"[If] you need some Kool-aid for why [the Pistons' signing of Tracy McGrady] is a win-win," writes Brian Packey of SB Nation's own Detroit Bad Boys, "well, Keith Langlois is your man." No kidding. Langlois, the Pistons' in-house beat writer, breaks down the deal here.
But what’s the downside? For the veteran’s minimum, the Pistons are getting a potentially dominant scorer who, at 31, could have at least two or three more highly productive seasons if he can avoid the injuries that have plagued him over the past several years.
A knee repaired via microfracture surgery was the most serious among them, and it’s likely McGrady’s days as one of the NBA’s most lethal scorers are behind him. But whatever chance remains that he can approach that level – and for the considerably better odds that he can provide a reliable bench scoring option – a veteran’s minimum contract comes in well under the risk-reward threshold.
Langlois fairly points out that the Pistons' training staff, led by Arnie Kander, managed to coax a great season out of Ben Wallace last year, and that Wallace then faced the same questions McGrady does now.
More interesting? The fact that Pistons GM Joe Dumars tried to acquire McGrady from the Houston Rockets following Detroit's loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, but that the Rockets wanted Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton in return. "Two years later, the price has come down considerably," Langlois says.
The post also addresses the possibility that McGrady's arrival signals a trade involving Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince could be in the works, and how Dumars could respond if adding McGrady proves to be a mistake.