enough.

Although his defense was better earlier in the season, it’s been solid overall and might be the area he’s improved the most.

Stuckey is averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Just nine other players are averaging at least 18, 4 and 4:

• LeBron James
• Kobe Bryant
• Dwyane Wade
• Monta Ellis
• Brandon Roy
• Gilbert Arenas
• Joe Johnson
• Tyreke Evans
• Chris Paul

Few would argue each of those nine are among the NBA’s top players. And the way Stuckey has played this year, he deserves a lot of credit.

I’m not quite ready to include among the league’s elite, though. He barely meets the targets, when most of the others crush them. His field-goal and free-throw percentages are easily worst on the list, too.

But here’s the best part – Stuckey is the second-youngest player on the list. (Stuckey is 23, and Tyreke Evans is 20).

I think Stuckey is growing up right before our eyes. He hasn’t reached the next level yet – but he’s getting close.

Chucky Atkins: B

He was supposed to help in practice and maybe dress for the occasional game. Instead, he’s been pretty reliable as the Pistons’ only true point guard. When Atkins is on the court, Rodney Stuckey plays his best — a real asset to this team.

Kwame Brown: D-minus

What happened to the talk of Brown starting? He was a solid inside defender and rebounder last season, and that’s a role the Pistons definitely need filled when Ben Wallace goes to the bench. Now, he’s just piling up DNP-CDs.

Will Bynum: C

His efficiency numbers are down, but he’s playing more minutes. So, that should be expected. He looks like a better all-around player this season, but I’m not sure if he’s played enough to know for certain. He would have received a higher grade if he hadn’t missed 14 games.

Austin Daye: C

He’s basically been what was expected: bursts of talent mixed with inconsistency, brilliant shooting and defensive lapses, decent ball handling and weakness going for rebounds.

Ben Gordon: C

His field-goal, 3-point and free-throw shooting percentages are down, and he’s missed 16 games. But he’s still better than most sixth men. It’d be nice if he finally gets in a groove in the second half.

Richard Hamilton: D-minus

This might be a little generous because Hamilton has played in just 14 games and probably deserves an ‘F’ just because of that. But he was really good in his only game prior to injury (25 points against the Grizzlies in the season opener). And now that he’s getting back in shape, his movement away from the ball has done wonders for the offense.

Jonas Jerebko: A

What a pleasant surprise. Jerebko has become a fan favorite with his rebounding and defense. Besides DeJuan Blair, he’s probably the best second-round pick of the last draft.

Jason Maxiell: D

His production and, not coincidentally, his minutes have been dropping the last few seasons. He just doesn’t look as hungry on the court.

Tayshaun Prince: F

He’s barely played, and when he has, he hasn’t been productive. It’s a limited sample size, so this grade is undoubtedly lower than a player of Prince’s caliber would typically receive. But like I said above, injuries will lower a player’s grade.

DaJuan Summers: C-minus

There were decent hopes for Summers after his strong summer league play. But even Austin Daye, who was expected to be a multi-year project, is playing ahead of him.

Charlie Villanueva: C-minus

It’s been a frustrating first half for Villanueva. He’s battled injury and poor play. He hasn’t become a fixture in the starting lineup, like many were hoping. He’s shown enough glimpses to be effective, but he could be more consistent. It would be nice to see him defend, even when his shot isn’t falling.

Ben Wallace: A-plus

Ben Wallace is Detroit basketball this year. He’s one of just four players to lead his team in offensive and defensive rating (minimum eight games):

• LeBron James, Cavaliers
• Troy Murphy, Warriors
• Marcus Camby, Clippers

I think Wallace is actually playing better than he did his last year in Detroit. He had slipped a little bit then. But now, he almost looks like Big Ben in his prime. Almost.

He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than frontcourt depth. But he’s the team MVP, easily.

Chris Wilcox: C-minus

He’s scored double digits just four times and grabbed at least seven rebounds just twice this season (one game overlaps). By comparison he reached those marks 18 and 15 times last season (nine overlapped).

I knew he’d be boom or bust. It’d be naive to expect differently. I just thought there’d be a few more booms.

John Kuester: B-plus

With all the injuries, it certainly hasn’t been an easy year to coach. This is a flawed team, anyway. Chucky Atkins is the best pure point guard, and the only trustworthy  center is 35.

But the Pistons play hard, and that’s a credit to Kuester. He hasn’t been shy about tweaking the lineup to find the right fit. The younger players have seen the court and improved, too.

Still, he’s made enough curios moves (can’t Kwame Brown get a chance?) to not warrant a higher grade.

For a first-time NBA head coach with a team facing much more uncertainty than he ever expected, Kuester is doing a heck of a job. Consider this the Michael Curry curve.

Team: D

This has been a pretty disappointing season. Detroit was never going to contend for a title this year. Rather the goal was to make the playoffs.

And as the Pistons are learning, when you’re that fragile, injuries matter – a lot. They haven’t had a chance to show what they can be, and they might never.

The first half of the season was a disaster, and it probably means Detroit will miss the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. But that’s hardly a given.

There’s still plenty of hope and intrigue left in these final 41 games.

Trade

Pistons receive:

• David West (17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds , 2.4 assists, 0.7 blocks, 0.8 steals)
• Ike Diogu (0.0 points, 0.0 rebounds , 0.0 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.0 steals)
• Sean Marks (1.0 points, 4.0 rebounds , 0.4 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.0 steals)

Hornets receive:

• Kwame Brown (3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds , 0.6 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.3 steals)
• Chris Wilcox (4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds , 0.3 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.3 steals)
• DaJuan Summers (2.7 points, 1.0 rebounds , 0.3 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.0 steals)
• Detroit’s first-round pick (top-20 protected this season, lottery-protected afterward)

Salaries

Pistons receive:

Hornets receive:

Player option

Team option

Pistons’ perspective

I realize this trade doesn’t look great for the Hornets. But it’s based on a few assumptions.

1. The Hornets can’t find takers for Peja Stojakovic, Morris Peterson or James Posey.

2. New Orleans becomes desperate to shed salary this year. That means West has to go.

3. Although the demand would increase greatly for him next year, West doesn’t draw a lot of interest because teams want to save their cap space for this summer.

The deal would save the Hornets $3,268,406 this season in salary (prorated to the end of the year). And they’d save that total amount in luxury tax payments.

They’d also save $8,287,500 next year if Wilcox declines his option and the Hornets don’t pick up Summers’ option. Wilcox could make $3 million next season.

I also think Wilcox would be a good fit with the Hornets, especially because of his ability to receive Chris Paul’s alley-oops. It’s not likely, but it’s reasonable Wilcox could have value at $3 million next year.

For the Pistons, I think this trade is a pretty clear win.

West could help the Pistons get into the playoffs this year, providing the inside scoring they sorely lack. And at 29, he’s young enough to rebuild with.

With or without this trade – barring another deal – the Pistons won’t have cap room this summer. But this deal would set the Pistons up nicely for the next summer.

They’d have only about $37 million committed to salary (assuming David West opts out). Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and West would all be free agents. In all likelihood, Detroit would try to re-sign all three. But if something went awry in the plan, the Pistons could let them walk and have the flexibility to go a different direction.

The Pistons are in a position to take on salary right now. They’re one of the few teams in the league not saving cap room for the summer that has a relatively low payroll. The questions are whether they take advantage of their position and how desperate other teams really are.

Hornets’ perspective

For each trade, I will seek the analysis of the other team’s TrueHoop Network blogger.

Ryan Schwan of Hornets247:

“Nothing is outside the realm of possibility, but there are two things that would have to occur for the Hornets to even consider trading David West.

1. They’d have to be unable to bribe a team like the Nets, OKC, or Memphis to take on Hilton Armstrong and his expiring 2.8 Mil contract + a cash/pick sweetener. This would seem to be their preferred method of cutting salary.

2. They’d have to really fall apart from here to the All-star break. The Hornets are absolutely serious about keeping together the team as long as it can realistically reach the playoffs. The team has also been clicking of late as the they have finally adjusted to having five new rotation players. (And compensating for having Paul miss nine games)

Despite the over-reporting of the Hornets financial woes, that isn’t actually the case. Yes, the Hornets have the lowest ticket price in the league and are also in a small market, but their per game revenue is in the middle ten of the league, and their corporate endorsements haven’t really been impacted by the bad economy. Sure, they are willing to sacrifice players like Rasual Butler – and Devin Brown – for Tax relief, but those players are marginal rotation players at best.

Now – if the team collapses between here and February, then I’d expect to see every player not named Chris Paul put on the trading block. That said, I’m not sure the package you list, which gives the Hornets nothing at all useful except for space under the Luxury Tax line (not even cap space) would entice the Hornets to give up a two-time all-star who is essentially an 8 million dollar expiring contract next year. (He’s bound to opt out of his third year.)”

My response

Only one team, the Grizzlies, could absorb Armstrong’s contract without sending a player back. And even if Memphis made that deal, New Orleans wouldn’t save as much this year and wouldn’t save any money next year.

Verdict

The Pistons would do it. But the Hornets probably pass today – any maybe forever.

But then I realized a close road loss to a quality team doesn’t change the fact they haven’t won in 10 games (their worst losing streak since 1994). So here comes the precipitation.

In some ways, it’s an accomplishment I’m bringing this up. It hasn’t been relevant in nearly three weeks.

But the Pistons make poor halftime adjustments when they have a decent lead.

The Pistons are 6-7 when they have at least a four-point halftime lead, including last night’s 98-93 loss at Dallas.

It’s tough to put my finger on exactly what goes wrong. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the locker room. But my guess: Pistons coach John Kuester is too shy about making changes when his team has a lead.

It’s common for the team trailing at halftime to come back. In fact, a study of college basketball games showed a team trailing by one at halftime is more likely to win than the team leading by one.

But this seems extreme. The Pistons are really bad right after the intermission. In nine of those 13 games, the third quarter was their worst period of the game.

And here’s why I’m guessing the blame should go to Kuester: Detroit’s third quarter play is pretty poor when trailing at halftime, too.

A third-quarter comeback seems to indicate a halftime coaching adjustment. A fourth-quarter comeback seems to indicate increased effort by the players.

In the 17 games the Pistons trailed at halftime, they outscored their opponent in the third quarter in just seven games. They won the fourth quarter in 11 of those games.

Kuester needs to reassess his halftime agenda, especially when the Pistons are winning. It may have cost them a victory last night.

Chris Wilcox soars, dunks

Although Kuester might not shine at halftime, he made good use of Detroit’s four days off.

The Pistons haven’t shown much inside offense this year. So, opponents have sold out on the Pistons’ perimeter scorers, especially now that Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince have returned.

Enter Chris Wilcox.

Providing a lob option when the Mavericks doubled a perimeter player, Wilcox scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes last night. All five of Wilcox’s baskets were assisted, and two were dunks.

His inside offense netted the Pistons a few easy buckets. More importantly, it opened up the perimeter once Dallas adjusted.

The Pistons had their best shooting percentage since they won a game – so you know it’s been a long time.

I think Wilcox will have a shot to fill this role for a while. He has a better skill-set than anyone else on the team to do it:

• He has the height to be a target for lobs (sorry, Jason Maxiell).
• He has the hands to bring in the ball (sorry, Kwame Brown).
• He has the strength to absorb contact in the air (sorry, Charlie Villanueva).
• And he has the touch to put it in the hoop (sorry, Ben Wallace).

In Wilcox’s player preview, Royce Young of Daily Thunder warned about getting too excited about a big game from Wilcox. But I think I’m doing it anyway. He can be a short-term fix to the Pistons’ offensive problems.

Their long-term problems probably need to be addressed in the offseason. But I’ll happily take a band-aid for now.