It's time to say goodbye to the Palace's Prince.
The Pistons beat the lowly Nets last night, ending a five-game losing streak and improving their record to 16-31. Ugh. This is only their fifth win in their last 24 games. Oof. And they scraped out the win, needing a 10-2 run at the end of the game to pull ahead and take it. Ack.
Detroit has scored fewer than 100 points in 23 of their last 24 games and has shot under fifty percent in 24 straight games. Off-season signings Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon have been injured of late (as have Hamilton and Will Bynum), but still… the team wasn’t supposed to have these offensive deficiencies.
When Chauncey was traded, Joe Dumars described this transitional period as rebuilding on the fly. It’s past time to dump the ‘on the fly’ nonsense and come to terms with the fact that this team is in full-on rebuilding mode.
One bright spot of late has been the gelling of Rodney Stuckey and Rip Hamilton. They’ve begun playing well together, feeding each other’s games. In this one, Stuckles had 21 points with 8 assists and 0 turnovers. Richard had 22 points with 7 assists and 5 boards. This development makes Tayshaun Prince, with his already crappy season, all the more expendable. It’s time to trade him. And now that he’s healthy again, he’s a very tradeable player.
The latest rumors have a Tayshaun for Carlos Boozer deal being cooked up. This is not the right move. Carlos Boozer is a dominant offensive player, a great low-post/paint scorer. But he’s beyond injury prone, not a great defender, and too small. The Pistons have one of the weakest frontcourts in the league. They need a real big man, a defensive presence, someone who can grab boards and alter shots. They should be going after NY Knick David Lee. David Lee does all the things the Pistons need, and he can score. He plays hard every night. He’s durable. They should have gone after him last summer, when he was right there for the taking, instead of Charlie V. Detroit won’t be able to afford him this summer, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Pistons should be trying to trade Tayshaun for David Lee now. The Knicks won’t re-sign Lee this summer. They’ll be gunning for Lebron, Wade, Bosh, etc. And D’Antoni would love Tayshaun, a player he can use at the point forward position, not unlike he used Boris Diaw in Phoenix.
If the Pistons can trade Tayshaun and Jason Maxiell for David Lee, then fuck around in the lottery and pick up DeMarcus Cousins, next year you’re looking at a starting lineup of Rodney Stuckey at the 1, Rip at the 2, Charlie V. at the 3 (at least part of the time), and Cousins and Lee at the 4 and 5 (now that’s a frontcourt!). With Will Bynum coming off the bench at point, Ben Gordon off the bench in the sharp-shooter/Vinnie Johnson role, everyone’s favorite Swede Jerebko at the 3 while Charlie V. moves to the 4, and the ossified yet awesome bones of Ben Wallace spelling the 4 and 5. This is a team that can make some noise.
Who’s with me?
Posted by LA Dubbs
