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Detroit Pistons Predictions & 2008-09 Season Preview

Written September 30, 2008 by Luke Knight

After threatening to dismantle the team and firing Flip Saunders, Joe Dumars hired Michael Curry and has returned the Pistons core intact. The Detroit Pistons fell short of the NBA Finals for the 3rd season in a row, and Joe Dumars refuses to accept that making the playoffs or the conference championship game as a successful season. While there were no deals good enough to be made, the Pistons brought in veteran Kwame Brown. With the core set of players intact, the real question mark is with Michael Curry and how well he can do in his first season coaching. Continue reading our Detroit Pistons preview to see whether we think giving Flip Saunders the boot while keeping the core of the team intact will get the championship results Joe Dumars is looking for. Check out BetUS to bet on the Pistons at +1000 odds to win the NBA Championship.

Chauncey Billups set career highs in field-goal percentage at .448 and free-throw percentage at .918 last season and even maintained a 17.0 scoring average despite playing for 4 less minutes a game. Billups got injured in the second round of the playoffs, which lead to the emergence of Rodney Stuckey, who played extremely well in several playoff games and is the future point guard of this organization, who could take over as soon as this season. Stuckey averaged 8.2 ppg and shot just 37.1% in the playoffs.

Richard Hamilton posted his lowest scoring average since his rookie year last season with 17.3 ppg, but was solid in the playoffs increasing that average to 21.6 ppg. With that Hamilton became the Pistons’ all-time leader in playoff points and postseason games played. Hamilton is one of Detroit’s most important players as the last 4 playoff teams last season all had high-scoring wing players. Arron Afflalo is currently the number 2 guy on the Pistons’ depth chart, but with increased playing time last season his results were mixed and ended pretty poorly. Lindsey Hunter turns 38 in December, but may play another season. Hunter, once known as a streaky shooter, has now become more of a crafty defender.

Tayshaun Prince filled the final spot on the Olympic roster, an honor that Prince earned with steady production over the last 4 seasons. Prince averaged 14 ppg for three straight seasons, and that number dipped slightly last season to 13.2, but that is because the starters all received less minutes than in years past. The last 2 seasons Prince has averaged more shots per game than Billups or Rasheed Wallace, and his role in the offense should continue to increase. Walter Herrmann may provide depth if he stays on this side of the pond, but could end up overseas. Rookie second-round pick Walter Sharpe could get some minutes backing up Prince, despite only playing 18 games during 3 years of college at UAB.

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Antonio McDyess led the Pistons in rebounds last season with 8.5 rebounds per game. McDyess was also the only starter that saw his minutes increase last season from 2006-2007. This season should see Jason Maxiell’s playing time increase as his energy and athleticism are spectacular, but he has bouts with inconsistency. Maxiell is a solid rebounder, so if his consistency improves his minutes will increase. Sharpe also could see minutes here. His skills have been compared to Lamar Odom, but he has had legal issues, academic issues, and medical issues – he has battled narcolepsy and currently is on medication for the sleeping disorder.

Rasheed Wallace’s numbers continue to drop, but he is still very dangerous offensively when he has to be. He has accepted his role as a supporting cast member, and on a team with this much talent that is not necessarily terrible. Kwame Brown was signed during the offseason. Brown was a former number 1 overall pick, but his hands have not been up to NBA level. The Pistons expect him to help out on the defensive side of the ball more than anything. Cheikh Samb could also pick up some minutes here with Theo Ratliff’s retirement.

Final Analysis

The Pistons won 59 games last season which was second only to the Boston Celtics. Detroit will be a solid team again this year going into another season with their core players intact, but new coach Michael Curry could have problems adjusting to his head coaching role, as he played with many of these core players. We have the Pistons finishing second in the Central Division to the Cleveland Cavaliers and going deep into the playoffs. In the end maybe Joe Dumars is right. In order to take the next step there needs to be some personnel changes, because we don’t have the Pistons making the finals for what will be their 4th straight season. If you want to bet on the Pistons to win the Eastern Conference BetUS has them at +300.

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