I thought it was extremely odd when Chris McCosky threw Corey Maggette's name out the other day as a potential trade target for Detroit. It was so "out there," in fact, I didn't even bother talking about it here.
But apparently the idea got some legs among some fans, who were either unaware that McCosky made it up out of thin air (that's not an accusation -- he admitted he was doing just that) or for whatever reason actually thought the deal might make sense. After receiving emails on the topic, MLive beat reporter/columnist/blogger A. Sherrod Blakely weighed in today:
Some of you have mentioned how Maggette would be a nice fit on this team.
Having covered Duke basketball around the time he was there, I’ve known this kid for a while.
Knowing him the way I do, and knowing this Pistons team ... this is a union that would not work.
He’s unhappy in Clippersville because he’s not playing as much as he believes he should.
Is that going to change in Detroit?
Not unless they get rid of Tayshaun Prince, which I don’t believe the Pistons would be willing to do.
And when you look at his contract, that becomes yet another reason for this to not work.
He makes $7 million now, $7.84 next season and another $8.4 after that if he chooses not to opt out.
That’s a lot of coin for a backup shooting guard/small forward who is probably going to play maybe 20 or so minutes, and do it begrudgingly.
I agree 100% with Blakely, even if I would have summed up those thoughts with multi-sentence paragraphs. But instead of just dismissing the notion and being done with it, Blakely came up with an idea of his own: Flip Murray for Bonzi Wells:
It’s no secret that the Pistons have loved Bonzi for quite some time now. If he would have opted out of the final year of his contract in Sacramento, Detroit was prepared to offer him a multi-year deal worth more than $30 million. And this summer, had Ben Wallace returned to Detroit, a similar deal to the one the Pistons offered Nazr Mohammed, would have been there for Wells to take. It’s pretty clear that Murray’s just not working out in Detroit, and Bonzi’s issues in Houston have been well-documented as well. There’s nothing to do this right now, but like I said earlier, do not be shocked if talks begin to heat up as we move closer to the Feb. 22 trading deadline.
I would love to see that. How bad are things for Wells right now? He's only played in seven games so far after showing up to camp out of shape before going down with a groin injury. He's recently rejoined the rotation and has apparently mended his relationship with Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, though, which is a huge stumbling block for a potential trade later in the year.
But should problems arise again, I'd love to see the Pistons pull the trigger on this deal. Wells was an absolute beast in the playoffs last year, but after playing (and losing) a game of chicken with the Kings regarding a multi-year extension, he found the market for his services had dried up (or more accurately, most of the teams who wanted him simply couldn't afford him anymore). He was forced to accept a paltry one-year deal with the Rockets, but given another chance to earn a longer contract I suspect he'd bring the same effort and intensity in the playoffs as he did last year -- and then sign the first multi-year extension thrown his way in the offseason. Wells isn't a long-term fit for Detroit, but he'd be a great addition in the stretch run.
Stern made bad situation worse [Detroit News]
Feedback Friday [MLive.com]