Detroit Pistons 1989 Preseason Presser

[tbone963]

Hello everyone and welcome to our presser for the new season.

I know many of you are thinking "Am I having deja vu?" "Did they do anything in the offseason?" "This team looks exactly the same." You'd be correct, we decided to run it back.

Last year did not go as planned and we did not meet our expectations. The loss in the first round hurt and we were not happy at all. I'll be honest, the next day I wanted to ship everyone out the building and burn it down. Luckily, as the playoffs continued, calmer heads prevailed. We came back after some time off and looked at the roster again.

We saw again what we've been seeing the last few years putting this roster together. We have the passmaking abilities of Rob Williams. We have the scoring prowess of Jeff Malone. We have the lockdown defense of Alvin Robertson. We have the interior dominance of Terry Cummings and Kevin Willis. We have all the pieces, we just have to make them work.

Our first look was to the draft. We thought it was a deep draft and wanted to snag anyone out of it. While we did look at options to trade up, nothing seemed worth it to us. We stayed put and drafted Doug West. While still raw and learning, we think he can follow in Malone's footsteps and be the go-to scoring option for this squad.

Our next order of business was bringing back Paul Pressey in free agency. We told Paul before the season was up we were bringing him back. He had one of his best seasons last year and we think he will continue that level of play for many more years. He's the perfect young veteran to help the younger guys while also playing anywhere he's needed.

Speaking of vets, we brought back a couple guys who exemplify the Pistons culture: Marques Johnson and Wayne Cooper. If there's anyone who will whip this team into shape, it's these two.

Our guys are angry and coming for blood this season. The preseason already shows where their heads are at. Williams will distribute the open shot. Malone will score at will. Willis will clean up the glass. And so on. Everyone will play their part to make this the best season yet for this franchise.

Thank you, I'll now take any questions.

[Eazy P]

Do you feel your team will finally get over the hump this season?

[tbone963]

Do you feel your team will finally get over the hump this season?

I think so. If preseason is anything to go from, our offense is finally ready to match our defense. We don't have a lot of all stars on the team but we have guys who do what they do really well and who can work together to compliment each other.

[JNR]

GWR: Most of the core is 27-30. Do you feel pressure to make a run now, and if you don’t you’ll have to change the direction of the team?

[tbone963]

GWR: Most of the core is 27-30. Do you feel pressure to make a run now, and if you don’t you’ll have to change the direction of the team?

There is a pressure to compete but it's more for financial reasons than age. Malone and Williams will have to be paid next season. Turpin and Cummings the next. And that's all with Robertson and Willis on their maxes. Hopefully we can keep out running the cap for the foreseeable future.

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Great teams tend to have an identity - the Bucks are defense-first; the Spurs are "Michael Jordan;" the Kings are star-driven, the Bullets and Hornets are "the league trading posts" - what is your team's identity? If you're not sure, what are your plans to establish one?

[tbone963]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Great teams tend to have an identity - the Bucks are defense-first; the Spurs are "Michael Jordan;" the Kings are star-driven, the Bullets and Hornets are "the league trading posts" - what is your team's identity? If you're not sure, what are your plans to establish one?

I'd like to say our team is built on defense first. To me that starts with good perimeter defense and steals. I think we have that in abundance on the team. You need to score points to win games though and after preseason, I'd like to think we can take on an offensive identity as well. At the end of the day, I think our identity will be one of force. We will force the turnovers, force the ball into the net. We will bend the game to our will.

[greepleairport]

You said you had an underwhelming season last year, but ultimately decided to run it back. Did you have higher hopes for your opening sim, or do you think it's an aberration from what we should expect based on the injuries your team had?

[tbone963]

You said you had an underwhelming season last year, but ultimately decided to run it back. Did you have higher hopes for your opening sim, or do you think it's an aberration from what we should expect based on the injuries your team had?

I definitely thought we'd at least have a winning record after the first sim. Players were getting hurt in game 1 so we really have no idea how the gameplan works yet. I think once we get everyone healthy, we can fully execute the gameplan and see better results.