Last game is Tayshaun’s last as a Piston

UPDATE: Trade has happened, Prince and Daye are on the Grizzlies. Calderon is now a Piston

Rudy Gay’s trade is finalized, and now Detroit is officially involved.

This deal seems to be layed out like this: Gay and Hamed Haddadi will go to Toronto. Ed Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and 2nd round picks will go to Memphis. Jose Calderon will go to Detroit. So what are my thoughts on the deal?

While it will be hard to see Tayshaun as a Grizzly, this trade makes sense. I’m not a huge fan of Calderon, but he is on an expiring deal. The rental of Calderon’s services, regardless if he is played, will not be felt on the long term payroll. I am reading from fellow bloggers Calderon will be the starting Point Guard going forward, but nothing is set there. Flipping Prince for Calderon makes the future much brighter. Either it gives money for Detroit to use on a Greg Monroe extension, or it gives Detroit the money to be involved in 2013 free agency. Calderon will be a free agent this year while Prince will have another 2 years on his deal. In the short term, look at Kyle Singler to move to the 3, which will be much more comfortable for him. Brandon Knight could see some action at Shooting Guard after tonight. Finally, with a lack of 2 guard depth, Kim English could get some more run. I do feel that Detroit’s team on the floor is hurt in the short term. This could make the lottery in 2013 more likely. Long term, this move is great, paying 34 year old Tayshaun in 2015 doesn’t seem like an ideal situation.

Now some quick points on Detroit’s game against the Indiana Pacers:

Before the Prince deal, I wrote this first part. Paul George may be the all-star, but anyone who watched enough Pacers basketball knows that David West is the engine of the machine. West plays well when even when the rest of the team doesn’t. He is the man that Detroit will have the hardest time stopping, as Maxiell isn’t a strong defender. Prince is officially dealt, look to see who is matching up on Paul George. Corey Maggette isn’t a defensive stopper by any account, but Kyle Singler could move over to Small Forward to match up. The Pacers have lost the rebounding battle the last two nights, so look for an increased effort in that department. Brandon Knight will more than likely have to step up the scoring tonight, as Greg Monroe might get some of his shots blocked by Roy Hibbert. Hibbert is 4th in the league in blocked shots with 2.64.

The Pacers are 26-19, and the Pistons are 17-28, Detroit will need to be much better than last night if they want to win.

Shortly after leading the Grizzlies to the franchise’s first-ever playoff victory, the 6-foot-9 power forward agreed to the deal, and means the Memphis Grizzlies have committed $190 million in future salary to just three players — Randolph, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley. The team’s starting center,  Marc Gasol, is also in line for a big payday as a pending free agent. It is unclear if the team is willing commit the $10 million-plus it will take to retain the big man’s services.

And lest any fans think the team should just switch their desire from Z-Bo and onto Gasol, I don’t think he fits very well with the Pistons — or more accurately, I don’t think he fits well next to Greg Monroe. And for that matter, neither did Randolph.

What the emergence of Monroe has shown is that the Pistons need a complementary player that is 1. Athletic. 2. Strong 3. Shot blocker. While Gasol has a much better offensive game than Monroe, he still isn’t the shot-blocking, strong defender the team really needs. And the issues are just compounded in the case of Randolph.  In a season where no plays were called for him, Monroe showed a nose for the ball and the touch and smarts to clean up the glass and put the ball in the hoop. I don’t think the focus any longer should be on a back-to-the-basket offensive whiz, but someone who could drag this team’s defense back into the realm of respectability.