Carmelo Anthony to Motown?

If at first you don't succeed...

While few can argue the job Joe Dumars has done in the Pistons' front office, one of the glaring mistakes has been drafting Darko Milicic with the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

The player taken immediately following Darko? Carmelo Anthony by the Denver Nuggets.

According to a league source, Detroit is rumored to be one of the teams who are testing the trade waters for the young forward.  

While hindsight is always 20/20, this would certainly qualify as the "shake-up" Dumars is insisting the team needs. While it would bring a dynamic scorer to the Pistons, who would the team give up in exchange? Would Melo fit in with a defensive-minded club like Detroit?

These are crucial questions that require answers before Dumars rolls the dice. Is the price going to be too high? Rasheed Wallace will have an expiring contract at $13 million, and Chauncey Billups is a Denver native...Would one of them leave?

Will it be Rip Hamilton to even out the statistical scoring? Is Tayshaun Prince or Jarvis Hayes in the picture?

The wildcard here is Dumars, who brought in Rasheed Wallace and turned the team into champions in 2004. He has a proven track record in influencing players and could make this work.

Anthony has had some off-court issues as well (DUI), and these type of things cannot happen in Detroit, as the fans have certainly had enough of inmates running the asylum.

While Detroit would be only one of the clubs shopping for Anthony, the Pistons have made it known their roster, sans guard Rodney Stuckey, is up for grabs. Dumars is ready to rock the Palace with a move that will generate a buzz and give the new head coach a fresh start.

While he insists he is not tearing the team down, Dumars is done with giving another chance to the same group that showed promise during the regular season, only to fall back into old habits come playoff time.

Dumars knows from the Wallace deal, and the trades both the Celtics and Lakers made this past off-season, that it can be done. Trades landed both Boston and Los Angeles in the Finals, and that is where Dumars wants to be.

If a deal is made, look for it to be a big one, especially if they are mining for Nuggets.