<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Talking to Derrick Coleman at Pistons media day Monday, it was clear there were some topics he would gladly discuss (his coming home to play for the Pistons) and others he would just as soon not (his health and his role on the team). On the former, he was expansive. ?I was already having a bad day,? he said of Aug. 4, when he was traded to the Pistons from the Philadelphia 76ers for Corliss Williamson. ?When Joe (Dumars) called and told me, I said, ?Quit playing with me.? He said, ?No, I am not playing.? ?I told him to call my mother then and tell her.? Dumars did call Coleman?s mother, and she relayed the good news to her son. By the end of August, Coleman had already established a daily workout routine with Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander. By the middle of September, Coleman was participating in and often dominating the Pistons? informal scrimmages. He went on to say his health was fine. The knee felt fine. The broken right hand he suffered at the end of last season had healed. He had been working out for the better part of three months and was ready to play. </div> Link
Hmm so I guess they arent waiving him after all.Maybe he is actually trying to work hard,and condition ect... but I want to know why he didnt attempt those type of things when he was playing for the Sixers. I thought the Pistons traded for him so they could get rid of contract space,I didnt know he was actually going to have a purpose on the team.If I were Joe Dumars I would have waived DC and traded Elden Campbell for something cheap,in order to make some room for Darko to get playing time.
DC is here for future cap space. DC has 2 yrs left on his contract and at the end of this season his remaining year can be bought out cheap. Elden is in his final year also and the money they free up will go to sign Tay and give Ben an extension. If we do end up tradeing either one of these guys it will be for expiring contracts.
I'll just say this....Derrick Coleman has more new/fresh starts than anyone I've ever seen in this league. Every other year we hear stories about DC's new beginning..it's been happening since his third year in the League. He's been given more chances than Daryll Strawberry.
The trade was orginally made to clear caproom by getting Williamson's huge contract off the books but Coleman has been given a chance. The only coach he will play for is Larry Brown, when LB was in Philly he was very effective in his system and was a key fiqure in his rotation. Even though he is older, the guy can still play the game and could give some decent minutes. According to the article, he has worked hard this summer and is 100% from his previous injures.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dre:</div><div class="quote_post">I'll just say this....Derrick Coleman has more new/fresh starts than anyone I've ever seen in this league. Every other year we hear stories about DC's new beginning..it's been happening since his third year in the League. He's been given more chances than Daryll Strawberry.</div> You gotta admit tho...You support D.Straw with during every 2nd, 3rd & 4th chance, he was given. I know I did, How could not support Straw with the talent he displayed with the Mets during the mid 80's- early 90's, when he was still a baseball functioning drug addict . D.Straw was the reason I started watch baseball when was little. I wore his #18, in Teeball & little league. The man was with question one of the most talented players of the last 20 or 30 years. He just the shining example of what goes wrong when young cats are given to much to fast in life, the women & drugs was a every night think for him a Doc. I think the thing that really killed him was when he went out west to play with the Dodgers & San Fran...that when you started really hearing the stories about him missing from the team for 3 or 4 days. So everybody felt thatif he was brought back East with a team like the Yanks, he would clean is act up for good, it just didnt work that way. But I cant lie if I was a baseball Gm or owner, I would have taking those chances on D. Straw too. The excitement he brought the game, even after all his troubles was something special. You never moved from the t.V when D. Straw was at the plate, & the whole staduim home & on the road get to starting the "Darryl" chants all at once. There isnt really anything like that left in baseball today, well ok maybe Barry but nobody likes him. Anyway, my bad for taking it off topic to the left Piston's fans. I think that the decision to keep DC was a good one. It would be useful to have a bigbody on the roster with shooting range to stretch the defense & losen things up for Rasheed when he down in the low block. And McDyess cant stay healhty & neither can DC, so there will be points during the year where at least one of them are out of the lineup, so you have the other one to step it up in the rotation. I would give DC minutes before I give Elden, for the simple fact, if the Pistons did have one on court concern going into the offseason, it would have been trying to find away for the front court offensive production to match that of the backcourt. And I think that the Pistons did a pretty solid job of trying to solve that problem during the offseason with the acquisitions of Mcdyess & Derrick Coleman. And re-signing Rasheed. Now you just got to comeup with a rotation to fit them in with solid minutes. No matter what you say about DC's wieght. And lack of effort on D sometimes, the man could always put buckets on the board. And do a good job on the backboards. Me personally, I think he still has something left to contribute, just not in heavy minutes.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Dre:</div><div class="quote_post">I'll just say this....Derrick Coleman has more new/fresh starts than anyone I've ever seen in this league.</div> Word. Him and KVH both....... The Pistons brought him in for one reason, he is a big body that can administer 6 hard fouls each game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jurassic:</div><div class="quote_post">Word. Him and KVH both....... The Pistons brought him in for one reason, he is a big body that can administer 6 hard fouls each game.</div> A 5 million dollar fouler...I think the Pistons have a bit more use in mind for DC then just that. If thats the chase why not just release DC, and go with a cheap bigbody on the open market like Jabari Smith or something. Its not like DC is a good defensive player or ever was...and that type of role is usually successful by using a player who's good defensively...Dale Davis used to be used for the main purpose of giving fouls to the like of Shaq down there in Portland. But he was a good defensive player, same with Kevin Willis in San Antonio, good defensive player, even Mad dog in Minny was used in the same role, but solid defensively. Because you at least want someone who try to guard the guy. DC hardly plays D, so think they will have a little more in mind from him at the start of the year. It may turn into that situation later in the year, if Dc proves to be washed up, all the way. And is a disappointment.
Big Ben, Rasheed, DC, Antonio Mcdyess, and Darko. They sure do have alot of big men that are or once were all-stars. Except Darko who is projected to become one in 3 to 4 years. Don't like saying that 3 to 4 years thing though cause it's to damn common. DC may have a chance at getting a ring and being somewhat of a subtanstial part of the victory if they can repeat as champions anyways.
i honestly have my doubts about DC's work ethic. he showed some stints in Philly where he played well in the post. however, his desire never seemed to be consistent. he is definitely talented and a big body. hopefully playing for a defending champion, with the prospect of winning his first championship will drive him this season. well, it proved to be a blessing to have a stockpile of big men last year against the Lakers. with Shaq in the east, i see nothing wrong with getting a bunch of big bodies to throw at Shaq.
Well I was told DC looked terrible in the open practise yesterday, missed alot of shots and failed to get into position to box out. Not exactly a good sign heading into the season. Maybe It was just a bad day, either way It could be good news for Darko.
well there have always been serious questions and doubts about his work ethic. Since he came into the League he has had the stigma of being able to be great if he'd only get his ass in gear. He has never lived up to within a mile of his potential. During most of his NBA career he has had the label of a me first player,and it has been well deserved. I don't know how true it is,but I've heard that DC and Kenny Anderson were kickin' it when KA first came in the league. If so that may explain his bad attitude and unwillingness to work within a team for his first few years. KA had the label of selfish for awhile too...and it wouldn't be too far off the beaten path to suggest DC rubbed off on a young cat at the time.
