a lot has been said following the busiest year in the NBA, after trading Billups, letting Rasheed and McDyess walk, re-signing Rip, getting Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva in free agent signings, and changing coaches, no team is under as much transition as the Pistons, and yet things look good, i am happy, i think Joe D. has done what needed to be done to keep me tuned in to games when there might not be a lot at stake yet, but the progress is under development, so i am looking forward to this year, so lets break it down:....
a. Stuck
after a break-out month, Stuck is still a work in progress, but a lot can be said for him, after coming out as the 15th pick, from the only small school in the first round, and expected to weather the fiasco that would be Iverson, all while learning how to be a starting NBA PG for a title contender, replacing a beloved player, and still exceeding expectations from the loftiest of prognosticators, i was slow to get on the Stuck train but i will stay here barring an injury....i like him, he is solid, and he gives the Pistons something that we have all known to be a missing piece of the team, as a slasher, which is a tough find, considering there are only a handful who are consistently good at it, like LBJ, Kobe, Wade, Ginobli, Paul, Turkoglu, and perhaps Paul Pierce...Stuck could be for real, and that would be just a bonus because we are still loaded at the other 2 guard positions....
b. Rip and Tay
the best combo in the NBA at the #2 and 3 positions, they play good defense, and score unselfishly, and have established themselves as the only two remaining pieces from the 2004 title, both are capable of single-handedly leading this team to wins, and Tay has the potential to really start to assert himself as a proven veteran with years to go, anyone who wants to trade either of these players has not been following closely enough, and any beat writer or other analyst who is not familiar with the Pistons on a regular basis just needs to suggest what would be better, what could you honestly get in a trade for either of them, that would be better than what they bring, because there is nothing out there, Joe should keep them, even if things look shaky early, because he needs the heritage than even Big Ben can't bring back....Rip and Tay are here for a reason through all the changes, if healthy, and if working on all cylinders, they can easily be considered as title contenders this year, thats how good the Pistons will be if the guards play....
c. BG and CV
Gordon and Charlie are good pick-ups and should be counted on for scoring where the Pistons needed help, and you can be assured that it will be better offense than what the Iverson-Rasheed tandem brought, all apologies to Rasheed fans, it was time for change, and i bet anyone who was talking about the offseason in May would not have felt as good about Villanueva as they do now, because we have huge upside and even mediocrity is a good thing, from one or both....if they both are disappointments, that is the only threat on the Pistons season, but if one steps up, the Pistons have four complete position players, if both BG and CV step up, the Pistons have to be considered at least a threat to win the East, its that simple....when all things go correctly this year it will be a thing of beauty, and if the letdowns are kept to a minimum, this could be much more than a re-loading year, this could be a deep playoff run team....
d. Coach Kuester
dont know much, i liked Curry, but trust Joe, so we will let this one play out....
e. Kwame, Wilcox, Ben
good enough right, no one was disappointed in Kwame last year, he did what was expected of him, but if he ever went double-double averages in the first half, there is no way that the Pistons are not in the top 3 in th EC come January, with Wilcox and Ben you have fillers, you have nice role players and feel good stories, which one is which will depend on a lot of games, but the front-court, while the only area where things are expected to be down, could be just good enough.....
f. final analysis
its going to be fun to watch the Pistons again, i could not turn on last year, mainly because of Iverson, but with Rasheed gone as well as McDyess, i feel easier about the mental make-up of this team, and the flow should coome out of that, so that there are easier baskets, more dunks, and more high flying playing, which is something that not a lot of NBA teams can do and win, perhaps Atlanta has proven something, but the Pistons have proven to be winners and if they can continue to win while playing the new style of offense, this could be a very interesting year, my vote is for a #5 seed, with a 2nd round exit, but this team has the pieces to be the #2 seed and go to the NBA Finals again after a multi-year absence....
with LBJ and the Cavs in flux, and the Celts playing slower, the Bulls without some firepower, the Magic without Turkoglu, and with all else besides the Hawks in transition, the Pistons are well positioned to surprise a lot of people, this is not the Red Wings coming back, this is a new team with a lot to prove still, but the challenge is doable, and i will be on board from the beginning, barring injury for any extended period of time for anyone mentioned, this is a solid team and a lot could go right this year.....
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