There is nothing to say that any of them will come to fruition, but the odd ideas just keep coming out of Motown.
Last time, it was an interest in Melo Anthony, the man Joe Dumars passed up to take Darko Milicic in 2003. This time around, the Pistons are rumored to be looking at a dude who is even more of a pariah in their city.
As reported by the Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick:
Sure enough, a second source close to the Pistons has indicated that Pistons are pondering a trade for Ron-Ron. I'm not sure of the opinions of the Pistons powers-that-be - namely team president Joe Dumars and owner Bill Davidson - but it says plenty that the chatter surrounding the mere idea is spreading around them. And Dumars, for the record, may be glad this is getting out since he is reportedly tired of fans thinking he's sitting on his hands.
The piece that gets it done here is Tayshaun Prince, and the Pistons are - according to ESPN's Chris Broussard - have already considered other moves that include their stars.
That is no typo. Ron-Ron would of course be none other than Ron Artest. That Ron Artest.
Artest is of course universally disliked in Motown for his role in the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl back in November 2004. Despite that being the case, one has to wonder if Artest's bruising physical style wouldn't be exactly the sort of game Pistons fans would embrace if he was one of theirs.
The problem is that this seems like a deal simply for the sake of making a deal. Artest is the better scorer, but Prince is more efficient with his shots. They're just about even on the boards, and each is one of the best wing defenders in the league. Artest is only signed through the end of this season, and Prince, younger by a year, is locked in with the Pistons through the end of 2011 and doesn't have any character baggage.
Not sure Detroit should be in too much of a rush on this one.
But it's hard to resist the thought of ticking time bombs Artest and Rasheed Wallace on the same Celtics rival.