But they’re using Okur much more as a perimeter option out there because AK-47’s 3-ball and outside jumpers are streaky, and Boozer’s mostly effective only from the inside. Deron will be a great point guard, but they have no solid shooting guard, and there was Okur, ready and willing to jack it up for the Jazz.

although who doesn’t blow off their bar bill at a strip club while they’re on bereavement leave?

Any suggestion is better than hearing recycled rumors from where Rasheed thought he was headed (the Knicks) back when he was at the trade deadline in 2004.

The world wants nothing better than for Detroit to enter the basement of the NBA and stay there . . . to make way for LeBron James, no matter how pathetic his team may be.

To me, THAT is arrogant.

The preparation and execution are an extension of the coach’s ability, in the case of Detroit’s roster. These guys are more adaptable than anyone in popular media will currently give them credit.

I don’t particularly care how much Joe Dumars likes Flip Saunders. Players of this quality are more difficult to replace than coaches of Flip’s average quality. This is a business, and Detroit still has a 3-4 year window with Chauncey, Rip, and Tayshaun. If Detroit finds a better starting center, then one can include Rasheed in that window.

Here’s an insane thought . . . Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap for Nazr Mohammed, Carlos Delfino, and Jason Maxiell, with no draft picks involved, no dealing of Rasheed, either.

I know people on this web home won’t like Maxiell’s name mentioned, but the deal helps out both Utah and Detroit. Mohammed’s style is more suited to cleaning up after a Tim Duncan or Carlos Boozer on the offensive glass. Utah then plays Kirilenko, Boozer, and Mohammed at 3-5. Maxiell subs off the bench as a small-ball option for Sloan. Delfino could finally get a shot at starting at the 2 or subbing for Kirilenko at the 3 or playing more minutes with Kirilenko when Delfino comes in at the 3 and AK-47 enters as the 4.

Paul Millsap is a young Corliss Williamson. Mehmet Okur, well, we’re all familiar with that guy.

Detroit uses the draft picks to find suitable bench mates for the starting five, which would be Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun, Rasheed, and Mehmet at 1-5. Utah went 41-34 with Mehmet at the center position . . . he played a lot of minutes there for them. He brings the same disadvantage that Webber would show . . . mediocre to poor interior defense. However, Okur has better shooting range, and he’s a lot faster than Webber out there

Which leads me to thanking you guys for having this site. I check it twice a day, even if that means reading it from the internet on my cell phone while delivering pizzas or while waiting on my next class to start.

I also want Sheed back. Im very biased towards him, but he showed more emotion this playoffs than any of the other starters. Ben departed last offseason and took a lot of the team’s heart with him, I’d rather not have this happen again with Sheed.

As far as the firing Flip talk goes, Carey, the easiest person to blame right now is Flip. He inherited a team that had been to the Finals in back-to-back seasons and now has nothing to show for it. Not even an Eastern Conference winners banner or whatever it’s called. Since we’ve hired Flip, we’ve not won in the East. He’s never completely gained the respect of our team. We’ve seen Ben leave and dealt with numerous rumors about the team splintering and whatnot. Maybe we can’t chalk that all up to him, but still.

He doesn’t know how to call timeouts, doesn’t know how to dictate the on-court matchups (he merely reacts to what the other team does).

Now. Be completely honest. Who would you rather have whipping the Pistons into shape? A whiny, nervous, shrill Flip Saunders? Or a hulking, defensive-minded Bad Boy, Mr. Bill Laimbeer himself, who has happened to lead our WNBA counterpart to the title twice in three years (or maybe four, I can’t recall), most recently this past year?

1. Please stop with the fire Flip talk. Its not going to happen. Who can do better?

2. I don’t know where the Zach Randolph talk is coming from but I really don’t its going to happen. He makes a ton on money about 60 plus remaining. We would have to move Tay,Rip, or Sheed to make the money. Sheed going back to the Blazers? Not going to happen. We would have to have a 3rd team to make that happen. Maybe a sign and trade for Mr.Big Shot. But I think Joe D id really wants him back. Don’t get me wrong I like the front line of Sheed, Zach, and Tay but we would have to give up to much to him . Maybe they would just take our 15 pick for him.

3. Rip is not going anywhere.

brilliant reporting.

I don’t like reading that our coach will be back, not because he is good, or on the right track, but because he is a good person and we’re too cheap to make change.

This is infuriating.