Posted by nixluva:

I actually like Delfino. I think he's gonna do well in Tor. I'm wondering why the Pistons felt the need to make this move. They must have something else planned, cuz I don't get it.

Posted by djsunyc:

ironically enough, detroit may end up with mo pete...or grant hill...

The more I think about it, the more this trade, in my mind, is a complete and perfect testament to our complete inability to develop young talent. I dont think Tay is gonna happen again, I think that was luck.

We need to trade our first rounders before they turn into bust picks that we have to pawn for peanuts.

Joe drafts for the right reasons, we root for the players, and the media gives us good draft grades.

But, they don't play and never develop. Aside from Mateen Cleaves and Rodney White, whom were busts for obvious reasons...

In 02-03, Rick Carlisle didn't think Tayshaun and Memo were worth the time to coach them. We wasted roster spots on Danny Manning and Pepe Sanchez. Michael Curry started over Corliss Williamson (regular season performer) and Tayshaun (who finally exploded in the playoffs). We tried to play Hubert Davis at PG which made absolutely no sense.

In 03-04, we won. Darko sat on the bench in favor of Ben, Rasheed, Memo, and Elden. No arguments, there. However, we wasted a roster spot on Tremaine Fowlkes, Larry Brown publicly humiliated Zeljko Rebraca, and Darvin Ham was typically useless. We wind up losing Okur for more money (damn the rules).

In 04-05, Carlos Delfino comes over as a rookie and plays only 30 games. Darko plays 37. Neither are typical of lottery talents. Joe makes his first salary dump for Derrick Coleman (who we mishandled), lets Mike James go (which disappointed many), and dicks around with Horace Jenkins and Anthony Goldwire despite trading a first rounder for Carlos Arroyo and having Smush Parker on the roster. At the time, Arroyo satisfied the need for a true PG yet Joe didn't force Larry Brown's hand.

05-06=Another salary dump! Darko for Kelvin Cato, who played...4 games. Maurice Evans is considered>Delfino, Lindsey Hunter is>Arroyo, and Tony Delk's services are not retained (God knows why, he was instant offense).

and then we let Ben go for NOTHING! we bring back virtually the same roster (9 players carried over) and trade Mo Evans to allegedly clear room for Delfino (who is misused). Ronald Dupree comes back but never plays. Nazr Mohammed and Flip Murray are FA busts and Webber, who fell into our laps, disappears in the playoffs. Other than that, we drafted Will Blalock. Yay for progress! Lindsey Hunter is our backup PG and causes all of us to age 5 years everytime we watch him run the break.

and NOW we let Delfino go in ANOTHER salary dump?

Why?

To re-sign the members of our core who HAVEN'T gotten it done two years in a row? To pay Chauncey for being overconfident?

Obviously it wasn't to pay Ben...To make BIG splashes in free agency?

The players we draft don't fit the coaches' vision. They then get traded to clear up luxury tax room. Our good free agents walk for nothing and we sign misfits. Our core is falling apart due to free agency (Ben, perhaps Chauncey) and age (McDyess and Rasheed) and nobody on the roster is an adequate replacement.

Bill Davidson needs to give Joe Dumars complete control over the management of the team, or Dumars has to give Flip a MUCH bigger say in the personnel decisions. But we can't have Joe try to make the right choices while factoring in two other men's conflicting wishes. He's become robotic.

Posted by tomverve:

If playa's contention were true, it's hard to account for the facts that...

* Zeljko Rebraca had the best years of his career in Detroit

* Mehmet Okur was successful enough in Detroit in limited minutes to earn a huge contract

* Darko was a fan favorite despite being benched by LB

* No successful European players chose to go to Toronto until last year

c'mon, this simple sociological view of yours is stereotyped, weak and without evidence.