Piston (Future) Power

     When People ask me what my favorite professional Michigan sports teams, I tend to surprise people. Yes I'm a pretty homer type fanatic, but my favorite team has to be the Detroit Pistons. I've always been a Red Wings fan. I wrote a poem about Steve Yzerman in 5th grade about how he's my favorite sports figure. Before you get weirded out it was mandatory to write poems(What we wrote about was up to us. Feel free to get creeped out now).  The Tigers have always had a place in my heart since Carlos Pena and Nook "Bless his heart" Logan. I never really started paying attention to sports like I do now until about 2002 when I thought a .100 batting average was amazing. Those were the days when we had dial-up internet and I didn't get upset about my favorite teams blowing leads or losing big games.

    
When I tell people my favorite team to watch these days I always tell them the same team. The Detroit Pistons. The Pistons embody everything that I like about the sports world. They have a great fan base with a real dedication to the fan experience. They like to make sure people have a great time coming even if the team doesn't do so hot. I've been fortunate enough to have my fair share of Palace appearances and they have always been really fun and I almost got a free T-Shirt(If I wasn't sitting in the highest last row of the arena). They shoot fire out of the back boards and they have the best nicknames for all of the players shown in the intro video here.

     One thing I love about them is their players. Not only do they have a bunch of cool nicknames, turns out they can actually compete. They have a really young, skilled nucleus of talent that spreads throughout the starting line-up. From Greg "The Moose" Monroe to an even younger Brandon Knight they can play up against some of the best of their positions. They started off with settling both ends of the line-up with The Moose and Knight and have tried to fill the rest of the pieces with various people who can be role players and play great roles off the bench. Andre Drummond drafted this year with their first round pick has been reported as a lock for the Rising stars challenge for All Star Weekend while 2011 draft pick Kyle Singler is starting in what was Rodney Stuckeys spot for most of the season and has the potential to win a spot in the Rookie Sophomore challenge as well(Youtube Kyle Singler trick shots and you wont be mad).

   
     You throw in some players like Will "The Thrill" Bynum and the always calm and cool Tayshaun Prince, and you have a nice little group of players mixed with seasoned players. Austin Daye has yet to fill out and be what they've hoped for, but he's part of the tall and potent defense of The Pistons. The Pistons show hustle and drive every game they play and I love that in a sports team. They don't have the experience and flow to compete through the fourth quarter yet but they still show a whole lot of potential every night against any team they play. They allow around 96 points per game and with big men that can run the court like Daye and Jerebko they can get to the hoop and hit outside shots and can look great in transition. Add Monroe and Drummond to that mix and you have some pretty impressive post players. A potential problem I see for them if these recent draft choices pan out into franchise players is if they can keep them under contract. I'm not saying any of these guys can be Durant or Westbrook like players, but It's hard these days to keep players locked down especially if they all deserve big money contracts.

     One thing I feel a little indifferent about with the Pistons is their coaching. I was glued to the TV while the Nets were playing the Pistons and Lawrence Frank didn't make those very comforting. Naturally when I noticed they hired him I wasn't happy about it. He seems to post the presence that is needed for a young squad by setting the tone with a strong D but some people feel as if he doesn't play Drummond enough and can hurt his candidacy for the rookie of the year. I do give him credit for having to work with as many young players as he has to work with, but hopefully he can keep them in the right direction. They haven't had much success with coaches since Larry Brown was done in the D. 

     Being the hipster style person I can be at times, I tend to like works in progress and hop on the band wagon before it gets a horse. Some people say it could be me saying "I liked them before it was cool" but I find it to be rooting for a long time running under dog. Detroit seems to be looking like a band wagon before the wheels location with the Red Wings starting off slow and the Lions trying their hardest to not fall completely apart. If you like teams that try their hardest to put on a good show without having to wrestle bears in between plays while displaying big-time talent, then you should try to get back into the NBA. If not and you've lost interest, at least the Tigers are almost back.