Detroit Pistons Thread 2008-09

[Dtown]

Okay granted hope after three consecutive conference finals losses may be low, and the lack of any off season moves might have made it worse. But damn it we're the Second best team in the east till someone beats us!! Who's with me?!....*crickets*...well the topic's open for any Piston discussion regardless...deeeeetroit basketball?...*sulks*

[Lebron23]

The Detroit Pistons are still the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference, and i predict that this is the season that Rodney Stuckey will emerge as one of the top scorers of the Detroit Pistons. Chauncey, Rip and Sheed are still one of the best trio in the NBA, which means that the Pistons are still the team to beat next year.

Love to see another Cleveland and Detroit Series in the Playoffs.

[ricodgame]

Detroit Pistons Preview

Season Outlook:
Pistons fans may not like to hear this, but your favorite team is in danger of becoming the Atlanta Braves of the NBA.

You may know the Braves' story: 14 consecutive playoff appearances, a copious collection of Cy Young winners, gobs of Gold Glovers, an abundance of All-Stars but only one World Series win in a decade in a half to show for it.

That's frustrating to say the least. Pistons fans and Detroit's president of basketball operations Joe Dumars must feel the same way after seven consecutive 50-win seasons, an abundance of All-Stars (Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace), some hardware (former Pistons' Ben Wallace's four Defensive Player of the Year awards while a member of the Palace guard), two Finals appearances but only one NBA title to show for it.

Now, most franchises wouldn't complain about winning an NBA title (you think Dallas wants a re-do of 2006? You bet...), but Detroit's a tough town with a tough exec in Dumars. That could be the biggest difference between the two franchises. The Braves have stuck with one man -- Bobby Cox -- as manager for 18 years, where Michael Curry becomes the fourth Pistons coach in eight seasons.

After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight Playoffs, Dumars dismissed Flip Saunders, who had 176 wins and .715 winning percentage in the regular season, and had this to say about those All-Star stalwarts on the roster.

"I'm not going to sit here and make Flip the scapegoat," president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday. "Everybody is in play.

"There are no sacred cows here. You lose that sacred-cow status when you lose three straight years."


But if you look at the Pistons roster now, Dumars didn't mooooove any of those sacred cows, and he won't apologize to them or anyone else for floating the idea.

Still, what Dumars has on the Pistons roster is considerable talent and experience. Chauncey Billups will be solid and, on occasion, spectacular at the point. Richard Hamilton still comes off screens better than any player in the NBA and will wear his opponent down running off said picks. Tayshaun Prince will play lockdown D and come up with a huge block more often than not. Rasheed Wallace will provide his usual mix of crazy/brilliant/moody play. Antonio McDyess will provide 20 solid minutes and his eight points and eight boards. (Or not...).

That, and the young Zoo Crew featuring Rodney Stuckey, who may get extended minutes, Jason Maxiell, Arron Afflalo and Amir Johnson can provide quality minutes off the bench.

Yet, as great as consistency may be, Dumars expects excellence. Winning in the regular season may get you homecourt advantage in the playoffs, but if you can't use it to your advantage, what good does it do you?

Enter Curry, who had one season as Saunders' assistant before taking over the clipboard. Former teammate Jerry Stackhouse noted Curry was a coach on the floor.

"It was just a matter of time," Stackhouse said. "Everybody who knew Michael from his playing days knew this is where he would end up.

"He's going to do great for Detroit because he already has great rapport with those players, who will give him a different kind of respect because he played in the league."
If anything, Curry told Pistons.com's Keith Langlois that he considers himself a sponge when it comes to basketball knowledge. Curry also knows the learning curve will be small because he can trust those time-tested All-Stars, especially Billups, to make sure things go right.

The big question is: how will Curry react when things go wrong? That will be the truest test.

Until then, maybe a different voice will get the Pistons back to the Finals because Dumars has shown he won't accept more of the same.

-- Rob Peterson

Man on the spot:
Amir Johnson, are you ready to step into the Pistons starting lineup? I know you've been in the league for three seasons, played in 73 games and started none of them. But with McDyess more comfy coming off the pine, who else are they going to turn to at power forward?

Um, if you look at the Pistons roster, there isn't anyone else. It's been reported that you're getting every chance in training camp to fulfill every hoop dream a kid could dream of: starting in the NBA.

Not to worry, you'll have plenty of experience in that starting lineup from which to draw. You won't be required to do more than set picks, bang, board, hit the occasional open shot and provide a fresh set of legs for the greybeards, three of which have been to the conference finals each of the past six seasons.

Then again, your inexperience, if you do start, won't be an excuse:

"We expect more out of Amir Johnson. He's shown, at times, that he can be very good. But we want that from him consistently."

So, there it is. Good luck. You know the saying: it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Scouting Report:
- With the core of the team returning, especially Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace they have the best starting unit in the East – sorry Celtics fans.

- Their chemistry has always been a question because of the volatility of Wallace.

- Throw in a rookie coach with very limited coaching experience and it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

- Don’t look for anything dramatic to happen until a couple months into the season. If it falls apart it won’t happen until after the New Year.
-- NBA Scout

Source: www.nba.com

[Dtown]

I'm predicting a 50 plus win season, a central division title, and another conference finals appearance. In other words, the same damn thing. Really the Pistons as a team can't be remotely judged into the playoffs, and unless they make the finals it can't even be called a success.

[joesmoove059]

if Detroit won't be making any key changes for their team, I don't think they have a shot at the title, because other teams are greatly improving their lineup every season, and their key players[Billups, Sheed, Mcdyess, Rip] are slowly getting old, and starts to descend their game.
for now, I'm seeing a 45-50 win season from Detroit.

[Dtown]

News for the Pistons Amir Johnson is now the starting power forward. Looks like Curry is embracing the youth movement. The Piston's fate this year will rely on the young guys Maxiell, Stuckey, Afflalo, and Johnson of course.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081004/SPORTS0102/810040426/1127/rss13

[Khalid80]

News for the Pistons Amir Johnson is now the starting power forward. Looks like Curry is embracing the youth movement. The Piston's fate this year will rely on the young guys Maxiell, Stuckey, Afflalo, and Johnson of course.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...426/1127/rss13

Rodney Stuckey has great potential. That's for sure

[Dtown]

*bump with a vengeance*

Pistons after starting slow with Iverson have gone 3-0 on their California trip, and knocked off the Lakers giving LA their first loss of the season to go 7-2.

Unfortunately the East is f*cking strong so far this year, 7-2 is only good for second and is only a half game above the Hawks (?!) and only one game above the Knicks (????!!!!!!!)

[Khalid80]

*bump with a vengeance*

Pistons after starting slow with Iverson have gone 3-0 on their California trip, and knocked off the Lakers giving LA their first loss of the season to go 7-2.

Unfortunately the East is f*cking strong so far this year, 7-2 is only good for second and is only a half game above the Hawks (?!) and only one game above the Knicks (????!!!!!!!)

It's still early in the season. Boston is still the best team on paper in the East but now they're closely followed by Detroit and Cleveland. Atlanta has been playing sensational bball so far. I'm happy for the Knicks for once even though I despise them as a franchise.

[Dtown]

Great win over the Cavs tonight, Sheed and AI are making a very interesting tandem, hell anything that gets Sheed motivated is awesome.

[Blackie]

I always thought that when it came to the finals it was Detroit who ended up beating Detroit. Meaning : the all star calibur team would lose thier focus. With the addition of A.I., I hope to see him bring the shot of intensity necessary to get them to the finals again and motivate Detroit through it.

[Dtown]

Been a long dark month for the Pistons but they end December on a five game winning streak, and are finally looking like they're jelling. The one problem, most of it's been with Rip out.

So the question being posed is. Do you go back to the small lineup, or bring Rip or AI (honestly most likely Rip) off the bench like Ginobli in San Antonio? I'm thinking it would be for the best, provided it Rip accepts it.

[Blackie]

7 GAMES

[Blackie]

Stuckey, Prince, and AI do all the heavy lifting now. You need Wallace and Hamilton healthy and fast. If not everything from here on out is wishful thinking.

[Dtown]

Sheed said he could have gone yesterday if it were a playoff game, so it's a good chance he'll be back by the end of this road trip. Rip though is a question mark still.