Insider Special: Piston's Plan

Can the Pistons repeat?

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

How's this for a championship blueprint?

Summer Blueprints
What will your team be up to this summer? NBA Insider Chad Ford breaks it down


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Build a team with no superstars, no max contracts, no major egos. Bring in the misfits -- NBA castoffs working on their third or fourth chances in the NBA.

Ask them to play defense and run through walls, to emphasize heart over scoring averages, teamwork over stats and hard work over flash.

Build the anti-Lakers, then watch them demolish the competition.

Pistons president Joe Dumars' vision for last season's Pistons was uncompromising. The results were nothing short of miraculous.

In late December I interviewed Dumars during a turbulent stretch. The Pistons had lost four straight, and it had been eight games since they had scored 90 points. The questions were everywhere. Why did they fire Rick Carlisle? Why did they trade Cliff Robinson? Why didn't they draft Carmelo instead of Darko?

Dumars was resolute.

"We had gone as far as we were going to go with that team," Dumars said then. "We had to make a change before it was too late. I knew there was a good chance that by changing the makeup of this team we probably had to take a step back. That, to me, is a small price to pay for a championship.

"I'm not going to sacrifice tomorrow so I can have last year's record. My job is balancing today and tomorrow with the same moves. ... I believe they have the talent to help turn us into a legitimate contender down the road.

"I know patience can be a dirty word in this business. But at the very time people are writing that our window is closing, I'm telling you it's just now starting to open. They gave me that award [Executive of the Year] last year because we surprised a lot of people and turned around a pretty bad team quickly. But I've done more this summer than I did last year. It's just going to take a little longer to see the results. But when they come, we won't be happy just to be in the Eastern Conference Finals."

Six months later, the Pistons are the NBA Champions. Dumars looks prophetic.

"I am happy we won, but I did believe in what I was doing," Dumars said after winning the title. "It is easy for me to say that if I had to do it all over again, I would do the same thing over again. But I have never backed off a move I made or had second thoughts. I think coming in here and winning it all speaks more for me than anything I can tell you."

"I understand it is part of the job to be second-guessed and have stones thrown your way," Dumars added. "We caught all of the stones and put them away."

What will he do for an encore?

"What you try an do for an encore is rally around the idea of playing as defending world champs and to play at the same level as the previous year," Dumars told Insider on Wednesday. "The ultimate goal in this job is to give your team a chance to win now and to have a bright future at the same time. We've managed to put this organization in that position, and that's what I'm going to continue to focus on."

Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.


Pistons Summer Blueprint
DRAFT: The Pistons didn't have a first-round pick this year, but that's misleading. Darko Milicic, the No. 2 pick in the draft last year and the youngest draftee in NBA history, barely played last season.


The plan is to get Darko off the bench next season for at least 10 to 15 minutes a game.
The Pistons' other first-round pick in 2003, Carlos Delfino, spent the year leading his Italian team to the Euroleague Final Four. Delfino, 22, is scheduled to join the Pistons this season, and given his age and experience, Dumars expects him to play right away. With Mehmet Okur likely out of the picture, Dumars expects Darko to finally see the light of day next season. Right now, 10 to 15 minutes a game is a realistic expectation, though with coach Larry Brown, you never know.

Delfino has been dominant at times in Europe. He's big, tough, gritty and should fit in perfectly with what the Pistons are trying to do. He should be Brown's No. 1 backcourt option off the bench next season.

"Darko and Delfino are very good young players, and I think they both can add hunger, excitement and athleticism to our team next year," Dumars told Insider. "Both guys will have a chance to get minutes for us next season."

The team also drafted local product Rickey Paulding in the second round. Paulding, once considered a potential lottery pick, might be a nice fit as a 12th man in the Pistons' backcourt. He's going to have to play well in the summer league, however, to make the roster.

FREE AGENCY: The Pistons had two significant free agents to deal with this summer -- Rasheed Wallace and Okur.

Okur agreed to a six-year, $50 million offer sheet with the Jazz on Monday. It's unlikely the Pistons will match it for a number of reasons. First, their free-agent priority is signing Wallace. To match an offer for Okur, the Pistons would have to renounce their rights to 'Sheed. That isn't going happen, short of Wallace telling the Pistons he doesn't want to play there. Second, the team feels the offer to Okur is excessive and would be inclined not to match it even if Wallace bolts.

Why? Much of it has to do with Brown, who is not a big fan of Okur and did a number of little things over the course of the season to alienate him. Okur doesn't want to play for Brown anymore, and it makes little sense to match such a huge offer given the less-than-perfect relationship between the two.

Losing Okur means the Pistons have to sign Wallace -- the guy whose presence created the rift between Brown and Okur to begin with by giving Brown another option. Okur's minutes dropped from nearly 24 per game before the All-Star break to 19 after. Brown is a huge supporter of Wallace and has been angling since February for the team to re-sign him. It should. Wallace still can be flaky offensively, but defensively he was the proverbial "missing piece of the puzzle" in Detroit last season.



WallaceThe Pistons reportedly are willing to offer Wallace a five-year, $50 million deal -- about double what he could get from any of the other teams (Sixers, Knicks) pursuing him. However, the way the market is going, Wallace may hold out for more. If Adonal Foyle can get five years, $42 million -- what is 'Sheed worth?
Dumars was in Philadelphia this week negotiating with Wallace and agent Bill Strickland. It seems likely the two sides will work out something.

The Pistons might not stop there, however. The team also has its mid-level exception and has talked to several free agents -- most prominently Antonio McDyess and Mark Blount. Currently the team has only four legitimate big men -- 'Sheed, Ben Wallace, Elden Campbell and Darko. Dumars loves depth on his team, and he'd love to add one more big guy to the mix. Blount would step in immediately at center. McDyess likely would come off the bench.

The team also is searching for a backup point guard. Both Mike James and Lindsey Hunter are free agents. The team is likely to re-sign Hunter but may look for an upgrade on James. A free agent like Derek Fisher or Jacque Vaughn may make some sense there.

TRADES: At this point, what's the point? There are a few players the Pistons wouldn't mind getting off their roster for salary-cap purposes -- most notably Campbell and Corliss Williamson. But even those guys served a purpose last year.

Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Darko are pretty much off limits. They'd have to get a huge offer to give up Tayshaun Prince or Delfino at this point.

That means they have little to work with right now. Williamson's contract makes him close to impossible to trade. Campbell is in the last year of his deal, making him much easier to move. However, depending on who the Pistons land in free agency, they may need Campbell to stick around for another year to help in the middle.

COACHING: Brown did a great job meshing the Pistons together last season. His strategies in the Finals were brilliant. His constant pestering in areas of personnel can get old, but Dumars is strong enough to resist them, and there isn't a coach in the NBA the Pistons would rather have guiding their squad.

There was some speculation after they won it all that Brown might retire. So far, it looks like he'll be back next season, but given his history, don't be surprised if his stint in Detroit is relatively short.

Brown's challenge this year will be finding room for Darko. Dumars & Co. want him to get playing time. Brown's reluctance to do it last year was frustrating, but understandable. This year there are fewer excuses. The organization believes Darko has developed to the point he should get minutes. If Brown can get him 10 to 15 a night, the Pistons will be in great shape for years to come.

FRONT OFFICE: Jerry West won the executive of the year award last year, but you can make the argument that Dumars, for the second straight year, was really the man. The trade he orchestrated for 'Sheed at the trade deadline was the most important trade of the season. It directly led to a championship. How Dumars put that deal to together is downright amazing.

West and Donnie Walsh of the Pacers have more experience, but Dumars is right there with them. It's not only Joe. John Hammond, his vice president, is a big part of what they do. He was pursued heavily by both the Blazers and Raptors for their front office jobs, and everyone in the league expects he'll take the next one he's offered. He was reluctant to take a job before because he didn't want to leave Detroit before the Pistons won a title. Now that he's helped win one, it's the next logical step.

The rest of the front office staff, from director of player personell Scott Perry to international scout Tony Ronzone, are as good as they come.

The bottom line is Dumars & Co. have built a rare team. They are poised, and prepared, to be the favorites to repeat for the championship next season, and they're developing a critical core of young players like Darko, Prince and Delfino to carry the torch down the road.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.