Dice has a no-trade clause AFAIK.

I think you can still trade him if he agreed to it, but for the love of Pete, why would you do that?

He's a bargain at the MLE salary after his comeback last year.

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i love Dice's value, but like the article says, JoeD won't hesitate to pull the trigger if he feels the team will get better.

Dice has finally proven to be a stud again and that he can play an entire season + playoffs + finals. but he's still an injury liability, imo. but he's a quality big man and there are plenty of teams who'd love a big man of Dice's caliber on their starting line-up, let alone coming off their bench. basically, he's got great market value right now......definitely an ace up JoeD's sleeve.

despite all that, i'd love to see him stay and finally get a ring.

We all assume that Sheed will be the Big out the door as DMC develops and we really need to clean out the log jam of big men up front. But watching the game last night I could see that Dyess would be the more sensible move. If we are talking about just moving bodies, with no regard to $$$$ and salary cap, I could see a 3 Big rotation of Ben, DMC and Sheed, especially with Maxiel in the fold. I wouldn't move him this season, but next season would be a possibilty especially if we could move him to a good org for a few draft picks or a good PG that could possibly replace Chauncey down the road. I'd hate to see Dyess go but Ben is or at least should be a Piston staple, and Sheed can just do so many things on the floor that don't rely solely on athleticism, plus he'll be a better trade when he has an expiring contract.

not sure what to think of this at the moment, or what kind of player we'd want to trade for in return. i'd be a little surprised if we tried to trade him considering how there was a complaint about needing another big body in the San Antonio series, and just how much JD likes to stack the team with bigs.

I saw that too. I think that speaks to how much progress ASB thinks Darko has made.

Still, I wouldn't deal him this year. Dyess came up big in the postseason last year and, in the event of an injury to Ben or 'Sheed, I would trust him more to step in without losing a beat.

I would look for Darko to be the fourth big this year and then the third big in a three-big rotation next year (assuming he continues to come along as well as he has).

The no-trade clause I don't think is that big of an issue-if Dyess realized he would become the fourth big I think he'd want a chance to play elsewhere anyway and would be willing to waive the clause.

Additionally, something makes me think his contract has a player opt-out at the end of this year. If it does, and if he has a solid year this year, it may be in his and the Pistons' mutual interest to part ways (even without the clause a trade would be an option). He's good enough to start on many if not most other teams, and the P's would want to clear space for Darko at that point anyway.

At any rate, it's a great problem to have. Ben, 'Sheed, Dyess, Darko, Dale Davis, and Maxiell. This is the best crop of big men we've ever had in Detroit.

JoeD has done an excellent job in keeping us competitive for years to come. excuse me while i worship my Joe Dumars shrine.....

Honestly, anything you get for Dice at that value will not be enough. At the Mid level exception absolutely everything is a downgrade.

But we really won't need anything or anybody in return, we're just trying to clear space (bodies not cap per se). With his modest contract we can send him almost anywhere, and get the small tweeks in return. Maybe by then our concern is getting a backup PG or shooting guard, I expect AJ will develop by then as a forward who can play either spot like AL Harrington and Shawn Marion.

It's all predicated on health. One injury to Sheed or Darko and Dice's value to the team goes up exponentially.

Davis and Ben cannot supply the scoring we need in the frontcourt.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!