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The Detroit Pistons had two holes to fill this offseason -- backup point guard and backup power forward. The Pistons filled their point guard need by agreeing to sign Ish Smith, but the hunt is still on for a reserve big man.
The latest rumor has the Pistons showing interest in Knicks free agent combo forward Lance Thomas. Based on Stan Van Gundy's recent comments the thought was that Detroit would add a more traditional power forward -- think size, rebounding and post defense. Thomas isn't exactly that.
But his skill set would help just about any team, including Detroit. Thomas is a quality jump shooter who stretched out to the 3-point line last season as a member of the Knicks, hitting 40 percent. He's also a strong individual and team defender who can handle people on the perimeter while also hold his own down low.
He'd be like Marvin Williams but much, much cheaper. Or at least that would be the hope. The 3-point shot was new to his game last season, and while he was successful it was a relatively small sample size. He also doesn't rebound and at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds he essentially joins the combo forward factory along with Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris.
Thomas spent 92 percent of the time at small forward last season. Other teams interested in Thomas include the Knicks, Thunder, Hawks, Nuggets, Suns, Magic, Nets and Timberwolves.