Empty the Bench

1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers: We’re going to ignore the soap opera out in LA and assume Bryant is on the court for the opener in a Lakers jersey. Based purely on what he can do on that court, Bryant is probably the best player in the NBA. He’s also one of the best players in fantasy basketball, if not the best. You aren’t going to find anybody else who can string together 50-points games like Bryant, or anybody who can drop 81 like he did two years ago. What’s more amazing is that he finds time to drop 5 assists, grab 6 boards and snag around 1.5 steals. He can buoy your FT% by himself by attempting 10 a game and hitting over 85% of them, and he won’t kill your FG% with is 46.3% shooting. He even hits a couple of threes a game. The only thing to worry about is the 3+ turnovers, but that should not be much of a consideration with your first-round pick: you want a guy who has the ball in his hands this much.

2. Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets: He doesn’t come close in real life, but in a strict fantasy-basketball sense Vince is a poor man’s Kobe. He provides pretty much the same arsenal, just a tad worse in every category. Playing with the ageless Jason Kidd makes Carter look good every night, and he has elite natural talent. His line of 25 points, nearly 5 assists, 6 boards, 1 steal and almost 2 three-pointers is extremely valuable. Vince can fill it up, but so can a lot of other SG/SFs so you shouldn’t think about drafting him until the middle of the second round.

3. Ray Allen, Boston Celtics: Nobody knows how this new Celtic lineup is going to work in terms of fantasy production, but it’s probably safe to assume Ray won’t have the ball in his hands as much as he did in years past. Then again, he should also find himself open a lot more on the perimeter, and that’s scary. The guy has attempted more than 8 three-pointers a game each of the last two seasons, and he knocks down a tidy 39.7% of them. He can carry your team in threes, and he’s also a fantastic source of help in FT% where he usually attempts over 5 per game and hits around 90% of ‘em. He’ll also give you some help with around 4 assists, 4.5 boards and 1.5 steals to go with 25 points. The FG% isn’t ideal (43.8% on 21 attempts last season), but it’s not for a lack of touch and we expect him to force fewer shots and get more quality looks this season.

4. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: Because of the various injury concerns that always seem to be swirling about the 6-4 slasher, Wade is a prime candidate to slide into the third round of your draft (he’s out until at least December). If you’re the patient type and don’t mind rooting for a member of the loathsome Heat, snap him in such a scenario. When he’s on the court Wade is a fantasy goldmine–just take a look at his per-game averages from 06/07: 27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 boards, 2.1 steals, 49% FG, 80% FT, even 1.2 blocks (!). The Heat just don’t have much depth, and Wade will again be counted on to carry them.

5. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets: If we knew he’d play a full slate of games, we’d feel a lot more comfortable drafting McGrady. His tremendous production warrants a pick in the third round, but his chronic bad problems make him somebody we avoid on draft day. He’s managed just 118/164 games the last two seasons and taken himself out of numerous others early. When he is on the court his FG% (never above 43.1% in Houston, always over 20 attempts) and FT% (75.2% on 6.5 attempts career) will kill you. Things could be different this year though, new HC Rick Adelman is the offensive mind behind the Sacramento Kings of the late 90s and early 00s and the Portland Trailblazers of the early 90s. He should open things up a lot more than the strictly defensive-minded Jeff van Gundy. And you can’t quibble with McGrady’s 24.6 points, 1.3 steals, 6.5 assists, 5.3 boards and 1.8 threes from last year.

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We’re all about the bold predictions here at ETB. We enjoy analyzing and second-guessing other experts’ picks, but we’ll also put ourselves out there, too. So in the days leading up to Sunday’s NFL action, we’ll both be peering into our magical crystal ball–the one from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure–and posting the daring predictions that come to us.

Many will come true, but more of them will not. That’s why we’ll be bragging about them when we nail it. Repeatedly. And when they don’t, well, you’ll have to remind us about it because we won’t be bringing it up. Ladies and Germs, it’s ETB’s NFL Week Seven Crystal Ball.

Andrew’s Predictions:

1. I’m a Ronnie Brown fan, but he’s going to grind to a halt this weekend. Bill Belichick said this week that Brown is the best offensive player the Pats have faced so far, so you better believe they’re going to have a gameplan for him. Add in the loss of Chris Chambers to stretch the field and a completely overwhelmed Cleo Lemon facing the frightening New England defense and the Dolphins won’t be going anywhere. Brown finishes with 50 yards rushing and 6 receptions for 30 more yards.

2. Anquan Boldin makes a big splash in his return. Whether it’s Tim Rattay or Kurt Warner under center, the Cardinals QB is going to be doing his damnedest to get rid of the ball quickly. Boldin makes a meal out of short slants, stiff arms and runs after the catch and goes over 100 yards on the day.

3. The Houston rushing defense is struggling a bit, and with Chris Brown hobbled LenDale White has yet another chance to put his stamp on the Tennessee backfield. I think he finally takes advantage this week. I like him for at least 1 rushing TD, and if Vince “Vulture” Young misses the game I’ll take LenDale for 2 TDs. Put him down for 95 yards combined either way.

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You have fantasy football problems, we have expert advice. We’ve been receiving (and answering) many many fantasy football questions lately in the comments, so to serve the greater good we’ll collect them all in one place every Saturday and make it easier for you, loyal reader, to find them.

Some of these Q&A’s will pertain to your fantasy roster; many of them will not. If you have a question for us, drop a direct email to brian@emptythebench.com no later than 3pm on Fridays and we’ll do our best to address your question in the mailbag. Or you can feel free to post it somewhere in the comments. Please understand that volume will dictate whether or not we get to everyone. And, of course, if you have friends bugging you on who to start and who to bench every week, tell ‘em about ETB and we’ll fix their wagon. Fix it real good.

As always, we try to tell you what moves have the greatest probability of success. We’re not (technically) clairvoyant. Keep in mind that the right decision is the one that has the greatest probability of producing the desired results, not the one that actually does. Trading Brandon Jacobs for LT is the right move, even if LT breaks his leg on Sunday. Hitting with 20 showing is the wrong move, even if there’s an ace on top of the deck.

Onto the questions… names have been changed to protect the innocent.

I think you guys are the best. Question: do you guys think Shaun Alexander is a
bust this year? I was going trade him for Jones-Drew and some other players involved. My thinking is that Alexander gets all the carries and JD shares with Fred Taylor. I would appreciate your opinion on this. Thank you for your time.

- Rupert Pupkin, New York, NY

Andrew:
If I hadn’t been watching the Seahawks this year I’d say it was too early to call somebody with Shaun Alexander’s track record a bust. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of Alexander and he looks terrible. He just doesn’t have any burst, isn’t breaking tackles and the offensive line isn’t what it used to be. He looks like a worn down 30-year-old running back that has already signed the last big contact of his career. If you can get anywhere near first-round value for him, take the deal.

It all hinges on who you would get in addition to MJD though. Jones-Drew is a mid-level RB2 going forward who has the natural talent to explode on any given week, which is more than you can say for Alexander. If your trading partner is willing to include another borderline starter at any position, take the deal. If I were you I would wait to see what Shaun does this weekend against the Rams, then deal him before the bye week. If you intend to win your league, you don’t want to start Alexander in the championship game against the Ravens.

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Starting the studs at RB, QB, and WR is easy, but fantasy championships are won with the well-informed decisions we all make on fringe starters every week. We agonize over these players until 7 minutes before kickoff, then kick ourselves about the guys we started 8 minutes after kickoff; we’re talking about the RB2, WR3, WR/TE Flex, and WR/RB Flex plays.

Unless you’re prepared to carefully groom the fringes of your fantasy roster, your team will underwhelm. These things are rarely easy, but fortunately ETB is at your disposal to help you settle on a comfortable decision. If you make the right calls, you’re a genius. If you’re wrong, shame on you.

Every week during the fantasy season, in addition to our overall Player Rankings and all the other weekly fantasy goodness, we’ll also rank the guys likely giving you a headache and help out with quick thoughts on what to expect from each one. Unlike the Position Rankings, these names are not drawn from the entire player pool.

Send for reinforcements in Custer City–Empty the Bench’s Week Seven Cheat Sheet is here.

Week 7 Cheat Sheet Rankings

Week 7 Wide Receiver #3 Ranks

1. Patrick Crayton, Dallas vs. MIN
2. Derrick Mason, Baltimore @ BUF
3. Santana Moss, Washington vs. ARZ
4. Bobby Engram, Seattle vs. STL
5. Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets @ CIN
6. Brandon Marshall, Denver vs. PIT
7. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh @ DEN
8. Bernard Berrian, Chicago @ PHI
9. Donte’ Stallworth, New England @ MIA
10. Calvin Johnson, Detroit vs. TB

Fortune Cookies: The Vikings field the NFL’s worst pass defense (288.4 yards/per), so Tony Romo will be throwing all day and night; Patrick Crayton scores again… Hard to believe Derrick Mason is the league leader in receptions at 49, but he’s getting it done and should be good for another 6 or 7 catches against the porous Bills secondary… He hasn’t been doing much lately and has been slowed by a nagging injury, but we like Santana Moss to make a big play this week against the Cards… Looks like D.J. Hackett will sit this one out, which means at least another week of Bobby Engram being Matt Hasselbeck’s top target (and the Rams kind of suck, too, by the way)… We’re starting to sound like a broken record–still no TDs for Jerricho Cotchery, but the Bungles can’t stop the pass and the Jets figure to throw a ton… Brandon Marshall will remain the Broncos’ WR1 for the forseeable future with Javon Walker out indefinitely (pending arthroscopic knee surgery), but has a tough matchup against Deshea Townsend & Co… The return of Hines Ward should take some of the attention away from Santonio Holmes, but it’s tough throwing on the Broncos at Mile High… Bernard Berrian caught a 39-yard TD pass last week, but Brian Griese will be up and down all year… We expect a rush-heavy second half for the Patriots after staking a big lead in the first, so Donte’ Stallworth might need to get his early… With a week to let his sore back further heal, we think Calvin Johnson will (finally) be more involved in the Lions’ pass attack and catch at least five passes.

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Jarvis Hayes, the Pistons’ biggest free agent acquisition of the summer, was gracious enough to take a few minutes to sit down over email and answer some questions for Empty the Bench. Mr. Hayes was the 10th overall pick out of Georgia in the 2003 NBA draft and spent his first four NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards. The 6′8″ forward is known as a versatile, athletic and efficient wing who can score from all over the floor and plays strong defense. Although he’s suffered a number of unfortunate injuries in his young career, the 25-year-old is now fully recovered and ready to provide Detroit with an excellent backup to Tayshaun Prince in the team’s quest for a title. He’s looked fantastic in preseason play–even taking minutes at PF due to injuries–and is poised to provide instant offense off the Pistons bench. Mr. Hayes talks with ETB about his charity, The Jarvis Hayes Foundation, the Detroit Pistons’ chances against Boston, and reveals his favorite restaurant in Washington DC.

Empty the Bench: You’re joining a veteran squad with some clearly defined roles. What do you think you can bring to the table? How do you envision your role in Detroit this season?

Jarvis Hayes: I think I can be a sparkplug coming off of the bench. These guys have great chemistry, and I believe I can be a good bench scorer and put some points on the board.

Empty the Bench: Are you friends with any guys on the squad?

Jarvis Hayes: Basketball is like a fraternity, so I knew some of the guys from college and just from being in the league for a few years.

Empty the Bench: How familiar are you with Flip Saunders and the rest of the coaching staff?

Jarvis Hayes: I personally wasn’t too familiar with Coach Saunders prior to coming here. I did know though he has an impeccable record as far as coaching winning ball clubs, so I am very happy to play for him.

Empty the Bench: The Celtics are the talk of the NBA right now, but these guys have never played together before. How important is a team like the Pistons’ chemistry and experience together, and how well do you think your new team matches up with Boston?

Jarvis Hayes: The good thing about the Pistons is that we only have a few new pieces to the puzzle. There is a good core group here, which is great. I think we will match up well with Boston and I look forward to playing them.

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It’s been seven long, long days since a new edition of Empty the Bench’s weekly fantasy football rankings. Take heart, the wait is over. Every Thursday we’ll give you our top 20 QBs, 25 RBs, 25 WRs, 15 TEs, and 15 Team Defenses based on recent performance, injuries, bye weeks, and matchups. There’s a ton of conflicting ranks out there, but there’s only a few you can really count on. We’d like to think we’re one of ‘em. Dazzling in their accuracy, it’s ETB’s Week 7 Fantasy Rankings… kickers have been left on the sideline.

More Week Seven Fantasy Advice:

ETB’s Week Seven Matchups

ETB’s Week Seven Stock Report

ETB’s Week Seven Quick Hits

ETB’s Week Seven Cheat Sheet

Fantasy Week 7: Top 20 Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady, New England @ MIA
2. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati vs. NYJ
3. Tony Romo, Dallas vs. MIN
4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis @ JAX
5. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle vs. STL
6. Eli Manning, New York Giants vs. SF
7. Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay @ DET
8. Jon Kitna, Detroit vs. TB
9. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia vs. CHI
10. Drew Brees, New Orleans vs. ATL
11. Jason Campbell, Washington vs. ARZ
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh @ DEN
13. Chad Pennington, New York Jets @ CIN
14. David Garrard, Jacksonville vs. IND
15. Matt Schaub, Houston vs. TEN
16. Brian Griese, Chicago @ PHI
17. Vince Young, Tennessee @ HOU
18. Cleo Lemon, Miami vs. NE
19. Damon Huard, Kansas City @ OAK
20. Kyle Boller, Baltimore @ BUF

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- Despite the obnoxious secrecy games and three card Monty being played with the injury report, it appears that Laurence Maroney will return to action this week. If he does play, you’ll want to be sure to start him against one of the worst rushing defenses in football. As always, though, when you own a Belichick player be sure to check the news on Sunday morning.

- Anquan Boldin returned to full practice Wednesday and is set to resume his usual starting role this week. You have to start him, but it’s not a fantastic situation with Tim “Turn Away from the TV” Rattay behind center and the Redskins defense likely forgoing their Saturday meal to save room for the main course on Sunday.

- Speaking of Cardinals quarterbacks, as ugly as it looked Kurt Warner is not expected to miss more than a week. He could even see some playing time against Washington if things get especially bad, or if Rattay somehow keeps them in the game and Ken Whisenhunt thinks Warner can push the offense over the hump.

**UPDATE** NFL Network’s Adam Schefter is now reporting that Warner is probable to start. Praise the Lawd!

- In other Bird-related quarterback news, Falcons HC Bobby Petrino has made the switch from Joey Harrington to Byron Leftwich and says the move is permanent. It’s the right call–this offense has been stuck in neutral for what feels like a century, and while he seems like a nice enough guy, Harrington is not and never has been starting material in the NFL. Now if Petrino could only wipe away the rest of the crust in his eyes and bench Warrick Dunn, who looks awful out there, in favor of the much more explosive Jerious Norwood, we’d pat him on the back with even more fervor.

- Trent Dilfer, we hardly knew ye. While ETB was looking forward to cracks about Dilfer’s pot belly and affinity for cream-filled anythings throughout the season, it looks like incumbent starter Alex Smith will return to the starting lineup this week against the Giants, barring any setback. The tight end whose nuts we were most riding in the preseason, Vernon Davis, is also set to go after sitting out a few weeks with a banged-up knee. Wait a week on both before thinking of starting them.

**UPDATE** It now appears Dilfer will get another start. Expect something like 350 yards passing, 6 TDs, and 0 INTS.

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To aid your push for a spot in the fantasy playoffs, the fantasy experts at Empty the Bench examine some key fantasy matchups at all the positions that count. Kickers, of course, do not fall into that category. For each roster spot we’ll recommend Five Strong Plays, list a few guys to Temper Your Expectations for, one or two Sneaky Plays of the Week, and one Dud of the Week.

These are not always the players we think will score the most or score the least points: there are always obvious situations and choices we don’t mention. These also aren’t all sneaky, sneaky plays. These are just the matchups that we feel deserve mention.*

Make sure to check back on these weekly articles the following Monday to see how each of our picks actually panned out. That way you can either pay your respects (very likely) or sneer at our incompetence (nuh uh).

Come hell or high water, it’s Empty the Bench’s Week 7 Matchups at your disposal. Now go out there and slay the weaklings.

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1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron is a top-five pick in most leagues, but he comes with some warts other fantasy stars do not. His free throw percentage has gone down in each of his first four seasons (73.3% career on 8.3 attempts, 69.8% on 9.0 attempts in 2006-07); given the volume of attempts, that’s pretty killer in roto leagues. His TOs have also been consistently high (3.3 over his career, 3.2 last season). Despite that, because of his age and talent there’s obvious cause to expect improvement across the board. The rest of his game is rock solid–his 27+ points, 6+ assists, 7 rebounds, 1.5+ steals, 1.3+ three-pointers and 47+% FGs (on over 20 attempts a game) are hard to find anywhere else. In a head-to-head league where you’re booting FT% and TOs, he’s amazing. Pair him with Dwight Howard in such a setup and dominate.

2. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks: 21-year-old J-Smoove is the type of player who can go out and win you blocks on any given week. He’s made huge progress in each of his three seasons in the NBA, and this could be a breakout campaign. He’s gone from 2.0 to 2.6 to 2.9 blocks a game, so expecting around 3/per seems reasonable. He’s also going to post over 1 steal a game, notch around 9 rebounds, score 18 points and drop 3+ dimes. Unfortunately, the FG% (43.9% last season on 13.8 attempts), FT% (69.3% on 5.4 attempts) and TOs (3.2 per) are pretty killer. Still, he’s a superstar waiting to happen and there may not be another player in fantasy basketball with more upside. Take Smith late in the second round or anywhere in the third and enjoy.

3. Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic: The third preps-to-pros member of this list, Rashard Lewis was already a fantasy stud last year and he’s poised to break out as the primary outside threat for the Magic. Removing Ray Allen’s touches and shots should do wonders for Lewis, and paired with the inside presence of Dwight Howard he could be an offensive monster. Given the talent and situation, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect 3 three-pointers, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, over 1 steal and around 1 block on 46% FGs, 84% FTs and 2.3 TOs a game. That kind of balance is incredibly valuable in roto formats and head-to-head leagues alike.

4. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers: Iguodala has the natural talent to be a superstar, but he lacks some of the offensive polish of other players here. It should come in time, but after Iverson was shipped out last year his FG% took a nosedive. He’s not as adept at creating his own shot outside, but he can take it to the rack and plays tremendous defense. We’re looking at a guy who could average 20+ points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. He’ll be putting his best foot forward, too, in his first full season as the face of the franchise.

5. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets: Melo has taken some big strides in his FG% over the last two years, going from a guy who was around 43% for his first two years to a 48% guy the last two, and it makes a huge difference for this volume shooter (22.4 attempts in 2006-07). He’ not going to wow you with the peripherals, but the 29 points a game are certainly valuable for the right team and his 1.2 steals, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists are very nice.

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There are many similarities between playing fantasy football and playing the stock market. To master both, it’s crucial to have your finger on the pulse of the market and to try to buy low and to sell high with your assets (or players). You want to avoid paying over market value for your players or stocks, and getting in early on an emerging stud can make your portfolio blossom… or in this case, make your fantasy roster win a title.

With that theme in mind, ETB pours through all the action that was Week 6 in the NFL and prepares you for Week 7 of the fantasy football season with reports on players who saw their value rise and fall.

Big Gainers:

Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: It’s not easy to overshadow LaDainian Tomlinson on a day where he goes for over 200 yards combined and four touchdowns, but that’s exactly what Peterson did. With his rare combination of elite vision, strength, speed, and agility, the rookie from Oklahoma is already being called one of the league’s best running backs after absolutely shredding the Bears’ once-vaunted rush defense on Sunday. One more time to help it sink in: 20 carries, 224 yards rushing, and three long TD runs. The sky is the limit; here’s what Neon Deion had to say about him on the NFL Network: “He has the vision of a Marshall Faulk, the power of a Terrell Davis, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson,” Sanders said. “Let’s pray he has the endurance of an Emmitt Smith.”

Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Browns: This is amazing–after six weeks of fantasy football action, the 2005 sixth-round pick out of Oregon State is now ranked third overall in fantasy production at his position behind just Tom Brady and Tony Romo. He’s thrown at least 2 TD passes four out of six games–including Week 2 when he had five–has only been sacked six times, and has also tacked on a few rushing TDs. Unless those stretch pants cut off the circulation to HC Romeo Crennel’s head, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing Brady Quinn this season. With the way he’s playing, the franchise QB might already be on the field.

Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: He’ll likely not put up the kind of stats that second-round fantasy picks should, but after a slow start to his sophomore campaign Jones-Drew is finally starting to produce. He put up 260 all-purpose yards on Sunday (including kick returns) against the Texans, and has now rushed for over 200 yards with 3 TDs over the past two weeks combined. MJD is a major home-run threat–he’s broken off runs of 52 and 57 yards, respectively, over this stretch–and seems more durable than his veteran counterpart Fred Taylor, below. We’re not ready to call him a strong RB2 just yet, but he’s at least elevated himself to the head of the flex-play class.

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- If he can stay healthy, Adrian Peterson is going to the Pro Bowl. He’s already one of the most explosive, shifty, powerful and productive backs in the NFL and his full arsenal was on display Sunday afternoon. He broke tackles and wore defenders down with his characteristically bruising runs for most of the game, but all three of the touchdown jaunts were almost elegant. He showed tremendous vision, carefully chose open running lanes, subtly juked and cut, freed himself, and then just galloped into the endzone.

Everyone who saw the game knew they were watching greatness emerge right before their eyes. He’s sporting a healthy 6.3 YPC average, and you just can’t tackle this guy. AP is a top-5 running back in fantasy football until further notice– which is unlikely to come for a decade or so. The final stat line: 20 carries for 224 yards (breaking Chuck Foreman’s team record of 200 yards), 1 reception for 9 yards, TD runs of 67 yards, 73 yards and 35 yards and 128 more yards on kick returns. Oh, and he set up the game-winning field goal with his 53-yard kick return in the final minutes. Also, he’s now rushed for more yards than all Minnesota opponents combined. He’s pretty good.

- Another running back you may have heard of also turned in a rather fine fantasy performance on Sunday. Against one of the league’s more moribund rush defenses, LaDainian Tomlinson crossed the goal line four times, accounting for all of the Chargers’ TDs in their 28-14 win over Oakland. Give him 24 carries for 198 yards rushing and 3 catches for 16 yards. Yeah, he’s pretty good too.

- Braylon Edwards, elite fantasy wide receiver. He did what he’s supposed to do against a poor secondary like Miami’s, adding three more TDs to his ‘07 resume to give him seven on the year through six games. He’s now tied for second overall amongst WRs for touchdowns and is third overall in receiving yards behind just Randy “Great One” Moss and Chad Johnson. We’re also awarding him the TD Celebration of the Day Award after he alley-ooped it to himself and dunked it over the goal post after his first score.

Paired with Kellen Winslow and the surprisingly good–very good–play of QB Derek Anderson, the Browns have proven they can light up the league’s bad defenses. That includes St. Louis in Week 8 after the team’s bye this week. They close the season out against very beatable defenses (NYJ, BUF, CIN, SF), so plan for the fantasy playoffs accordingly.

- Despite all the hype about a TO vs. Moss showdown, in our Matchups column we said we thought Wes Welker would have a fine game playing underneath the Cowboys’ secondary and projected 6 receptions, 80 yards and a score. We didn’t anticipate him going off like this though. Welker had 2 TDs and 100 yards in the first half alone, and finished with 11 receptions for 124— significantly more than Moss or Owens. With the Pats passing game humming along, Welker is a fantastic WR3 play.

- Another Caucasian receiver had a big day on Sunday, living up to and exceeding our expectations. In the Crystal Ball I pegged Kevin Curtis for 6 catches, 95 yards and a TD. He nearly surpassed that on one 75-yard TD catch with over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. He ran a simple fly route with one good step, caught the ball in stride, broke a tackle and then showed his world-class speed. Curtis is the best wideout on Philly and he’s going to be a strong WR2 play for most of the year. The guy’s quick, hard-nosed, sure-handed and most importantly he just gets open, something Reggie Brown simply can’t do.

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Empty the Bench has been invited to take part in a massive group effort organized by Jeff Clark over at CelticsBlog.com wherein various writers preview every NBA team as we prepare for the first jumpball of the 2007/08 season. In some cases, some teams will have more than one preview, and as each one rolls out we’ll update this article with links to every single one of ‘em. Lots of great writers are participating, so please do take some time to check them out.

Our contribution to the circus is a preview of the mighty Detroit Pistons, who experienced a rather acrimonious end to their 06/07 season by bowing out to the Cleveland Cavaliers four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals. Read on for our thoughts on this year’s squad (hint: they’re better and deeper), then make your way over to the rest of the previews, linked below.

The Detroit Pistons

2006/07 Record: 53-29, 1st in Central Division, 1st in Eastern Conference
Key Losses: Carlos Delfino, Chris Webber (for now), Dale Davis
Key Additions: Jarvis Hayes, Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo

What significant moves were made during the offseason?
For a team that’s laden with so much veteran talent and possesses an NBA Championship caliber core of All-Star starters, less is more. Despite the disappointing losses in the Eastern Conference Finals the last two seasons, the entire nucleus remains from a team that was one game from a title in 2005, made it to the East Finals in 2003 and won the title in 2004. Still, there are several reasons for increased optimism.

The team has decided to get into shape. According to MLive, Rasheed Wallace, Nazr Mohammad, and Flip Murray all dedicated their offseasons to improved conditioning. ‘Sheed lost 25 lbs. and is in the best shape of his Pistons tenure. Backup combo guard Flip Murray also lost 20 lbs. and could contribute the quick scoring punch off the bench he’s capable of that wasn’t always there last year. Nazr has taken to pilates, and the team can only hope that’ll help him be more dynamic and quick around the basket.

The most significant change, though, may be incorporating the explosive games of “veteran” youngsters Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Both have the look of future stars in this league. Maxiell is an absolute bull who should figure prominently into the rotation after a strong showing last season. The third-year forward is capable of dominating backup power forwards and can throw down on anybody, any time–posterizing opponents is the name of his game. He was fantastic in summer league play, will sport an improved jumper, and already throws down the rock as hard as anybody in the NBA. Johnson is lanky and unproven, but he was the best player in the NBADL last season and has grown from 6′9″ on draft day to 6′11 1/2″ today. With his silky skill set and size, Johnson would likely have been a top-5 pick in the draft this year if he had gone to college.

Though Jarvis Hayes will also add much-needed depth at small forward, the only other true “new” addition that will pay immediate dividends this season is 15th overall pick Rodney Stuckey, who’s looked dominant in summer league and preseason play. He’s an NBA-ready guard who should provide an offensive spark off the bench. Stuckey is strong and excels at creating his own shot and taking the ball to the basket. He’s also a great passer with good size who can play both guard positions for the Pistons on both ends of the floor.

What are the Pistons’ biggest strengths?
Without question, Detroit’s greatest strength is their wealth of experience and veteran leaders. That goes for playoff experience as well as the familiarity the core has with one another. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince have all been there, together, and know what it takes to win. There are few players in the NBA more collected and clutch than Billups and Wallace in crunch time. The Pistons also play fantastic team defense as a result of their familiarity. There is an absolute sense of selflessness among these veteran leaders on both ends of the floor. Over the years, Billups has developed into one of the best pure points in the NBA and manages the game extremely well while hitting huge shots and always knocking down his free throws. And you had better believe these guys are motivated after last season’s crushing defeat.

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