Just a quick announcement: I've accepted a position with HoopsWorld to be their Pistons beat writer this year, and my first article is here:
Ever since winning the NBA title in 2004 the Pistons have entered each season with extraordinarily high expectations. "Championship or bust" has been the mantra among the fans and unfortunately, the team has busted in the Eastern Conference Finals the last two years.
This year expectations from around the league have begun to wane. The core players left over from the championship run are now three years older while a sudden influx of young talent has taken over the second half of the roster.
Read on for an analysis of why the Pistons are still relevant in the new-look East.
What does the new gig mean for DBB? All good things, of course -- more on that later. Also, I'm still writing about the NBA and MLB for FanHouse, but to avoid any potential conflict of interest, I've handed off coverage of the Pistons to the venerable Tom Ziller, FanHouse's summertime backbone, a wizard with graphs and the man behind the magic at Sactown Royalty.