POINT GUARDS
Chauncy Billups / Carlos Arroyo / Lindsay Hunter / Alex Acker
SHOOTING GUARDS
Richard Hamilton / Maurice Evans / Carlos Delfino
SMALL FORWARDS
Tayshaun Prince / Ronald Dupree / Amir Johnson
POWER FORWARDS
Rasheed Wallace / Antonio McDyess / Jason Maxiell
CENTERS
Ben Wallace / Dale Davis / Darko Milicic
2004 / 05 : 54-28, 1st Central, Eastern Conference No. 2 Seed
Key Additions : Dale Davis, Maurice Evans, Jason Maxiell
Coach : Flip Saunders
Strengths : Well, where do you start? Detroit are loaded at every position and have only improved their roster since making the NBA Finals last season. Chauncy Billups has become a premier point guard, Hamilton is money from mid range and gets to the line at will. Awkward looking forward Tayshaun Prince, has taken his game to a new level and is a very dependable shooter, playmaker and defender. Upfront Rasheed and Ben Wallace intimidate on defense with Rasheed giving them a target offensively. Off the bench they have McDyess giving them quality minutes, and have added veteran Dale Davis to provide Detroit with a very tough front court rotation. Maurice Evans was signed from Sacramento, and he'll support both Prince and Hamilton adequately. Then finally you have the savvy veteran Hunter, and the talented Arroyo supporting starter Chauncy Billups. This is one strong well put together roster by Joe Dumars.
Weaknesses : (Scratches head) A roster such as this has minimal holes. If anything Detroit do struggle in patches on offense. When Rasheed decides to be a perimeter forward, rather then a power player, the Pistons lack an inside scorer. This does place pressure on Rip and Chauncy to have the jumper working. Flip Saunders steps in for Larry Brown, and only time will tell whether he can continue to keep this squad focussed through the long season. Can he keep player such as Arroyo and Milicic happy, despite limited minutes. I can see rumblings here.
Key Player : With the balance of this teams roster so even across the board, it is hard to pin point one particular player. I'll go with the volatile forward Rasheed Wallace. This talented big man has a reputation as a hot head who could implode at any moment. The Pistons need a focussed Wallace on the court as he is an extemely important part of their offense. His inside outside game allows space for Billups and Hamilton to operate, and minimises the problems of having a poor offensive center in Wallace. Rasheed needs to stay aggressive though as he does at times disappear during games. He is an amazing talent that will likely lead Detroit deep into the playoffs.
Overview : When it comes down to the crunch, you just know that Detroit will be there when it matters. They have remarkable depth that any injury to any player will hardly register a blip. The few question marks they do have are how they'll react to Coach Saunders, but he is a quality coach and this should not be an issue. This team will be pushed by the revamped Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers along with the young Bulls squad in the Central. This should squash and complacency, and getting past the Heat will provide motivation. Look for this squad to post a similar win loss record as last season and send chills down the spine of fellow Eastern Conference rivals.
Win Range : 53-58 wins
