Goodwill: At the end of last season, you said you intended to be busy
with the trade market. That didn’t happen, so how satisfied are you with
where your roster stands now?

Dumars: My wording was, "We’d really like to be active," but it also takes more than one (team). You have to have some-thing there that allows you to be active. There was never anything that came across the table that we felt strong enough about to say, "Man, this is really going to make our team better." There were deals that were lateral moves, so instead of making lateral moves, we’re going to be patient and wait for the right deal to come along.

I’m comfortable with the roster right now, but I wouldn’t say I’m content. I think we’re ready to go out and compete right now, but if we can add some help along the way, I’d feel even better. So we’re still in the mode of being able to add help, especially in the frontcourt with some size.

Q: Rodney Stuckey is in his fourth year. This is the first time he’s had the same coach two years in a row. How do you not only evaluate his progress but also the expectations? Do they change because you’re expecting him to be more of a vocal leader?

A: Our expectations don’t change. Once we get these guys in here, we push them. We expect them to play to their potential. From the first day we got him in here until now, we push him. He’s 24 years old and averaged 16 (16.6 points) and five (assists) last season, so I can’t worry about the outside expectations or being compared to Chauncey (Billups, the former Pistons point guard) or anybody else. The only difference now is that we’re asking him to take on more of a leadership role, to take on more responsibility as the starting point guard. Other than that, we push him and we expect him to play and make plays for us.

Q: You were here when Lindsey Hunter replaced Isiah Thomas and he struggled with the expectations of replacing a legend. Is there some similarity with Stuckey replacing Chauncey Billups?

http://detnews.com/article/20101025/SPORTS0102/10250346/1004/SPORTS/Pistons-president-Joe-Dumars-open-to-making-a-deal

He always watches from a corner desk with a cell phone by his side.

He wants to see signs of rebirth from a team that nosedived to an injury-plagued 27-victory season after long playoff runs that included six trips to the Eastern Conference finals and two to the NBA Finals. And he will keep an eye on that cell phone, hoping for a Hail Mary deal that brings in a young, aggressive big man.

Dumars likes his team. He sees improvement physically in Austin Daye and mentally in Charlie Villanueva, but he believes the team is incomplete without one more big man.

"They are scarce and very hard to come by," Dumars said. "A lot of effort goes into finding a big to make an impact. I need somebody who has a presence on both ends of the floor. It’s important for any good team to have that guy with that kind of size and presence. Now, we have guys who I think will do a good job. If I had one more to shore up the middle, that would be great."

The Pistons are loaded with guards but are thin up front. They re-signed 14-year veteran Ben Wallace, who was their best frontcourt player last season. Rookie Greg Monroe is a 6-foot-11 big man out of Georgetown who has a nice passing touch but is rough around the edges offensively. Chris Wilcox played in just 34 games and sometimes the Pistons were so desperate in the post that they put 6-7 energy man Jason Maxiell inside.

Dumars has assets other teams don’t appear to want. Guard Richard Hamilton and forward Tayshaun Prince have been named in trade talks for years, yet they remain.

Dumars wouldn’t say if anybody was on the trade block, saying: "I want a big man. Let’s put it that way."

Prince is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $11.1 million this season. Hamilton is difficult to move because he will be paid $12.65 million in each of the next three seasons. Unless a team becomes desperate, it’s unlikely Dumars will get his wish.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100927/SPORTS0102/9270345/1127/sports0102/Pistons-still-seeking-big-man#ixzz10jqRSs1I

"Terrico is looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to such a first-class organization," Ramasar said.

The Pistons gave White, a combo guard, a look at the point during the
NBA Summer League last month in Las Vegas, but the team has yet to
determine if that’s his best position.

The 6-foot-5 White averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds last season as a sophomore with the Rebels.

The Pistons looked hard for a big man in the second round, but felt the
upside of White — one of the most athletic players at the NBA draft
combine in May — was too good to pass up.

The roster is currently at 15 players.

ttp://www.freep.com/article/20100813/SPORTS03/8130372/1051/

A league source indicated Tuesday that the Pistons will work to "un-jam
the log jam" the team now has at the shooting guard and small forward
spots after signing the 31-year-old McGrady, who has been working out
for several teams this summer looking for a home, including Chicago and
Cleveland.

The source said that McGrady agreed without conditions to play behind starters Rip Hamilton and Tayshawn Prince next season, though it’s likely that Detroit will move either Hamilton or Prince before the start of next season. It’s more likely the Pistons will move Prince, who is entering the last year of his contract.

A second source said Sunday that Detroit won’t move Prince unless he requests a trade.

Detroit is satisfied that McGrady is healthy after coming back last year from microfracture surgery on his left knee in February, 2009.

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/08/10/pistons.mcgrady/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

Kelser spoke while spending part of Monday morning at Detroit
Communication & Media Arts High School for a building makeover
celebration.

"I think they will make a move before the start of training camp," said Kelser, the Pistons’ TV color analyst. "There is still some strengthening on the front line that needs to occur, in my opinion. I think the backcourt is pretty strong. … but the front line is where they were sorely lacking last year, especially with rebounding and scoring, low-post scoring.

"I think those are areas that still need to be attended to even though they did get a big fellow in the draft (Greg Monroe). He’s a rookie and you never know what you can count on from rookies. I think he’s going to be OK, but I think there’s still some work to be done."

The addition of Monroe makes the group of Ben Wallace, Jason Maxiell, Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva better, but the crew certainly doesn’t strike fear into Orlando, Miami or Chicago.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100803/SPORTS03/8030361/1051/Kelser-Dumars-working-on-Pistons-front-line

Since the team has too many players at small forward and shooting guard, Prince or Hamilton is the most likely to go so the team can move forward.

At guard, the Pistons have Ben Gordon, Hamilton, Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey, plus a possible experiment with Austin Daye at shooting guard. At small forward, the Pistons have Prince, Jonas Jerebko (who could develop into a power forward), Daye and DaJuan Summers.

Prince, in the final year of his deal that is set to pay him $11 million, might be the wiser option to keep.

"Tayshaun is more versatile and he’s younger," said Bill Duffy, Prince’s agent. "He’s the perfect complementary player, and I don’t think there’s any question that Rip is the kind of player who is in need of the ball. He’s a great scorer, but obviously not as versatile as Tayshaun. Tayshaun can blend better with the new players that they have and the younger crew."

Prince turned 30 in February; Hamilton turned 32 the same month. Both are coming off injuries; Prince missed his first significant time as a pro with a back issue while Hamilton suffered an ankle injury the first game of the season and was never the same.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100530/SPORTS03/5300476/1051/Will-Rip-Tayshaun-stay-Pistons?

The thinking is that Cousins can be had if the Pistons can move into the No. 4-5 range (currently occupied by the Timberwolves and Kings).

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has said several times that all options are open. Pistons officials get excited about Cousins because he’s a legitimate center and would give sorely needed balance to the perimeter-oriented roster.

But what if the Pistons don’t move at all and still somehow land Cousins?

Although it still remains unlikely because genuine centers are hard to find, Cousins didn’t seem to help himself at this week’s predraft combine in Chicago.

There are issues about his conditioning. Reports suggest the 6-foot-11 Cousins has been working hard in this area since the season ended, but he weighed in at a robust 291 pounds with 16.4% body fat — the second-most among the 52 prospects measured. It raises the fear that Cousins could eat himself out of the league.

But that’s not even the No. 1 concern. There are worries about his maturity. During interviews, he blamed the media for his reputation without taking personal responsibility.

One could envision a scenario in which Kentucky point guard John Wall, Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson, Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors and Ohio State shooting guard Evan Turner come off the board in the first four picks. Then either the Timberwolves or Kings could fall in love with skilled Georgetown power forward Greg Monroe.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100523/SPORTS03/100523015/1051/

First, it was Ben Wallace.

Then it was Chauncey Billups.

Then it was Rasheed Wallace.

Next, it looks like Richard Hamilton.

Key players from Detroit’s glory years of the past decade slowly have been departing (OK, so Ben Wallace did return this season with less hair and less game). It certainly is showing as Billups calls it "sad” when he looks at the standings, which show the Pistons through Wednesday at 15-29.

Look for Hamilton to be the next to go. A source close to the situation told FanHouse the Pistons are committed to trading the three-time All-Star guard by next summer. He could be moved by the Feb. 18 trade deadline, but if no suitable deal surfaces it would be a priority during the offseason.

For now, even in the forgiving East, the Pistons are seven games out of playoff position. They’ve dropped 17 of their past 21, including a recent 13-game losing streak.

"It’s sad,” said Billups, now Denver’s star guard after a November 2008 trade. "I’m always going to have a huge place in my heart for the Pistons and Detroit. I hate to see them in trouble like that, especially guys who are still like my brothers and what they’re going through.”

Billups still keeps in touch with the three members now in Detroit from the team that won the 2004 title and in 2005 lost the NBA Finals in seven games to San Antonio. They are Hamilton, forward Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, the center who bolted as a free agent to Chicago in the summer of 2006 before returning this season at age 35.

Ben Wallace’s departure, coming after the Pistons had the NBA’s best record at 64-18, pretty much ended Detroit’s time as a title favorite. Still, the Pistons were 59-23 just two years ago, winning the Central Division by a staggering 14 games over Cleveland and falling to Boston 4-2 in the Eastern Conference finals.

But the move that sent the Pistons spiraling downward was the Billups trade, which landed Allen Iverson in Detroit. Billups, 33, hasn’t lost a millimeter off his step since the deal while Iverson’s problems with the Pistons were well-do*****ented.

Detroit executive Joe Dumars, who then watched last summer as Rasheed Wallace left as a free agent to Boston, made the Billups trade to clear playing time for point guard Rodney Stuckey and to get salary-cap room. Stuckey is playing well, but the Pistons didn’t exactly hit triple 7s with the cap room after hastily signing guard Ben Gordon and forward Charlie Villanueva last summer.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/hamilton-could-be-next-piston-from-glory-years-to-go/