I have this nagging feeling that all that guard action in the draft is a pre-cursor to a Rip + _ to the Twolves for Garnett.

Crazy, I know, but I can’t shake the feeling.

God, I really really really hope you’re wrong. Every single time I imagine the Piston’s without Rip, I can’t find a way to replace his 20 points a night.

In theory it’d be POSSIBLE if Prince was suddenly to become a better pure shooter, but I’m just not seeing him shaking the whole “streaky but if you leave me wide open I’ll bury you” tag this year.

Honestly the way things are going now, I wouldn’t rule anything out but ya’ll are gonna have to talk me off the ledge if Joe moves Rip at this point.

where does everyone get all these crazy feeling about KG or Kobe coming to the Pistons…?

As much as i would like for it to happen being a big Piston’s fan, there is NO Way it would…

First, if its in a Trade do realize what we would have to give up just to get one of the two…just think, When Rasheed was on the Block for a possible trade for the Sun’s Shawn Marion, not only did they want Sheed for him but they wanted another one of our Starters and BOTH first round Draft picks….THATS INSANE!

Now knowing both KG and Kobe (call me crazy for this one) have more STOCK value under them individaully, than two Shawn Marions put together…Just imagine, what the Pistons would have to give up for either one of them…

Secondly, There is no way either one would fit under our cap space…After, a re-signing of Chauncey and McDyess and Maybe Grant Hill/Morris Peterson…They BARELY have enough money just to keep Bidding for Amir Johnson at a Mediocre salary level…in other words…it aint happening

Good summary of Afflalo.

OT: I read on AP that the Pistons contacted Bobcats free-agent SF Gerald Wallace and expressed an interest. To me it looks like there are too few minutes and too few dollars to sign Gerald Wallace, maybe it’s just a rumor from the Wallace camp to drive up his price.

Diablo, I think in part it’s because these types of players have been available recently. I agree with you very much that neither Kobe or KG will ever be a Piston, but you can’t argue that a GREAT number of GM’s in the NBA appear to be stupid.

You can’t blame fans for getting excited when Allen Iverson is traded for almost nothing. You can’t blame fans for getting excited when Danny Boy is willing to part with a good young PG, an expiring contract AND the #5 for Ray Allen.

Time and place is everything, and right now SOMEONE is in the right time and place to take Kevin Mchale to the woodshed and beat him till he’s red over KG. Minny lost all leverage when they DIDN’T move him before the draft and I’m pretty sure when the deal is FINALLY done we’re ALL going to be shocked at how little Minny gets back in return.

But yeah I agree wholeheartedly, the someone who’s going to steal KG for nothing isn’t the Pistons… think someone with cap space and a big expiring contract (like 10 million or so), not us.

why no dedicated post to Sammy Mejia? need to welcome him in like the rest of the boys

As of right now, since the draft is long gone…Minnesota is just best off keeping KG, then trade him.

You make a good point but it would be almost silly to for Minnesota to trade him…for anything less than is present Star-power…

That being said i would be shocked if in the next few weeks he is traded…

And without putting too fine a point on it, I’d be “shocked” if he was still a T Wolf by the first day of October. I just can’t see him suiting up for them ever again after this offseason, it’s over now. By admitting they were shopping him around, they’ve set a clock on how long they have to move him because there’s almost no way he risks stepping on the court for a franchise he’s leaving while his value is still this high. Is Minny prepared to keep a player on the roster who won’t dress until the trade deadline just to get a “little more but still not as much as Chi was offering last year when we stupidly turned them down”?

Stien isn’t right about alot of things, but he is right in saying Minny probably wants this over by the morning of July 11th.

I’m not in any way disagreeing that it’d be silly for Minny to trade him NOW, but by not doing the deal last deadline and by not doing it before the draft McHale has painted himself into a corner at this point and this deal is happening at 60 cents on the dollar now, period.

RE: Affalo, he certainly looks pretty TALL standing next to Joe D doesn’t he? I’m really starting to warm up on this guy :)

Afflalo is going to turn out into a really solid role player, he has Pistons DNA. Really hope he works out.

Kobe will never (ever) ((EVAH!!!)) be a Piston.

Garnett, however, could be. The Pistons have the talent to get KG from Minny and enough spare change players to make the deal work (or get the contracts that would).

While I’d hate to see Rip anywhere else – he is only getting better as his game matures – I have to say that you could get his 20 ppg and then some from KG.

Hahaha, I’m so busted if my boss sees me commenting at work but I just couldn’t help but reply…

Sure, but can he replace Rip’s 20, and Sheed’s points too since he plays the 4? Would he move to 5, meaning Rip’s 20 and ummm I dunno 6 points from Dale Davis/whoever? Plus is he 13 million better than Rip (KG’s hit is like 22 Million this year, it might be higher now because of that trade kicker… last I checked Rip makes like 9 and change)?

Only way this makes sense is if we get a championship out of it, and if the asking price is Sheed and Rip like we’ve heard (and would make the contracts make sense fwiw) then it won’t imho.

Plus if you trade Rip you’re starting Flip Murray, a guy who played in Europe last year or one of two 20 something rookies at 2… in a conference full of teams that run through the 2.

Sounds like change for the sake of change to me.

Sounds like Foulishness to me…

As much as this team needs change we shouldnt talk ourselves in giving up 2 of our core players for one man…

you can kiss all that team chemistry, we’ve been praised for around the league good bye…

Affalo was brought in specifically for L. James. Joe needed a physical defensive presence on the perimeter, after (and I love him to death) Tay’s “olay!” performance against James. Flip wouldn’t risk putting Dupree in the game, anyway Flip was too nervous to do anything competent anyway.

diablo and pistonsgirl4life…the offer regarding marion-wallace came not too long after piston got eliminated….i think many fans/media blamed sheed for the technical/ejection he committed during that last game, which leads to other teams to think sheeds value to piston would decrease which may create decretion of his value in the market too…..teams though, marion would be good enough (along with other combined offer). fortunately, joe was smart enough not to listen to what other teams/media/fans are dictating. i wouldn’t mind kg as a pistons, the question is, what will be the cost? no way in hell that piston should give up 2 of their starter….the only way piston can acquire kg is to participate in a three team deal, similar to what phoenix, boston and minnesota was doing, which obviously didn’t work out either.

I’m glad people are warming to Aaron Afflalo a bit. Given that he comes from a school that has had a lot of great players, you’d be shocked at how beloved he is by UCLA fans.

He’s a great, great guy, a total class act. He’s the guy who picked Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison up off the floor after Gonzaga’s devastating loss to the Bruins in the 2006 tournament. He’s unselfish, poised, intense and relentless on every possession on both ends of the floor. He’s basically John Wooden’s perfect player.

He’s very strong inside as one look at his build indicates. He makes his shot after he’s fouled. He’s got a legitimate 3-point shot that is better when the game is on the line. He makes his free throws. And he’s going to work his butt off getting better where he needs to get better because he’s that kind of guy.

It’s true that he did not have a good game against Florida either time. This year, he got into very early foul trouble (three fouls in less than 10 minutes) which is not only uncharacteristic for him, but at last one of the fouls’ would never have been called in the NBA. And you know, even when it was hopeless, he never slowed down. I think he scored about 15 points in the last seven minutes. He never, ever gives up.

He also does things like score 24 points against Kansas in the tournament this year. And Rodney Carney was 2-12 against Afflalo in the UCLA-Memphis game in the 2006 NCAA tournament. He held Cal’s leading scorer to zero points in one game this year. Relentless.

Plus, he just spent three years being coached by one of the best coaches in college basketball.

I’m not sure about this, but the games when he hasn’t shot that well may have been ones where he has too much on hs shoulders. It can’t be easy to be the leading defender, the leading scorer, the captain of the team, the guy who takes the last shot and basically the glue that holds the team together every night. Well, he’s not going to have that kind of pressure now and that should help.

I know I sound like his mom, but check out some of the UCLA fan sites online. We’re all crazy about him and we are really going to miss him. Obviously I’m biased, but I think we’ve really got a winner here.

UCLA1981: thanks for the scouting report — it’s nice to get the inside scoop from someone who’s seen him play.

As a person, I like Spellcheck a lot. For a defensive stopper, I am worried about his SPG and BPG numbers from college. There is more to defense than that, I know, but 0.6 and 0.2? I always worry about “energy” guys who earn minutes with hustle, but make no discernible contibution to the game (Mark Madsen, Bryan Scalabrine and Jason Collins come to mind… Remember Michael Curry?). Those players ruin teams.

no doubt Afflalo is a winner. that was evidenced by him leading his team to the final 4 two years in a row. He has a similar background to Tay at KU. He didn’t really hog too much of the limelight. I think he’ll be a great accessory to the Pistons. It’s just maddening to see the team draft 2 guards with their first 2 picks in the draft, it makes most of want to know which Piston is not going to be on the team next year…

if I had my way, Rip would be gone.

Ric, the problems with 3 team trade scenarios would take hours to explain, but to be honest it comes down to this basically:

“No third team is going to magically produce 13 million dollars worth of cap room unless someone is dumb enough to take Nazr, Flip, every bit player we have and half the Detroit Shocks roster. It just doesn’t add up to KG’s salary which is like 22 million. To aquire 22 Million we’re going to have to find about 22 Million worth of salaries to dump and that DOES NOT happen without giving up two members of the core… unless of course you believe someone whats Mohammed, Saunders and 4 Million worth of random Piston backup… Additionally just eating the 13 million or so isn’t an option because we’d be at least 10 into luxury tax, which in TURN would actually cost ownership about 20 million. No. Way. Is. Kevin. Garnett. Going. To. Be. A. Piston.”

Kevin, thats really unfair though. Those guys were all brought in with the idea that they’d drastically improve their teams as they developed into better players. They were lottery picks and expensive as heck. They just never got better. Affalo is the 27th pick of the draft, he’s cheap as all hell and he’s not being asked to play a significant role any time soon. The comparison just doesn’t exist. Even if Affalo rips his knee tomorrow and never plays in the NBA Detroit’s loss was what? The right to draft and eventually cut Josh McRoberts? So what? The implication that Affalo is even capable of a Brian Scalbrine like hack job on the Pistons is crazy.

ULCA81, thanks, the more i hunt around online the more I’m starting to think the guy’s a taller version of Lindsey Hunter in his prime, and that’s a good thing fwiw. No clue if he’ll work out but I already like him more than Stuckey.

Now all we need is one of the 9 people enrolled at Eastern Washington to tell us all about Stuckey :)

anyone knows where i can find a clip/video link on stuckey or/and affalo? i can’t find one on youtube.

There’s not much of Stuckey on YouTube, but Afflalo is there — be sure to get the spelling right: it’s “Arron Afflalo,” not “Aaron Affalo.”

Gotta like a guy who can guard 1’s, 2’s, and some 3’s. Pac 10 player of the year is nothing to sneeze at. If you think about it a great young replacement for lindsey hunter… In that he can play some good D coming off of the bench and hit a 3 every now and again.

Here’s a question that was probably answered in the past, but I didn’t remember or failed to notice:

On the subject of “get rid of Rasheed,” I understand the sentiment of his outbursts, technicals, and lack of great relationship with Flip Saunders as the reasons.

Why would Rip Hamilton be given similar sentiment?

And Lindsey sounds like he will be w. the Pistons for years to come after his retirement…just imagine all the tuitoring he could give to (if willing) Arron Afflalo…

Sauce: SOME people think Rip should be traded since his stock is the highest right now, and we can’t create his own shot. I think I remember them saying defenses are figuring him out and that his not clutch.

I don’t believe any of it. I don’t know how we’d be able to get back his scoring numbers. And not creating his own shot? In the traditional sense yes, but him running around and understanding where how to get open of picks and what the defender does, is how he creates his own shot. It makes Chauncey’s life easy thats for sure.

And Afflalo, except for his name being a little bit of a tongue twister, he sounds like a solid pickup. A low ceiling, high floor type guy, which is good for the pistons since they have enough guys they have to try and develop.

Matt: At least Detroit didn’t get stuck with the Chinese baller. What a dumb situation that is.

As for these kids, produce. That’s all.

I like how everyone wants Flip Murray gone, assumes Lindsey is going to retire, wants the starters to play less minutes, wants the team to get younger…

and hates that we drafted two guards.

One or the other. Unless someone comes through with a silly offer, Amir Johnson is like a top 10 pick. If you imagine him as say the 8th pick in the draft (and he has a better motor than Wright), are you still complaining about the draft?

Joe’s plan is pretty clear. I say let it play out before everyone starts ripping it, and if you’re gonna rip it, at least be consistent about why it’s not working.

My point is that I don’t want a hustle player who doesn’t really contribute. Of course, Spellcheck shot well against tough competition. If he’s got a consistent jumper, that’s probably good enough to get some playing time. I also have no problem with the fact that we drafted two guards.

John, I think we want Flip Murray gone because he’s not the player we thought we were buying. He’s an okay backup SG on a team that doesn’t run through the 2, however as a fanbase we were sold on the idea that he was more a PG in a SG’s body and capable of running the point. When he failed miserably at that, we lost all faith in him as a fanbase. I mean not to speak for everyone, but thats how I felt and how most people commenting at the time seem to have felt. It’s not like I think he’s Telfair (sp?) bad, but he isn’t bringing anything to this team we couldn’t have gotten much cheaper.

Lindsey is weird. Personally I hope he comes back, because I know he’s one of our best 3-4 defensive players even at this point, and playing limited mins he can help us preserve late leads and shut down key scorers. Unfortunately BECAUSE the team was so lacking against Cleveland, most people’s current memory of Lindsey consists of him trying out dribble most of the Cavs in the late stages of game 5 from the 2 spot… which was ummm… awful to watch.

I think from reading most of the people here are warming up to the draft, and ALOT of draft experts hailed the Affalo pick in the days after the draft which gave everyone a chance for perspective. The problem is we had our hearts set on solving the backup 3 and the starting 5 spots in this draft and Joe traded Delfino and grabbed a couple 2’s instead. It was natural to be disapointed when Joe passed on at least 5 guys we’d all heard huge buzz about for someone who barely got mentioned before the draft (in both cases). We’re warming up though, the first few posts are all “argh” but the past couple days have mostly been about discovering who these two kids are and being pretty keen about that. I’m already looking forward to seeing Affalo work against Lebron myself. This might turn out to be one of the smartest things Joe D has ever done, and I’m TOTALLY down with waiting to see how it works out.

kevin s, sure and I get that long term, but you DO need roleplayers. If a guy can come in, lock his man down and provide a solid 8-10 min rest for your starter where his opponent is simply a non factor during that time, how does that not have value? I’m personally hoping that for now Affalo isn’t really all that worried about shooting and is willing to step into a complimentary role. I agree, it’s no good for us if he’s an offensive black hole, but none of the scouting reports seem to indicate that. Mostly what people are saying is he’s not going to create his own shots, and that athletically he may be done developing and his current ability might not be NBA worthy… But really, I’m okay with a 20 something Bruce Bowen for now, I really am.

How can you get anything for cheaper than what you got Ronald Murray for? What do you seriously expect to get when you throw less than $2m at a guy?

Flip isn’t that horrible of a player. He kind of reminds me of Gus Frerotte (backup quarterback of everyone) in his days with the Redskins. He was solid when noone counted on him, but once he realized he needed to be “the man” (see: Chauncey Billups injuries) that’s when he struggled. He’s not built to be “the man”.

He does have ballhandling skills, he just overexaggerates his abilities by dribbling out the shotclock sometimes, which is one of the things I don’t like about him.

I will say one thing positive about him though, he’s better than Maurice Evans.

PG4L,

I guess we differ about how urgent the need is for a long-term, young player at the backup 3 spot. Considering that Tayshaun is the youngest of the core, picking up Grant Hill or Mo Pete is not as terrible as picking up aging backup guards would have been. And there are options on the roster at that position, including a big lineup with Amir, or with Spellcheck matching up against smaller 3’s.

If Joe can move out Flip Murray, resign Amir, and add Grant Hill or Mo Pete, I think his draft was absolutely fine. And considering Orlando is out of the Chauncey race, I’m pretty much assuming that gets done by the end of the week.

If he is a lockdown defender, great. But Bowen had 2 spg and 1 bpg coming out of college. Those were hints that he had that type of defensive instinct.

I don’t think Murray is better than Evans. The stats don’t bear that out.

kevin s. you’re right. Both suck equally…

I guess I’d rather have Flip over Mo for the simple reason that I don’t really want to see Lindsey Hunter dribble the ball that much.

I myself, havent really chose a side on whether to move Flip out or not (but am on the side to move the other Flip out…if you get what im sayin..lol)

In reality, everyone wouldnt be talking about moving out Flip Murray, if we didnt have so many Guards…i bet most people would be talkin about moving Nazr Mohammad. Which in my mind, is probably the weakest link on the team. so, instead of worrying about who getts to play at what position, i think the biggest focus should be who is the weakest link and i think Nazr out weights Flip big time.

I dont know, i always like to grade players on their best and worst game last season. Which is probably a flaw of mine but i dont remember Nazr ever leading or dominating a game. But, on the other hand, one performance that really sticks out, was that HUGE game Flip had last season, when he single handling took over the Phoenix Suns…and i know, it was just one game but he also had solid performances through out that time period where Chauncey was out w/ the strained calf or whatever he had…where as i couldnt see Nazr having a break out game if he was playing against a bunch of middle schoolers…

Thanks all for the positive feedback. Glad people are willing to wait and see about Afflalo. As someone who became a Pistons fan on June 29, I obviously don’t know the first thing about whether he is the best possible pick for this particular group of players. I’m still learning their names.

Still, I think I read somewhere that he got onto the Piston’s radar screen because he’d been playing summer pick-up games with a couple of Piston starters. It says something if they want him on their team. And I wonder if Dumars isn’t also seeing a younger, taller version of himself in Afflalo. That might be too much to hope for, but wouldn’t Dumars know something about drafting for this position?

The other thing is, there are a lot of good bigs who may be in the draft next year. Stanford has twin bigs (literally — they are twin brothers) who might enter, and UCLA is getting Kevin Love this year, and he might be one and out. That looks like three first-round bigs in the Pac-10 alone.

Of course, the reason I haven’t seen anyone point this out may be that it’s totally irrelevant!