OT: Report: T-Mac agrees to 1 year deal with Pistons
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5451434
Apparently a source familiar with the negotiation told the AP that this deal was about to go down. T-Mac would make the NBA minimum wage ($1.3 mil) this season. Would be a great pickup and addition for the Pistons.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:50 AM ^
Would be a great pickup and addition for the Pistons.
I'm going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:52 AM ^
I'm with you. What does he bring to the team? We don't need him jacking up shots and not getting back on D.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:53 AM ^
Maybe he's had a bunch of injury problems, but I feel at 31 he can solidly compliment the team. Having veterans on your team helps (See: Detroit Red WIngs).
August 10th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
Please don't compare the Red Wings to the Pistons. The Red Wings didn't miss out on drafting Ovechkin so they could draft Petr Inka-dinka-do. The Red Wings also didn't blow their free agent load on Jimmy Can't-skate and Vladimir Shoots-alot.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:00 AM ^
I was only stating that it helps to have a veteran or two on your roster, especially now with the Pistons missing the playoffs for the first time in forever.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
Somehow I doubt "veteran leadership" is the reason the Pistons are looking at TMac. It reeks of desperation, frankly, "we can't find anyone else so let's take a flyer here." I don't think it can hurt, but there's a whole ream of players out there available at positions that better match what the Pistons need, if all you think you're getting out if the signing is "a veteran or two."
August 10th, 2010 at 11:08 AM ^
how this helps the team. All I can envisin is that perhaps he plays well enough to generate some trade interest at some point. I can't figure out how NBA executives determine the value of a player these days. It seems like oftentimes essentially worthless players are valuable commodities because of random things like random salary cap issues, ability to 'match up' salaries in a trade, base year compensation issues, whatever.
Perhaps there is some conceivable way in which Tracy McGrady = Chris Paul when it comes to deadline time!
August 10th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
I doubt McGrady for Paul but as someone mentioned yesterday, it would be nice to use him to trade for a legit center or forward.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^
McGrady does one thing: allows you to trade someone making more money (Hamilton or Prince). They're going to stink either way this year and they know it. When you look at it as a chance to save money it makes sense. Standing alone, in terms of a talent acquisition, it would make no sense.
Also, if they dump someone early and he happens to play well, he'd might have good value at the deadline.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
At all!
August 10th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
League Minimum.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:45 AM ^
I can't even convince myself that my point was worth stating twice.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
1. He is a proven winner.
2. The Pistons have great success bringing in selfish, aged superstars.
3. We have little depth at shooting guard.
Uh oh, I just set off the sarcasm meter in my office.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:17 AM ^
4.) You can always count on him to be in the lineup and to tough out injuries.
August 10th, 2010 at 3:58 PM ^
He'll be a great influence and lead by example to all the young players they're trying to develop; a true role model.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
now Joe D. just needs to sign A.I. and C Webb again and we will have a contender.
(McGrady just hurt his back while I was posting this comment)
August 10th, 2010 at 11:16 AM ^
idea brilliant or incompetent?
Sign a ton of bums like McGrady to huge 1-year deals (think 1 year @ $20 million) just so that you have massive expiring contracts to offer in trades. That way you can trade for guys you likely wouldn't otherwise be able to sign as free agents, and then work out Larry Bird-ish extensions with them when they get to town.
Obviously wouldn't work if you were over the cap (like the Pistons were this summer), but would that be a great idea for NJ or the Clippers.
Now you may proceed to poke holes in my theory.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:17 AM ^
Teams that are shitty enough to do something that damn desperate are the ones that trade for the expiring contracts in the first place. Contenders don't trade good players for cap room. So the only players you're getting in return are as crappy as the ones you've already got.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
decent players. Al Jefferson was just traded for two basketballs and a pair of gym shorts because he had a big contract that the T-Wolves were looking to get out of. Perhaps if you could offer them the financial flexibility of an expiring contract you could have had Big Al for nothing.
Just a thought.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
So why would you want that big contract, if they don't? You saying there's nobody like Al Jefferson you can't sign to a ridiculous contract too?
August 10th, 2010 at 11:39 AM ^
obviously wanted it. He is a good player, who didn't fit in with the T-Wolves because they decided that Kevin Love was their long-term 4.
I certainly don't by your logic that just because the T-Wolves made the decision that they didn't want his contract that no one else would. Teams evaluate players differently based on a number of things, including how they fit with the current roster. Jazz (and Pistons) had a glaring need for a big man who can score on the blocks. T-Wolves didn't think they did.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:58 AM ^
Trail Blazers certainly didn't want Sheed on the team anymore.....
August 10th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^
The Jazz are a contending team that can afford it, not the kind of bottom-dweller your cockamamie theory applies to. If your idea depends on taking advantage of dumbasses like David Kahn who are determined to run franchises into the ground, it can't be all that good.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
Great value pick up. Can't go wrong for $1.3 mil a year.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
they were last year with him
August 10th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
This is pretty much a no-risk signing. Sure, he could take playing time away from younger or more deserving guys, but if those guys show improvement they'll probably take minutes from T-Mac. At 1.3 million it's almost considered free. The Pistons also have one of the best training staffs in the NBA and have managed to keep other injury prone players on the court (read: McDyess et al).
I personally don't like T-Mac very much as a player, but I'm guessing Dumars told him the situation, he probably didn't have any other options, and will likely be coming off the bench, so I think it might not be a bad thing in the end.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
Im hoping that with this signing it means that tayshaun and/or prince is gonna be gone by the start of the season
August 10th, 2010 at 4:05 PM ^
of either Tayshaun or Prince?
August 10th, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^
Does any of this matter? Miami Heat is only going to win anyways... thats like having Ovechkin, Crybaby Crosby, and Datsyuk on the same team in the NHL.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^
I think the Celtics should have signed T-Mac on their quest to be the NBA's best team in 2002.
August 10th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^
Rip and/or Tay will be moved sometimes this season to free up cap. Tay has one year left and Rip has two. If Joe D can move Rip, next off-season, the Pistons will have about 20 million of cap room to sign FA.
Melo is unlikely and probably will head to NY to team up with Amare or stay with Denver. J-Rich could be a target since he's a Michigan native and would fit nicely at SG.