Fresh start

Pistons will have a new look without Stackhouse

By Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Scrawled on the greaseboard at the Pistons practice facility is an adage to deter players from the nocturnal temptations of the NBA:

YOU CANNOT HOWL WITH THE OWLS AT NIGHT AND SOAR WITH THE EAGLES AT DAWN.

Fine words to live by. But the fact is, even with exemplary conduct, it can be hard to soar with the eagles in the NBA. Last season the Pistons did everything right. They hustled, played wallpaper defense, acclimated to new roles, flossed after meals and shelved their seersucker after Labor Day. Their fearless leader, Rick Carlisle, was named Coach of the Year; their best sub, Corliss Williamson, was honored with the Sixth Man Award; and their Afro-rific forward, Ben Wallace, was voted Defensive Player of the Year in near-unanimous balloting. The team exceeded all expectations, winning 50 games, prevailing in the mushy Central Division and becoming the selfless darlings of the NBA. And for all that, the Pistons were bounced in the conference semifinals and were on vacation by mid-May. "The regular season was satisfying," Wallace said, "but we sort of have a bad taste in our mouths from the playoffs."

It's doubtful that this season will serve as an Altoid. Over the summer management eviscerated the guts of the team, trading shooting guard Jerry Stackhouse to the Wizards for the talented but unproven Richard Hamilton. As Pistons president Joe Dumars recalled, after the playoffs he and Stackhouse sat across the table from each other, had an honest talk and realized that they "couldn't make mutual assurances." (In other words, Detroit couldn't promise Stackhouse a maximum contract after this season and Stackhouse couldn't vow that he would stay if he had to play for less.) The upshot: The team's leading scorer and the player who dialed back his game for the good of the franchise was out the door.

While Hamilton is a nifty, young (24 years old) player, he is no Stack. The medium-range game is there, but this is a player who made a mere 16 3-point field goals last season, a jarringly low number for a 2-guard (Stackhouse had 86). Unlike his predecessor, Hamilton isn't the kind of player who can command double- and triple-teams and then find his unattended teammates. What's more, in his three years in the league, Hamilton hasn't distinguished himself on defense, the touchstone of this team.

Now the good news. Detroit did upgrade at point guard, signing Chauncey Billups -- now with his fifth team since turning pro in 1997. Billups is likely to take the starting job from speedy Chucky Atkins. Both Carlisle and Dumars are big on rookie Tayshaun Prince, whose versatility and long-armed defense fits in well with the Pistons' scheme.

Like last year, Detroit will be among the better -- if not the best -- teams at on-the-ball defense. Even in training-camp scrimmages, every shot is contested, every passing lane denied, every switch called out. "It's what we pride ourselves on," said forward Michael Curry. Rebounding, ironically, is another matter. While Wallace led the league in boards as well as blocked shots, he was a one-man retriever. No other Piston averaged more than five caroms a game.

But the real rebounding question is this: How will Detroit bounce back from the loss of Stackhouse's offense and his vocal leadership? Until the Pistons figure out the answer, the team is unlikely to add much altitude to last season's ascent.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.

 

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