[PODCAST] Pistons Trade
Shep talks about the Pistons' trade with callers, and asks if Brandon Knight has already failed as a point guard.

[PODCAST] Greg Kelser
Shep talks to Detroit Pistons color analyst Greg Kelser about the team's trade for Jose Calderon, that included Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye going to Memphis.

[PODCAST] David Mayo
David Mayo, MLive beat writer for the Detroit Pistons, about the trade for Jose Calderon.

The three team; six player trade that involved the Pistons Wednesday makes a ton of sense for a number of reasons for Detroit.  It's hard to find any downside to the deal that sends Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye to Memphis and, via Toronto, brings point guard Jose Calderon here. 

The Pistons rid themselves of a cumbersome contract in Prince (14.9 million over the next two years) and finally admit they made a mistake in drafting Daye with the 15th overall pick in 2009. They also solve two pressing issues this team has had to deal with: dead weight and an overabundance of small forwards. In Prince, they lose the final piece to what was their last championship team in 2004 and their leader.  Daye was gone anyway....it never worked and is considered a bust.  This does allow the Pistons to now take a look at Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko, even Kim English or Khris Middleton, at the three so they will divy up Prince's 32.5 minutes a game. 

The addition of Calderon, for all intensive purposes, is a rental.  He's 31 and makes 10.5 million and will be a free agent at years end. If he plays really well and guides this team to a possible 8 seed in the East then maybe he re-ups here, but I can't imagine the Pistons re-signing him and Will Bynum as free agents.  Dumars and head coach Lawrence Frank have always liked Calderon's game and you can understand why: in 525 career games he's averaged 7.2 assists per game and that means he should help the growth of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

The front office loves him as a "facilitator" and believes it gives them great flexibility.  If he doesn't perform well and fails to adapt to his new surroundings, then the team can cut him loose and add to the off-season financial war chest they've developed (30-35-million).  But his ascention to the teams starting point guard spot begs more than a few questions regarding Brandon Knight.  The second year guard from Kentucky has played 106 career games, primarily at the point.  It's why he was drafted and now we're being told he can play "off the ball just as well" and he could serve this club as a shooting guard.  What the hell is going on? 

This kid has done nothing but play the point guard position his entire life and now he's being moved to the 2? or will he be the backup to Calderon? If he's the backup, what's the time table for him to take over as the floor general? What has stunted his development? How long should it take? If he's moved to the 2 does that mean this team needs a true point in the draft or in free agency? It reminds many of what has happened with Rodney Stuckey-drafted as a shooting guard and then forced into a point guard position and now look at him-he's in a state of constant flux. Don't get me wrong, I approve of the deal and the vision. 

Tough to find much of a downside to ridding yourself of bad contracts and opening the door to some highly touted free agents for the upcoming off-season, or even better, in 2014, but I do wonder who takes the reigns as this teams leader and if another first round pick in Knight was chosen with hopes of him filling a need, only to quickly realize it won't work.  We've seen that act play out too often in Auburn Hills.