Pioneer10

ANALYST	COMMENT
Greg Anthony ESPN.com	Nazr Mohammed will do a decent job filling in for the departed Ben Wallace -- he did the job for the Spurs the last time they won a title. Real question is postseason performance, and whether coach Flip Saunders can keep them fresh and focused. DIVISION RANK: 2 | CONFERENCE RANK: 2
Chris Broussard ESPN.com	Will win lots of games during the regular season in new finesse style of play, but Pistons just aren't good enough at that style to win big in the postseason. Loss of gritty, defensive identity (i.e. Ben Wallace) will cost them in playoffs. DIVISION RANK: 2 | CONFERENCE RANK: 2
Ric Bucher ESPN Mag	Rasheed Wallace defying Flip right off the bat hardly fills me with optimism, but no matter how much they might have declined, the Pistons won last year's division title by 14 games. The race should be closer, but I don't see a different outcome. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
Chad Ford ESPN.com	They won't come close to the 64 wins of last season, but they still might win the East. Nazr Mohammed is no Ben Wallace, but the rest of the Pistons' starting four is stellar, and the supporting cast is stronger now. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
John Hollinger ESPN.com	My pessimism is based on the premise that they would have dropped off even if Big Ben had stayed. I don't expect Chauncey Billups to play as well based on the "Fluke Rule," and maybe they'll even have an injury this year. DIVISION RANK: 3 | CONFERENCE RANK: 5
Scoop Jackson ESPN.com	They ain't the Tigers, but they used to be. Without the Benjamin, will the "other" Detroit team find that energy they used to get from him? Pop Joe chose Flip. Now Flip has to keep Dumars' genius status intact. DIVISION RANK: 2 | CONFERENCE RANK: 3
Tim Legler ESPN.com	Their demise has been greatly exaggerated. They still have the best starting five in basketball and will be playing with an edge to prove that their legacy will be more than just one title run. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
Jim O'Brien ESPN.com	If you think losing Ben Wallace will devastate this team, think again. They still have three All-Stars and Prince, and they won the East by 12 games last year. The home-court advantage is huge and they know how to win on the road. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
Chris Sheridan ESPN.com	Just as a year ago, we're overlooking them while trying to discover our new favorite flavor. They'll miss Ben Wallace on defense, but they have more than enough to win just as many without him as they did with him. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
Marc Stein ESPN.com	They won't be winning 64 games again, not without Big Ben, but there is still plenty here to win even the toughest division in basketball. I'll be surprised if they don't. DIVISION RANK: 1 | CONFERENCE RANK: 1
Average ranks	DIVISION: 1.5 | CONFERENCE: 1.8

A lot more at :
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailyd...oitPreview0607

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STUCKEY!

John Hollinger is a disgrace as a Analyst but overall this is better than I thought they would say. The only things that irks me is Hollinger saying Billups had a fluke year and how Broussard can say our defence will prevent us from winning in the post season. First how can u call a near 19/9 season a fluke! And since when in the past couple seasons defence stopped offensive teams from winning in the post season!!!!

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Brian

They seem about right. Detroit is a better all around team then last year. I like our chances in the East.

JoeD

I laugh when analysts say we're screwed without Ben.

We all know what they'd say if we still had Ben. They'd say we're screwed. They'd say we were done as that group that lost to Miami. There is always some reason to write us off.

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Amir Johnson will be better than Al Horford

Goubot

Projections of the Pistons seem to be either really optimistic or really pessimistic. I'd hesitate to call us better than last year, but it's not like we've completely fallen off the map, either. I tend to lean towards the more optimistic side. The Heat basically have to reserve Shaq's strength for the postseason, and everyone's a year older. To me, the Bulls have been a bit overrated and the Cavs are being slept on a bit (everyone they got in free agency last year had the worst year in the careers, I expect someone to bounce back), but I expect the Bulls, Cavs, and Pistons to compete for the tops of a stacked Central division.

Goubot

Kinda OT and a doublepost, but what's with Chris Sheridan using we in all his previews? Does he think he's royalty or something?

ChrisWoj

He's using "we" in addressing the media, of which he is a part. You'll notice that although he states "we" are overlooking them, he ranks them at the top, showing he is disagreeing with the group he is a part of, therefore he is not using it in the royal sense.


-Chris.

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DETROIT! Lets Restore the Roar!
We can all to that.
check.the.detroit.tigers.forum

Goubot

It's more funny/disturbing to think of it as the royal we, though. Oh well.