As I stated in yesterday's blog, I don't think the
Pistons' acquisition of a fifth big man will have any
real impact on the playoffs.
So, there's no reason to get excited over the
impending re-acquisition of Theo Ratliff.
After working out a buyout with Minnesota and clearing
waivers, Ratliff will re-join the Pistons. But he
won't play much. Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson have
been too effective for Ratliff to cut into their
playing time.
The only scenarios where Ratliff will help is if
there's a frontcourt injury or if the Pistons face a
high-scoring big man in the playoffs (Dwight Howard,
Andrew Bynum, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire). In the
latter case, Flip Saunders might throw Ratliff in
there for a few minutes instead of Johnson because of
his defensive presence and strength.
Boston's impending acquisition of Sam Cassell in an
entirely different matter. Cassell could cause the
Pistons real trouble in a playoff game because of his
scoring ability. Even at his advanced age, Cassell is
still capable of dropping 20 points on anyone.
Of course, Cassell is also prone to taking silly shots
and doesn't defend well, not too mention that Rajan
Rondo might feel threatened by his presence. But, as
Joe Dumars says, it's never a bad thing to have too
many good players on your team.