McDyess In Good Spirits; Good Indicator

The Detroit Free Press has an article featuring McDyess. Dice's feelings about the team are generally fairly accurate, and I pleased to hear he is optimistic, if for no other reason than it may help his play. A strong and productive McDyess is crucial for this season. I had heard he had bulked up and stayed in shape this summer, so he is obviously healthy physically as well as mentally...good news, here's some notable quotes:

"I feel we've got a pretty good chance again."

"I thought that was our last chance at getting that close to get a ring," McDyess said. "Having the most wins in the league and coming up short, I felt that was the best chance that I had at getting one."

He tried to ignore the NBA Finals between Miami and Dallas, because he didn't want to see "somebody playing for something you know you could have had." (I understand that, especially after the Mavs started faltering...)

On playing with Flip Murray: "It's been different," McDyess said. "I've been trying to learn how he plays. He's a more off-the-dribble type guy, not a spot-up shooter, so you have to adjust your ways on the floor when he's driving to the basket; he can go either way. That's my biggest difference is trying to adjust to the way he plays ... You have to wait and see what he's going to do."

Interesting. More on the completion of the preseason later...remember November 1st, 8:00 PM...

Media Preview Coverage

In eager anticipation of the regular season, the media releases its annual season previews, complete with rankings, player profiles, breakdowns, etc. (all of which are inevitably mostly wrong.) I thought I'd page through them, so you don't have to. You can thank me later.

Disrespect in Sports Illustrated
The Sports Illustrated NBA Preview Issue places the Detroit Pistons at fourth…in the East. I heard the news on Thursday, subsequently thanking God, because there are few afflictions in this world quite like a favorable prediction from Sports Illustrated.

The article itself is essentially a profile of Nazr Mohammed. More provocative quotes are to be found in the Enemy Lines section, in which a scout from an opposing team summarizes a team's situation. The author appears to be of a like mind with Sports Illustrated: the Pistons will be a good team, but "I don't think they can win a championship anymore -- those days are behind them." I am of a completely different opinion. Depending on whether or not the team can muster the hunger required, this will either be an especially great year or a particularly mediocre one. There is no denying that the talent is there.

"Their overall defense, which already suffered last year under Flip Saunders, is going to be even worse this year." As the author admits, however, the league has essentially outlawed Pistons-style defense anyway. The NBA appears committed to establishing a ratings giant, and evidently believes that comes only with high-flying dunks and 130 points. That's another topic for another time, however. Nazr, Rasheed, and Antonio are certainly capable defenders down low, and Jason Maxiell has the kind of little big man shot-blocking ability we've seen before in Detroit.

There is also a paragraph-long sob story about the "cockiness" of last year's Pistons. Hey, one man's arrogance is another man's swagger. Personally I'm all for the cockiness as long as it's focused and producing energy rather than lethargy. The scout differs from SI in that he gives us the potential for second-place…4^th place, SI? C'mon.

ESPN.com's Preseason Power Rankings
In lieu of the fact that it appears ESPN.com had condemned their actual team-by-team previews (along with next to all of their content) to pay-to-read Insider status, I'll accept Marc Stein's training camp Power Rankings. He has us at No. 5 in the NBA (that's No. 2 in the East, second only to his No. 1, the reigning NBA champions…sigh), mostly on the weakness of our offseason and the loss of "Darko and Big Ben in a five-month span." Fair enough, but I'd contest the offseason bashing; how much is there to do with such a successful team, outside of patching up the holes? We did well enough replacing Wallace, and Blalock is an excellent draft choice. We are behind the Western Conference trifecta of the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns. Legitimate for now, but I have a difficult time believing all three will outperform us this year.

John Hollinger hits hard with his player rankings, featuring Billups at sixth among all point guards (I'm sorry, he's definitely at least second). Hamilton comes in at ninth, Tayshaun at nineteenth, Rasheed at twenty-eighth, and Nazr at twentieth in each of their respective positions. I know, I know, but that's what happens when you're strictly a numbers man.

The Rest
Fox Sports puts us down at sixth in their preseason power rankings, mostly on the loss of Big Ben and the uncertainty regarding his replacement(s). Honest concern, but I wouldn't put the Clippers into fifth. In their coach rankings, Flip Saunders received a B minus. He is joined by Lawrence Frank, Eddie Jordan, Eric Musselman, Byron Scott, and division rival Scott Skiles. Who's pulling a 4.0 and who's failing? Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Pat Riley pull "straight A's" and Isiah Thomas (C minus) and Maurice Cheeks (D) round out the bottom.

Steve Kerr, writing for Yahoo! Sports, puts the Pistons at third in the East, and just under the Bulls in the Central Division. His article on the division mostly consists of a lot of fence-sitting, but in all fairness, it is probably the strongest and most competitive division in the L.

The Washington Wizards are in town on Tuesday, and the Grizzlies come in on Wednesday to close out the preseason. More on the preseason then…

Congratulations and Best Wishes to Mo

Maurice Evans was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft night deal for L.A.'s 51st overal pick, the 7-1 center Cheick Samb. The move was precipitated by Mo's eagerness to play more time or move, following frustration the preceding season while splitting minutes with Carlos Delfino. Last night, Evans led the Lakers in Kobe's absence, scoring 27 points in their 113-106 preseason victory over the Lakers. Good Luck in the City of Angels, Mo.

There will be a Pistons update this weekend. I promise.

Bonzi Goes to Texas and Rip Gets Honored

Bonzi Returns to Southwest

"ESPN.com reported Thursday that the free-agent forward has agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract with the Houston Rockets."

Sigh. When I heard Bonzi Wells had spoken with the Miami Heat, who was then considering him for their mid-level exception, I was praying for the decision we now know he made. As much as I think we can still take the Heat, adding Bonzi would make them far more dangerous and give them a lot of firepower off the bench.

"This isn't about the money; this is about being in the right place. Bonzi doesn't care about starting. He just wants to be some place he can contribute." - Merle Scott, Wells' agent, speaking with ESPN.com."

There he will join a Houston Rockets team and solidify there top six, lead by rejuvenated Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. They probably aren't up to par with their fellow Texan teams yet, but there is at least progress with the Rockets. Barring any unexpected problems, Houston could conceivably be a strong team this year. Bonzi will help them add the depth they need to be better matched with the top Western teams, and he likely be coming off the bench as the sixth man, although there is room for him to start with certain line-ups.

No. 35: Rip Hamilton
SLAM Magazine is ranking the top 50 players in the NBA. It will be an arbitrary and contentious ranking, as all rankings generally are, but it generates debate and there's nothing wrong with that. SLAM previously selected former Piston (in case you don't remember) Darko Milicic at #49, and now Hamilton comes in at #35. Billups will inevitably appear as well, so stay tuned for that. Here's what SLAM's Ben Osborne had to say on Rip:

"Remember when Jerry Stackhouse was traded for Richard Hamilton? The spin at the time was that the Pistons were only dealing Stack because his contract was coming up for renewal, and that Rip was the best they could get in return. As if the Wizards were getting over on the Pistons. Ha! I may have been a bit biased because at the time I had recently written a story about Rip talking about how overlooked in Washington he was and how he was ready to explode, but I really was confident that the Pistons killed the Wizards in that trade. I’m no Stack hater (far from it, actually), but that dude’s career was heading downhill while Rip’s was just starting.

And sure enough, Rip has gone on to be a centerpiece of one of the League’s top teams; he stays in tip-top shape, works his ass off on both ends of the floor and can score with anyone in the League. On another team, at this point in his development, 28-year-old Rip could average 24 a night, but he’d rather do what it takes to keep the Pistons winning. Just another reason no one would be so quick to trade him this time around."

Summer Recap

Season Theme: Edgier

"That will be my theme for the whole year. If you don't have an edge with you,
this is not the place for you. We have no place here for people who are content,
fat and happy. That just won't work for me." - Joe Dumars

Fair enough. It has been a long time since the last championship (for a contender.) The teams of the past few years have been pervaded by a sort of egotistical stupor at some point in each season. Not that they were in a stupor because of any sort of arrogance, but that they were egotistical enough to allow themselves to be in a stupor until the late game. I am pleased to see a renewed focus on this theme.

We should also be on the look out for another traditional theme. The media has declared the Pistons on the decline far faster than they ever put us at the top. It is a popular thought among some journalists that we were never actually anything but the team that was "at the right place at the right time" for the Lakers' collapse. The underdog mantra proved to be a huge motivating factor in 2004, and it was mocked for the brief period that the media had Detroit at the top spot. With the Miami Heat sitting atop the NBA and the Bulls, Pacers, and Cavaliers introducing upgraded rosters, Detroit is once again looking up.

Playing wise, expect a faster and more offensive-minded team, due to the loss of Big Ben and the league's increasingly anti-defense rules.

Bulking Up the Coaching Staff
The Pistons added Terry Porter, former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Dave Cowens, former head coach of the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Hornets, the Golden State Warriors, and the WNBA Chicago Sky, where he also served as general manager. Porter and Cowens, as former coaches, obviously bring a lot to Detroit, and they also provide Dumars with interim coaching options should the unthinkable happen with Flip Saunders. Don Zierdan will likely be leaving the coaching staff to accept a head coaching position in the WNBA.

The Roster Situation
This summer featured some intriguing fluctuations in the roster, most notably the departure of Ben Wallace. While he took the money and bolted to Chicago, taking with him a lot of leadership and energy and much of the defensive intimidation of old, most are rightly in agreement that he was not worth the money we was getting. He isn't going to make Chicago a juggernaut, and his departure isn't going to sink us. It is important to remember that Ben's game is based almost exclusively on athleticism, and that will inevitably decline with age.

He was replaced the following day by Nazr Mohammad, a solid center who will be refreshingly competent offensively. He has averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds over his career. The Pistons also resigned Lindsey Hunter despite the pursuit of Phoenix. Detroit added much needed bench scoring in guard Ronald "Flip" Murray, and brought back the sound back-up Ronald Dupree for a little extra depth. Murray can provide the instant offense able to break the Pistons out of their habitual scoring droughts.

Drafted 6-0 point guard Will Blalock was also been signed to a multi-year deal after displaying his strong and athletic game. The Pistons were particularly impressed by his floor vision and aptitude for getting to the basket in a pre-draft workout. Blalock averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 assists in 30 games for Iowa State last season, and he may make the team as a third-string point guard. Last year's third-string floor general, Alex Acker, will be playing in Greece, but the Pistons still hold his rights and may elect to bring him back next year.

Jason Maxiell will look to join the big man rotation of Muhammad, who is unlikely to play more than 30 minutes per game, Rasheed Wallace, who has been perpetually susceptible to foul trouble, and Antonio McDyess. The Carlos Delfino drama will be intriguing to watch play out, with the small forward once again complaining to the foreign press. Although he mentioned a desire to play overseas again (and the Barcelona franchise is very interested), he is under contact and his release is unlikely. If Delfino continues on the path he has treaded the past few years, Amir Johnson's option has been exercised for this year, and he will be ready and waiting to perform.

The improved bench should allow the starters more rest, which was a legitimate criticism of last year's regular season performance. The preseason begins on October 10th at Miami.

Pistons Basketball? Mhm.

The new blog for quick and easy access to my treasured opinions on Detroit and intermittently the NBA in general. Check back tonight for a new story, and tell all your family & friends (and acquaintances) tomorrow.