The shortlist of coaches to takeover the head coaching position in Detroit has been narrowed down to four candidates: Mike Woodson, Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas and Kelvin Samspon.

Lets be honest, Kelvin Sampson belongs no where near the NBA, he struggled in college despite a few good years in Oklahoma. I wouldn’t exactly be excited about this coming season as we would have no clue what to expect from him. Also, college coaches have a poor track record in the NBA, not a gamble the Pistons need to make. So the sooner he is removed from the list, the better I will feel.

Mike Woodson has some good experience with the Atlanta Hawks and had a very successful final three seasons as they made the playoffs in all three years. The team was very explosive and Woodson handled the young talent on the team pretty well, he developed the likes of Al Horford and Josh Smith so the guy can coach. He just doesn’t seem like a fit in Detroit and his Atlanta teams seemed to lack discipline, something this Detroit team needs badly.

Now to the two guys that would be great for the Pistons: Laimbeer and Thomas. Laimbeer coached in the WNBA and won three titles, yes I know it is the WNBA but I don’t think Laimbeer lacks the toughness required to coach in the NBA. If you don’t think so then go ahead and tell him that yourself, see what happens.

Isiah has had his struggles with his management endeavors, especially in New York as he made a bad situation even worse. He coached in Indiana and was successful until a poor showing in the playoffs which lead to his firing. He tends to turn people against him, whether it be fans or management. I do not believe that would happen in Detroit, especially working with Dumars. They were both played in the Detroit backcourt during the bad boy days in the late 80′s and early 90′s.

So the question is who to choose?

Laimbeer is my choice because the guy is straight up scary and will not put up with any players acting like they did last year. Anyone remember how Laimbeer played for the Pistons? The guy was an animal down low and embodied the “bad boy” mentality, that is his style. Laimbeer would instil this mentality into a Pistons team that has been missing it the last few years. The Pistons are synonymous with toughness. Anyone remember when an easy basket didn’t exist in Detroit? I do and I know Laimbeer would bring that back to our team.

Isiah would be choice 1B for myself, but the only knock against him are his failures in managerial roles in the NBA. Like I said earlier, he tends to rub people the wrong way but I find it hard to imagine him doing that in Detroit. Isiah would be good fit and I would be behind the hiring 100%.

But I would prefer Laimbeer get the job as he would have an immediate impact on the team and would certainly get the full support of the fans in Detroit, something we haven’t seen in a while. Can’t exactly blame us for not wanting to watch the garbage that has been dumped on the court night in and night out over the last two years. Laimbeer would change that immediately and would get the palace rocking once more.

My vote is for Laimbeer, give the guy a chance!

With the NBA Draft Lottery over, the Detroit Pistons find themselves with the eighth pick in the NBA Draft in June. A position they were more than likely expecting to end up in. The Cleveland Cavaliers were fortunate enough land the number one pick in the draft, via the LA Clippers, the draft pick only had a 2.8% chance of getting the first pick. The Cavaliers also have the fortune of having the 4th pick in the draft as well.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were unlucky again and failed to acquire the top draft pick, even though they had a 25% chance of receiving the first pick. They ended up with the second overall pick and will have to wait and see who Cleveland takes first. It would have been clear who was going to be taken first had Minnesota received the first pick, but Cleveland has some serious options.

Cleveland will shape this draft a great deal and what they do will affect Detroit and who they take. I have said it numerous times that this team needs a point guard, they need an explosive point guard. Sadly there are only two point guards who fit the mold, Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight, neither of which will be on the board when the 8th pick comes to Detroit. So who is Detroit going to take? I find the best way to determine this is to figure out who will be taken before their pick. Lets look at it.

1) Cleveland- Derrick Williams, SF: he offers Cleveland something they need, a big athletic body that can score in multiple ways. He is the most explosive player in this draft.

2) Minnesota- Kyrie Irving, PG: Kyrie is the best point guard in the draft and he is a game changer, Minnesota needs a point guard badly and they will certainly look to Kyrie to solve their woes.

3) Utah- Enes Kanter, C: he is a big body that passes the ball well and crashes the boards. He would be a nice complement to Al Jefferson down low.

4) Cleveland- Brandon Knight, PG: this is why I have Derrick Williams being picked number one overall. Cleveland still gets a very good point guard who is very explosive. He still needs to learn some things, but the talent is there.

5) Toronto- Tristan Thompson, PF: Thompson is a Toronto native and is only 6 ‘ 8″, but he plays big and he would give Toronto some much needed strength down low. He is physical and aggressive, a nice fit for Toronto.

6) Washington- Jonas Valanciunas, PF: This guy has the skill set and could run some nice pick and rolls with John Wall. This is more of a need for Washington, as they are really lacking down low. They need a skilled big man for Wall. This could be a question because the kid has a huge buyout clause in Europe, he could be a gamble.

7) Sacramento- Kawhi Leonard, SF: Sacramento needs help with their scoring positions, they have Cousins and Dalembert down low and Tyreke Evans will be going into his third season. Leonard would help balance out the team and give them a skilled player on the wing.

This now brings us to Detroit with the 8th pick. They can do a couple of things with this pick. In the Pistons case, I believe it will be between two players, Bismack Biyombo or Kemba Walker. Both are very different players, but both would be welcomed by the Pistons. Kemba is a point guard, but he is a scoring point guard and he likes to have the ball. He is not the best shooter in the world, but he is a winner and he loves to have the ball at the end of the game. I am not too sure how he will fit in at the NBA level, he seems to lack that burst of speed most point guards have in the NBA.

Bismack Biyombo is not a player I knew anything about, but after doing some research, I am impressed with this guy. He is very raw and has only been playing for a couple years, but he is very athletic. He is 6′ 9″ and has a wingspan of 7′ 7″ that will terrorize players in the NBA. The guy is quick and strong, he just has no identity as a player. I think he would be a great pick as long as there is a good coaching staff in place to help him get better.

My choice would be Biyombo because having him and Monroe down low would be very exciting for Pistons fans and they can address any point guard issues in the draft next year. This team needs to keep building as there is very little chance of having a successful season next year with no one guiding the offense.  With the impending lock out on the horizon, any off season moves would be limited, so Detroit fans need to be patient.

May 17, 2011 will be the day that decides the Pistons draft future and it happens to be the day when the NBA lottery takes place. Drafts can shape teams for years, they can transform a franchise into a winner. Just ask the Bulls.

I know the Pistons only have a 4.3% chance of winning the lottery but if the unlikely does happen, then there will be cause to celebrate in Detroit. The first pick will be Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams. The question is: If Detroit lucks out and gets the first pick, then which one should they take? Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams?

Putting another big body down low is certainly a need, but so is a point guard. So which position is more of a need? The Pistons had the tallest and slowest lineup this past year in the NBA, so lets look at the PG position for the Pistons.

The Pistons two current point guards are Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum. Both are solid players and even though Bynum is listed as the number one point guard, Stuckey played the most minutes and is considered by most as the point guard. The problem is both guys are back ups, they are not top tier point guards. Neither one is a great scorer or passer of the ball. I strongly believe you need a top tier point guard in this league to be a title contender. Yes I know there are exceptions, like the Lakers and the Heat, but they also have two of the greatest players to ever play the game in Kobe and LeBron. Try to imagine Chris Paul in Miami or LA…pretty scary.

Lets take a look at Stuckey’s numbers from this year. He ranked 23^rd amongst point guards in assists, with 5.2 per game. He was tied for 29^th amongst point guards with an assist to turnover ration of 2.33. Take a look at the top ten point guards in the NBA last year in assists: Steve Nash (PHX), Rajon Rando (BOS), Deron Williams (NJN), Chris Paul (NO), Jose Calderon (TOR), Raymond Felton (DEN), John Wall (WAS), Jason Kidd (DAL), Russell Westbrook (OKC) and Derrick Rose (CHI).

That is quite a list. The only three who have a worse assist to turnover ratio than Stuckey are Wall, Rose and Westbrook. Wall is a rookie and Westbrook and Rose have an unmatched ability around the rim. Rose also scored 25 points per game and is averaging 37.5 points in the playoffs. So it is safe to say they are exceptions.

I am not saying having a good assist to turnover ratio means you will have a great team, obviously, but I believe there are some good examples of how a very good point guard can influence a team. Deron Williams (Ranked 11^th in AST/TO ratio) was traded from Utah to New Jersey, the Jazz finished the season 8-17. Another example is the trade between Denver and New York. This one is not as evident, but if you look at it you can see the change in teams. Denver acquired Raymond Felton and sent Billups to the Knicks as part of the “Carmelo Trade.”

Felton ranked 6^th among point guards in assists and 13^th in assist to turnover ratio. Not bad, but not great. Billups was tied for 20^th among assists and was 35^th in assists to turnover ratio (Billups has been in a steady decline since his great 2005-06 season). That is quite a difference and it was evident in the two teams performances. Denver’s record after the trade: 18-7. New Yorks record after the trade: 14-14. The Knicks were a couple games above .500, so they didn’t change too much, but the Nuggets improved a great deal.

Some might argue Stuckey didn’t get enough playing time, as he regularly came off the bench late in the season. That is fair, but if you gave every point guard a full 48 minutes of playing time per game, Stuckey would rank 31^st in assists. He just is not good enough to take a team to the playoffs, let alone go deep into the playoffs.

My point is simple, a new point guard is needed and Stuckey needs to back him up. I feel very confident in the Pistons big men. Monroe should develop into a very good player; Wilcox and Wallace give us strength as well. Another big man is not the biggest need for this team.

This is all assuming we get the first pick, of course if we get the second pick, we should sprint up to the podium before Stern gets there to tell everyone we want Derrick Williams! The guy is a talent.

We could start picking apart the entire draft if the Pistons land the fourth pick or the sixth pick. I simply do not have time to do this. The 7^th pick seems to be the consensus for us, so a big man seems to be on the way, as I do not rate Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight. Although I would prefer Knight as he has tremendous upside with his speed and quickness. He simply is not ready for the NBA.

Maybe lightning will strike and we will land the top pick, but a 4.3% chance, I certainly will not be holding my breath.

The Pistons (30-52) finished the season on a high note as they defeated the playoff bound Philadelphia 76ers (41-41). Not that the game really mattered for the 76ers as they prepare for their first round clash with the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon. The 76ers were resting some key players and looking ahead to the playoffs, not very surprising as the Pistons rested some of their key players as well. Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince didn’t even crack 30 minutes of playing time.

This game was nothing special as both teams were simply going through the motions and truly looked liked two teams who had nothing to play for. Rodney Stuckey saw plenty of action tonight (43 minutes worth) and made the most of it, scoring 29 points on 9 of 15 shooting. He also dished out 8 assists. Ben Gordon, Jason Maxiell and DaJuan Summers each scored 10 points off the bench and were key players in the Pistons victory.

The Pistons won their 30th game of the year (only their 9th road victory) which secured their 11th place finish in the Eastern Conference.

The game started off well for the Pistons as they jumped out to an early 13-4 lead, which was sparked by a 9-0 run. The 76ers scrapped their way back into the contest, but the Pistons closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run to establish a 5 point lead after one.

The second quarter was not pretty for the Pistons as they committed 5 turnovers and played poor basketball, luckily Rodney Stuckey scored the last 6 points for the Pistons to keep them within striking distance as they only trailed by 4 at halftime.

The third quarter was all Pistons as they wasted little time in erasing the halftime deficit, scoring 5 consecutive points and taking control of the game. The Pistons built up a 10 point lead with only 30 seconds left in the quarter, but the 76ers capitalized on mental mistakes made by the Pistons to cut the lead to 6.

The fourth quarter had about as much excitement as you could expect from such a lack luster game, at least the score indicated a pressure packed game. Unfortunately all the pressure goes out the window when there is nothing on the line, it felt like I was watching a pre-season game. Back on topic, the 76ers executed better for the first part of the 4th quarter and pulled to within one. The game remained tight at 97-97 until Stuckey broke the deadlock with only 1:49 left in the game. The Pistons made things interesting down the stretch as they went 3 for 6 at the free throw line.

They always make things interesting and they never seem to know how to throw the knockout punch, I have high hopes this team will make the right moves in the off-season. If they can make some good moves, then this team has a chance at making the playoffs. All it takes is 40 wins to make the playoffs in the East, is that really too much to ask for?

Chris Wilcox had quite a night and was the key figure as the Detroit Pistons (28-51) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 110-100 (32-47). Wilcox scored 27 points on 12 of 18 shooting, he also grabbed 13 boards in the process. The Bucks were led by Brandon Jennings, as he scorched the Pistons for 31 points, the second consecutive game the Pistons have allowed a opposing player to score over 30 points (Brook Lopez scored 39 points on Wednesday). The game was never really in doubt, except early on in the 3rd quarter, as the Pistons led the game from the 1:21 mark in the 1st quarter all the way to the final buzzer.

The first quarter was a tightly contested contest as Brandon Jennings was keeping Milwaukee in the game, but Chris Wilcox scored 8 points early on to help spot the Pistons a 5 point lead after the first quarter. The game seemed easy for Detroit, as they were scoring easy baskets and looking  like a cohesive unit. This trend continued in the second quarter as they took a 4 point lead into half time, the feeling was positive going into the half even though the Bucks closed out the first half strong, but Rodney Stuckey went the length of the court for a easy lay-up that sparked the crowd going into half-time.

The 3rd quarter started out much like the 2nd quarter ended, with Brandon Jennings making a running shot to cut the lead to 2 points at 55-53. The Pistons responded with a 9-0 run that opened their lead to 11 points and they never looked back. The Pistons ended the 3rd quarter with a 10 point lead and much to my delight they did not throw away a lead; instead they managed the game well and answered any kind of charge Milwaukee tried to make.

I am going to try to be positive as there were many positives tonight. The obvious one is Chris Wilcox having an incredibly efficient night. 12 of 18 from the field, perfect from the line and 13 rebounds (5 of which were offensive) is the definition of efficient. It is very nice to see him play so well, but the guy has never had a season where he averaged more than 14 points, and he doesn’t contribute anything spectacular on defense. What I am trying to say is we can’t count on these nights from him very often. The other positive is how well the Pistons played while leading, they stayed in control and never let the Bucks back into the game, a very good sign. The last positive, and this won the game for us tonight, was the team shooting so well from the line. 28 of 31 (90%) from the charity stripe is always a good thing.

The negatives tonight are a little harder to see, especially when dominating the game like the Pistons did. The first negative is Richard Hamilton shooting 2 for 10, but we know that is unusual and shouldn’t alarm anyone. The second negative is Greg Monroe only attempting 3 shots tonight, I just do not understand why this guy isn’t shooting more. I think it is a combination of lack of supply and him not demanding the ball. The second part can be fixed, as he is only a rookie but he is only going to get confidence if his team mates get the ball into him more often.

The third negative, and this might not be a popular opinion, but it is Rodney Stuckey. I know he scored 22 points, I know he shot 7 of 14 from the field, but he only had 4 assists in a game which they scored 110 points. On top of that, he committed 5 turnovers! Now I am no expert, but when your point guard commits 5 turnovers and only has 4 assists then that is a problem. This should illustrate our need for a point guard more than anything else.

The NBA Draft can not come soon enough.

The Detroit Pistons were in a absolute dogfight tonight with the Washington Wizards as two rookies were on full display in the nations capital. The Wizards were led by John Wall as he scored 26 points and dished out 12 assists, his aggressive play was well rewarded tonight as he went 14 for 16 from the line. He was in the paint the entire night, as the Pistons simply couldn’t stop him from penetrating.

Greg Monroe had the honor of being Detroit’s standout player as well as their scapegoat. Monroe scored 22 points and grabbed 14 boards (9 of them being offensive rebounds), he was a big reason the Pistons attempted 21 more shots than the Wizards. Despite his great night, he missed two critical free throws late in the game that proved to be the difference.

The 1^st quarter was easily forgettable as the Wizards jumped all over the Pistons and took a 9-point lead into the 2^nd quarter. The Pistons came out determined and slowly chipped away at the lead and they eventually took back the lead late in the quarter. The positive play was sparked by Ben Gordon, who has struggled this year, he knocked down a couple of three pointers and scored 9 points in the quarter overall.

He has been struggling this year, but it was a good sign to see him contributing. I still believe we overpaid for him, but he still has one heck of a shot and could be a great asset to this team.

The second half was action packed as both teams were playing hard and refused to give up any ground. The game was back and forth heading into the 4^th quarter and then John Wall took over for the Wizards. The kid is flat out good, he knows how to score and he is very good at distributing the ball. 16 of his 26 points came in the 4^th quarter and he made critical basket after critical basket, it was almost annoying to watch because the Pistons could not get a stop, Wall being the reason.

The critical part of the game was when it was tied 102-102. John Wall slammed home the ball with his usual style and gave the Wizards a two-point lead with only 14 seconds left. The Pistons came out of their timeout and they got the ball into Greg Monroe and JaVale McGee then fouled him with only 10 seconds left in the game. Monroe missed both free throws and the Wizards went on to win.

The worst part about it was that Monroe was 8 for 8 from the line prior to the free throws; he simply cracked under the pressure. I will not take the easy way out and make him the scapegoat, he was great for the Pistons tonight, especially on the offensive glass. We attempted 21 more field goals, yet we still lost the game.

On a positive note, we didn’t give up any big runs at a critical point in the game, but we played hard on the road and we saw what some of these guys are capable of. I just hope this team can find itself next year, I still think the answer is going to be Monroe, but only time will tell.

The Detroit Pistons continued their struggles on the road, as they were outmatched in Boston tonight, losing 101-90, and improving their road record to 7-31. The game was pretty tight for about two and half quarters, but you always had the feeling Boston was in control of the game.  The Big 3 shot lights out tonight as they went a combined 22 for 30 from the field and scoring 60 points in the process. Will Bynum was the leading scorer for the Pistons tonight with 20 points, which is hardly encouraging, as no one else seemed to get anything going from the floor.

The 1st quarter started off promising as both teams came out of the gate playing hard and the score reflected it. There were 11 lead changes in the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter was much the same until the Celtics went on an 11-0 run mid way through the quarter. Much to my delight the Pistons responded very quickly, going on a 9-0 run to end the half just one point behind.

The 3rd quarter was tightly contested as the two continued to battle it out. The score sat at 67-64, following a Will Bynum 3 pointer, and the Boston Celtics put their stamp on this game with a 15 to 2 run over the final 4:50 of the 3rd quarter. The game was over as the Pistons trailed by 16 going into the 4th quarter and never got closer than 9 points.

The Pistons were in typical form tonight as they allowed yet another team to deal a knockout punch. The best teams in this league always stop runs, they never let teams go on extended runs because they simply are too difficult to overcome. The Pistons time and time again let other teams go on huge runs, and they typically occur at crucial points in the game. They went 1 for 9 from the field and committed 3 turnovers during Boston’s 17-2 run that spanned 6 minutes and 24 seconds.

To keep these runs from not happening, one of two things must occur: 1) Playing stingy defense or 2) Making a basket. These things are easier to come by when a team does not lose their head and play their game. They do not have an identity, maybe they should look for one of those this off-season.

The night started off well for the Pistons as they welcomed the Eastern Conference leading Bulls to town, but as the Pistons soon found out, the Bulls have a MVP candidate on their team. Rose scored 27 points on the night to go with 7 assists. The game was back and forth for a little over 11 minutes in the first quarter until Derrick Rose took the game over.

He scorched the Pistons for 10 points in a 47 second span, which was finished off by his buzzer beating 3 pointer to give the Bulls a 10 point 1st quarter lead. A lead they never relinquished, although the Pistons cut the lead down to 3 points on several occasions. The Bulls responded every time, a sign of a true championship caliber team.

Richard Hamilton scored 30 points for the Pistons and was well rewarded for his aggressive play as 11 of his 30 points came from the free throw line. But it was not enough, as the Pistons simply could not overcome the countless mistakes they made. They committed 20 turnovers on the night (guess they weren’t countless) and the Bulls took full advantage of it, scoring 27 points off those turnovers.

The lead the Bulls built up at the end of the 1st quarter held into half time. The Pistons came out with some intensity and scored 6 straight points, narrowing the lead to 5 points. They would narrow lead down to as little as 3 points on two occasions. Richard Hamilton drove to the basket and was fouled in the process of making the basket. He made the following free throw to make the game 65-62 with just under 7 minutes to play.

The Bulls responded with a run that left the Pistons chasing for the rest of the game. The Bulls went on a 12-0 run that spanned over 5 1/2 minutes and saw the Pistons miss 6 consecutive shots and commit 4 turnovers. The Pistons did muster up some backbone at the end and made the game a lot closer than it appeared, so that is slightly satisfying.

The problem I have is that I feel like I write the same thing every night about this team. They constantly give up big runs to opposing teams at critical points in the game. They cut a big lead down to a couple points, and then they follow it up with poor shooting and bad decisions. These are common occurrences for this team and the blame is on the coaching staff.

Change is not something I tend to endorse, as coaches and players deserve their chances to settle in to a team, but this season is over and the front office is going to have to look long and hard at this team. My first move as a GM would be to replace the coach with someone who is proven or has been coaching under a proven coach. There are some players I would love to ship off, but that is a discussion that deserves its very own article.

Tonight was the fatal blow to the Detroit Pistons (26-48) playoff hopes as the Indiana Pacers (34-42) ran away with the game early and never looked back. Rodney Stuckey did his best to pull the Pistons back into the game with 20 of his 24 points coming in the second half as the Pistons tried to climb back into the game. They trailed by 23 points going into the 4th quarter and were still trailing by the same margin with 8:07 left, they suddenly decided to wake up and start playing some aggressive basketball. The Pistons slowly closed the gap, narrowing the deficit to 8 points, but the game was already over at that point as Indiana was knocking down all of their free throws.

The game started off on a promising note as Greg Monroe was involved early, scoring 6 points in the opening 5 minutes on 3 of 4 shooting. He was getting easy buckets and working hard on the boards, but he simply disappeared for the rest of the game. He contributed some points here and there, but he was never involved the rest of the game (attempted only 3 more shots the rest of the game) and it showed.

The Pistons were leading early in the 2nd quarter 29-24 when the Pacers went on a 17-4 run, one that was fueled by good shooting and hustle plays. Jeff Foster was the catalyst as he was everywhere on the floor causing the Pistons all sorts of problems. The Pacers never looked back.

The Pacers opened up the second half with a 17-5 run and put the game to rest. The Pistons went ice cold during this spell as they shot 2 for 9 from the field and committed 4 turnovers. The Pistons couldn’t point the finger at anyone else except themselves.

As I have said before, Greg Monroe needs to be more involved in the offense and the Pistons started out the game with him being involved, but as the game went on he faded and was almost invisible by the end of the game. The remaining pieces from the championship teams (Hamilton and Prince to be precise) need to step up and realize what they have in the low post.

This team needs to establish a dominance down low and if they can give Monroe some more touches then maybe he can gain so more confidence.  If the Pistons do this, they can become a more consistent team on the road because shooting teams always struggle on the road in this league, the Pistons can attest to that, as they are 7-30 on the road this year. Hopefully we have an active off-season because this team needs a shake-up in the worst kind of way.

The Shahen family is in need of some help as one of their members, Mike Shahen, has ALS and probably will not make it to Christmas. ALS is a devastating disease and can cause so much pain for a family, they need help. Look at some items in the auction and if you want to bid on them then do so, you can live anywhere to bid on them. It is for a good cause and there are some pretty cool items in the auction. Thanks everyone for making a difference.

Here is the link to the auction: http://prosportsblogging.com/auction/