--No one in the Pistons' organization is the least bit surprised by Allen Iverson's struggle this offseason to find a new team. Re-signing Iverson was never the plan, even if last season had resulted in a deep playoff run. But Iverson's refusal to come off the bench and inability to be effective off the ball, not to mention his poor defense, reinforced that decision before the regular season ended. Iverson quit on the team rather than accepting a sixth-man role. Other teams were scared off by Iverson's oversized ego and deteriorating skills.
--The NBA schedule-makers didn't do John Kuester any favors in his first season as an NBA head coach. The Pistons play nine of their first 14 games on the road, including visits to the home floor of reigning conference champion Orlando and the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. --G Richard Hamilton has led the Pistons in scoring seven straight years but he still does not hold the franchise record. Bob Lanier led the franchise nine consecutive seasons during the 1970s in that category. Hamilton will receive a strong challenge from newcomer Ben Gordon to hold onto his status as the No. 1 scorer.
QUOTE TO NOTE:
"The team now and where it was seven years ago is night and day. I definitely think this is still a playoff team and seven years ago, it definitely wasn't." -- C Ben Wallace on how the current roster compares to his early seasons in Detroit.
