Sporting News, The: Pistons didn't need Anthony

Last offseason, things were much different in Detroit. The Pistons fired Rick Carlisle, their two-time 50-win coach, and replaced him with NBA drifter Larry Brown. The team had lucked into the No. 2 pick in the draft lottery, thanks to a trade made during the previous century. But on draft day, Detroit passed up its chance at surefire star Carmelo Anthony in favor of international man of mystery Darko Milicic.

Admit it: You thought Pistons team president Joe Dumars was daft. Then again, you might have thought the same thing the previous offseason, when Dumars traded established star Jerry Stackhouse for the relatively unknown Richard Hamilton (in case you don't know, that worked out pretty well for the Pistons).

In fact, there are plenty out there who still think Dumars is daft, folks who quickly would point to the Pistons' postseason scoring problems and present Anthony as the solution. The math seems simple. Anthony averaged 21.0 points per game for the Nuggets this season. Milicic, meanwhile, made 34 uneventful cameos.

But it's too simple to look at Detroit--or any team--that way. Heading into this season, the Pistons were an established, veteran group, built around Chauncey Billups, Hamilton, Ben Wallace and a team concept. They were a tough defensive team that had a spot in the Eastern Conference finals last year, thanks in large part to the performance of promising small forward Tayshaun Prince.

Now drop Anthony onto the team, and it might sound like an impressive lineup, especially after Detroit's trade for Rasheed Wallace (there's no certainty the team would have traded for Wallace if it had Anthony; we'll let that slide for the sake of argument). But that ignores the intricacies of NBA teams. "The one thing you can say about us," says Billups, "is that we are a team. We don't care who gets the ball or who takes the shots."

Anthony needs the ball. He was able to take shots in bulk--he averaged 17.9 per game--because the Nuggets needed him to do so. A portion of those 17.9 shots were ill-advised, which is to be expected with a 19-year-old rookie learning the ropes. Some Denver veterans, and even coach Jeff Bzdelik, grumbled at times about Anthony's shot selection, but the Nuggets could live with his mistakes as long as he kept learning and improving.

Hamilton was the Pistons' top shot-taker this year, with just 14.9 per game. Billups and Rasheed Wallace were next, at 12.8 per game. Where, exactly, would Detroit find room for the shots Anthony needs to take? Anthony is going to be a consistent, reliable scorer in the NBA, but he was a rookie this season. Imagine putting a rookie on a successful veteran team and telling the vets to feed him the ball, no matter what. It would not go over very well with those veterans.

As a rookie, Anthony was mediocre defensively, and a team that leans as heavily on its defense as Detroit can't afford to have mediocre defenders. Anthony does not have the length, mobility and experience on defense that Prince has. It was Prince who saved Game 2 of the conference finals with his block on Reggie Miller's layup, and Prince's block on an Al Harrington dunk attempt was nearly as important to the Pistons' win in Game 6. At this point in his career, Anthony can't make those plays.

Still think Dumars is daft? You're wrong. Anthony is a budding star and will be an All-Star fixture. But the Pistons' goal was to work their way into The Finals. They've done that, and they're still holding a 7-foot, 18-year-old wild card. (Think Darko's a bust? Just wait.) Maybe Anthony would have improved Detroit's offense against the Lakers in The Finals--but the Pistons probably would not have been in The Finals in the first place had they drafted him.

SPEED READ

* What does the NBA have against a team in Las Vegas? Gambling? NBA players make an average salary of more than $4.5 million, so they wouldn't have the incentive to gamble. Is it Sin City's vices? Hey, you can get into trouble anywhere. Las Vegas would offer an eager, growing fan base with money in its pockets.

INSIDE DISH

It wasn't exactly news, but ears around the league did perk up when Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted last week the team is too loaded with wing players and a trade must be made. SF Al Harrington, SF Jonathan Bender and SG Fred Jones will be trade bait, and Harrington is the most likely to go. Of equal importance to the Pacers will be whether SG Reggie Miller can be convinced to give up his starting slot to either Jones or Bender. SF Ron Artest is an option at shooting guard, but he is such an ideal small forward that it would be tough to pull him out of that spot.... The draft-day rumor mill hints that the Blazers have given a guarantee to Nevada SG Kirk Snyder at No. 13. Snyder's stock rose quickly in the NCAA Tournament, and he has been having good workouts, but as one personnel executive says, "That's just too high to take him." ... Nuggets SF Rodney White showed promise last season, but his playing time was inconsistent. He's an unrestricted free agent, and Denver would like to keep him around, but White and coach Jeff Bzdelik never saw eye-to-eye. If the Nuggets keep Bzdelik, a source says, White will shop for another team willing to give him minutes.... Anonymous Mavericks sources dropped hints in the Dallas media last week that PF Antoine Walker will be moved to the bench next season. By going public with their plans, the Mavericks are trying to nudge Walker into opting out of the final year of his contract. That's not likely to happen. Opting out would mean leaving a $14.5 million deal for next season, and Walker knows he won't get anything near that on the free-agent market. Expect Walker to stick around and force the Mavs to trade him.--S.D.

SEAN DEVENEY

sdeveney@sportingnews.com