Everyone is clamoring for the Pistons to make some sort of offseason move. The first real news is that Joe Dumars is considering adding Tracy McGrady to the roster.
Via MLive:
“Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said late Saturday that the team is considering signing free agent Tracy McGrady.
“We’re checking it out,” Dumars said via text message. “We’re discussing it over the weekend.”
I’m not a fan of McGrady, but if the Pistons can sign him to a one year deal a the veterans minimum it’s a win for Detroit. You get a big name at a bargain price adding some value on the roster and putting bodies in the seats at the Palace.
Will he put us in playoff contention? No
Will his attitude change (he has playing time issues)? Not likely.
Why the move exactly? I don’t know.
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What is Joe D. Trying to accomplish with this move exactly? There is already drama with the amount of bodies they have in the front court (especially at the 2) waiting for playing time. We already had 1 washed up diva all-star in AI and we saw how that panned out. This isn’t a basketball team, but a circus trainwreck!
I agree with Justin………….
This means only one thing a trade is in the works…. Joe D must have a BIG surprise coming…..I HOPE
Alright, I have one statement at the moment. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS MOVE!!!
I FEEL SO INDIFFERENT! XD
Nice photoshop job!!
If he’s going to take the vet’s minimum or anything like that, I hope he might have a different attitude to begin with
first off all this I hope is a joke, like Justin said we don’t need another back court player, especially one who can destroy the little chemistry we have on this team, and also since Detroit is one of the few teams that hasn’t used up it’s mid-level we might end up paying t-mac more than just the vet’s minimum
Don’t understand it.
If it is just to put people on seats, that is all well and good. But what does he have to offer as a player? How much time is he going to be able to get? Can he put his ego away?
Four words: Trade in the works.
Tracy told everyone hes going to be back to his normal averages…
I don’t think people realize is the dude can still ball…Shit if we were going to take a chance on Elton Brand why not T-mac? The dude can still drop a pedestrian 20 at will
I don’t see Arnie Kanders name in a post yet? This guy is 31 – about the same age as Kobe. He has a great offensive skill set. Give me one good reason we don’t take a gamble on this guy? What do we have to lose? Can we suck more? Come on fans! So cynical.
how bout we sign Louis Amundson.
Even if he manages to trade Rip, if you sign this guy you’ve got the same problem. Too many shooting guards. And if you can’t trade Rip (which is what I lean towards) you have waaaaayyyyy to many shooting guards. Don’t understand this? Sign a big man with the vets minimum!!!!
It don’t like the idea of signing T-Mac. Well he is a hell of a baller but what we need is a something different. Sure it is value for money, but what value ???? We don’t freakin’ know.
He is to inconsistent and , in my opinion, to much focused on “his abilities”. It’s always about team chemistry / playin’ together in the D. Remeber, ee have to deal with the trades from last season to see what we may need !!!!
Pls don’t sign him Joe !!!!
This might sound crazy but this is the same thing people were saying about the BIG BEN signing “over the hill and out of gas ” but he turned out to be a steal ,who knows maybe sleepy I mean T-Mac can do the same… IF Joe sign him this could only mean a BIG is coming our way… c’mon has to be a bigger picture here let’s keep an open mind.
Joe D has been studying old tapes of the harlem globetrotters and decided to build a team just like it. Joe, I hate to break your bubble, but as great as the globetrotters were they werent in the NBA they only played the washington generals.
we have way too many combo guards & stretch 3/4′s.
we need bigs. Just one or two serviceable big men. I’m not asking for a guy that can score, but he needs to catch the ball (no kwame browns), and to be able to defend. That’s it.
it looks like its a done deal. now we just need a center.
I don’t think you want a player whos won 0 playoff series in his life on ur team…
I disagree with most of you. I love Tracy McGrady and respect him game. If we can tie him up, a true scorer that Detroit hasnt had in a long time, for this low of a price, imagine the oppertunities that opens up for trading rip and tay. I trust Joe D with my life, he’s going to make this work.
and a quote from the guys over at Detroitbadboys,com
“We gave Chucky F—ing Atkins the vet minimum last season. Sure, I’d love to see what Terrico White is made of, but a minimum deal to McGrady is nothing to complain about.”
Sure, because we don’t have enough 2′s and 3′s as it is right now
a bit of topic, but check out this trade guys
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=27pv36w
Who gives a crap how many 2′s and 3′s we have? The obligation is minimal (if he complains about minutes, cut him and move on), the price is minimal (seriously, how many 7 time all-stars can you get for $1.9 million?), and anything that he gives you is going to be a net positive. Even better, if he shows he’s got something left in the tank, Joe doesn’t need to be some reluctant about trading one of his two bad contracts.
It’s really got no risk to it. At the first sign of trouble, you can end the experiment rather quickly. This isn’t some 4-5 MLE deal, it’s the vet’s minimum. And the last few times we’ve used a vet’s minimum on former great players (Webber and Ben) they helped us out a bit.
of the two injury prone players from houston i would of prefered yao. but if he does come arnie kander is going to take good care of him. i really cant stand him i think be believes he’s a lot better then he really is. hopefully itll at least get people in the seats and we can find a local buyer so the pistons dont move.
I’ve never been a huge fan of McGrady, even when he was an offensive stud. He had “black hole” syndrome with the ball and didn’t play solid defense. However, what is being missed here is that TMac is not JUST a shooting guard. He has successfully played the small forward position a lot in his career and if anything, his offensive skill set is more in tune with the 3 position. So, if there is a trade, I’m pretty sure that Prince is the one involved to net us a big man. Think about it, his contract expires so it’s easier to use, and so many teams need what he provides; versatility and solid defense. So, for the vet’s minimum, take a chance on TMac and move Prince for a frontcourt solution. Then, get on the horn to Earl Barron and sign his butt (played very well in limited games, but maximum minutes with the Knicks last year) with some of the MLE.
Listen guys, the Clippers and the Bulls worked him out and decided to pass on him. I could understand the Bulls but the Clippers…..The Clippers didn’t even want him. He is a shell of his former self. He’s gonna spend most of the season on the injured reserved list.
To Kdog78
You make a good point that T-mac is signed to a vets min. If he can handle the 3 and use Tay(one of my favorite pistons)to net a serious big man(C/PF)I agree. But I can’t think of anyone we can get right now to fill the role and I would rather keep a healthy defensive Tay(Except for last year)than a shootin’ injured T-mac(most of the recent years). I am a native NYer from way back but I don’t know anything bout Barron. Does he fill that need? I’m glad they signed Big Ben and Bynum. Bynum lost time to AI and injuries, but when healthy he’s a tuff player and belongs in that guard rotation. I also want to see how Terrico White fits in.
T-Mac has always been one of my favorite players. With the signing of Stoudemire in New York I was hoping that the Knicks would resign him. I cautiously hope the Pistons will sign him. I say “cautiously” because AI was my second fav NBA player behind Chauncey and we know how that turned out.
Maybe T-Mac can re-find his groove in Detroit. McDyess, Hill, Amare, KG, Shaun Livingston all came back from devastating knee and ankle injuries. Hope McGrady can do the same.
Since we are rebuilding, maybe Joe D can send Rip to Denver for K-Mart. That way Rip reunites with Chauncey, we keep Tay and both salaries will come off the books next season; that is, if there is a next season. We can save Kenyon for a playoff run, that is of course if we make the playoffs. I’ve never been a fan of trade scenarios from bloggers because many of them make no sense. This is evident by my trade proposal. As you just read I really have no clue or insight as to what it takes to make an important trade. I do believe many of my fellow Pistons bloggers will concur.
@RIV
Not sure who we could get for Prince. He is a fan favorite (depending on who you talk to of course) and showed at the end of last season that he’s not just about the defense. I’m not sure who to target with his contract but maybe dealing both Prince and Rip could get us a quality big man for now and some young talent for the future. I dunno…
As far as Barron though, he’s 7 foot 250 lbs and averaged 11pts and 11 boards with NY in 7 games last year, while playing around 35-40 minutes. Even if his minutes were half that, I think he could still produce at a good clip. Plus, he’s only a 4th year player. Seems like a good fit.
Yep, there are two sources that said T-Mac is ALREADY signed for 2 years
Don’t believe the sources just yet. If we do sign him the deal will take a few days. He’s going to have to get evaluated first.
Sorry, for A YEAR. He signed for A YEAR
I’ll say it again – Arnie Freakin Kander!
Tell Mason to announce Kander right after T-Mac, because Kander now is the main guy who can put some powder in T-Mac’s ass to ignite each nite
He’s not going to play defense at the beginning (no surprises there), but that may change after Arnie’s conditioning work gives t-mac some confidence. T-Mac can still dish amazing dimes and that is what the current roster needs.
But yes, as a lot have mentioned: the Pistons still need to trade for a big.
Do other teams take a sg (Rip) or sf (Tay) and trade away a solid big (Love, Pryz, Kaman)?
Do the Pistons trade away their veterans and become another OKC university playing with the big boys?
(and should BG and Will should wear 14 hole boots to protect those ankles?)
Do people forget we just drafted a big? While no college superstar, Greg Monroe averaged a solid 16 and 10 last year. If he can manage to play solid interior d, and or be a consistent double double guy, we can be fine. People are so eager to ship Rip and Tay out and while they probably are the team’s biggest trade bait, we are not in DIRE need of a big man the way people make it seem. Also, T-Mac for a cool 1-2 million is a steal, all day. If he can be half the player he was once was, he at least gives the team more veteran presence, as well as another scoring threat.
@pfan
Yes we drafted a big, but to say that he will immediately play “solid interior D” is a stretch. I think the sentiment is that he will have offensive game from the get go; both high and low post, and will be an average rebounder. All the people on this post are saying is that it would be nice to get a SOLID defender and rebounder at the center position so that Monroe doesn’t have to be the “savior” of this front line. You’re right, Rip and Tay are our biggest trade bait and a solid center with size and the willingness to do the dirty work IS a dire need of this team right now. So, why not one of them (or both of them) into just that; along with some other pieces that work towards the team’s future. With McGrady on board (even for the vet’s minimum) there are just too many players at two positions and not enough minutes to go around.
I say that this move is eithier for trade bait or giving protection for an upcoming trade.
T-Mac would be a shrewd value signing and fits Joe’s m/o of bringing in guys with something to prove at a bargain salary. I think most fans here are peeved because of two reasons.
1. the position depth at the 2 and 3 spots
2. fear of another AI diva ex-superstar flameout and team cancer situation
I think that if he signs it signals the imminent departure of Rip or Tay via trade, which would be a welcome move in my opinion just to breath some fresh life into this team. I prefer moving Rip who seemed inconsistent and unhappy without Chancey here, but Prince is likely the more movable asset. Secondly I think T-Mac is not nearly the headcase the Iverson was. He has already experienced his downfall elsewhere and knows coming in that he has to be a team player. He also is younger and has a more well rounded game that if healthy can elevate the play of the team as a whole. He is still great at drawing fouls and is a solid shooter. He is also an above average passer and shooter at the 3 spot.
I agree if we don’t make any other moves we will have a crowded roster but I would prefer to roll the dice next year with McGrady than I would with the some old boring lineup featuring Rip/Prince.
Stuckey/Maxiel/Wilcox
for
Duhon/ Gortat
who says no first?
tmac is a good backup for rip and ben gordon???he is a good small forwards in the league?? but during 2002 now is 2010 so i think it will be effective to sign him???
Can we get an ” IN ARNIE WE TRUST” chant?
if joe d had wanted to trade rip & tay it would have been done.
they arent getting traded. The team you see is the team for next year.
has everyone forgotten already? Joe D said that the reason our team lost last year was injuries.
Why are you doing this to me Joe…Tracy invented soft.
Hmmmm…
Let’s check out the SG & SF positions…
SG: Stuckey, Rip, Gordon, White
SF: Prince, Jerebko, Daye, Summers
And now we need T-Mac… Jesus H….
On the other hand, let’s check the PG & C positions…
PG: Bynum
C: Wallace (no, Maxiell, Monroe & Wilcox cannot give us a solid center performance right now)
What the hell is wrong with the Pistons?
How about Iverson again?
C’mon, It could work!
(dead smiley)
Tracy invented soft……….so funny……so true
Pistons please get rid of those clowns W. Bynum and Stuckey…
Let this lineup start the season and make a trade during the season, if needed.
I have much respect for Rip & Tay. The guys rule when healthy.
We’re short at center & point but play Monroe & Bynum as much as possible.
T-Mac. Hell no.
1. Trade Stuckey and Hamilton for Collison and Okafor
2. Trade Prince for Camby
3. Wilcox for Davis
Lineup:
PG: Collison, Bynum
SG: Gordon, White
SF: Daye, Jerebko, Summers
PF: Davis, Camby
C: Monroe
i dont see why ppl are complaining about signing this dude. its for the min and if we dont like him we can trade or simply wave him. ive always liked t mac wish he played diff. i think he will be diff because he has somethin to prove and will be playing for a contract/
1. Trade Stuckey and Hamilton for Collison and Okafor
2. Trade Prince for Camby
3. Wilcox for Davis
Lineup:
PG: Collison, Bynum
SG: Gordon, White
SF: McGrady, Daye, Summers
PF: Davis, Jerebko
C: Monroe, Camby
spoorthi your going to sign okafor and not even play him? he has i think 4 years left on his contract and no one would trade for him. david, are you referring to ed davis? wilcox for him would be a dream but that would never happen. where is big ben cv and maxy pad?
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