Jonas Jerebko Tears Achilles: It May Be Time To Panic for Detroit Pistons Fans

Heading into Tuesday's preseason opener, I'm sure I wasn't the only person that was excited and a bit curious about what we would see.

Of course, the majority of people that tuned into the game between Detroit and Miami were hoping to catch a glimpse of the new three-headed monster that is the Heat.

For me, however, I was hoping to be proven wrong about this year's model of the Pistons. At the very least, I was curious to see how exactly team president Joe Dumars and coach John Kuester planned on winning with a team composed almost exclusively of wing players.

Suffice to say, I was not proven incorrect in my appraisal that this team is not built to succeed.

Obviously, this was just the first preseason game and one would expect to see some rust. But this wasn't rust. This was more like mutant, alien, uncontrollable, ebola strength corrosion. If that was rust, I would hate to see the winter weather that caused it.

What went right

Well, I guess, nobody died.

Of course, there were some bright spots, but they were kind of like finding diamonds amongst coal; few and far between. But I am an optimist, so I will give it my best.

Charlie Villanueva seemed to be trying. For all of the lip service we have heard from Charlie (don't call me hustle) Villanueva, he certainly had better body language. He even took a few balls to the rim with I dare say authority.

The highlight of his game was a breakaway dunk that he had that was technically in LeBron James' face. Of course if LeBron had blocked it, it would have been the first highlight shown on Sportscenter, but James getting dunked on by Villanueva isn't as much of a story.

He looked trim, motivated, and ready to contribute, and he could now challenge for a starting job.

Rip Hamilton also looked to have his touch back, aggressively taking shots and showing off his great off the ball ability.

Ben Gordon also showed that he may be back, making a few shots and looking good doing it. His quick release is still there, and despite a few ball handling turnovers, he seemed to play well within Kuester's system.

Austin Daye also had his moments, finishing with 12 points despite starting out somewhat skittish.

Tayshaun Prince also played well, and most importantly under control but aggressive. On a team lacking a true point guard, Prince again showed that he may be the best option to have the ball go through him on offense.

Could this finally be the year that Prince takes on more of an aggressive role on offense? I wouldn't hold my breath, but this was certainly a step towards that.

What went wrong

Where to begin?

The offense looked disjointed and confused. It was as though this team not only was playing its first game of the preseason, but did so without a full practice. The guards looked lost, and the bigs were nonexistent.

Then there was the defense. Nobody seemed to have a clue how to defend anyone. Chris Bosh made Prince look silly on the perimeter. Greg Monroe committed petty and weak fouls. There was no interior defense against a very small Miami front court.

Individually, there were a lot of problems. Rodney Stuckey may have even regressed as a point guard (if that is possible). He still has yet to learn something that is taught as a fundamental to elementary school kids: you never leave your feet with nowhere to go. Stuckey still has a tendency to just jump and hope that someone will get open. Of course this never happens, and he ends up throwing weak passes into the hands of defenders.

Will Bynum wasn't much better, finishing with four points and three assists.

Then there is Tracy McGrady. It is almost painful watching McGrady out there. First, he appears to be overweight. Second, he might as well have been wearing cement boots on defense.

On one particular play, he was taken off the dribble by LeBron, and instead of getting into position to defend against the pass, he gingerly sauntered after James, basically screening out one of his teammates and leading to an easy basket.

McGrady reminds me of when Chris Webber joined the Pistons. You keep hoping that you will see a glimpse of his former brilliance, but as Webber himself mentioned while doing color commentary for the game, "your body just won't do what your brain is asking it to do."

McGrady appears to be a sad shell of his former self, and if last night is any indication, he most likely will be beaten out by Daye for playing time, leaving the former scoring champ to mop up in garbage time.

Obviously, it is possible that McGrady was just being very cautious on his surgically repaired knee, and if that is the case, who can blame him. But we as fans have to call it like we see it, and I saw a player that is just about done.

Ben Wallace was used sparingly and looked every bit of his 37 years. To hope that Wallace can once again save this defense is asking way too much of the big guy.

Monroe was not impressive at all. He looked over-matched from the outset, and was out muscled, out hustled and just plain outplayed by the Heat. He managed to score in double digits, but he really needs to become more aggressive. Obviously, he has a good feel for the game and can pass the ball very well, but I think the Pistons were hoping to get more than a seven foot finesse player with a nifty bounce pass.

What went really wrong

Jonas Jerebko and Terrico White were both injured in last night's game. While White was considered a long shot to be a contributor this year, the Pistons were counting on Jerebko this season.

Jerebko blew out his achilles tendon in the first quarter and will likely miss the majority of the season. Given that the Pistons will probably be out of playoff contention when he becomes healthy in April, expect Detroit to shut him down for the year. Hopefully the big Swede will be available to start next season.

Jerebko's injury places an even brighter magnifying glass on the Pistons most glaring need, the front line, and will likely force Dumars to speed up whatever moves he has up his sleeve.

I have said this before, and I will say it again: the Pistons are not built to succeed. They have approximately 10 different players that play the exact same position. Their only consistent front court defender is 37, and right now, they are looking at a choice between a seven footer that thinks he is a point guard and a shooting guard trapped in a power forward's body.

With the Jerebko injury, the only choices Kuester has for the starting lineup are Monroe and Villanueva. If he even jokes about starting Jason Maxiell, he should lose his job.

Bottom line

This is not pretty folks. The good news is that with the likely sale of the club to Mike Illitch, there will be changes. And make no mistake about it, Dumars is not a lock to remain with this club.

Perhaps Illitch will tap Tom Wilson to take over the GM gig. Heck, maybe he will bring in Dombrowski and Leyland to light a fire under this club (pun intended). Does anyone know if Scotty Bowman knows basketball?

Of course, this is just one preseason game and a lot can and probably will change over the next month. But what I saw last night was a team that was lost, and despite Stuckey's proclamation that his team is the best on paper, they sure looked like they were cut from a different tree than the Heat.

For a fan base that is used to excellence, we may have to brace ourselves for a long season.