| Pistons Ready to Serve Heat Another Warm Slice of Humble Pie Authored by James Morisette - September 1, 2005 - 9:05 am
While NBA teams like the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Memphis Grizzlies wheeled and dealed this summer to add superstar names to their respective rosters, the Detroit Pistons, under the direction of Bill Davidson, Joe Dumars and John Hammond; – in their usual humble, vigilant, and persistent manner – quietly addressed a few problems that ultimately led to the team’s series loss to the San Antonio Spurs during last seasons NBA Finals.
The march towards the 2005-2006 NBA championship battle began with the NBA Draft in New York City in June. Joe Dumars’ overall mission going into the draft was to select players that would fit nicely into the Pistons hard-hat wearing, lunch-pale carrying, ceaselessly laboring mold. It seems, at least so far, that Mr. Dumars accomplished his mission.
With the 26th pick, the Pistons selected Cincinnati Bearcat Center Jason Maxiell. This 6 foot 7, 250 pound beast with a 7 foot 3 wingspan; a mortal who was said to be “the toughest kid in the draft,” by Detroit’s Director of Scouting George David, has already drawn comparisons to Ben Wallace. During the Reebok Las Vegas Summer League (RLVS) Tournament, Maxiell averaged 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.9 % from the field and earning RLVS First Team All-Star Honors. Maxiell is expected to make the Pistons fifteen-man roster this year.
With the 56th pick of the draft, the Pistons selected smooth shooting, 2005 California high school basketball player of the year, Amir Johnson. Johnson, who is listed as 6-10 220 lbs has basketball skills reminiscent to those of Jermaine O’Neal, Marcus Camby, and Rasheed Wallace. Once Johnson increases his strength and stamina a little more to help him withstand the long and grueling NBA regimen, this forward will be a force to be reckoned with. Johnson’s play during the RLVS tournament was also very impressive despite limited minutes. While he averaged just 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, Johnson made 18 of 26 shots from the field. That is a blistering hot 69.2 % shooting average.
Third and finally, with the 60th pick, the Pistons selected Pepperdine University Guard Alex Acker; a hard-hustling, hard-nosed defender with a consistent shooting touch from all ranges. Acker, who averaged 14.4 points, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 assists during the RLVS; and who made the RLVS All-Star Team (second team), is also due to make the roster this fall.
Before the usual wave of draft optimism and pessimism could recede from the embattled shores of the Motor City, another dramatic situation reared its ugly head – the relieving of the legendary but controversial Larry Brown and the signing of Flip Saunders to a multi-year deal. Saunders, who comes to Detroit from Minnesota, is considered to be one of the most able and most personable active coaches in the NBA. In Saunders’s nine and a half seasons with the Timberwolves, his teams compiled an overall regular season record of 411- 326 and also made the playoffs seven times. While his 17-30 career playoff record may seem concerning, not one of those teams Saunders coached in Minnesota had the skills, camaraderie and determination that the Pistons have.
Exactly one week after the Flip Saunders signed his name on the dotted line, the Pistons exercised their option on controversial Center Darko Milicic. While this may seem to be a risky move by Pistons management, it may prove to be ingenious, should he come off the bench at age 20 and provide productive minutes for his team. Although he has averaged just 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in limited minutes in 71 games during his young NBA career, he showed great potential late last season when he played 30 minutes in each of the last two games of the regular season, and averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Finally, to top it all off, the Pistons carefully and intelligently dabbled in the free agent market. Rumors swirled all summer that the Pistons were surely going to sign former Piston Allan Houston, Detroit native Jalen Rose, or Mavs Captain Michael Finley once their respective teams waived them under the 15 August “amnesty clause,” otherwise known as “every teams once in a lifetime opportunity to dump highly paid basketball players without paying further luxury taxes on their contracts” clause.
But strangely, Larry Brown and Knicks President of Basketball Operations and former Detroit Piston Bad Boy Isiah Thomas decided to keep Allan Houston and waive Jerome Williams.
Why would these mortal men make such a move?
Because both Brown and Thomas knew the grave consequences of allowing a sharp shooting guard to sign with his former team – the Detroit Pistons. That same day, the Raptors front office made the decision to keep Rose in Toronto.
However, Michael Finley was not able to weather the amnesty clause storm like Houston and Rose. Mavs owner Mark Cuban waived his former franchise player to allow the team to avoid paying him $51.8 million in luxury taxes over the next three seasons.
Without a team to play for, King Finley went back to his hometown Chicago and waited on suitors from other teams to court him. The Miami Heat were first team to send delegates to Finley’s home to woo him into joining Shaquille O’Neil, Dwayne Wade, Antoine Walker, James Posey, and Jason Williams in their locker room. The Heat even displayed giant posters of Finley in a Heat uniform outside American Airlines Arena to show their lust for him. But apparently King Finley did not seem convinced because he allowed a delegation from the Phoenix Suns visit him in Chicago the next day. However, by this time the Pistons, who had already grown tired of waiting for Finley to make a decision, used their full $5 million exemption to sign veteran Forward/Center Dale Davis from the Indiana Pacers to a multi-year deal. Two days later, Maurice Evans a young and electrifying swingman from the Sacramento Kings signed a multi-year offer sheet worth $1.5 million. The Kings do not plan to match this offer.
So what are the results of the Pistons off-season moves?
The most apparent result is that they will have a much deeper, versatile, and deadlier basketball team this season. The Pistons frontcourt alone is scary. Flip Saunders will not only inherit the best starting frontcourt in the NBA with Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace; but he will also have the luxury of having the opportunity to utilize the services of reserves Antonio McDyess, Dale Davis, Jason Maxiell, Darko Milicic, and Amir Johnson. This is something the Pistons definitely did not have last season.
The Pistons backcourt will also be deep reaching and potentially harmful to their opponents health. Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton will start as usual. But then the competition for time at the backup guard spots should get hot and heated between Carlos Arroyo, Maurice Evans, Lindsey Hunter, Alex Acker, and Carlos Delfino. Out of all the reserve guards, Maurice Evans, who will most likely come in to give Hamilton and Prince a few minutes to breathe, has the best chance to earn the most playing time.
Do the Pistons have a chance to reconquer the NBA crown with this assemblage of players?
Absolutely.
Why?
Because Joe Dumars, Flip Saunders, and the embattled Pistons players that will take to the hardwood floor nearly every night from early fall to late spring, have enormous chips upon their shoulders.
Why are the Pistons so chippy?
Because basketball “experts” around the world keep saying that the Miami Heat are predestined to emerge as the Eastern Conference Champions this season. After all they do have monstrously big name players like Shaquille O’Neil, Dwayne Wade, Antoine Walker, James Posey, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, and Michael Finley (potentially).
I can hear Joe Dumars and company chuckling from my desk in Baltimore.
Why?
Because both he and sports fans alike have seen big named rosters fail time and time again to produce championships.
Don’t believe me?
Look at 2003-2004 Los Angeles Lakers. They had high-profile coach in Phil Jackson. They also had Shaquille O’Neil, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Derek Fisher, Horace Grant, and Rick Fox. They had 56 regular season wins and also earned a trip to the NBA Finals. They had it all. At least until they got spanked in five games by a Pistons team “experts” predetermined did not have a chance in the world to defeat.
The same goes for the 1969 Baltimore Orioles. This team, which was stockpiled with big names like Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Dave McNally, and Davey Johnson; was heavily favored to defeat the New York Mets in the World Series that year. But once again, the Amazin Mets, a team with nothing but Tom Seaver and a bunch of “overachievers” routed the Orioles in five games.
There are many other examples, i.e. the 1995-1996 Detroit Russians err…Red Wings who smashed the NHL regular season record for wins before getting stomped by the Colorado Avalanche in the Conference Finals; the 1980 Russian hockey Gods who simply brushed aside every opponent they faced in the tournament before getting mowed down by a heavily unfavored team from the United States of America; and lest we not forget the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who after falling down three games to zero to the largely named and largely funded New York Yankees, battled back to win the series four games to three. I could go on and on about this subject, but hopefully you get my drift. Pat Riley and company abandoned a very successful team with an outstanding work ethic and great chemistry to boot, for a team full of egotistical mortals who, he hopes will swallow their pride and follow Shaq to the promise land.
Joe Dumars and company on the other hand, molded a humble and hard working championship basketball program in their images. Together, they developed a corporate culture that revolved around tenacious teamwork and unwavering camaraderie. They also intelligently used both the NBA Draft and the free agent market to add strength and depth to their team. But most importantly, they never allowed “experts” to influence their decisions.
It is for these reasons that the Detroit Pistons have just as good of a shot, if not a better shot than any other team in the Eastern Conference, to kindly serve the giant ego that is the Miami Heat a warm slice of humble pie. Of course another unpretentious and hard working basketball team from the great state of Indiana may have something to say about that. |
