Where Amazing Happens: The Detroit Pistons Have Lost Their Relevance

How many eyes
Have seen their dream
How many arms
Have felt their dream
How many hearts, oh darlin'
Have felt their world stand still

“If I Should Die Tonight” – Marvin Gaye

We’re talking Motown here, and the Pistons’ season is officially over; they died Sunday Afternoon on their own home floor. Everybody in The Palace knew from the beginning they wouldn’t survive Game 4 when King James finished a breakaway windmill jam in the first quarter. In fact, Pistons fans already lost their pride and joy and gave up on the season before Game 4, since a lot of tickets for the home game were actually being sold to Cleveland season ticket holders. I’ve been following the League for almost two decades now, but I’ve never heard of anything like that before. I’m not going to write a recap of the game, if you saw the game, you know that Joe Dumars will have a lot of work to do in the next couple months.

The contracts of Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Walter Hermann are all coming off the books this summer. Antonio McDyess made it clear that he wasn’t sure what to do next, because he wants to play for a contender. So unless something drastic happens, the Pistons aren’t amongst the elite next season. McDyess or Wallace would be a great fit in either Cleveland (assuming Sideshow Varejao will be a goner), or San Antonio. The latter might not happen, since it would make the Spurs a really old group of guys. You have to wonder what Sheed wants at this point of his career. He has always made big bucks, but will he accept a Joe Smith kind of role for the veteran minimum in order to win a championship? Will he still demand a long-term contract paying a large amount of money? Would he be willing to help out a young team desperately searching for a power forward (Nets)? We’ll have to wait and see what this stubborn kind of fellow will do next.

Joe Dumars has to build a team around Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. I like Arron Afflalo, Will Bynum and Jason Maxiell, and if they are able to keep them all; it would set a nice basis to work with. Next is trying to acquire a big man via trades or fee agency, and the first player that comes to mind is Chris Bosh. If it doesn’t happen in 2009, they should try to get him in 2010. The question is: do Hamilton and Prince have the patience to play through a season of mediocrity? The Pistons have a lot of questions coming for them that need to be answered, and one thing is for sure: a different line-up will enter the floor at the beginning of next season. Many eyes have seen their dream in the past five years, now it’s time for Joe Dumars to get back to reality, because his team is in trouble man.