2007 NBA Team Preview: Detroit Pistons

Well, let's see...when was the last time the Pistons were NOT in the Eastern Conference finals...yes, that would be correct, almost since 9/11, before the Red Sox won the World Series, before Barry Bonds began juicing...ok, maybe not. Anyways...it's safe to bet that this team may make it six straight years, although coach Flip Saunders took a ton of heat for falling to the rising Cleveland Cavaliers in last year's finals. Would it have mattered? The Spurs had been playing awesome ball anyways, so perhaps not...

While Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are in the twilight of their careers (McDyess has been for a while now)– Chauncey Billups has re-upped his "juice" and is ready to rock out, and Detroit's front office has done a good job of adding young legs to the roster. If the Pistons can get good production from Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson and Jarvis Hayes, they again will be a force come summertime. They made a great move in drafting Arron Afflalo who should fit in nicely eventually to the Pistons rotation.

With McDyess moving into the starting lineup, Maxiell, Nazr Mohammed and Johnson will be the anchors in the frontcourt. That isn't much insurance if Wallace or McDyess get hurt, which is a huge question mark for Detroit.

Still, the Pistons are the class of the conference, the elder statesmen in a league of upstarts. While many are prognosticating a Cleveland-Boston final, don't count these cagey veterans out quite yet--they'll go down fighting (especially Sheed).

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2007 NBA Team Preview: Detroit Pistons

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