Detroit Pistons Roster Report
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Rookie center Greg Monroe rose above the mayhem created by his teammates and showed steady improvement throughout the season. He had more double-doubles (21) than the rest of the teammates combined and never seemed to hit the rookie wall. The coaching staff ran very few plays for him but he scored off cuts to the basket, offensive rebounds and crafty post moves that he developed to prevent his shots from being blocked. Monroe, who led the team in rebounds and steals, will become even more potent if the offense runs through him at times because he has the passing skills to make plays for his teammates.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER
Ben Gordon's woes in his first season with the Pistons could be blamed on an ankle injury that necessitated offseason surgery. Gordon was healthy this season but the player who lit up Boston for Chicago in the 2009 playoffs was still nowhere to be found. He never got into a consistent offensive groove, whether he started or came off the bench, and completely fizzled as the season wound down. Gordon, who has three years left on his contract, has never been comfortable battling for minutes. Thus, there's two completely different approaches they can take with him: They can either anoint him the starting shooting guard and let him play 30-35 minutes consistently or they cut their losses and trade him to a team that's willing to give him a fresh start.
BIGGEST NEEDS
The Pistons became a dominant club in the past decade when they signed Chauncey Billups as their starting point guard in 2002. Nine seasons later, the Pistons desperately need a leader on the floor and in the locker room. They must acquire that player through a trade or the draft. The frontcourt needs to be fortified with a defensive stopper and shot blocker -- free agent Tyson Chandler, whom the Pistons tried to acquire last off-season, would be an ideal fit.
FREE AGENT FOCUS
F Tayshaun Prince, who has played all of his nine seasons with Detroit, will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time. The club has expressed interest in re-signing him but a sign-and-trade deal might make more sense with Austin Daye waiting in the wings at small forward. G Tracy McGrady and C Chris Wilcox are also unrestricted and it's unlikely a rebuilding team like the Pistons would resign either one of those veterans. G Rodney Stuckey becomes a restricted free agent and his behavior issues may convince the club to let him go if he gets a big offer. More likely, Stuckey will return with a more defined role. F Jonas Jerebko is also restricted. He missed the season with an injury but the front office loves his attitude and work ethic. It's a near certainty he'll return. F DaJuan Summers, also unrestricted, did not play much his first two seasons and is unlikely to get an offer to stay.
PLAYER NOTES
-- F Tayshaun Prince has mixed feelings about the possibility of leaving Detroit. Prince wants to test the free agent market but he feels trepidation about leaving the only franchise he's suited up for since he was drafted out of Kentucky in 2002.
"Not too many people get the opportunity to play five, six, seven, eight, nine years in a row with the same team, especially the team that drafted you," he said. "It's meant a lot. I got spoiled over the first five or six years where we were able to accomplish the things we were doing. I never had a taste of what we've done this season and last season. It's been unfortunate the past couple of years, but this organization has meant a lot to me."
--G Rodney Stuckey officially displaced Richard Hamilton as the team's leading scorer. Stuckey finished with an average of 15.4 points per game, the lowest by the team's top scorer in franchise history. Hamilton, who had led the team in that category eight straight seasons, finished second at 14.1.
--F Charlie Villanueva will get an extended stay away from regular-season action, regardless of how long a potential lockout lasts. He was suspended for five games without pay by the league just before the Pistons' season finale at Philadelphia. He must serve the remaining four games of the suspension at the start of next season or whenever he is physically able to play. He was ejected in the home finale after getting into a scuffle with Cleveland C Ryan Hollins, then made two aborted attempts to enter the Cavaliers' locker room to confront Hollins.
MEDICAL WATCH
--F Jonas Jerebko (partial Achilles tendon tear) missed the entire season but he was close to 100 percent by the end of it. He will be able to participate in summer league action.
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