one week

all this preseason talk has the Pistons fan base seeing things that make this team a below .500 team for the regular season, and there is nothing i see that makes me think this is going to be the case, but here are the things that need to come together, in order for the Pistons to play playoff basketball throughout the year which is what is going to be required in the very deep NBA, every night will be a challenge, so this is what we need:

CV31 needs to play well.....he can go either direction, he could be a nice addition or he could be the difference maker that he is built for, there has not been as exciting an acquisition in Pistons Nation since the Aguirre trade, Rasheed aside, and he brings a lot to the table that will make teams have to scheme against the Pistons, namely because there is a 6'11 guy on the court who can do anything to score and should be a decent shotblocker when given the opportunity, but if he is draining his shots, getting dunks, and then running the break, we have a team, if not, well, then it could be a totally different team, but i think it is going to be a fun year of watching the Stones.....

Gordon and Rip need to score a lot, and that means allowing Stuckey and Tayshaun to play their positions, without having to pick up too much slack, because if Gordon and Rip are putting points in it will just free up a lot of pressure and make the offense go, i am looking for them to complement each other if you believe the pundits this is not possible, and Rip will have to be traded, but i see good things coming from not having to rely on Gordon every night, let him do his thing when he is on, and let Rip get his shot attempts when he is in, Stuck needs to get the ball to him on the wing more than the top of the key, Rip does his damage inside the 3-point line and that should mean a spread offense so Rip can also get the ball to CV31 as the clock winds down....

Kwame and Tay need to play solid defense, which is to be expected from both of them, but with so much offensive talent, it will be on their shoulders to put the line-of sand where no teams can exploit the Pistons propensity to score, and run the break, so Kwame will have to clear the boards, and execute the outlet pass to get the break going, like Webber used to do and then follow-down the court, Tay needs to get offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive, and everyone needs to match up to defend against easy baskets in the up-tempo offensive gameplan....

wilcox, daye, and bynum need to play a role and not let downswings become mainstays of their game, they need to contribute solidly regularly, and Kuester needs to trust his team to work through kinks, and not listen to the deafening naysayers who have it in their head that this is a bad team relative to the rest of the NBA,

like i see it no one wants to match up with the Pistons, because how to do that is not clear, its all about matchups but the Pistons match-up with anyone including Boston and the Lakers, there is a good chance this team will make the playoffs and no one will want to play the Pistons, if they are healthy, because if healthy and if the things i mentioned above do come to fruition, then there will be no more exciting team for me to watch, i am optimistic but i think its well-founded based on where this team will go, were it not for the debacle last year, there would be more fans on board with the program, i warned against that in a blog last year,

this year i dont have the same reservations, i like this team, and could see them contending for the EC title in the regular season, and if that happens good things are going to happen to this franchise, that needs to get back on top, all things considered....

pistons @ VanAndel

i went tonight, with the father, had some dinner at the Bob, and headed over to the game, it was good and now after processing it with some time, i have this to say about the team, as i saw it tonight.....

first, this team goes as far as Stuckey allows it, if he is on, there is not a better NBA team than the Detroit Pistons, that is my call, if he makes it this team will not lose and will win the Championship, thats how good he is, and how important he is to the team, i like the guy, and wish him the best, but it is a tall order to come in to the league and be an all-star out of nowhere, but its his to lose, he will have to assume final takes, and he will have to run the break, and adapt to Gordon and Villanueva, but from what i can see, he can do all this, and the Pistons will win another title because of it.....

Kwame is good: he does everything you want from him, and stays out of the way of wing-styled offense around Rip, Tay, and CV31, and he will be the perfect compliment to the best starting five in basketball, and with him in the middle, no one messes with the Pistons, the guy is huge, and a good guy so no one is messing in the middle....

Gordon is for real, he plays hard and is a good enough defender for the investment, Joe made a good move in getting him, i like his style, i like that he held out for the money and got it, and then does not go out and tank, and he plays hard i like him, i think this could be just the right environment to exploit his Vinnie-like attributes and he could start if there were to be a temporary injury to Stuck, Rip, or even Tay, hes that good, and him and Stuckey playing together is scary....

Rip and Tay are still solid, you would not be able to give me equal trade value for their roles on this team, in the starting five, as captains, and the people who you look to as role models for the youngsters, Kwame, and CV31, you keep them, end of discussion.....

bynum is good, daye looks for real, and wilcox plays a role along with Ben Wallace, so the bench is solid, i like this team, i really am looking to see how CV31 jells, but he looks to be a baller, so i am not worried, and i expect big things from the Pistons.....