Dee-troit Bas-ket-ball had a different spin to it under new head coach Flip Saunders last year. Armed with a new zeal for offense, they came out of the gate strong and ended up setting a franchise record for wins. Come the playoffs, though, it was a different story. The Pistons barely escaped a vicious 7-game series with the Cavs and then went out with a whimper against the eventual champion Miami Heat. It was the first time in three years that Detroit didn’t represent the East in the NBA Finals. The offseason didn’t prove to be much of a pick-me-up. After setting themselves up to re-sign Ben Wallace by trading away Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo, Wallace ended up walking his ass across 8 Mile and all the way to Chicago. The result was perhaps a bit panicked, as they threw a lot of money at Nazr Mohammed, but they also made a nice upgrade in the backcourt and on the bench with the signing of Flip Murray. No Big Ben will hurt on D, obviously, but will the offense run a little smoother? It had better …
The Stud: Chauncey Billups, PG
Perhaps no Piston enjoyed the extra freedom that Saunders provided more than Chauncey Billups. Billups set a career high in points and threes, but the biggest improvement was assists, where he went from a Tony Parker-esque 5.8 to a Jason Kidd-level 8.6, good for fourth in the league. He also kept up his spectacular FT% and added 0.9 steals. Billups should benefit from having another capable big man under the basket, but I can’t see him doing any better than he did last year. One concern is going to be minutes. Billups is 30 years old, and the Pistons signed three guys in the offseason who can play point guard (the re-signed Lindsay Hunter, Will Blalock, and Murray in a pinch). He will certainly top 30 minutes, but the 36 he saw last year may be a bit much to expect. You don’t want to overpay for him, but Billups is a fine PG1 and should be off the board after three rounds.
The Support: Rasheed Wallace, PF
WARNING: Rasheed Wallace no longer qualifies at C in Yahoo! leagues. Why he ever did is a good question, but regardless, Wallace loses some value by moving to PF for fantasy purposes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Sheed was the second-biggest fantasy winner on the Pistons last year. Flip Saunders encouraged him to step outside a bit more often, letting Sheed take (and make) more threes than ever before. However, hanging around the perimeter had a negative effect, too. He set a career-low in FG%, and took a hit in rebounds, too. Add to that his poor FT%, and Wallace isn’t quite as attractive a fantasy option as he was in years past. He’s still a fine mid-round pick, though, thanks to his strong defensive numbers, and may be counted on a little more on the inside this year without Big Ben around.
The Supporting Support: Richard Hamilton, SG
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way quickly: yes, Hamilton is a one-trick pony. He scores, and that’s it. No real help anywhere else. But you know what? He’s still a fine fantasy player, and in the right situations can be a great mid-round draft pick. He clocked in at 59/74 on the total/average player rater and that’s about where he should be drafted, in the 6th round or so. For teams with not a lot of offensive firepower (say, those which feature Jason Kidd or Boris Diaw, high-round picks that don’t contribute a ton of points), Hamilton is a great add for the round that you get him. His weaknesses are well documented – but let’s not forget that he has some strength, too.
The Sleeper: Nazr Mohammed, C
It doesn’t matter how much you like Antonio McDyess or Dale Davis or Jason Maxiell. It also doesn’t matter how much you think the Pistons are going to play small, with Rasheed at C and Tayshaun at PF. Here’s what matters: Ben Wallace played 35 mpg last year, and now he’s gone, and Nazr Mohammed is the only big man that they’ve added. Mohammed will almost HAVE to see at least 30 mpg, something he’s never done in his career. The one time he came close, he put up 10.9/8.1 with a block and a steal with the Knicks before getting dealt to the Spurs two years ago. Mohammed should flirt with a double-double again this year, and is a nice late-round C pick. He’s a great third center, and it’s not a disaster if you have to live with him as a C2.
The Slacker: Flip Murray, G
There may not have been a more disappointing line in basketball than the one that Murray put up with the Cavs last year. Finally given major minutes, he didn’t show an ability to do much with them. His 13/2/2 with 1.4 steals and 0.7 threes would have been fine if they were in 20 mpg, but at 36 mpg you’ve gotta provide more than that. Murray should drop back down to that 20 mpg that he’s seen throughout his career, be counted on for a spark off the bench and that’s about it. But I think we can put to rest the idea that he’ll ever be a big-time contributor in either fantasy or the NBA.
Double Dribbles: A funny thing happens when 5 guys are expected to get over 30 mpg on one team – one of them gets pushed to the “Double Dribbles” section even though he’s worth drafting. That’s what happened to Tayshaun Prince. Prince is obviously a fantasy starter and a good mid/late-round pick … Other than Murray, the only bench guy who should see any significant time this year is Antonio McDyess, who played very well last year in a bench role. He seems better suited off the bench, though, and shouldn’t see much more than 20 mpg, and shouldn’t have fantasy value.