A nice overview of the roster, from the Detroit News <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Pistons start fresh Brown takes over a winning team with a changing roster By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News AUBURN HILLS -- You want to talk about history? You want to talk about the recent successes of the Pistons? About the back-to-back 50-victory seasons and Central Division titles? About getting to the Eastern Co.ference finals last season? OK, Larry Brown doesn't mind talking history. "I admire the heck out of what Rick Carlisle did here," said Brown, who replaced Carlisle as coach last spring. "But they lost 4-0 to New Jersey. Any way you look at it, they got swept out of the conference finals in the East and New Jersey got Alonzo Mourning this summer." With that, you get an idea about the sense of purpose Brown will bring to the table today as he opens his 27th professional training camp (34th overall) and first with the Pistons. Much has been made of the fact the Pistons represent the first time Brown has ever taken over a team with a winning record. But all Brown sees is a team that, though pretty good, has yet to reach its potential. "I look at this team and two starters are gone (Cliff Robinson and Michael Curry). Jon Barry, a key sub off the bench, is gone. I see some young guys and I see some veterans who weren't here last year (Elden Campbell, Bob Sura)," Brown said. "The fact that they won before doesn't mean a thing. This team is not the same." No, it's not. For one, it's a much younger team. The average age of the prospective starting five -- Ben Wallace, Mehmet Okur, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups -- is 25.6 years. It's also a much bigger team. Where the Pistons started 6-foot-8 Wallace and 6-10 Robinson last season, they now have the luxury of deploying any of four 7-footers (Okur, Campbell, Zeljko Rebraca and rookie Darko Milicic). Expect this team to rely less on the three-point shot. Expect it to run more, attack more in the open court, but still be a patient, selfless and efficient half-court team when the break isn't available. But the team won't be totally unfamiliar. The foundation is still its unrelenting, physical defense, anchored by two-time defensive Player of the Year Wallace. And it still has a wealth of depth and diversity of talent. But is all that enough to get this team to the next level -- to the NBA Finals? "I think we have a good mix of young people and old people," Brown said. "I think we have guys who are about the right things and want to play the game the right way. The way I see my job here is to help these guys be good, not just for this year, but for a long time. I think this is a neat opportunity." Rookies and players with three or fewer years' experience begin practicing today. The veterans report Thursday for physicals and media day. Full-roster practices begin Friday. Here are some of the story lines to keep an eye on throughout training camp: Install Larry Ball There is no secret to how Brown's teams play. He repeats the phrase so often, it's like a mantra: "All I ask is that we play the game the right way. I want us to play as a team, share the ball, play unselfishly, defend and rebound every night and respect the game." It's not all that different from the way the Pistons tried to play under Carlisle. In many ways, Carlisle patterned the Pistons in the mold of Brown's Sixers teams. But there are differences. The Pistons under Brown will apply more pressure farther up the court and take more chances on defense and look to push the ball more frequently on offense. That will be music to the ears of players such as Billups, Hamilton and Prince, who chafed under Carlisle's dogged insistence on running set plays virtually every possession. "Every team, every player wants to run," Brown said. "But it takes an unbelievable commitment in terms of conditioning, defending and rebounding. We're not talking about selective running. We want to do it all the time. For that to happen, we really have to get after it on the defensive end." Tapping into Tayshaun Brown hasn't had too many players with the diversity of skill that Prince brings to the table. He is 6-9, with a 7-2 wingspan. He sees the floor extremely well and is an above-average passer. Thus, though it is somewhat against his nature, Brown might use Prince in a point-forward role, allowing him to initiate the offense. "We will take some time to figure players out, but I think sometimes Chauncey needs to be off the ball," Brown said. "There's too much pressure on him sometimes, especially against the small, quicker guards. With Tayshaun, I love the fact that the kid can pass and he sees over people. I have been really impressed with him." Prince played the point-forward spot a lot during summer league and seemed comfortable. If he can handle the role, it would give the Pistons another dimension. Another issue with Prince, though, and perhaps just as important, will be his stamina and his ability to defend starting small forwards over the rigorous 82-game grind. In Curry and Robinson, the Pistons lost two of their best team defenders. Prince and Okur showed the ability to defend in stretches. Whether they can do it consistently over 82 games and against frontline players remains to be seen. Rotation roulette There won't be many position battles, but the ones that exist will be intense. Okur may be penciled in as the starting center, but Campbell has let it be known that he won't go to the bench without a fight. After essentially sitting out last season -- playing sparingly in New Orleans and Seattle -- Campbell, 35, said he is feeling as fresh and healthy as he has in a couple of years. Whether he starts or not, it is hard to imagine Campbell playing less than 25 minutes a night. In all probability, Brown will use an eight-man rotation. If so, then it is pretty much set -- Wallace, Okur, Prince, Hamilton, Billups, Campbell, Corliss Williamson and Sura. Sura is expected to back up both guard positions, but Chucky Atkins and Lindsey Hunter will fiercely contest for some minutes. The other question mark is Rebraca, who underwent a surgical procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. He is expected to begin working out with the team Friday. If he returns to the form he flashed briefly before the heart condition arose, he, too, will be hard to keep off the floor. Wither Darko? This training camp will be hell for rookie Darko Milicic. So much to learn (new language, Brown's system, NBA regimens), so much to adapt to (new culture) and, really, so little time. Fortunately, the Pistons have in place a great support team (led by assistant and fellow countryman Igor Kokoskov) and a roster full of talented and veteran big men that will enable Milicic to find his way at a slower, less pressurized pace. The Pistons have great expectations for Milicic -- but they are well down the road. The only things they are putting on his shoulders this season are to work hard every day, learn and develop. Whatever contributions they get from him in games will be a bonus. Looking for leadership With Curry and Robinson gone, there is a leadership void in the locker room. Gone are the veteran players who could act as a buffer and a conduit between the team and the coaching staff. Gone are the players who helped cool things when tempers got short, who had the clout and the respect to get into teammates' faces effectively when effort and concentration waned, and soothe the ego of a teammate run afoul of the coach. With Brown, a maddening perfectionist who can fray a player's patience with the best of them, such leadership is vital. President Joe Dumars has made no secret of who he believes can fill the void -- Billups and Wallace. Wallace, the face of the team, will lead on the court with his work ethic and relentless pursuit of success. Billups will be counted on to be more of a vocal leader. He has shown the capacity for the job -- putting the team on his back a couple of times in the playoffs last season. The real test will be how well he leads after he has played a poor game. </div> http://www.detnews.com/2003/pistons/0309/30/f03-285118.htm
