Pistons Mailbag - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - Page 2

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Langlois: Simply because so many of the unique and disruptive forces at work last season – most stemming from the malaise forced on the franchise by an ownership in limbo, resolved by Tom Gores’ purchase of the team – have been resolved, this season is almost certainly going to be refreshing. The dynamic of the team is changing – Jerebko (yes, assuming he re-signs) and Monroe are going to be prominent players and are going to start assuming leadership functions – and a new young core that includes lottery pick Brandon Knight will inject some needed enthusiasm and optimism into the franchise. Also don’t underestimate the impact Lawrence Frank and a deep and impressive staff he’s assembled will have. I think the players are going to respond very positively to the structure he surely will impose. I’ll get into this more in the near future, but I really think the one player most certain to blossom under Frank will be Rodney Stuckey – again, assuming the Pistons retain him as a restricted free agent.

Langlois: If the season starts with Hamilton, Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum and Brandon Knight all on the roster, then it’s unlikely that all five could possibly have spots in the rotation unless Lawrence Frank commits to major minutes at small forward for Hamilton, Stuckey or both. I don’t know if that’s a realistic possibility. I also don’t know – given the tight time frame between now and the start of the season, complicated by the fact that teams are first going to need to fill out rosters with free-agent signings as the first order of business – if it’s very likely a trade gets done before the start of the season. But a trade could come at any time. The benefit to that is it will give Frank time to assess not only each player, but how certain combinations of players fit into his system. That should help inform Joe Dumars’ opinions as he takes his players to the marketplace to try to address roster shortcomings elsewhere. I think it’s more likely than not that the Pistons make a trade of significance between the start of the season and the trade deadline.

Langlois: Joe D said before the lockout began that his first order of business was to retain his own free agents, in particular restricted free agents Rodney Stuckey and Jonas Jerebko, where he has more control of the situation. Within the past week, Lawrence Frank has reiterated the priority is to retain their own free agents and has spoken of his desire to see Tayshaun Prince return. What moves the Pistons make will be predicated on what happens first with their own free agents. If they keep those three players, in particular, then my hunch is that the focus turns toward adding another frontcourt piece, if possible. Retaining their own free agents would effectively eliminate any cap space, so the means to acquiring another frontcourt player would be the trade market. If Golden State succeeds in adding Tyson Chandler, as numerous reports indicate is their objective, then it figures that Biedrins would be available. I don’t know of any verification that the Pistons have ever seriously engaged Golden State on Biedrins or would be interested in him at this point. But once the deck gets cut on Friday, I expect hands will be shown pretty quickly. Stay tuned.

Langlois: That’s the great unknown with any pursuit of a restricted free agent, Glenn, and it’s one that any team that prepares an offer sheet asks of itself. They don’t go through the process without calculating the breaking point of the original team. I can’t give you a figure for “how much is too much,” but the key for Stuckey and the Pistons will be to find a number that works for both sides. Stuckey could take the one-year qualifying offer and jump in the pool as an unrestricted free agent next summer, but players (and agents) generally prefer the security a long-term contract affords them if the annual average provides a boost in pay over the qualifying offer. In Stuckey’s case, that’s nearly $4 million. So something north of there – and, most likely, something north of the mid-level exception. How far north will depend on whether there is at least one suitor out there that believes Stuckey still has growth potential.

Langlois: The revisiting began even before an ownership change, John. There is tinkering ongoing about what the next generation of alternate jerseys will look like. But the NBA requires a long sign-off period for approval. The earliest possible date an alternate jersey will be revealed will be for the 2013-14 season.

Langlois: If the Knicks are rebuffed on the Paul front – or if they decide to sit this round out and take their chances that he’ll come to them in free agency – then I don’t know how they would feel about Rip Hamilton. On first blush, it doesn’t seem like he’s a fit for Mike D’Antoni’s offense, and with that offense already featuring two elite scorers (Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire) and a point guard whose value is significantly tied up in his shooting range and scoring ability, the priority at shooting guard, I would guess, is an athletic player who can defend and, as a bonus, knock down open 3-pointers. It was widely and, by all appearances, credibly reported last winter that Rip Hamilton would have been pursued by Chicago had the Pistons and Cleveland executed a trade-deadline deal for him that would have resulted in a Cleveland buyout. But the Bulls would have been getting him on a new and much more team-friendly contract than the one still in place. With Derrick Rose due for a huge contract boost and highly paid players like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer in tow, I can’t imagine what the scenario would be that involves a trade of Hamilton to the Bulls at this point.

Langlois: A little early for draft questions, John, especially with so much work to do in merely building out the 30 team rosters. We’ll probably start looking at some of the more enticing college prospects later this winter, but there’s no doubt that the three you named – assuming they decide to enter the draft, and assuming that the new CBA allows freshmen Davis and Drummond to do so – will go fast. You might need to be in the top three to get any one of them – and the Pistons very much hope they don’t find themselves in that position.