Thanks

I will no longer be updating this site and will now only focus on my new site.  Thank you for your support, my blog went very few visitors to developing its own constantly growing following.  Please continue to follow my posts on http://puremichigansports.com

Thanks, once again for your comments and support.

Pistons Draft Round Up

After selecting big man Greg Monroe in the first round, the Pistons took a flyer on SG Terrico White in the 2nd round.  White’s strongest asset is his athletic ability, he possess the skills to jump out of the gym.  This was  a case where the Pistons took the best athlete available, it will be interesting to see if White can make the team or spend time in the D-League.

The Pistons headed into the draft with trade rumors swirling in every direction.  Analysts has the Pistons trading up for Center DeMarcus Cousins, trading picks and players for the Timberwolves Al Jefferson, sending Prince to the Kings, and the list went on and on.  After the draft was all said and done the NBA saw numerous moves, but none by the Pistons.  Granted the offseason is still young and the Pistons have plenty of time to make trades.  However, the draft and the trade deadline are when 90% of trades in the league happen.  Maybe the trade rumors surrounding the Pistons were all just talk, or deals that did not make sense for the Pistons.  Despite the inactivity I still anticipate the Pistons to do everything they can to trade Prince, and Hamilton.  Prince is the most likely to be dealt since he has an expiring contract, but the clog of money and minutes at the shooting guard position will force the Pistons to deal Hamilton ASAP.

Pistons Draft Day-1st Round Pick

Heading into this draft the Pistons were focused on beefing up their front line by adding a big man with their first round pick.  They spent the days leading up to the draft trying to move up to draft Center DeMarcus Cousins.  Their failure to do so forced them to watch the Sacramento Kings select him with the fifth overall pick.  The Warriors used the sixth pick to draft another big man with upside in Epke Udoh.  With both of these players off of the board the Pistons took the next best big man Greg Monroe.  He instantly brings much needed size, and is the best passing big man in the draft.  Not to mention his rebounding and scoring skills will allow him the opportunity to be a starter right away. Maybe not the player everyone wanted, but Monroe has the potential to be a solid pro.

Website Coming Soon

I will be officially transferring my blog over to my website http://puremichigansports.com.  The site is under heavy construction right now, but should be completed in the next few days.  I will keep this blog active, but will eventually just update only on the website.  I will also be changing my twitter account from @joshalltrades to @pureMIsports.   Big changes are on the horizon.

Pistons Offseason Approach

With the NBA Draft a mere two days away its time to contemplate what direction GM Joe Dumars will lead the Pistons ongoing rebuilding attempt.  Rumors have been rampant that the Pistons are desperate to trade up to select Center DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky.  It seems unlikely a trade will occur, but Cousins immaturity may allow him to drop to the Pistons anyway.  Regardless of the pick, whether its Cousins, Udoh, Aldrich or someone else, the Pistons will be drafting a big man.  After adding size to the draft the Pistons will focus on trying to trade Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon and/or Jason Maxiell.  The next goal of the offseason will be to decide where Rodney Stuckey fits on this team.  Hopefully Dumars finally comes to the realization that Stuckey is not a point guard, but a solid shooting guard.  It would be in the Pistons best interest to pursue a veteran point guard via free agency.  The name that sticks out to me, and seems most realistic, is Raymond Felton.  Although the Bobcats will be adamant about re-signing the talented point guard, his price tag will likely be out of the their price range.  Naturally it doesn’t make sense for the Pistons to add payroll, unless they can trade one of their over paid, and unnecessary players (aforementioned Prince, Hamilton, Gordon and Maxiell).  This is a crucial offseason for the Pistons, and it won’t be easy with the pending sale of the team, but Dumars job is on line.  Many have called out his ability to judge talent and manage a payroll, not to mention question if former assistant and current GM of the Bucks, John Hammond was more responsible for the Pistons success over Dumars.

Prince to the Kings?

According to this Detroit News article the Pistons and Kings have started discussing a trade revolving around the Pistons Tayshaun Prince and the Kings 1st round pick, number five, in this years draft.  At this point I would have to assume this deal to be unlikely, especially without knowing what the other components of a trade would be.  If the Pistons could trade Prince, and say a 2012 1st round pick for this year’s number five the Pistons could not turn this deal down.  With the fifth and seventh pick in this years draft the Pistons could potentially completely revamp their front court by adding power forward DeMarcus Cousins and  center Cole Aldrich.  These two would infuse youth, energy, and much needed size to the Pistons roster.  Granted there is a chance the Pistons could trade one of these picks for a future pick or take a flyer on a guard, but having two top seven picks would allow Dumars and the Pistons some much needed flexibility.

On the flip side why would the Kings make this trade?  This trade would make more sense if the Kings were one player away from contending.  Obviously they could use Prince as a stop gap and take his contract, that comes off the book after this year, and invest in a free agent in 2011.  It just seems like they could much more than Prince by packaging the number five pick, or even simply wait to see is available at that spot before trading.  We are still a week away from the draft, I am sure this won’t be the last we hear of this trade, especially for the Pistons sake.

Pistons Draft Prospects

Heading into the 2010 NBA draft the Pistons only had a 5.2% chance of winning the John Wall sweepstakes.  As luck would have it the Pistons got the seventh pick in the draft.  Sure is tough to see the Pistons three game winning streak decrease their odds and then watch the two teams ahead of them get the 1st and 2nd picks.  Draft guru’s have gone back and forth on whether this is a deep draft or a thin draft.  Regardless here are the Pistons best options at # 7

Logical wisdom would suggest that the Pistons would take the best big man available, unless they found themselves in the top two picks.  Ideally this offseason the Pistons will find a way to trade Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, and/or Jason Maxiell.  The Pistons have too much money locked into a team that appears heading for the lottery next season as well.  Not to mention this team is simply not built to contend, and needs to go into full rebuilding mode.

Top options

1. Demarcus Cousins, Power forward/Center, Kentucky

If Cousins falls to the Pistons it will be solely because he has a 90% chance of being a head case. However the Pistons are not in a position to pass on a player of his talent. The further he drops the less risk he becomes, realistically he should be a top three pick, based on talent alone. He has an NBA ready body, several post moves, and the ability to average 15 points per game and 10 rebounds for the next ten plus years. When he wants to be he can easily be the best player on the floor, for better or worse he has a lot of Rasheed Wallace in him.

2. Ekpe Udoh, Power forward/Center, Baylor

Udoh posses the ability to be an elite shot blocker in the NBA, he racked up over three blocks a game this past season with Baylor.  He would be a double-double threat every night, and also has improved his passing game.  His low post moves are a work in progress, but his raw ability and size, 6’10″ 240lbs, would make him a very intriguing prospect.  His ability to impact both ends of the floor should make him the Pistons top target.

3. Cole Aldrich, Center, Kansas

Aldrich reminds me of a mixture of Kevin Love and a white version of Ben Wallace, with a scoring touch. He is an outstanding rebounder with tremendous passing skills. He is a walking double double with a blue collar attitude willing to sacrifice his body for the team. He would be a perfect fit for the Pistons team first play that has won the franchise three championships. He doesn’t have the potential to be an all star, but will be a highly productive big man on a team desperate to add size.

4. Greg Monroe, Power forward/Center, Georgetown

He has excellent passing skills for a big man, and has the ability to mix in power and finesse into his game. However, other than passing he is not great at any one skill. His jump shot outside of ten feet is a work in progress, and he has limited post moves.  Monroe has the potential and athleticism to make one believe that he can improve on these skills.  His raw talent make him a risk worth taking, but he is far from a sure thing.

5. Xavier Henry, Shooting guard, Kansas

The last thing the Pistons need is another guard, but if all of the big men are off the board or aren’t intriguing enough for them, then Henry is the top talent left on the board. At 6’6″ he has the size and speed to attack the rim and the outside shot (.418 3P%) to stretch the floor. Naturally this selection would make the most sense if the Pistons are able to trade Hamilton or Gordon.

6. Patrick Patterson, Forward, Kentucky

He has all the intangibles to be a difference right away.  Like many of these players, he may never materialize into an all star player, but he has all the ability to be a solid pro.  Patterson has numerous offensive weapons in his arsenal that include three point shooting, a hook shot, several strong post moves and great passing vision.  He may not be great at any one of these skills, but he is very good at all of them.  He could easily provide 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks.  His versatility would dramatically improve the Pistons scoring options down low.

Trade the pick

A long shot to say the least, but if the Pistons are not in love with any player at number seven, and another team is they should not hesitate to trade. If they can use this pick to help them trade Gordon, Hamilton, or Prince then they shouldn’t think twice. The Pistons focus needs to be obtaining youth and shedding salary, for the sole purpose of not paying guys that are not helping them win.

One possible scenario, if the Pistons decide none of the big men on the board are worthwhile then they should explore trading for a point guard. Let’s be honest, Rodney Stuckey is not a point guard, if a team like the Hornets see a player at seven they like and feel that he won’t last until they pick at eleven, maybe they can make a deal with the Pistons for point guard Darren Collision. Yes, the Pistons could have drafted him last year, but the Pistons need to get a player who they can improve their roster from day one with this pick. Collision would fill a major need in solving the Pistons post Billups point guard woes. Probably unrealistic that this trade plays out, but the Pistons need to consider and explore all options.

Inside Detroit: The City’s Welcome Mat

For those of you interested in exploring and  learning more about the city of Detroit, I highly recommended you check out this website.  Inside Detroit offers a tremendous amout of information about the city, numerous tours, and a calendar of upcoming events.  Detroit may have a tarnished image from many of its well earned short comings, but this organization displays the current and forgotten positives.

Future of the Blog

With the Red Wings season over and offseason news tallying off, I am going to finally focus more on the Tigers, Pistons draft prospects, and Lions offseason news.  I am also hoping to finally get a website up and running in the near future, hopefully by next week.

Deeetroit Basketball

The Detroit Pistons have become a struggling franchise.  A few months ago it was made known that the team is for sale, and they have received little to no interest.  GM Joe Dumars is still in the long process of rebuilding this team after their championship window has closed.  Last season started the rebuilding process by trading point guard Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson’s expiring contract.  Consequently he also signed shooting guard Rip Hamilton to a five year contract extension shortly after.  To me this is where the plan went down hill.  First of all I think no player is a worth a five year deal, very rarely has it ever worked out that any player has lived up to the salary they earn during the length of a five plus year deal.  Not to mention that Rip is not getting any younger and his best days are in the past.  Gearing towards last summer’s free agency Dumars quickly signed shooting guard Ben Gordon and forward Charlie Villanueva.  Gordon to a five year deal (ugh) and Villanueva to a four year deal. Not only did Dumars over pay for Gordon and CV, but these players do not fit into helping the Pistons win.

Sure they pose as nice free agency signings and justify the cap room by using millions to sign these name guys.  However as predicted these signings have not helped the Pistons win.  Injuries and line up adjustments got the Pistons off to a slow start this season that they are yet to recover from.  They now reside in the cellar of the standings in their conference.  The Pistons have won three championships( 89, 90, 2004) in the last twenty years with arguably the same approach.  This franchise thrives on a hard working, blue collar attitude that enforces team play on offense and defense.  The “Bad Boys” of the 80s and 2002-2005 “Goin to Work” teams.  These teams were led by strong point guard play, solidified by strong, but not great players, and solid bench players.  Dumars was a stand out shooting guard on the Bad Boys teams and architect of the 2004 title winner.  For better or worse this is how a Pistons team will win.  The Pistons do not have the luxury of over paying just any player.  Dumars needs to fill his roster with blue collar players who are committed to winning.  Currently he was way too many shooting guards and a roster full of players who would rather be somewhere else.

This seasons trade deadline the Pistons went without making a move, this summer they cannot.  Finding new homes for Tayshaun Prince and his expiring contract as well as a either Ben Gordon and/or  Rip are crucial.  Personally I feel trading Ben Gordon is most important because he is way over paid. NBA shooting guards grow on trees, paying a player like Ben Gordon 11 million a season is a waste of money.  Especially when you can either draft or sign a free agent to put up similar numbers for a third of the cost.  Since no league passes out money like the NBA their should be defined salaries if you are a super duper star you make between 15-19 million, super stars make between 11-14 million, up and coming players or solid veterans make 7-10 million,  role players 5-6 million and rookies and everyone else make between 2-5 million a year.  With something in place it would limit players salaries and provide GMs some restraint.  Far fetched and completely unrealistic of ever happening? sure, but the NBA needs some sort of salary restraint.  Now how to clarify what category a players falls into will be difficult, but not impossible.*

By freeing up cap room from trading Prince and Gordon and/or Rip the Pistons can begin to fill their rosters with players who are committed to defense and rebounding.  If they get lucky and win this years John Wall or Evan Turner sweepstakes in the lottery this speeds the process up that much quicker.  Dumars needs to focus on finding his next Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups and the rest of the roster will be easier to build around.  Personally I think signing a player like David Lee would do wonders for this team, but I do not see him being interested in the Pistons situation.  If Joe Dumars refuses to re-committ to this brand of basketball and start pursuing the necessary pieces I feel his tenure is done, regardless of who the owner is.

*Super Duper Stars: Examples: Lebron James, Dewayne Wade, Kobe Bryant.  To avoid misinterpretation only 12 players can fall into this category.  This player must be undoubtedly your best player.  Show the ability to lead your team to at least a division title on his own.

Super Stars: Examples: Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire.  Key Contributors to teams, but ultimately second bananas.

Up and Comers/Solid Veterans: David Lee, Gerald Wallace, Monta Ellis,  Players who have proven themselves and are on the verge on super stardom.

Role Players: Examples James Posey, Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier.  Players were are solid at several different skill sets, but not great at any one thing.