| The NBA's Drama Town Authored by Curtis A. Clark - July 31, 2005 - 10:26 pm
Now that last year is over so is the drama right? Wrong.
If Piston’s fans are looking forward to a year removed from the drama of repeat pressure, brawl fallout, and Larry’s baggage (or should I say luggage), they may be sorely disappointed. What’s on the soap scene this year in Detroit? Why a bunch of question marks that what.
We have the obvious move to give head coach Larry Brown his walking shoes. But we also have the not so obvious questions surrounding, Flip, Darko, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and the bench. Joe Dumars has his hands full this year.
First there is the scrutiny that will follow anything less than a repeat finals appearance. When you bag a coach that says he wants to stay, then replace him with a guy that has only made it out of the first round 1 time in 8 years, you’ve taken a risk. Hopefully for Piston’s fans, a calculated one. Fans don’t want to have Joe’s decision to fire Larry hovering over the team all year. Larry Brown comes to all teams with one foot out the door, but despite his flirtation with every team from the Knicks to the Globetrotters, he did play the I want to stay card. Whether that was damage control or not doesn’t matter. The part that matters is Dumars and owner Bill Davidon fired the steersman of back to back finals appearances. So you better believe Detroit fans, that management and ownership are going to come under fire if the Pistons don’t come out of the gate hot. Especially, if Larry works a miracle and resurrects a Knicks team that has nothing going for them.
That’s just the headline you can see coming, but what other little pockets of drama will float to the surface?
What about the fact that the Pistons two best defensive players are in the last year of their contracts? Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, the overactive stoppers of one of the NBA’s all time greatest defensive teams, are free agents next year. Now you know Dumars will do everything he can to keep them. In all likelihood they will be under contract by the 2006/2007 season. But a year of waiting and limited salary cap room could leave Piston’s fans squirming. Tayshaun and Ben’s representation are well aware of their market value. Especially Tayshaun, who is young and has shown the ability to carry the offensive load. If Ben and Tay get contracts in or around 8 to 10 million a year, over 4 to 5 years, the Pistons will have little cash left to solidify a bench in the coming years. A situation with over 40 million a year in starters salary alone is very probable. Unfortunately as the playoffs have proven this year, they need more scoring from their bench. Dumars is phenomenal at managing the cap and keeping the team competitive, but the weight of Rasheed and Rip’s contracts and the cap space needed for Ben and Tay, may make this his hardest task yet.
Also as mentioned above Flip Saunders is not the most experienced playoff coach. Most people, this author included, believe the experience of the players alone can get this team back to Eastern Conference Finals. It is in those situations however that the X’s and O’s of Larry Brown pushed them through to championship form. Flip will have to step up his offensive innovation if he hopes to work out the lulls that Larry solved with play calls from timeouts. Saunders is not as good at in game adjustments as the hall of famer, so getting things perfect in practice will be paramount. Something Pistons players thought would go away with practice preaching Larry Brown.
And then of course there is Darko. A player who has received more press than 2003’s stud big man Chris Bosh, and deserved none of it. Not the good or the bad. For all intensive purpose Darko is not an NBA player yet, he is the equivalent of a practice team player in the NFL. This year is his year to become a productive team member. Amid trade rumors (To the Hawks for Al Harrington for one) Darko has to concentrate and produce. You better believe he will find his way into the headlines again. Even if nothing changes, Darko will again be a target of the media, American and European alike. If Flip can’t find the way for this kid, and the Pistons are on pace to finish with a worse record than last year, the press is going to come hard at the Pistons. Darko needs to do his part to take care of the media firestorm only he can calm.
Lastly, have they solved their bench scoring needs? Detroit, with the exception of Antonio McDyess, floundered off the bench last year. After drafting Jason Maxiell the Pistons may have added a low post threat. But a rookie? Can they really count on a rookie to solve that need? Maxiell had a beastly summer league, but that was not against seasoned pros. Maxiell, or fellow unproven Darko Milicic, will have a lot of pressure to produce in the post. With no new talent added to the bench so far this off season, and the departure of Eldon Campbell, they will have to. On the perimeter Carlos Delphino had flashes of talent early in 2004, but injury derailed the rest of his season. He, like Darko and Maxiell, is a young unproven talent that a championship team wouldn’t like to rely on. The only real veteran presence, besides Dyess, is Lindsey Hunter. Hunter, a spark plug on defense, is a year older (35) and streaky at best in the half court. Likewise fellow reserve Carlos Arroyo, who is slated to fill the backup point guard role this year, is streaky. Brown pushed for his trade last year, but ended up benching him most the post season. Arroyo will need to learn how to stay in front of players on defense if he plans on retaining his minutes.
All in all the Piston’s bench unit needs a perimeter player they can run the offense though. A vet who can keep the offense running without costing them on the other end. If Carlos Delphino cannot provide that, the Pistons will be in a world of hurt. Look to Dumars to find a solution in veteran cuts from the new CBA one time luxury clause. Michael Finley, Jalen Rose, or Allen Huston could all be available. Without a veteran on the bench the Piston’s starters will continue to log tons of minutes. Heightening the chance for fatigue or injury to the best starting five in basketball.
So the drama wont subside after 2005. Dumars will be under the microscope after his firing of Larry Brown. He needs to solve the teams other problems in order to avoid a bigger media spotlight from the unavoidable Larry Brown fallout. This may not be L.A. Story yet, but it sure could be Motown Melodrama if Dumars doesn’t have the magic this time around. The Pistons have gone from media darling and giant slayer, to exactly what they slew. A championship caliber team swirling in controversy. But you can never count out Joe D, he may be the best GM this side of Jerry West in the NBA. Don’t be surprised if all this drama is forgotten come April.
Curtis A. Clark
Resident Writer for Detroit Sports
RealGM_Detroit@hotmail.com |
