in NBA Articles

Offense didn't get it done

There is no joy in Motown. The Detroit Pistons, the paragons of all that is good and true in the NBA, are out of the championship picture for the first time in three years. They fell apart at the hands of the Miami Heat, who pounded Detroit into submission in six games to win the Eastern Conference and advance to play the Dallas Mavericks in the finals. But Detroit’s stumble really began in the previous round against the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James was all over the Pistons like a wet blanket, leading Cleveland to a 3-2 series lead before Detroit finally came through.

Detroit and Miami were expected to lock horns in a tough battle for the Eastern crown, but the Pistons weren’t supposed to go out like this. Several players, including Ben Wallace, openly complained about coach Flip Saunders. Wallace even hinted he might decide to ply his trade elsewhere as he enters unrestricted free agency this July. Can respected general manager Joe Dumars stop the bleeding and get Detroit back on the good foot?

Wallace is the heart and soul of the Detroit Pistons. But the Defensive Player of the Year is also going to be 32 years old next season. If another team with sufficient cap room decides to throw a substantial five-year contract offer Wallace’s way, it’s hard to imagine Dumars matching – especially with Chauncey Billups only one year away from hitting the free-agent market himself.

This is assuming Wallace is willing to return to Detroit. He is clearly not pleased with the way Saunders coaches the Pistons. Wallace isn’t the only one. Saunders is catching flak for not going deep enough into his bench this year. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of that decision, in retrospect, is the failure to develop Darko Milicic. He’s shown signs since being traded to Orlando that being drafted second overall (between James and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony) was no mistake. If another team lures Wallace away, Detroit now has nobody at center to replace him.

One option is to put Antonio McDyess back in the starting rotation. He has played very well since coming to Detroit after three seasons lost to knee injuries. However, those same injuries suggest that McDyess would be better served coming off the bench. He also isn’t terribly enamored with Saunders. Perhaps yet another coaching change is in order – we hear there’s a guy with the Knicks who’s going to be looking for a job.

Former Pistons coach Larry Brown was criticized during his tenure for keeping Milicic on the bench, and Brown did the same with Mehmet Okur, who is now one of the best players on the Utah Jazz. But Brown was and is a gifted defensive coach. Saunders is not. His specialty is offense, and even though he’s more of a player’s coach than Brown, his charms wore thin with his team once the playoff losses started mounting.

Dumars is going to have to come to some arrangement with Saunders, and quickly, to correct this past year’s mistakes. Otherwise, things will unravel quickly. Wallace is in danger of departing. Talented point guard Carlos Delfino is apparently ready to fly the coop. There isn’t a lot of top-flight talent in the draft this year, and the free-agent class drops off sharply after Wallace. Dumars will have to work some executive magic to find a suitable replacement for Wallace if the Pistons are to remain among the elite teams in the NBA.

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