--Oh, how the mighty have fallen, at least in the eyes of the NBA's television partners.
Just one subpar season removed from six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the Pistons have been banished from both ABC and TNT broadcasts this season. Last season, they had three nationally-televised games on ABC and two on TNT. Their national broadcasts this season will consist of four appearances on ESPN and a handful on NBA TV.
--The Pistons brought in an experienced assistant coach to give Kuester, who has never previously been an NBA head coach, some sage advice on the bench. They lured Brian Hill away from Lawrence Frank's staff in New Jersey. Hill had two head coaching stints in Orlando, along with coaching Vancouver for two-plus seasons. Kuester's staff also includes holdovers Darrell Walker and Pat Sullivan.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "He knows more than anybody what needs to be done and the standard that the fans hold the team to." -- G Ben Gordon, on head coach John Kuester, who was an assistant coach to Larry Brown when the Pistons won the 2004 championship.
