Detroit this Off Season

[2008CELTICS17]

Well if K.G got hurt,and the Pistons went to the Finals. Kobe and the Fakers would have won.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Well if K.G got hurt,and the Pistons went to the Finals. Kobe and the Fakers would have won.

You think so? I think the Pistons would've beat the Lakers in the finals as bad as we beat the Lakers. Pistons play almost as tough and physical game that we play.

[2008CELTICS17]

True but no superstar for the Pistons.Also you see that for the last two East champs Lebron in 07,and Wade in 06. In 2005 it went to the 7th game to the Heat,and thats what it came to. I think if Garnett was hurt as early in the Cleveland series.The Cavs would have beaten the Pistons again.Then the Cavs might have beaten the Fakers.

[JBcat]

I think the Hawks should (but won't) make the trade because Josh Smith doesn't want to play there, and winning big for 1 year is better than never getting over the hump.

I think there have to be better moves out there for the Hawks than trading their best defender for an aging 'Sheed. Now if an older team like say Utah wanted to send either AK or Okur and a young piece for 'Sheed, I would understand it. But the pieces around 'Sheed in Atlanta wouldn't be good enough to win them a championship.

I agree with you here.  Why trade for Sheed to be marginally better team for a year or so then when Sheed really declines while Smith improves and surpasses Sheed the Hawks wouldn't look too smart.  Sheed will be 34 this year.  He is no spring chicken.   

The Pistons would be smart to not do something too drastic unless it's something they can't refuse.  They were only 2 games away from the finals and if their young kids improve especially Stuckey they will be right back near the top again. 

[RickyD Fan]

They probably have treaded (is that even a word?) water for the off-season. Other than getting a year older, they haven't done much to really improve. Which is fine, if a few shots fall differently they would have been in the finals (I don't actually believe that, but they were right along there to the ECF).

Anyway, the team really was critical of their own staff for the weeks following the season end. Now they have most of that exact same staff back. This seems like a pretty big step back, considering these guys heard a plethora or rumors about them being dealt for Marion, T-Mac, AK-47, Artest, etc... It's the business of basketball, but I think if you say you are going to trade some people and make major moves, you had better do it. It's not like poker, the chips can't get mad at you when bluff.

[bolvbball]

 Dumars will make a trade in time but it will be the right one at the right time.

[LarBrd33]

Sheed is massively overrated.  He's old, washed up and irrelevant.   This board has a high opinion of him, because Detroit was our biggest threat and they listened to Kevin Garnett say absurd things like, "Rasheed is like lookin in a mirror."    They probably didn't trade him, because nobody wants that malcontent. 

And who mentioned Sheed for Josh Smith?  You kidding me? 

You guys would trade a 22 year old who gives you 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.5 steals on 46% shooting...

for a 33 year old malcontent with known character issues who gives you 12 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1 steal on 43% shooting...

and this would make you marginally better?  Really?  Why?  Cuz of his leadership abilities?  He certainly was a winnah in Portland...

I love that when the guy was 29 he netted this "bounty"

Wallace was traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with Wesley Person for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, and Dan Dickau.[7] He played only a single game for the Hawks, scoring 20 points. He also had 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and a steal against the New Jersey Nets.[8] After the game he was dealt to the Pistons in a three-way trade with the Boston Celtics. The trade sent Wallace from the Atlanta Hawks and guard Mike James from the Boston Celtics to the Detroit Pistons. In turn, Detroit sent guards Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, and a first-round draft pick to Boston and guard Bobby Sura, center Zeljko Rebraca, and a first-round draft pick to Atlanta. The Boston Celtics also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal.[9]

But now that he's washed up people seem to think you could get major talent for him. 

[hoopaddict08]

Detroit has lost in the ECF's every year, since Flip Saunders took over the coaching position. Joe Dumars replaced him with a coach that is familiar with this team and unlike the last one, the players have respect for him. Joe D. isn't going to rush any big trade, I think he will wait and see how they do under the new coach before he pulls the trigger on anything involving his core, which won't be until the trade deadline. This is for the simple fact that teams are more willing to trade for Rasheeds expiring contract after they have a feel for how their season is going. Not to mention, Rasheed has stated before this would be his last season. I liked how their off season went, sometimes coaching changes can make a huge difference in the attitude of a team, which is why I believe Detroit has struggled to get past the ECF's, especially against a team like Cleveland.

You should never trade just to make a trade. Unless of course you're bringing in Kevin Garnett.

[crownsy]

Well if K.G got hurt,and the Pistons went to the Finals. Kobe and the Fakers would have won.

You think so? I think the Pistons would've beat the Lakers in the finals as bad as we beat the Lakers. Pistons play almost as tough and physical game that we play.

but they don't have near the dynamic offense we do. outside of chauncy, they don't have anyone who can get thier own shot. they might have still done it, but not nearly as easily.

great defense is awesome. great defense combined with very good offense is unstoppable.

[Lucky17]

You guys know that Michael Curry is now the head coach of the Pistons, right? Flip Saunders is gone.

New coach, new philosophy. There will be an adjustment period, but the main reason Dumars fired Saunders was because there was a disconnect between Saunders and the players.

I see no reason why the Pistons have to make a move right now. They have some young talents in Stuckey, Afflalo, Maxiell, and Amir Johnson; presumably, Curry will do a better job working them into games and developing them than Saunders did (Amir Johnson has gotten virtually no PT in the last several years).

Couple those four youngsters with one of the absolute best starting fives in the game and a couple end-of-the-bench guys (the underrated Walter Hermann, for instance), and there's no reason to believe the Pistons are desperately in need of a trade. Dumars was just calling out his players, telling them that there's no more free rides/resting on old laurels.

They will be tough again this year. Certainly in the mix for the ECF.