Already folks, here goes with my first foray into writing about my thoughts regarding the local pro sports scene around Detroit. As always, I welcome any and fall feedback:

Since the overly-beloved Joe Dumars has made a mockery of the Pistons franchise over the past 12 months, good ole' Burney is here to offer a helping hand in re-shaping the team's fortunes back in the right direction. Alright, Joe, pay close attention, Im about to layout a road map for success that if you choose to follow will guarantee the Pistons place atop the Eastern Conference, in just a few short years. 

1. Change With The Times  - overhaul previous team-building philosophy in favor of fresh perspective. Don't take the easy route and just copy an already-utilized and currently-successful philosophy, create your own. In other words, start a trend, don't follow one.  Specifically, this situation calls for the drafting of a future superstar in either this year or next year's draft. If I was Joe D, I'd do everything in my power to trade up and draft European-hoops wunderkind, Ricky Rubio, the slick passing Pistol Pete-c lone that's only 18 and dropped a triple double in last season's Euro League Championship. 

2. Go Foreign, but W/ a Dash of Classic "Bad Boys" Mentality - Although its doubtful championship-caliber success can be attained with a team built solely through free-agency, judicious and smart moves in signing free agents can be integral in collecting hardware of any kind. To augment, Rubio, who is as sure-fire a hit in the NBA draft than I've seen in at least 4 years, the team should go after other fast-breaking, hot shooting, and high scoring Euro-types like Utah's Mehmet Okur - a move Dumars could do to make amends for letting this guy go in the first place and - Orlando's Hedo Turkaleu. Once your cornerstone is in place - Rubio - and your complimentary base of scorers are acquired, you fill the rest of team up with hardworking, defensive-minded bangers that will be enforcers for your stars - alas Lambier, Mahorn, Ben Wallace -  and still act as an anchor to the organizations' past identities. 

3. Hire a Coach, Lose the Puppet - All due respect to current Pistons head coach, Michael Curry, he is really little more than a front for Joe D and a stop gap until a better replacement can be found.  This team has been lacking a respected bench presence since Larry Brown left in '05 and if they are going to return to past glories, they need to find another one. If this person is Dumars himself, so be it. But getting someone20on the sidelines that has a mind of their own and a solid following and support in the lockeroom is essential. Personally, I'd go after Larry Bird, who single-handedly built the late-90's-early 2000's Pacers teams, whom if it wasnt for Michael Jordan and a phantom foul on Antonio Davis for touching the Knicks Larry Johnson on his made-3 point attempt in the '99 Eastern Conference Finals, those squads would have gone back-to-back. Bird has been sitting on the sidelines for eight years and Im sure his competitive spirit is still burning overtime. He'd be a good counter-balance for Dumars, a respected sounding board that has been non-existence around these parts since LB's self-inflicted departure.   These two guys engaged in some epic battles on the floor during their collective playing careers, wouldn't it be amazing if they could collaborate on building another winner here in the D.

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