In this decade, at least one point or time, the Detroit Pistons were a team raved about. Constant debates on if they were aiming to become NBA’s next dynasty. Those debates ran heavy, when the Pistons stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals four years ago. Well, so much for a dynasty in Detroit, as triumph devalued four year’s later by one horrendous move.
The change of culture was supposed to be the most brilliant in-season move, as the Pistons weren’t even taking into account of dominating the East. In fact, they were rated as the fourth best team in the conference, to only stand behind the defending champs Boston, the much-improved Cleveland and the magical unfolding of Orlando. At this point, the Pistons don’t even fair as a top-seeded team in the playoffs, now on brink of elimination and one game away from being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As projected, the Cavs were presumed to dominate, but it wasn’t self-evident that they were destined to preclude the Pistons of sustaining one victory, though it’s valid after trading away a nucleus piece, after shipping away leadership, after shipping away a veteran and after shipping away a playoff specialist. In return the Pistons obtained a catch-and-shoot individual, a self-centered veteran point guard. Once Pistons general manager Joe Dumars traded team leader Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson, it mightily turned the Nuggets into a legitimate threat as the Pistons took a drastic plunge, toppling into a substandard team to dismantle utterly an up-and-coming dominating regimen.
Not long ago, they were presumably a threat in the East. And not long ago, it was as if glancing at the renaissance Pistons. Sort of similar to the old days when they were referred as the Bad Boys of Detroit. They aren’t nearly close to being referred as bad, now it’s more suitable to refer to them as Foolish Boys of Detroit. By hanging up the FOR SALE SIGN on Chauncey’s locker, perhaps might have not cured their fragility over the paramount Cavs, but it could have cured their possible humiliation of being swept under the street gutters.
By virtue, trading a team leader is worst than trading an Upper Deck Michael Jordan trading card in return for Shaq. Not that I’m dishing him, but there’s a huge difference in value. And that’s how valuable Billups was to Detroit. Ever since his departure, the Pistons haven’t being the same, and won’t be the same for a long time. Things in the East are fairing well for the powerful Cleveland, Boston and Orlando. So to say, Detroit has a shot with their veterans and young points guards aren’t even enough to have a discussing.
And dismissing the fact that the Celtics, Cavs are Magic won’t be the premier faces of the East, would be a mistake. With superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland and the impending Most Valuable Player, Orlando’s Dwight Howard and, well, of course Boston, it’s unimaginable to rationalize anyone beating them. The emergence of the Cavs has many believing the Celtics were only last year’s chronicle. And the flowering Magic’s are moving in with more magic tricks to become discussion of East Coast prevalence. And as everyone knows the Celtics could win a few more down the line, if everything there stays intact.
But for now, the Pistons are the least team to worry about in the East. They’re the least team to rave about, and the least team to captivate our interest. Even when Billups played with them, it wasn’t as captivating, but it was better than it is without him. The audacity and future arrangements, not only destroyed Dumars infamous reputation, but it endangered a foundation that was built by him from bottom to top. Now back to the bottom, he’s being criticized for making a poor move, aiming to rebuild from scratch.
Revamping into a legitimate threat was his intent, but throwing away a probable season isn’t how to rebuild a team. Holding on to Billups was more a solution than a problematic remodeling donation, which might take years to refurbish. And donating him to Denver restored growth on an immature unit that has matured since his arrival. Shooting sensation Carmelo Anthony’s name hasn’t being in the news for unlawful conduct or hissy fits haven’t being made public. It’s a team that has turned it up, with the veteran experience of Billups to present his clutch shooting and his leadership role among a young unit, maturing each game. Even defensively, the Nuggets are sturdy with the backcourt toughness of Billups. That’s exactly how it was when his presence helped led Detroit to the NBA Finals in 2004 to shock the plant, with a defeat over the Lakers.
Another championship almost occurred when the made the second straight Finals appearance in ’05 against San Antonio, a series that was boring as hell and a series many found careless. That was a different time. Now, it’s the Iverson self-destruction scheme that’s the problem, and it isn’t a cure to rebuilding at least not now. Maybe later, but if they had initiative to win at now, adding Iverson to the equation just made them downgrade into the lower level of shame. And the man to hold accountable for such a drastic storm is Dumars, for making a risky move that turned disastrous.
It’s considered one of the worst trades in league history, and it’s considered the most idiotic trades by Dumars. I’ve wouldn’t have never thought he’ll stoop to this level, to start a rebuilding project. So far this project has produced disappointing season, after Dumars opted to sacrifice this season to restore a future. So far this project sadly will end in a negative mode, a series the Cavs will be dusting up the leftovers of a feeble and awful season initiated by the Pistons.
Yes, the dustpans and brooms will dust them up Sunday.
The problem with them has being Iverson’s me-my-self-and-I attitude, which led bad signs. Hey, I guess it’s suitable to refer to them as Bad Boys. That’s in a negative way, not a dominant way. Like in Philly, Iverson has being criticized for his self-centered demeanor, an issue that has had people discerned him as a player who takes anything said or any type of action used against him personal.
The crybaby hypocrite was a cancer since arriving, and it’s hard to prognosticate if he really sustained soreness in his lower back or if he’s just mocking them, pronouncing his unhappiness with new role of coming off the bench. It led to a miss practice and another trip, and he publicly mentioned retirement. And instead of shutting up and coming of the bench, he insisted that he was injured after already missing 16 games with back problems. Struggles cost the 12-year veteran his starting position, and took blame from Pistons fans who were still mourning over the lost of Billups, a shocking trade that fans wasn’t to favored of welcoming.
And when new coach Michael Curry benched Rip Hamilton to start Iverson, the fans really were upset by the change and blamed Curry of the struggles. Since then, the rocky relationship between him and Curry hasn’t been the same in which either or speaking. The Pistons hired for his inspirational leadership, but it turns out his leadership hasn’t had much of an impact. He was replacement of the turbulent Flip Saunders, who never had the greatest relationship with the players. In his tenured, the players rudely insulted him and disrespected him, which caused a bundled of problems. And still, until this day they’re in disarray, not because of the coaching or players, but Dumars preferences of building a legitimate winner.
So since the Pistons have already started their rebuilding, it’s likely they’ll target the availability of Carlos Boozer or Anderson Varejao during free agency, to fill in holes of the frontcourt. Even though, the Pistons are equipped with Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, gradually they’re starting to decline and so they could use younger bodies inside. As far as the backcourt, the Pistons seemed devoted to rebuild around their emerging guards Rodney Stuckey and the dynamic guard Will Bynum, and it seems that is their foundation in the near future.
Until then, Dumars is the most disliked man in Detroit, and if he fails to install a brighter future, another era of self-destruction could measure up to a downcast among a franchise that’s never being known for failures. It isn’t pretty in Detroit, and only Dumars could amend damages as the burden lies on his shoulder. And should attempt to make any drastic off-season trades or free-agent signings of the recent struggles that prompted much disarray, and for now the Pistons aren’t potent. As a season fizzled, they have only gotten worst and looming is a swept to close out their unjustifiable season.
