UPDATED NBA Season Preview: Indiana Pacers vs Detroit Pistons
Well thanks to some lovely readers of Always Miller Time, I have to go back and correct this mess of an article I’ve put together. I must have missed that VERY IMPORTANT memo about Maurice Cheeks being the new head coach in Detroit. Someone needs to tell me these things more often. I also wanted to bestow some information based upon comments I have received on the previous article. Remember, these articles that I write are all based upon my own opinion, and it is in my opinion that I don’t believe these pieces of the puzzle for Detroit will come together as quickly as those lovely fans of the Pistons organization believe they will. Remember it’s just my opinion based upon what I’ve seen.
You can look at someone like Chauncey Billups, and see that guy that took the Pistons to that NBA Championship in 2004 against a heavy favored, Los Angeles Lakers team. That’s great, but let’s think about how long ago that was. Almost ten years ago, is Chauncey Billups that same type of player that will really be able to hold this team together? I don’t believe so, and once again, that’s just my own belief about where his game is at.
Andre Drummond going against Roy Hibbert in the post? I’m really supposed to believe that Drummond can handle Roy Hibbert after only one year of experience playing in the league. Have these Detroit Piston fans watched how much better Roy Hibbert got over last season? Yes, he started off slow, mostly due to a hand injury, which if he doesn’t have, he probably is an All Star selection. Hibbert will be fine going into this season, and I do think that Hibbert SHOULD get the best of this matchup as long as he’s playing at that level he was at. There were times during the playoffs, he looked like the best center in the league. Not just on the court, not just in the Eastern Conference, but the whole NBA landscape based upon how good he looked in that post position. I think Greg Monroe would be the better guy to put on Hibbert as far as trying to slow him down. But I don’t get paid the bucks to coach the Pistons, so if that doesn’t happen, then let’s see how Drummond can handle him.
Sure, the Pistons look like they could be getting better. But I think the Cavs look like a better team, and even the Bucks could be a better team in this division. So I still don’t believe that this coming season, the Pistons WON’T vying for a playoff spot, therefore, they’re not exactly in the right direction. The Pacers have improved based upon the addition of Luis Scola, Chris Copeland, and a healthy Danny Granger. They’ll be vying for that top spot in the Eastern Conference. This is a much better direction than what the Pistons are at. Maybe in a few years, this changes. But at this moment for the UPCOMING season, the Pacers are the better team. I will gladly eat my words if the Pistons can prove me wrong, and take care of the Indiana Pacers in the regular season.