Isiah Thomas running another team sounds delightfully hilarious. (USATSI)
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It's no secret that Joe Dumars has struggled to put together a good team since the dismantling of the championship team he built a decade ago. The Detroit Pistons' president of basketball operations has been making confusing moves and giving out bad contracts for half a decade now, and it's believed his time in the organization could almost be over as owner Tom Gores wants to field a winning team. Could Gores switch out one Bad Boys backcourt mate for another?
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says that former New York Knicks' general manager Isiah Thomas could be the targeted executive to replace Dumars if a move is made by ownership soon. Thomas would keep a tie to the success of the past Pistons while hoping to remake the roster into becoming another title contender.
Isiah Thomas will be back in Auburn Hills at the end of the month to help the Pistons commemorate the 25th anniversary of their first championship team. And we're hearing that he could be in line to return to the team, a few months after the weekend festivities, for a permanent gig. League sources say that Pistons owner Tom Gores is seriously thinking of making what has been a long-overdue, front-office shakeup after the season, with Thomas recently emerging as a top candidate to take over the role of the team's top basketball executive from his former backcourt mate, Joe Dumars.
Although he's been persona non grata in the NBA since his days at the Garden, Thomas is still Mr. Piston, and Gores, who operates out of Los Angeles and is finishing his third season as owner, is a lot like Dolan. What he knows about pro basketball you can probably fit in a thimble, and he loves his stars. That goes for current ones (Josh Smith, who is said to have a direct pipeline to Gores) and former ones (there's none bigger in the Motor City than Thomas, who led the Pistons to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990).
Knicks fans have been looking for a little bit of hope during this trying season and this would certainly give them some relief. Thomas confusingly ran the Knicks for five years, giving away big contracts and making trades that didn't make any sense. If you're looking to replace Dumars without skipping a beat, the Thomas idea makes a lot of sense. But if you want to remake this roster back into a title contender, maybe the Pistons should go away from their past and start looking for some future.
In a year in which they made moves to get them back to the playoffs, the Pistons are 23-46 and four games out of the eighth seed in a horrendous conference.
(H/T - ProBasketballTalk)
Basketball Hot News
Bobcats waive Ben Gordon after deadline for him to join playoff roster
A year ago, the Charlotte Bobcats tried to trade Ben Gordon – and apparently couldn’t.
A week ago, they tried to buy out Gordon – and apparently couldn’t.
But they could waive him.
Bobcats news release:
Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has requested waivers on guard Ben Gordon. The Bobcats roster now stands at 14 players.
“With the recent acquisition of additional backcourt depth to our roster, we believe this is in the best interests of both parties,” Higgins said. “We want to thank Ben for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him the best as he moves on in his career.”
By not waiving Gordon before midnight, the Bobcats ensured he’s not eligible for a playoff roster. This was either a negotiation gone nowhere or a “screw you” move by a team fed up with a player who’d been a bit petulant.
Assuming Gordon didn’t agree to a buyout – why would he after midnight? – he’ll get the remaining $ 3,571,765 he’s owed. So, if the Bobcats were trying to punish him, they’ll only go so far.
But this makes it unlikely any team signs Gordon for the rest of the season.
Teams not interested in the playoffs probably don’t want an over-the-hill veteran taking minutes from young players. Teams in the playoff hunt probably don’t want to waste time integrating a player who can’t play in the postseason.
But maybe there’s a middle-ground team who could use Gordon: the New York Knicks.
The Knicks’ playoff chances range from slim to none, but they’ve already traded their first- and second-round picks. They have no incentive to tank.
New York can make best use of its remaining games by making Carmelo Anthony happy before he enters free agency. Even if the Knicks miss the playoffs, a few extra wins could only help.
There’s no guarantee Gordon – who’s posted negative win shares this season and last, one of only nine players to do so* – would actually help New York. A shooter making just 37 percent of his 2-pointers and 28 percent of his 3-points tends to carry little value.
Which is why the playoff-bound Bobcats would rather pay Gordon to go away than keep him.
*The others: Al Harrington, Tornike Shengelia, Marquis Teague, Drew Gooden, Quincy Miller, Diante Garrett, Tyshawn Taylor and Dexter Pittman.
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