Detroit Pistons 1988 Preseason Presser

[tbone963]

Hello and welcome to our presser for the 1988-1989 season. After losing in the ECF last season, we're back and hungrier than ever. Things got a little shaky for a minute during RFA, but we're happy to say that Kevin Willis and Alvin Robertson are both back on long term contracts to keep the core of this team intact.

Speaking of core, we have an amazing floor general in Rob Williams. I don't know if I've ever seen a more selfless player. His priority is always finding the open guy and doing whatever it takes to put the team in the best position to win. His tenacity on defense and his constant improvement on offense might make him our best 2-way player.

We have our constant in Terry Cummings. He's continuing his training in becoming one of the top forwards in the league. We made the tough decision to trade away Larry Nance this offseason. We wanna take a moment to thank him, Leroy Combs, and Rory Sparrow for all they gave to this franchise. They will always be a part of the Pistons family. With Larry leaving, this gives Terry the opportunity to play in his true position at PF. We think this will allow his game to flourish.

In the trade we brought in a pure scorer in Jeff Malone. We think he will bring an intensity and spacing that will push this team further than they've ever gone. We think him and Terry will be a dynamic scoring duo. Teams will have to decide whether to stack the paint or guard the perimeter.

While he may be the "star" in the trade, we think the other 2 pieces will bring just as much value in their positions.

Sedale Threatt is a great backup for Rob. He has many of the same qualities and we couldn't have got a better depth piece at the postion.

Kurt Rambis brings an aggression to our forward lineup that will continue our defensive attack while some of the starters rest. He's gonna give a lot of teams hell when he's on the court.

Mark Eaton, Paul Pressey, Kurt Nimphius, and Mike McGee are all returning this year. These are the glue guys that make this team run. They each have their specialties that contribute to the whole of the team. These guys do the hard work that makes everyone else look good.

In free agency, we picked up some veterans in Michael Wiley, World B. Free, Greg Ballard, and Phil Ford. These guys will bring experience and a steadiness to this team as we pursue another winning season.

We think this will be the best season yet for the Detroit Pistons. We look forward to showing you a winning product on the court and hope we can raise a banner at the end of this season.

I'd like to share a team photo taken before free agency that was then re-imagined by a local artist. Look forward to seeing these guys play together.


I'll now take any questions.

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: A lot of people will look at this team as a two man show between Kevin Willis & Terry Cummings now that Nance is in Charlotte. This looks like a more balanced roster though after a deeper inspection, was that the thought process when heading into the offseason instead of making it a 2 man show by design?

[tbone963]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: A lot of people will look at this team as a two man show between Kevin Willis & Terry Cummings now that Nance is in Charlotte. This looks like a more balanced roster though after a deeper inspection, was that the thought process when heading into the offseason instead of making it a 2 man show by design?

The thought process is always "what's the best way to win games?" We've found that a more balanced approach is our answer to this question. If you look at our players' stats you'll see that most of them had a decrease in overall stats but the team's wins were increased as well as our depth into the playoffs. We've designed this roster with the intention of having anyone be able to step up regardless of the matchup. We can score from the paint and the perimeter. The same can be said of our defense: there's no safe space for teams to go to against us.

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Your ownership group has committed a huge amount of resources to the roster this season; should we expect this level of commitment to remain high - even going into the luxury tax as needed - going forward? Or will talent be shipped out in the name of fiscal responsibility?

[tbone963]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Your ownership group has committed a huge amount of resources to the roster this season; should we expect this level of commitment to remain high - even going into the luxury tax as needed - going forward? Or will talent be shipped out in the name of fiscal responsibility?

Yes, we are committed to getting the right pieces for this team regardless of cost. That being said, we will most likely be making some moves to free up space before the deadline. Either way, talent will ultimately win out.

[BigDaddyd8720]

Picks Emmington of the SLOE Gazette,

It was rumored that you were not happy about Willis getting that max contract with the player option. Do you think this will cause problems for you in the near future or do you see a path where his contract will prove more than worth it?

[tbone963]

Picks Emmington of the SLOE Gazette,

It was rumored that you were not happy about Willis getting that max contract with the player option. Do you think this will cause problems for you in the near future or do you see a path where his contract will prove more than worth it?

The only reason we were not happy is because we should've offered him a supermax to begin with. The accountants got in our heads and became more concerned with saving pennies over securing a talent as great as Kevin. We've talked with Kevin and both sides agreed it was a small snafu that won't affect the team going forward. His contract will be more than worth it and we are confident he will accept his player option on the last year of the deal. We look forward to having extension talks with him at the end of this contract, but for now we're focused on delivering wins to the city of Detroit.