Trader Joe: Some Possible Moves Pistons GM Joe Dumars Should Consider

It is an ominous time to be a Detroit Pistons fan.

Not only are you dealing with the first season in recent memory in which the playoffs seem like a difficult endeavor, but you are watching an entirely different team take the court this season.

In fact, due to injury, you are seeing a different team every night!

The season is still in its early stages and injuries have robbed this team of a clear way of judging the effectiveness of the roster.

However, teams are always measured by wins and losses and unless NBA commissioner David Stern steps in and gives the league a mulligan, this team is going to have to play with the hand they were dealt.

What We Know

As presently constructed, this team can not compete for a title.

You may be saying "thanks for the update, captain obvious! Any chance the Lions miss the playoffs too?", however, this is an important realization. Namely, because it means Pistons president Joe Dumars likely sees this too.

As we have seen in the past, Dumars is not shy about making big splashes, and there is no reason to think that has changed.

Also, the Pistons are not drawing as many fans as last year. While the economy of Michigan (especially Detroit) is a factor, that has never stopped Dumars before from bringing in fans.

Add to that the fact that Dumars' new boss, the late William Davidson's family, is probably not making the profits they are used to, and you have a recipe for action.

Perhaps I am wrong and they are a patient bunch. However, it seems like any new boss is looking to make their mark, and it never feels good to be at the helm when the ship starts taking in water.

We also know that this Pistons team has holes in it. Rodney Stuckey is trying hard to become the point guard that Dumars needs him to be, but with varying levels of success. 

The fact is that this team is second to last in the league in assists, and that is a direct reflection of the team's point guard play.

So why does Stuckey need to be this team's point guard?

In all honesty, he doesn't, but it would be easiest if he was the "one". More on this in a second.

The front court also has holes in it, although the Ben Wallace renaissance has helped mask this fact. 

Power forward Charlie Villanueva has been just about what most people expected, a scorer with limited skill at defense and on the boards (however, he has shown a willingness to at least try to defend, which has been a pleasant surprise for yours truly).

But behind these two, the front court is woefully weak. Kwame Brown is, well, Kwame Brown. He is big and he can rebound and defend a little, so he is worth keeping around, but he is not the center of the future for this team.

Chris Wilcox has been a bust so far, which is probably what most people expected. That leaves Jason Maxiell who has been, to be generous, rather inconsistent over the course of his tenure in Detroit and is likely on the trading block.

We also know that this team has a huge logjam on the wings. This has been less obvious lately with all the injuries, but I am sure this is on Dumars' mind quite often.

Currently, this Pistons team has essentially seven guys competing for minutes at two positions that should be, at most, five players deep.

Also, the three most expensive salaries on the team, by far, are among those seven, and this is also a factor. More on that as well.

A Bright Side?

The good news is that this team is not barren of talent. If you look around the league, you will see some situations that are far more dire than Detroit's.

The New York Knicks have a worse record, less talent and some terrible salaries on hand that essentially tie the hands of their general manager, Donnie Walsh.

The New Jersey Nets have yet to win a game, yet they have some likewise terrible contracts (anybody want Bobby Simmons at $11 million per season?).

New Orleans may have a stud in Chris Paul, but the Hornets have to slash salaries and they are faced with the prospect of having to trade their once untouchable star.

Detroit has no such toxic salaries. The three most expensive players, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, are all still in their prime and still reasonably priced in the $10 to $11.5 million a year range.

This team is also very young. Aside from Wallace and Chucky Atkins (who each make the veteran's minimum), only Hamilton is over 30.

Given Rip's reputation for physical fitness, most people would agree that he should be able to play well into his late 30's (ala former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller).

This gives Dumars what every general manager craves ... flexibility.

With that flexibility, youth and talent, Dumars will be operating from a position of strength when other GM's start calling.

The Players

While some Detroit fans have bemoaned the injuries to Prince and Hamilton, I am sure Dumars would recognize the silver lining brought forth as a result.

Rookies Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye and even Dajuan Summers have been forced into duty much earlier than is usually the case with Detroit rookies.

The results have been surprisingly good. Jerebko is becoming a revelation, someone that some fans are comparing to a young Dennis Rodman (insert Rodman joke here) and is easily another of Dumars' late round steals.

Daye has likewise shown flashes of brilliance, although he is likely another year and 30 pounds away from being a consistent minutes man.

The same can not be said about Summers whose name has become synonymous with "NBA body". He may be raw, but he is talented.

Additionally, Will Bynum has continued to make NBA execs salivate. With his amazing scoring ability and solid passing, he figures to be a factor in whatever moves Dumars makes.

So what might Dumars be thinking?

Well, for one, he needs to figure out his point guard situation. Given the fact that Gordon figures to be the shooting guard of the future for Detroit, he needs to be paired with a big point guard.

Call it the Allen Iverson principle; if you have an undersized shooting guard, you need a big point guard that can help defend bigger shooting guards.

The good news for Detroit is that Gordon can shoot from distance, something Iverson was inconsistent at and, as a result, forced his bosses to add "three point shooter" to the big point guard's resume.

Therefore, the Pistons' point guard of the future does not necessarily need to be able to shoot from distance.

Stuckey is big and he doesn't shoot too well from distance, but he has yet to consistently play like a point guard. As of Sunday, Stuckey is averaging a pathetic 3.9 assists per game. That is fine for a shooting guard, but terrible for a point guard.

Bynum is the only other option at point guard, but is not likely a real one considering the fact that he is so small. You could, then, pair him with Hamilton and bring Gordon off the bench, but then you leave either Gordon or Hamilton playing point guard when Bynum gets tired. Besides, Bynum is not a solid three point shooter.

So is Stuckey still the point guard of the future for Detroit? That really is the million dollar question for Dumars, and something that could create a surprise move.

Possible Moves

Likely, there are four players that Dumars is looking to possibly trade: Prince, Hamilton, Stuckey and Maxiell.

This is not to say that he is trying to get rid of any of these players, but they are the players that will be the center pieces in his next big trade due to the depth at their positions, their talent and their salaries.

Two of them will be paired together in a trade due to salaries, with a high priced player like Hamilton being paired with a low priced player like Stuckey to create a perfect mix of talent and salary matching (remember, in the NBA, salaries need to be very close in order to make a trade...you can't trade a $15 million player for a $2 million player).

Therefore, you could be looking at two different moves to bring back a point guard and a big forward or center.

Looking around the NBA, Dumars likely will be targeting two different types of teams; those that are looking to bolster their back courts for the playoff push, and those that are trying to trade potential free agents that they have no hope of re-signing.

In sticking with the latter, one name screams out ... Chris Bosh.

Think about it. Toronto is likely not in the running for Bosh's services next year when he becomes a free agent. That is part of the reason that they drafted Andrea Bargnani.

However, Dumars would only pull the trigger on this deal if he could be assured of Bosh re-signing with Detroit, and that is anything but a strong possibility.

Also, Toronto will likely have a long list of suitors for Bosh, but this trade is a possibility.

Another move that has been mentioned is a potential Carlos Boozer deal. A deal for Rip Hamilton straight up would technically work financially. It would also make Utah a serious contender.

The only question would be whether or not Boozer would fit with Detroit. A Boozer deal would definitely put Villanueva on the bench, although that might not be a bad thing. But would Boozer re-sign with Detroit? I think he might.

This would also allow Dumars the flexibility of being able to package Prince, Maxiell and Stuckey for a point guard. Would they be enough to pry Paul away from the cash-strapped Hornets? Probably not. But it could be enough to snag Monta Ellis from Golden State.

They could also elect to keep those three and draft a point guard, ensuring that their bench would be amongst the deepest in the league.

Other players that Detroit might take a long look at if they are unable to land Bosh or Boozer up front would include Tyson Chandler, Luis Scola, Hakim Warrick, Amare Stoudemire and Joel Pryzbilla. All of whom are free agents after this year and each are big men that are still in their prime.

Obviously there will be some time before Dumars pulls the trigger on a deal; injured players can not be traded, and Hamilton and Prince are still likely a few weeks away from playing.

Bet on Dumars giving his team, as constructed, a couple weeks to play once everyone gets healthy before he decides on a plan.

But the smart money is on a deal being made by the All Star break.