Archive for the 'Rumors' Category

It looks like Theo Ratliff will return … to Philly

Published by Matt Watson on August 16, 2008 in Rumors. 58 Comments

From Bill Ingram of HOOPSWORLD:

Rumors have Theo Ratliff on the verge of signing with the Philadelphia 76ers to replace injured center Jason Smith, and if there’s a big man in the league who has more to prove than Kwame Brown it’s Ratliff.

There was a time when Ratliff was thought to be the next great dominant big man in the NBA, but injuries - both real and imagined - have prevented him from ever really finding out how good he might be. He’s always been able to find a team willing to gamble that he would realize his potential with them, which is why he’s had a 12-year run in the NBA, but his inability to get healthy has been his defining characteristic. More than a few coaches and scouts have intimated off the record that Ratliff is more interested in collecting his check from the sidelines than putting his skills on display, and we haven’t seen anything to dispute that claim.

I don’t really know what to say. It was obvious that Ratliff has struggled to stay healthy, but this is the first time I heard someone suggest he had a reputation for dogging it. For what it’s worth, Ratliff left money on the table when he was bought out by the Timberwolves to join the Pistons last season. Maybe not a lot, but it’s still worth acknowledging in the face of allegations that his primary concern is always his paycheck.

(Of course, if Ratliff did have that rep early in his career, I guess Michael Curry would know about it — there were teammates Ratliff’s first two years in the league.)

I know there was some talk at the end of the year that Ratliff might return, but I think it’s safe to assume that the door closed for him the moment Kwame Brown signed. As things currently stand, the Pistons have five bigs vying for time in the rotation (and that’s not including Cheikh Samb).

Looking at the roster as a whole, the Pistons have 14 men under contract:

Guards (5)
Chauncey Billups
Rip Hamilton
Rodney Stuckey
Arron Afflalo
Will Bynum

Small Forwards (3)
Tayshaun Prince
Walter Herrmann
Walter Sharpe

Bigs (6)
Rasheed Wallace
Antonio McDyess
Jason Maxiell
Amir Johnson
Kwame Brown
Cheikh Samb

Who’s going to be No. 15? As of earlier this week, the Pistons were still waiting on Lindsey Hunter to decide if he wanted to postpone retirement one more year. Exciting, I know. My preference is to hold that spot open for a D-League flavor of the month to keep a steady flow of hard-working new faces coming through the locker room, but the bench is young enough that I don’t actually mind the presence of one aging veteran.

Did Walter Herrmann just re-sign with the Pistons?

Published by Matt Watson on July 31, 2008 in From the news and Rumors. 46 Comments

Walter Herrmann recently gave an interview with DiarioDemocracia.com, which appears to be a Spanish-language news site. If there are any Spanish-speaking readers out there, I’d like a little help with this passage:

Consultado sobre su negativa a integrar la Selección Nacional que participará de los juegos olímpicos de Beijin, comentó: “Básicamente porque no tenía contrato con la NBA. Recién ayer arreglé mi continuidad por una temporada con los Pistons de Detroit.

According to Google Translate, it says:

Consulted on their refusal to integrate the National Selection to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing, said: “Basically because it had no contract with the NBA. Just yesterday arranged my continuity for a while with the Detroit Pistons.

Machine-generated translations are always confusing, but it seems to say that he’s not playing for Argentina’s national team because he didn’t have an NBA contract when the team was selected, but that he re-signed with the Pistons yesterday. (The article is timestamped July 29, so I’m guessing the interview took place the 28th, which means “yesterday” would mean Sunday. Or something like that.) A reader on the Pistons.com message board confirms this:

I read the article in Spanish and it plainly states (quoting Hermann) that he signed a contract yesterday to return to play for Detroit. No other details were provided.

Can anybody from DBB nation confirm the confirmation with their own word for word translation?

Update: Cisco comes through in the comments:

My Spanish is a little iffy (I’m a Portuguese speaker), but roughly translated, asked why he did not want to take part in the games, Herrmann says: “Basically, because I didn’t have an NBA contract. Just yesterday I arranged to play for one more season with the Detroit Pistons.”.

Would the Pistons actually trade for Ron Artest?

Published by Matt Watson on July 23, 2008 in Rumors. 273 Comments

In internet years, this rumor already decades old, but I haven’t touched officially on it yet and would like to offer my two cents. Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee recently listed several possible destinations for Ron Artest and surprisingly included Detroit:

Could this be why Artest was so interested in interviewing brawl instigator John Green a while back? It would be a brilliant PR move if the Pistons were looking to put a package together for Artest.

And from what I was told from one source close to the Pistons, they are. I’ve yet to get this info from more than one person, so stay tuned. But much like the Mavs’ situation, this could be one of those where the player the Kings want (perhaps Tayshaun Prince) would be different than the one offered (Jason Maxiell, anyone?). Pure speculation on my part in terms of the potential pieces.

[Update: Amick found a second source to verify Detroit’s interest.]

For PR reasons alone, I’d be shocked if the Pistons pulled the trigger unless they could get him for 50 cents on the dollar, and given the alleged league-wide interest in Artest, I’m not sure that will ever happen. But let’s say it did … would you endorse the move?

Call me crazy, but I would. Strictly speaking from a basketball perspective, Artest is an incredible talent. He’s an extremely strong and physical player capable of guarding the best player on the opposing team, regardless of position. I enjoy watching Tayshaun Prince as much as anyone, but would Artest ever let LeBron James score 25 straight? Would he allow Paul Pierce to slice and dice the defense? No chance.

No one wants to win more than Artest. He’s notorious for playing as hard in the opening minutes of a game as he does down the stretch of a close game — he only has one gear. When the Kings came to town in January, Artest was playing just his second game after missing nine with an elbow injury. He was awful during a 25-point loss in his first game back in Toronto, and talking with him two nights later, I remember being surprised at how his performance was still eating at him:

“I was pissed. I was pissed that we lost. I was pissed that I came back and I couldn’t help my team win. I was pissed at myself. I just felt like I let my team down, I was so pissed. We talked about it when we got back to the hotel and everybody was back on the same page.” […] “Right after the game I got dressed and Reggie [Theus] finished talking and I left. I just walked back to the hotel, I was so pissed. Lost by about 20 points, that’s not fun.”

The Pistons have had guys like Antonio McDyess wear their heart on their sleeves like this in the playoffs, but this was after a regular season game in January. Yeah, I’ll take an attitude like that in the locker room any day.

I know, I know … but isn’t Artest a little crazy? Don’t believe the caricature the media has painted of him, because he’s probably one of the most complex guys in the NBA. Read this interview he did with The Starting Five in December — it’s one of the most thoughtful and introspective interviews you’ll ever find, and it sheds some light on the other side of Artest that we rarely get to see.

Yes, he’s absolutely made some mistakes that make me cringe, but unlike a lot of athletes he seems to always try owning up to them in the end. No, it doesn’t excuse them, but it counts for something.

Hell, I’m not even mad anymore about the Malice at the Palace — I pin that ugly chapter of Pistons lore on John Green. (And besides, Charles Barkley once brawled with the fans at the Palace — does that still define who he is? Of course not. If Artest’s involvement in that incident is still a poison pill to accepting everything else he brings to the table, you need a broader sense of perspective.)

In the end, none of this really matters — I’d be absolutely shocked if the Pistons actually pulled the trigger, especially if it involved giving up squeaky clean Tay. But is this something I’d like to see? Absolutely.

CJ Miles is off the market

Published by Matt Watson on July 18, 2008 in Rumors. 20 Comments

He signed with the Seattle Oklahoma City Sonics Something-or-others. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Miles signed a four-year, $15 million contract with Oklahoma City, sources said Friday. Utah will have seven days to decide about matching the offer sheet and keeping the restricted free-agent guard.

The quest for a backup three continues. So who’s left? The Celtics are in a very similar position as Detroit with James Posey defecting to the Hornets — here’s the best remaining options that Matt Porter of the Boston Globe could come up with: Tony Allen, Matt Barnes, Mo Evans, Ryan Gomes, Michael Finley, Devean George, Bostjan Nochbar and Bonzi Wells.

I wouldn’t be terribly excited about bringing Evans back and Finley is a bit long in the tooth, but I could actually get up for Barnes, Nochbar or even Wells. Gomes has some upside, as well, but I’m guessing he’s out of Detroit’s price range.

(On a side note, sorry for the short and/or non-existent posts lately — I’m in Vegas for the Summer League and have been stretched thin. Expect some Pistons stuff up on FanHouse in a little bit, though.)

No sense talking about McGrady …

Published by Matt Watson on July 14, 2008 in Rumors. 62 Comments

… at least, so says Chris McCosky:

Since when does a one-sentence, non-sourced note from a non-NBA writer in a secondary publication up in Canada warrant such buzz? The Pistons and Rockets are not having on-going discussions about Tracy McGrady. There is no deal. Nothing is remotely close. Joe Dumars hasn’t talked to the Rockets in several weeks and the Rockets have made it clear they have zero interest in trading T-Mac.

There’s a huge variety of opinions among Pistons fans regarding McGrady, so I imagine this will please a great deal of people and annoy the rest. I’m actually on the fence, in part because the idea of trading for him seems so fanciful I’m not able to form a solid opinion. But I will say I disagree vehemently with the “McGrady is a loser …” school of thought. Not too long ago, the same could have been said about Kevin Garnett, too. A winning team is rarely, if ever, a one-man show.

(Also, yes, I’m back. Many, many thanks to Mike Payne for filling in this weekend.)

The free agent market gets smaller

Published by Matt Watson on July 9, 2008 in From the news and Rumors. 144 Comments

Today is the first day that free agents can officially sign contracts. Not surprisingly, there were a slew of commitments made in the last 24-48 hours, including a bunch made by players the Pistons were believed to be targeting. Let’s recap:

  • Elton Brand goes to Philly (five years, $82 million). The Pistons never had a chance at him, but his arrival to the 76ers will definitely affect them come next year. This won’t make the Sixers into instant favorites like the Kevin Garnett deal did for the Celtics, but at the very least it does make them a threat to get home court advantage in the East. And let’s be blunt: if the Sixers had a healthy Brand in the playoffs last year, would the Pistons have still won in six? I’m not so sure.

    All of a sudden, the Atlantic Division — with the defending champs in Boston, Jermaine O’Neal joining Chris Bosh in Toronto, Brand joining an already feisty squad in Philly and Mike D’Antoni running the show in New York — looks like one of the most competitive in the entire league. (I’m not saying it’s one of the best — that’s probably still the Southwest Division — but top to bottom it should be damn competitive.)

  • Corey Maggette to the Warriors (five years, $50 million). Let’s see: accept the MLE and a reduced role on a contender, or take the money and play a leading role for the Warriors. It’s an easy call, and one most of us would have made, as well, were we in his shoes. I really, really would have liked to see Maggette sign with the Pistons, but guys with his skills deserve to be paid. This deal just makes more sense.
  • Mickael Pietrus to the Magic (four years, $24 million). He’s getting a shade under the MLE, which the Pistons probably never considered giving him. Strictly in terms of talent this makes sense for the Magic (their backcourt was a joke last year), but my gut says Orlando overpaid.
  • James Jones to the Heat? (five years, $20-ish million) Last I heard it’s just an offer, but Jones was born and raised in Miami and spent four years at the University of Miami. The last three years are conditional so the Heat can have flexibility come 2010 (read: re-sign Dwyane Wade), so it’s possible Jones might still be convinced to sign elsewhere if someone guarantees the entire contract.

There are still some of guys left, but it’s mostly the second-tier guys that aren’t anyone’s first, second or third option. That’s not always a bad thing — I was blindsided by Jarvis Hayes’ arrival last summer, and even though Hayes was out of the rotation by the end of the year, I actually thought he exceeded expectations.

That said, we knew from the get-go this summer that the biggest change wouldn’t happen through free agency. If (or when) it happens, it’ll be in the form of a trade. According to “Boobie” Dumars, though, nothing is brewing at the moment. From (as usual) A. Sherrod Blakely:

“I can tell you that there is nothing imminent and there have only been conversations,” Dumars said. “But nothing imminent in terms of a deal or close to a deal.”

One of the reasons for that might have been the base-year compensation limitations on Billups’ contract, which was signed last summer.

Players who re-sign with their respective teams, have a trade value that’s equal to half of their actual salary in the first year of the deal. Those restrictions will be lifted Wednesday.

[…] “I like to act decisively whenever I’m trying to get something done,” Dumars said. “But I’m well aware that there has to be another team that’s willing, and there has to be a good deal for both teams. Those two things will slow you down in doing a deal.

“What you have to do is be patient. What you can’t do is run out and make a knee-jerk deal just to prove a point. You have to be smart about stuff like this and you have to know that it’s a deal that you know is going to help your team get better.”

ASB makes an interesting point regarding Billups’ contract that I think most fans (myself included) forgot about. Now that there are no more restrictions and the first batch of free agents have signed, don’t be surprised to see the rumor mill churn out fresh material in the coming days.

The Pistons are looking at Delfino

Published by Matt Watson on July 8, 2008 in Former Pistons and Rumors. 53 Comments

Well, well, look at this:

The Pistons have been in contact with several free-agent swingmen around the league, and one name is particularly interesting.

Former Piston Carlos Delfino is among the free agents the team is considering signing. Tomorrow is the first day NBA free agents can sign contracts, although they can agree to deals earlier.

Delfino was obviously frustrated with his playing time with the Pistons, but it’s possible he’d give the organization a clean slate with a new coaching staff in place. He’s technically a restricted free agent but doesn’t seem to fit into Toronto’s plans, meaning there’s probably little risk in the Raptors matching any offers.

Would you welcome the Dolphin’s return? Long-time readers of this site will know that I’ve always liked his game and was sad to see him go, but at this point I’d have to imagine that settling for him means the team struck out on better options like James Jones, Mikael Pietrus, and CJ Miles, not to mention Corey Maggette.

(Thanks to DBB reader jpop for spotting this)

Can the Pistons sign Corey Maggette?

Published by Matt Watson on July 7, 2008 in Rumors. 105 Comments

Remember those crazy “Baron Davis to Detroit?!” rumors from last month? They fizzled out the moment Davis opted out of his final year with the Warriors, but as luck would have it, his decision to hit the open market just might help facilitate a different big-ticket move for the Pistons.

By returning to his Los Angeles roots to play in Kobe’s shadow for the Clippers (and with Elton Brand almost certainly re-upping with a monster deal of his own), Corey Maggette has become the odd-man-out in Clipper-land. But as A. Sherrod Blakely points out, there aren’t exactly a lot of teams with money under the cap, meaning Maggette may have to settle for the mid-level exception

And while the Pistons have been reluctant to use it all on one player this summer, they may if it means landing Maggette.

The NBA champion Boston Celtics also have been hesitant to commit their full mid-level exception to one player, even one of their own free agents, James Posey.

Boston also has inquired about Maggette and have reportedly offered their full mid-level exception.

Maggette, who opted out of the final year of a contract that would have paid him $7 million this season, appears to at least be receptive to the idea.

“If you want to win, you have to make sacrifices,” Maggette told the Boston Globe.

(I’m going to skip over a lengthy explanation of why the Pistons should want Maggette, but the short version is that he’s a 28-year-old slasher who loves contact, gets to the line about 10 times a game, has pretty good range, rebounds well for his position and is an underrated defender. Debate his merits in the comments if you like, but for me it’s an open and shut case.)

First, some math. Accepting the mid-level exception would be a pay cut, but not as much as you might think. It’s true that the MLE has been set for $5.8 million this year, but it also includes 8% raises each season. If he signed a five-year deal, the total value of his contract would be just over $34 million. He’d make almost $7.9 million in the final year, and he’d average $6.8 million over the life of the deal. Obviously he was hoping for a raise (aren’t we all?), but if that can’t happen, a lateral move to a contender is still a solid career move.

Now, before Pistons fans get too excited, realize that both the Celtics and Spurs are dangling the MLE at him, and even if the Pistons decide to follow suit, it’ll be awfully difficult to persuade him that Detroit is closer to a title than Boston or San Antonio. (If anything, I’d argue that the three teams are all so close it’s a wash.)

So what other factors might factor into his decision? For one, playing time. He can play either the two or the three, but as rosters are currently constructed, only the Spurs can afford to offer him a starting job (and that’s only because Manu Ginobili is content being the world’s best sixth man). I’d understand if the Celtics wanted a contingency play for Ray Allen, but I can’t imagine Danny Ainge has the guts to bite the bullet and deal Allen before the start of the season.

As for the Pistons, Maggette would be blocked by Rip Hamilton and/or Tayshaun Prince, though his arrival would in turn allow Joe Dumars to fashion a trade around Rip or Tay without demanding a starting-caliber swingman in return. If Maggette can be convinced that — some how, some way — a starting job would be his come November, perhaps he’ll bite. (Or in a perfect world, maybe he’s content coming off the bench. He did it sporadically in L.A., though I attribute that mostly to the Clippers’ mismanagement than anything else.)

Last but not least, here’s another interesting tidbit (dug up by PistonsForum.com member armygirl) Maggette has family ties to Michigan through his wife, Milagro “Mili” Martinez Maggette, who’s originally from Imlay City, MI, which, as luck would have it, is a mere 40 miles north of Auburn Hills. All things being equal, wouldn’t allowing his wife to move close to family (assuming, you know, she still has family there) be a nice bonus? Of course it would.

Mind you, the Pistons haven’t officially joined this race, and even if they do, there are plenty of hurdles. But in my eyes, this is a guy definitely worth pursuing. Cross your fingers.

Detroit’s looking at perimeter players

Published by Matt Watson on July 2, 2008 in Rumors. 114 Comments

From A. Sherrod Blakely:

The Pistons are expected to spend the early part of free agency focused on landing one of the following players: James Jones of Portland; C.J. Miles of Utah or Mickael Pietrus of Golden State.

Also, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald suggests the Pistons are interested in poaching James Posey from the Celtics:

A league source said yesterday the valuable swingman’s dance card will be top-heavy with contenders that appreciate more than ever the intangible ways Posey can contributes to a championship team. Posey now lists two NBA titles on his resume, after helping the Celtics to a championship last month and the Miami Heat to the 2006 crown.

Posey’s hometown Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be putting together an offer, in addition to the Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.

Personally, I’d take Posey over Jones, Miles or Pietrus any day of the week (annoying mouth guard and all) — he’s a gnat on defense and has always seemed to hit a three-pointer against the Pistons at the worst possible moment. Considering he’s also seeking the full mid-level exception over 4-5 years, though, I don’t think the Pistons will be in this race for long, especially when you consider he’s already 31 years old.

The other three guys should be had for much cheaper. Just for context, Pietrus had a better season in 2006-07 than he did this past year, but even then he wasn’t able to garner a single offer as a restricted free agent than Golden State’s $3.5 million qualifying offer.

Granted, part of that is because teams have become reluctant to negotiate with restricted free agents in recent years, but that’s probably not too far from his market value. (Jones, meanwhile, made $2.9 million last year. Miles, who was drafted out of high school and is still just 21 years old, made less than $800K, but that’s because he was still working on his rookie contract.)

Also, ASB had this on Tuesday:

On the home front, the Pistons expect Lindsey Hunter to return next season, but it’ll likely be in an even more diminished role than the one he had this season.

Detroit is in the market for a No. 3 point guard — possibly a player who emerges from a summer league team in Las Vegas — who would play ahead of Hunter.

The Pistons also are expected to bring Theo Ratliff back next season.

Walter Hermmann is another possibility, but he’s expected to have more lucrative offers from overseas teams. And when you combine that with the fact that he may very well have another season with a limited role, he may decide to play elsewhere.

Hunter played just 24 games last year — what does an even more diminished role look like — 15 games? 10? If that’s really what’s in store, why bother? Why not save that spot for a rotating D-League flavor of the week?

I’m on board with the Ratliff decision so long as it’s a one-year deal. (That seems obvious, right? Don’t forget, we all assumed that’s all Hunter would get back in the summer of 2006 before Dumars surprised us by giving him two.) I don’t want to see Ratliff take a single minute away from Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson, but this team need a backup center and he’s not (completely) running on fumes.

As for Herrmann, I’d be shocked if he’s back. Even if the Pistons really wanted to keep him (and if they did, they wouldn’t be going after guys like Posey, Pietrus and Jones), there’s simply better money to be had in Europe, especially when you consider that Euro contracts are net (not gross), include additional housing stipends and require players to play fewer games. Oh yeah, and he’d probably be a star over there but only a little-used reserve over here. It’s been nice, Fabio; be sure to send a postcard.

O’Neal to the Raptors?

Published by Matt Watson on June 25, 2008 in Alley-Oops, From the news and Rumors. 5 Comments

This isn’t Pistons related, but it certainly changes the face of the East: the Raptors and Pacers have “agreed in principle” to swap T.J. Ford for Jermaine O’Neal. The Pacers will also receive Rasho Nesterovic as well as Toronto’s 17th overall pick. If this goes down, the Raps will have a front-line of O’Neal and Chris Bosh, which, assuming both players stay healthy, is downright scary.

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