The 2008–09 Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 season is the 68th season of the franchise, 61st in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA). The season is the first for new head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 Michael Curry

Michael Curry

Michael Edward Curry is the associate head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He previously served as head coach of the Detroit Pistons...

, who took over for Flip Saunders

Flip Saunders

Phillip "Flip" Saunders is an American basketball head coach of the Washington Wizards. He previously coached the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves.-High school and college player:Saunders was born in Cincinnati, Ohio....

 after Saunders was fired at the conclusion of the 2007–08 season.

During the season, the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...

, Antonio McDyess

Antonio McDyess

Antonio Keithflen McDyess is an American professional basketball player. McDyess is listed at 6'9" , 245 lb. and is a power forward/center. In 2009 he signed a 3-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs....

 and Cheikh Samb to the Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

 in exchange for Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...

. McDyess was waived by the Nuggets and was re-signed by the Pistons. It was their first losing season since the 2000-01 NBA season

2000-01 NBA season

-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers*Rookie of the Year: Mike Miller, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers/Atlanta Hawks...

, and the first time they didn't reach the Eastern Conference Finals since the 2002-03 NBA season

2002-03 NBA season

The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	29	D. J. White D. J. White Dewayne "D. J." White, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his...  (traded to Seattle Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as... )	PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...		Indiana
2	59	Deron Washington Deron Washington Deron Washington is an American basketball player for the Obradoiro CAB of the Liga LEB. He played in college for the Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team...	SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... /SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...		Virginia Tech Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...

On the day of the draft, the Pistons traded D. J. White

D. J. White

Dewayne "D. J." White, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his...

 to the Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

 in exchange for the rights to Seattle's number 32 and number 46 picks. The picks were used to select Walter Sharpe

Walter Sharpe

Walter L. Sharpe III is an American professional basketball player.-Early career:Sharpe played his prep basketball at Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, his place of birth. He was later signed by Mississippi State University...

 from Alabama–Birmingham

University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...

 and Trent Plaisted

Trent Plaisted

Trent Michael Plaisted is an American basketball player, formerly of Brigham Young University. He averaged 15.6 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game in the 2007–2008 season, his junior year at BYU...

 from Brigham Young

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

, respectively.

Trades

June 26, 2008	To Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... Draft rights to both Trent Plaisted Trent Plaisted Trent Michael Plaisted is an American basketball player, formerly of Brigham Young University. He averaged 15.6 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game in the 2007–2008 season, his junior year at BYU...  and Walter Sharpe Walter Sharpe Walter L. Sharpe III is an American professional basketball player.-Early career:Sharpe played his prep basketball at Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, his place of birth. He was later signed by Mississippi State University...	To Seattle SuperSonics Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as... Draft rights to D. J. White D. J. White Dewayne "D. J." White, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his...
November 3, 2008	To Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... Allen Iverson Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...	To Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams... Chauncey Billups Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the... , Antonio McDyess Antonio McDyess Antonio Keithflen McDyess is an American professional basketball player. McDyess is listed at 6'9" , 245 lb. and is a power forward/center. In 2009 he signed a 3-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs....  and Cheikh Samb

Additions

{| cellspacing="0"
| valign="top" |
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="width:140px"|Player || style="width:70px"|Signed || style="width:210px"|Former team
|- style="height:40px"
|Kwame Brown

Kwame Brown

Kwame James Brown is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Bobcats. The , center was the 1st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and was the first number one draft pick to be selected straight out of high school...

 || August 4 style="font-size: 80%"| July 28, 2008||Memphis Grizzlies
|}

Subtractions

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="width:140px"|Player || style="width:70px"|Left || style="width:210px"|New team
|-
| Juan Dixon

Juan Dixon

Juan Dixon is an American professional basketball player. Dixon led the University of Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in 2002 and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2002 Final Four.-Early life:...

 || style="font-size: 80%"| || Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

|-
| Jarvis Hayes

Jarvis Hayes

Jarvis James Hayes is an American professional basketball player. A 6'8", 220 lbs. small forward from the University of Georgia and Western Carolina University, Hayes was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 10th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. Throughout his NBA career, Hayes has...

 || style="font-size: 80%"| || New Jersey Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

|-
| Lindsey Hunter

Lindsey Hunter

Lindsey Benson Hunter, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player. He was a point guard in the National Basketball Association from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with Detroit Pistons...

 || style="font-size: 80%"| || Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

|-
| Theo Ratliff

Theo Ratliff

Theophilus Curtis Ratliff , better known as Theo Ratliff, is an American professional basketball player who last played with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. Primarily a center, he was an excellent shot-blocker who has led the league three times in blocks per game...

 || style="font-size: 80%"| || Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

|}

External links

• 2008-09 Detroit Pistons telecast schedule