I've never seen the kid play. But in unbelievably limited minutes, he's looked great. He looks like someone we need. Someone who can block shots decently and rebound well. Great physique, great quickness, great athleticism. He's also bulked up over his 2 years since he came in at 210lbs. He was a Pistons second rounder out of high school and has played in the D-League, doing an excellent job, and has practiced with usch players as Webber, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess. Again, he's play less than 15 games in two years in the NBA, but he's been impressive. I haven't seen him play, but every Pistons fan raves about him. He's an FA this summer and the Pistons will not be able to offer him more than a couple of mill to retain him because of the luxury tax. They already have tons of contracts on the payroll and have to give Chauncey a big bump. In any case, if they keep this guy, then him and Maxiell will need minutes so maybe we could even benefit by tring to acquire McDyess who's in his last year IIRC. Do your scouting, ask around, see what you find out. If you've seen him play, please share. This could be the kind of steal a team that's way over the cap and desperate for talent needs. At worst, a guy who is athletic, can block shots and rebound would be able to backup our PF spot. Thoughts?
Princeofpalace, a Pistons fan from a Pistons board, on Amir: A mid range game? Sounds great. DraftExpress Profile: Amir Johnson
I have seen him play some, he looks pretty good, probably the type of player that fits into our financial limitations. DD
Sounds good. Lock him up. Put him on the board. Championship. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vs1N5NYyb24"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vs1N5NYyb24" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
He's raw and athletic. I'm sure all organizations say this about restricted free agents, but the Pistons say they plan on keeping him. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070509/SPORTS03/705090428 Johnson adapts to waiting game May 9, 2007 BY JO-ANN BARNAS FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER The responses ranged from emphatic to hopeful to just plain rambling. The topic was Amir Johnson, the Pistons' second-year forward who turned 20 last week. The question was posted on a message board on the fan forum need4sheed.com: Will Amir get any playoff time? The opinions tumbled in like cheerleaders at halftime. A sampling: • "not unless there are injuries" • "NO." • "He deserves it. But probably no." • "hes been travelin with the team but hes not dressed he has a nice suit on sittin behind the bench I wish he get some time." • "sadly def not" • I hope he does, he deserves it. I heard Mcdyess donated some suits to him...that made me soo happy." • "OMG I LOVE AMIR"... Johnson is familiar with cyber chatter. He has his own page on MySpace. But hearing comments such as these elicits nothing more than a quick smile. As the Pistons steamroll through the postseason -- they'll resume trying to extend their playoff winning streak to 7-0 on Thursday night in Chicago -- the player they drafted out of high school in 2005 with the 56th pick has been taking it all in, waiting for his time to come. Johnson, who spent most of the past two seasons in the NBA Development League, is on the roster and can be activated, but he has yet to crack the lineup. Though Pistons coach Flip Saunders hasn't ruled it out -- "There's an outside shot," he said last week -- the possibility is unlikely. And Johnson knows that. "I'm learning from watching," Johnson said after Tuesday's practice. "I tell my friends, 'My turn is coming. They already know what I can do.' "I know I'm in their future." But that doesn't stop Mo McHone, who coached Johnson for two assignments this season with the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce of the D-League, from wishing. Johnson played 22 games for Sioux Falls, averaging 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. McHone is familiar with what Johnson possesses -- athleticism, fluidness, ability to make things happen around the basket. His back-to-the-basket windmill jams are breathtaking. "I was watching the game last night and feeling that I'd love to see him go against Tyrus Thomas," McHone said Tuesday, referring to the Bulls' 20-year-old forward who was named to the NBA's all-rookie team. "He and Amir remind me so much of each other, but I think Amir has a better upside. He has better basketball skills, but Tyrus might be the better athlete." As for the likelihood of Johnson getting any minutes in the playoffs, McHone knows it's probably not going to happen. Not this season. "Everything the Pistons are doing is geared toward winning the championship," McHone said. "Even if they win their next game in Chicago, I don't see them activating him. But Amir knows he's in their future. He understands his spot. Amir understands why Dale Davis and some of those guys on the playoff roster are ahead of him. But deep down in his head, he knows he can help. I would definitely have (Johnson) on the roster -- he was my go-to guy. I've had him when the game means everything. We were one game under .500 without him and 17-5 with him. He's all about winning." FYI to the fan forum: During the Pistons' 108-87 victory over the Bulls on Monday night at the Palace, Johnson sat behind the Pistons' bench -- between Will Blalock and a water cooler -- in his own gray suit. But it's true. When Johnson, 6-feet-9 and 210 pounds, first came to Detroit, the fanciest clothes he brought along were polo shirts. So he gratefully accepted the hand-me-down custom-made suits of 6-9 Antonio McDyess and 6-11 Dale Davis. And Johnson has received more than clothes from the veteran players lately. "With these guys, they act all relaxed, like it's no pressure to them," Johnson said. "They just go out there and play. Like the Boston game last year, when Rip (Hamilton) hit that last two-point shot, I was real nervous. But I looked around, and everybody was all relaxed and chilled, worried about nothing. So after the game, I talked to Rasheed (Wallace). I said, ' 'Sheed, I was nervous. I thought we were going to lose that game.' He looked at me and said, 'You can never get nervous. You just go out there and play.' " Before declaring for the NBA draft, Johnson, who played for Westchester High in Los Angeles, was leaning toward playing college basketball. He committed to Louisville -- even saw his dorm room on campus -- before deciding to go pro. To help with the transition, Johnson's mother, Deneen Griffin, often travels from L.A. to stay with him when he's in Detroit. On Tuesday, she contemplated going shopping for more food. Amir has three friends in town, and they ate all the chicken. Last week, Griffin adhered to her son's request of having a low-key birthday. He turned 20 on May 1. "I had a cake made, and I called a couple of his teammates -- Jason (Maxiell) and Will Blalock -- and I made tacos," she said. "I tried to sing him happy birthday, and he ran away from the table." Griffin laughs. "Watching him go through these challenges in life, he's so sure of himself," she said. "At times (during games), I take a glimpse to see if he's paying attention. Is he learning? Does he have a wandering eye?" No worries. Johnson is tuned in -- totally. He becomes a restricted free agent after this season, but the Pistons have made it known that "we have every intention of keeping him here," said John Hammond, the Pistons' vice president of basketball operations. "We look at him and think that he has a chance to be a major piece of the puzzle for us in the very near future," Hammond said. <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1CqtnnPtSs"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1CqtnnPtSs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Since he is a restricted Free Agent we would have to offer him quite a bit of money to push them into the Luxury tax area, but if I am not mistaken the Pistons can still match, correct? Or is there a point at which they can not match, like $1 over the MLE? Don't some teams front load contracts to stop the other team from matching? Is there any way the Rockets can get under the cap and make a larger than MLE offer? I had seen him play in the NBDL and he was really good, I did not realize it was the same guy on the Pistons.....I caught a glimpse of his game in the last 2 weeks of the season and the fans really liked him. DD
Good article and the video shows his hops. Seems like a kid that likes to learn, always a good thing. He's just 20, wow. He's already been in the NBA for two years, killing the NBDL and making token appearances in the NBA. I think he's been groomed perfectly for two years and this is just the right time to snatch him. He's definitely raw, you guys are right. But he has a high ceiling and apparently the willingness to learn. An excellent combination. He's been learning for two years from the best of mentors on the Pistons. This guy was behind Darko, Maxiell, Webber, Wallace, never complained... Has just been taking it all in.
From what I'm reading, there's a law that states no one can offer him more than the MLE, even if they have the capspace. However, keep in mind that the Pistons will be in luxury tax territory since they will be re-signing Billups to a MAX extension. Billups, Tayshaun, Rasheed, Nazr, Rip and McDyess all have formidable deals. I'm guessing those guys alone combine for $50M. They also have Maxiell coming up who they will have to match the following summer. They need a backup PG desperately. I'm really not sure they'll put forth much of a fight.
I'm all for Amir. We need a youth infusion. Plus his numbers look great, great size, athleticism and shooting touch for a PF.
Is there anywhere we can find a breakdown of his shoots? His percentage is good, but I don't know how many of them are dunks and put backs like Chuck Hayes is getting. Also his foul number is a bit alarming, 2.5 fouls in 15 min playing time...
Amir sounds like the kind of talent we should have been developing for years now. I am not sure I could throw the whole MLE at a guy whose has played only 15 NBA games, however.
No, you can't. Throw this one in the not likely file -- Dumars has managed the cap incredibly for that team, and our salary structures are roughly equal -- if your reason for thinking Detroit won't match is salary cap purposes, ours is just as high. Even if McDyess doesn't opt out (player option for >$6m), and they resign Billups at 12 million in year 1, their team salary is $61 million -- that would include Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Sheed, McDyess, Nazr, Hunter, Delfino, Maxiell, and Dupree. The one wild card would be Webber, and how they handle him -- does he want big money again? To put that in perspective, assume Bonzi opts out and Sura's buyout is for 1 mill. Our roster of Alston, TMac, Battier, Howard, Yao, VSpan, Snyder, Head, Lucas, and Novak is around 57.5mill -- and that's with no backup center (Deke/Jake) and no Chuck Hayes. After resigning Hayes, if you trade Sura for a bigger contract, or Bonzi doesn't opt out, the team salaries are pretty close to equal. I don't think we're in a position to throw our entire MLE at a 20 year old who has seen 11 games of NBA action -- that's probably about what it'd take to get Detroit to not match.
By words, he seems ideal. Size, speed, athleticism, age, mid-range game, post moves, ability to extend the defense with a three-point shot, and shot blocking ability -- almost too perfect. Unfortunately, it is, because the likeliness of the Rockets being able to acquire him are quite low. I love his attitude though, that is exactly what I'd love to see out of our prospects. Know your time is coming, put in your work, make the most out of the opportunities you are given, and stay positive with a willingness to learn. Regardless if he becomes a Rocket or not, I think I've got a new player to root for. Great name, too.
