No moping in Motown

Since Pistons' president of basketball operations Joe Dumars dealt team captain and 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson two games into the 2008-09 season, Detroit has gone just 58-83 and in all likelihood will miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years. With 19 games remaining this season, the Pistons (21-40) are on the verge of finishing with a worse record than the 2000-01 team that went 32-50.

Despite the mounting losses, unusually small Palace crowds and what has otherwise been a disappointing season in the D, to say the least, the lack of success is far from a complete debacle. One needs to look no further than the Pistons' banged up roster and series of injuries from multiple players as a big reason for the lack of success this year. Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva—Detroit's four highest-paid players—have missed a combined 80 games due to injury. That's not including the additional 19 games missed by point guard Will Bynum, who averaged 11.75 points, 2.5 assists and 1.25 steals in the playoffs last year against the Cavaliers and was one of the best surprises and highlights for the team in 2008-09.

For a little perspective on how damaging injuries can be to a team, picture this: Cleveland without LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Maurice Williams; Orlando without Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson; Boston without Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace; or Los Angeles without Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. I realize that these go on ad nauseam and that Jamison hasn't even been in a Cavs uniform for a month, but none of the teams on this list would be where they are right now if their top-four paid and arguably most talented players missed a combined 80 games due to injury.

While it is true that first-year Pistons Gordon and Villanueva haven't quite lived up to the combined $16.5 million they are costing Detroit this season, there also has not been a consistent lineup on the floor this year for the Pistons. Adjusting to a new team that's rebuilding is already difficult enough, not to mention adjusting to one that has a different starting lineup and rotation nearly every game. This is also a first-time gig for head coach John Kuester.

Taking over a team that went 39-43 the previous season and turning them into a playoff contender given the top-heavy nature of the NBA's Eastern Conference this year would be challenging for any new coach, not to mention that Kuester has an overhauled 2009-10 Detroit roster that features just six players from last year's squad. When taking those facts into consideration, has this season really been that bad for the Pistons? Sure, everybody loves a winner, but the likelihood of Detroit competing for a championship this year with a healthy roster was already slim entering the season, and even further from reality once factoring in all the injuries and new faces.

Detroit is 21-39 and 8.5 games back from the Miami Heat, who is 30-31 and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs started today. Had the Pistons been mostly healthy this season instead of plagued by injuries as they have been until recently, it's safe to say that they would be at least be 10 games better than they are right now and at the very least the eighth seed in the East. Last year was easily the most tumultuous season for Detroit in the last 10 years given the chemistry issues with Allen Iverson, and the Pistons still made it to the playoffs.

Shedding an aging Rasheed Wallace and a fading star in Iverson for Gordon and Villanueva is a definite upgrade, even if it isn't reflected in the wins column this year. Let's also not forget that Detroit still has Rodney Stuckey, not to mention one of the steals of last year's draft in rookie forward Jonas Jerebko, who has far surpassed any expectations with his play this season. Jerebko wasn't even projected to be the best rookie on the Pistons' roster with forwards Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers on board, but he's started 51 of 58 games with averages of nine ppg and 5.60 rpg in 26.8 minutes per night. Not bad for the 39th overall pick.

If there is one positive that can come out of all the negative Detroit has faced this year, it's that not making the playoffs would mean that the Pistons will be in the 2010 NBA Draft lottery and have a chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in what is expected to be a fairly deep draft in June—especially in regards to frontcourt players, an area Detroit must improve on before next season in order to contend. While the odds will be somewhat slim since the team that finishes with the worst record has the best chance to pick No. 1, there's still a chance. In 2008, the Chicago Bulls got the No. 1 pick despite only having a 1.7 percent chance of winning that year's draft lottery.

With as unlucky as this season has been for the Pistons from an injury standpoint, a chance is all they can ask for at season's end should they miss the playoffs. Maybe a little bit of luck, too.

— Mike Bauman is the Assistant Sports Editor and a senior majoring in communication.