| 2008-09 NBA Season Preview: Detroit Pistons |
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| Written by Rodney K | |
| Saturday, 18 October 2008 | |
 Detroit is without a doubt one of the most talented teams in the East, if not THE most talented, and their lineup from 1-5 could match with the loaded teams out West. A question mark will be their bench, that seems to have passed the tests of recent years. Once again Chauncey Billups will man the point guard position for Detroit. Along side Billups in the backcourt Richard Hamilton, the Pistons leading scorer. Manning the front court will be Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio Mcdyess. Off the bench for Coach Curry will be Rodney Stuckey, Arron Affalo, Walter Sharpe, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown. Detroit has been known in the past for allowing their bench to get quality time. Look for no different trend this year as the Pistons are always one of the healthiest teams come postseason play. If Coach Curry can do the same kind of job the former coaches have done, Detroit will be sitting pretty once again. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring last season. Scoring 17.3 points per game, while adding 4.2 assists per game, Hamilton looks to be the offensive catalysts once again for Detroit. Hamilton, the 6’7 guard out of Connecticut will be entering his 10th season in the league. Along side Hamilton in the backcourt the afore mentioned Chauncey Billups. Billups led his team in both assists and steals in 07-08. Chauncey, the Colorado University graduate will begin his 12th season in the NBA this season. Billups scored 17 points per game in the regular season, and known for his improved play come postseason Billups added 16.5 in the three postseason series’. The always-hot head Rasheed Wallace will anchor the Pistons backcourt. Known more for his temper tantrums and his record-breaking amount of technicals, Wallace can play some basketball. Teamed up with Antonio McDyess in the frontcourt, this 1-2 tandem will continue to be one of the best in the NBA. Wallace, who turned 34 this off season averages 15.2 points per game in his career, while grabbing 6.6 rebounds, and 1.68 blocks. Wallace also brings a quality outside shooter to the Pistons, which makes for a difficult match up problem for Pistons opponents. Hired June 10, 2008 Micheal Curry will get his head coaching debut in 2008. After playing alongside GM Joe Dumars for 10 days in 1995, he left a lasting impression of his new boss. Dumars says “"He came in talking and had opinions and I thought 'Ok, this guy's got some leadership skills. He'll be out of here in 10 days, but he's got some leadership skills.'" Curry ended up in the NBA for 11 seasons. Curry is the 26th head coach in Detroit’s franchise history. Known for his toughness, and work ethic Curry hopes to bring those skills to his team that has been known for both those two aspects in the past. Curry wants his team to come to work and play with passion each and every night. Curry was an assistant coach with Detroit during the 2007-2008 season. Detroit will begin their regular season on Wednesday October 29th as the Indiana Pacers come to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the Pistons home opener. The second game of the season will also be at home for Detroit, as they host the Washington Wizards. The Pistons will play their first road game of the season on Monday November 3rd, when they start a three game road trip starting in Charlotte, and then trips to Toronto and New Jersey. Detroit will conclude the 2008-2009 season with Chicago as their final home game, and their final game of the regular season in Miami to see the Heat.         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
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