Pistons will sign Gordon and Villanueva

[swirvenirvin 25]

That was quick

[CantTouchThis 23]

Really like both guys. However, what are they going to do with the backcourt with Hamilton, Stuckey and Rip? Maybe it's a sign that they are moving Rip or that they will have Ben come off the bench, something he has done with great success his whole career.

 

Gordon has torched us a few times before, it will be nice to have him on our side Also a great clutch shooter, something the Stones lacked when Billups left.

 

Actually, now that i think about it, Rip will start almost for sure because of his size and defense. Either way, the Pistons will have the league's best 6th man sans Manu if he is still on the bench in Rip or Ben.

 

Charlie is a mini-Sheed without the attitude(at least i think, haven't heard he has had any baggage), a big man who can stretch the floor. At least that means Sheed is gone. I love Sheed, but, he has worn out his welcome.

 

Stuckey

Rip/Gordon

Tay

Charlie

Dyess

 

Meh...it's a start . Hopefully Rodney has a breakout year, Stuckey is definitely key to the Pistons future which is why Billups was able to go.

[GettnHuge 1]

Gordon and Bosh have been the biggest targets of Joe in the last couple years, and we'll have to trade for Bosh

so don't write next year's lineup in ink just yet. But just getting Ben and Villa so far is

They prolly realized they won't be able to lure in one of the top guys next year

[GettnHuge 1]

oh yeh, for Bosh or any big man, chandler, okafor, boozer, etc, Rip+? will be the one moved.

 

maybe all the critics who blasted the billups-AI trade will realize that it's actually billups for Gordon/Villanueva

which is pretty alright.

[CantTouchThis 23]

Bosh is a FA next season, who has expressed being very interested in coming here. Like i have been saying, if they get a few solid role players(Charlie, Ben) plus Bosh, they will be right back in the mix next season.

 

As long as they keep Tay and Rip, next season you will have Rip and Tay, 2 all-star caliber players in their prime. Plus Gordon, who is an all-star caliber player about to enter his prime. Charlie, who will eventually be an all-star still developing. Plus Stuckey, who has perennial all-star potential. Then Bosh in his prime. Nice.

 

Stuckey is still the absolute key. If that kid reaches his potential, which is 20/10-type of potential, the Pistons will be contenders within 2 years and for the next 8-10 years. Joe D is riding that Stuckey develops into an all-star, and so are the Pistons organization.

 

I think Stuckey got a bit over-welmed last year having to take over the reigns of one of the best QBs in the league. Hopefully he settles down this year and develops into a monster, that kid has some serious potential. I am guessing Joe D has taken him under his wing and is teaching how to lead a team. Also the whole effed-up AI situation temporarily stunted his development. I have faith the kid will shine in the spot-light next year though. Look at the playoffs in 08' and his big games last year and tell me this kid doesn't have near-MVP type potential. I focking love Stuckey

[GettnHuge 1]

Bosh is a FA next season, who has expressed being very interested in coming here. Like i have been saying, if they get a few solid role players(Charlie, Ben) plus Bosh, they will be right back in the mix next season.

 

As long as they keep Tay and Rip, next season you will have Rip and Tay, 2 all-star caliber players in their prime. Plus Gordon, who is an all-star caliber player about to enter his prime. Charlie, who will eventually be an all-star still developing. Plus Stuckey, who has perennial all-star potential. Then Bosh in his prime. Nice.

 

Rip is 31 and signed through 2013 earning more than Gordon, playing the same position. Rip is gone.

[CantTouchThis 23]

Rip is 31 and signed through 2013 earning more than Gordon, playing the same position. Rip is gone.

 

Ah, ok, i forgot about Rip's extension. I guess i don't want to see either of the remaining big 5 championship players go, i love Rip's game, but, you're right. Rip reminds me of Gordon when he came here, a guy who could shoot with the best but couldn't do much else. Now Rip is a pretty well-rounded player, being a excellent defender now and can also create shots for others and his own shot. Of course Gordon is outstanding at making his own shoot, plus he has exceptional range unlike Rip. I would love to see him go to Denver to pair up with Billups again, of course unlikely because of JR Smith among other reasons. Jesus, Billups/Rip/Mello? Can you imagine? Denver would be the favs for sure.

 

Found an interesting article on Rip and the possibilities...

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/209713-...ichard-hamilton

 

I don't like the Kaman deal at all, Chandler is a meh deal, top-knotch defensive player who is not a total liability on offense but don't think he is worth Rip's value.

K-mart is interesting, don't see that happening however. Amare is interesting, i have always been a big fan of his but don't see that happening. So, time will tell, in the likely case of Dyess re-signing, they only need a serviceable big man to sure up the front court because i would fully expect them to go after Bosh next season. I could see a decent back-up big man and high picks for Rip, when you are re-building you typically want to get as many high picks as you can get.

 

Also, i am hearing Daye could be logging big minutes in his rookie season, he is an interesting prospect who could become a very good role player for the stones.

[GettnHuge 1]

bosh is the free agent that likely won't stay and toronto won't ante up big money, they'll trade him to the highest bidder.

[CantTouchThis 23]

bosh is the free agent that likely won't stay and toronto won't ante up big money, they'll trade him to the highest bidder.

 

Well then lets focking get him right now then, shiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

[JT 137]

Bosh will end up in Miami.

 

Gordon is ok as gunners go. Nothing to build a winner around imo, but ok for the money.

 

Now, if Dumars can figure out in advance which 25 games Villanueva will show up for, they'll have themselves a decent acquisition.

 

If Daye ends up logging big minutes, it won't bode well for Detroit's season. He's a long way away from being able to compete in the NBA. Even his supporters say he's long, but not very athletic. That frame and limited athleticism don't go well together, especially for a kid just learning the ropes.

[swirvenirvin 25]

Bosh is a FA next season, who has expressed being very interested in coming here. Like i have been saying, if they get a few solid role players(Charlie, Ben) plus Bosh, they will be right back in the mix next season.

 

As long as they keep Tay and Rip, next season you will have Rip and Tay, 2 all-star caliber players in their prime. Plus Gordon, who is an all-star caliber player about to enter his prime. Charlie, who will eventually be an all-star still developing. Plus Stuckey, who has perennial all-star potential. Then Bosh in his prime. Nice.

 

Stuckey is still the absolute key. If that kid reaches his potential, which is 20/10-type of potential, the Pistons will be contenders within 2 years and for the next 8-10 years. Joe D is riding that Stuckey develops into an all-star, and so are the Pistons organization.

 

I think Stuckey got a bit over-welmed last year having to take over the reigns of one of the best QBs in the league. Hopefully he settles down this year and develops into a monster, that kid has some serious potential. I am guessing Joe D has taken him under his wing and is teaching how to lead a team. Also the whole effed-up AI situation temporarily stunted his development. I have faith the kid will shine in the spot-light next year though. Look at the playoffs in 08' and his big games last year and tell me this kid doesn't have near-MVP type potential. I focking love Stuckey

 

Sorry kid Stuckey blows, I don't care what your excuse is, last year towards the end of the season he was awful. It's not like baseball where you can go cold from the plate for a few games. He was pathetic, no scoring, couldnt hit a jumper to save his life. He is not the answer

[Mungwater 588]

Gordon is a spot up shooter and that is it. He has no handles, can't guard anyone, and hates to pass. 55 million? Wow, Detroit got robbed. Good riddance!

[yostevo 0]

Ben Gordon certainly comes across as a bit of a hired gun but he fits the mold of the run and gun athletic style they are going to be forced to play because there won't be much defense being played with this roster.

 

Villanueva is interesting. He's got a real versatile inside outside game in the mold of Sheed but isn't as good of a defender. (yet). That's coachable though and he's young enough (24) to expand his game. He's certainly more athletic than Sheed.

 

There's no question that we are better now than we were a month ago. However, how does this affect the signability of some of the big FA's in 2010? A lot of cap maneuvering will have to happen now to have a chance at the bigs. Hamilton and possibly Tay would probably have to move on and that's just scraping the surface.

[Sho Nuff 720]

Just reminding me why I hate the Bucks.

Get rid of Villanueva and Jefferson? Ugh.

Also reminds me of when I pretty much hated the Brewers and the Seligs as owners. Every bit of young talent was shipped out once they started playing well.

Loving that new ownership will actually pony up and keep guys like Braun and Fielder.

[Mungwater 588]

Loving that new ownership will actually pony up and keep guys like Braun and Fielder.

 

This weekend's series is HUGE for the Cubs. I say the pitching matchups favor them, but I'll be happy with a split, then we get Ramirez back on Monday. If they keep playing like they have been, being 7.5 back would be too much for them.

[GettnHuge 1]

Ben Gordon certainly comes across as a bit of a hired gun but he fits the mold of the run and gun athletic style they are going to be forced to play because there won't be much defense being played with this roster.

 

Villanueva is interesting. He's got a real versatile inside outside game in the mold of Sheed but isn't as good of a defender. (yet). That's coachable though and he's young enough to expand his game. He's certainly more athletic than Sheed.

 

There's no question that we are better now than we were a month ago. However, how does this affect the signability of some of the big FA's in 2010? A lo of cap maneuvering will have to happen now to have a chance at the bigs. Hamilton and possibly Tay would probably have to move on.

 

they prolly realized that lebron isn't going anywhere cept cleveland or newyork

wade is staying put or going to chicago

bosh is possible but he'll get traded/signed first

so whynot take what you can get now? Joe D has wanted gordon all along. He sees something in him that others don't. But then

again he saw something in Billups, Rip, Tay and Wallace that others didn't.

[yostevo 0]

they prolly realized that lebron isn't going anywhere cept cleveland or newyork

wade is staying put or going to chicago

bosh is possible but he'll get traded/signed first

so whynot take what you can get now? Joe D has wanted gordon all along. He sees something in him that others don't. But then

again he saw something in Billups, Rip, Tay and Wallace that others didn't.

I was going to mention the Billups,Tay, and Ben reference. Theses guys pre Pistons were all total one dimensional players and expanded their games with the Pistons. The organization does have a way of convincing players to alter their games to do what's best in the grander scheme of things. With the exception of Sheed of course. It's not out of the realm to think that it could happen for Gordon.

 

Bosh IS the only true option it would seem but he'd fit the puzzle pretty damn good don't ya think?

[JT 137]

I was going to mention the Billups,Tay, and Ben reference. Theses guys pre Pistons were all total one dimensional players and expanded their games with the Pistons. The organization does have a way of convincing players to alter their games to do what's best in the grander scheme of things. With the exception of Sheed of course. It's not out of the realm to think that it could happen for Gordon.

 

Bosh IS the only true option it would seem but he'd fit the puzzle pretty damn good don't ya think?

 

Billups is a success story. Wallace never got any more game, he just got a chance to play. That and the roids served him well for a couple seasons. Prince came out of college with a well-rounded game; any questions some people had were about his ability to withstand the NBA pounding (which they were able to manage by limiting his minutes as a kid) and what position he'd play.

 

Rasheed actually did all the things they wanted for a while. It's just that his skill level and interest have waned. Typical of that type personality.

 

If they can turn Gordon into anything other than what he's always been, it'll be a major coup.

[yostevo 0]

Billups is a success story. Wallace never got any more game, he just got a chance to play. That and the roids served him well for a couple seasons. Prince came out of college with a well-rounded game; any questions some people had were about his ability to withstand the NBA pounding (which they were able to manage by limiting his minutes as a kid) and what position he'd play.

Rasheed actually did all the things they wanted for a while. It's just that his skill level and interest have waned. Typical of that type personality.

 

If they can turn Gordon into anything other than what he's always been, it'll be a major coup.

My typo mistake. I was actually meaning to say Rip instead of Tay in the "changed his game to suit the team" reference. I totally agree with your Tay eval. Rip is the guy that expanded his game a great deal. With Washington, he couldn't check himself much less anyone else and he couldn't hit a three. With the Stones, he became a pretty good defender when he manned up because he bought into it's importance on a team of shot blockers (Wallacex2 and McDyess). He also started draining 3's with regularity. He's still and always will be a TO machine though.

[S.D. Jones 0]

I think these are terrible moves for the Pistons.

 

It started last year with trading Billups for AI to free up cap space. That cap space is then used to bring in Gordon, who isn't half the player that Billups is. Then Sheed is let go to bring in Villanueva, who has been very inconsistent and also plays no defense. The Pistons are again with no cap space.

 

Gordon was never happy coming off the bench and neither him or Hamilton is going to be happy splitting minutes. If Hamilton is traded, a backcourt of Gordon and Stuckey will get absolutely torched. Gordon is a hell of a shooter, but that's all he is. To tie up over $11M a year in him is idiotic. He can't play defense and he can't handle the ball well enough to play the point.

 

Bosh isn't even an option unless they shed about $15M of payroll and I don't see how they do that. If they manage to do it, which would surely be through trading Rip for an expiring deal, I think there would be many other situations out there that would be more appealing for Bosh than Detroit.

[yostevo 0]

I think these are terrible moves for the Pistons.

 

It started last year with trading Billups for AI to free up cap space. That cap space is then used to bring in Gordon, who isn't half the player that Billups is. Then Sheed is let go to bring in Villanueva, who has been very inconsistent and also plays no defense. The Pistons are again with no cap space.

I think you are missing the fact that Billups wasn't half the player he was in his prime before he came to the Pistons either. He wasn't a distributor and wasn't a leader. Besides, you are comparing apples to oranges. Chauncey is a PG and Ben a SG. Right now, Gordon is to be the modern day version of Microwave Vinny Johnson. Instant points off the bench. That's until Rip is gone.

 

Gordon was never happy coming off the bench and neither him or Hamilton is going to be happy splitting minutes. If Hamilton is traded, a backcourt of Gordon and Stuckey will get absolutely torched. Gordon is a hell of a shooter, but that's all he is. To tie up over $11M a year in him is idiotic. He can't play defense and he can't handle the ball well enough to play the point.

I can't argue with you there except that this move indicates that Rip's days are numbered and the Piston's have proven to be able to make one dimensional offensive players more defensive orientated.

 

Bosh isn't even an option unless they shed about $15M of payroll and I don't see how they do that. If they manage to do it, which would surely be through trading Rip for an expiring deal, I think there would be many other situations out there that would be more appealing for Bosh than Detroit.

I believe Rip's contract is in the neighborhood of 10 million+ per. Kwame Brown's 4 million is off the books after 2010 and you could shed someone else to find Bosh's #s.

[S.D. Jones 0]

I think you are missing the fact that Billups wasn't half the player he was in his prime before he came to the Pistons either. He wasn't a distributor and wasn't a leader. Besides, you are comparing apples to oranges. Chauncey is a PG and Ben a SG. Right now, Gordon is to be the modern day version of Microwave Vinny Johnson. Instant points off the bench. That's until Rip is gone.

 

I can't argue with you there except that this move indicates that Rip's days are numbered and the Piston's have proven to be able to make one dimensional offensive players more defensive orientated.

I believe Rip's contract is in the neighborhood of 10 million+ per. Kwame Brown's 4 million is off the books after 2010 and you could shed someone else to find Bosh's #s.

 

So you're going to pay $11M/year for points off of the bench? Then when Hamilton goes, you're going to expect the 6'2" Gordon to guard shooting guards? It didn't work in Chicago, I don't think it will work in Detroit either. That's the problem with Gordon, he's a better suited PG because of his size but he can't handle the ball so that doesn't work.

 

If Rip and Brown's deals come off the books, I don't see why Bosh would want to come play with a team whose nucleus is Gordon, Stuckey, Villanueva, and Prince. There will be better options out there for him.

 

Bottom line, I think they would have been better off keeping the team they had intact.

[yostevo 0]

So you're going to pay $11M/year for points off of the bench? Then when Hamilton goes, you're going to expect the 6'2" Gordon to guard shooting guards? It didn't work in Chicago, I don't think it will work in Detroit either. That's the problem with Gordon, he's a better suited PG because of his size but he can't handle the ball so that doesn't work.

 

If Rip and Brown's deals come off the books, I don't see why Bosh would want to come play with a team whose nucleus is Gordon, Stuckey, Villanueva, and Prince. There will be better options out there for him.

 

Bottom line, I think they would have been better off keeping the team they had intact.

I can see your reasoning for a lot of your points, but you are wayyyyy off with that final statement. This team was about to become the Pistons of 1992-1999 where we held onto the beliefs that the Bad Boy era would keep competing with what they had. It became a shell and we bottomed out big time.

 

If your 20+ points off the bench end up playing 30+ minutes a game with Gordon, what difference does it make if he starts? If Villanueva continues to progress, that core is not has bleak as you might suggest comparatively speaking in the east. They won't win it but they could get a 5 or 6 seed. The biggest issue for the Pistons is going to be Stuckey IMO. When he's a confidant player, he's shown some big flashes of ability. However, he became unglued last year along with the rest of the team. How much of that was him and how much was it Curry's inability(everyone regressed under him) and a general team implosion? We'll see but he'd have to improve the most on a game by game basis.

 

Stuckey

Gordon >> Iverson

Tay

Villanueva > Sheed (same type of game, more athletic, way more upside and less of a headache)

 

Add in Bosh and that could a formidable 5

[GettnHuge 1]

So you're going to pay $11M/year for points off of the bench? Then when Hamilton goes, you're going to expect the 6'2" Gordon to guard shooting guards? It didn't work in Chicago, I don't think it will work in Detroit either. That's the problem with Gordon, he's a better suited PG because of his size but he can't handle the ball so that doesn't work.

 

If Rip and Brown's deals come off the books, I don't see why Bosh would want to come play with a team whose nucleus is Gordon, Stuckey, Villanueva, and Prince. There will be better options out there for him.

 

Bottom line, I think they would have been better off keeping the team they had intact.

 

In a way, sure. Joe just realized this team wasn't going to the finals again. I didn't want to trade Billups and blasted the critique that he

was slowing down. He was injured last year. Healthy again he was a playoff stud this year. I wanted Rip and Sheed moved for Bosh.

If we kept Chauncy and let Sheed go, we could sign Gordon and try to trade Rip. Couldn't afford Villanueva. I like CV and think he's just

coming into his prime. He had some hella good games last year and can hit the 3 and hits his FTs. I'll take that in a 6'11 guy anytime.

[BMoney 0]

its come to this now? the pistons are signing bucks cast offs? yikes....almost as bad as trading chauncy for a selfish AI...

 

well almost..the AI was the worst trade of the year...

[S.D. Jones 0]

I can see your reasoning for a lot of your points, but you are wayyyyy off with that final statement. This team was about to become the Pistons of 1992-1999 where we held onto the beliefs that the Bad Boy era would keep competing with what they had. It became a shell and we bottomed out big time.

 

If your 20+ points off the bench end up playing 30+ minutes a game with Gordon, what difference does it make if he starts? If Villanueva continues to progress, that core is not has bleak as you might suggest comparatively speaking in the east. They won't win it but they could get a 5 or 6 seed. The biggest issue for the Pistons is going to be Stuckey IMO. When he's a confidant player, he's shown some big flashes of ability. However, he became unglued glass year along with the rest of the team. How much of that was him and how much was it Curry's inability and a general team implosion? We'll see but he'd have to improve the most on a game by game basis.

 

The difference with Gordon is that you may get 20+ out of him, but you'll give up almost that many on driving layups (see Rondo, Rajan). It's a lot of money to pay a one-dimmentional player to come off your bench. Even if he develops some defensive capabilities as you are hoping, he's going to struggle guarding bigger guards, which he's going to have to do when paired with Stuckey. This happened for years when he played with Hinrich.

 

I agree with your assessment on Stuckey. They traded Billups with the hopes that they wouldn't lose much at the PG position with Stuckey stepping up, but that hasn't happened. Hopefully they go out and get Avery Johnson as I think he'd do a decent job working with him.

[yostevo 0]

its come to this now? the pistons are signing bucks cast offs? yikes....almost as bad as trading chauncy for a selfish AI...

 

well almost..the AI was the worst trade of the year...

_____________________

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

j

~~~~~~~~~ >---D

 

[GettnHuge 1]

its come to this now? the pistons are signing bucks cast offs? yikes....almost as bad as trading chauncy for a selfish AI...

 

well almost..the AI was the worst trade of the year...

i'll bite

 

except the trade was actually Billups for cap space, which turned out to be Billups for Gordon/Villanueva. Didn't matter if it

was allen iverson or pelvis biverson, it was all about the huge expiring contract. the whole schpiel from the organization about

giving it a go with AI was to keep idiots buying tickets and not say they're giving up this year.

[Durtee 0]

So you're going to pay $11M/year for points off of the bench? Then when Hamilton goes, you're going to expect the 6'2" Gordon to guard shooting guards? It didn't work in Chicago, I don't think it will work in Detroit either. That's the problem with Gordon, he's a better suited PG because of his size but he can't handle the ball so that doesn't work.

 

If Rip and Brown's deals come off the books, I don't see why Bosh would want to come play with a team whose nucleus is Gordon, Stuckey, Villanueva, and Prince. There will be better options out there for him.

 

Bottom line, I think they would have been better off keeping the team they had intact.

 

Do you honestly think that Joe D signed Gordon to come off the bench without talking to him about it first. I don't know if Gordon is coming off the bench or not, but Joe D does and I would have to think that he spoke to Gordon about it ahead of time.

 

Also, just because a player plays the 2 doesn't mean he guards a 2. Stuckey is 6'5 and will most likely guard a lot of the bigger two guards out there, while Gordon will handle on the ball duties on the quicker point guards. If Rip stays with the team and Gordon comes off the bench, then we will see a lot of 3 guard sets and then zone while the 3 guards are in the games. Gordon is not a terrible defender, he's just not big enough to be a great defender.

 

It's silly to think that they aren't better right now then they were at the end of the season. By no means do I think they are a legit championship contender at this point, but I also realize that we aren't even through the 2nd day of free agency and there is a lot of off season left. Boozer, Chandler, Bosh, Kaman...any of those guys could be in that Detroit starting lineup this season.

[yostevo 0]

Do you honestly think that Joe D signed Gordon to come off the bench without talking to him about it first. I don't know if Gordon is coming off the bench or not, but Joe D does and I would have to think that he spoke to Gordon about it ahead of time.

 

Also, just because a player plays the 2 doesn't mean he guards a 2. Stuckey is 6'5 and will most likely guard a lot of the bigger two guards out there, while Gordon will handle on the ball duties on the quicker point guards. If Rip stays with the team and Gordon comes off the bench, then we will see a lot of 3 guard sets and then zone while the 3 guards are in the games. Gordon is not a terrible defender, he's just not big enough to be a great defender.

 

It's silly to think that they aren't better right now then they were at the end of the season. By no means do I think they are a legit championship contender at this point, but I also realize that we aren't even through the 2nd day of free agency and there is a lot of off season left. Boozer, Chandler, Bosh, Kaman...any of those guys could be in that Detroit starting lineup this season.

good points although as it stands Stuckey can't guard Michael Jackson being dragged around by a rope.

[S.D. Jones 0]

Do you honestly think that Joe D signed Gordon to come off the bench without talking to him about it first. I don't know if Gordon is coming off the bench or not, but Joe D does and I would have to think that he spoke to Gordon about it ahead of time.

 

Also, just because a player plays the 2 doesn't mean he guards a 2. Stuckey is 6'5 and will most likely guard a lot of the bigger two guards out there, while Gordon will handle on the ball duties on the quicker point guards. If Rip stays with the team and Gordon comes off the bench, then we will see a lot of 3 guard sets and then zone while the 3 guards are in the games. Gordon is not a terrible defender, he's just not big enough to be a great defender.

 

It's silly to think that they aren't better right now then they were at the end of the season. By no means do I think they are a legit championship contender at this point, but I also realize that we aren't even through the 2nd day of free agency and there is a lot of off season left. Boozer, Chandler, Bosh, Kaman...any of those guys could be in that Detroit starting lineup this season.

 

It doesn't really matter. Gordon wanted to get paid and this was the only offer he was going to get north of $10M/year.

 

Gordon will handle the quicker point guards? Did you watch him get smoked by Rondo in the playoffs? That is par for the course with him. Never in a good position, much slower than most PGs. He absolutely is a terrible defender.

 

They're definitely better than they were at the end of last season...that wasn't the argument. They shed AI's dead weight contract, which was the goal when they traded Billups. Are they better than they were when they had Billups? Debatable but I'd lean towards 'no'. Realistically, they can still add a Kaman or Chandler to that mix and sutbract Hamilton. I don't think that looks too appealing of a lineup either.

[Durtee 0]

It doesn't really matter. Gordon wanted to get paid and this was the only offer he was going to get north of $10M/year.

 

Gordon will handle the quicker point guards? Did you watch him get smoked by Rondo in the playoffs? That is par for the course with him. Never in a good position, much slower than most PGs. He absolutely is a terrible defender.

 

They're definitely better than they were at the end of last season...that wasn't the argument. They shed AI's dead weight contract, which was the goal when they traded Billups. Are they better than they were when they had Billups? Debatable but I'd lean towards 'no'. Realistically, they can still add a Kaman or Chandler to that mix and sutbract Hamilton. I don't think that looks too appealing of a lineup either.

 

This was the biggest offer that he was going to receive and that is why he took it, but some people are acting like he was way over paid. The Bulls offered him basically the same deal twice.

 

Gordon will defend the quicker point guards, I never said that he would shut them down. Rondo torched everyone in the playoffs, so does that mean everyone is a terrible defender. Rondo is also considered one of the best defending point guards in the league, yet Gordon and Rose both torched him in that same series, so does that mean he is a terrible defender. Gordon is not a great defender, but he can be an adequate defender, especially if he is properly coached with good defenders around him.

 

I am not sure if anyone would say that they are better than they were with Billups, because that would be ridiculous. I haven't even heard one Pistons homer, analyst etc.. say that they were contenders now, so I am not sure what your point is there.

 

Stuckey/Bynum

Gordon/ Afflalo

Prince/Daye/Summers

Villa/Maxiell

Kaman or Chandler/Kwame

 

That's a pretty solid lineup and easily top 5 in the east. I think the thing that people don't realize is that players progress and a lineup like this is packed with potential.

[S.D. Jones 0]

Bump. Stupid homers.

[swirvenirvin 25]

Bump. Stupid homers.

 

I didn't really participate in this thread besides starting it, but to be fair the Stones have had a ton of injuries. I think they have played over half of their games without Rip, Prince, Gordon, and Vill

[GettnHuge 1]

Bump. Stupid homers.

 

link to where you predicted Rip and Tay would each miss 26 of the first 32 games?

[S.D. Jones 0]

Bump. Go ahead and blame injuries all you want, but both of these signings were absolute failures. Gordon has his worst year of his career and Villanueva was pretty much garbage most of the year. As predicted, they were one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

 

What's the move now? Everyone still standing by the decision to dump Billups' salary? Seems like Denver is pretty happy about the decision. I'd be calling for Dumars job if I was a Pistons fan.

[patweisers44 702]

What's the move now? Everyone still standing by the decision to dump Billups' salary? Seems like Denver is pretty happy about the decision. I'd be calling for Dumars job if I was a Pistons fan.

I'm with you there. He's long ago exhausted his former hero status "get out of jail free" card.

[swirvenirvin 25]

I'm with you there. He's long ago exhausted his former hero status "get out of jail free" card.

and make who GM? How many teams make the playoffs 8 consecutive years, every team has to go back down eventually it is just how things run in the NBA. He has resurrected them once why not let him try again.

[CantTouchThis 23]

What's the move now? Everyone still standing by the decision to dump Billups' salary? Seems like Denver is pretty happy about the decision. I'd be calling for Dumars job if I was a Pistons fan.

 

Even though Billups was and still is my favorite NBA player, i always thought the AI move was a no-brainer. Pistons were getting a guy who just averaged 26/7 and clearing up an insane amount of cap space. Of course AI was garbage and the move completely back-fired and it was a terrible move in retrospect.

 

If Joe D. can bring in a serviceable big man this off season, we will see. I would like to see this team healthy with a good C or PF before we can make final judgement.

 

Also, forget about the defense, you have guys like Rip, Gordon, Tay, Stuckey, ect who can SCORE and you have maybe the worst offense in the league. WTF. Detroit actually didn't have that bad of a defense.

[GettnHuge 1]

Bump. Go ahead and blame injuries all you want,

 

It's the injuries, stupid.

next time Tom Brady blows out his knee, I'm going to come on here midseason and talk about how he sucks.