Terrico White dunks may be the most exciting thing Pistons fans see next season.
The NBA season is fast upon us, so its time for the Pick and Scroll to begin previewing each team. We're going to go in order from worst record to best. Yesterday we did the Sixers, now lets move on to Motown.
2009-10 Record: 27-55
Additions: Greg Monroe (Draft), Terrico White (Draft), Tracy McGrady (FA)
Subtractions: Kwame Brown, Chucky Atkins
Compared to the previous summer, the Pistons were rather conservative this offseason, with the only really new additions being from the draft. Tracy McGrady was the only important signing, and he signed a low risk 1 year contract.
The problem with the Pistons is that they have too much salary locked up into players that don't really fit into a rebuilding project and so far it seems that they have been averse to trading away some of these contracts. I'm convinced that the Pistons will need to do so in order to become competitive again. Tayshaun Prince's expiring deal will come off the books after this season which is good, but Rip Hamilton's wont for another two years, so dealing him would seem like a no-brainer. Villanueva and Gordon are both considered building blocks for Detroit's future, but their contracts are long and expensive.
Still, the Pistons have a couple nice pieces. Greg Monroe is a very talented big man who reminds me a bit of Lamar Odom and Spencer Hawes (more physically talented than Hawes, but not nearly the defender as Odom). He had some impressive moments in Summer League, so the future looks bright for him.
Jonas Jerebko of Sweden was one of the surprise rookies from last year, a scrappy forward who quickly became a fan favorite. I don't see him as ever being more than a great off the bench energy guy, but for a 2nd round pick thats perfect.
I'm a bit more bearish on the rest of Detroit's young talent. Rodney Stuckey has been pretty inefficient in his playing time, and his defense isn't that great either. Unlike another big point guard in Tyreke Evans, Stuckey isn't nearly as potent of an offensive threat, so defenses don't sag on him as much, giving him less opportunities to find open teammates.
Austin Daye is a player I thought was picked much too high in the draft last year, and I think it was because of his physical similarities to Tayshaun Prince. I doubt he ever becomes the defender or even scorer Prince was/is though. He needs to bulk up and be consistent, and Prince was able to learn quickly with all the mentors on those great Detroit teams of the early decade that were contending year in and year out. Daye has some of those mentors, but its not the same, as Detroit likely won't even sniff the playoffs for a while longer.
Re-signing Ben Wallace makes a bit of sense, as otherwise the Pistons wouldn't have had a center on the entire roster. He'll get to retire a Piston and hopefully make an impact on the defensive end along with Maxiell. His presence should help the growth of Monroe as well.
Tracy McGrady was the only real signing this year and I really don't get acquiring him, even if it was for pennies on the dollar. McGrady plays a position the Pistons are loaded at, and playing him will limit the playing time of young players like Daye, Jerebko, Summers or White. Even if he does break out and play like the McGrady of old, what then? Do you sign him to big money and further hurt your cap situation? It's not like he's going to take the Pistons over the top or anything.
The Pistons right now remind me of the Indiana Pacers of most of the last decade. They keep putting off that rebuild by signing marginal players and never being in the position to draft a potential star, and it ends up being a cycle of mediocrity. The Pistons need to blow it up completely to become relevant again in my opinion. Out with the old, in with the new. Otherwise it'll be a whole lot of "meh" for the next 5-10 years.
Projected Win Total: 30-35
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