Pistons Sign Wilcox And Other Thoughts

by Jeff Clark on Jul 18, 2009 9:35 PM EDT in Rumors Comment 30 comments

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Detroit passes on Big Baby

As expected, the Pistons moved on from the Glen Davis interest and picked up another young power forward in Chris Wilcox. ESPN reports:

The Detroit Pistons have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent Chris Wilcox, a source told ESPN.com.

The deal is for $6 million over the next two years according to sources.

So that is one more team off the Baby trail and one more step he takes back to Boston. But that story is getting old.

What is more interesting is who might be headed to Indy in a potential sign and trade for Daniels. That Chad Ford tweet was almost a day ago and who knows how accurate that info is (though Ford always seems to have reliable dirt on Danny). I'd hate to see Walker go but you have to give to get. I don't think the team has much in the way of plans for Pruitt and Tony is totally expendable at this point.

I wonder if Indy is asking for Walker or if the Celtics really do think Giddens has passed him up at this point. Kind of reminds me of when we traded Joe Johnson and kept Kedrick Brown, though on a smaller scale talent-wise. Hope they make the right choice this time around.

I'm pretty excited about Daniels. It sounds like he has had injury and focus issues in the past, but he's young enough to bounce back from injuries and the focus shouldn't be an issue on a championship contending team. He's got some real talent and I like that he can fill in at multiple positions.

Now we just need a point guard.

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Giddens/Walker

Giddens is a better defender and has a jump shot…. remember how versatile he was in college?
Walker is very smart and was quicker to pick up the Celtics system, but his forte was athleticism and his knees may not be able to take a lot of strain.

When the dust settles, I do hope they have a spot for Lester Hudson. I’m pretty sure Ainge will limit the roster to 14 and leave a spot open for a late season signing….. (Powe?).

"Yes Indeed!"

by JB_Celticsstuff on Jul 18, 2009 9:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope

We get to see some of Hudson.

by stevenfuzz on Jul 19, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely Agree JB

I hope JR begins to get some of the props he deserves.

Any thoughts on who or how many bigs the Cs will have on the roster come the first week of November?

by amenhotep04 on Jul 18, 2009 10:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

joe johnson???

Jeff, are you saying on this small scale saying that Walker is JJ and Giddens is Brown? I would think it might be the other way around. I don’t think Walker will ever have the shooting skill that Giddens has. Plus I think one is a two and one is a three. Comes down to which position you would rather have.

by celty86 on Jul 18, 2009 10:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How did Giddens look in summer league ball?

I did not get a chance to see him play much. Strengths? Weaknesses?

by footey on Jul 18, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Giddens was the leading scorer in summer league, I believe

and he was def the most consistent… Walker missed 2 games with back problems…. Doesn’t look like Walker’s body will be able to keep up with his athleticism, so Giddens seems to be the smarter choice in the end.

Don't Trade Rondo or Perk!

by RJ87 on Jul 18, 2009 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Weaknesses are his jump shot, free-throw shooting, maybe too much energy for his own good, still needs to solidify his defensive rotations (hard to tell with all the unskilled players on the floor though).

Strengths are good defense, great rebounder, above average passer, good at finding open people (especially big men cutters), has no problem moving the ball, pretty good around the basket, great athlete, good finisher, a lot of energy, blocking shots.

He looked pretty good in SL, he was named to the All Summer League 2nd Team… for whatever it’s worth.

by BudweiserCeltic on Jul 18, 2009 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

giddens looked very raw to me in the sl. terrible free throw shooter. lost his dribble at times. had some energy and flow to his game, tho.

by nazzbo on Jul 18, 2009 10:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn’t worry too much about his dribble but certainly a bit of a concern. Other than one very bad TO game, he kept his turnovers low. Averaging 30 minutes a game, he had 1 game with zero turnovers, two games with 2 turnovers, 1 game with 6 and one with 4.

Also, I though he tried to do a bit more than what he usually does offensively in SL… maybe trying a bit hard to win the roster spot over Walker. In DLeague his game was a bit different, always looking to move the ball more rather than catching the ball and looking for an opportunity to penetrate. I think the former is more of what we’ll see when he’s surrounded with more experienced players.

His free-throws are a huge concern though. Hopefully his defense will be good enough to warrant these weaknesses.

by BudweiserCeltic on Jul 18, 2009 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

gotta give Ainge props!

he certainly got the flack he deserved last year for his moves (or lack thereof) but this summer he’s been fantastic, Sheed, Daniels, possibly keeping Davis for reasonable $$. Like Jeff said, all he needs is a solid backup pg and we have the best roster in the league.

by hpantazo on Jul 18, 2009 10:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would be pretty ticked as a Pistons fan

Dumars trades away Billups last season and ends the Pistons chance to compete for a title (Detroit was still a big threat before they traded Chauncey). The only brightside was they would have tons of cap space for the future. Now he’s wasting all that cap space on second and third tier players, rather than waiting for 2010 to try and grab a superstar. Ben Gordon, Charlie Villunueva and Chris Wilcox are not going to make the Pistons much better, in the now and in the future.

by misterx2day on Jul 18, 2009 11:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yea, what happened to Dumars?

Did he suddenly turn into Chris Wallace? He used to be a decent gm, but these moves make no sense

by hpantazo on Jul 19, 2009 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

let's not pre-judge

No one thought that Billups+Prince+Hamilton+Ben Wallace+Rasheed would constitute a championship core, either. Billups seemed destined for a journeyman career, after bouncing around the NBA for half a decade. Many people didn’t understand Stack for Hamilton or Hill for BWallace trades. But it worked out.

Now, Dumars’s 2004 championship squad was the only one in the last 30 years or so that did not include a top-5 player, and it’s tough to catch lightning in a bottle twice, so I, too, am not optimistic that Hamilton+Gordon+Villanueva+Wilcox will form a championship squad. But I’m also a bit wary of judging the pudding before tasting it.

by dslack on Jul 19, 2009 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Everybody always confuses luck with design

Dumars record as a GM isn’t quite as sterling as the media make it out to be. Yeah, the Pistons made the Eastern Conf finals all those years in a row, but that was largely evidence of how horrible the East was. He failed to rebuild the bench they lost after Detroit won the title. I also think the chemistry that developed with the Billups/Wallace Pistons is as much a product of chance as deliberate planning.

Not that Dumars isn’t a step up from most NBA GMs who frequently look like they don’t know what they’re doing but whenever someone is sucessful, the role of luck and chance is always downplayed. Take Ainge for example. If both Seattle and the Tpups don’t decide to blow up their teams at the exact same time, where are the Celtics right now?

Mike

by MBunge on Jul 19, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Back up PG and a 3rd string big man should complete the roster

I’d like to see the Celtics add a 3rd string Center just to round things out and for emergency/insurance purposes. Robert Swift is not the answer though.

by Marco33 on Jul 19, 2009 12:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Indy interest

1 – I can’t imagine Indy wanting the troubled Tony Allen. They removed players with public relation issues already (Tinsley, Jackson and Harrington).

2- Didn’t Mike Gorman at the end of season say Giddens just doesn’t get it and he would be surprised to see him back? He did say he was a very talented rapper.

by Little D on Jul 19, 2009 7:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You’re right, Indy should be leery of Tony Allen’s past troubles. Especially since Chicago is only some three hours up the road. For his own good, maybe Allen shouldn’t be so close to home.

by no kidding on Jul 19, 2009 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wasn’t Gorman. I can’t remember who said that on CSL, but it wasn’t Gorman. The rumor from day one with Giddens was that he was picking stuff up slowly. So did Leon. Truth of the matter for Giddens is that he’s more or less dominated everywhere he’s played. He’s also paid his dues. So until he’s not here, I’ve got to think he’ll do the same once given some time and practice.

by amenhotep04 on Jul 19, 2009 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can anyone else recall this?

I though it was Gordon, I remember him going on about his rapping ability and was surprised by his comments. Anyways, Danny has his own opinions and evaluations and will due what’s best for the team.

by Little D on Jul 19, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Detroit

Is rapidly becoming the new home for selfish gunners (Gordon) and knuckleheads (Villanueva, Wilcox). If I were a restricted free agent, I wouild never sign an offer sheet there.

I further predict that Kuester will be out on his keister before the all star break.

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2009 8:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The JJ Trade

I think you have to look at that trade, not in terms of which player we thought was more valuable long-term but in terms of which player could get what was needed to make the push for the playoffs. JJ was that guy.
JJ has had a good career in the NBA, certainly much better than Kendrick Brown’s. But he’s not a superstar, and he wouldn’t be starting on the Celtics unless Ray Allen or Paul Pierce suddenly came up lame.
I haven’t seen enough of either Walker or Giddens to know which will have a better NBA career. With Daniels’ injury issues (which aren’t much when compared to Tony Allen) you still need another 3 just in case. Maybe he and Tony can sign up for injury time so one of them is ready to spell Paul. You know, like personal days at work.
I really wished they’d take Tony Allen, but they do seem to have an aversion to knuckleheads these days. We could throw some gas on the “Larry is a racist” junk by demanding they take Scals…
I’m not sure of what to think of the Magic’s moves. Vince is definitely a better scorer than Hedo, but Hedo is a better defender- often giving Pierce problems. But with a healthy KG they dominated the Magic in the regular season. so, I’m not really all that worried about them having the best team in the East as I’ve heard.

"simul justus et peccator"

by cavman on Jul 19, 2009 8:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: JJ Trade

Phoenix wanted a young player in that deal but didn’t care who. It was Boston that offered JJ unnecessarily. PHX would have done the deal with Brown instead.

by slamdunk1 on Jul 19, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It Would Be Great

If Danny can pull this off, the sign and trade. Regardless of who leaves it could open up 2 or 3 roster spots. If this is going to be the deal I’d like to see TA, Walker and Pruitt go. I think, from the little I’ve seen of Giddens, that he can become a real good player, better than Walker.

"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn

by TrueGreen on Jul 19, 2009 9:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

All falling into place

Rasheed and Daniels are two big plusses to the roster. Keeping Big Baby (with Leon out) is important and seemingly on course. The number is forming for him at about $3 mil per year unless someone feels desperate as camp opens. But that’s Baby’s gamble. Rosters can fill up and pre-camp signing discounts.

I really don’t want to lose Scal. With Perk, KG, Rasheed, Baby and Scal we’ve got a championship and versatile set of bigs.

As back up PG I hope Daniels simply gets the idea of putting the ball in Eddie’s open hands, or Rasheeds.

Doesn’t seem like Pruitt got the break out he needed in Summer League. I think he’s gone. Tony Allen – well, let’s hope that he’s the surprise of camp. But likely he’ll remain the same and probably be dead broke in 3 years. I love all players once they put on the green jersey but that guy needs to go. Walker/Giddens – one should make it and one should be off roster and I trust Danny/Doc will figure out which.

A pretty good looking team coming together and not a lot to talk about.

i definitely want to get Golden Sate tickets this year after reading today’s Globe.

by Wildblu1 on Jul 19, 2009 12:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

As back up PG I hope Daniels simply gets the idea of putting the ball in Eddie’s open hands, or Rasheeds.

I don’t know if he is actually going to play PG, but, you know Sheed and House will be getting kicks.

by stevenfuzz on Jul 19, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like walker but where are the minutes for him? giddens can at least play the 2 but there’s no way walker can play the 2. scal gives them another big plus a guy who can defend multiple positions as well as hit the 3. don’t underestimate the ability to hit a 3. so walker tony and pruitt are all expendable provided danny has a plan for another ball handler

by Red2 on Jul 19, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jamario Moon

was signed to an offer sheet by the Cavs it seems. The top teams in the East just keep getting deeper.

by Silhouette on Jul 19, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely Agree JB

by amenhotep

“Any thoughts on who or how many bigs the Cs will have on the roster come the first week of November?”

Love the subject headline, eh? LOL

While it’s certainly too early to speculate with any real confidence on who will and won’t be on the roster at the start of the season, I do think there will need to be at least five bigs out of 14.
We know who three of them are and hope for Big Baby. Some might like Scalabrine, but I’m thinking that either Swift or Sweetney (let’s not forget about him) both have a fighting chance, if they can pull a “Rocky” and get themselves into serious condition by camp.

One way or the other, I’d say that Tony Allen has played his last game for the Celtics (just too much off court distraction and too little on-court benefit) and ditto Gabe Pruitt (did Doc even talk to him after the D.U.I. in L.A.?).

"Yes Indeed!"

by JB_Celticsstuff on Jul 19, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This offseason...

is seeming much closer to the 2007 offseason than the 2008 offseason. We’re 2 out of 3 with wiggle room to add another player. I’m not even sweating getting a backup point guard. But I feel more comfortable with Danny’s positioning now. I really like our chances now, and I hope they get just a little bit better with one more pickup.

by Big_Easy on Jul 19, 2009 3:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs