WDFN is reporting that the Pistons have picked up the options of Jason Maxiell and Carlos Delfino.

What this means...

Maxiell was drafted under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. First Round Rookie contracts are structured under a 2 + 1 + 1 format. The first two years are guaranteed with years 3 and 4 team options that must be taken prior to the start of the season prior. So before Season 2, the Year 3 option may be taken. Before Season 3, the Year 4 options may be taken. The Pistons had until Oct 31st to get this done. By doing it now, a necessary piece of housekeeping business has been taken care of.

If a team does not take the option, the player's contract ends during the next offseason and the player is an UNRESTRICTED free agent. If the team takes the Year 3 and 4 options, the player will become a RESTRICTED free agent before Year 5.

Restricted Free Agency allows the team who last contracted the player to tender a qualifying offer (for all intents and purposes, a point to start negotiations). Once the player has been offered a qualifying deal (one year in length), the team can match any offers given to that player in free agency and thus retain his services.

Carlos Delfino was signed and drafted under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, which worked with a 3 + 1 structure for guaranteed and option years. Picking up Delfino's option today means that the Pistons will retain his NBA services for at least this season and the next, assuming he is not waived or traded.

This is good news.

According to Hoopshype, Delfino is due 1.8 mil next, and JMax is due 1.0 mil next. It's obvious that JMax is worth 1 mil a year, but the fact the Pistons think Delfino is worth 1.8 next year is very good news.

That is good news. Sounds like they'll get a shot to contribute.

Yeah, definetely- also this pic from freep.com is a nice one, it gives you hope that Fino is feeling more comfortable in Detroit.

Caption: You're eating my minutes!!!!

You know why they didn't show a pic of Max in the dominant position?

It would have looked like a Grizzly Bear wrestling with a baby.

With Acker out of the picture (my gut says for good), the SL and preseason emergence of Blalock and the top secret awesomeness of Amir Johnson, Joe is building a new foundation here. Look for it. It's happening.

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Nov 13 LW Milan Lucic had an active night. He scored his first goal in eight games since his Oct. 25 hat trick and also pounded Michael Komisarek in a third-period fight. Lucic cut his hand in a fight with Michael Komisarek. "I'll be fine," he said. "(X-rays are) negative, but there's so many broken bones in there from before you can't really tell."

We got those other picks too. 16 and 24.

This is the most encouraging Pistons news I've heard in a long time!

I'm not to excited over this news because it is S.O.P.

What I want to get excited over is seeing some chemistry between Delfino and J-Max on the floor. It stands to reason that since they both rode the bench together, they should feel relatively comfortable playing together.

Well, their immediate contract is one less worry. Now let's go to work!

There seems to be an imbalance at PF...
The coment on Amir being shifted from his natural position (SF) to PF is false... he played PF/C in HS and PF in the D-league.
So the future looks like Brahma, Amir & Samb as PF's.... that's gonna be tough for a couple of these guys to get the necessary PT to develop.... One of the three will eventually be moved in a package deal for a position needed....
Amir will want to know his role before next years camp.