Pistons Mailbag - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - Page 3

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Langlois: Greg Monroe became their best post player, Nicholas. If you had asked who was their best post scorer, then Wilcox would draw strong consideration. I think Charlie Villanueva is their most naturally gifted post scorer, but he doesn’t have the makeup or the frame to play in the post more than occasionally and – let’s face it – his greatest strength is his 3-point shooting ability. That debate is not unlike the one Pistons fans waged when Rasheed Wallace was here. Sure, he was their best low-post presence, but he was also a valuable 3-point weapon. Just as there are residual benefits for an offense when it possesses the threat of a low-post scorer – whether that option consistently produces points out of the low post or not – so are there spillover effects involved with a big man who spreads the floor. My take on Wilcox hasn’t changed much since he signed with the Pistons two summers ago: His athleticism gives them a dimension they otherwise lack – if he can stay healthy.

Langlois: There would be a lot worse perfecta bets than Biyombo and Benson, Dave. The Pistons pick 7th and 33rd – that’s right around the range for both Biyombo and Benson. Would the Pistons spend two picks – in areas where you would have reasonable hope for both players to challenge for immediate playing time – on their frontcourt? That’s the great unknown. As I’ve previously written, I think the uncertainty at small forward, where both Prince and McGrady are headed to free agency, makes it likely that they spend one of those first two picks at that position. They won’t force it – if there’s nobody at 33 (assuming they allocate seven to a big man) they think has a fighting chance to become a solid rotation piece at small forward, they’ll choose elsewhere.

Langlois: When the agreement between Karen Davidson and Tom Gores was announced in April, it was said that the deal would close by June 30. There is every reason to believe they are on schedule to close on or before that date, Andrew. It is unusual for teams to undergo any significant personnel changes in the transition of ownership – after an agreement to sell but before the closing – so I wouldn’t expect anything to happen until we hear that the sale is formally closed. If that happens before the June 23 draft, then the draft could be the first real window of opportunity for the Pistons to make a deal.