What does the future hold for Pistons forward Jason Maxiell?

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With a late first round pick at his disposal back in 2005, Detroit general manager Joe Dumars had to make a difficult decision between Kansas' Wayne Simien, Florida's David Lee, LSU's Brandon Bass and Cincinnati's Jason Maxiell.

Simien, the Big-12 Player of the Year as a senior, was viewed as a boom or bust type by scouts. His injury history was extensive, but most assumed the risk was easily worth it with the 26th overall pick. He was a proven scorer and checked in as the top ranked power forward still on the board. ESPN.com said this about Simein:

May be the most NBA-ready power forward in the draft, but a relative lack of size and athletic ability, coupled with a history of injuries, is hurting his stock. It's doubtful he'd slip past the Rockets at 23.

Lee, a borderline first round talent, was being looked at as more of a combo forward at the time. His athleticism impressed everybody he worked out for, but there were concerns over whether he had already maxed out his potential at the college level. Still, his rebounding ability and upside warranted a long look for all teams in the late 20's. DraftExpress.com said this about Lee:

Many would say that he was not utilized correctly in college....needs work on becoming a more complete player and to rely less on his athleticism. Lee doesn't have star potential, but he could very well become a serviceable player in the league...

Bass, a hotshot recruit who helped instigate the current one-and-done trend, had plenty of question marks about his game coming out of LSU. He was a good shooter with a developing low post game, despite being a tad undersized and never really looking fluid with the ball in his hands. The talent was clearly there, but Bass had never even come close to realizing it. ESPN.com said this about Bass:

Bass has a lot of talent. Were he three inches taller, he'd have a great shot at the lottery. But his lack of size and maturity probably mean that he made a major mistake by bolting LSU so soon.

Maxiell, a hard-working forward from the University of Cincinnati, was the underdog of the group. He was a tenacious player in his four years of college, despite having the size of small forward and the game of a center. Most scouts figured Maxiell could find a role somewhere due to his work ethic, but it was nearly unanimous that he wasn't NBA starting material. DraftExpress.com said this about Maxiell:

A 2nd round prospect at best. Will likely have to have a fantastic summer to find himself on an NBA roster.....It's my personal opinion that his game is better suited for Europe....

So if you could go back in time, who would you have drafted here? Lee? Bass? Of course we know that Dumars ended up selecting Maxiell, but this just goes to show how important this pick would prove to be five years down the road. It's hard to believe three of these guys have found a high level of success in the league, while Simien, the most highly touted, actually retired from professional basketball this spring.

The Pistons narrowly missed out on signing a much improved version of the Bass we let slide five years ago, as he opted to sign with Orlando at the last minute. Lee also hit the free agent market this summer, but he's still just sitting around, waiting for somebody to hand deliver a multi-year contract. Our guy, Maxiell, was just re-signed to a four year, $20 million deal last October ($500,000 more per season than Bass). But where does he even fit into Detroit's long-term plans? The answer to that question used to be so clear a couple of seasons ago, but now I'm not so sure.

Maxiell was viewed as the future of the power forward position from the time we selected him ('05) until as recent as last year (08-09). But Detroit's signing of Charlie Villanueva essentially cemented Maxiell to the bench for at least another full season, and $20 million is a heck of a lot of money to pay somebody who only plays 22-24 minutes a night. So where in the world does Maxiell even fit on this team? He's definitely not our sixth man (Ben Gordon will likely take that role). There are also three rookie forwards (Jerebko, Summers and Daye) who are just as big as Maxiell and each one is firmly entrenched in our future plans. I keep getting the feeling that Maxiell is the odd man out in this equation.

The main reason Maxiell is even going to see extended time this year is because he represents depth on the inside. The once popular idea of him as a starting power forward seems to have sailed away quietly into the night. It's just too hard for 6'7" guy to match up against the likes of Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett on the inside for 35 minutes. Even when Maxiell is on the court, he usually needs a taller center to play alongside of him. Dumars must have realized this at some point over the past year or two. There's a reason that undersized power forwards almost always slide on draft night. Look at every single one of Detroit's options back in '05. Each guy was listed at 6'9" or smaller, and size was certainly a red flag for every single one of them.

Pistons fans have plenty of reasons for enjoying Maxiell's presence and the way he plays the game, but I can't see him sticking around the Motor City much longer. It's painfully obvious that Detroit needs a new center, and Maxiell is one of the most expendable pieces of our roster. If we make any sort of trade during the year for a post player, I can't see how Maxiell wouldn't be included. It also can't hurt to rid ourselves of his contract in an effort to save more money for the 2010 free agent class; a time when we could seriously pursue even more size. Make sure to enjoy Maxiell's power dunking as much as possible this fall, because I'm not so sure he'll be around to keep us entertained much longer.