Darko done in Detroit?
Detroit Bad Boys and Beyond the Arc have already posted on this, but if you haven't read it yet, ESPN.com's Marc Stein is reporting that the rumored trade between Detroit and Orlando (Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo for Kelvin Cato and a first-round draft pick) is close to being done.The deal is tangled up by negotiations over the first-round pick that would be shipped to the Pistons. Will it be "lottery protected"? And if so, how far into the draft would that protection reach? Among the top 3 picks? Top 5? Top 10? Obviously, Detroit wants a higher pick this year, while Orlando would prefer to give them either a lower selection or next year's first-round pick.
A. Sherrod Blakely, the Pistons beat writer for Booth Newspapers, said on WXYT's morning show that the Pistons may also be reluctant to part with Carlos Arroyo, concerned about the depth at guard behind Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. He went on to say that if a deal was done, it would probably happen after the NBA All-Star Break.
posted by Ian C. @ 9:00 AM
sweatymen[at]gmail[dot]com
3 Comments:
At February 15, 2006 2:21 PM,
Anonymous said…
The only way this seems to make sense for the Pistons is if Dumars thinks that Acker will be ready to be a legitimate backup next year or that they can draft a stud rookie point guard to backup Chauncey with the pick they get.
The cap room would be nice (though who really thinks Ben will leave just because of money? anyone? i didn't think so.), but considering the lack of non-ancient star-level skill beyond McDyess and MAYBE Delfino on the bench, Arroyo seems like a valuable commodity unless we're GUARANTEED the first rounder no matter what and can ride Lindsey through the playoffs, let him retire, and pick up a rookie stud for next year.
At February 15, 2006 4:33 PM,
the sports dude said…
In all honesty Arroyo is the one player I think the Pistons could afford to lose off that bench. There is just something about him that I have never really liked but hey, that's just me.
I have no problem with the trade, I think Hunter will be good enough for 10 minutes a night, which is all you really need out of a back up PG anyway. Does anyone see Billups not playing 40 to 42 minutes a game in the playoffs? Didn't think so. Plus, Saunders does have the luxury of letting Prince play the point a little with Rip and Delfino if he must.
Make the move, in fact, who cares where the pick is, just dump the two guys for whatever you can get.
Oh, and I agree with Evan, I don't think Ben would leave over money, I really don't think that is a concern. I think the cap space is more important for two years from now when Billups can opt out and become a free agent. That, my friend, is where you need to clear the $$$$ for.
At February 15, 2006 5:12 PM,
Ian C. said…
Evan, from what I understand, the Pistons are pretty high on Acker, and are sending him and Amir Johnson to the Fayetteville NBDL team to get some much-needed playing time.
Sports Dude, I wonder if Pistons fans view Arroyo in the same way Lions fans see Jeff Backus. We think they stink, we think the teams could upgrade, but 1) that might not be as easy as it sounds, and 2) you might not realize just how important a role they played until they're gone and the teams are scrambling to fill those spots.
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