Joe Dumars has shown he’ll strike quickly to get the players he wants, price be darned. Sometimes, that means getting Chauncey Billups. Other times, the result is Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
Dumars appears to be going full speed ahead to get his man again.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:Along with re-signing point guard Jose Calderon, Smith is the Pistons’ top priority on the market, league sources told Y! Sports.
The Pistons planned to make a preemptive strike on Smith, understanding that he’s a secondary priority for several teams awaiting the resolution of the Dwight Howard derby, sources said.
Smith shot 72 percent in the restricted area, but just 31 percent everywhere else. If he signs with the Pistons, barring Detroit making another move, Smith would have to play plenty of small forward with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. That frontline would leave a lot of spacing to be desired in the half-court.
Can Smith make up for that in transition and on the defensive end, two areas where he excels? Maybe. His transition chances might be hurt by the Pistons’ lack of a playmaking point guard, but the defensive benefits should more reliable.
Smith, without a doubt, would definitely upgrade the Pistons’ talent, and they badly need more talent. But like all free agents, it should come down to the cost.
Allowing Smith to slip away would make the Hawks even more desperate to sign Dwight Howard, but at this point, they seem ready to risk their future on the chance of Howard rather than settling for the middling playoff success they’ve experienced under Smith.