Until last week, the last time the Detroit Pistons played a game in which neither Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince started was the 2001-02 season -- when Prince was a senior at Kentucky and Hamilton still coming into his own playing alongside Michael Jordan in Washington.
Needless to say, adapting to life without those two mainstays -- Hamilton suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener, and Prince joined him on the trainer's table with a back injury two games later -- has been an unexpected hurdle for first-year head coach John Kuester, who's now tasked with helping a starting lineup featuring four new additions to the team develop chemistry.
Even though Ben Gordon has played a handful of preseason games in front of lackluster crowds at the Palace and one regular season game on the road wearing Pistons red, white and blue, it wasn't until his name was announced to a sold-out crowd at Detroit's home opener Friday night that he was officially welcomed to the team by the fans.
And as fate would have it, Gordon's introduction came with all the fanfare and pyrotechnics befitting the arrival of a budding star, as he was introduced along with the rest of the starters, filling in for the injured Rip Hamilton. It's a nice start for his Pistons career -- and should provide a fitting conclusion for a documentary seven months in the making.
In the tradition of Kobe Bryant's Doin' Work and LeBron James' More Than a Game, Gordon is the subject of a forthcoming documentary, A Scorer's Aura, which will tell the story of his final months as a Chicago Bull up until his first home game as a Detroit Piston, offering fans an insider's view of what it's like to be a coveted NBA free agent signing with a new team for the first time in his career.
We could rehash the depressing nitty-gritty details, but why bother? It's a new season, and this year's squad looks very little like the one swept out of the playoffs in front of a turncoat Palace crowd.
Instead, let's focus on the changes, which should destroy your outdated notions of what Dee-troit Basket-ball is all about. First and foremost, the Pistons went from being one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest -- and not just because four rookies will make the roster.
There's still some tidying up to do this free agent season. We still need to find out about Lamar Odom, David Lee, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden and a few more interesting names out there.
But there's already plenty in the books, so let's take a look:
Wallace is a perfect fit in Boston, playing alongside veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. If Boston stays healthy, they'll likely have the best interior defense in the league: Kendrick Perkins, Garnett and Wallace.
On this episode of the Young And The Cap Flexible...
In our last episode, we clued you into a potential deal that would send Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to Portland, and Tyrus Thomas to Utah, among other moving pieces. The deal was refuted by several sources, but ESPN's sticking to their guns that the deal is on the table, but has hit a snag.
That snag? The Blazers insistence on keeping a phenomenal young player so that they can ... not play him?
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
ESPN's got the scoop on a rumored deal that either makes a ton of sense or none at all, depending on your point of view. Long story short?
Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to Portland, and Tyrus Thomas to Utah. Ta-da! So how real is this thing? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.
Well, that was fast. Free agents can't officially sign with new teams until July 8, but that doesn't mean they can't make verbal commitments before then. And so, after Joe Dumars had both Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva in town to discuss the possibility of joining his team, it appears that he was able to convince them both to agree to terms with the Detroit Pistons.
The deal is said to be in the neighborhood of five years and $55 million for Gordon, and the one for Villanueva is for five years and $35 million.
While there are plenty of NBA followers out there who don'tthink that Gordon plus Villanueva will turn out to be all that great for the Pistons in terms of a full-fledged rebuilding, it is possible that these two could pay dividends in the more immediate future.
Worried that leading scorer Ben Gordon will leave for Detroit, the Chicago Bulls have contacted Indiana free-agent guard Marquis Daniels as a possible replacement.
Daniels became a free agent last month when the Pacers did not pick up the option on a contract that would have paid him $7.2 million this season.
Although slowed by a wrist injury, Daniels is coming off his best season offensively, averaging 13.6 points and 2.1 assists. Based on the calls he has received Wednesday, he is shaping up as a second option for several teams that are chasing more sought-after wing players Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest in free agency.
The Pistons have been tied to Bulls gunner Ben Gordon for ages, it seems, with pundits constantly bickering about how little or much sense a pairing made. Detroit, after all, traded All-World champ Chauncey Billups precisely to free up time for buckin' Rodney Stuckey while also inking former All-Star Rip Hamilton to an extension.
The assumed pursuit of Charlie Villanueva -- now confirmed by Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski -- makes more immediate sense. Rasheed Wallace is gone, Amir Johnson will vie for Villanueva's old job in Milwaukee, Antonio McDyess can probably find greener pastures.
But regardless of how it looks now, these are two pursuits that make bundles of sense together.
Not everyone is waiting for 2010 – the mother of all free agent summers – to try to improve their team by throwing big money at the seasoned veterans.
Even in hard economic times, the top players like Carlos Boozer, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Kidd will leave teams and get their financial reward in other places. The squeeze will be on the lower-level free agents who must settle for minimum or various exceptions.
What hurts this class is that only seven teams really have major room under the salary cap to make something happen, and they usually aren't the NBA's biggest spenders. Unless the free agents stay with their current teams, only Memphis, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Atlanta, Portland, Toronto and Detroit have major room.
Although there has been plenty of dancing and unofficial talks the last few days, the real dealings can't start until 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Here is a breakdown by position of the five most intriguing – and unrestricted – free agents.
Until last week, the last time the Detroit Pistons played a game in which neither Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince started was the 2001-02 season -- when Prince was a senior at Kentucky and Hamilton still coming into his own playing alongside Michael Jordan in Washington. 
Even though 
FanHouse 
There's still some tidying up to do this free agent season. We still need to find out about 
On this episode of the Young And The Cap Flexible...
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
Well, that was fast. Free agents can't officially sign with new teams until July 8, but that doesn't mean they can't make verbal commitments before then. And so, after Joe Dumars had both 
Worried that leading scorer 
The Pistons have been tied to Bulls gunner 
Not everyone is waiting for 2010 – the mother of all free agent summers – to try to improve their team by throwing big money at the seasoned veterans.
