Detroit Pistons: Fans Facing a Tough Situation

They came, they saw, they let a first-quarter lead turn into a double-digit halftime deficit.

That was the story on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the Detroit Pistons in New York, and that basically has been a microcosm of the entire season so far: the Pistons take two steps forward and then five steps back.

Actually, for the Pistons, it has been more like five steps forward, 13 steps back, three steps forward, and at least one step back (judging from their upcoming schedule, it likely will be four steps back, but that's another story).

For Pistons fans, it might be easy to lose interest in this team, and treat them like they did during the era between the Bad Boys and this past decade, when the franchise had its two most successful runs.

Seriously, who could blame you?

This team is inconsistent, often injured and comprised of many faces that will likely not be back next season. To someone that has not been following this team, it would be easy to tune into this afternoon's game and wonder who the heck Chris Wilcox is and when did Detroit pick him up?

However, I come from a long line of optimists, and it just is not in my nature to give up on a team.

So, let's look at the bright side.

For one, the rookies look a lot better than many thought they would. Before the season, I thought Austin Daye would receive the same treatment that Tayshaun Prince received his rookie year: spot duty in blowouts and occasional calls to solve a matchup problem on defense.

But Daye has proven to be much further developed than previously thought, and ironically could make Prince expendable.

Dajuan Summers has looked solid in the few games he has been called upon, however, if I hear another commentator refer to his "NBA-ready body" I am going to start to wonder when Skinemax started showing games.

The real gem has been Jonas Jerebko, who could just turn out to be a poor man's version of New York's David Lee. He plays with a high motor and has a nose for the ball.

While only Daye appears to have the potential for stardom, each of these players should provide the Pistons with solid depth over the coming years.

Rodney Stuckey, depending on how you look at him, has also been a bright spot for this team.

Okay, before you jump out of your seat and berate your laptop or burn a picture of him in effigy, let's talk about this.

First, Stuckey is not a point guard and I think everyone, Joe Dumars included, knows it. When Stuckey has the opportunity to play off of the ball, he looks confident and aggressive, using his athleticism and size to slice to the hoop or nail a mid-range jumper.

When Stuckey is forced to man the point, he looks tentative, and a step slow, constantly trying to will himself to be the leader he wants to be.

The problem is that he is not that leader, not at this point in his young career. That really is not a big deal—he can still be a successful player without being a team-leading point guard.

The good news is that he is getting lots of playing time right now, and that can only be a good thing. But until he can develop the ability to hit the three, he will never uncover his true potential.

Ben Wallace has been a revelation this year, and is deserving of another contract. Dumars and coach John Kuester must be ecstatic over his play and leadership, and he could continue to help next year in setting a defensive tone.

Charlie Villanueva has also looked good in spots, and his contract is very reasonable for what he brings to the table. The best thing about him so far seems to be his willingness to come off of the bench.

With the right players around him, he could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and a real offensive spark off the bench.

Will Bynum and Ben Gordon both looked good at times before injuries derailed their seasons, and I think Detroit is playing it smart by allowing them to both get healthy on their own schedules, rather than rushing two very talented players to a season that is likely heading towards lottery balls.

This brings us to what the future holds for this team; it will require some patience and, not surprisingly, some optimism (not to mention luck).

This team is likely not heading to the playoffs this year. While they are only 5.5 games out of the eighth seed in the East, this team is just not built for a playoff run. The frontcourt is woefully thin, and the backcourt situation is incredibly inconsistent.

It is way too early to begin talking about the draft, but this is likely the single most important draft that Detroit is facing since they picked up Grant Hill in the 1990s.

Not only will they have a great pick, but they will need to pick a winner. Dumars has been known for doing great with late first-rounders and second-rounders, but not so well with lottery picks.

This will have to change this year. He needs to draft a game-changing point guard or a dominant big man. Since a big man is likely a long shot, he will need to do all he can to get a point guard. The best point guard that will likely be in this draft is Kentucky's John Wall.

Obviously, a lot can happen between now and the draft, with the NCAA tournament always the perfect stage for showing off talent.

However, if there is any way that Dumars can swing Wall, he needs to make that happen. I don't care if he has to trade Daye, Gordon and Hamilton—he needs to get his point guard.

Secondly, he needs to figure out what this team is going to be. Right now, it is a team without an identity.

They want to score, but so far have been inconsistent in doing so, ranking second to last in the league.

They are a top-10 defensive team, but they don't seem to have any stoppers, and when they need to shut a team down, they have a hard time doing so. More than likely, their defensive ranking has more to do with their slow offensive pace than their defensive prowess.

Personally, I think Dumars is waiting for a team to blow him out of the water with a trade proposal for one of his veteran players.

This likely will not happen, as Rip Hamilton's contract is too big to move, and Prince has been too injured to prove useful to a contender. He could trade Bynum or Jason Maxiell, but those would be minor moves in order to free up cap space.

I don't think Dumars will settle for a weak deal for one of his vets, opting instead to wait until the draft to make a move.

That being said, there continues to be a lot of trade chatter involving Prince, and I would not be shocked if he was dealt.

But Pistons' fans need to come to grips with the fact that a season-saving messiah like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudamire is not heading to Detroit this year.

However, there are a lot more reasons for optimism than pessimism with this team.

Listen, this club is young and talented, and likely only two players away from being a contender.

Personally, I have been proud of this team. They do not seem to quit, battling each game to the bitter end.

For fans of this franchise, this represents our karmic responsibility. For the better part of a decade, this team coasted along and underachieved, relying way too much on the idea that they could "turn it on" when they needed to, usually leading to a loss in the playoffs against teams that they were better than.

This is the cleansing of our proverbial basketball soul, the rebirth of the franchise in a stronger standing than it was before. Why not watch, develop a relationship with these players, and be on the ground floor of something special?

But then again, I am an optimist.