Chris Wilcox Headed for Detroit, Big Ben Next?
The Detroit Pistons spent the majority of their free agent money earlier this month with very little emphasis put on the frontcourt. Charlie Villanueva is technically a power forward but plays more of a finesse game than a down-low, rebounding, defense-oriented game. In other words, unless the Pistons planned on running with Kwame Brown and Jason Maxiell exclusively in that role, they were going to have to make some sort of savvy, inexpensive signing for a big man.
By signing power forward Chris Wilcox to a two-year, $6 million deal, the Pistons get a backup for Charlie V that does some of the things he simply cannot. By no means is Wilcox a savior, but he helps.
Further help could be on the way in the form of former Detroit fan-favorite Ben Wallace. Sure, he bolted the Big D for Chicago three years ago for the sole purpose of dollar bills, but Big Ben's got a little bit of gas left in the tank and could still play some minutes at center at the veteran's minimum salary. It would be nice for him to get the opportunity to retire in the uniform that won him his championship (even though he's got about zero chance to win another one if he's planning on finishing his career in Auburn Hills), and it's hard to believe the fans wouldn't welcome him back with open arms.
Are Wilcox and Wallace enough to improve the overall look of the Pistons next season? Maybe marginally, but with a rookie coach, a hodgepodge of talented players, and no real point guard, it's going to be difficult to expect real success there, at least for next season.
Timberwolves Zeroing In on a Coach
When we bumped into new Wolves GM David Kahn in Las Vegas he was leaving the Cox Pavilion with his young son en route to the hotel pool. He joked that his days in Vegas surrounded around three things—coaching search, Rubio, and pool time for the kiddo. He was very cordial and funny and obviously understands the gravity of the two big basketball tasks he's got at hand.
Jackson has been one of the favorites to land a head coaching job in the league for the last two offseasons, and many expect him to do just fine when he does finally get the opportunity. Despite that, he's got no formal coaching experience and would be a rookie head coach in the truest sense of the word.
Turner, on the other hand, has been an assistant coach to Rick Adelman in Houston for the last couple of seasons, and has 12 years of experience split between the Rockets, Kings, and Blazers. He was interviewed for the Phoenix job last summer when Mike D'Antoni left but ultimately lost out to Terry Porter.
The bottom line is that either one of these guys would be going into the position as a first-time head coach. Pair that with a ton of young players and an rookie GM, and the Wolves could be perhaps the greenest team in the league—and I'm not necessarily talking about environmental friendliness.
Clippers Split on Iverson
Earlier this week the buzz at Summer League was that Allen Iverson seemed ready to join the Los Angeles Clippers. Less than a week later, however, that's nowhere near a done deal.
We've known all along that Marcus Camby and Baron Davis were in favor of bringing in Iverson, but head coach Mike Dunleavy reportedly isn't anywhere near as high on that plan as his veteran players and his owner, Donald Sterling, who is reportedly the one behind bringing in "The Answer."
You'll never hear two peeps from guys like Eric Gordon or Blake Griffin about what Iverson would do to their touches on offense, but there's no question that Iverson destroys their ability to get the number of shots they undoubtedly deserve. After making a brilliant trade to move out Zach Randolph to ensure Griffin gets more involved, they're turning around and looking at bringing in a guy who requires even more shots than Z-Bo.
At what point do the Clippers realize that the future of their organization is in Gordon and Griffin? A backcourt with Davis and Iverson seriously hampers the development of a couple of young man that have the potential to average 50 points a night as a tandem. It's no wonder the coach doesn't have any interest in bringing in a guy known for needing tons of minutes and shots.
Iverson will have other options if L.A. doesn't work out, but after seeing Griffin and Gordon in Summer League and knowing their ceiling, adding another scorer like that seems flat-out silly. There's more than enough talent on that roster already.
