From the Detroit Monitor
George Eichorn: The Detroit Pistons were just at .500 at press time and what a major disappointment this season has become for the team. They obviously are the NBA’s most negative surprise in my eyes as well as most fans and hoops observers. Team chemistry has been a question mark ever since general manager Joe Dumars shipped captain Chauncey Billups off to Denver for temperamental all-star guard Allen Iverson.
  Scott Morganroth: I’m glad to see the Pistons break their eight-game losing streak and win two in a row with victories over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics to get back to the . 500 mark. Yes, it has been disappointing, but they’ll have to make the best out of a tough situation. I’m still not pleased with the Billups trade but what’s done is done and hopefully the development of Rodney Stuckey will serve as something positive this season.
  Eichorn: Head coach Michael Curry is not at fault in my mind. I cannot blame him for the Pistons being at .500. I think given the right mix of players, Curry will be fine as a coach and therefore Dumars needs to keep him at the helm. This team has gone through so many coaches, even while winning a ton of games, that making another change now or at the end of the season is not going to solve anything. Heck, I wish Larry Brown was still coaching these guys or even Flip Saunders. But that is not going to happen so Curry has to learn the ropes and become a solid coach like I believe he is capable of doing.
  Morganroth: What I do blame Curry for is when he saw the experiment to move Rip Hamilton to the bench wasn’t working, he should have had the guts to switch back quickly and use Iverson off the bench.
  As evidenced in the Magic and Celtic games, Curry disrupted the chemistry on the team and this could cost Detroit home court advantage in the playoffs. What I saw in Miami at the Pistons-Heat contest made me ill. The team had hit a low point and the quiet locker room looked like a funeral parlor. I’ve noticed that Walter Hermann has been a sparkplug off the bench so he needs to fit him in the rotation. I’m surprised that Arron Afflalo isn’t getting more minutes. Where is Amir Johnson? And Curry should use Kwame Brown and get his six fouls worth by using him on big bodies and wearing them out. Brown should be the Pistons modern day version of Chuck Nevit.
  Eichorn: It looks to me like Rasheed Wallace and Iverson are not the answer here. I say cut your losses after the playoffs and lop off both their high salaries. Then use that cap space to entice a superstar like Chris Bosh to play for the Pistons. Let’s face it; the team needs to retool following the season. This is like the last hurrah with this unit as far as making a splash in the NBA playoffs. Already gone are two vital cogs to the championship days – center “Big†Ben Wallace and Billups. The Pistons thought they could make one last run – and still may – but it isn’t going to be easy with teams like Boston, Cleveland and Orlando ahead of them.
  Morganroth: The best place for Wallace is Charlotte, North Carolina, where he’ll rejoin coach Brown in the state where he starred as a Tar Heel. They worked well together in Detroit and won a championship ring. Brown also protected Wallace’s back when he was hit with technical fouls…probably better than any coach Wallace played for in the NBA. The pair would win in Charlotte and Wallace respects Brown a lot as though he’s a father figure. Dean Smith would show up at more games. Wallace will also sell tickets.
   As for Iverson, he better get used to being a sixth man because that’s where the market will be. He needs to position himself to be on a team that’s loaded to win a title and he becomes a top notch role player. He’ll still get paid well this summer. But clearing the cap space is what the Pistons wanted to do and that’s what they’ll accomplish since they won’t return to the Eastern Conference Finals. I think most of the big name free agents will be available during the summer of 2010.
  Eichorn: I am not surprised are you that the sellout crowds are not as common now at the Palace. With the auto industry and Michigan’s overall economy sagging yet I always give Tom Wilson and the front office credit for innovative discounting and promotions to keep fans’ interest in coming back. Having those Guys Night Out promotions with autograph sessions by the Automotion cheerleaders in a skimpy Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue layout doesn’t hurt either!
  Morganroth: Wilson is a smart businessman. He knows that even with discounted ticket prices there is still money to be made in concessions and at souvenir stands. It helps that the Pistons own their building and, unlike many teams that have a bad lease agreement, the breakeven point is more attainable. Even with a bad economy, if the Pistons put a winner on the floor, they’ll always pack the Palace. As I’ve said all along, Detroit sports fans are some of the best in the U.S.  Every owner should dream to put a team in this market. All fans want is a great effort so their blue collar money is spent for true entertainment.
  Eichorn: The NBA is looking like a three-team slugfest in the East with Boston, Cleveland and Orlando the top dogs. The Pistons are still my darkhorse. In the end, I’ll take the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference finals. Out West, I like the Lakers and they will slug it out with San Antonio, Phoenix and Portland –my darkhorse. Looks to me like a repeat of last year’s six-game Boston-Los Angeles finals series. That would put a big smile on commissioner David Stern and the faces of ABC and ESPN executives.
  Morganroth: I still like Boston coming out of the East. The injury to Ben Wallace will hurt Cleveland’s chances. Until the Magic makes it out of the first round, I’m not taking them seriously. As for the Pistons, they should be glad this is an 82-game season. They still have time to figure out their identity to make some kind of run. I agree, they are a darkhorse and they do have a lot of experience. In the West, the Lakers are the class of the conference while Portland, Denver with Billups and Dallas with former Pistons coach Rick Carlisle could make some noise. I would never count out San Antonio. How can you with their recent championship history?
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com & Scott Morganroth at ScottSports33@aol.com.
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