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Well if the Pistons re-sign Wallace and land Wells they will be (once again) a heck of a team.
The Detroit News
Rob Parker: Clubhouse Confidential
Look for Porter to join Pistons
My moles are telling me Terry Porter will replace Sidney Lowe on the Pistons' bench next season.
Lowe, Flip Saunders' top assistant, has taken his dream job as coach of North Carolina State, where he played in college.
Porter was coach of the Bucks for two seasons before being fired in June 2005. Players, moles say, loved Porter because he knows what it takes to be an NBA player.
In two seasons with the Bucks, Porter was 71-93 and led the team to the playoffs in 2003-04.
The only reason Porter got the broom was because new general manager Larry Harris wanted to hire his buddy -- current coach Terry Stotts. For the record, Stotts was a runner-up when Porter was hired in August 2003 to coach his hometown team.
Fans, of course, will remember Porter as the pesky Trail Blazers guard during the Bad Boys days. In 1,274 games, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals. His teams went 815-547 and made the playoffs 16 times.
This might work out for everyone. Saunders and Lowe often were seen arguing about plays and situations during timeouts.
Lowe, a point guard for N.C. State during its 1983 national le run, replaced Herb Sendek.
As far as Porter, expect an official announcement soon.
Pistons upgrade?
My peepsare telling me some familiar names are linked to the Pistons as they look to retool.
Pistons president Joe Dumars has said his goal this offseason is to re-sign unrestricted free-agent center Ben Wallace and keep his starting five intact. Beyond that, Dumars said he just wants to add some firepower from the bench.
How about Bonzi Wells , Grant Hill and Jalen Rose ?
Dumars can't speak about Hill and Rose because they are under contract with their respective teams. Wells, originally drafted by the Pistons, is a free agent.
Moles say Wells is the most likely to sign. Wells appeared ticketed for Auburn Hills last offseason. Many expected Memphis would buy him out of the last year of his contract. Instead, he was traded to Sacramento.
Last season, he averaged 13.6 points and seven rebounds off the bench. In the playoffs, he went wild, averaging 23 points and 12 rebounds in six games. He also shot a whopping 60 percent. The Pistons could have used that against the Heat.
Hill's return isn't a pipe dream. He left the Pistons in a sign-and-trade deal with the Magic that netted him a seven-year, $92 million contract.
Moles believe Hill, who finally appears to be healthy, would love the chance to return to Detroit in a reduced role and allow his wife to be closer to her family in Windsor. For that to happen, the Magic would have to buy him out of the last year of his deal.
Rose, a Detroit native, would need the Knicks to buy out his contract -- $16.9 million.
Stay tuned.
Too tired? I don't think so
My CWPFs (close warm personal friends) are saying some Pistons are still blaming their playoff flameout on Saunders.
Even though the players performed poorly -- shooting 35 percent and turning the ball over often -- the fingers are still being pointed at Saunders. The complaining players, moles say, believe Saunders overused the starters -- burned them out, basically.
Chauncey Billups certainly looked tired. He couldn't make jumpers, couldn't stay in front of his man on defense and basically was sluggish.
To be fair, Billups was 40th in the NBA -- the only Pistons player in the top 40 -- in minutes played. And, he averaged one minute morethis season than a year ago under former coach Larry Brown .
You can reach Rob Parker at [email protected] or go to sportsraptv.com. Watch Parker on "Clubhouse Confidential" at 11:30 p.m. every Sunday on WDIV Channel 4.
Well if the Pistons re-sign Wallace and land Wells they will be (once again) a heck of a team.
Rob Parker?
Here's a rough guide to the Detroit media: you can't believe anything they write. Ever.
Detroit is already close to the cap from what I understand (if Wallace is resigned). How could they afford Wells? He's looking for his last big paycheck.
Are they willing to pay the luxury tax?
And who is Wells replacing? He won't come off the bench, that was why he was so pissed in Memphis.
Besides, Wells has said he's tired of moving around and wants to stay a King. The Maloofs want him back as well, and I'd be very surprised to see him moved.
So does that scuttle Porter's attempt to put together a group to buy the TrailBlazers?
And how serious was it in the first place?
Don't worry, I don't think it will happen. Joe already made it clear that he wanted Delfino to be a key player next year, and bringing in Bonzi would clearly kill any chance of that. I think we'll end up grabbing a PG (Banks? Speedy?) and a cheap big man who can put a few points up in the paint (Jackie Butler???).
I really don't know why, but this "Bonzi, Hill, Rose" trio comes up every year it seems.
close warm personal friends?
I wouldn't count out Bonzi just yet. The prospect of playing for a contender might be enough to entice him to sign the MLE the Pistons have to offer.
And, he'll get plenty of time. At least 24-30 minutes a game between the 2 and 3 and when they decide to go small with Prince at the 4.
If they can land him and possibly a diamond in the rough back-up PG like Brevin Knight, this team could be back in the Finals next season.
lol..yeah detroit needs another pg..and they don't need jalen rose..ive seen that guy in toronto i don't want him in detroit
We only have 1 PG that can actually play the point with effectiveness. That would be Billups. Hunter can't set up the offense for and Acker is 23 and not ready to be a back up. A back up point that can rest Chauncey for 15-20 minutes a game is something the team needs.
yeah..delk is a free agent and hunter might retire..and neither are that effective at the point
Banks would want to ride the pine in Detroit as a backup after sitting for 2.5 years because?????????
He's 24-25, not 34-35.
This is his last shot for a big contract, no way in he signs for the MLE.
do you realize that this is his last chance to get a big contract? why in the world would he sign for the mle? i dont think hes leaving the kings.
Because he hates losing/minnesota (same thing)? And yes, I'm sure he'd rather win 64 games in the regular season and lose in the ECF every year than be a lotto team with that "future" their fans love to talk about(good luck with that).
It's not like Chauncey's getting any younger either. He's 29, and it would be nice to bring in someone who can carry the load just to prolong Chauncey's career a bit. Cassell would be the perfect option, but he's looking at a bigger deal than we can offer. Banks is more our price range. Speedy is another option, but he's already with a team that actually has a shot at the playoffs next year.
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