Just before the deadline we’ve locked up the OH-BEAST! through the 2012 season.

AUBURN HILLS — He took it nearly to the wire, but Jason Maxiell on Thursday accepted a contract extension that will keep the power forward with the Pistons through 2012.

Final language was being worked out Thursday afternoon between Pistons president Joe Dumars and Maxiell’s agent Richard Katz, but the two sides have agreed on a deal for four years at $20 million - Det News

That’s right Pistons Nation, no RFA for Maxy.  He’s getting more than the reported 3yr / $15 mil deal we originally heard about so that must make him and his agent happy. Glad to see someone’s making the cheddar in this flumped up economy.  I bet Joe threw in a few lightly seasoned new born babies to sweeten the pot.

Jason Maxiell’s agent, Richard Katz, says his client will not be signing an extension with the Pistons by the Oct. 31st dealine and will become a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Maxiell still wants to be a Piston, just one with a contract richer than the 3 year 15 million offered by Detroit.

The 2008-09 season will be an opportunity for Maxiell to earn a bigger payday with his play, which should still be good for the Pistons.  And remember, the Pistons will have a chance to match any offer made to Maxiell by other teams.  Let’s just hope for our sake no team goes overboard with their offer.  Maxiell will also have competition this summer from similar type players.

MLive: Pistons’ Maxiell to become restricted free agent

Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Detroit has offered the 6-foot-7 forward a three-year, $15 million deal with a team option for a fourth season.

Maxiell is one of a handful of players from the 2005 draft class to be offered a contract extension. -via mlive

The deal deadline is rapidly approaching, October 31st.  If a deal doesn’t get done Maxy will make 1.87 mill this season per his current deal.  Since Maxiell is a restricted free agent the Pistons could match any team’s offer to keep Jason this summer.

As BDD posted this morning, it’s not going to take training camp to determine that Antonio McDyess won’t be the starting power forward for the Pistons this season.  Dice will help anchor the second unit which he’s made no secret is where he’s more comfortable and productive.

Among the other subjects he touched on, he confirmed what we’ve been suggesting for the past month – that Antonio McDyess will go back to the bench to give more scoring punch to the second unit and better utilize McDyess’ talents. - via: True Blue Pistons

Even though I believe Antonio was the best option for the starting PF slot it was pretty much by default.  I’m also big on “comfort zones” and if Dice believes he’s a better utilized as a 6th man then that’s what he should be.

It’ll be addition by subtraction.  Dice is a greater addition to the second unit then he is a loss to the starting five.  Antonio and Stuck will make a very formidable second wave tandem.

So who will be starting at the four?  Well, if you checked out the Detroit News this morning Chris McCosky is saying the Amir Johnson era is getting a push:

He (Curry) hopes to use a five-man frontcourt rotation. Amir Johnson, it appears, is going to get every opportunity to win the starting spot alongside Wallace. McDyess will be the first big man off the bench, with Brown and Jason Maxiell getting regular minutes — Brown getting more minutes against bigger teams and Maxiell against smaller, more athletic teams.

Like Matt over at DBB I’m figuring if it’s not Dice, It’s Maxiell.  Nope.  Looks like Amir is going to be baptized.  So it makes even more sense when Curry says for the team’s sake Sheed needs to be in shape and on the blocks.  If he’s going to roam it’s going to leave Amir exposed down low.



That’s a pretty intriguing second unit of Stuckey & Afflalo in the backcourt, Maxy and Dice up front and Kwame in the middle.  Not bad.

AUBURN HILLS — The Pistons open training camp in 13 days, and for the first time in several years, the camp will feature an honest-to-goodness battle for one of the five starting positions.

First-year coach Michael Curry will give Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown a legitimate and fair shot at unseating veteran Antonio McDyess as the starting power forward-center opposite Rasheed Wallace.

“We are looking at how we can inject our young guys into the rotation more, giving them a solid role and still get the most out of our veteran guys and be as efficient as possible,” Curry said. “One of the things we are looking at is having ‘Dyess go back to his role of coming off the bench.”

To be clear, Curry is in no way suggesting McDyess doesn’t deserve to maintain his starting spot. Quite the opposite.

“Whoever wins that starting spot won’t necessarily be the best player,” Curry said. “I think it’s hands-down that McDyess is our second-best post player behind Rasheed. But who we end up starting will be the player who gives us the best balance.”
(via: Detroit News)

I’m kind of torn with this one.  Although I’ve campaigned for Maxiell to start I’m beginning to wonder if that’s the right move.  It would depend on what kind of mood Rasheed was in in any particular game.  If Sheed wants to roam then we’ll lack post presence.  Maxy has developed a nice touch around the rim, but I just don’t see him being a post up threat.  I think he’s perfect coming off the bench with his hustle and energy.  He brings that “no letting up” mentality which we need.

I’d love to see Amir starting but where we left off last year would lead one to believe he’s still not ready.  Although, it does sound like he’ll have an equal chance to show what he’s got when camp opens.

Until further notice Kwame Brown is still Kwame Brown and I don’t think (aside from size) there’s too many of us in Pistons Nation pining for Kwam to be bumped up to the front line.

That leaves Dice as the #1 option still.  He’s older and he’s made no bones about his comfort zone being more in a 6th man capacity, but he still seems like the best option.  He will just have to work on getting into his rythm from the outset and not waiting to see how the game is shaping up.

There’s also the option of PF by commitee?

If nothing else it’s exciting to have abit of uncertainty in the starting five for the first time since about the late 1700’s.

(Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

It would seem that the OH-BEAST, Jason Maxiell (6′7″), is determined to deny Kevin Garnett (6′11″) Free Chili every chance possible. Here’s three great baby munching blocks for Pistons fans to enjoy!

Continue Reading »

The question was posed in the message forum about who’s going to have the better NBA career when it’s all said and done, Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson?

It’s fun to debate, but the greater treat is envisioning them in the same front court as a two-headed monster holding down the Palace for years to come. Plus, if Cheikh bulks up and develops…yeah, it could be pretty special. If/when that does happen it’ll also be another feather in Joe’s cap, grabbing his future’s front court in the same draft! (The same might be said about his future backcourt but that can be another Joe D. praising post. Darko who?)

For the sake of debate this is how I see it. If you had to give the nod to either player it’d have to be J-Max. He’s got a more well rounded game as we speak. He’s been the more fast tracked of the two due to him being the more ready of the two.

Maxy, or the OH-BEAST as I call him (pas it on), has really been impressing us lately with his shooting touch. We love it when he attempts to rip the rim off the backboard on his dunks but for him to be able to step back and nail the 15 footer has to give you warm fuzzies about the future of the front court.

Sure Max is undersized at 6′7″, but so was Charles Barkley who listed at 6′6″. I’d say things worked out pretty well for Sir Charles. I bring up Barkley because he and Max came into the league with similar type games. Both very explosive around the rim and great rebounders. They both neutralized their lack of height with timing, length, and scary leaping ability.

Barkley added a nice jump shot over the years to his arsenal and was able to parlay that into a league MVP in 1993. I’m not going so far as to say that Maxiell hitting from inside the arc consistently equals league MVP, but it’ll damn sure make him and the team more dynamic harder to stop.

As for Amir. Continue Reading »

Here’s a couple YouTubes from the Chicago game.

Jason Maxiell’s attempted manslaughter on Aaron Gray

Tayshaun dunking all over Drew Gooden’s beard

With the way J-Max has been playing I wanted to throw this catch phrase out there JASON MAXIELL IS OH-BEAST! I’m a fan of him eating babies, Mighty Max is taken, Maxey is fun but… OH-BEAST! sums it up perfectly. The dude is a bruiser and he’s making fans everywhere sit up and take notice as he assaults the goal leaving multiple contusions on rims leaguewide. It’s not just enough to say his game is phat anymore, it’s OH-BEAST! people.

Antonio McDyess just seems to be out of his comfort zone as a starter. He came here to be the sixth man and has always contested that he much rather play on the second unit. Remember his take from Media Day on his new starter role?

“I don’t think I really had a choice, to be honest,” McDyess said, with his usual chuckle. “Joe (Dumars) talked to me about it and said he wanted me to start. There wasn’t anything I could really have said about it. I know they want the five best players on the court to start; they feel that’s the best way to help the team and I feel the same way. If me starting helps get us to where we want to be, then I am willing.”

McDyess, 33, hasn’t started since the 2001-02 season. He admits having some anxiety about it.

“I have to get myself in a different mental state,” McDyess said. “I am so used to coming off the bench. I had pretty much prepared myself that I would be coming off the bench the rest of my career. I guess I am going to have to go out and set the tone instead of watching how the tone is set. I just have to restart my motor.”

That doesn’t sound like a guy gun-ho on starting. It sounds like a guy who feels he can best contribute as the team’s sixth man.

He’s averaging 6.8 points a game through the first 4 games which includes a couple of 4 point performances. Last season he averaged 8.1 ppg while getting almost 7 less minutes a game. He’s just not being as aggressive attempting 6 or fewer shots in 3 out of the 4 games played. McDyess has also only been to the free throw line in one game.

Why not let McDyess come off the bench and start Maxiell? What better way to commit to a youth movement than to have one of our young high energy guys right there in the first five. Unleash the beast right from the outset. I envision Maxy out there mixing it up and getting the opposition in foul trouble with his relentless assualts on the rim. He’s also gives you another finisher in the transition game.

It’s a smaller line up, I know. McDyess is much better on the defensive boards and that’s been one bright spot for him so far averaging 7.25 rpg. Defensive rebounds are something Maxiell would really have to commit to, but I get the impression that Jason Maxiell doesn’t have a problem with working on his game. We are talking about the guy who volunteered to play on the summer league team.

This is not a reaction to just to the loss to Chicago, more a cumulative observation to each of the first four games. To me it just makes sense for the Pistons and at some point would be worth looking into.