First of all, the organizational chart makes no sense whatsoever. Stan VanGundy is both the head coach and the president, with a couple general managers in between. How can it be that a coach reports to a couple GMs and they, in turn, report to him as president? And what other team has two GMs anyway and nobody seems to know just exactly what it is they do or are responsible for? It's nuts.
Relatively new owner Tom Gores spent a few million bucks spiffing up the Palace where the Pistons play. That's great. What's not so great is the state of the team itself.
Around the NBA, various teams rise and fall. The San Antonio Spurs are getting old and their time is likely coming to fade. The Celtics are in all-out rebuild mode. The once mighty Lakers have become a laughingstock. Teams like the Bulls, Clippers, Rockets and Grizzlies are very good, but second best. The Atlanta Hawks have improved and the OKC Thunder might be a force if Kevin Durant can ever get and stay healthy.
What can you say about the Cleveland Cavs and the Golden State Warriors? They're in the Finals, and both have rookie head coaches. If they can keep their team together, the Warriors could be a major force for years to come. And hey, Lebron and Kyrie are getting it done with a clueless rookie head coach and such notables as Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love on the shelf with injuries. Look out for the Cavs in the next few years as well.
Meanwhile, the Pistons seem to be in purgatory. They're not quite bottom-feeders, but not nearly contenders either. Problem is, they win just enough games to be semi-respectable which also means they don't get a top draft choice. Let's not kid ourselves. Annually, the list of potential draftee "difference makers" can be counted on one hand. Sure, there's lot of "good" players available with later picks, but the Pistons already have several B players on their roster. Adding another one every year is never going to get them to the promised land. Nor are free agent cast-offs from other teams.
For that matter, even if the Pistons were in a salary cap position to go after a "superstar", there's no guarantee such a stud would want to come to the Detroit area. After all, the NBA season is played during the winter months -- snow, ice, freezing temperatures, etc. Throw in arguably the worst roads in the country, Michigan's much higher than average taxes, and it's entirely possible, if not probable, a player would settle for a few less bucks to go somewhere else with a much better overall climate. Especially considering the current state of the team he would be coming to.
The last time the Pistons won a championship was in 2004 when they upset the favored Lakers. (Yours truly watched the deciding Game 5 from a motel room in a little town called Laconia, New Hampshire. It was, and still is a major annual motorcycle run and while the other bikers were out and about further checking out the beautiful countryside/wildlife, and thought I was crazy, I wanted to see the game -- dammit).
Looking back at it, the Pistons winning the NBA title that year could be considered an anomaly. It probably shouldn't have happened. That team was pretty much cobbled together.
Chauncey Billups was a cast off from Denver. The Pistons got Richard Hamilton in a trade few thought wise at the time. They'd picked up Ben Wallace who had been a fringe player at best in his past. Tayshaun Prince was a second round draft choice. Rasheed Wallace, thought to be a loose, if gifted cannon, came on board. Stir in a few other B players, mix it all together, and there's no logical way the Pistons should have won the NBA title. But somehow they all came together, went "to work", and pulled it off.
It can happen with the right mix and the right coaching. But it's unlikely the modern-day Pistons can duplicate such an effort in the near future. They can work, work, work, but these days flat-out talent pretty much rules the day. Those who have it win. Those who don't aren't destined to go far. The Pistons would be in the latter category. And there doesn't appear to be a way the Pistons can get out of the mediocre mode any year soon. Some of their better players are nearing the end of their rookie contracts, and might well bail for greener pastures, in more ways than one.
Teams like the Celtics and Lakers may be in the pits right now but, rest assured, they'll come roaring back in a few years. Some franchises can't be kept down for very long. They will find a way. Others will rise and fall over the years. Look at the Miami Heat.
But most everything about the Detroit Pistons franchise, from the front office on down to the roster, suggests they're going to have a very tough time fighting their way out of mediocrity any year soon.
And it might well get a whole lot worse.....
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