Read Bleacher Fan’s argument that a player signing before a team has a coach is smart and Sports Geek’s argument that it’s not.
After two spirited debates to start the week, including a controversial verdict to the Sampras-Federer debate (had to throw that in there Bleacher Fan…
), we come to another interesting topic – one that caught the attention of all three of us when it happened late last week.
Free agent NBA guard Ben Gordon, and the NBA’s favorite Tweeter, free agent power forward Charlie Villanueva, separately agreed to five year contracts with the Detroit Pistons. They can’t actually sign the contracts until today, but all indications are that they will sign them.
On the surface, it’s a great move for both of them. Gordon is coming off an outstanding first round playoff series against the Boston Celtics as a member of the Chicago Bulls. Villanueva is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. The Pistons, who were dominant at times against the Eastern Conference earlier this decade, have gotten older, and Pistons general manager Joe Dumars is trying to rebuild the team. These two players, together, could help speed up the rebuilding process in Detroit.
It’s a process that would be more smooth if they actually HAD A COACH!!!
When the Pistons fired Michael Curry on June 30, I wondered if they thought the search for the new coach would be this bumpy! First, Doug Collins was at the top of the list. That didn’t work out. Avery Johnson was brought in, but they couldn’t reach an agreement. Now, it appears that Cleveland Cavaliers assistant, John Kuester, is in line for the job. But, let’s not count those chickens before they hatch. He hasn’t signed anything yet. You cannot assume anything in the NBA, as Portland found out the hard way with their Hedo Turkoglu courtship.
Who the Pistons have, or have not, hired isn’t the question today. The fact that they haven’t hired anyone is what today’s question is built around.
The question is…
How smart is it for a player to sign a contract with a team that currently doesn’t have a head coach or manager in place?
Bleacher Fan will argue that it’s a very smart move for the player. Sports Geek, on the other hand, will argue that it’s a dumb move.
Feel free to leave comments. We always love hearing from you, and you might even be able to sway my decision, too!!!
