PISTONS

The Detroit Pistons have won three championships in their NBA history and each of them was sweet in their own way. The 1989 Pistons squad surprised a lot of people by knocking off the Celtics before beating the western conference representative to win their first NBA championship. The 1990 team won the second consecutive championship for the city of Detroit and any of those players will tell you it was more difficult to win the second time than the first because everyone is gunning to knock you off of your platform. The last title in the franchise’s history came last year after the Pistons banded together to knock off the giants also known as the Los Angeles Lakers. Most of the “experts” in professional basketball expected the Pistons to come out fighting but be overmatched by the talent of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal but it turned out the Pistons could limit the damage done by the big two and stop everyone else. The Lakers didn’t stand a chance against the Pistons when they worked together and played as a team, and the Pistons championship run showed everyone that the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.

Larry Brown finally won his first NBA championship as a coach last season with the Pistons after successful runs in the ABA, NCAA, and with many other NBA teams. Brown’s attitude that teamwork and toughness can defeat any obstacle was on display for five unforgettable games against the Lakers. The team traded their first round pick from this year as part of the deal for Rasheed Wallace (a trade the team will say was well worth it now) and so with their only pick in the 2004 draft, the Pistons selected Rickey Paulding, a small forward out of Missouri, with the 54th pick overall. Paulding will likely back up Richard “Rip” Hamilton at the shooting guard spot and Tayshaun Prince at the small forward position. The team also could pick up Carlos Delfino, a first round choice from last year, from his European club sometime this season.

The Pistons starting five is one that could scare a lot of other teams in the East. The team lost Mehmut Okur and Corliss Williamson in the off-season but they were able to resign Rasheed Wallace and Darvin Ham and they also signed Antonio McDyess as a free agent out of Phoenix. The Pistons will open their season with Chauncey Billups at the point guard spot. Billups had played on numerous teams in recent years before settling into a spot in Detroit and eventually playing his way to the position of MVP of the NBA Finals over the Lakers. Richard Hamilton will start at the shooting guard position and Tayshaun Prince will start along side him at the three. Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace (no relation) will interchange at the power forward and center spots with Eldon Campbell, Antonio McDyess, and Darko Milicic each giving them some time off. The Pistons management took some heat for drafting Darko ahead of Carmelo Anthony who was taken a pick after him and many critics still wouldn’t give general manager Joe Dumars enough credit after his team won the title but Dumars will never say that he made the wrong decision and he still believes that Darko could be a force when he gains some muscle and basketball knowledge.
In 2004, the Pistons will move into the new and improved Central division against teams like the Indiana Pacers, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers lost some of their talent in the off-season when Carlos Boozer signed with Utah but they still have LeBron James and the Indiana Pacers are the team that the Pistons had to dethrone to advance to the NBA Finals last season. Jermaine O’Neal and company will be ready for the Pistons when they play each time next season. The Bulls are once again full of young talent and they had an excellent draft but it’s still a matter of turning that potential into a product on the court. The Bucks played well all last season and if they can avoid the injury bug, they’ll likely join Indiana in chasing the Detroit Pistons all next season.

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