How long has it been since there was really only one halfway decent team in the Central Division? If our 26-47 record isn’t a big enough slap in the face, Indiana is a whopping 21 games behind Chicago for the Central lead — and they’re in second place. The eventual downfall of the Pistons (and Cleveland’s toppling when LeBron took his talents to South Beach) has taken its toll. The NBA spread between Chicago and the “rest of us” has gone from bad to worse.
Saturday’s “Battle of the Suck”, between …

Done and done: the Pistons have agreed with ex-Knick T-Mac on a 1-year, $1.35 million deal.
Pretty good deal, if you ask me (you are asking me, right?).
There’s been a lot of negative chatter on the efficiency of this move, but from one Dumars critic to another, I’m just not buying much of it. Offer McGrady anything above the veteran’s minimum, and my tone might be a bit different. The truth is, the Pistons are gambling pocket change for a guy who just might stay healthy/keep a positive attitude this time. …

Link – Pistons.com

Freep is reporting Ben Wallace is about to ink a two-year contract at $1.9 million per season. At that price, Ben is a bargain for the level of play and rebounding numbers he gave in 2009-10. Of course, the Pistons can’t put a price on the [potential] tutoring of Greg Monroe. Ben said that he wants to retire as a Piston, so I’m making a pretty safe assumption that these two years will be his last.
From freep.com:
Free agent big man Ben Wallace has agreed to a two-year deal at $1.9 …

Visit the right side of the page to vote in The Post’s freshly brewed free agency poll.
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Well, university-related education has officially ended, and the job hunt begins. As I search for employment, make sure to keep up with the Pistons during these trying times.
I will resume pistonpost.com posts in the second week of Janurary.
Happy holidays and Go Pistons!

Pretty crazy stuff for a guy who started over 400 consecutive games. This will be the perfect window for Jerebko and Daye to step up and show their stuff, which I’m sure they’re more than willing to do. I would keep an eye out on trade rumors too, the longer Tay sits out (without surgery), the more I get to thinking there’s something going on behind the scenes…
Vince Ellis/DFP:
For now, the remedy is rest for the ruptured disc in Tayshaun Prince’s back, but possible surgery to correct the problem hasn’t …

8 spots have been filled, leaving 8 spots remaining for this year’s 3rd annual Yahoo fantasy basketball league!
If you want in, drop me an e-mail at pistonpost@gmail.com with the e-mail address you want the invitation sent to.
Like I said, only 8 more available spots. Of course, this is 100% free — first come, first served!

I’ve been having some problems with readers being able to post comments for the past month or so, but needless to say I finally got to the bottom of it and fixed the issue. Before, if you tried to post a comment, you likely saw “Failed to add you comment” pop up.
If you post a comment now, you should have no problems whatsoever. In the rare occasion that you do, please let me know ASAP via the “Contact” tab near the top of the page.

It’s that time of year again, but space is limited to 16 spots (15 if you count me)!
If you want in, drop me an e-mail at pistonpost@gmail.com with the subject line “Fantasy” and the e-mail address you want the invitation sent to.
Like I said, only 15 more available spots. First come, first served! Don’t miss out on six months of relentless head-to-head fantasy basketball!

By now, I’m sure everybody’s heard about the JR Smith incident that will get him benched for the regular season’s first seven games.
The circumstances are sad (in regards to JR), but Arron Afflalo will likely be allowed to take advantage of them.
Afflalo is the favorite to start in Smith’s spot during his suspension, according to the Denver Post.
The loss of Dahntay Jones and Linas Kleiza left a pretty damn big gap in the Nuggets rotation, especially defensively. Guess who fit right in? Our own Mr. Afflalo, who Karl practically picked …

Even bloggers need a break sometimes!
Sincerest apologies for the lack of posts as of late, I’m out of town for a few weeks. Don’t lose hope though! “Business as usual” will resume on September 5th.
See you then!

It’s been an extremely busy weekend for me, but do not lose hope…there will be a Wilcox piece up tonight.
Until then, here’s an open thread for everything Wilcox. Consider it a test run of my new “thumbs up thumbs down” comment rating system.
Respect.
PS – If you’re the RSS update type (which I highly recommend), add our live feed here.

Antonio McDyess has agreed to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, according to HoopsWorld. It’s likely to be a three-year deal, which is pretty hefty for Dice’s condition, but good for him because I’m sure he was looking for someone who would sign him for at least two years. Guess this is Dice’s final push for a ring.
This could also open the door to signing the Mavs’ forward Brandon Bass.
It’s a shame we had to lose another veteran to another team that I absolutely hate. At this point, however, I …

By Chris Mannix, SI.com
The Detroit Pistons have agreed to terms with Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester to be their new head coach, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told SI.com.
Another league source said the contract was for two seasons with a team option for a third year.
The Pistons zeroed in on Kuester on Monday after contract negotiations with ESPN analyst and former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson broke down over the weekend. Kuester, a former Pistons assistant coach under Larry Brown from 2004-06 and an NBA assistant coach since …

Pretty disappointing, to say the least. I felt Johnson was the best candidate for the job, especially because of his ability to whip players into shape and maintain a team’s conduct. I still don’t think Cuban should have let him go from the Mavs.
Can’t really put this one on Joe Dumars either, if Avery was really demanding a long-term contract at $4-5 million a year, it doesn’t really fit into the rebuilding equation.
It looks like the position will now be between Cavs’ assistant coach John Kuester and Celtics’ assistant Tom …

After many successful, frustrating years with Detroit, Rasheed Wallace has committed to the Boston Celtics. As a Sheed fan since his early Blazer days, the move to the rival Celtics stings. San Antonio and Orlando wouldn’t have been much better, but the Celtics may be the worst place he could have landed from a Pistons fan’s point of view.
I’m actually pretty surprised he signed with Boston, considering his playing time will be considerably lower compared to signing with the Magic or Spurs. The Celtics will likely use their mid-level exception …

The signing of Ben Gordon was almost immediately followed by news that the Pistons were signing Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva to a 5-year contract worth $35 million, according to ESPN.com.
It’s a good thing this happened after the Gordon signing, because this move give Joe Dumars a smidgen if his reputability back. I have always liked Villanueva and believe he is grossly underrated. $7 million a season is fair for Chuck’s talent level and will be a bargain when he continues to improve. Really, the guy’s a potential all-star.
But Ben Gordon, …

I am in denial. Apparently, Joe didn’t read my heart-warming letter. One year is one thing, but signing this guy for five years? Plan on five more seasons just like the last one (or until the Pistons can unload that massive contract).
From Yahoo! Sports:
The Detroit Pistons have reached agreement with free-agent guard Ben Gordon(notes) on a five-year contract worth around $55 million, a source with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports Wednesday evening.
The Pistons are continuing to negotiate with forward Charlie Villanueva(notes).
July 8 is the first day free agents …

This is what Joe D. needed to do- it was the right move, and one that I didn’t think Joe could make this season. Could this be opening the door for Bill Laimbeer?
From mlive.com:
AUBURN HILLS – The never-ending carousel of coaches for the Detroit Pistons continues with the announcement that head coach Michael Curry has been fired.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations. “I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I …