Pistons Preview

B-b-b-b-b-b-bye, Ben Wallace. Hello, new-look Pistons.

The instant he inked with Chicago in July, the face of the Detroit Pistons changed dramatically. No more fearing of the 'Fro. And no more clanging of the 'thro.

Yes, the defensive catalyst has bolted. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year, the man who fueled the fire behind the 2004 NBA Championship team ... gone.

Now, as the 100-pound dumbbells in the Palace's weight room collect dust, and as Ben forges ahead and runs with the Bulls, there's one obvious question to be answered in Detroit:

How will his absence affect this team?

Many of the pundits see his departure as the death of championship-caliber basketball in Detroit, and they've already written off the Pistons as primary contenders for the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.

Thing is, that's just the way Chauncey, Rip, Tay and the rest of the boys like it. Underdogs again.

After a summer full of baseball excitement, courtesy of the Tigers, it's time for the city of Detroit to put its energy back into its hoop squad, because this Pistons team has the potential to be better than last year's.

Gone are Big Ben and the electric Maurice Evans. In are Nazr Mohammed and Flip Murray.

Gone is the potential to hold teams to 69 points in a game. In is the ability to score 130 on any given night.

While the Pistons will certainly miss everything No. 3 brought to the table on the defensive end, his absence on offense will outweigh his void in the paint on D. That is what makes the essence of this new team truly compelling.

Flip Saunders has said that Ben was such an impediment offensively last year that he was barely able to dip into his playbook, which, sources say, is thicker than "War and Peace." Possibilities abound.

On top of that, let's also realize that neither Chauncey, Rip or Tay have reached their prime. This year may be Chauncey's, Rip's right on the brink and Tay is still just getting his feet wet. Scary. I expect all three to make the All-Star team.

Down low, the starters will be Mohammed and 'Sheed. From what I saw in the preseason, Big Nazr seems like a solid offensive player. There's a chance he could pour in about 12 a night, which would be great. He won't match the worth of Ben, but 12 is good.

That leaves 'Sheed. I've said for three years that he is the most talented of the Pistons; I wholeheartedly believe he has the ability to average 22 points per. With him, though, it's so clearly a mental block that keeps him from playing his best every night. The technicals, the ill-advised 3's, the lapses where he loafs ... they can be frustrating. But only because of the glimpses of brilliance we see night to night.

The good 3's when he's in rhythm. The constant and contagious chatter. And, most importantly, when he ATTACKS the rim. Since he's joined the Pistons, that attack mode has been rare. But when someone gets that dog in him barking, look out, because he's deadly. If Flip and the boys can light that fire more often and get 'Sheed attacking the rim more consistently, he'll be as much of a headache for other teams as he's ever been, and, given the quandary that is 'Sheed, that's saying something.

Off the bench, Antonio McDyess should be a solid contributor at both ends, as usual. Flip Murray should step in and comfortably play the 1 or the 2. Everyone in the Pistons' organization wants Carlos Delfino to play a bigger role, but I'm not so sure. He never plays with any emotion. I'd almost rather see Amir Johnson get 12 minutes a night. He's the next T-Mac, I think. Jason Maxiell had a tremendous preseason, leaving people wondering how he'd fit into the mix. I say bring in Dyess and J-Max together for about 20 minutes a night, each. That energy would be nearly impossible to quell.

Lindsey Hunter, possibly in his last year, is in the mix to play significant back-up minutes, as well, but I wonder if the Pistons might be better off signing newly-freed agent Jalen Rose -- not just because he's my favorite player, but because he's a bit more versatile than Linds, and, at this stage of his career, a much better scorer.

The big thing that will take some getting used to with this team is the way games will be played. Remember the tempo of basketball games in the mid-1980s, when the Lakers would outduel the Celtics 143-139 in regulation, regularly? Those days are on their way back. Expect the Pistons to average 100 or more points per game this year.

With all of that said, I'm pumped to see how this year plays out. I don't expect them to play extremely well until February. Still, I think the Pistons will once again have the most regular season wins in the East. The Bulls and the Cavs are good, but they don't have as much overall offensive talent. The Heat will be up there, too, but they'll only concentrate on winning enough games to qualify for the postseason.

To predict the playoff picture now is tough. Again, I don't see the Bulls outscoring the Pistons. And when the Cavs made it difficult on the Pistons last spring, it was because they shut down Detroit's offense, that's it.

Now, with more firepower, perhaps the Pistons could outlast the Heat in a seven-game series and get back to the Finals. I'm not going to put any money down in Vegas on it, though. There's too much we don't know about how this team will gel. But that's why they play the games, right? We shall see...

59-23, Central Division Champs, and a bunch of surprises along the way, for better or worse. Go Pistons.

Unknown territory...

It's humbling to see the Tigers heading into the postseason with a four-legged limp, in the midst of a five-game losing streak to the Blue Jays and Royals in which they allowed no fewer than seven runs in a game.

But on Tuesday night, when they dig into the batter's box on perhaps the most famous baseball diamond in the world -- Yankee Stadium -- that bitter taste will be gone. Nineteen years of futility will be erased. And the start of a great run could begin.

Don't count on it, though.

Think about it. If the Yankees had been watching the Tigs as intently as I have for the past few days, would they be worried? Not with that land-mine of a batting order looming.

Damon. Jeter. Rodriguez. Giambi. Matsui. Sheffield. Cano. Posada. Williams. Ruth. Mantle.

OK, maybe not the last two, but you get the picture. They're more stacked than the Girls Next Door. They're all stars. They're all All-Stars.

Obviously, the Tigs would have preferred to be home at CoPa hosting the A's. But does that ensure they'd advance?

No. There's more parity in the AL than people think. Yes, the Yankees have more big names and much, much more experience. That's why they're favored. But when you break it down, each American League team has a good chance to be playing deep into October, when the frost begins to bite and the drama intensifies to the point where it makes me want to pee.

I began this short blog Sunday after the 12-inning loss. I finished it Monday evening, less than 24 hours before the first pitch. In that time, my natural optimism has influenced me more, and it's allowed me to make a more "Rog" decision. I'll unveil it in the morning, when I'll honor the 19 years of idleness in Detroit with 19 reasons the Tigers could roar all the way to the World Series.