FIO Preview: Detroit Pistons

2008-2009 Detroit Pistons season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - Dan Rossi Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly The Pistons were their usual dominant selves during the season in the Eastern Conference last year. Detroit made their sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals and was a No. 2 seed entering the playoffs. But as with most years, Detroit did not have enough push towards the end of the season to win the NBA title. Other than the teams title year in 2003-2004, the Pistons have struggled to get beyond that final round of the East playoffs in the last three years. After losing 4-2 to the eventual champion Boston Celtics, President Joe Dumars fired head coach Flip Saunders after winning 176 regular season games during his three years as coach. The move was expected, as Saunders could not get the team to the Finals, but it could be a sign of desperation. Of the talented group of four that has lead this Pistons run in the East over the last six years (Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince), only Prince is under the age of 30. That group appeared to be losing a step as the 76ers, who entered the playoffs with a losing record (40-42), were able to steal two games from Detroit in the first round. 2008 Draft Impact (None) The team selected D.J. White, but he is with the Thunder now, so no one from the 2008 Draft will be helping the Pistons this year. The team desperately needs size down front, as Rasheed Wallace is the only legitimate scoring threat. Wallace is beginning to slow down with age, and he is not a straight up back-to-the-basket player the team needs. The team recently signed Kwame Brown in hopes that the former No. 1 overall pick will turn things around in the Motor City (Hint: probably not if Phil Jackson could not make him good, what chance does Pistons coach Michael Curry have?). Off-Season Impact Moves The pick-up of Kwame Brown is strange and doesn't appear to be anything significant. The Pistons are hoping that new leadership under Curry will be a difference for the team this coming year. Flip Saunders has been known for being a regular season coach who flops in the playoffs ever since his days with Minnesota. Curry will have to find a way to get that extra push from his veterans if they make a seventh straight Conference Finals. Preview for the 2008-2009 Season Team MVP: Chauncy Billups, PG - Billups presence on the court has been huge for the Pistons since he joined the team in 2002 not coincidentally, that is when this string of Conference Finals appearances started. He hits big shots, runs the offense well, and was once called by Joe Dumars the greatest leader in Pistons history (now this should be a clear-cut sign to Billups that when his playing days are over, he should never coach the Knicks or this title will be taken away). The Pistons will go as far as Billups takes them. Breakout Player: Rodney Stuckey, G - No one really saw Stuckey as a great talent during the 2007 Draft except for Detroit, and his impressive rookie season and playoff campaign have him ready to contribute more this coming year. Stuckey appears to be one of those quietly rising stars for the Pistons, much like Billups, and soon everyone will know who he is. Bust Player: Kwame Brown, F/C - Yes, he hasn't played a game for Detroit yet, but hasn't Brown been a bust everywhere else? When a team is looking to Brown for help in the paint, then that team is going to have a long season. Every coach feels they can get the most out of formerly disregarded players, but no one should expect anything major out of Brown. Playoff Contender or Pretender? Though this team may be aging, they have still made the Conference Finals six years in a row, and other than Boston, which returns almost everyone from their title team, no team has the mix of leadership and experience like the Pistons do. Though it will be tough for them to make the Finals this year, as they have yet to address their issues in the paint (especially with Elton Brand heading over to the 76ers), it is hard to see Detroit not being a top seed in the East and a favorite to represent the conference in the Finals.