The low attendance at The Palace of Auburn Hills this season has almost become a league-wide joke. What once was arguably the best home court advantage in all of basketball has become non-existent, literally. Losing, along with poor executive decisions, no reason for the casual fan to get excited, and the other 3 teams in Detroit being contenders, is generally a formula that will work if you’re trying to turn fans away from the turnstiles.
Sadly, the Pistons currently rank last in attendance for this season. A very far cry from the past decade that saw the Pistons lead the league in attendance a whopping six times, and also finish second in 2007. The current low attendance marks are also a pretty accurate representation of the interest the Metro Detroit area has in the team right now. Simply put, no one is checking for the Pistons right now. The Lions appear to be on the brink of contending for championships, the Red Wings are again Stanley Cup contenders, and the Tigers just finished a great season that saw them fall just short in the ALCS. Combine that with Michigan and Michigan State’s football and basketball team’s all being ranked in the top 15 as I write this, and well there you go.
With the current public perception of NBA Basketball that suggests you can only succeed if you have at least two superstars on your roster, Pistons fans become even more distant when it comes to their team that currently has no star power. However, with two promising young players in rookie point guard Brandon Knight and forward/center Greg Monroe, as well as a potential top 5 pick in June’s NBA Draft, which figures to be strong, there is reason to hope, and watch.
When the NBA lockout was looming last spring many underclassmen decided to stay in school, and the Pistons are in prime position to capitalize. Yes, forward Jonas Jerebko, guard Rodney Stuckey, and forward Austin Daye are solid players but none of them should be considered the answer at their positions heading forward. This means the Pistons have to fill a hole at shooting guard, small forward, and either power forward or center, depending on where Greg Monroe fits better long term.
If the Pistons decide to complete their backcourt of the future in June’s draft by selecting a shooting guard, the prime target could be Connecticut sophomore Jeremy Lamb. Lamb is a long, athletic player and a very good shooter. His length would be likely to disrupt other NBA shooting guards as it does in the college game. He’d be a very nice compliment to Brandon Knight and a nice piece to the re-building puzzle.
A big name that would definitely garner some interest among fans is Duke’s Austin Rivers. Rivers isn’t currently projected to go where the Pistons could be picking, but the talent’s undoubtedly there. Rivers is an elite shooter, is a great ball-handler, and is explosive going to the basket. He hasn’t been known for being a great distributor, but he wouldn’t need to be playing next to Brandon Knight. Could be a great fit.
As far as forwards go, if the Pistons get fortunate enough to pick in the top 3, you’re looking at potential players such as Harrison Barnes (UNC) and Andre Drummond (UCONN). Barnes is a 6’8″ small forward with a complete skill set. One knock on him is his lack of explosiveness, and that could hinder him from becoming a true superstar in the NBA. Drummond would complement Monroe as the other “twin tower”, and at 6’11”, 275 pounds, he’s a physical specimen. The scary thing about Drummond is that even with how productive he is he’s still somewhat of a raw talent. He has a lot of areas he could get better in and he still relies on a lot of his athleticism to make things happen on the floor. Sounds like a perfect compliment to Monroe, who is more skill than athleticism.
Instead of dwelling on how boring this year’s team is and telling everyone how much you don’t care, which seems to be the thing to do these days, Pistons fans should be excited about the potential for a young and up coming team. Any of the guys talked about would immediately make the Pistons a team to watch in the coming years.