New Look Pistons

Yesterday I mentioned the Tigers will have little opportunity for roster overhaul. With no new faces and the bitter memory of the '09 season lingering, the '10 Tigers will be tough sell. Last year's Pistons had the same problem. They had the same faces, one year older. The team was coming off an ugly playoff series with the Celtics, and it looked like their window had closed. So Dumars traded Chauncey for Iverson and made the situation drastically worse. The '08-'09 season will go down in history as one of the absolute worst. Not so much because of their record (39-43) but because the lack of joy they exhibited on the court. The players could see it was the end-of-the-line and played like it.

The only benefit to the Billups trade was the extra money Dumars had in this offseason. He was busy. After the wheeling and dealing, only six players remained: Hamilton, Prince, Stuckey, Will Bynum, Kwame Brown, and Maxiell.

Somehow, Dumars pried Ben Gordon out of Chicago. It was shockingly easy. The Bulls believe their future is Derrick Rose. Yet, from an opponent's viewpoint, the Bulls best player was always Ben Gordon. Perhaps I overvalue him. Piston fans will get to see that Gordon is an elite talent. He could be an All-star this season.

Dumars also pulled in up-and-coming PF Charlie Villanueva, PF Chris Wilcox, and PF/C Ben Wallace. He drafted SF Austin Daye, SF DaJuan Summers, and SF Jonas Jerebko. See a trend here? The team is not balanced. Further complicating matters is the fact that the two best players (Hamilton and Gordon) play the same position. Add a rookie coach to the mix, and it could be a very long season.

Yet, with all the new faces, they've piqued my interest. These Pistons are much younger, faster, and play with an edge. Already, Jerebko and Daye got in fights, and this is only the exhibition season! Exhibitions in the NBA are somewhat more telling than other sports. The new guys will get the majority of minutes in the 2nd half, but the first half will be very similar to a regular season game. The effort is about the same.

From what I can tell so far, this team will turn the ball over. A lot. But they'll also hustle down rebounds. In two games, they've outrebounded their opponents 86-66. They've also got to find a spot for Will Bynum. With Hamilton, Stuckey, and Gordon as the key cogs in the guard rotation, where does Bynum fit in? He's the only true point guard on the roster, and he provides a Vinnie Johnson-esque burst of points off the bench. He's too good to not play. At one point, Coach Kuester used a 3-guard lineup with Bynum, Gordon, and Stuckey as SF. It worked. But it's still early.

With a team comprised mostly of 2s, 3s, and 4s, competition for minutes will be tight. My guess is the lineup will look like this:

PG: Stuckey, Bynum
SG: Hamilton, Gordon
SF: Tayshaun, Daye, Summers
PF: Villanueva, Wilcox, Maxiell
C: Big Ben, Kwame

Right now, Kwame is the starting center, but I'm betting that Ben will eventually win the job. He has enough in the tank to still impose his will defensively, and he's got the chemistry with Rip and Tay. Maxiell best be prepared to fill in at any of the 3, 4, or 5 spots. And Summers and Jerebko? You may be the odd men out.

Honestly, it was pretty sweet seeing Big Ben back in a Piston uniform.

For a less enthusiastic Piston preview, check out SI's article.