09-05-2008, 11:06 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Road To 15...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: My Own World - You're All Living In It
Age: 22
Posts: 22,267
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Detroit Pistons Summer Report Card
Quote:
Detroit Pistons
What went right:
They didn't panic.
How many of you thought Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace would be wearing a different uniform next season? Better question, how many of you didn't think they would? After Joe Dumars announced that the Pistons were open for business after the season, the speculation was that he would shake up the roster by dealing Billups and Wallace, thereby freeing space for youngsters Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell.
Dumars still might make some moves, but as it stands, the Pistons of 2008-09 look a lot like the ones that closed out 2007-08. And that's not a bad thing. Detroit is still one of the most talented and deepest teams in the league, and with free agency looming for Wallace at the end of '09, this group still has one more run left in it.
Kwame Brown can help them.
Yes, you read that right. Look, Brown will never live up to the expectations that come with being the top overall pick in the draft. At 26, that much is clear. But when healthy, he can be a strong backup at the center and power forward positions, and he will face zero pressure in Detroit as the second big man off the bench. Despite his history, Brown is still a career 7.5 points/5.7 rebounds player, and those aren't bad numbers for a guy who is expected to play 13-15 minutes per night. And under the tutelage of Wallace and Antonio McDyess, Brown may even develop some offense along the way.
What went wrong:
They hired Michael Curry.
I like Curry. Liked him as a player, liked him as a league executive, and liked him as an assistant coach. I even like him as a head coach...in a few years. But on a team with a window that is rapidly closing, hiring an inexperienced hand like Curry has to be questioned. The former president of the NBA Players Association certainly has the respect of his players, but this is a team that treats the regular season like an elongated exhibition schedule. Curry has one or maybe two seasons to win a championship before this roster is either blown up or ages too much. That's a lot of pressure to put on a rookie coach.
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ref=T1&eref=T1
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Detroit Pistons Summer Report Card
to that.
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