Pistons Nation: bumping, again...

I got a little grief from a reader/colleague/friend who reminded me or at least insisted that there is no such thing as a 'Pistons Nation', like there is a 'Red Sox Nation' or whatever else people come up with, and i understand the sentiment, as it probably is a bit of a stretch, but let me start this post with the reason why someday, you may be able to justify the concept of a Pistons Nation:

there are lots of huge basketball personalities who have floated through the organization, though the arrival of Iverson is really the main catalyst behind that being a noticeable statement, there have been Isiah, Rodman, Salley, Dumars, Buddha, the Microwave, Laimbeer, Stackhouse, Webber, Billups, B. Wallace, (yes, i refuse to formally acknowledge G. Hill) and the current roster...again, without Iverson, that is barely an argument, with Iverson helping to produce an engaging run this year, it all becomes relevant...

Last nite was vintage DET, in its latest incarnation, and though it might just be a psychological edge that the Pistons own the Lakers, regardless of year or player personnel, to the extent that the Lakers really dont have to worry about that reality, at least not until the 2009 NBA Finals, it is still telling...couple that with a vintage Billups-orchestrated win against the Celts last nite, and it was great nite of hoops for the 'Pistons Nation'...

Let's not get carried away, as a bad loss against the Suns, or the always lurking possibility of a joint-Iverson/Raweed melt-down, would make the game last nite a distant memory, instantly...but, anytime you can biatch-slap to the two biggest biatches in the game in Kobe and Phil, its a good nite...

I also have a new thought since i want to be realistic in this political environment about the reality of Webber getting enough public support to overcome conventional wisdom, right now, and that is the most obvious thing i can think of, though i kind of dont want it to happen, yet:

is there any question in anyone's mind that the NBA Commissioner's position should be given to Joe Dumars?...i mean if the league had actual share-holders with a profit incentive responsibility, this would be no-brainer territory...in one move, he let Chauncey return to being the General that he is on his hometown team that was desperate for someone to help Carmelo grow, and he re-ignited the Pistons in to pretty much the only sensible pick of contender to the Celtics in the EC...like i said early, the Iverson-Billups trade is going to go down as possibly exhibit A in the proof of his basketball executive genius, even though a lot still needs to be done, throughout the year...

if we were trying to build this league to its true potential, Adam Silver may be allowed to be the league's attorney, i guess, but the mere suggestion that he is more qualified to be Commish than someone like Dumars would be grounds for removal from your position, wherever you were in the NBA hierarchy...

Dumars > Silver, every last day hoops is played...

Last nite, even in the face of ESPN myopic bias, was another one of those sporting moments that you remember, if you are a Pistons fan, and of course, it won't sustain throughout the year, as there will be bad losses, bad performances, blatant proof that even good basketball can be thwarted by rigged referees, and just the natural ebb-and-flow of the regular season...but, in back-to-back games, it became completely obvious that the whispered, though not confirmed, reality of a 'Pistons Nation' is forming...Billups and Iverson leading to two separate victories...

it was Joe demonstrating that his system is just ideal ground for allowing ridiculed players to re-build their career, as Kwame did last nite, against the team and the player (Kobe) that ran him out of town...it was another example of how much i like Carmelo as a team player, as he allowed Billups to run things, completely, and inserted himself when necessary, Carmelo is such a force, he actually sometimes gets me thinking about the unheard of concept that i might even sign him to a contract over LeBron if given the option...it was the diversity of the Pistons on display as both Rip and Amir were non-existent, even though they both will, of course be back...

it was, in short, the most recent example of why i love basketball...from Webber to Izzo to the Pistons to all team players throughout the league, this is the reason that i watch, even considering that its ultimately controlled by lawyers who have never played the game, and it is the reason i will keep watching, and hopefully writing, as there is so much promise that one day, we will take control of this sport, again, where it wont be an attorney-run league, but a player-run league...