Pistons Are Model for Rebuild

No, of course I couldn't just shut it down. Like Mark Blount said about he and Ricky Davis:

"We prepare our bodies and minds for the grind of 82 games. We're going to finish the season. That's what we do."

Who would have thought that the players with the most heart this season would be the guys we traded for at the start of the season? Hats off to Mark Blount and Ricky Davis - there is no one that can honestly ever question your professionalism. Then again, this season-turned-misery thing is probably nothing new to them.

That said, Miami squares off against the Pistons. The only drama left to figure out here is if the Pistons, like the rest of the Heat starters, will even bother to show up. If not, we have some problems on our hands as we may actually win the game. Then again, this is the Pistons and they never take a play off, let alone a game.

Which begs the question - with Miami rebuilding, who should they look to as a model? My money is, sadly, on Detroit. Sad because remember when they were our budding rivals for Eastern Conference supremacy? Well, that all vanished after last season. Still, look at how consistent they are year to year - and the reason is simply because they have a starting 5 that has played together for the better part of 5 seasons now.

They built with a core of Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. They survived jettisoning the contract of Ben Wallace and even survived a horrible draft pick in Darko Milicic - imagine if they actually drafted Dwyane Wade?

Yet Joe Dumars has had success drafting talent, too. Look to this season as a prime example as they were able to draft Aaron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey. Both young guards give the Pistons more youth, more depth. Then there is a talent like Amir Johnson just waiting for his time as well as a Jason Maxiell whose time has come and has become a consistent contributor for this team.

They will come into Miami tonight, run a few laps then plant their starters' butts on the bench because they have done what they are supposed to do - lock up their spot in the playoffs.

And they have done so without a low post threat in the manner that Riley incessantly worries about. The Pistons are a perimeter-based team both on offense and defense. They have no drop-dead sexy big name players in the sense that they have one player that strikes fear. No, instead they work as a unit, as a team. Ever since they made their first surprising run at a world title back against the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, this team has made its stamp on the game by playing the game as a team.

Miami has a lot to learn from their once-rivals. They play with heart and hustle, and they play as tightly as fingers on a fist. Riley's challenge now is not only to rebuild the Heat, but to launch them back into that lofty air only occupied with any consistency by the Detroit Pistons, the lone power in the East. What better way to do that than by imitating them - we will see them up close this evening.

If only for a brutal moment on their way into the playoffs and possibly another chance at a title.