In Joe D I trust

When it comes to making personnel moves and building a basketball team, all I have to say is in Joe I trust - that is Joe Dumars

The decision to deal Darko to Orlando I think was a great decision. I was mad at first, especialyl after I heard the Pistons got someone (Kelvin Cato) who was barely going to play if at all and would more than likely get waved. But then after thinking about it, I see why it is potentially a great decision, like because:

A - Darkowasn't contributing much anyways and there was no way he would crack the Pistons lineup with Ben, Sheed, and McDyess all playing in the front court
B - if the starting five stays intact there is no guaranteed chance he would have even played next year
C - plus the Pistons get a first round pick either in 2o07 or 08 out of it
D - also it can help the Pistons lock up Ben and Chauncey to keep the starting five intact

As for right now, I think it was the right thing to do - the Pistons are on a team trying to win championships now - while their window of opportunity is still open and they are one of the top teams in the league. In essence they really won't be hurt this year by the loss of Darko. In the future he might come back to haunt them with some big nights and that is fine. Look at what Mehmet Okur is doing out in Utah.

The only bad thing about this trade was losing a backup point guard in Carlos Arroyo. He was one of those high energy guys and was always up on the bench cheering on his teammates even though he wanted badly to be in all the time. But in essence there is really no need to worry about Arroyo being gone as long as Dumars can find a back-up guard to play 10 to 15 minutes a night before the trading deadline on Feb. 23.

There are several guards i would love to see in a Pistons uniform, including

Speedy Claxton, New Orleans: his name has come up a lot and he was a part of the Spurs when they won the title in 2003. Hes averaging 12 points per game off the bench for the Hornets this year

Mike James, Toronto: He came to the Pistons in 2004 in the deal when they got Sheed and was a key component off the bench of the championship team

Chucky Atkins, Memphis: highly unlikely since he recently joined the Grizzlies but it would be awesome to have his scoring off the bench

Mainly I hope Dumars can acquire a backup guard of some type because I dont think Hunter can hold up for a long time, especially if Chauncey Billups was to get hurt. And also Alex Acker is a rookie and probably not ready to make a big impact on a championship caliber team.

But in essence, I think Dumars has a good mind and will do what is necessary for the Pistons so they can remain in position to win. I might not have liked him picking Darko over Carmelo back in that 2003 draft, or when he traded away Grant Hill or Jerry Stackhouse but hes taken risks and has assembled the best team in the league. So its hard to fault the decisions he makes

While I'm talking about the Pistons, it will be nice to see four Pistons in the All-Star game on Sunday and will be great to see them enter the game at the same time. I'm definitely looking forward to the All Star game this year for sure. And its also cool that Billups is in the 3-point contest