Pistons odds and ends

In a somewhat surprising move, the Pistons have guaranteed the contract for Deron Washington. Matt over at Detroit Bad Boys is speculating that this means that Rip Hamilton is on the way out.

"It’s a bit curious the team decided to guarantee Washington on the eve of summer league — why not wait a couple of weeks until the coaches can see him up close? — but assuming Greenberg’s intel is correct, the Pistons now have six guards on the roster (Stuckey, Bynum, Gordon, Afflalo, Hamilton and Washington) …

Anyone else think Rip Hamilton is on the way out of town? At 31 years old, he’s suddenly the oldest player on the team, not to mention the highest paid. At 6-7, Washington can also play forward, but the Pistons just drafted a trio of small forwards, and, as strange as it sounds, Dumars has already hinted that all three might make the roster."

-I do find this move somewhat curious. But, at 6'7", Washington could also play a little at the 3 spot if need be, and I doubt he sees much time this year. If anything, this may be a move made simply to get him stateside and to let him get a lot of playing time in the NBDL.

Last season, after the Pistons took him with the 59th pick in the NBA draft, he played in Israel. He averaged 15.5 points per game and nearly 7 boards and 1 assist. Here is a report from Draft Express from last season:

"Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: Day Four
April 14, 2008
Deron Washington, one of the local favorites, had his best performance in his final game, scoring 21 points, including a surprising 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc, much higher than his regular season statistics would have you think he was capable of. This game really showcased Washington’s athleticism as he was given several opportunities in the open floor to make plays for his team. In the half court set he did show a quick first step but his lack of tremendous ball handling or savvy kept him from being more effective at taking defenders off the dribble. As was the case during the regular season he was inconsistent on the offensive end, making both impressive and poor plays when he had the ball. While there were flashes of ability at multiple points throughout the week, Washington confirmed what we already knew about him: he is a tremendous athlete with a poor basketball IQ and plenty of skill development needed. Defensively he gambled excessively and seemed to play with a reckless abandon that had to make those around him nervous, as his play frequently borders on dirty. Most concerning was his poor body language and the way he just didn’t seem to fit in with anyone else on the team, not cheering his teammates on, and showing very little regard for making anyone except himself look good."

-A lot of mixed reviews there. At the draft combine he had a 40 inch vertical leap, so the athleticism is certainly there. But, considering the reports on his lack of ball handling or basketball IQ, he seems like little more than a guy who comes off the bench in a blowout to excite fans with a good dunk. In order to become anything more than that, he needs to pack on some weight, and develop a better shooting touch. At Virginia Tech, in his final season, he shot 41.6% from the field, 26.9% from 3 point land, and just 67.1% at the free throw line.

-In other news, Rasheed Wallace is clearly a wanted man. The Celtics have offered the full mid-level exception for two years to 'Sheed. Last year, he became incredibly disinterested with the Pistons and was little more than an average player who caused more harm than good with those ever-present on-court tantrums. But, 'Sheed on a contender as a backup who could provide 25 minutes a night would be an ideal situation. The Celtics have maybe 1 year left to really make another run at a crown and they are going for it with Wallace. Rasheed's plus defense against Dwight Howard also has probably popped into the Celtics mind. I still imagine that Cleveland and San Antonio will both make runs at him, though. This is not quite a done deal.

-According to CBS Sports, we could see a potential sign-and-trade between the Pistons and Bulls for Gordon and Iverson.

"Ben Gordon to the Pistons is a done deal. The method by which he will get there is still under discussion.

CBSSports.com has learned that the Bulls and Pistons may yet revisit Detroit's agreement with Ben Gordon and instead investigate a sign-and-trade that would send Allen Iverson to Chicago.

Discussions have not yet reached the highest levels of both organizations, but the revised look at how Gordon goes from Chicago to Detroit would benefit Gordon and the Bulls. Gordon would get an extra year, and thus more money, by signing with the Bulls and getting traded. The Bulls, who currently are getting nothing for losing him, would get Iverson -- a fading future Hall of Famer who would get to finish his career in a major market as long as he's willing to accept a secondary role.

It's a farfetched scenario, and not everyone involved would be on board -- particularly the Pistons. The major sticking point would be how to sweeten the deal for Detroit, which would only consider such an option if it would provide significant cap savings. The Pistons took themselves out of the 2010 free-agent sweepstakes by agreeing to terms with Gordon and Charlie Villanueva on the first day of the free-agent negotiating period. Those agreements are not binding until July 8, when the league-mandated moratorium is lifted and the league and players association agree on the salary cap and luxury tax for the 2009-10 season.

A person familiar with the situation said the Pistons would flat-out refuse to entertain a sign-and-trade for Gordon unless it provided significant savings. The Bulls, too, may not be eager to do business with Gordon, whose agent did not give the team a chance to match Detroit's offer."

-The author is right about one thing: this is very farfetched. Unless this has the potential to give us some additional salary cap relief, I see no way that the Pistons would be willing to do the Bulls any favors. And, why would the Bulls even have any interest in Iverson? I cannot see this happening.