Pistons Report: Getting Inside

The losses are piling up for the Pistons, and they're headed for another trip to the draft lottery. Considering that the Pistons don't have attractive pieces to make blockbuster deals like some of their Eastern Conference peers, that's not such a bad thing. They have no choice but to build through the draft.

Joe Dumars, Detroit's president of basketball operations, will never live down his colossal blunder of drafting Darko Milicic in 2003 with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade waiting in the green room. The Pistons have paid dearly for that mistake, but their recent selections are the basis for any future optimism.

In 2007, they found a starting guard from obscure Eastern Washington -- Rodney Stuckey -- with the No. 15 pick. Though Stuckey has not become a star the front office once thought he'd be, he's still the team's leading scorer this season.

Dumars traded his first-round pick in the weak 2008 draft but scored big in 2009 by choosing Austin Daye at No. 15 and Jonas Jerebko at No. 39. That duo might be the starting forward combo next season, if Tayshaun Prince doesn't re-sign with Detroit and Jerebko fully heals from his partially torn Achilles tendon, which has sidelined him since training camp.

Daye has emerged as a clutch shooter and matchup nightmare for opposing small forwards because of his long, 6-foot-11 frame. Jerebko's ability to make hustle plays and defend multiple positions has been sorely missed this season.

Detroit's first trip to the lottery since the Milicic fiasco increasingly appears to be a steal. Forward/center Greg Monroe has been everything the Pistons hoped for when he slipped to No. 7 -- a skilled scorer who also fights for rebounds. His attitude and will to improve has provided a refreshing contrast to all the locker room bickering that has ruined the season.

Monroe has returned from the All-Star break with back-to-back double-doubles, including a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana on Wednesday. He'll go for three straight Friday at Philadelphia.

"Greg could have had 40 points tonight," guard Tracy McGrady said. "I got on his butt in the first half because he was missing balls and it just looked like he was out of synch. He looked like he was still in L.A. for All-Star weekend, but the young fella fought back in the second half and played extremely well."

Monroe, Daye, Jerebko and Stuckey are the Pistons' building blocks. Another productive top-10 pick would nudge them back toward respectability.

PACERS 102, PISTONS 101: Indiana guard Brandon Rush made a dunk with 5.4 seconds remaining off a Danny Granger lob, ruining the Pistons' comeback Wednesday and handing them their fifth loss in six games. Detroit had erased a 16-point deficit, including a go-ahead Austin Daye basket just before Rush's game-winner. The Pistons were outscored 23-14 at the free throw line.

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