Jun

18

Pistons to Play “Deal Or No Deal”

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under SDC COMMENTARY 

??????????????????????????Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo AnthonyHouston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady

No the headline doesn’t indicate that the Detroit Pistons will participate on the popular NBC prime-time game show - yet it is so appropriate in their current situation.? Now that the NBA season is officially over - thank you very much Boston Celtics - the trade winds will be blowing fierce this offseason.? And without a doubt, the Pistons will be participants.? And since the Pistons will without a doubt shop their more valuable commodities around the league, the question is this:?what could they get in return?? Here are some possibilities:

  • Denver?Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony

You’ve seen the rumors floating around involving the Nuggets forward possibly going to Detroit - unfounded or not.? And you know what?? The trade - assuming it is a 2-for-1 deal - could actually work.? Here’s the good part of a Anthony to the Nuggets trade scenario: in Denver, Billups and Prince would be a better fit with point guard Allen Iverson than Anthony alone while Detroit would have a decent core strting lineup - Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton and Anthony - for several seasons.? The bad part of this scenario?? Anthony and playing defense never meant acquaintance yet he is only 24 years old and talented.? High-risk and high-reward in every sense of the word.? If the Nuggets said “no thanks” to this possibility, the Pistons would have to find a team in the Western Conference that would be open to doing a 2-for-1 (with Billups almost certain to be part of any package).

  • Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady

Ahhhhh, good ole’ T-Mac.? There’s a bit of a dilemma down in Houston.? He has played for 2 different coaches - Mr. Discipline (Jeff Van Gundy) and Mr. Chill (Rick Adelman).? So far, not so good.? The Rockets also tried to have McGrady and Yao Ming complement each other on the floor.? Thyey even tried to make T-Mac the centerpiece while Ming was hurt.? Look where that got them - a big winning streak during the regular season, but an implosion at playoff time.? At the moment, McGrady is the better player than Anthony; however, he is 5 years older and not as durable.? Besides, the Rockets have Ming should McGrady leave Houston so the Rockets wouldn’t exactly be depleted.? One trade possibility that could involve Houston and Detroit: McGrady to the Pistons for Billups and Prince.? The Rockets would be better overall as a team while the Pistons would have a lineup of Stuckey, Hamilton, McGrady, Wallace and McDyess - not too shabby.? Everyone’s a winner in this scenario.

  • Take their time.

Once you get past Anthony and McGrady, there’s not much out there; that doesn’t mean that the Pistons shouldn’t pursue a trade, but they’d have to lower their standards in doing so.? Going this route could land Detroit a star.? For example - Rasheed Wallace’s salary ($13.68 million) comes off the books next summer; as of now, they should be around $11 million under the salary cap come 2009.? And then there’s 2010 - the year when the big stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are scheduled to become free agents; don’t think that the Pistons aren’t aware of that possibility.? This could explain why Detroit is in no hurry to shop Wallace.? Wallace has two-fold value - his skill set and his expiring contract; the top teams (Boston, Los Angeles Lakers for example) won’t want a 1-year deal, while the bad teams (of which there are many) while coveting the expiring contract would not exactly covet his skill set.? so the possibility of Wallace being a Piston next season is very real.? But understand that his days as a Piston are numbered.




Comments

One Response to “Pistons to Play “Deal Or No Deal””

  1. Space on June 18th, 2008 4:26 pm

    The Pistons need a shot of energy into the team. They seem to be complacent and it shows when they reach the Eastern Conference Finals against a younger hungrier team. A trade for McGrady would make sense and could have the same kind of effect on the team as Garnett being traded to Boston. If the Pistons decided to trade for Melo then they would be admitting that they should have drafted him instead of Darko in the first place. They need to do something, but giving up Prince shouldnt be part of it. Prince is too talented of a player to give up.

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