A little food for thought heading into the Labor Day weekend. By the time you get back to work and ship the kids off to school on Tuesday, the college football season will be in full swing, the countdown to kickoff of the NFL season will be on and – get this – it will be a mere four weeks until Pistons training camp opens. Here are 10 reasons that should get your heart racing a little bit:
1. Rodney Stuckey. By the time the Boston season was wrapping up, didn’t you get the feeling he was as critical to the Pistons’ success as anybody? There were moments against the Celtics when he was the Pistons’ best player, including in that sizzling Game 5 on the road when Stuckey spearheaded a comeback from 17 down. Remember that 3-pointer he hit with just over a minute left to make it a one-point game? The Celtics got a break on the ensuing possession when the Pistons played defense too well for their own good – they almost forced a turnover, but the ball went out of bounds to set up a Boston inbounds play that saved the Celts from having to jack up a desperation heave to beat the shot clock, and then Ray Allen got free off the inbounds pass to sink a long jump. If it hadn’t been for that shot, the Pistons – who had Boston players running from the basketball, they were so tensed up – probably win that game and come back to The Palace with a chance to clinch in Game 6. Stuckey would have been the hero. I think there are going to lots of nights this season when he is.
2. Amir Johnson. In essence, last season was his rookie year. He played a total of 163 minutes in his first two seasons – less than four NBA games – before cracking Flip Saunders’ rotation midway through his third year. Until Theo Ratliff came on board, Johnson was having a significant impact on games. Remember the night he had eight points, nine boards and seven blocks against Indiana? In addition to his unique knack for picking up garbage and finishing, his equally unique ability to block shots with both hands and his dazzling speed that makes him the rare big man who’s a threat to score in transition, Johnson wowed Michael Curry and his staff in Las Vegas with his ability to be a disruptive defensive force by harassing guards down the court and jumping out to throw off the rhythm of pick-and-roll plays. I’d look for Johnson to somehow get a consistent 20 minutes a night this year, even in a frontcourt crowded by …
3. Kwame Brown. Think about this. Nothing was expected of Johnson when the Pistons drafted him No. 56 in 2005 right out of high school. If Brown had been allowed that luxury – minimal expectations coming out of high school – instead of being the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, selected by no less than Michael Jordan, he wouldn’t have been already declared a bust by the point in his career that Johnson now finds himself. Forget that Kwame Brown was the No. 1 pick. The Pistons just picked up a 26-year-old 7-footer who is, at least, a capable rebounder and defender. The things I’m hearing about Brown, who has been in Auburn Hills for most of August working out with some of his young teammates, are nothing but good for his attitude. As he said when he signed with the Pistons, this is the first time he’s ever gotten to choose his NBA home and he’s responding positively to the environment. At worst, he’s the most potent No. 5 big man of any NBA team’s rotation. At best, the Pistons just picked up – at a relative bargain, and with nothing that ties up their cap flexibility – a long-term answer in the middle.
4. Michael Curry. Joe Dumars nailed it when I talked to him for the three-part Q&A we posted on Pistons.com within the last week – Curry has a presence. I was struck by that in Las Vegas, when he ran the Pistons’ Summer League team. Curry’s practices were studies in organization and efficiency. From afar, the concerns you see expressed about Curry – only a few years removed from his playing career, one year as an assistant coach only – are legitimate. But they evaporate when you spend five minutes observing him and then absorb his resume. To rise from NBA journeyman to president of the players association – a job previously held by the likes of Bob Lanier and Isiah Thomas and Patrick Ewing; superstars, in other words – speaks volumes about the respect Curry commands and engenders. I’m anxious to see what effect it has on the makeup of this team. And I thought the way he delegated work to his assistants in Vegas was telling – at various points in the practice, he’d bark out one of their names and have them run the next drill. That’s not something you’d necessarily expect of a first-time head coach, many of whom tend to try to run everything to prove themselves.
5. Will Bynum. Interesting guy. Joe D said they wanted a different look with the No. 3 point guard – and whether Lindsey Hunter comes back for another year or not, Bynum is expected to be the No. 3 point guard with Hunter more of a niche player, probably inactive again most nights. Stuckey and Chauncey Billups are both big, physical guards, while Bynum is a classic waterbug. Talking to him in Vegas, it was clear how dearly he valued the opportunity to crack an NBA roster. This guy remains something of a playground legend in Chicago, which – sorry, New York – has churned out much better point guards over the past few decades than the Big Apple. Yet he’s earnest about making the transition from a score-first mentality to concentrating on becoming a defensive nuisance who can run an offense.
6. The offense. Yes, Stuckey will have a larger role, and that’s going to give the Pistons something of a different feel. He’s a slasher who will get to the rim more frequently – and, more critically, more efficiently – than he did as a rookie, when he was just learning how and when to pick his spots. But maybe the more significant driving force in changing the offense will be Curry’s constant message, emphasizing the need to get inside, either through dribble penetration – Stuckey’s strong suit – or posting up. Curry has said he wants more of a post presence from Rasheed Wallace. Jason Maxiell emerged as a scoring threat last season, developing a few signature moves. Look for Curry to probe the possibilities Brown offers. Johnson showed in Vegas enough ballhandling skill to exploit a devastating first step. Curry wants more inside baskets, more free-throw attempts and more second-chance points.
7. The new staff. This is a high-energy group Curry has assembled. Darrell Walker brings a little attitude with him. He was part of the best college defensive backcourt I’ve ever seen at Arkansas, paired with Alvin Robertson, and retains that in-your-face toughness. Pat Sullivan is a junkie who’ll stay in the gym teaching as long as Arron Afflalo will stay there working on his jumper or handle. Harold Ellis has been wowing people around the building with his zeal and is thrilled to be working with Curry and for an elite organization. And holdover Dave Cowens … well, anyone who can remember his NBA playing career knows he’s a fighter of the first order. Forget that calm demeanor you see on the sidelines. Cowens was to his era what Bill Laimbeer was to his as a competitor.
8. The veterans. They went into the summer a little unsettled, for certain, after Joe D put them on notice that they were all available in trade. But as the weeks started flying off the summer calendar and nothing happened, it became pretty clear to all of them that their boss wasn’t ready to throw in his chips on this era unless somebody was willing to give him an equally high stack in return. They’ve all made it known that they’re excited about playing for Michael Curry, which, Dumars said, he finds encouraging because they all know that Curry isn’t going to let them cut corners. It’ll be interesting to see how the relationship builds from training camp on out.
9. Walter Sharpe. The most realistic notion to carry into the season where Sharpe is concerned is to expect nothing. It’s entirely possible Sharpe’s first season is spent much like Johnson’s first two – a few stints in the D-League breaking up practice time with the Pistons and many nights watching in street clothes from the second row. But it will be intriguing to see how quickly Sharpe progresses. He’s played so little competitive basketball over the past four years and has to make the difficult transition from college post player to NBA wing, but if you watch this guy work out by himself you can see the talent bubbling not too far below the surface. Not only will practice be important for Sharpe, but the time spent before and after practice will be critical, too. Best advice for Sharpe: Attach yourself to Arron Afflalo.
10. The starting lineup. When Joe D told me last week that it wasn’t etched in stone that Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess would be the starters up front, and that Curry had some thoughts about things, it led me to believe that they’re seriously considering putting McDyess back on the bench. And that makes sense, on a number of levels. I thought moving McDyess into the starting lineup last season worked as well as they could have hoped. He handled 30 minutes a night with no ill effects and grew comfortable as a starter. But when he went back to the bench in the playoffs after breaking his nose, he adapted seamlessly again. And when you look at the average age of the starting five – 33 by the time the season starts, with McDyess and Wallace about to turn 35 – and the average age of the bench (23 if you count the players most likely to play: Stuckey, Afflalo, Johnson, Maxiell and Brown), then it makes sense to mix it up, reduce the stress on McDyess and get another scorer on the second unit. I think all three of the other big men – Brown, Johnson and Maxiell – could get looks in the preseason with Wallace. But somebody has to trot out there first when Curry holds the first practice of training camp. Can’t wait to see who that’ll be.
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Award-winning journalist Keith Langlois, most recently lead sports columnist at The Oakland Press, joined Pistons.com as the web site editor on October 2, 2006. Langlois, who brings over 27 years of professional sports journalism experience to Palace Sports & Entertainment, serves as Pistons.com's official beat writer and covers the team on a daily basis.