Looking at Detroit's remaining options in free agency

Who should Detroit sign?

After trading away Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe to Denver in a salary dump, Detroit now has the extra cash to add another serviceable big man through free agency. It's been easier than ever to pile on general manager Joe Dumars as of late, but there's no logical reason to question this trade. Dumars is trying to do everything possible in his power to avoid playing Kwame Brown 28 minutes a game this season. We, as Pistons fans, need to thank him for this. Yes, Afflalo is a young talent, but is he really going to be a superstar in this league? He's a nice perimeter defender who can hit a three every now and then. Big deal. Considering how versatile so many of the league's top players are becoming, Afflalo grades out as a one-dimensional shooting guard. Guys like that can be found for a decent price tag on the free agent market each summer. Afflalo never had the ball handling to slide over to point, and he wasn't big or strong enough to play small forward. Maybe if he could have done one of those things he would still be on our roster.

So with the money that Detroit has to play around with (around $3.2 million), a handful of serviceable big men enter the picture. The market for some of these guys appears pretty soft right now, meaning there's no logical excuse for Dumars whiffing on every single one of them. Here are five guys within both range and reason:

Glen Davis
Age: 23
Pros: Solid range on his jumper. Physical in paint. Good potential. Hard worker. Overachiever. Surprising athleticism.
Cons: Extremely emotional. Turnover prone. Not a double digit rebounder. Average defense. Slow feet.
Detroit's Interest Level: High
The Verdict: The Celtics have the ability to match any offer that Davis receives. Since they have more cap room left than Detroit, Boston can ultimately decide if we end up signing Davis or not. I'm not a big fan of him personally because I think his emotional outbursts are too much of a detriment, but Dumars is really high on this kid. It's hard to argue with a 23 year old power forward who can knock down 16 foot jumpers with regularity.

Drew Gooden
Age: 27
Pros: Good size. Above average rebounder. Can be a part-time center in right system. Outstanding free throw shooter. Will produce where he needs to if you give him the minutes.
Cons: Inconsistent. Injury prone. Lackluster jump shot. Probably has maxed out potential. Questionable work ethic.
Detroit's Interest Level: Moderate to High
The Verdict: Gooden has already been on six teams in his career, so there's gotta be something about him that screams "not a franchise player" to general managers once they meet him for the first time. He's a fairly interesting personality (ever heard of a duck-tail?), but you can't argue with his rebounding ability on the court. It's not a fluke that he's averaged nearly eight rebounds a night in his 510 game career. Gooden could platoon with Kwame Brown at center, which is much better alternative than Kwame Brown and Kwame Brown and center.

Chris Wilcox
Age: 26
Pros: Outstanding athleticism. Can play center. High field goal percentage. Solid potential. Mostly a dunk/alley-oop guy. Could be a good high energy off the bench.
Cons: Questionable defense. Raw offensively. Weak free throw shooter. Far from ideal decision-making. Not consistent enough production to be a starter.
Detroit's Interest Level: Moderate
The Verdict: Wilcox is my favorite player in this crop mostly because of his athleticism. He's not going to lock down Dwight Howard or anything, but he's got enough hops to make things hard for opposing big men on the defensive end of the court. Since Wilcox can also play center just about as well as he plays power forward, I think he's the most worthwhile signing of this entire bunch.

Ben Wallace
Age: 34
Pros: Still a dangerous shot-blocker. Already a fan favorite. Craft veteran with experience. Can always spot-start on the inside.
Cons: Has definitely lost a few steps. Pathetic free throw shooter. Offensive liability. Injury problems. Probably won't stick around past the season.
Detroit's Interest Level: Low
The Verdict: While Wallace himself has stated that he wants to return to Detroit, the Pistons don't appear interested in his services. Whatever the case, Wallace is a free agent big man and is at least worth a look, regardless of how quick it might be. Personally, I'm just not a big fan of bringing in a guy who's on the decline with the last of our free agent money. If Wilcox, Davis AND Gooden are all gone, then maybe Wallace deserves legit consideration, but only under those circumstances. Until then, I just don't see it happening with better options on the table.

Hakim Warrick
Age: 27
Pros: Can jump out of a gym. Improving shot blocker. Thrives in an up-tempo setting. Proven scorer. Occasional threat from behind the three point line. Exciting dunker.
Cons: Not strong on defense. Ugly assist to turnover ratio. More of a small forward than a power forward. Not much of a passer. Fairly inconsistent.
Detroit's Interest Level: Low
The Verdict: Considering that we need a guy who can step in and play center on occasion, Warrick is probably a player we should ignore. Maybe in a different year with a different roster I might support adding him, but there's no reason to stunt the development of our three rookie forwards by bringing Warrick to Detroit.