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Tayshaun Prince will get some relief with the signing of Jarvis Hayes.
Jesse D. Garrabrant (NBAE/Getty)
Hayes signing gives Pistons shot at keeping Prince fresh
Backup Plan
by Keith Langlois

Editor’s note: Pistons.com concludes a five-part positional analysis of the 2007-08 Pistons heading into training camp with today’s Part V: small forwards.

Since Tayshaun Prince moved into the Pistons’ starting lineup in his second season, the team has struggled to identify a suitable backup to him. That becomes an especially critical decision since Joe Dumars declared after last season ended in the conference finals that it was time to ask less of Detroit’s four core veteran starters.

It might be especially beneficial to the Pistons if they could find a way to reduce Prince’s minutes. Because so many teams feature a small forward as their No. 1 scoring option, Prince carries a heavy defensive burden almost nightly, making the 36-plus minutes a game he averaged last season particularly grueling. That might have caught up to him in the playoffs, where he appeared worn down in shooting 24 percent over the six games of the conference finals.

That makes the little-noticed August signing of Jarvis Hayes a potentially big deal for the Pistons. Hayes enters the season as the runaway favorite to grab the 15 or so minutes a game the Pistons want to rest Prince this year.

Here’s a look at the candidates to man the small forward position for the 2007-08 Pistons:

  • Tayshaun Prince – Now entering his sixth season, the 27-year-old Prince is recognized as one of the premier perimeter defenders and best all-around small forwards in the NBA.

    There are no holes in Prince’s game. He’s a more than capable ballhandler and passer who can originate the offense, but he’s also able to post up and punish shorter defenders. At 6-foot-9 with a wing span that makes him play even taller, he can chase shooting guards on the perimeter or make it difficult to shoot over him in the post. Prince is a dangerous 3-point shooter who can also take the ball from the wing and back down his defender.

    Because of that versatility and the lack of consistent production behind him, Flip Saunders was often compelled to keep Prince on the floor for 40-plus minutes in tight games last season.

    The hope is that with Hayes and, perhaps, tough-minded rookie Arron Afflalo as options this season, Saunders will feel more comfortable giving Prince seven- or eight-minute rests in each half. Though Prince has proven to be a remarkably durable player – he’s played in all 82 games each of the past four seasons – he’s shown signs of wear in each of the last three postseasons.

  • Jarvis Hayes – The Pistons haven’t really been completely at ease with their options behind Prince since their 2003-04 championship season, when Corliss Williamson was coming off their bench. And even at that, Williamson was more of an undersized power forward who got by chasing quicker players at Prince’s position.

    Hayes, signed to a no-risk one-year contract as a free agent, could give Saunders the comfort zone he needs to feel OK letting Prince get sufficient rest this season. A four-year veteran who was the No. 10 pick in the loaded 2003 draft, Hayes also fills a perimeter shooting need for the Pistons. Still a very good athlete despite a knee injury that cost him parts of his second and third seasons, Hayes is regarded as an adequate defender who will also be a candidate for minutes behind Rip Hamilton at shooting guard.

  • Arron Afflalo – The Pistons are convinced that Afflalo can handle this position defensively even though he’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-5. Assistant coach Michael Curry, who handled the Las Vegas Summer League team, proclaimed Afflalo NBA ready as a defender and Joe Dumars has said Afflalo could capably defend all three perimeter positions.

    Afflalo is regarded as a high-character player who is extremely competitive, something new teammates Chauncey Billups and Prince noticed about him when they began playing against him in summer pickup games at UCLA’s men’s gym.

    Afflalo struggled with his perimeter shooting over the summer, but he displayed a sweet stroke in leading UCLA in scoring in his sophomore and junior seasons before skipping his senior year to declare for the 2007 draft.

  • Sammy Mejia – The Pistons see Mejia in the same mold as Afflalo – high basketball IQ, quality character, great competitor who can defend all three perimeter spots. There isn’t likely to be much, if any, playing time available for Mejia unless injuries strike, but the Pistons are going to give Mejia a long look in training camp with the expectation that he’ll spend a good chunk of the season playing for their new Development League affiliate in nearby Fort Wayne, Ind.

  • Ronald Dupree – Dupree has been a good soldier over his two stints in Detroit and is a reliable perimeter defender, if a little undersized at small forward. With 16 players under contract as training camp approaches – one over the NBA regular-season limit – somebody will have to go unless the Pistons can clear a roster spot via trade. That puts Dupree’s position in some peril.
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