GO FOR 2

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison (Flickr.com/keithallison - Creative Commons Licensed)

Steve Nash agreed to a two-year contract extension today which will keep him in a Phoenix Suns uniform for a total of $35 million dollars (over three years, including this coming year for which he was still under contract). I recently carved up Grant Hill for staying in Phoenix…so why do I think it’s a good move for Nash?

Part of the reason the situation seems different is because of how different the road to the NBA was for these two players. Nash went to UC Santa Clara, and led the Broncos to two great upsets in the NCAA tournament. Just being drafted in the first round (15th overall) and having his jersey retired at UC Santa Clara were huge accomplishments, beyond what anyone ever expected for the Canadian import. Grant Hill, on the other hand, was a heralded recruit who went Duke – going in the NBA draft was a given for Hill, the expectations for him were much higher.

Then there’s the careers that the two have had so far in the NBA. Hill spent more time injured than anybody this side of Greg Oden. He once had a stretch – his first two years in Orlando – where he only started 18 games…over two entire seasons. The rest of Hill’s career has been marred by injury and failing to meet expectations with flashes of brilliance. Meanwhile, Nash has been healthy, productive, and easily outlived expectations for a mid first round draft pick from a tiny school in California. Hill actually has one more NBA all-star appearance than Nash (7 to 6), of course Nash still has the potential to earn more all-stars…and its very unlikely that Hill does. Nash is also a two-time NBA MVP, an elite distinction that Hill never earned.

Hill was also never really the face of a franchise, although he’s probably most closely associated with the Orlando Magic, not the Suns or the Pistons. Nash has absolutely become the face of the Phoenix Suns since his re-arrival from Dallas (in Mark Cuban’s worst moment ever), and that skinny, short Canadian flying up and down the court in one of the best run-and-gun offenses ever assembled from 2004-2007 defines the modern Suns.

No, Nash doesn’t have a championship and neither does Hill. And no, Nash isn’t going to win a championship in Phoenix any more than Hill is. But Nash has a legitimate shot at the hall of fame, and should be remembered as the best pure point guard of our time (sorry, Jason Kidd). Nash is also the face of the franchise in Phoenix, and he’s adored by the fans there. Hill just sort of hangs out in Phoenix, fans like him, but they certainly don’t feel the connection to him that they do to Nash. With the absolute lack of parity in the league right now, and the fact that the 2010 free agency is looking like it will be a big letdown compared to what we though a year ago, Nash doesn’t have great odds of winning a championship even if he leaves.

Simply stated, it makes sense for Nash to end his career in a city that loves him, where his wildly unlikely NBA career got its start. I completely understand why Nash took the extension (quickly, which will help with the fans continuing to love him), its a smart move. Hill, on the other hand, has had a great career – but it will ultimately be defined by disappointment. It makes sense for Hill to do everything he can to try and add one more gem to the resume in my mind, especially since he could have left this year and had two very solid offers in hand. Oh well, at least they have each other.

According to a source close to the Detriot Pistons, the team is currently meeting with Chicago Bull’s free agent Ben Gordon. If there’s one person who should really be hoping that the Piston can sign Gordon without breaking the bank, its the Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars.

There is a lot of blame to go around for last season in Detriot, but the bulk of it rests on Joe Dumars’ shoulders. Dumars is the one who pulled the trigger on the Allen Iverson trade, he fired coach Flip Saunders after 3 straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, he hired and then fired coach Michael Curry, and he currently has shambles for a team.

Now, the Allen Iverson trade got the pistons a huge expiring contract, which in theory will be great for the big 2010 free agency bonanza. The problem with that? Well there’s two. First, Dumars completely sacrificed last season for an expiring contract. This isn’t the same as when a bottom-dwelling team like the Knicks goes after an expiring contract to help for the future, this was a team that had been to the Eastern Finals 3 years in a row. I refuse to believe Dumars ever saw more than an expiring contract in Iverson, but I’m going to get to that in a second. The second problem with chasing an expiring contract for 2010 is that about a million teams are doing that. Most of them are in better markets than Detriot, which is in serious economic trouble. It also doesn’t help that in 2010 Detriot will now be on its 3rd coach in 3 years, which doesn’t really spell championship when you’re trying to woo a free agent.

Now, A.I. was never going to be ‘the answer’ in Detriot, and Dumars had to know that. Detriot was a team that was built as a ensemble cast, and Iverson is the kind of player who needs to be a star with a supporting cast. The two were never going to mesh. There was also the fact that since neither Iverson nor Rip Hamilton can play a pure point guard, you couldn’t really keep the two on the floor at the same time in most sets. This means either bringing Iverson, a wildly narcissistic scorer, or Hamilton, the plastic-covered face of your franchise, off of the bench. The Pistons tried it with Iverson, and he complained. Then they tried it with Hamilton, and the team fell apart, and he complained. There’s just no way that Dumars is so naive he didn’t see this coming.

Now, the Flip Saunders decision is Dumars’ worst if you ask me. He coached that team for three wins, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals all three years. The fact that the never made the finals doesn’t qualify as ‘playoff struggles’, because they still won two entire series each year. They didn’t lose to cupcakes either. The Miami heat in 05-06 (who won the championship), then it was LeBron’s Cavaliers (who lost), and then the Celtics (who were also eventual champions). But Dumars felt the team had hit a wall, apparently, and thought the best way to fix it was to ditch a veteran coach. How did that work out, Joe?

Finally, there’s the recently fired Michael Curry. Curry didn’t do anything wrong, he just came into an absolutely horrible scenario. He had to deal with losing all-star point guard Chauncy Billups in the middle of the season, then he had to deal with starting a rookie point guard, and he had to try and referree the Iverson/Hamilton situation. Also, if the Eastern Conference Finals weren’t enough to keep Saunders around, we can assume Curry was at least supposed to reach the Finals. To be honest, Curry probably knew all along that he was going to be a scapegoat when this didn’t work.

Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison (Flickr - Creative Commons Licensed)

So Ben Gordon, a 26 year old shooting guard who has led the Chicago Bulls in scoring for the last 3 years is going to be part of Dumars rebuilding. Well, you’re still adding another shooting guard, which isn’t really a big necessity. Remember that forward Rasheed Wallace is going, Rodney Stucky has huge strides to make at point guard, and Rip Hamilton is still there. Plus, if the Pistons are so focused on the big 2010 free agency, they can’t afford a huge contract with Gordon (he’s good, but he won’t be a selling point to a super-star). Sounds like Dumars is taking another big chance here, so if he signs Gordon he better hope it doesn’t cost him and he better hope Gordon performs….Because the next head on the chopping block is probably going to belong to Dumars.