What off-season moves should Detroit make? Fire Flip? Trade guys? New signings?

[final.wrath]

basketball is a two way game. you have to be good at both ends of the floor to win championships.

teams without superstars don't win championships. or they don't very often at least.

[FPower]

In Flip Saunders case, "opening the offensive reigns" doesn't equal scoring points either. What a guru.

[Y2Gezee]

Really all they need to do is keep who they have. Fire Flip and get a good defensive coach with some offensive structure. That team is simply not going to win with offense, they HAVE to FOCUS on defense and then let offense come.

Add their 2 first rounders. Maybe a good MLE signing and they can win it all. They're on the decline, but they're still strong. With a better mindset they still could've been in the finals.

They made terrible adjustments.

[reppy]

This is a star-oriented league. No star? Good luck making it far.

[AtTheDriveIn]

Detroit Pistons = Next years Miami Heat.

[final.wrath]

trying to squeeze one more year out of this team would probably cost us down the road.

[Y2Gezee]

trying to squeeze one more year out of this team would probably cost us down the road.

Again, I think with their draft picks (they have a pick at 15) they have 2-3 more years of atleast competing if not being able to squeeze one more title.

What do you suggest they do if not keep the team

[final.wrath]

sometimes a team is enough to overpower stars. it takes a special team though.

[KingofKings718]

Sheed needs to be shown the door. He's 33 years old, and his act is old now.

[final.wrath]

I wonder how interested the Nuggets are in Chauncey.

[Solid Snake]

It's funny how everyone praises Dumars for constructing such a great team, but downplay the fact that he made one of the worst GM decisions in the history of the existence of this league.

[FPower]

It's funny how everyone praises Dumars for constructing such a great team, but downplay the fact that he made one of the worst GM decisions in the history of the existence of this league.

Dumars gets a pass on that horrible move because most other NBA GMs would have made the same move. There was even some minor debate that Darko should have been taken number one over Lebron.

Flip Saunders was a much worse move IMO, because it destroyed the team AND there were many other options. Out of all the coaches Joe could have picked, he managed to find one which the the team clashes with completely.

[20 Dimes A Game]

I realy trust Dumars, we will be back in the ECF in 2 years.

[Sharas]

It's funny how everyone praises Dumars for constructing such a great team, but downplay the fact that he made one of the worst GM decisions in the history of the existence of this league.

he did construct a title team with players that no one wanted and thought they'd be good. made plenty of great decisions - getting ben wallace for grant hill that was going anyway, getting rip hamilton for stackhouse, drafting tayshaun when everybody slept on him. he managed to sign webber for peanuts - and he did play well, a low-risk high-reward move.

but yes, he drafted darko over carmelo (or bosh or wade), and then traded him away for an expirer so he could resign ben...and then didn't resign ben. they're forced to make at least some changes now and get a bit younger, think they wouldn't like to have at least possibility to re-sign darko now (for reasonable money if possible, if not just let him walk away)? he also signed nazr mohammed for 30 mil. and he's not playing at all.

sheed is getting old but his contract will be really tough to trade. no way they're getting anything great for him. IMO they should cut his minutes a bit in favor of maxiell. as for hamilton and prince, there's no point in dealing them away. they're both signed to reasonable contracts and playing well, and prince has yet to hit his prime.

now, about billups...they're certainly facing a tough decision. he's about to turn 31 and probably won't settle for anything less than 13-14 mil per year. is it really smart to give him that kind of money, because they're obviously not winning it all again with this roster? so i though a bit, and came away with this:

denver nuggets receive:

chauncey billups (sign & trade)

detroit pistons receive:

steve blake
nene

if i'm right, nene and blake combined make about 13 millions...they can add some small filler also if needed. pistons get a good young big man who can play both c and pf and a subpar starter/great backup point guard. then they can draft acie law at #17 if he's available, and split his and blake's minutes. or roll the dice and try with javaris crittenton. or even draft he best player avalaible and look for another pg with MLE.

then you've got:

nene
wallace
prince
hamilton
law/blake

that's already a much younger lineup and a good beginning for youth movement, while not totally breaking it up and still being top 3-4 team in the east.

while denver's got:

camby
martin (hopefully healthy)
carmelo
iverson
billups

iverson moves to full-time 2 on offense and on defense chauncey can guard opposition backcourt's better/bigger player. IMO this smells much more of a championship than current nuggets lineup.

[Rockets(T-mac)]

he did construct a title team with players that no one wanted and thought they'd be good. made plenty of great decisions - getting ben wallace for grant hill that was going anyway, getting rip hamilton for stackhouse, drafting tayshaun when everybody slept on him. he managed to sign webber for peanuts - and he did play well, a low-risk high-reward move.

but yes, he drafted darko over carmelo (or bosh or wade), and then traded him away for an expirer so he could resign ben...and then didn't resign ben. they're forced to make at least some changes now and get a bit younger, think they wouldn't like to have at least possibility to re-sign darko now (for reasonable money if possible, if not just let him walk away)? he also signed nazr mohammed for 30 mil. and he's not playing at all.

sheed is getting old but his contract will be really tough to trade. no way they're getting anything great for him. IMO they should cut his minutes a bit in favor of maxiell. as for hamilton and prince, there's no point in dealing them away. they're both signed to reasonable contracts and playing well, and prince has yet to hit his prime.

now, about billups...they're certainly facing a tough decision. he's about to turn 31 and probably won't settle for anything less than 13-14 mil per year. is it really smart to give him that kind of money, because they're obviously not winning it all again with this roster? so i though a bit, and came away with this:

denver nuggets receive:

chauncey billups (sign & trade)

detroit pistons receive:

steve blake
nene

if i'm right, nene and blake combined make about 13 millions...they can add some small filler also if needed. pistons get a good young big man who can play both c and pf and a subpar starter/great backup point guard. then they can draft acie law at #17 if he's available, and split his and blake's minutes. or roll the dice and try with javaris crittenton. or even draft he best player avalaible and look for another pg with MLE.

then you've got:

nene
wallace
prince
hamilton
law/blake

that's already a much younger lineup and a good beginning for youth movement, while not totally breaking it up and still being top 3-4 team in the east.

while denver's got:

camby
martin (hopefully healthy)
carmelo
iverson
billups

iverson moves to full-time 2 on offense and on defense chauncey can guard opposition backcourt's better/bigger player. IMO this smells much more of a championship than current nuggets lineup.

That Nuggets team would be crazy, but I don't if they will let go of Nene very easily.