The Detroit Pistons has been the most dominant team in the Eastern Conference after the break of the millennium. Since the year 2000, the Motor City squad has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals 6 straight times (2002-08) and made it past the .500 winning mark for 7 straight seasons (2001-08). But all good things would come to an end. Entering the end of the decade, the Pistons are also entering rebuilding mode. The departure of Chauncey Billups has turned the Pistons fortune around as Allen Iverson didn't fit well into the team's system.
What's in store for the Pistons in the upcoming 2009-2010 season? With the departure of Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons are expected to take the back seat in the Eastern Conference and give way to Orlando, Cleveland, Boston, and Toronto. The Pistons are left with Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince as the only remnants of the 2004 championship winning team. Though still reliable, both Hamilton and Prince are not enough to lead Detroit back to serious playoffs and title contention. Hamilton led the Pistons with 18.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds a game for the 2008-09 season while Prince logged in 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.62 blocks a game in playing full 82 games last season.
Who did the Pistons lose? Apart from Wallace, Allen Iverson is gone. Iverson played 54 games for the Pistons last season and averaged 17.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game. Iverson struggled with the Pistons as he missed a total of 25 games. Though his numbers were decent, he was not a good fit for Detroit. Wallace on the other hand showed up on 66 games and averaged 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.30 blocks a game. In the playoffs, Wallace struggled averaging only 6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game while hitting 36.7% from the field. Wallace signed with the 2007-08 NBA champions Boston Celtics.
Who did the Pistons get? Detroit signed free agent Ben Gordon for $10M for the 2009-2010 season. Gordon, who played 5 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, averaged 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists and hit a decent .410 beyond the three-point arc in 82 regular season games for the Bulls last season. The 6'3 Gordon had a spectacular performance in the playoffs averaging 24.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 7 games against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. Though not known for his defense, Gordon can carry on the Pistons' hope of reviving the franchise. Apart from Gordon, the Pistons got power forward Charlie Villanueva. The 6'11, 24-year old Villanueva played for the Milwaukke Bucks for the 2008-09 season and averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.
The addition of Gordon and Villanueva gives the Pistons more youth and versatility. Gordon can take over as the Pistons' top scorer while Villanueva provides the team a good big man replacement for Rasheed Wallace. Along with Jason Maxiell and newly acquired Chris Wilcox, Villanueva gives the Pistons a solid and reputable inside presence. One key player for the Pistons for the 2009-2010 season is Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey has shown flashes of brilliance playing behind Chauncey Billups and Allen Iverson and is now Detroit's top point guard. At 6'3, Stuckey averaged 13.4 points and 4.9 assists in 79 games regular season games and 15.0 points and 5.3 assists in 4 games against Cleveland in the playoffs. The core of Hamilton, Prince, Gordon, Villanueva, and Stuckey gives Detroit a good mix of veteran experience and youthful energy.
Though they are not as good as Orlando, Cleveland, and Boston on paper, the Pistons can be the dark horses in the East. They can be good enough to give the Eastern Conference a surprise and teams a run for the season. Who knows, this could be a start for another Detroit run.