Pistons Possibly Trying To Land T-MAC for Billups and T-Prince

what's all of this talk about being under the cap in 2010?

1. of all of the players people talk about being available (lebron, bosh, wade, melo) i would only want one for the rockets. lebron.

bosh would be a waste since we have yao, and would leave no money or trade chips to put together a decent backcourt.

melo gets arrested every summer and doesn't play defense. he's a pretty selfish offensive player as well.

wade is going to be as injury prone as tmac in a couple of years.

and there is no assurances that lebron comes to houston over new york la, chicago, or cleveland.

2. if half the league wants to be under the cap that summer, where are all of those contracts going?

every team in the league can't be under the cap. those contracts have to go somewhere, and i would rather be the team that collects talent in the next two years and wins the next two championships.

 

I'd like the T-MAC+SHANE+HEAD for BILLUPS+HAMILTON+PRINCE trade

 

Why stop at one explosive scorer? I think we should make our core untouchable and go get Kobe, Lebron, Howard, Paul, and Duncan. Think of the lineup:

Paul, Alston
Kobe, T-Mac
Lebron, Battier
Duncan, Scola
Yao, Howard

Now that is Depth!!!

Wake up people. You can't get an explosive scorer or any other all-star to go with Yao and McGrady without trading away Yao or Mcgrady. That is why this trade has potential and gets people to think. In a perfect world we would keep T-Mac and Yao and trade for a starting PG, Legitimate backup SG, and backup Center. But this ain't no perfect world brother.

 

To ppl think we should give tmac and yao core another chance:

You sell high and buy low. The trade values of pistons are low now and TMac's value is still high. What's the chance of the current Rockets going to the finals next year? If you think it's less than 50%, you would do this trade.

 

I do think the chances are less than 50%,but I still feel it will be the same even after adding Billups and Prince. The advantage could be durability,even though Billups has had some injury problems. I'm not keen on it.

 

Think about it. With Yao this year, we beat the Jazz, and we make a much deeper playoff run. Actually, we'd probably have the best record in the West (we only needed 2 more wins to do that). With the new scoring threats we've developed and the offense flowing, we won't have a terrible start like last year, and we might have a shot at 60 wins. So yeah, we have as legit a chance as anybody else, and it's not worth breaking up a core.

Why are the Pistons so great? Defense. They've never, ever been known to be a great scoring team. It's their defense. So yeah, those guys are pretty good defenders, but that's not where we need to improve. We need scoring threats, and Prince is frighteningly inconsistent, and so is Rasheed Wallace. That's exactly what's killed us all these years, especially since we're averaging 94 points per game.

We've got our defense down pat; we need to bring in another deadly scoring option a la Mike Miller (for Scola...Scola just isn't enough of a threat from all around the court like Miller, so even though I love Scola, I love that trade more). Miller is perfect because he's not a third 25-point scorer, but he definitely brings you that consistency while still having the tenacity to play D.

I feel like the real advantages Prince, Billups, Rip, or Sheed bring are ones we know and have seen. When you win 55 games without your 22-point 11-rebound center playing 30 games, you don't shake up your core too much.

 

i don't get how people not see that. unless you get hamilton instead of prince, we're not even "close" to being better. you have to make ANOTHER trade.

 

very true. both sides/players might agree to this trade. tmac probably thinks it's easier to win in the east (getting out of the first round at least) and that pistons team still has a legit chance to get out of the east b/c only boston is more talented (stuckey, hamilton, tmac, mcdyess, sheed w/ maxielle, afflalo off the bench is a ridiculous team).

billups and prince would give this team a more balanced team with no dominant playmaker. and houston's fans are probably tired of seeing the same team with the same results and sometimes making change for the heck of it is good.

 

As a guy who said trade Tmac for $.75 on the dollar I say no. There is not a player on that Pistons team who can create his own shot or set up a shot for others anywhere near as effectively as McGrady.

Billups is a very good guard. I would love to have the guy start but he isn't really much a creator. He isn't going to get the other guys going like Tmac does. I don't want Prince. He is a career playoff choker and doesn't even give you Battier production in the post season. Defensively, I don't think he can guard the big, strong SG/SF as well as Battier either. Good player but not worth giving up much IMO.

In the end, it's all about Yao's health. That's what got this team bounced last season and I think the poor conditioning he had after returning from injury the season before stopped this team from getting out of the first round. Trading away Tmac for Billups and Prince or even the Mask isn't going to change that.

I still think Yao/Tracy can do it provided the right pieces are added around them. I trust Morey can do that.

 

No, I think if Yao goes down Tmac is a better centerpiece than Billips/Prince. But I am more focused on the best team WITH a dominant Yao. Billips is a ridiculously good open shooter, and brings a lot of other qualities (can post up/ISO smaller PGs, steady as a rock in the clutch). Prince is also a fine and very consistent if less than spectacular all-around player.

Actually the Pistons post the Larry Brown era have been known for efficient offense every bit as much as defense. There problem IMO is they just run into teams with a better superstar. They just havn't had a single guy the match-up disadvantage that they have faced in Wade/Duncan/Lebron/Pierce, or for that matter Tmac or Yao. They have lived with usually being able to exploint some mismatches in Billips or Prince or Sheed or McDyess's cover, but that just doesn't match Lebron vs whomever they have to contend with.

Also, I keep hearing about Rip Hamilton. I don't think he is as good of fit around Yao than Billips. Rip thrives on relentless movement and screens, and is very effective at it. He isn't your ISO producer nor has he been the volume deadeye 3 shooter over his career. He is an excellent player, but I just don't think his game is ideal around what we should run around Yao, certainly not as much as Billips and maybe not as much as Prince. Sure I would take Billips and Rip for Tmac +, but I don't think it is realistic and Rip is a better player than he is fit.

 

that's why this trade will infinitely helps the pistons more than it helps us b/c you give them that superstar scorer while they keep their consistent perimeter scorer in hamilton and low post presence in sheed while maintaining their bench.

yao has never show moreso than a few flashes of dominance here and there and he hasn't been healthy the past 3 years. billups is getting older. prince is very nice young player.

 

I went to the Pistons site...they most of the fans still see mcgrady as the legendary player they played back in 03.

I love T-MAC

but....

Billups + hamilton = TMAC + Pick

Battier = Artest


Billups
Hamilton
Artest
Scola
Yao

Everyone fits their position perfectly....and it would be a big 5 THAT WOULD CRUSH ANYONE WHO DARE CHALLENGE THEM!!!

Im drooling...

 

i really hope we don't trade T-Mac. I wouldn't say he's untouchable, but I'd prefer to continue trying to upgrade around TMac and Yao.

 

As i said before, i would pull this trade right away because Tmac's game is too inconsistent. He's no Kobe Bryant where will and desire to dominate take over by instinct. He's too inconsistent at the FREE THROW line also. I trust in Billups and Prince shooting touch than Tmac from any where on the court.

Now i am not saying Tmac is a bad shooter, what i am saying is that he can be extremely good on one end and extreme bad on the other....in other words, very inconsistent and can cost game...especially close game. If Tmac is such a good shooter, why did he keep missing free throw?? And when i watch Kobe, he hardly EVER miss a free throw....in fact it's a surprise if Kobe miss a free throw.

 

I agree with some of your points about Tmac's weaknesses but Tmac does some things better than Kobe (setting up teammates, floor sense, leadership/team chemistry). Of course Kobe is better, but both players have faults.

Tmac really isn't that efficient of a scorer. Nowhere near the consistent shooter that Billips. In fact Prince is as efficient as Tmac but of course much lower production. Thus I think Billips + Prince for Tmac makes the offense much more efficient.

 

so an aging billups and role player like prince is worth giving up a shot at Lebron in 2010?

i'll take a tmac on the deline over billups on his decline any day of the week.

 

I'm not at all sure I'd do this deal, but betting on getting James in 2010 is really a crap shoot. Unless the Rocks are playing well and Yao is healthy, why would he want to come here? Relatively small market, compared to some, and other teams will be able to offer just what we could. Unless we're close to a title, why would he?

 

We have no shot at Lebron. The league will make sure he is in New York, New Jersey, or Chicago. It's all about TV $.

 

QUOTED FOR TRUTH

 

Agreed. I'd have to imagine that in 2010 every team in the league will be making him an offer.