Happier Times
Apparently, the rest of the country was sick of the Pistons. After years of predicting the team to fail, the Pistons finally complied last year. Now, it's open season.
If I were to judge the Pistons franchise based on current public sentiment, I'd think they were on par with the Golden State Warriors or LA Clippers... not a team two years removed from their 6th consecutive trip to the Conference Finals. Between 2001 and 2008, the Pistons averaged a 55-27 record. That's a .670 winning percentage! For seven straight seasons!
The GM during that remarkable run was Joe Dumars - the "24th best GM in the NBA". The Pistons are one of only seven teams to win the NBA Championship since 1983. The franchise has three total. The other six championship teams are Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Rockets, Bulls, and Heat. They've hoarded the past 28 championships! Yet, oddly, as a franchise, the Pistons rank no better than the Suns, 76ers, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Pacers, Jazz, and Thunder (?!?!).
I have no doubt that the national pundits would see things differently if this was 2007. They could not deny the Pistons' strength and history. Now, however, with the team on the heels of a lottery season, it's time to pile on. They ignore the team's glorious past, the attendance records, the All-star players. They're simply the team that plays ugly basketball. Can't score. Darko. I've heard Mateen Cleaves name brought up more this past year than ever before. Sure, Cleaves was a bust, but Dumars also deserves credit for unearthing 2nd rounder-now-All-star Mehmet Okur.
People in Detroit are sensitive. It's our plight to be the butt of the joke. But don't disrespect our Pistons. They've proven to be one of the best organizations in the NBA for decades. And they'll be back.
Yesterday, 97.1 the ticket was laughing at Dumars' lack of activity this offseason. Nobody wants to trade with him. No players want to come here. That may be entirely true. Yet, didn't we all know that the Pistons would not make a move until late in the summer at the earliest? Their best bet was to wait until the main free agents signed and then see which teams were left wanting. Dumars will make a significant move. Of course, I thought he'd trade Rip last season, and that didn't happen. But he's got to move a shooting guard, and he knows it. My guess is that teams may be more interested in Ben Gordon. With the prices paid mediocre athletes this offseason, Gordon's contract is much easier to stomach. Everyone assumes Rip will be gone, but my guess is that Gordon is just as likely.
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