2006-2007 Finish: 43-39

What went well

After an off year where the Pistons missed the playoffs by one game, GM Dert and his gang from Motor City squeaked into the postseason as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

A GM since the inception of the league, GM Dert has seen his share of ups and downs. The Pistons always seem to hover around good to average. At the end of each season they seem to straddle the line between playoffs and lottery. The Pistons have never had a player like Kobe or LeBron on the squad. Like the city where they play, the Pistons tend to be hardnosed, blue-collared players.

Last season began with a flurry of free agency action by GM Dert. The contract-happy GM signed 10 free agent players to contracts or offer sheets. Currently, none of those players still play for the Pistons. That has always been Dert's tactic, sign-and-release rather than trade.

But this season the Pistons have been involved in a lot of trades. In fact, Tayshaun Prince was sent away at the beginning of the season, only to be re-acquired around draft time. After getting Chauncey Billups back from the Timberwolves, GM Dert sent him on to the Wizards two weeks later. He also sent longtime fan favorite Mehmet Okur to the Suns for the overpaid and overhyped Nene Hilario. Dert's deals have always perplexed the NLL community, but this season has been filled with the most head-scratchers yet.

The Pistons have a strong enough squad to continue to eek by in the future. It seems that the team will now build around Gerald Wallace and Prince, both very good young players.

What didn't

The schizophrenic face of the Pistons makes it difficult for the fans to fall in love with the team. GM Dert sent away longtime fan favorite Richard Hamilton only to see him and the Sixers push his team into a first round exit. He spent too much money on an untested rookie (Randolph Morris) and used him to acquire a veteran that is overpaid (Antoine Walker). Finally, Andrew Bynum needs to develop or the deal that sent Emanuel Ginobili to the Cavs may be go down as one of the league's biggest follies.

Star

- Gerald Wallace, GF -

It is difficult to name star players on the Pistons this season, since it seemed the roster shuffled quite often but Wallace should qualify as the team's marquee player. He is an athletic slasher and tough defender who averaged 14.2 points and 5.6 rebounds. Wallace is a reliable shot, sinking 53% of his attempts. He already has said he wants to be in Detroit for the years to come, so it would be wise for Dert to keep him and build around him.

Goat

- Rafael Araujo, C –

Maybe it's not fair to call this guy a goat since he almost doesn't matter anymore. The Pistons acquired the former top ten pick in a trade with Boston that sent the much more talented Willie Green to Beantown. What the Pistons got was a longterm salary and 41 games of ineffectual basketball. Knowing Dert, the Pistons will waive him before the season starts.

Looking to the future

Going into the offseason, the Pistons seem to have determined which direction the roster is headed. They are building around Wallace and Prince as a slash and go team. They also have youngsters Marcus Williams, Renaldo Balkman, Bynum and Jordan Farmar that could bust out next season. The only unsigned piece is Nick Collison, who the Pistons expect back in the fall.

In the draft, the Pistons selected swingman Thaddeus Young who has vast potential. Though he is young and raw, the Pistons have time to bring him up with Prince and Wallace as mentors. The Pistons also will be bringing over Juan Navarro and Luis Scola next season. Both players are immensely talented and could instantly help the squad. In Detroit it's addition by subtraction. The roster is already swelling and all Dert has to do is cherry pick the best pieces.
Thanks for reading Team by Team. I hope you're enjoying it. The series will continue in a few weeks, probably on Monday, August 6th.