The Detroit Pistons have released their preseason schedule for the upcoming season. They open up the year Monday, October 5th against the Miami Heat at the Palace.

There's also one neutral site game. The Pistons will face former Piston head coach Flip Saunders and his Washington Wizards at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Date Opponent Time

Oct.5 vs. Miami 7:30 p.m.

Oct.7 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.

Oct.11 vs. Atlanta 6 p.m.

Oct. 13 vs. Washington 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Dallas 8:30 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Memphis 8 p.m.

Oct. 22 vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m.

Ben Gordon looking to show Pistons he can do much more than score

Posted by Dave Dial, Aug. 17

When Joe Dumars met with Ben Gordon on the first day of free agency, the conversation must have included more than Gordon coming in and lighting up the scoreboard for the new Detroit Pistons . The change in players, seven players who were not on the Pistons roster last season now are, will also bring a change in philosophy. Dime Magazine talked to Ben Gordon about this change in a recent interview.

August 17, Dime Magazine: When you picture the Detroit Pistons , there is an unmistakable image of blue collar, gritty Basketball that is a direct personification of the city. However, times are changing, and Detroit is certainly not immune in that regard.

The NBA is perhaps the most dynamic and ever-changing professional sports league in the world and the trend today is a more free-flowing game dominated by wings, instead of the "bigs" of years past. Pistons GM Joe Dumars recognized the prior Pistons team led by Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace had its chance, wasn't moving forward, and needed a shake-up...

"Everyone's excited," Gordon said about the new look Pistons . "There's a new staff, new coach, and new players. After last season everyone was disappointed with the way things turned out. This year, everyone is excited for the new opportunity and a fresh start. I'm just going to go out there every night and do what it takes to win; that's really everybody's role. The way Joe has built the team it's everyone who will share a piece of the team's success, helping each other do what it takes to win."...

With Gordon now at the helm, Detroit's roster and personnel look vastly different than the traditional defensive-oriented Pistons teams of years past. Gordon rounds out an extremely athletic roster of players that include veterans Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, and Charlie Villanueva. In addition, the players Detroit drafted in 2009 signify and represent a change in style as well with forwards Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers.

"We'll have a lot of firepower," Gordon said. "If you look at the way the game is being played now, Joe has tried to change our team to be successful. The game is a lot more up-tempo now and defending teams is different because it's just not as physical as the game once was. It's really not a grind-it-out style of ball anymore. Though we'll have a lot of offensive guys, defense will still be our staple."