During the 2000’s The Detroit Pistons were a perennial title contender
in The National Basketball Association. From 2003-2008, The Pistons made
six consecutive trips to The Eastern Conference Finals which was
highlighted by a NBA Championship during the 2003-2004 season. In 2008,
Pistons general manager Joe Dumars decided that it was time for a
change. Dumars traded longtime point guard Chauncey Billups to The
Denver Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson. Since that time The
Pistons have only made one trip to The NBA Playoffs while they have
failed to record a winning season.
This season The Pistons are once again on pace for another losing
season, but for the fans in Motown, there appears to be some light at
the end of the tunnel. Dumars along with head coach Lawrence Frank are
building a team through The NBA Draft. In 2010, The Pistons used the
seventh overall pick on Georgetown University center Greg Monroe. Monroe
is currently leading the team in points per game (15.8) and rebounds
(9.3). In 2011, The Pistons used the eighth overall pick on University
of Kentucky guard Brandon Knight who is second on the team in scoring at
13.9 points per game and he leads the team in assists (4.5). Last
summer The Pistons used the ninth overall pick of The NBA Draft on
University of Connecticut big man Andre Drummond. Drummond is currently
averaging 7.6 points per game along with 7.7. rebounds. Drummond’s 1.7
block per game lead the team.
season, but for the fans in Motown, there appears to be some light at
the end of the tunnel. Dumars along with head coach Lawrence Frank are
building a team through The NBA Draft. In 2010, The Pistons used the
seventh overall pick on Georgetown University center Greg Monroe. Monroe
is currently leading the team in points per game (15.8) and rebounds
(9.3). In 2011, The Pistons used the eighth overall pick on University
of Kentucky guard Brandon Knight who is second on the team in scoring at
13.9 points per game and he leads the team in assists (4.5). Last
summer The Pistons used the ninth overall pick of The NBA Draft on
University of Connecticut big man Andre Drummond. Drummond is currently
averaging 7.6 points per game along with 7.7. rebounds. Drummond’s 1.7
block per game lead the team.
After last week’s three-team that sent longtime Pistons
swignman Tayshaun Prince to The Memphis Grizzlies, Dumars and Frank are
hoping that newly acquired guard Jose Calderon can provide a veteran
spark. Calderon had spent his entire career with The Toronto Raptors
where he averaged 10 points per game for his career. Calderon made his
debut for The Pistons tonight at Madison Square Garden against The New
York Knicks as he led Detroit with 15 points in a 99-85 loss, but he can
only be a piece to The Pistons puzzle.
swignman Tayshaun Prince to The Memphis Grizzlies, Dumars and Frank are
hoping that newly acquired guard Jose Calderon can provide a veteran
spark. Calderon had spent his entire career with The Toronto Raptors
where he averaged 10 points per game for his career. Calderon made his
debut for The Pistons tonight at Madison Square Garden against The New
York Knicks as he led Detroit with 15 points in a 99-85 loss, but he can
only be a piece to The Pistons puzzle.
Monroe brings a point-forward mentality to the game as he has
excellent ball-handling skills as he averages 3.2 assists per game which
is phenomenal for a player who is 6’11”. Drummond is only 19-years of
age and at 6’10”, he is talented but extremely raw at this point of his
career. Both players have tremendous upside as they both have the
potential to average double-doubles in points and rebounds for years to
come. As much as people are enamored by the point guard position, it
still doesn’t hurt to have a surplus of big men in the paint. Knight is
extremely athletic, but it wouldn’t hurt The Pistons to have a veteran
presence with him at the position. Current Golden State Warriors point
guard Jarrett Jack will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jack
is not starting for Golden State as that responsibility belongs to Steph
Curry, but The Warriors are currently tied for fifth in The NBA with
assists while The Pistons are 24th. The Pistons need an All-Star caliber
player to bring everything together for this young team. Current Denver
Nuggets swigman Andre Iguodala is in the last year of his contract and
with The Nuggets having point guard Ty Lawson as their top priority,
Iguodala could be saying farewell to The Rocky Mountains.
excellent ball-handling skills as he averages 3.2 assists per game which
is phenomenal for a player who is 6’11”. Drummond is only 19-years of
age and at 6’10”, he is talented but extremely raw at this point of his
career. Both players have tremendous upside as they both have the
potential to average double-doubles in points and rebounds for years to
come. As much as people are enamored by the point guard position, it
still doesn’t hurt to have a surplus of big men in the paint. Knight is
extremely athletic, but it wouldn’t hurt The Pistons to have a veteran
presence with him at the position. Current Golden State Warriors point
guard Jarrett Jack will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jack
is not starting for Golden State as that responsibility belongs to Steph
Curry, but The Warriors are currently tied for fifth in The NBA with
assists while The Pistons are 24th. The Pistons need an All-Star caliber
player to bring everything together for this young team. Current Denver
Nuggets swigman Andre Iguodala is in the last year of his contract and
with The Nuggets having point guard Ty Lawson as their top priority,
Iguodala could be saying farewell to The Rocky Mountains.
The Pistons are expected to have some cap flexibility this
summer as Calderon along with forward Charlie Villanueva will be free
agents. The kicker could be that Villanueva has a player option for next
season which counts as $8.5 million towards the salary cap. Dumars
could attempt to trade Villanueva and his expiring contract as those are
gold in The NBA.
summer as Calderon along with forward Charlie Villanueva will be free
agents. The kicker could be that Villanueva has a player option for next
season which counts as $8.5 million towards the salary cap. Dumars
could attempt to trade Villanueva and his expiring contract as those are
gold in The NBA.
If The Pistons are somehow able to make a run at Iguodala and
Jack, this team will be right back in the playoff conversation for years
to come. When Dumars first built a contender in the early 2000’s, he
did it with moves that went unnoticed. In 2000, big man Ben Wallace was
acquired from The Orlando Magic. Wallace went on to be dominant
rebounder as he led The NBA in the category from 2001-2003. In 2002,
Dumars signed Billups. That same year Dumars acquired a disgruntled
Richard Hamilton from The Washington Wizards. 2002 also saw Dumars used
the 23rd overall pick of The NBA Draft on Prince. By 2004, The Pistons
were ready to make their move after they acquired power forward Rasheed
Wallace just prior to the trade deadline from The Atlanta Hawks. Dumars
rolled snake eyes in 2009 when he signed Villanueva along with guard Ben
Gordon, but he appears to be back on the right track.
Jack, this team will be right back in the playoff conversation for years
to come. When Dumars first built a contender in the early 2000’s, he
did it with moves that went unnoticed. In 2000, big man Ben Wallace was
acquired from The Orlando Magic. Wallace went on to be dominant
rebounder as he led The NBA in the category from 2001-2003. In 2002,
Dumars signed Billups. That same year Dumars acquired a disgruntled
Richard Hamilton from The Washington Wizards. 2002 also saw Dumars used
the 23rd overall pick of The NBA Draft on Prince. By 2004, The Pistons
were ready to make their move after they acquired power forward Rasheed
Wallace just prior to the trade deadline from The Atlanta Hawks. Dumars
rolled snake eyes in 2009 when he signed Villanueva along with guard Ben
Gordon, but he appears to be back on the right track.
The Pistons currently hold a record of 18-31 as they are in
11th place in The Eastern Conference. The Pistons are 7 games behind The
Boston Celtics for the eighth and final playoff spot in The Eastern
Conference and they still could make a push down the stretch of the
season. The foundation is being set for The Pistons once again to
contend for years to come.
11th place in The Eastern Conference. The Pistons are 7 games behind The
Boston Celtics for the eighth and final playoff spot in The Eastern
Conference and they still could make a push down the stretch of the
season. The foundation is being set for The Pistons once again to
contend for years to come.
Source: Basketball-reference.com
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