AUBURN HILLS — So it’s on! What can we expect from the Detroit Pistons? Will this be the year we return to being relevant in the NBA circles?
Who knows? What we do know is that we have a new owner, Tom Gores, that Joe Dumars remains the president of basketball operation and Lawrence Frank is now the head man entrusted with the Pistons’ future.
Gores, who knows what to expect from him? He has never owned a sports franchise. Dumars, well, we all know what to expect from him, although in recent years his tenure has been convoluted and disjointed.
Frank took over a New Jersey team Byron Scott had coached to two consecutive NBA Finals. The fact of the matter is his Nets had only one noteworthy year (2005-06) when they won 49 games, but they got progressively worse over his seven-year coaching tenure and he was fired by the team after starting the 2009-10 season 0-16, an NBA record. Frank has a career 225-241 record from his seven seasons coaching New Jersey.
So what conclusion can I draw from all this? None! Gores could turn out to be the best owner in the league, Dumars could reclaim his magic and make deals that move this franchise forward, and Frank could be the leader we all hope he can and will be.
We do know that as the NBA season gets in full swing following a long, tumultuous negotiation process between players and owners that has resulted in a shortened and very tight 66-game season, All-Star guard Richard Hamilton is gone.
He was unceremoniously — waived — let go to the Pistons’ division rival the Chicago Bulls, who snapped him up and are proclaiming he is the missing piece in their championship puzzle.
“We thank him for his time here with the Pistons organization,” said Dumars. “Rip was a champion with us and a big part of our success over the last nine years.”
The near future looks pretty bright for Hamilton, who spent nine seasons with Detroit (2002-2011), leading the Pistons in scoring in eight of those seasons. During his tenure the club made six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals (2003-2008), two trips to the NBA Finals (2004, 2005) and won the NBA Championship in 2004, while averaging 18.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
On the other hand, the Pistons did re-sign free agent forward Tayshaun Prince. Reports is that it was a four-year deal. I agree with keeping Prince, but two years would have been the limit for me as it is time to see what Austin Daye has to offer as part of the future.
“We are very pleased to have Tayshaun Prince returning to our organization,” said Dumars. “Tayshaun has proved himself as one of the most talented and consistent small forwards in the NBA. His knowledge of the game and defensive presence is an asset for our team.”
Prince, 31, holds career averages of 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds. He was a key member of the Pistons’ 2004 NBA Championship team and the Gold Medal team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Dumars also signed forward Jonas Jerebko. To a four-year deal. I’m not so sure about this move because he missed the entire 2010-11 season with an injury. I think he is a decent role player, but to give him a four-year deal with only one year under his belt is strange.
Without a doubt the Pistons’ future is tied to second year center Greg Monroe and rookie point guard Brandon Knight.
Knight has a good skill set and he should be the team’s point guard for the foreseeable future. Coupled with Monroe, the team has a foundation to build from in the future. The Pistons also resigned Rodney Stuckey and, with Knight in the fold, he should be able to roam freely as the off guard and put points on the board.
Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com or at Twitter @lelandsteinIII.
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