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The good news from last season:
After winning 59 games, the Pistons went to their sixth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. On the way, they dispatched Orlando in five games in spite of Chauncey Billups missing a pair of contests. The team even stole a game in Boston to seize home court advantage from the Celtics before losing in seven games. Its core remained solid while getting greater contributions from its young players, including Jason Maxiell and rookie Rodney Stuckey. On a side note, eight Pistons were healthy enough to appear in at least 72 games.

The bad news from last season:
The team appeared stagnant and disinterested at times (as has been the case in recent years), dropping a couple games to Philadelphia in the first round before righting the ship and advancing in six games. Joe Dumars was dissatisfied with the result and fired Flip Saunders in spite of him steering the team to 176 regular season wins in three years. Michael Curry, a former teammate of many of the veteran Pistons, takes over the reins in his first head coaching job. It is unknown if the players will respect Curry, a longtime role player, now that he is in the head spot.

The revolving door:
IN: F-C Kwame Brown
OUT: F Jarvis Hayes

Team overview:
The cast is very familiar, including its starting backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. Both guards averaged 17 points per game last year while playing fewer minutes than they had been accustomed to. Billups rebounded from a poor-shooting 2006-2007 season to connect on just over 40 percent of his treys while Hamilton buried 44 percent of his attempts from deep. Rodney Stuckey looks to have an even bigger role in a healthy 2007-2008 season. The combo guard came into his own late in the season, averaging 15.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game in 27.3 minutes per contest. Stuckey built on that performance by cracking double figures six times in the postseason. Aaron Afflalo, who appeared in 75 contests, looks for a bigger role as the backup two-guard.

Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace return as two-thirds of the starting frontcourt. The two gave their usual solid contributions, combining for 26 points per game in the regular season and 27 per postseason contest. Both will bring their attention to detail on the defensive end back as well. The interesting position is the third frontcourt slot. Does Antonio McDyess remain in the starting lineup, does Jason Maxiell get promoted in his fourth professional season, or does Amir Johnson, who was named a starter for the team in the preseason, get the job? Johnson, however, could be a starter in the preseason to see how he performs in that role without the pressure of playing in a game that counts. McDyess started all 78 games he appeared in last year and posted solid numbers of 8.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Maxiell, the undersized, but athletic intimidator, provided shotblocking and toughness off the bench. Both averaged double-doubles in their per-40-minute rates with McDyess averaging 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds while Maxiell hung 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds. Both are good options, but Curry may opt to go with McDyess off the bench to save wear and tear on the 13-year man. In any case, Kwame Brown will get called on as a defensive role player off the bench along with the loser of the McDyess-Maxiell derby. Brown is in the most positive place of his career, as there is no pressure on him to perform, other than in a competition for minutes with Amir Johnson, the 21-year-old big man who posted 11.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks per 40 minutes. Brown’s experience should be enough to keep him ahead of the developing youngster in the big man rotation.

Fantasy note:
Maxiell is the most interesting member of the Pistons from a fantasy perspective. The four locked-in starters will provide their usual numbers, but if Maxiell can get up to 30 minutes per night, he could be a late-round steal, especially as a cheap provider of blocks.

Best case scenario:
The team certainly has the talent to win the title, especially with their four established starters. If the youth, particularly Maxiell and Stuckey, continues to develop, bringing a ring to Detroit is possible, yet a difficult request, especially considering Curry’s inexperience. However, the players bring enough to the table that it is not an impossible task. Winning 54 games should still happen based on the talent on cohesion of the team.

Worst case scenario:
The players don’t buy into Curry as the head coach and become disinterested. The team still makes the playoffs after a 46-win season, but gets knocked off in the first round, throwing the future of the team into question.