Pistons’ run comes to an end
The Detroit Pistons are going to have to make some tough decisions following their loss in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs could have easily won this series in five games, if not swept the series. LeBron James made the right play at the end of Games 1 and 2 to give his team a chance to pull out the win. Donyell Marshall missed an open three-pointer in Game 1 and Rip Hamilton probably got away with a foul on James at the end of Game 2.
The first decision that needs to be made is at the top. Flip Saunders has kept the team competitive but this Pistons team was supposed to compete for a championship in each of the last two seasons. That obviously didn’t happen and you have to wonder whether Saunders is really the right coach for the job. The team seemed to run hot and cold, alternating between playing great basketball at times but looking completely lost at others. While the team would go through droughts under both Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown the team never seemed to have the type of indifference or just plain confusion that has been the hallmark of the two playoff losses to Miami last year and Cleveland this year.
Joe Dumars has been quick to make coaching changes, saying there’s a need to change coaches fairly frequently as players eventually tune any coach out. Obviously that’s not the case in San Antonio, as the Spurs have a good shot at winning their third championship in five years. That could be Detroit this year if not for some bad luck. So rather than simply hopping back on the coaching carosel for another coach who will be around for a two-year run, perhaps it’s time for Dumars to find a coach who shares his view on what it takes to build a winner. Then he can work on finding players who are going to buy into what it takes to be successful at the highest levels.
When Saunders was brought in the talk amongst some in the Detroit media was that the league was moving in a direction that would benefit teams geared towards having great offenses. Saunders, who is known as one of the best offensive strategists in the league, was believed to be the perfect hire to reposition the Pistons from being one of the best defensive teams in the league to being an offensive juggernaut. While there is no question the team’s offense has improved, great offensive teams like the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have fallen short of expectations. The Spurs, meanwhile, have continued to thrive.
The next decision Joe Dumars will have to make is how to handle the contract situations with both Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace. In an ideal world Chauncey would be signed for two more years and Wallace would be an impending free agent. The Pistons will want to sign Billups but the cost to do so could be more than they want to pay. Billups could command a max contract, but that would compromise the Pistons’ chances of extending their time to compete for another NBA title. He’s still amongst the best point guards in the NBA as he had just about a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio during the regular season. And the team looked terrible when he was injured earlier this season. But if he’s signed to a max contract it will limit the team’s ability to sign other players and remain competitive.
It seems apparent that Rasheed Wallace is likely to return to being the headcase he was in Portland. He was barely able to keep himself under control when he was playing on a team that was in a perfect position to win several NBA championships. With that looking less likely he’s become far too unstable to be anything other than a very big distraction, if not worse. The guy seems to honestly believe he’s never committed a foul in over 11 NBA seasons.
Wallace is probably the biggest decision Dumars has to make in the aftermath of his technical foul that got him ejected from tonight’s game. At least when Antonio McDyess was ejected in Game 5 it was for making a solid basketball play when he committed a hard foul on Anderson Varejao. You had to appreciate that McDyess was playing the game the way it should be played, and the fact he took down Varejao in the process made it even more commendable. But Wallace’s ejection was an entirely different issue. It had absolutely nothing to do with basketball and it officially ended any chance Detroit had to get back into the game.
Sheed is probably Detroit’s best player, but he’s also very likely to spiral downhill and could possibly take the team down with him. Does Dumars keep him and hope he can get his act together - possibly under the guidance of a new coach - or does he get rid of him regardless of the cost to do so? Flip Saunders has shown no ability to guide the team back to the NBA Finals so it might be easier for Dumars to find a new coach. That could allow him to keep Wallace, get Chauncey to re-sign with the team and get players like Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince to play like they did when Detroit was one of the best teams in the NBA.
If Dumars doesn’t get it right and he loses Billups, keeps Saunders on as coach and keeps a very self-destructive player in Rasheed Wallace on the team it could get very ugly. The team president obviously has his work cut out for him this offseason.
Chanuncey Billups cleveland cavaliers Flip Saunders Joe Dumars NBA Eastern Conference Championship Pistons Rasheed Wallace1 Comment(s)
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[…] Dave @ Gorilla Crouch speculated about the question of head coach: The first decision that needs to be made is at the top. Flip Saunders has kept the team competitive but this Pistons team was supposed to compete for a championship in each of the last two seasons. That obviously didn’t happen and you have to wonder whether Saunders is really the right coach for the job. The team seemed to run hot and cold, alternating between playing great basketball at times but looking completely lost at others. While the team would go through droughts under both Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown the team never seemed to have the type of indifference or just plain confusion that has been the hallmark of the two playoff losses to Miami last year and Cleveland this year. […]