An off-season that began with a bold proclamation has so far produced nothing more than a whimper. A frustrated president of basketball operations Joe Dumars declared there were no sacred cows on his roster after a third consecutive flop in the Eastern Conference Finals. He later amended that statement to exclude second-year point guard Rodney Stuckey.
While there have been plenty of rumors floating around the media and on the Internet regarding potential trades, the Pistons haven’t come close to making a major deal. Dumars doesn’t want to deliver on his goal for shaking things up by making a lateral move.
The month of July has also produced less drama than the Pistons have experienced in many years. The past two seasons, two of their most prominent players (Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups) were unrestricted free agents.
During the summer of 2005, a contentious, month-long battle developed between head coach Larry Brown and owner Bill Davidson that ended in an ugly divorce. And right after the Pistons won the 2004 title, Rasheed Wallace and Mehmet Okur became free agents.
They made inquiries about the Los Angeles Clippers’ Corey Maggette, but he was out of their price range. They also had an interest in Boston’s James Posey but didn’t want to give a four- or five-year deal to a 31-year-old backup.
It’s still a strong possibility the Pistons will sign a lower-tier free agent for a portion of their mid-level salary exception. One surprising name that has cropped up is ex-Piston Carlos Delfino, whom the Pistons traded to Toronto a year ago.
The Raptors made a qualifying offer to Delfino, a restricted free agent, but have no real desire to retain him. Delfino basically whined his way out of Detroit because of his desire to play more but the Pistons always valued his skills and feel Toronto’s rejection may have humbled the Argentinian swingman.
Notes, Quotes
• The Pistons’ summer league roster is loaded and they hope to find out where second-year center Cheikh Samb and rookie small forward Walter Sharpe fit into their plans next season. Samb and Sharpe will join three members of the Pistons’ regular rotation—guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo and power forward Amir Johnson—in the starting lineup. They will play five games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas against the Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Mavericks and Bobcats.
The 7-foot-1 Samb has the wingspan to be a top-flight shotblocker and he has shown a surprisingly-soft touch on his midrange shots. With improved strength and a year under NBA tutelage, the Pistons are hoping that Samb can crack the rotation next season.
Sharpe was the Pistons’ surprising top draft pick but they have been quietly thrilled with the work ethic and all-around skills he’s shown so far in workouts and practices. If Sharpe plays well in the summer league, the need to acquire a backup small forward would diminish.
• Michael Curry achieved his dream of becoming an NBA head coach last month but, sadly, his father will only be there in spirit. James E. Curry, Jr. died of a heart attack in late June. The elder Curry had been staying in Michigan with Michael and his family when he passed away. The burial took place in his hometown of Augusta, GSource: Yahoo
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