Detroit Pistons 2004/2005 season preview by Allnet The Detroit Pistons went into the off-season off the back of an NBA championship after defeating the L.A Lakers in 5 games in the NBA finals. They did so by playing tough hard nose defense making It impossible for superstar Kobe Bryant to get an open shot off, that same defense showed up all season more so after Acquiring Rasheed Wallace from Atlanta in a 3 way trade. Rasheed not only added much needed points on the offensive end but helped Detroit have the most feared frontline defense in the NBA. He became a completely new man in Detroit and got something he had tried over and over again in Portland, an NBA championship. Going into the off-season GM Joe Dumars had a tough situation on his hands. Trying to re-sign both Memhet Okur and Rasheed Wallace. Which proved to be a very tough task, Okur was offered 40 million over 6 years from the Pistons but got a better and bigger offer from the Jazz and signed a 6 year, 50 million deal in Salt Lake city. Re-signing Rasheed Wallace took a lot longer than many Piston fans had hoped. There were rumors all summer about where he would be heading, the main story was Rasheed being linked to the New York Knicks. They could not give anywhere near as much as the Pistons could but the big city and playing at MSG is very attractive to many players. Some articles through the media suggested Rasheed was set to leave Detroit after winning a championship to settle for NY's MLE which would only give Rasheed 4.9 million compared to 10 million a year he was going to be offered in Detroit. After weeks of guessing and hope, Rasheed Wallace finally agreed to return to the motor city. The deal was worth 57 million over 5 years which was more than fair enough for what Rasheed had brought to the Pistons even in half a season. He had made a sudden impact by turning Detroit from a very good eastern conference team to NBA champions. Joe Dumars next target was to get a big man replacement for Mehmet Okur. He needed a guy who could do the same kind of things inside and rebounding the basketball. In Antonio Mcdyess that is what he found. Dice the last 5 years has had many injury problems which has restricted him from playing a good amount of games. It wasn't that long ago that Mcdyess was putting up 20 and 10 in Denver. Even though people shouldn't and aren't expecting that with Detroit, he will be more than a good enough big man off the bench. You may say it was a bit of a risk signing him but as a backup who will likely play between 10-20 minutes a game, I would say that?s worth the risk. He can still give you 9 and 7 in limited minutes, still very good under the basket and can certainly rebound the ball consistently. Considering what lesser big man got this summer, getting him for 24 million over 4 years with a team option is very good. Another part of the off-season for Joe Dumars that he intended to do was sign last years draft pick Carlos Delfino and in which he did. Delfino had stayed in Europe this past year to be more NBA ready. He had a successful season in Italy and many expect him to be part of the rotation next year. Compared by many to Manu Ginobili, Delfino has all the tools to become a very good player in the NBA. He is fresh off taking Olympic gold in Athens so he brings a winning aptitude to the defending champions. He is a very good slasher and defender. Although he is a streaky shooter, that will come in time. He is after all only 22 years old. The Pistons next move in the off-season was to try and move Corliss Williamson's big contract and that?s when Joe Dumars came in contact with the Sixers. They were looking to move Derrick Coleman just as bad, his aptitude was very questionable after long time Sixers coach Larry Brown left town for Detroit last summer. Many say DC was a locker room cancer and refused to listen to the coaching staff. Therefore this trade was prefect for both teams. This move was made by Detroit to clear cap room and anything DC can add to the team next year is a bonus. There was talk that Dumars would waive Coleman, but it appears those talks are dead for now. DC loves Larry Brown and if any coach can get him back into the player he was a few years ago, Larry is the guy. He is also another big body to have inside, it helps now Shaq is in the east again. Corliss Williamson was great for Detroit over the years not only on the court but also off the floor. The work he did for the kids and is nice guy image really did make you like him as a person. He in his years with Detroit was always a spark off the bench, proof of that was winning the 6th man of the year award a few seasons back. But this past year he wore down and was a nightmare to watch in the post and on defense. Many times he threw the ball away while trying to back down his defender, blew at least 2 or 4 lay-ups a game and overall his game got worse as the season went on. His poor performances in the playoffs was another reason why he was moved. Now that Joe Dumars had done what he wanted to do since the end of game 5 of the NBA finals, re-signing Rasheed Wallace, signing Antonio Mcdyess and getting rid of Corliss Williamson's contract he needed to round his roster off with another back-up point guard, a guy who can add instant energy off the bench and a defensive minded small forward and that?s exactly what he did. Lindsey Hunter re-signing was never in doubt, he had interest from a few other teams including the Miami Heat, he decided to stay put and remain with the team he's always loved. His defensive abilities have allowed him to continue getting minutes and remain in the league. Although his shooting touch is not anywhere near as strong as it used to be, he is still one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. He will continue to back-up finals MVP Chauncey Billups this season. Ronald Dupree was signed as a guy who can come in and bring energy and a real spark to the game. He impressed in Chicago as a rookie in which he started in 8 games. Had a season high on 18 points against the Miami Heat, which proves he can certainly play. It remains to be seen how many minutes he will get but he is far from a scrub. Darvin Ham turned down a bigger offer from the New Orleans Hornets to return to Detroit for another season. His stats may not be great but he brings a lot of defensive energy to the game and really give even bigger guys a lot of problems in the post. He is also a very good and underrated dunker. If he has a clear look at the rim, you better get out of the way. Player Additions Rasheed Wallace Antonio McDyess Ronald Dupree Derrick Coleman Darvin Ham Lindsey Hunter Subtractions Mehmet Okur Corliss Williamson. Mike James Pistons Depth Chart PG-Chauncey Billups/Lindsey Hunter/Horace Jenkins SG-Richard Hamilton/Carlos Delfino/Lindsey Hunter SF-Tayshaun Prince/Darvin Ham/Ronald Dupree PF-Rasheed Wallace/Antonio Mcdyess/Derrick Coleman C-Ben Wallace/Elden Campbell/Darko Milicic Starting 5 Review Point Guard -Chauncey Billups is coming off an NBA finals MVP where he completely destroyed Lakers point guard Gary Payton and Derek Fisher. His driving ability and shooting touch makes him very dangerous to guard. He may be hot and cold at times but when he's on, forget about it...He is unguardable. Teams if they weren't aware of what he can do before, after watching the finals I'm sure they will know he is a key guy to stop. Shooting Guard -Richard Hamilton formerly known as "Rip" was the stand out performer in the playoffs. Many times carrying the Pistons offense on his own, averaging 21.5 points per game through the NBA playoffs, including averaging over 23 points per game in the conference finals against Indiana. Rip is a rising star and a true clutch performer. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him make the all-star team this year, he has tried to improve his range even further by adding a three-point shot. That he did do in the post season, connecting on nearly 40% from behind the arc. His stats don't do justice to what he brings to the Pistons team. Small Forward -Tayshaun Prince got everyone's attention in the 2003 NBA playoffs after the job he did covering superstars Tracy Mcgrady and Allen Iverson. His value increased when he held Kobe Bryant to 38% from the field in the NBA finals. His long arms caused problems for whomever he is guarding. He is basically impossible to shoot over with his height and length. He is the x-factor in the Pistons team, whenever he has a standout game the Pistons are pretty much impossible to beat. He is know for his defensive skills which should increase this year, he has the skills to not only become a great defensive player but a decent scorer and rebounder. Some say he will have a breakout year, if so, the rest of the league should be concerned. Power Forward -Rasheed Wallace had a sudden impact on the Pistons in the February trade and in that time he only played 22 games in Detroit. Now he has a full season to work his magic, after signing a 57 million deal he will be expected to bring the same to the table as he did that helped bring the NBA title to Detroit. He won't need to increase his scoring numbers to remain a big time player for the Pistons, he does things that don't show up on the box score. A truly talented player who plays very effectively on both ends of the court, which these days is quite rare to find. An all-star appearance is something many will expect but more importantly a trip back to the NBA finals. center -Ben Wallace the heart and sole of the Pistons team will again be strong as ever in the paint. Scaring players that get anywhere close to the rim and pulling down 12-14 rebounds a game. He will once again be the guy that gets the Pistons going and getting the crowd up and into the games. One thing many didn't expect from him was to become more of a offensive threat, his scoring average went up from 6 points per game to 9.5 a game. Which could easily of been over 10 had he not seen limited minutes to end the season due to the Pistons blowing teams out before half-time. A full season of Wallace X2? won't be easy for the rest of the NBA. season predictions A full season of Rasheed Wallace in the line-up will help big time, the Pistons ended the season very strong and rarely lost games during the regular season with him, they weren't just wins they were blowouts. There's no reason not to expect around 60 wins this year from Detroit, even though the east now has Shaq overall after Detroit, Indiana and Miami no one is anywhere close to the Pistons level. No disrespect to the Bobcats but that?s 4 easy wins alone waiting for them. Guys like Rip Hamilton are bound to improve and build on a very successful post season, Darko should show more than he did in his rookie season. Another year learning will only help his game develop quicker. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take some of Elden Campbell's minutes at center this year. Seeing how Antonio Mcdyess reacts and if he can stay injury free, how big an impact Carlos Delfino can make to the rotation and of course how improved Tayshaun Prince will turn out to be. My prediction is the Pistons returning to the finals to face the San Antonio Spurs who I truly believe are the team to beat out west. The addition of Brent Barry adds much needed three-point range and leadership to the roster. Along with the improve of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Lets not forget about the 2 time MVP Tim Duncan who will be strong as ever. That?s my season prediction but I fully expect Indiana to be a very tough team for the Pistons to get by and the only team who can stop them from returning to the NBA finals. Repeating as champions will be very tough but as long as you have great defense you will always be in the hunt.
Nice preview! The Pistons certainly are the team to beat this season. The three guys they lost averaged a total of 12 points and 6 rebounds per game in the playoffs, so they didn't have a lot of impact. The additions McDyess, Dupree and Coleman shouldn't have any problems to reach those numbers, if they stay healthy.
wow perfect...great preview and i cant if find a fualt that i can disagree on two thumbs up :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
only one thing i can disagree with: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He is also a very good and underrated dunker.</div> that's all darvin ham does! jk anyways, i really do think the Pistons have a shot at winning 60 this season, but it's going to be real tough. every team will bring their A game now, since the Pistons are the team to beat.
That's true, but right now we're not playing so well, which I'm not worried about because it's normal for a championship team to start off this way, plus we've had being the defending champs isn't our only problem, it's good that all this is happening now. We're learning how tough it is now, and I truly believe we'll go on a tear, later in the season, watch out for us, we'll have some unfinished business.
