Jan. 15, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe (10), small forward Tayshaun Prince (22), point guard Brandon Knight (7), point guard Rodney Stuckey (3) and shooting guard Ben Gordon (8) during the game against the Golden State Warriors at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The Pistons had a rough year last year, finishing with a .379 winning percentage, while falling to make the Playoffs by a good margin (10 games behind the 8th seeded 76ers in a 66 game season).

It will take a lot of work to make things change.

The impressive 18-15 record at home helps, as the Palace must develop back into the kind of place opponents fear playing in, and not just because in crowd brawls have erupted.  And, I think the Pistons are developing the kind of cast that could make that happen.

Greg Monroe at this point is very Tim Duncan-esque.  He doesn’t block as many shots as  young Duncan, but his fundamental skill set and style is very comparable to Duncan’s, and I realize what praise that actually is.  Pairing the Georgetown product with the 19 year old Andre Drummond of UCONN should pay big dividends eventually for the Pistons, and make fans begin to forget the disappointment that has been Charlie Villanueva.  Greg Monroe called Drummond a “beast on the boards” following a summer camp in Vegas that he attended along with Brandon Knight.

The younger Pistons must begin to replace the old.  Drummond must share time at power forward with Jonas Jerebko to maximize his potential (and to keep Villanueva immersed on the bench).  Austin Daye must push Tayshaun Prince out of the lineup, and Kyle Singler has to find a way to get minutes away from the aged journeyman, Corey Maggette.  Singler was an impressive swingman at Duke and should be able to play both forward slots this year.  His versatility and shooting ability will help the Pistons mid range game.

The backcourt could develop into something special now that Rodney Stuckey is back at his natural position of shooting guard.  Brandon Knight’s speed and penetration will open things up for all of his teammates and should help Monroe get some easier looks.

Another player to keep an eye on is Kim English from Missouri.  He was drafted 44th overall and impressed his fellow rookies.  5.9% of his fellow rookies voted him to be rookie of the year, actually and 8.1% of them said hew as the best shooter in the class.  5.7% voted him as the best defender.  The figures are hardly majority shares, but it shows what his cohorts think of his skills.

English could be the standout of the second round of the NBA Draft.  At age 23, he should be about as NBA ready as anyone in the draft, and his age may have been a part of what caused teams to pass on him for so long.

Really, though, we must be honest:  The Pistons are still going to be a pretty bad team this year.  Ideally, they strive to win 40-45% of their games, or even try to scratch at a .500 record.  The 8th seed in the East still seems like a huge stretch though with the improvement of so many of the East’s middle to lower tier teams.

The Pistons could make waves in a  few years, after Brandon Knight really adapts to life as an NBA point guard and learns how to play well with Monroe.  Beyond that, Drummond must fulfill his Garnett-like potential and become the starting power forward of the future.  That young trio, along with a Stuckey that will be entering his prime, could make the Pistons a playoff team by 2015-2016.  That might not be much consolation to languishing Pistons fans, but realism must be kept in all sports, and being realistic, this year’s Pistons team likely won’t sniff a .500 record.

Seeing that no matter what happens to the Celtics in these playoffs, the rebuilding period is inevitable. The window of opportunity closes for good on the Big 3 era when this season ends, whether that be by elimination or winning a championship.

For the first time in 5 years, this is going to be the most important draft for the Celtics. So without any further delay, here is whats happening on the NBA draft front for Boston

The Pre-Draft Workouts

As of today, only Draymond Green and Fab Melo have worked out for the Celtics. Currently both Green and Melo are projected to go late in the 1st round and the Celtics hold the 21st and 22nd picks.

In the upcoming weeks leading to the draft, I will be posting articles on possible draft prospects for the Celtics. Seeing that Danny Ainge has some interest in Fab Melo, he will probably be the next player that I will write about.

Celtics Draft Rumors

According to Sam Amico of Fox Sports and Fox Sports Ohio, the Celtics are looking to trade up in this year’s draft. Amico said there is no specific player that they are looking to trade for, but they do have a lot of interest in Jared Sullinger.

Sullinger, a 6’9″ power forward from Ohio State would definitely be a player worth taking. He’s a rebounder and is a good inside presence, something that the Celtics don’t have right now. Clearly, drafting a big man in this draft has to be a number one priority, and trading one or two of their draft picks to get a more NBA ready player would be a great move.

Another player that seems to be getting interest from the Celtics is UCONN center/power forward Andre Drummond.

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Spurs and Celtics are teams from outside the lottery that have interest in Drummond.

If the Celtics can pull off some trade for Drummond, that would be huge. According to NBAdraft.net, he’s being compared to Amar’e Stoudemire at his best, and DeAndre Jordan at his worst. I’d take either of his potentials. Like I said before, the Celtics don’t have an inside presence who can rebound and play tight interior defense other than Kevin Garnett.

While Drummond will be a project, I think he will be worth the time and effort. Trying to find a decent big man who can rebound and just be a force in the paint both offensively and defensively is hard. If Drummond works hard and can stay motivated, he could turn into a really good basketball player.

As we inch closer to the NBA draft, there will probably many more rumors and speculations surrounding the Boston Celtics. I will keep all you guys up to date, if any news should surface.

May 4, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) puts up a shot while guarded by Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague (0)during the first overtime of game three in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics won 90-84 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

It might seem premature to say things are coming to an end, while the Celtics hold a 2-1 edge over the Hawks in the Best of 7 first round matchup.  But let’s face it:  After this season, the core of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will just be one more year older.  Time is not on the Celtics’ side at this point, and they’ve already won a championship.  Is that enough?

Unfortunately, I fear it will have to be.  With Miami solidifying themselves as the Eastern Conference team to beat (Chicago’s future is now in serious jeopardy with Derrick Rose’s career in jeopardy and Orlando and Indiana are still crucial pieces away from contention), the window may finally be closing on the Celtics.  That is what makes this last run so crucial.  There is time for one more ring, but changes must come…after that.

Rondo has proven himself to be a top 7 or 8 point guard in the NBA.  Would it make more sense, though, to try to rebuild the team with Rondo on board, or to deal Rondo to obtain another young talent and a high draft pick in this year’s loaded draft?

Ainge isn’t enthralled with Rondo, for whatever reason, and I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that Rondo still can’t shoot a basketball.  Little has been said as to whether Rondo is putting in the off season work, but I suspect he’s not.  He just shoots the ball far too poorly, and after Ray Allen is gone and retired, it’s going to be up to Ainge to put some shooters on the court.

One move that could make sense is drafting Austin Rivers in the Draft this year.  But the problem is that many teams are keying in on Rivers, and I fully expect his draft stock to rise.  Trading Rondo, however, would necessitate drafting a point guard.  Marquis Teague and Kendall Marshall will also likely be available.  Landing any of these three point guards (but especially Rivers) would be a starting place for building a new starting lineup.

So, we’ve traded Rondo?  Why?  What are we getting in return?

Assuming Rondo could land the Celtics a top five pick (and I believe he could), they could draft the next Kevin Garnett.  I’m talking of course about big man Andre Drummond of UCONN.  It only makes sense for the Celtics to take advantage of this draft, and if they are going to look long term, they could do no worse than selecting Drummond.  His potential and ceiling may be the highest of anyone not named Anthony Davis in this draft, and to land a talent that could be built around for the future.

See, for all Rondo is, one thing he is not is a big man.  Big men can form a strong cornerstone for building a franchise around, and the Celtics are going to need to rebuild, to be sure, rather than wallow in middling land of just fighting for an 8th seed and drafting in the middle of the first round.  Drafting there does not land the type of talents necessary to rebuild a franchise.

So, of course, Ainge has some decisions to make, and some waiting to do.  Rondo is either to be kept or dealt, and that decision will prove to be huge.  Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are both free agents.  One would figure that Ainge lets them both walk.  Paul Pierce will retire a Celtic, and should remain productive (if not nearly great) for the two years remaining on his contract.

So, before this all starts, before the madness and rebuilding, Celtics fans are left with only one choice:  Enjoy this last ride while it lasts.  With Derrick Rose out for the remainder of the Playoffs, and the 76ers not being that formidable team, getting to the Eastern Conference Finals is a real possibility.  Getting past Miami may prove to be too big of a challenge, but stranger things have happened, and when the Celtics defense is functioning full throttle, they can be a very difficult team to score on, even for LeBron James and the “Heatles.”

It’s too early to write this season off, but it’s never too early to look ahead.