The Pistons just sent out this note from Joe Dumars, via e-mail. The whole thing also is posted at pistons.com.
On the surface, I can understand if you think we had a quiet summer. But it really wasn't. That headline-grabbing trade a lot of people expected never happened. We talked to lots of teams and I was open to anything that made sense for the Detroit Pistons. But nothing that came across my desk was going to make us a better basketball team. Nothing was going to put us closer to winning an NBA championship. That's how we measure ourselves around here because that's the standard we've set and the one we embrace. And we're not going to run from it this year, either.
But we're not coming back as the same team that lost to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. Even though a lot of the names will be the same, we're not going to be the same team. You never are, even if you come back with all of the same players. Some players get better, some get worse, some spend their summers productively and others don't.
As I sit here today with another season around the corner, I can tell you I feel good about all of our players. And one of the reasons is I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from each and every one of them about playing for our new coach, Michael Curry.
Mike’s another reason we’re not going to be the same team. Whenever you change the voice in charge of setting the day-to-day direction of the team, the team changes. And I can’t tell you how confident I am that the direction Mike points our team will be consistent with the way I want it pointed. That sometimes is hard to get, that feeling that everybody is on the same page. I didn’t feel like we always had that last year. This year, I know we will.
From our veteran players to our young guys, they know what Mike is all about. They know there’s an expectation of accountability with him. They know there’s a different level of responsibility and professionalism and preparation that’s going to be expected from them every single day – every practice and every game. And even though they all know that more will be asked, they’re still eager to play for Mike. Right there, that’s a great sign.
One of the biggest things a coach has to be able to do the way the NBA works today is communicate with players. It’s important they know what their role is and what’s expected. Over the course of a season, sometimes roles change. It’s important that a coach can be an effective communicator so the reasons somebody’s role might change is explained. Not only am I confident Mike will find roles for everyone, but more importantly, he’ll make sure the players know what that role is – and the reasons why it changes when and if it does.
Mike has been consistent in his message all summer about how he wants our team to play basketball. In public, in our meetings, with his coaching staff and to our players, he’s said the same thing. We’re going to play tough, tough defense. We’re going to win our share of the rebound battles. We’re going to get inside the paint and get to the free-throw line. If you know something about the history of our franchise, you’re probably pretty comfortable with that formula. I know I am.
I’ve been asked over the summer if there were any fences that needed mending because I said anybody might be traded. The answer to that is simple: no. That’s because of the relationship of trust I have with our players. Every one of those guys is with the Detroit Pistons because we traded for them or signed them or drafted them. They know the culture of our organization and our expectations. They know if we fall short, we’re going to look for every way to improve.
I’ve had great conversations with Chauncey and Rip and Rasheed and Tayshaun and Antonio McDyess, honest conversations, and they’re all excited for this season. All of our young guys are obviously excited because they see a real chance to have a bigger role. They’ve all worked with Mike for the last two summers. Mike believes in them – Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell, Cheikh Samb – and they really believe in him. We think they’re all capable of doing special things and some of them will prove that this year.
We didn’t expect to sign a big man in free agency, but when Kwame Brown was available, that was too good to pass up. You don’t get the chance to get a 26-year-old big man with his skills very often – especially without having to give anyone up in return. Our coaching staff unanimously thinks Kwame is going to give us a big boost. We don’t have anyone else quite like him – and not a lot of other teams do, either. We brought Walter Herrmann back because we saw some real unique skills in him last year and think he has a lot more to give. We have a talented rookie we like, Walter Sharpe, and a free agent guard in Will Bynum we’ve had our eye on since he took Georgia Tech to the Final Four.
Mike and his staff – Dave Cowens and three terrific new additions in Darrell Walker, Pat Sullivan and Harold Ellis – worked as hard over the summer as any coaching staff I’ve ever been around. All of our young players spent almost all of their summers here, working hard on their own.
It wasn’t a quiet summer for any of those guys. We know the task of getting out of the Eastern Conference and getting back to the NBA Finals didn’t get any easier. Boston deserves to be the favorite. Philadelphia and Toronto both got better. Cleveland and Orlando think they can win it all. Atlanta and Washington, Chicago and Miami, Milwaukee and Charlotte and Indiana … pretty much everybody did something over the summer to make themselves an improved team.
We think we did, too. It might not have made the headlines, but we were working hard to make sure 2009 ends the way we all want it to end. Around here, that means only one thing. We’re excited to get it going and glad you’re along for the ride.
