Hello Early Summer

Call me pessimistic, but with the Pistons getting ready to wrap it up this season, I'm actually optimistic looking what the summer of 09 brings upon the Pistonland.

• The Pistons may have their worst season this year for the past six season, but the Cavs are just different this year. With the chemistry and a sense of urgency throughout their organization, they are just simply on a mission. Lebron may be the driving force of the team, but its that whole that holds them all as one, with one mission.
• Many believed that the Iverson/Billups trade gave Denver the most out of it. Not so true. with the huge cap salary that Pistons have, there will be a big sign on Joe Dumars office "Wanted, Superstar!" With the economy still on its heel, it would be weird for an organization to offer a multi-million dollar job offer. So it's still pre-mature to put a judgement on who won the Billups/Iverson trade, unless the Denver wins the title this year, because if they don't, they have a big tab to pay next year, while the Pistons are enjoying shopping for a superstar in an economy known as "The Buyer's Market"
• When the Pistons sealed a playoff spot, I was very thankful and satisfied that I will be seeing them play at least 4 games in the playoffs. Expected but realistic. Pistons were the most inconsistent team in the league. Their whole regular season is very similar to summer camp. A team searching for its identity and setting the stone in the right spots.
• The Pistons are in a rebuilding phase. Pistons fans knows this. The idea of rebuilding a team in the middle of the season and still participate in the first round of the playoffs is too much to ask for, but because Pistons fans are so spoiled that Pistons have been to the ECF 6 straight years, this season is just too hard to be thankful for.
• For those who are not aware, yes Pistons really are in a rebuilding phase. This started when Billups was traded to Denver for Iverson. Two things have opened up for the team, the spot Billups left, which was given to Stuckey AND the cap salary that opened up since Denver picked up the long contract that Billups have. In addition to that, the Iverson experiment didn't work so his 1 year contract is off the books. Wallace' contract is up too.
• With the money that the Pistons have this summer, I'm more excited to see who will be the first new member of the Pistons than to see the Pistons made it to the Playoffs this year. Here's my one cent excluding all the teams that made it to the playoffs.

1. Chris Bosh - With the aging Frontline of Detroit Wallace and McDyess along with the young inexperience Maxiell, Kwame and Amir, Chris Bosh could be the leader of the pack of the front runners of the Pistons. Maybe even the leader of the team which is one of the things Pistons truly lack since Billups left.
2. Emeka Okafor - A true center is hard to find but is he good enough at the 5 spot since he's only 6'10 as suppose to Yao and Howard? Plus, he has a big chunk of contract. Though Detroit could afford to pick up his tab, Joe Dumars decision about this will be based on when pigs can fly.
3. Kevin Durant - Pistons couldn't ask Prince enough for the terrific job hes done for the organization, but his peak of potential may have reach the highest. One of the Pistons main problem is the lack of a scoring punch. Someone that can blend in with their top scorer Hamilton where the Iverson experiement failed. Durant covers two things if it becomes successful. An efficient scoring player at the 3 position and an endless scoring punch tagging along with Rip's efficiency. Dumars wouldn't disregard the idea of Durant.
4. Charlie Villanueva - Imagine another UConn star leader of the Milwaukee Bucks mix it with another Uconn star that whos considered the leader of the Pistons, Rip Hamilton? A match made in heaven. Villanueva's energy reminds me of Maxiell except he's also an offensive force, which is what the Pistons needed badly on the frontline. McDyess and Wallace's leg has aged. On top of that, Villanueva's price isn't that bad.

The rest of the possibility of other players that may want to get traded this summer will be based on how the post season will turn out. Who will get knocked out and how each player would feel of entertaining an equation Detroit Pistons + $$$$$$$ = 2010 Championship? As for me, similar to the Pistons, I'm off for the early summer...."Gone fishing"

David and Goliath

Not so long ago, David and Goliath would still be a perfect analogy of the Pistons and the Cavs. Today, it still is, except this time Lebron and the Cavs are the superior team where the Pistons are the inferior team which makes them David with a sling shot rock. This is by far the most predictable outcome that reporters, analysts and fans have made in the first round of this playoff. The Pistons has no chance period. And when I said by far, I mean its by far more than the biggest upset when the Pistons defeated the Lakers in 2004 in 5 games. Why? Because the Pistons have been inconsistent this year, not to mention their undecided rotation and revolving injury around the team. Also, a rookie coach along with a Allen Iverson (future hall of famer, scratch that) and a young point guard Rodney Stuckey that replaced a proven floor manager, Chauncey Billups. Oh, did I mention Wallace technical fouls? So there ya have it! Why in the world would anybody think that Pistons might have a chance of this series, when there's a clear indication that they are not build for the playoffs. In fact, some stated that they shouldn't be in the playoffs and they're lucky that they are.

Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, Millions of a chance?
Well, mathematically speaking, the chances of Pistons defeating the Cavs may be slim....But then someone would have to explain and convince me why in the world there's people out there who keeps winning the lottery? I don't understand. Unless there's a conspiracy theory that I'm not aware of. What most people are forgetting was last year, Pistons defeated Orlando Magic with the same starting line up as this year. I do understand that the Magic and Cavs are two different teams, but they are both the superior team in the East, along with Boston. If Pistons are going to want to get a shot at this, they're going to have to wear the same armor they wore last year, when their floor general Chauncey Billups went down but won the series anyway.

An Airplane With One Pilot
Teams like the Lakers, Magic, Heat, and Celtics have each one pilot. Kobe, Howard, Dwade, and KG. Well so as the Cavs. Do we really think that any of these team could play the way they've been playing without they're one and only Pilot? Now that's an easier questions to answer. Boston Celtics is a perfect example when KG isn't playing the way he has been and what's worst he may not even suit up for the rest of the post season. With Cavs main anchor, Lebron, who's going to drive the lane to break the Pistons defense? Williams, West, Ilausgaskas, Gibson, or may be Varejao? Forget it! Lebron James is the frame of the Cavs, without him, they wont last on the road not even for just a test drive.

A Match Up Made In Heaven for the Cavs?
Statistically speaking yes. If the Cavs translate they're consistency from the regular season to the post season it would be a walk in the park for them to pass the Pistons. It would have to start no other than Lebron James because if not, the Cavs will find themselves being draged from the ground.

An Opportunity to Embrace
This is a familiar territory for the Detroit Pistons, especially for Prince, Hamilton and Wallace. A place where they have been so many times, especially comparing it to the "against all odd" situation they faced during the NBA Finals of 2004. All bets were Pistons were going to get swept, but all the Pistons really needed was a one win to build an unstoppable momentum. With the rest of the cast, they should embrace this opportunity because one win out of the first 2 games in Cleveland is all it takes to smell the blood in the sea. Besides, all it took from David to defeat Goliath was just a swing of his sling shot.

A Lesson to Learn as a Pistons

Well there ya have it! As expected by most people in Pistons land, including myself, that Iverson's season is over. After a loss to the Nets on Wednesday, Iverson began expressing how he dislike his role playing off the bench, getting him in a hurry while he was injured but only played him 18 minutes, and emphasizing that he deserves to play as a starter, otherwise, he'll retire.......Guess what happened in the next 48 hours? Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that according to the medical staff, he won't be able to play to his level due to the continuation of his back problem injury. Lets not be naive to this situation. We both know how Dumars and Iverson functions. Believe it or not it's pretty simple, Dumars wouldn't allow anyone or anything to get Pistons distracted from winning while Iverson wouldn't allow anything or anyone to get on his way the way he wants to play, at least for now. Do the math and its all self explanatory not to mention how many games Pistons have won without Iverson compare to when he was playing. The lesson learned is Joe Dumars wouldn't tolerate any drama in the Pistons locker room before it becomes a contagious cancer.