According to two league sources, the Cs are in discussions with Orlando to send Big Baby, in a sign-and-trade deal, to Orlando for power forward Brandon Bass – a player Magic management had been very high on at one stage. Bass is due $4 million each of the next two years, including a player option for the 2012-13 season.

The Pistons still could use another big on the roster and Dumars still has a mid-level exception burning a hole in his pocket, but with Davis off the market, it’s unclear if the Pistons will target any. A few of the names to kick around: Joel Przybilla, Kwame Brown, Erick Dampier, Reggie Evans and Kyrylo Fesenko — in other words, nothing to get excited about. Hopefully, an opportunity to trade a guard for a big materializes, although there doesn’t seem to be any trading partners who are a match right now.

But like, the game before we traded for Pau, were playing Detroit and I had like 40 points towards the end of the game. This is back when Detroit had Rasheed [Wallace], Chauncey [Billups] and those guys, so we had no business being in the game. So down the stretch of the game, they put in a box and one. So I’m surrounded by these players, Detroit players, and Kwame is under the basket, all by himself. Literally, like all by himself. So I pass him the ball, he bobbled it and it goes out of bounds.

“So we go back to the timeout and I’m [upset], right? He goes, ‘I was wide open.’ ‘Yeah, I know.’ This is how I’m talking to him, like, during the game. I said, ‘You’re going to be open again, Kwame, because Rasheed is just totally ignoring you.’ He said, ‘Well, if I’m open don’t throw it to me.’ I was like, ‘Huh?’ He said, ‘Don’t throw it to me.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ He said, well, ‘I’m nervous. If I catch it and they foul me, I won’t make the free throws.’ I said, ‘Hell no!’

“I go to Phil [Jackson], I say, ‘Hey Phil, take him out of the game.’ He’s like, ‘Nah, let him figure it out.’ So, we lose the game, I go the locker room, I’m steaming. Steaming. I’m furious.

The next offseason, the Pistons gave Kwame Brown a two-year, $8 million contract. Maybe they should have paid a bit more attention to that 2008 game.* I understand you can’t get a perfect player for $4 million per year, and Brown played well for a stretch in Detroit, but I wouldn’t want him helping to shape the team’s identity.

*Kobe had 11 turnovers to Brown’s none in, but I supposed Kwame can’t be charged with a turnover if he never gains possession of the ball. It’s a good example of how blindly relying on stats can be misleading.

But when they opened the third quarter against the Bobcats with an 11-2 run, I figured this would be their night.

By the time Stephen Jackson made one of the most ridiculous 3-pointer I’ve ever seen, that hope had been dashed.*

*Although, it should have already been gone when Kwame Brown – Kwame freaking Brown – had eight points and 10 rebounds by halftime. And those weren’t empty numbers. He really took it to Detroit.

In the third quarter, the Bobcats kicked the ball to Jackson, who stood open on the right wing. Sometimes, when a player is that open, he over-thinks and misses his shot. Frankly, I have no idea whether Jackson did that. He held the ball so long, he could have worked himself out of a rhythm and back into it. Twice. It’s not like the Pistons were slow closing out. Not a single Detroit player took a step toward Jackson.

I have literally never seen a player with the ball remain open for so long without a defender moving toward him.

John Kuester immediately called a timeout, no doubt disgusted with his team. The players on the court cared at least enough to look befuddled and disappointed as they slowly walked to the bench.

The Pistons lead didn’t last long, and the Bobcats eventually won, 97-87. Detroit’s overall effort was better than it was when defending Jackson’s 3-pointer. But not nearly good enough.

I think we’d all do well to remember that Jonas is on the 2nd year of his rookie deal — and that deal doesn’t pay much, relative to other NBA salaries. In addition to fighting for a starting spot, he’s fighting for a contract, for his career.

My opinion is that Jonas’ future is at SF, whether that be with the Pistons or somewhere else, and apparently, he does too. Obviously and appropriately, he worked on the pieces of his game that would make him a more viable SF in the NBA.

DetroitPCB also had similar sentiments:

Long term, JJ is probably a three in this league, though he will play the four this year. And a three has to be able to put the ball on the floor. Even at the four, his quickness and mobility gives him an advantage over the bigger players he will be matched with if he can put the ball on the floor.

I don’t really disagree with anything either said. Who might disagree though? The Detroit Pistons. Here were how the teams were divided in scrimmages the first day of camp, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:

Based on what color practice jersey players were wearing when reporters were allowed in to see what was left of practice – a few shooting drills – it appears the Pistons lined up in these five-man units: Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Jonas Jerebko and Tayshaun Prince on the white team; Tracy McGrady, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum and presumably Ben Gordon on the blue team – Gordon had peeled off his practice jersey and was wearing only a gray T-shirt; and Terrico White, Austin Daye, Greg Monroe, Chris Wilcox and DaJuan Summers on the red team. Ike Diogu had on a white jersey, perhaps indicating he’ll be splitting time with Ben Wallace to allow Kuester to give Wallace, 36, a reduced workload in camp while also getting a good look at Diogu.

I get that it’s the first practice session and things could change. But over the past couple seasons, very early practices have been a good indicator of who would win starting jobs that were up for grabs. Two years ago, under Michael Curry, Amir Johnson was playing with the first teamers from the get-go, long before it began being reported that he’d open the season as a starter. Last year, it was Ben Wallace (and remember, most fans viewed Ben as only a symbolic signing and someone who wouldn’t contribute much before the preseason started and he showed he was healthy) playing with the first unit early on and keeping that job over other vying for it — remember, it seems like eons ago, but when John Kuester took the Pistons job, he came in as the world’s biggest Kwame Brown fan, and it appeared as if Brown might get that starting spot.

I’ve already stated my belief that the Pistons would be better off if Charlie Villanueva earned and kept the starting power forward spot. Dan Feldman firmly believes it will be Jerebko.

I bring up brgulker’s comment in this discussion simply because whether Jerebko is better suited to be a three or a four, it’s clear that if he’s going to play big minutes again, it’s going to have to be at the four.

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.

• 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.

As Tayshaun Prince has gotten healthy, he’s become a lot more aggressive. He’s seemed to realize with Chauncey Billups, Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace not here anymore, he doesn’t have to settle for being just a fourth option. The Pistons need him score more.

Well, he did in last night’s 110-107 win over the Rockets, pouring in a game-high 29 points.

This wasn’t like the Cleveland game Friday, when Prince scored 23 points because his jumper was falling. He made 7-of-7 shots at the rim last night. Those are season highs for makes and attempts from that location and way up from his season average (2-for-3).

That aggressiveness extended to the glass, where Prince grabbed 10 boards. But, and this might be nitpicking after such an awesome game, it didn’t extend to his defense.

Kevin Martin flew past him. Luis Scola posted him up. Those aren’t easy matchups, but Prince didn’t impress in either. He’s not the defender he used to be, and that’s probably just something we’ll just have to accept. But I’d like to see him slow one type of player.

Bulk up and stop the bigs or speed up and stop the wings. Doing neither isn’t enough.

Will Bynum

Will Bynum looked as comfortable as I’ve seen him since before his ankle injuries. He ran the offense with authority and was really the catalyst for Detroit posting a 110 offensive rating.

He knew when to pull up for jumpers, drive to the basket and distribute. He looked like a natural point, which hasn’t always been his forte.

And like before his injuries, his all-around game is really taking off. He finished with 12 points, 11 assists, four rebounds, two steals and just one turnover. And he played 42 minutes, proving he’s healthy again.

Jonas Jerebko is good – and improving

A few times this year, I’ve thought Jonas Jerebko has limited upside. He hustles and makes play because of that, but how effective will he be next year when opponents scout him? I wasn’t sure he had the skills to beat a defense geared to keep him off the glass and limit his scoring.

But his offensive repertoire is really expanding. He made 2-of-4 3-pointers last night, and he’s shown a propensity for quick drives to the basket before defenses set. He finished with 16 points.

He even took a couple hook shots last night. Both missed pretty badly. But I figure he’s made them in practice if he actually took them in a game.

I’m still not completely convinced Jerebko has as much upside as the typical rookie averaging nine points and six rebounds per game. But he’s removing my doubt.

Oh, yeah. He’s still making the hustle plays, too (eight rebounds, three blocks, one steal and a plus-8 last night).

Jason Maxiell becoming a force again

Last season and early this season, Jason Maxiell looked lethargic most of the time. But now that he’s become Detroit’s backup center, he really coming into his own.

I think part of the problem before was that he never had a set role. He’d play most games, but not all. Sometimes, Detroit would want his low post scoring. Other times, defense would be the emphasis.

Now, he’s playing hard all the time. For most of the season, I’d only describe Jonas Jerebko this way, but Maxiell just makes plays. He had 16 rebounds, a steal (probably should’ve gotten credit for a another) and was a team-best plus-11 last night.

I still think he settled for a mid-range jumper too often, though. He shot 2-of-7 from the field. That shot can be a nice weapon for him at times. But it should be secondary to his back-to-the-basket game in the low post.

Austin Daye stuck in foul trouble

Austin Daye had three fouls in eight minutes. It’s not that big of a deal now – when we’re just looking for anything positive from him. (And he provided that, making both his shots, including a nifty drive and pull-up floater).

But if he’s going to become a rotation player some day, how will he defend – without getting in foul trouble – with such a slight frame?

Ben Gordon’s slump that won’t end

Ben Gordon shot just 1-of-7, and it looked like he was slow on a couple defensive rotations.

I think we can just chalk this up as a lost season for him. Gordon has never had injury problems like this before, and his confidence looks shot. His numbers are so far below his previous career lows, which makes me believe something fluky is happening.

I’m concerned. But if he plays like this next season, I’ll really be worried.

Kwame Brown playing

With Ben Wallace out, Kwame Brown has played the last couple games. So, I guess whatever he was doing – or not doing – that him stuck at the end of the bench wasn’t serious enough to preclude him from playing under all circumstance.

Taunting refs is sport for this Wallace, too

An injured Ben Wallace in street clothes picked up a technical foul in the second quarter. When it was announced, it almost look like he was trying to hold in a laugh.

No tanking

I haven’t always been pleased with the Pistons’ effort this season, but they played hard in this game. A win over a quality Rockets team says this team still has some pride and isn’t just playing for a draft pick.

The Pistons ended regulation on 10-2 run and overcame missing three straight free throws in the final 11 seconds of overtime. They gritted out a win, and John Kuester described it as “healthy.”

That’s a word that hasn’t been used about the Pistons much this year, but I completely agree. I want Detroit to build a winning culture, no matter what it means for June 24.

Chauncey Billups shoots 43.9 percent, and yet he’s one of the most valuable offensive players in the league. That’s a fact. But I’ve had an unusual difficulty explaining it to people concisely. Yes, he has a great True Shooting Percentage, but that’s not quite the entire answer. Lots of players have great TS percentages, and Billups is pretty much the only one to do so while shooting such a low percentage from the floor.

I tend to say that "He shoots a lot of free throws and 3s," or, more precisely, "He makes a lot of free throws and 3s." But that, too, seems unwieldy. What we need is a single tool, a simple two-word explainer that shows how a player like Billups can be such a devastating weapon while missing nearly three-fifths of his field goal attempts.

It turns out we have it, and it’s something called "secondary percentage." First mooted, as far as I can tell, by my Basketball Prospectus successor and occasional ESPN.com contributor Kevin Pelton 15 months ago, the idea is to simply take the difference between a player’s TS% and his field goal percentage.

…

Baseball fans will recognize this instantly as a knockoff of Bill James’ "secondary average" formula, which in one number explains all the things a player does — besides hit for average — to contribute to his offensive value.

I’m sure you don’t want to hear it, but not only is Billups leading the league this year, his secondary percentage would be the best season all-time. In 2005-06, his secondary percentage was third-best all-time.

Anyway, I decided to see how this year’s Pistons’ stack up.

DaJuan Summers (11.2 percent) leads the team. It’s a small sample, but if you want to make a case he should get more playing time, this is probably your best weapon.

Among rotation players, Ben Gordon has the best secondary percentage (11.0). So, I guess that’s encouraging.

Unsurprisingly, Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown have negative secondary percentages.

To see every Pistons’ secondary percentage, see below the jump.

Player	TS%	FG%	S%
DaJuan Summers	40.6	29.4	11.2
Chucky Atkins	46.4	35.3	11.1
Ben Gordon	53.2	42.2	11.0
Richard Hamilton	49.4	40.4	9.0
Charlie Villanueva	51.5	43.4	8.1
Will Bynum	50.3	42.9	7.4
Rodney Stuckey	47.6	40.4	7.2
Austin Daye	52.5	45.8	6.7
Jonas Jerebko	55.2	49.5	5.7
Tayshaun Prince	49.3	45.3	4.0
Jason Maxiell	52.5	50.5	2.0
Chris Wilcox	53.2	52.5	0.7
Ben Wallace	51.5	53.3	-1.8
Kwame Brown	49.6	52.4	-2.8

]]> http://www.pistonpowered.com/2010/03/pistons-most-underrated-shooters/feed/ 0 http://www.pistonpowered.com/2010/02/nine-potential-kwame-brown-trades/ http://www.pistonpowered.com/2010/02/nine-potential-kwame-brown-trades/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:20:38 +0000 Dan Feldman http://www.pistonpowered.com/?p=2622 ]]> Happy Trade Deadline Day!

I’ll be traveling until about 1 p.m. today, but I will try to check in when I can. Graham will likely handle some updates, too. So, don’t worry. We’ll provide full coverage of today’s happenings.

Maybe I can even get lucky and get a head start. As I said before, I think trading Kwame Brown makes the most sense for the Pistons. With that in mind, here are nine potential deals with Brown as the centerpiece.

When I have them, my fellow TrueHoop Network blogger’s thoughts are included.

A couple ideas were ruined as I was preparing this post. (Wouldn’t Brown for Al Thornton and Sebastian Telfair have made sense?)

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Brown and DaJuan Summers for Nenad Krstic

I’d be a huge fan of this deal. Krstic is a solid defender and a capable inside scorer. He’s under contract next season, which is why Detroit seems to have a chance of prying him from the cap-conscience Thunder.

Royce Young of Daily Thunder:

I think it makes sense. Krstic is OKC’s most expendable rotation player. However, I could see Presti sitting pat because I think he might be a little worried about screwing with chemistry and I don’t know how Kwame Brown would fit in. But overall, I think it works. Summers would be a nick pickup because currently, OKC doesn’t have anyone behind KD on the depth chart. Thabo and Jeff Green can both slide to that spot, but no one officially plays small forward behind Durant.

Orlando Magic

• Brown for Brandon Bass

The Pistons pursued Bass in the summer, but he signed a four-year, $18 million deal with Orlando instead. He hasn’t played as well as the Magic had hoped, but do they have enough buyer’s remorse to deal him for an expiring contract already?

Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily:

To gain an expiring contract and save a few bucks down the line, it makes sense. But the Magic would never, ever do it.
1. They feel Bass for 4 years, $18 million is a solid deal (even if they aren’t using him).
and
2. Making that trade would be Otis Smith admitting he made a mistake with the Bass signing. And I don’t see him throwing himself under the bus that way.
That’s my opinion, anyway.

Atlanta Hawks

• Brown for Mo Evans, Jason Collins and a pick

Atlanta would be offering a sweetener in the form of a draft pick for Detroit taking Evans, who is under contract next season. Collins’ contract expires after this season.

Bret Lagree of Hoopinion:

It makes sense for next year (Evans is, I believe, a sure bet to exercise his player option) but I’m struggling to think of who the Hawks would get to replace Evans in the rotation. The organization is really wary of change and, despite the Mario West fixation, I don’t think they want to give him a bigger role, thank goodness.

Toronto Raptors

• Brown for Marcus Banks and a pick.

Like the previous trade, the Pistons would get a sweetener for taking an unfavorable contract that ends after next season.

Sam Holako of Raptors Republic:

I don’t mind that trade so much since Belinelli could defend the PG and Turkoglu could become the playmaker in the even of a Calderon injury.

San Antonio Spurs

• Brown and a pick for Roger Mason

I’m not sure if this makes any sense for the Pistons. Maybe if Richard Hamilton is traded for a non-shooting guard and Detroit becomes in the market for a backup shooting guard. Mason’s contract is also expiring.

Graydon Gordian of 48 Minutes of Hell:

I’m not sure it makes sense for the Spurs. With Duncan, Blair, McDyess, Bonner and Ratliff, the Spurs aren’t in dire need of frontcourt depth, although it is an interest of ours. In my opinion, we’d be trading a guy we could use situationally in the playoffs for a guy who would never see the court come the postseason. Although the pick sweetens the deal, I’m not sure it’s enough.

Dallas Mavericks

• Brown for Matt Carroll and a pick

Carroll’s contract has three years left, so this would likely be a first-round pick. I covered this deal – with Richard Hamilton and Josh Howard included – in a Trade Idea post.

Denver Nuggets

• Brown for Malik Allen, Anthony Carter, Johan Petro and Joey Graham

The Nuggets would like to add another defensive-minded big man, but I think Brown probably makes too much to fit. The small plus for Detroit would be saving a couple hundred thousand dollars. The Pistons would have to cut at least two of the players they’d receive in this trade.

Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company:

I do not think the Nuggets would even consider that.  It would add too much payroll and they are not going to add payroll unless it makes them considerably better.

Miami Heat

• Brown for James Jones and a pick

Similar to previous suggestions, the Heat would offer a draft pick to clear cap room. Jones is under contract for the next three seasons, but his deal is only partially guaranteed. So, this wouldn’t be as bad a hit to Detroit’s cap as it looks.

Memphis Grizzlies

• Brown and a protected first-round pick for Mike Conley

Like the trade with the Spurs, I’m not sure what this accomplishes for Detroit. After Pistons drafted Rodney Stuckey 15th in the same draft Conley went second, they bragged about how Stuckey was nearly as fast as Conley but a lot bigger.

But Chad Ford reported Conley is available for an expiring contract a first-round pick. Conley is talented, and the Pistons seem interested in loading up on talent regardless of position. At some point that plan will change. I’m not sure if it has yet.

• The Suns would like a young power forward and expiring contracts for Stouedmire (evidenced by their interest in trading him to Cleveland for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson).
• Phoenix would rather get Michael Beasley than Hickson.
• The Heat may be reluctant to include Dorell Wright, who has been playing well lately.
• The Suns don’t want to take back Jermaine O’Neal’s contract because they’d have to trade someone else back to Miami.

Enter the Pistons.

Here’s what I came up with:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yg9ytyc

The Pistons would also receive a draft pick.

Originally, I was thinking Detroit could receive the Marcus Banks trade exception instead of Cook. But I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work under the cap rules. Maybe you know better than me, but can an exception be traded for a single player in a three-team trade where that player goes to the third team?

Phoenix and Miami perspectives

Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns and Mathew Bunch of Hot Hot Hoops sent me some feedback on the deal.

Schwartz likes Beasley a lot more than Hickson, but he didn’t seem convinced the Suns feel the same way.  He said O’Neal would work in the trade if the Heat take Jason Richardson, but I don’t think they would. He also said Beasley would have to be included in any deal with Miami.

But Bunch doesn’t think Beasley will be traded, citing the Heat owners Mickey Arison. So, something would have to give if the Heat really are serious about getting Stoudemire. Bunch also said, if push comes to shove, Miami wouldn’t hesitate to include Wright – which would mean the Pistons wouldn’t be necessary in the trade.

Extreme version

I also came up with a crazy version of how the Pistons could help the deal work, an all-in type of trade for Miami:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yj38tkl