Empty the Bench

He’s not a prospective draft pick, not a team scout, not a coaching candidate… and perhaps lucky for Detroit Pistons’ GM Joe Dumars, agent Andy Miller is also not Drew Rosenhaus. This summer, two key cogs of the Pistons’ machine–Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess–can opt out of their current contracts and become unrestricted free agents. Billups will definitely do it, but it’s up in the air as to whether or not McDyess will decide he’s happy enough making $6.37 million next season. A pittance, I know, by any stretch of the imagination.

In Chris McCoskey’s Burning Questions column today in the Detroit News, he points out that no matter what happens, Dumars will only be negotiating with one agent: Andy Miller.

Q. Antonio McDyess is playing so well right now. Are the Pistons in danger of losing him to free agency?

A.Not at all. McDyess has a player option for next season that would pay him $6.37 million. It is doubtful he would leave that on the table to seek another deal. Even if he was thinking that way, Pistons president Joe Dumars isn’t going to let it happen. Here’s what Dumars told me on Monday: “We have no intention of letting him leave here. I am just as committed to keeping Dyess here as I am keeping Chauncey (Billups).”

Andy Miller is the agent for both McDyess and Billups, which is convenient. Dumars said he would probably sit down with Miller to hammer out some kind of extension for McDyess this summer.

Offering McDyess a one- to three-year extension in exchange for not opting out seems like a fair deal. Dice has made it clear how happy he is with his role and teammates in Detroit, and don’t forget that most everyone had given up on Dyess’ ability to stay healthy when Dumars stepped up and gave him a four-year deal. Either way, expect to see McDyess back at the Palace next season, and there’s a decent chance that he could very well end up retiring a Piston. He won’t win it, but Dice is a very viable Sixth Man of the Year candidate this year, with per-game averages of 8 points, 6 boards, and 52% FG in 21 minutes of action. He really picked it up during the second half of the season.

As for Billups, Dumars has made it very, very clear that he will not let him walk. Sure, Dumars also thought he would be keeping Ben Wallace last summer, but at no point in the time leading up to Wallace’s free agency did Joe D. speak as strongly about resigning him as he has with Billups. Just the other day, in the Detroit Free Press: “I’ll say this about his season and free agency: in my eyesight, he had a great season and we will re-sign Chauncey Billups,” Dumars said. “I promise. We’ll sign Chauncey.”

There’s been some speculation that the Charlotte Bobcats might make a run at Billups, since they could offer him a max contract. I don’t think so–they already have a young, promising, future All-Star point guard named Raymond Felton. The only way Billups ends up in Charlotte is if Felton is involved in a sign-and-trade deal. Charlotte would be foolish to do such a thing.

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