Joe Dumars interviewed by Mike Stone and Tom "The Killah" Kowalski on the Stoney & Wojo show, WDFN 1130AM, the Detroit Pistons Flagship Radio Station.

In his first radio interview since the ECF loss, Joe fields some tough questions and shares his feelings on the state of the team.

This is probably the most important interview I have ever posted. It is a must listen.

*** ADDED ***

Audio from the Joe Dumars Interview with local ABC affiliate WXYZ (Don Shane).

nJoy!

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Attached Files

	wdfn_joe-dumars_061107.mp3 (18.26 MB, 106 views)
	wxyz_joe-dumars_061107.mp3 (7.11 MB, 51 views)

Thanks Roscoe. This is a great listen. Joe wouldn't discuss any personal performance on the air. He kept saying that it discussed on personal basis in his office, but it is not going to be on the radio. Some points from interview:

On Game 6 against Cavs:

On Sheed

Quote:

Sheed our best and most consistent player.

On starters minutes

Quote:

The days of playing our core guys have come and gone Cutting guys minutes from 40 mins a night to 30 mins a night We have to step in and cut those minutes back and incorporate young guys in.

On possible trades

Quote:

Not gonna be a fire-sale. But if I can get fair value – I’m open. I wouldn’t think twice about it if it makes us better.

On scoring

Quote:

Too big a scoring drop in the playoffs – from 97 to 80 points per game. We shouldn’t have dropped that much.

On off-season priorities:

Quote:

Off-season priority: Low-block scorer and a guy who can penetrate and create shots.

On Pistons D in the end of game 5

Quote:

Sick? That ain’t strong enough. Infuriating, infuriating!!! I didn’t even sleep that night. I don’t even know what the word is to describe that.

On CWeb

Quote:

We’re open to bringing him back. But I haven’t talked to him since season was over.

On off-season

Quote:

I’ve got a lot stuff to address. I have a long list of stuff.

More on players minutes:

Quote:

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have it like – “I want 40 minutes but I won’t go hard”

If we don incorporate youngsters in and cut down starters minutes, it would go long way in the playoffs. I just wonder if Joe could force Flip's hand on that.

Thanks scoe...you're dead-on on the importance of this interview. I haven't listened to it all the way thru. I've paused it early in to share my take. Killa's questions and Joe's responses about Flip & Sheed starting at around 4 minutes are the meat of the interview so far. My reading between the lines: Joe is admitting that Flip and Sheed don't get along and that Joe is forced into the role of peace-keeping. Is Joe gonna take a place on the bench next season to keep Sheed cool putting up with Flip's incompetence?

Flip & Sheed don't work, just like Flip & Ben didn't work. Somebody has to go.

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I have nightmares about insomnia

Interesting. Looking for PG speed and a guy who wants to get the ball and stay in the post. Also looking for a guy who can create.

When Lebron scored on two straight dunks without anyone challenging. "Sick is not strong enough."

Joe. "I got a lot of stuff to address. A lot." "Play hard when you are on the floor or go find a mediocre team that will let you coast."

"I don't care what they are sayin'. But are they bringing it...you may sound good, but if you don't bring it here...on the court...I don't pay attention to what they are saying. I want to see what you bring when they toss the ball up at 7:30."

"You have to cut those minutes. You got to. You got to." Joe said it three or four times.

Joe didn't sound too happy about Tay playing this summer with Team USA.

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Pecan Log Rolls for everyone!

From listening to the interview and reading postings in here and newspaper articles, looks like Joe wants to do lots of things that we want him to do - cutting down starters minutes, playing youngsters more, bringing in someone who can create, someone to put on low block. I wonder what would his coaching choice be if he didn't have his hands tied?

So after listening to all of these interviews we are going to assume that Joe would even for one minute stand for "having his hands tied" with a coach he viewed as "incompetent".

Not me. Either he has bigger issues with the players, or he is not making his decision to can Flip public. I don't buy for one minute that Joe would settle for having his hands tied. Ever.

WXYZ has another interview with Don Shane on their site.

This could be a whole new discussion. Maybe it is so, and Joe just thinks that Flip is still learning and he has learned enough from these two playoff failures to take it to the next level. Or maybe he's just a company guy where the money is good and he's just putting up with some things because he really likes his work.

You could be right. I don't want to think that Joe would settle for not having all the tools to do his job though.

The thought makes me sick as much as the thought of Pistons giving up dunks and layups made Joe sick.

IMO it's personal vs politics. Joe wants to stay with the Pistons, but can't undermine BillD and stay here...hence, babble speak. Too bad Joe doesn't have the checkbook.