From a team release:

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons announced their 2010-11 local television schedule today with 80 of the team’s regular-season games being televised by FOX Sports Detroit.  Including one ESPN broadcast as part of the NBA’s national television schedule, 81 of the club’s 82 regular-season games will be available on television.  All Pistons games will be available on either 97.1 FM The Ticket or WWJ 950 AM.

FOX Sports Detroit, beginning its 14^th season of broadcasting Pistons games, is the exclusive local television provider for Pistons Basketball. The network will televise an all-time high 80 regular-season games, and two preseason contests including the premier of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together for the first time in Miami HEAT uniforms on October 5 at Miami. Most, if not all, Pistons games this season on FOX Sports Detroit and FOX Sports Detroit Plus are expected to be televised in high-definition.

“We are extremely excited to have 82 games available to our fans throughout the State and Northwest Ohio,” said Pete Skorich, Executive Vice President of Broadcasting and Brand Marketing for the Pistons. “Our award winning game coverage along with PISTONS LIVE pregame and postgame programming gives our fans insider access. Also, our new episodes of The Pistons Weekly and Pistons In-Focus will deliver entertaining features on our players, our franchise and our history.”

Highlights of the regular-season broadcast schedule include two games pairing Detroit against Kobe Bryant and the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers (November 17 and January 4), four games with 2010 NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami HEAT (December 1, January 28, February 11 and March 23), four meetings with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Shaquille O’Neal and the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics (November 2, December 29, January 19 and April 3) and three games featuring Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (November 30, December 3 and January 24). FSD will also air two games featuring Chauncey Billups and the Denver Nuggets (January 26 and March 12) and three games featuring Eastern Conference rival Chicago Bulls and newly acquired Carlos Boozer (December 26, January 10 and April 1).

“Our commitment and enthusiasm regarding the Pistons is greater than ever with a record 80 regular-season telecasts and our comprehensive pre- and postgame coverage on PISTONS LIVE,” said Greg Hammaren, Senior Vice President/General Manager, FOX Sports Detroit.  “Led by a pair of Michigan Sports Hall of Famers in George Blaha and Greg Kelser, our announcers, reporters and production team are committed to providing Pistons fans some of the best coverage throughout the NBA – all in glorious high-definition.”

Twenty Pistons games will air on FOX Sports Detroit Plus, occurring on nights when coinciding Detroit Red Wings games are slated for FOX Sports Detroit.  FOX Sports Detroit and FOX Sports Detroit Plus channel numbers by video provider can be found at www.foxsportsdetroit.com.

Calling the action again this season on FOX Sports Detroit is the popular longtime duo of George Blaha and Greg Kelser, joined by sideline reporters Eli Zaret and Ryan Field.

Accompanying the telecasts is PISTONS LIVE, providing exclusive and extensive pre- and post-game coverage originating from the arena and the network’s high-definition studio. Pistons In Focus, will continue to be part of the game night programming while the popular Pistons Weekly program will premiere each week on FOX Sports Detroit Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.

FOX Sports Detroit’s coverage of the Pistons is available to 3.2 million cable and satellite households throughout Michigan and portions of Northwest Ohio.  FOX Sports Detroit programming is simulcast on FOX Sports Detroit HD, now available 24/7 via cable and satellite providers. Many providers are adding FOX Sports Detroit Plus HD this season.

The Pistons also announced their radio broadcast schedule which includes 34 regular season games on the Pistons’ flagship station 97.1 FM The Ticket and 48 games carried on WWJ 950 AM. All radio broadcasts will include exclusive pre- and postgame coverage.  Additionally, 97.1 FM The Ticket will air special weekly interviews with coaches and players and expanded Pistons coverage throughout each week of the NBA season on-air and online at www.971theticket.com.

Mark Champion will remain as the voice of Pistons radio broadcasts with Pistons legend Rick Mahorn adding color commentary for home contests.

Earlier this offseason when I was lobbying (begging?) the Detroit Pistons to sign Tracy McGrady, something I believed would be an advantage was the potential for increased competition among perimeter players with something to prove.

Although it’s basically a foregone conclusion that Rip Hamilton will once again be the starter at shooting guard (barring injury), I think an open training camp competition for this spot would serve the team well. I’ve already advocated for a couple other incumbent starters to be flipped to the bench, and I believe that there is absolutely no argument that could be made that Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince are not the best options to start at their respective positions, so that only leaves the two guard spot to talk about.

The difference with the shooting guard group, however, is that I don’t have a clear horse in the race. With Will Bynum and Charlie Villanueva, I think they both have needed skills that the person they would replace haven’t shown as much (Bynum’s passing and Villanueva’s scoring). At the two spot, I just simply want the best player in camp/preseason to get the job.

To be clear, this isn’t a post saying "the Pistons need to trade someone." True or not, I’m pretty focused on the roster as-is. Trades are rare this time of year, and while someone leaving would certainly help, it’s likely that this is the roster the Pistons will start the season with, so it’s time to work with what they have.

Since I have no strong opinion on who should necessarily start, I’ll instead just rank ‘em based on who I think would likely win such a competition:

1. Hamilton: Yeah, it’s a boring outcome. But Rip has some things going for him that others don’t. First, he’s a team captain. You usually don’t see team captains get benched.

He’s older, but still one of the best conditioned athletes in the league. He has spent virtually the last year or so listening to people say he’s washed up or he should be traded, so since he’s a prideful player, I’d assume he’d have some motivation to show differently.

Health is obviously the biggest question with Rip, but if he’s fully healthy this season, there’s no reason to believe he won’t approach the 18ish points per game with a decent shooting percentage numbers that he’s put up most of his career. Plus, he’s the Pistons best defensive option at the shooting guard spot.

And if Hamilton doesn’t start, that kind of shoots my whole "Will Bynum should start because he’s a better compliment to Rip Hamilton" theory. Starting Rip is the easy thing to do to avoid any sort of controversy. I’m not sure that’s the greatest reason to start somebody, but with a returning team that didn’t show great chemistry in the first place, it’s probably best to avoid a chemistry-upsetting issue.

2. Tracy McGrady: Asking alpha-dog scorers who are still so beloved that they get voted into All-Star Games despite being shells of their former selves to come off the bench is always a good option, one that has worked out fantastically for the Pistons in the past.

Yeah, I get it … McGrady is not Allen Iverson. I’m not sure anyone can compete with Iverson from a pride and delusion standpoint, and McGrady has at least said beforehand that he’d accept a bench role, whereas Iverson came in expecting to start and play 40 minutes a game.

But who am I kidding? I’m the web’s foremost Allen Iverson apologist, and McGrady is not far behind on the superstars I inexplicably love scale. The Pistons signed him, partially, because he has ridiculous star power, even with his declined game, and if he can be serviceable on the court, why not start him if he beats somebody out in camp? McGrady earning a starting spot on the Pistons would certainly generate more interest in the team league-wide, and interest is about the best that non-contending teams can hope for.

One of my arguments for starting Hamilton is his height offsets playing next to a smaller guard like Bynum (should my dream of Bynum as a starter come true), and McGrady addresses that same concern, although he’s certainly not as good a defender as Hamilton is.

3. Ben Gordon: Gordon’s biggest positive suggesting he should start: his contract. He’s paid like a starter. But that’s not really the best case to make for someone starting.

I like Gordon, and I empathize with him — he produced very well offensively in Chicago and always wanted to start. He left as a free agent largely looking for an opportunity to start. And while injuries cost him a good portion of his season a year ago, if there was one thing we learned about Ben Gordon, it’s that he might just be a guy who is much better suited to coming off the bench.

But again, contract. Because of what he’s being paid, the Pistons are going to have a hard time moving him, so he’s going to have to be given every opportunity to earn a starting role. He has the skills offensively to do it, but his height puts him at a decided disadvantage. The Pistons can’t afford to play Gordon and Bynum next to each other for long stretches, and even Gordon and Stuckey is a pretty small backcourt.

I fully expect Gordon to play better this year, but I’d be shocked if he does so as a full-time starter.

4. Austin Daye: Daye is the darkhorse of all darkhorses. After the McGrady signing, it appears that there might not even be a spot in the rotation for Daye.

But of all the Pistons young players, Daye offers tantalizing potential as a 6-foot-11 guy with perimeter skills — a great shooting stroke, the ability to put it on the floor and a nice little floater on the move from inside 15 feet that he’s unveiled at times. His skillset and size are, dare I say, a little McGrady-esque. He’s nowhere near the athlete young T-Mac was, but McGrady’s height at the guard spot made him a nightmare matchup for teams, and if Daye plays at shooting guard, he’ll have a similar advantage.

Daye is clearly fighting for any scraps of minutes he can get with this crowded group of veterans in front of him, but Jonas Jerebko took advantage of an opportunity for spot minutes last year and made it impossible for John Kuester to remove him from the rotation. Daye won’t start, but if he plays with the same mentality that Jerebko did last preseason, he can work his way past some veterans and earn some minutes.

It’s a waste of my time and yours. And that’s why I haven’t done it before. I probably should’ve addressed this sooner – and I’ll keep it brief now – but here’s the deal:

No personal attacks.

Attack the idea, not its author. It’s really that simple. If you don’t, offending portions of your comments will be removed. Repeat violators will be blocked.

Our comments are pretty open right now. We’ll give a lot of leeway on what you can post, but this is where I draw the line.

I enjoy our comments section, and I read all of them. Let’s keep that area below the posts worth reading.

Let me know if you have any questions.

After signing as a free agent last season, Charlie Villanueva had an up and down season to say the least. Painful injuries (broken nose and plantar fasciitis) severely limited his production in February and March, but it’s not like Villanueva’s season was without highlights:

• In a five game stretch in November, Villanueva averaged 27 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 43 percent from three.
• In a six game stretch in December, he averaged 19 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 41 percent from three.
• In a five game stretch in January, he averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 43 percent from three.
• In a six game stretch in April, he averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from three.

Those 22 games (of the 78 he played in) represent more than a quarter of his season. The story with Villanueva has always been inconsistency, and last season was the perfect example — those above highlighted stretches of great offensive play were offset by 29 games in which Villanueva shot less than 30 percent, so despite those stretches of really good production, he still finished with either career lows or near career lows in points per game, rebounds per game, shooting percentage and minutes played.

Many Pistons fans grew frustrated with the inconsistency, particularly while he was struggling in February and March, and spent the offseason questioning the signing, so those fans ready to close the book on Villanueva probably weren’t super excited by this post by Keith Langlois entitled ‘Rarin’ to Go’ (brief sidebar: Seriously, someone needs to teach Pistons.com some Search Engine Optimization):

“That’s my mentality – to be a starter,” Villanueva said after a heavy workout Monday following a weekend spent celebrating his 26th birthday with friends and family. “But at the same time, I don’t want it to be given to me. I want to earn it. I believe I can be a starter in this league. I’ve done it before. When we get closer to training camp, I would like to sit down with (Kuester) and just share thoughts, expectations for my role, and just take it from there.”

At the risk of becoming the ‘lineup changes the Pistons will never consider‘ guy, I agree 100 percent that Villanueva should be the starting power forward next season.

From a skills standpoint, I love the diversity and unorthodox nature of Villanueva’s game. But him joining the starting lineup has less to do with what he can bring to the table (after all, he’ll have big scoring games whether he starts or comes of the bench) and more to do with what Ben Wallace brings to the lineup. A Villanueva-Wallace duo in the starting lineup offers much more balance than Wallace paired with incumbent starter Jonas Jerebko.

I’ve long believed that the two would compliment each other well. Here’s what I wrote last season on Full-Court Press:

Maybe if he’s (Villanueva) playing next to a guy (Wallace) with really good defensive instincts, he won’t have to worry as much about defense. If his guy gets inside him, Wallace is always there with help. It’s subtle, but it could take some pressure off.

That post was written when Villanueva was struggling and coach John Kuester had a quick hook for him, but the theory still holds true: Wallace’s greatest strengths are his defense, energy, his passing ability, offensive rebounding and ability to make cuts to the basket on offense. His greatest weaknesses are the ability to create his own shot and score. Villanueva’s greatest strength is his ability to score with a really diverse offensive repertoire. He struggles on defense with reaction time on help defense and holding his position against strong post players.

But it’s not just my OCD and weird need for pairing things up that make me crave a Villanueva/Wallace combo. When they were on the court together last season, the Pistons were actually a bit better offensively and defensively.

Here are some numbers with both on the floor (thanks to Dan Feldman and Basketball Value for compiling):

• Minutes: 810.34
• Pace: 88.4
• Offensive Rating (points scored per 100 possessions): 108.5
• Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): 109.5

Now compare to the overall numbers for the team for the season:

• Pace: 88.5 (basically the same)
• Offensive Rating: 105.6 (worse)
• Defensive Rating: 111.4 (worse)

Playing Wallace big minutes with Jerebko seems redundant — they both do similar things (albeit Jerebko is not the rebounder, shot-blocker, defender or passer that Wallace is) by making hustle plays, bringing energy, getting on the offensive glass, etc. Also, neither is good at creating their own shot, so if Jerebko starts, the Pistons are starting two guys in the frontcourt who will not be a threat to score, allowing other teams to focus more attention on the team’s scoring options.

By all accounts, Villanueva has worked extremely hard to get in better shape this offseason. It remains to be seen whether that leads to a change in the all-or-nothing inconsistency he showed last season, but at the very least, even if his shot isn’t falling, teams have to guard him out to the three-point line and he will be able to take advantage of many defenders with his ability to post up.

Jerebko absolutely earned a key role on this year’s team after a productive rookie season, but moving him to the second unit allows him to play a Wallace-like role for however that group shakes out. He’d probably be paired in the frontcourt with a better offensive player (Greg Monroe), he’d have the advantage of going against second unit bigs who he could stand a better chance at guarding effectively than some of the starting caliber post players who are too strong for him and he’d be playing with a collection of guys who like to shoot but can also pass (Will Bynum, Ben Gordon and Tracy McGrady), giving him ample opportunity to crash the offensive glass and move without the ball for easy buckets.

As I’ve written numerous times, I haven’t given up on this collection of Pistons talent turning into a semi-decent outfit. There are legitimate question marks when it comes to health and rotation. I also have serious questions about whether or not John Kuester can mold his very traditional offensive system to fit guys like Villanueva, Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, Bynum and Monroe who all have non-traditional skills that don’t neatly fit into typical historical positional definitions.

Villanueva is paid like a starting player. He’s shown flashes of great productivity and versatility on offense. If he does the right things — and if this summer is any indication, he is doing the right things — and has a good camp, pairing him with Wallace in the starting lineup could simultaneously strengthen the first and second units.

Via Shaun Powell of NBA.com:

"I loved working in the front office, where I was in charge of issuing fines, among other things. This was during the Pistons and all the Bad Boy stuff. They gave me no choice; I had to fine them a few times. One day the Pistons were in New York to play the Knicks, and the NBA offices are located in Midtown. I was out to lunch when Ricky Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer came by the office. They had a very professional-looking sign with them, and they super-glued it to my door. And the sign said: ‘This office was furnished through fines paid for by the Detroit Pistons.’ Well, we couldn’t get the sign off. We tried almost everything, but that thing was super-glued tight. Finally we got it off, and it made a big hole in the door.

"While I worked in the league office, I’d gone to a game in Detroit; I used to play for the Pistons back in the 1960s. I’m sitting near the court, and during the game on the overhead scoreboard they had a question — such-and-such played for Detroit at a certain time. I really wasn’t paying attention. All of a sudden, I hear the crowd booing and I said to myself, what the heck is that all about? Well, they were booing me. I was the answer to the question. I wasn’t too popular there.

"Another time in Detroit, I was sitting a few rows up, and with about a minute left in the game, a guy walks by and says, ‘You’re a [bleep].’ I don’t say anything, I just let him keep walking. And then this older lady, who’s sitting in front of me, turns around and says, ‘That guy is right. You are a [bleep].’

"I was with Horace Balmer, the director of security, and he says, ‘I’m never sitting here with you again.’"

Pistons look a little like 2010 Team USA

I don’t care who wrote it. The Free Press should be embarrassed to have published it.

A lot of people are going to read that headline and assume this is a rant about Rodney Stuckey. It isn’t (Laser will handle that in the comments).

Stuckey is a fine NBA player who I think is perfectly suited to backup both guard spots and get about 30ish combined minutes per game off the bench for virtually any team. If the Pistons cleared a guard (preferably Rip Hamilton, but whoever is more movable between he and Ben Gordon) out of the equation, I’d love for him to fill that role in Detroit. Stuckey plays hard, he’s tough, he has the tools to be a great perimeter defender, he’s very good at getting to the basket (even if his finishing needs work), he improved at drawing contact and getting to the line last year and while he’s not a pure point guard, he can competently man the position for a good team in limited minutes. I would never be ashamed to have Rodney Stuckey on my favorite team.

But I think the Stuckey-as-full-time point guard experiment has run its course. Perhaps in a different system or with different players, Stuckey could excel as a starting point guard playing big minutes. But as the roster is constructed, with the coaching philosophy that’s in place, Stuckey isn’t going to find that situation in Detroit.

Thankfully, the Pistons have an in-house solution: Will Bynum.

This isn’t the first time I’ve broached the topic of Bynum as the team’s better option as a starting PG. The genesis of that belief lies in Bynum’s background: he’s a Joe Dumars-kind-of-guy.

Let’s face it … even for a guy like myself who’s a pretty regular supporter of Dumars, I can face some basic facts: Dumars has made some moves lately that haven’t worked out spectacularly, and he seems to be in a bit of a slump, lacking a clear vision. It happens to the best of us. Human nature is to stagnate, to lose focus, to need something to help make you remember what made you successful in the first place. I believe Bynum is that memory-jarrer for Dumars.

The Pistons 2004 title team, and quasi-dynasty in the 2000s, was built upon picking up under-the-radar talents, castaways, guys with talent who were misunderstood or didn’t fit elsewhere, and most importantly, guys who felt they had something to prove or were openly hostile about teams giving up on them early in their careers. Check out his quote from Bynum:

“I don’t think for one second that the money I’m making makes me a reserve. I just want to clear that up from the beginning. I think that the money that I’m making gives me the opportunity to excel, and I’m trying to do it.”

That sounds like a guy who has something to prove. Bynum was undrafted while luminaries like Travis Diener, Alex Acker, Roko Ukic and Orien Green managed to get picked. He had to play overseas before getting a NBA shot. He had to flee a night club in Tel Aviv because his brother got stabbed. The man knows adversity.

Dan Feldman has already chronicled some of Bynum’s defensive limitations, but this is another reason it makes some sense for him to play with the first unit. With Ben Wallace in the middle, that will make opposing guys less likely to penetrate, so having a weaker perimeter defender paired with Wallace won’t be as big a factor as it would be if Bynum were on the second unit with Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox protecting the rim.

Offensively, Bynum is far from a perfect point guard, but he does two things better than Stuckey: he’s much better at passing out of traffic than Stuckey and, despite being shorter, is a more explosive and craftier finisher. If the roster stays as-is, it’s a good bet that Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince will be starting, along with Wallace. Several players could vie for the PF spot, but I’d wager that based on his contract, if Villanueva comes into camp aggressive and in shape, he’ll be given every opportunity to seize that spot.

A common argument in Pistons land is that Hamilton plays better next to a pure point. Bynum isn’t what I’d call a pure point, but he’s a little purer than Stuckey.

Prince, for all of the criticisms he receives (pipe down Laser), actually had good numbers the last quarter of last season, particularly from three-point range. From Ball Don’t Lie’s Kelly Dwyer:

This could be a huge stretch for Prince, but a good part of this ranking is spurred on by the way he finished the season. Prince averaged well over 15 points per game in the season’s last three months, shooting a good percentage and bringing the usual stout D. He also hit around 40 percent of his 3-pointers during that run …

If Prince continues to shoot the three near that clip, if Villanueva and his long-range threat are in the lineup, and if Hamilton is more in line with his 35 percent career three-point shooting than the 29 percent mark he put up last year, those guys should provide sufficient space for Bynum to operate and get inside, while taking advantage of his ability to drive and kick by knocking down open looks.

Stuckey, meanwhile, gets to play on the second unit with some combo of Ben Gordon, Austin Daye, Tracy McGrady, Jonas Jerebko and Greg Monroe (and occasionally Jason Maxiell and Wilcox). He’s also surrounded by shooters (Gordon, Daye and McGrady), but more importantly, has several guys who will want to get out and run with him.

The other advantage to viewing Bynum as a long-term piece and potential starter is cost. Bynum’s extension is really reasonable for a starter. Financial bargains were a common theme of Dumars’ early Pistons teams. Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace, the two best players on the 2004 title team, made about $10 million combined. With Dumars’ recent contracts to Gordon, Hamilton and Villanueva, he’s gotten away from that bargain shopper, search-for-hidden-value philosophy that made him so great in the first place. Bynum could be a return to that thinking, both in cost and attitude.

If Bynum stays healthy and is as productive in 25-30 minutes a game as his per-minute numbers suggest he could be, he’d be a great asset as a reliable starter. The Pistons don’t have much financial flexibility in the quest to get better. They have serious deficiencies at center and point guard. The best hope for the Pistons to take a big leap and contend would be Bynum winning the job and supplanting Stuckey as a starter. That becomes one less position Dumars needs to worry about upgrading immediately, and if Bynum can prove to be a reliable starter for the next three years at his cost, it means the Pistons don’t have to extend Stuckey should he prove to be too pricey and the savings on the PG position can be invested in shoring up other weaknesses.

I like a good portion of the talent on the Pistons roster while at the same time having serious reservations about how it all fits together. With the contractual obligations and the difficulty the team could encounter trying to move some of those pricey deals, solutions have to come from within, and with his work ethic, it’s not hard to envision Bynum becoming at least a reliable full-time player. If he can do that, it will make sorting out who stays and who goes much easier for Dumars.

When the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets, the rumor was they asked for Carmelo Anthony before settling on Allen Iverson. With ESPN’s Ric Bucher reporting a Melo-Nuggets split is inevitable, my guess is Joe Dumars will make a play for Melo.

Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company solicited offers for Melo and ranked them. On behalf of the Pistons, Patrick and I offered Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, Austin Daye and a lottery-protected first-round pick.

The Pistons offer didn’t entice Wagner, as he put it in the win-later category and wrote:

Prince is a decent player, but I am not sure how Stuckey would fit in Denver and Daye is a long way from contributing. If the first round pick was not lottery protected this trade would be more appealing, but it is difficult to fault Dan for not making a better offer when there is no chance Carmelo stays in Detroit after this season.

I didn’t expect Wagner to love that offer, but we couldn’t justify the Pistons giving up more because it’s likely Melo would leave Detroit after the season.

Is there a reasonable offer for Melo you think the Pistons could make?

First of all, and most importantly, that’s pretty cool and nothing but a good sign about Terrico White’s chances of NBA success. But before anyone gets too excited, I think it’s an appropriate time to point out recent Slam Dunk Contest winners include Gerald Green and Fred Jones.