Joe Dumars' decree Tuesday that he's willing to trade
anyone on his roster, except for Rodney Stuckey, was a
startling admission. Dumars has stuck with this core
group a long time but he knows that he can't come back
next season with the same mix.
Rasheed Wallace is a goner. Dumars said he's not going
to give guys away. But there's no way he wants
Wallace's dominant personality back in the locker
room.
I have a hard time believing he'd give up Chauncey
Billups but I see either Richard Hamilton or Tayshaun
Prince being moved, probably in a package with Sheed.
Most likely, nothing will happen before the draft late
this month. Dumars says major deals usually don't come
to fruition before then. Just look at Boston - it got
Ray Allen on draft night, then acquired Kevin Garnett
a few weeks later.
He's ready to pull the trigger on the right deal but
as he said, "You've got to have a dance partner to do
that."
Who might do the cha-cha with Joe D.? Here's my best
guess:
A. Phoenix - The Suns could be in the cost-cutting
mode. Sheed's expiring contract would be very
interesting to them. It's not out of the question that
they might field offers for Amare Stoudemire.
B. Dallas - The Mavs need to shake things up, too.
Plus, they just hired Rick Carlisle, who has deep
admiration for the Pistons' regulars. Would the Mavs
be willing to move Dirk Nowitzki? It's worth a try.
C. Charlotte - Larry Brown's there. LB loves Sheed.
The Bobcats have a center whom they might not want
long-term (Emeka Okafor) and a shooting guard from
this area with a big contract (Jason Richardson). It
makes sense on a lot of levels.
D. Los Angeles Clippers - Elton Brand is coming off a
washout year (Achilles) but he's still one of the
premier low-post scorers in the league. And they're
the Clippers, who are known to do silly things.
E. Houston - It might take Rip, Tay and Sheed to get
the Rockets to think about giving up T-Mac. If the
Rockets throw in Shane Battier, that would really make
it interesting. Plus, I'd like to see Shane come home.