The race for the most ping pong balls

Who?

Prince might be the only guy who has a deal that is tradeable out of that bunch and even that's a stretch.
Unless a someone decides to hire Joe Dumars away from the Pistons, I don't see another team being interested in the contracts of any of those other guys. They're all decent players don't get me wrong. They're just overpaid.

I agree that everyone should be on the table.
The problem is the fact that what's on the table isn't attractive to other teams.
It doesn't depend on "what you WANT" to get back. It depends on what you CAN get back.

...Find a guy in the NBA that makes 8 million dollars a year with LESS trade value than Charlie Villanueva.
...Rodney Stuckey's a nice player but do you honestly see any other teams lining up to pay him 9 million per year?
...You can get a Jason Maxiel for 1/2 of what he makes. Why would you want to trade for him?
...Will Bynum is a rarely used backup PG on a lottery team making 3 million per year. The phones aren't ringing off the hook for dudes like that.

Our roster situation is THAT bad man!

I don't think there will be any opportunity to root for losses next year which is why I wanted one more top draft piece this year-- especially after the 4-20 start. Not if Monroe and Knight improve as expected. The team will start to win with Monroe and Knight, although the two will still have a steep learning curve in crunch time...If Stuckey can play a season like he did here and there, and if he can show he wants to really win by playing defense, that will lead to wins also. The key is whether or not (in two years) the Pistons are stuck at mid-pack or ready to springboard into elite level. Getting back to .500 is not that hard in the NBA. Getting to the elite is very hard. Are Monroe and Knight good enough to lead the charge? Probably. That is why I am optimistic about the Pistons for the first time since 2008.

JJ has to get a quicker and more reliable jumpshot and he has to get some kind of game around the basket as he drives or receives the ball slashing to be effective.

Yes, Maxiel has really improved. The problem is that he is still not good enough as a starter. He is a good second team piece.

By the end of next year, management will have to start dealing the veterans who do not fit in with the Monroe/Knight tandem going forward.

I don't think that it is impossible for us to make trades.

• Bynum, Daye, Maxiell, Singler all can be traded away for near-future draft picks.
• Jerebko, Prince or even Stuckey can be used to sweeten deals to unload CV or Gordon.
• We can send away CV or Gordon and take on worse contracts if they are accompanied by 1st round draft picks and/or young contributors.

There are many scenarios that could work. Joe just needs to be active, creative and diligent.

It doesn't take many key pieces on a basketball team to turn the tide.

Knight- could be a key piece. I would say that he looks somewhat promising given his age, attitude, range, and general finishing ability in the lane. Wasn't a net positive this year, but he's a young rookie PG. In year's past, the Pistons would have brought him off the bench at best and he would be a perpetual rookie, but with rust. 50% chance of Knight blossoming with us, but it will take another 2-3 years at least. On the job training until then is cool with me.

Stuckey to me is a potential starting SG on a future Championship team. He couldn't be our 1st or 2nd best player, but I could see him being 3-5. He's not a prototype though, so it would take a certain combo of teammates and a coach that doesn't just blindly follow conventions. Frank is capable I think.

Monroe exceeded all expectations. Clearly, he could be a starting PF or C for a winner.


Maxiell and Jerebko could both be key bench contributors for years to come. The cheaper the better of course. But they can play big, so worthy extra bodies and always tradable IMO unless they are drastically overpaid. I don't view $5M as drastic, just moderately. That that is only for another year. They are different enough that they both serve a purpose.

Prince already was a starter on a winner. He'll have to be our 5th/6th best player again for history to repeat itself. Or, he could be one of the league's top 6th men who could approach starter minutes.


Bynum- I enjoy watching him play hero ball, but I agree that he's not a component that means anything.

Gordon- could easily be a bench player for a winner, but his salary hamstrings the team and keeps that from happening.

Villanueva- Needs to be traded to the 1999 Clippers to fully realize his potential.

Ok, It's not 'impossible'.
Joe would have to catch someone like Rick Sund or Danny Ainge post-happy hour when they're completely hammered. Maybe slip some acid in Billy King's diet Coke and make a Villanueva for Lopez deal while Billy's staring at his fish tank mumbling to himself!

I liken most of the guys that you mention to a 2010 Lincoln Navigator with 138,000 miles. It's a sweet ride, It's got heated leather seats and a cool DVD entertainment system for the kidos. Damn thing set you back around $60K just 2 years ago. Now your wife decides that she's sick of the color and she wants a new one. You go to the dealership and the sales guy tells you that your trade-in is only worth about $32 grand.
You still owe $48 grand on that whip. You're buried!

Because of these damn contracts that Joe signed his name to, he's upside-down on almost all of the players that we'd like to see traded. The only thing that we have to look forward to is the passage of time and draft night (2012, 2013).

Go Pistons!

I like the analogy of comparing our players to used cars.

BDL, that's one of the best analogies I've read in a long time. Although I'd like to think of Prince as a 1998 Toyota Camry with 284,000 miles on it.

Prince is closer to the 1994 Dodge Neon with 191,000 miles and little luggage space.

The Lakers apparently asked about him. But that is well and gone now, because they got the cheaper, better version in Ramon Sessions.

How insane is it that the Pistons signed Charlie Garbage for 5 years!?!? At least Gordon had been successful in the L when he got his deal.

Could not agree more!

Right.

Yes he does. Because he is young. Not a 30 yr old still relying on athleticism.