List them, and the reasons why Joe absolutely needs to be looking long and hard at them. I'll go first. 1. Nocioni (SF). Annoying. Hard nosed. A poor man's Jon Barry. Everything Tay is not. 2. Chris Kaman (C). Big. Local. Ugly. Legit when healthy. 3. Spencer Hawes (C). Versatile. Inside-outside. Yes, all 3 of these guys are white.
Spencer Hawes, but he's going to get overpaid by someone and I prefer it not be by us. MAYBE Jason Thompson.
1- Spencer Hawes 2- Andre Miller (Back-up PG and a GREAT mentor to Knight.) 3- Jeff Green (If somehow we can know that he is healthy) Also, it would be nice to check if McGee doesn't resign with Denver.. I know that it's very unlikely but McGee can ask for too much money and maybe Denver doesn't have that kind of money.. If we made the right moves we can end up having that money and landing this kid..
Like this idea. Really think a veteran PG is necessary going forward at this point to help mentor Knight more than anything, but also to mean we are not getting minutes from two other "basically rookie" PGs in Russel and Bynum - or taking Stuckey away from the 2.
1. Eric Gordon (oops, we signed Stuckey last year for about the same amount) 2. Gerald Wallace (oops, we signed Tay Prince last year for similar money) 3. Nick Batum (oops, once again the contract of Tay prevents us from snagging an emerging young SF) ...Ok, seriously. These are guys that we might be able to get who are realistic from a salary/need standpoint: 1. Marreese Speights - We coulda had him last year for cheaper than what he'll likey command. 2. Greg Steimsma - Greg Monroe can do everything BUT block shots. This guy can ONLT block shots. Sounds like a good combo. 3. Vernon Macklin - The reality is, this is a guy basically free and that's about all we can afford. I'd still like to see if he can bring the noise. (Honorable mentions: Omer Asik, Robin Lopez, Semih Erden, Ian Mahinmi, Landry Fields, Courtney Lee, Shannon Brown, Alonzo Gee, John Lucas, Ishmael Smith)
[/quote] Although I still think Tay is necessary for senior leadership, this makes me sad. My biggest wish would have been to keep Chauncy and traded Tay instead. Would like to get him back if he could translate even part of his performances to the NBA. I remember when he signed last season and I was just getting onto Twitter (which I now never use) - he seemed the most genuinely excited I have seen of a rookie joining the Pistons in a number of years.
I don't think that the Pistons can afford any of those guys unless one of Joe's mistakes gets the 'ol A-Clause. Hawes would be "Hawesome"!
We could also wait it out a year and go for the 2013 FA's. 2013 NBA Free Agents | HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors 2013 (unrestricted only shown): PG- Chris Paul PG- Rubio PG- Devin Harris PG- Jose Calderon SG- Ginobili SG- Morrow (relatively cheap 3 point shooter) SF- Josh Smith (unrestricted) PF- Millsap C- Dwight Howard C- Pekovic I'd probably pick up Rubio, Morrow, Millsap, and Pekovic.
Chris Kaman's Michigan family would love for Joe to sign him. Given he was the sixth pick in the 2003 draft, if we had not moved up by the un-luck of the ping pong balls, he may have already been a Piston with 2 or 3 rings already. My only issue would be that he has been injury prone the past couple of seasons....but maybe a season long session with Arne take cares of what ails him..., I'd take Kris Humphries for the PF position....We need someone is not afraid to get in the bang with the best of them. He needs to get back to the midwest where he grew and stay away from the places like NJ, Brooklyn and the City of Kardashian here on the west coast. Jason Terry would be a better back up pg than Bynum and would be great coming off the bench behind Knight. He would probably be expensive though...and probably the only one of my three choices that would not want set up shop in Auburn Hills..........
You guys are shopping at the Mercedes-Benz dealership when you should be test driving used beaters at Dollar Dave's Easy Auto!
I would be happy for a S&T for Andre Miller if we can send them Bynum in return. We already have a Jason Terry in Stuckey. Ilyasova has been tearing it up in Milwaukee this year, but it is a contract year for him. It didn't work out too well last time we signed a PF out of Milwaukuee after a good showing in a contract year. Omer Asik can probably be had for a reasonable price, but I don't think he's leaving Chicago. To be perfectly honest, I don't want Joe to target (and subsequently overpay) ANY free agents this summer. I hope he works some magic and cooks up trades for proper players.
Too bad Joe didn't see it your way prior to signing those two UConn Huskies that he picked up a couple years ago.
I'm not that enamored with this free agent class. There are a few guys who interest me, at the right price. Trades seem like the better option right now. 1. Spencer Hawes is interesting. Big, skilled, and improving. He's not a shot blocker, but he does defend the rim. He has a ton of potential, and I wouldn't mind seeing him play 25+ mpg for the Pistons. I could see him averaging 14+ points, 7+ rebounds and 1.5+ blocks in around 30 minutes a game. He's just a nice, versatile big. I'd rather have Hawes than Kaman. Kaman is an injury prone journeyman; just not really interested in building with him. 2.Ian Mahinmi is a long, athletic, young big. I've been impressed with his defensive effort. He's always trying to contribute. He could have upside. 3. Omer Asik is probably the next best big. He's just a solid 15-20 mpg, role playing big. It's too bad that we're not a decent, 18 minute big man away from being good. Wild cards- Danny Green, Gerald Green. Both of these kids could fill a gaping, 20 minute hole on the wing. Danny is the safest of the Greens. He's an active defender who can stroke the three ball. Gerald has crazy athleticism and can really score. I like him as a 2/3 off of the bench... for the right price. Hasheem Thabeet and Greg Oden could be nice low money gambles. I liked Thabeet coming out of college, and he actually looked like a NBA player over his last few games. Thabeet can certainly block shots, and is showing better instincts on the boards. He could give us 15 minutes of rebounding and shot blocking a night in the middle, at the very least. I would also like to see Joe sign a veteran PG to come off of the bench for 15-18 mpg . Kirk Heinrich or even Chauncey Billups, could be a possibility,
J-Train, I agree with everything you said except Kirk Hinrich. He's one of the most overrated PGs in this league. I'd rather see someone like Andre Miller than Hinrich.