Deetroit, We Believe: Keys To The 2010-2011 Pistons Season
Somebody has to stand up. Somebody has to believe. Somebody has to remember their past respectability. Somebody has to clean up the yellow fluid on the toilet seat in the rest room; sorry.
Somebody has to bury the 2010-2011 Detroit Pistons season before it even starts…that guy isn’t me. Nope…that’s not going to happen here. There is no negative Nathaniel here (that’s some guy related to Nancy).
It’s only natural to kick them when they’re down. So many haters out there…what happened to the “ride or die” fans?
Do they need to possible trade some people to lighten the positional over flow at a few key positions (SG, SF)? Could they use more, good pivot men? Somebody has to go, right?
Yes, but these things are obvious. Let’s not jump on injury excuses either since that’s old news, we’re on new news.
Take a moment to reflect on what we have, since it’s been proven that oddly shaped teams do have a chance to make some noise if ‘We Believe’ ( the slogan of the 2006-2007, Golden State Warriors).
So, since we’re living in the now, here are my keys to the 2010-2011 Detroit Pistons season:
Coaching
You don’t think the improvable Warriors (of the 2007 playoffs) became the big seed killers without having Coach Don Nelson’s thump print all over them, do you?
Indeed, this will be the Pistons biggest area to work on too. Bar none. Head Coach John Kuester and his staff have their plate’s full this upcoming year. They have a roster full of multi-purpose players who can excel in a lot of different ways, and at different positions as that Warriors team did. This can be a nice problem to have if the coaches can make those unique parts fit properly.
Coach Kuester has been around the NBA as an assistant coach for more than 15 years, but will he be able to make these needed adjustments? I think so because he has to, or literally, that will be his job. I think he will have to show creativeness on his offensive and defensive strategies…finally. This is not the walk it up team that we’re used to. Let the kiddies run.
Now, anyone who has a background of coaching under Larry Brown, can never complain about their offensive sets being thought of as either being predictable and/or boring (ala Mike Woodson).
Will he go all out for a ‘run and gun’ offense? Probably not, but why not add some of that to our arsenal, so that this offense can be more diverse. Get this group back on track (winning) while using and developing the best of what his players have to offer. Plus it would put some fans back in the seats (money).
Taking advantage of the mismatches this wildly constructed team will have is the key to this offense, period. Using the length we have should be able to balance out our defensive sets if we’re rotating properly, while playing sound team defense.
Piston teams that compete for championship are known for having previously unwanted parts that fit together, and become an unexpected force.
“He built that team perfectly (2004 Detroit Pistons), and I don’t think it will ever be done in that fashion again. No max guys, a lot of guys teams had given up on…No, there will never be a championship team again like we had,” Pistons great, Chauncey Billups stated while doing an interview for Team USA this past summer.
Let’s prove again that nontraditional styles of team building can win. But in order to accomplish that you have to play with some…
Piston Pride
Traits that those born in Michigan believe in and appreciate deeply are things like hard work, determination, grit, hunger, toughness and unselfishness. Whether a person stays in Michigan currently or goes where their journey takes them, these things are embedded in us.
Joe Dumars understands this concept, and has helped to continue this culture with the Pistons by actively looking and finding men who fit these qualities, more often than not. This creates a sort of Piston pride or aura about them.
Ben Wallace definitely knows this to be true, since his career stalled once he left for supposed greener pastures; and they’re better to have him back. In fact the two seasons after Big Ben left, they lost a nice chunk of that Pistons ‘mojo’.
One negative attribute the coach will have to fix on this team is their right of entitlement. Cutting out that diva mentality, while limiting the momentum killing technical’s out of foolishness (Sheed is gone) and just move on to the next play! Management has options.
We have to get back to that (Deeetroit Baaasketball!!!) nastiness, and it is up to the players to commit and fit it into their play. The competition for positions this preseason should push them to be better people, better players, while the coaches install their updated systems to fit them best. I see upset specials coming in the future. No excuses, no guts, no glory… ‘We Believe,’ go Pistons!
