Joe Dumars' post-game comments about his plans this summer were already discussed in Tuesday's game thread, but in case you're too frustrated with this season to read every single comment, let me direct you to Dan Feldman of PistonPowered:
Joe Dumars said in an interview with Eli Zaret that aired during tonight’s telecast he plans to use the mid-level exception this summer to acquire a quality player.
I was worried with the economy down in the area, coupled with his desire to sign Will Bynum, that Dumars wouldn’t use the MLE this year. Thankfully, it’s in the cards.
Dumars also said he plans to acquire a quality player through the draft and another via trade (which indicates he’s not looking to dump Richard Hamilton for an expiring contract – at least not as the only deal of the summer).
That’s a plan I can get behind.
In theory, it's a decent plan ... assuming Dumars can pull it off. The lottery will largely determine Dumars' success in drafting (with a high enough pick, even he can't outsmart himself here ... right?), but why should we believe he'll have the financial freedom to use the entire MLE?
After watching this franchise pinch pennies last summer by giving young, valuable players away like Arron Afflalo and Amir Johnson just to save a buck, I won't be surprised if the new ownership keeps the wallet shut in anticipation of yet another rebuilding year -- not to mention a more owner-friendly CBA in 2011.
(Another, more depressing, scenario: Dumars will have the freedom to use the MLE but it doesn't make an immediate difference. Do you see an MLE-caliber big man capable of anchoring this team's frontline? Neither do I. Perhaps Dumars finds that piece in the draft, but the more I become acquainted with this year's draft class, the more I subscribe to the theory that the true game-changers are swingmen.)