Archive for the 'Contracts' Category

On keeping Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess

Published by Matt Watson on November 21, 2006 in Contracts and From the news. 17 Comments

I don’t very much like Drew Sharp’s work for the Detroit Free Press, and I don’t seem to be alone in that regard. For that reason, I’m hesitant to even throw a link his way, but I’m compelled to because he actually raises an interesting point that I’ve often pondered myself these last few months. From Sharp’s column on Monday:

There’s an increasing suspicion that point guard Chauncey Billups is playing his last season in Detroit. He’ll opt out of his contract, seeking a maximum deal. But Billups’ real value to the Pistons is a sign-and-trade chip that could bring in a couple of younger pieces next season.

Do they turn Billups into another Grant Hill? Apply the Larry Bird exception to give Billups the most money possible and then ship him. That scenario works out best for both parties. The player gets his big bucks and the team gets better compensation than just a draft pick if they moved Billups before the trading deadline.

The Pistons won’t acknowledge it, but this is a transitional period. But everyone should brace themselves, because the real change is a year away.

I’d like to think that it’s a shoo-in for Billups to return… but if Ben Wallace can leave, Billups certainly can. Do you think it’ll happen? Is he worth a max contract, or should Detroit attempt to negotiate a sign-and-trade?

While we’re at it, here’s another point to consider, and one that I’m surprised very few people have mentioned: Antonio McDyess is also eligible to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. Like Billups, he’s due for a raise, and he’ll likely receive it, whether it’s from Detroit or another team.

I like McDyess as much as the next guy (and maybe even more so), but re-signing him to a longer and more expensive deal this summer is extremely risky. Sooner or later, Jason Maxiell will deserve sixth-man minutes, and with any luck Amir Johnson will be ready to contribute next year.Amir is often overlooked by casual fans, but count me among those who believe he has the potential to be a star in this league. As long as McDyess is on the roster, it’ll be very difficult for either to happen.

Plus, there’s the age/injury factor. Granted, McDyess has missed only five games in two seasons with Detroit, but he’s an old 32 years old given his history of knee injuries. If he prices himself at the upper end of Detroit’s budget, Joe Dumars will need to ask himself if he’d rather use that money on a younger player with the potential to someday start, or at the very least one who can bring immediate energy off the bench instead of someone who needs to be eased into games.

Who might that be? I’m not saying they’re actually better options, but here are some names: Chicago’s Andres Nocioni (whom I hate but also compare to a smaller Bill Laimbeer) and Cleveland’s Anderson “Sideshow” Varejao (whom I hate but only because he out-hustled Detroit’s frontcourt in the playoffs last year) will be restricted free agents this summer, and they’re six and eight years younger than McDyess, respectively.

Unlike Billups and McDyess, who have the option of becoming free agents, Dale Davis will definitely be one at the end of the year. While I can’t imagine any scenario in which Billups is dealt midseason, I could see a lot of teams inquire about McDyess and/or Davis — including playoff contenders looking to shore up their frontcourt depth as well as non-contenders looking to acquire an “expiring” contract. If the Pistons are .500 at the midway point, should Dumars start taking those calls?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hitting the panic button after a 5-5 start (especially considering two of those losses were by a single basket), but it’s worth considering: how much change is still in store for this roster this season? And if the roster doesn’t see significant changes this year, do you expect (and do you want) it to remain intact heading into next year?

Trading Billups could spark rebuilding [Detroit Free Press]

Dumars on Maxiell, Delfino

Published by Matt Watson on October 21, 2006 in Contracts. 0 Comments

Jason MaxiellFrom the Detroit Free Press — Joe Dumars on extending the contracts of Jason Maxiell and Carlos Delfino:

“We talked about it a week or two ago,” Dumars said, speaking of vice president John Hammond. “I asked John, ‘We have until the 31st, right?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Well, we need to go ahead and get that done at some point.’ It wasn’t like we were watching them play. We could have done it the first day of training camp but just had other pressing stuff going on.”

Regardless, the two didn’t hurt their causes in training camp.

Maxiell, a second-year forward, came in leaner and meaner and has been the team’s leading scorer (14.2) in the first five exhibitions. His energy level, ability to be a force in the paint and play above the rim made the decision easy for Dumars.

“He makes plays that help you win games, whether it be rebounding or blocking a shot or effort plays,” Dumars said. “He brings a certain energy to the front line that we really, really like.”

You wouldn’t have guessed it from some of his offseason comments (or at least the translations of some of his comments) in which he reportedly claimed to want out of Detroit, but Delfino actually seems cool with having his option year picked up:

“It’s something I think everyone expected,” he said. “I like the idea.”

But he isn’t 100% happy with his performance in training camp. A heavy schedule of international play over the summer left him feeling a little worn down, he said, and he also had to readjust from FIBA rules to the NBA. He also still wants to drop a few pounds.

His bosses aren’t complaining, though, even if Delfino has struggled in a few exhibitions with his shot. Dumars said he sees past that.

“He does all the other little things well,” Dumars said. “But a guy like him always gets judged by whether he makes his shot or not a lot of times. It’s not a question about whether he rebounds, dishes the ball, slides his feet. That’s never a question. With him it’s just going to be the consistency of knocking down open shots.”

Delfino, Maxiell part of Pistons’ future [Detroit Free Press]

Pistons pick up options on Maxiell, Delfino

Published by Matt Watson on October 20, 2006 in Contracts. 1 Comment

Good news from A. Sherrod Blakely’s blog:

As expected, the Pistons picked up team options on Jason Maxiell and Carlos Delfino, keeping both players signed through the 2007-2008 season.

The Pistons knew well before training camp started that they would pick up Maxiell’s team option, but there was definitely a wait-and-see approach with Delfino.

His talent has never been the issue. It’s his heart; specifically, whether his heart was into playing for Detroit. To his credit, he has made the most of his minutes on the floor this season, and is now being allowed to play through - and grow from - his mistakes.

No big surprise. As you can see here, Delfino and Maxiell will stay pretty good bargains for at least 2-3 more years. I know we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but with an expensive All-Star-laden starting lineup, developing and retaining relatively cheap homegrown talent is of the utmost importantance — at least if you’re looking to avoid paying the hefty NBA luxury tax.

Delfino, Maxiell update… [MLive.com]

Delfino on the block? News to Dumars

Published by Matt Watson on July 19, 2006 in Contracts, From the news and Rumors. 7 Comments

The Pistons held a press conference yesterday to officially introduce Nazr Mohammed and Flip Murray. Joe Dumars pretty much said all the right things — the Pistons will still be a tough defensive team without Ben Wallace and Wallace’s departure has not lowered expectations or goals for the upcoming season. Flip Saunders, who seemingly never clicked with Wallace in the first place, wholeheartedly agrees. From the Detroit News:

“We have a chance to be a better defensive team,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy. But the No. 1 thing you have to be able to do is stop perimeter penetration and I am excited about (Murray’s) ability to defend on the perimeter. When he came into the league, he was known as a defensive player.”

Flip Murray a defensive stopper? OK, so maybe Saunders’ Kool-Aid needs a little more water, but it’s clear that the Pistons braintrust is feeling optimistic about the upcoming season.

It was after the press conference, though, that I think Dumars made his most interesting points. In a radio interview with WDFN, Dumars clarified the reasoning behind the Dupree signing and stated plainly that he’s not planning on trading Carlos Delfino. MLive’s Full-Court Press has a link to the actual interview and transcribed the interview (not 100% word for word, but close enough for context):

Q: There is speculation that you acquired Roland Dupree in case you have to move Carlos Delfino in a trade; perhaps a sign-and-trade deal with Al Harrington. Is there any truth to that speculation?

A: No. First of all, Al Harrington is looking for $10 million a year and Delfino makes no where near that, so a sign-and-trade doesn’t really work. We got Dupree because we needed depth after losing a guy like Mo Evans. We felt comfortable bringing in Dupree to fill that hole because he doesn’t need to make a big transition to learn the system.

Q: Is Flip going to give Carlos Delfino a bigger chance this season?

A: I think he did well with his minutes down the stretch. Yeah, we’ve had that conversation and we intend for him to play this year. He’s a guy that deserves to get some time. He’s a 24-year-old guy that brings something to the table that we didn’t have last season. He’s a good open-court player, a good finisher around the basket and I like him a lot.

So that’s that — make of it as you will, but it sounds to me like Delfino will still be here come training camp. In case you forgot what Delfino is capable of doing given solid minutes, DBB reader Matt Gibson dug up a couple of box scores from late in the year: against the Bucks and against the Wizards. Considering Delfino is making just over $1 million this upcoming season and the Pistons hold a team option for $1.8 million in 2007-08, there’s absolutely no reason not to hold onto him for at least another year to see what he develops into given actual playing time.

Dumars: Pistons’ defense won’t rest [Detroit News]
Dumars WDFN notes: Being a GM isn’t like fantasy basketball [Full-Court Press]

The belated “Flip Murray to Detroit” post

Published by Matt Watson on July 17, 2006 in Contracts and From the news. 7 Comments

Flip Murray will sign with the PistonsIn their effort to add some scoring off the bench, the Pistons picked up free agent Ronald “Flip” Murray over the weekend.Yes, I know DBB is late with this — we took a long weekend being laughed at by fish in Grayling, MI. Murray certainly didn’t impress anyone with his performance against Detroit in the playoffs (5.6 points on 21% shooting in 32.6 minutes per game), and the reaction among many Pistons fans has been lukewarm at best.

Personally, I like the move, at least considering the price tag: Murray agreed to accept Detroit’s bi-annual exception of $3.5 million over the next two years. Considering the alternatives in that price range were players like Tony Delk and Chucky Atkins, Murray seems like a bargain considering he’s usually instant offense off the bench.

I’m not going to gloss things over — he certainly has his shortcomings, especially on the defensive side of the ball — but he should help reduce some of the maddening stretches from the playoffs where the Pistons couldn’t hit a bucket to save their lives. Murray has a decent jump shot, but he’s also capable of putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket. I would have preferred the Pistons to acquire a true backup point guard, but Murray has some experience running the point — even if his efforts did lead frustrated Seattle fans to create a web site calling for him to be traded.

But what about Carlos Delfino? Joe Dumars already said he was disappointed with how few minutes Delfino played this past season, and it certainly seemed like he sent Maurice Evans packing to the Lakers in an effort to open up more minutes for Delfino this coming season. Will Murray’s arrival cut into Delfino’s playing time?

Maybe a little, but they don’t really play the same position: as DBB reader kramer pointed out, Murray is a 6-foot-3 combo guard while Delfino is a 6-foot-6 small forward who can also play shooting guard. There is some overlap of their roles, but Delfino certainly gets the edge whenever the team needs someone to man up on defense against a bigger swingman.

Chris McCosky has a nice introduction to Murray in today’s Detroit News, pointing out how the Pistons were actually linked to Murray from before he was even drafted:

It was the Pistons, after all, who essentially discovered Murray back in 2002 when he played for Division II Shaw (N.C.) University. Pistons director of scouting George David and director of player personnel Scott Perry were the first NBA scouts to watch him play.

Once Murray became Division II player of the year and began dominating the pre-draft workouts, the Pistons couldn’t keep him a secret. The Pistons, who drafted Tayshaun Prince that year, didn’t have a second-round pick and Murray wound up in Milwaukee (42nd pick).

Murray didn’t do much his first couple of years in the league, but he finally caught a break in 2003-04 when he started 18 games for the Sonics in place of an injured Ray Allen. It was then that he drew favorable comparisons to Vinnie Johnson from Sonics GM Rick Sund, who spent six years working in Detroit’s front office before moving on to Seattle in 2001.

McCosky also reports that Murray is expected to play about 30 minutes a game. I’ll believe it when I see it. I know the team wants to reduce the wear and tear on Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, but I’ll be shocked if either one of those two guys plays fewer than 34 minutes a game, and it’s obvious by how much the team paid to retain Lindsey Hunter ($4.5 million over two years) that he still factors into the rotation for about 10 minutes a night. So for now, I’m putting the over/under for Murray at 20 minutes per game. But that’s probably all he’ll need to average 9-10 points. All in all, that’s not bad for the price.

Murray will give boost to offense [Detroit News]
The First Flip Murray [NBA.com]

Time for Plan C: Nazr Mohammed

Published by Matt Watson on July 5, 2006 in Contracts and From the news. 6 Comments

When Ben Wallace decided on Monday that he’d like to sign with the Bulls, the Pistons immediately shifted gears and went to Plan B, setting up talks with Joel Przybilla. Unfortunately, those plans soon fell to pieces, as well, as Przybilla’s agent confirmed Tuesday afternoon that his client decided to stay in Portland and accept a five-year deal from the Blazers.

Nazr Mohammed will join the Detroit PistonsJilted for the second time in two days, the Pistons quickly flipped the page to Plan C and grabbed Nazr Mohammed.Once again, DBB readers scooped me while I was busy loafing on the holiday — you guys don’t miss a thing. He’s not the guy we wanted, and he’s not even the fallback guy. He’s simply the next-next-best thing, but perhaps more importantly, the guy we got.

Mohammed cost the Pistons the mid-level exception, or about $30 million over the next five years, with the final year being a team player option. For those counting at home, that’s about $30 million cheaper and one year longer than what Wallace commanded from the Bulls.

But while Mohammed’s paycheck will be lighter than Wallace’s this year, so will his contributions on the defensive end. Despite having the size (6-10, 250 pounds) to bang with most NBA centers, he’s not known as a strong defender, and only twice in eight years has he averaged more than one block per game.

Mohammed, who turns 29 in September, has never averaged more than 26.4 minutes per game, but it’s promising that he tends to make the most of his limited time on the court. In just 17.4 minutes per game last year with the Spurs, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 boards. That translates to 17 points and 14.4 rebounds per 48 minutes, with the latter ranking ninth in the entire NBA.

Of course, there has to be a reason Mohammed has never played 30-plus minutes per game, and the fact remains that he likely won’t receive that opportunity this coming season with Antonio McDyess (and hopefully Jason Maxiell) likely taking on a larger role.

However, Mohammed does have one leg up on the man he’s replacing: he’s a career 66% shooter from the free-throw line, and he shot 78.5% last year. That compares awfully favorably to Wallace’s career mark of 41.8%, and his playoff average of 27.3% this past year.

I’m a little nervous about what the fan reaction will be toward Mohammed. Sure, he’s going to be the new starting center, but he’s not going to be able to truly “replace” Ben Wallace, not through his performance on the court and certainly not as the face of the franchise.

But by all accounts he’s a good guy, a solid worker with a clean nose and a hard-luck background who’s never been able to find a permanent home in the NBA. There’s something to be said for giving a guy like a fair shake instead of subconsciously asking him to live up to a once-in-a-lifetime ideal. He is what he is, a journeyman big man with his fair share of limitations, only he’s more than willing to be the team’s lowest-paid starter instead of being insulted by what degree the Pistons were willing to make him the highest paid.

And in two years when Mohammed is 31 years old, Ben Wallace is 34 and they’re each putting up comparable stats, I honestly believe the Pistons will be in much better position instead of ruing the day they broke the bank. As for what happens between now and then, I’m not too sure what to expect, though I’m definitely not ready to concede the division to Cleveland or Chicago just yet.

Lindsey Hunter signs for two more years

Published by Matt Watson on July 4, 2006 in Contracts and From the news. 11 Comments

Lindsey HunterThere’s still no news on the Joel Przybilla front, but Lindsey Hunter agreed to return to Detroit, accepting a two-year, $4.5 million offer.

While I’m happy to see Hunter return, his contract is roughly one year and $3 million more than what most of us thought he’d be getting. Apparently it’s not even his true market value, though, as he reportedly turned down more money from the Suns because he wanted to retire as a Piston.

I can respect his wanting to return, but I’m guessing Joe Dumars will figure out some way to add another backup point guard to the mixThat is, unless we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Alex Acker and Will Blalock that any of us were hoping for. — Hunter may be a nice defensive stopper off the bench, but he’s not quite the backup to Chauncey Billups that this team still needs.

There’s also talk about Hunter moving into the front office after he retires. Of course, things like that aren’t allowed to be worked into a player’s contract (thank goodness — can you imagine if Isiah Thomas took over like he thought he was going to after he retired?), but by all accounts Dumars and Hunter have always had a close relationship, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen. I have no clue what role Hunter would be qualified to fill, but at the very least he’s a great ambassador for the team.

With Ben Wallace gone, whither goest the Pistons?

Published by Matt Watson on July 4, 2006 in Contracts, Former Pistons and From the news. 34 Comments

This might be a little tough for some of you. Take a deep breath.

As most of you already know, Ben Wallace came through with one last breath-taking rejection in Detroit, surprising just about everyone by turning down the Pistons’ and agreeing to a four-year contract with the Bulls.

Don’t forget to exhale…

While initial speculation was that Wallace turned down Detroit’s $49.6 million offer to accept $52 million from the Bulls, more recent reports indicate that the difference between the two offers was closer to $8 million, putting Chicago’s deal at about $60 million.

And now inhale…

It’s been clear for some time now that losing Wallace was a distinct possibility, but if it had to happen, most people figured it’d at least involve a sign-and-trade where Detroit would receive some talent in return.

Ben Wallace is no longer a PistonExhale…

But that didn’t happen.

Nope, Detroit lost their most recognizable player, the very foundation upon which their success from the past few years has been built on, and — perhaps most importantly — they lost the right to sign an impact player to a big hefty contract which exceeds the salary cap.

Gone out the window is Detroit’s Offseason Plan A, which involved re-signing Wallace and adding an athletic slasher (Bonzi Wells?) with the mid-level exception. Instead, it’s on to Plan B. What’s that? Apparently going after Joel Przybilla with the mid-level exception, and then quietly waiting for the season to start. Because unless I’m seriously under-estimating the amount of wiggle room Detroit has under the salary cap, the team’s hands will be tied when it comes to adding another impact free agent.

Sure, Joe Dumars could always pull off a trade, but the team lacks any disposable salaries such as Kelvin Cato, meaning any meaningful trade most likely will have to involve moving one of Detroit’s key players.

Okay, you’re turning blue — you forgot to inhale again!

Everyone should relax, because I think Detroit’s situation looks more precarious at first glance than it really is, and I seriously doubt it will result in Dumars moving any of the other starters.

Here’s what I’d do: move Rasheed Wallace to center and install Antonio McDyess as the new starting power forward. Sign Przybilla to come off the bench, take that sandwich out of Jason Maxiell’s hands and mail it to Cheick Samb. With Wallace, McDyess and Przybilla getting most of the minutes and Maxiell given a real honest chance to earn more minutes as the season progresses, Detroit should be able to put some points on the board without completely sacrificing on the defensive end.

If Przybilla does in fact sign, I could see him starting over McDyess, perhaps out of concern about McDyess’s durability. Personally, I’m no longer worried about Antonio’s knees falling off — he didn’t miss a single game last season and played in 77 games the year before. Plus, he’s only 31 years old, which puts him a year younger than Ben Wallace. We don’t want to ride him too hard, but I’d be surprised if he can’t handle 30 minutes a game.

If you’re not too familiar with Przybilla, don’t get your hopes up — he doesn’t do much on offense and is almost just as challenged on the free-throw line. But, in less than 25 minutes a game last year with the Blazers, he blocked 2.3 shots per game, averaged seven boards and scored 6.1 points. It’s possible the Blazers can convince him to stay in Portland (he can earn slightly more money if he does), but he’s said to be excited about the chance to play for a winner.

Because it doesn’t look like Detroit will be able to add that slasher they were hoping for, Flip Saunders will have little choice but to turn toward Carlos Delfino as the in-house option. Personally, I expect Delfino to flourish in the role. Don’t act surprised, he was a first-round pick for a reason, and it was almost a crime the way he was used so inconsistently last season.

I think one thing is for sure, and that’s that Tayshaun Prince is due for a huge breakout season. Without Ben Wallace clogging things up on offense (and without Wallace helping slow down the other team on defense), the Pistons should be running something fierce. I anticipate we’ll see a lot more of Tay in the open court, and it honestly won’t surprise me if he actually leads the team in scoring next year, or at the very least finishes a close second to Rip Hamilton. Somebody had to be the first to say it, so there it is.

Tay proved in the playoffs that he could carry the team on offense when needed, especially when he took his man into the post. Unfortunately, he was rarely given a chance to shine for an entire game at a time since he’s not normally any higher than the third or fourth option, but I have a hunch that will change this season.

For the past few years, it’s been very hard to argue with Joe Dumars’ success as a GM, but I think his reputation as one of the league’s top execs will be on the line this season. I’ll never hold his decision to draft Darko over Carmelo, Dwyane or Bosh against him — we got a championship out of the deal — but giving up Darko and Carlos Arroyo in a salary dump to clear up salary cap space that the team will never be able to use no longer looks that hot, though it’s still graded as an “incomplete” until that future first-round pick is in the books.

You could also argue that dumping Mo Evans for a project second-rounder like Cheick Samb might have been rash, though I say that without having any insight as to what the market for Evans really was. In any event, there’s no denying that Dumars has made several decisions with the sole intention of structuring the payroll to accomodate the re-signing of Ben Wallace, which resulted in moving players that might otherwise be awfully useful right about now.

I’m not bitter Detroit didn’t break the bank to bring him back — I’m guessing Wallace’s contract will be something of an albatross around Chicago’s neck two years from now — but the contingency plan of Przybilla seems thrown together at the last minute. Detroit will compete in the East next year, and they may even win the Central, but it’ll be an absolute dogfight to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth year in a row.

Unless, of course, Dumars pulls something else out of his sleeve, which to be perfectly honest, we can’t really rule out.

How do you expect the rest of the offseason to play out? Tell us in the comments.

Bonzi Wells is very popular

Published by Matt Watson on July 3, 2006 in Alley-Oops, Contracts and From the news. 6 Comments

The Sacramento Bee reports that Bonzi Wells has already received six offers. It’s unclear if the Pistons are one of them, but the Free Press reports that the team has at least placed calls with Wells’ agent. Will all the competition price Wells’ out of the Pistons’ budget? It’s too early to tell, but indications that he’s looking for a five year deal starting near $8 million a season suggest that may be the case.

Phoenix wants Lindsey Hunter

Published by Matt Watson on July 3, 2006 in Contracts and From the news. 2 Comments

As it turns out, Lindsey Hunter has more options than simply mulling between one more season in Detroit and retirement. According to the Detroit News, the Phoenix Suns have come out of left field to offer the 35-year-old guard their bi-annual exception, which pays $3 million over two years.

Hunter recently told the Biloxi Sun-Herald that he’s leaning toward playing at least one more year and he’s on the record saying that he’d like to retire as a Piston, but Detroit may have to up their initial offer, which is believed to be something just north of $1 million, for that to happen.

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