New coach is just the beginning for Detroit

I just got done jumping up and down after hearing of the Detroit Pistons selection for coach next year. Rick Carlisle was so sought after by so many teams that getting him was just an amazing stroke of luck for Joe Dumars.

After looking at guys like John Lucas, Rick Mahorn, and Bill Laimbeer, the Pistons upper brass decided on a guy who has been an assistant coach in several places but with no real connection to Detroit. Hopefully, Carlisle will be the man to take the Pistons out of their decade long slump, but I doubt it.

Although I do realize that if the Pistons still falter in the coming years, Carlisle will not be the only one to blame. He really has no players to make a great team; yet anyway.

This is where the job of Dumars gets even more complicated. Yes, he decided on a coach for the Pistons that may or may not work out. Now, he has a job that makes guarding Michael Jordan look like child's play. Where is Dumars going to get any players to help this struggling franchise? By picking Carlisle, Dumars may find it even harder to attract free agents to Detroit to play for the Pistons. NBA players, these days, need a strong, experienced coach that they can respect and listen to. Carlisle doesn't seem to fit that mold.

There is one thing that Dumars can do that will make the fans enthusiastic about this franchise again. He needs to get Chris Webber back home. No matter what it takes, go after Webber with everything you have. Give him what he wants and encourage him to come back to his roots. Seeing Webber in a Pistons' uniform will fill the seats in the Palace like they were back in 1989 and 1990.

Of course, Dumars will have to get some role players that fit in with Jerry Stackhouse and Webber. But with the nucleus of Stack and CWeb, the Pistons can't help but turn into a contending team in the East. They still will not be able to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs, but at least they can put up a fight. After all, the Lakers look almost unbeatable no matter who plays them.

The bottom line is that Dumars has a tremendous task in front of him. Choosing a coach was fairly simple, since he never went after a proven winner but just a bunch of assistants. Dumars will work as hard as anyone to turn this franchise around. He has done so much for Detroit as a player, on and off the court, and has been a quality person in everything he does. And while I root for him, I don't envy his position right now.

No matter what happens with the coaching situation and trying to get players, Dumars will always be looked at with the highest of regards by Piston fans.

His job is nearly impossible with the way the NBA is set up right now. If the Pistons happen to make the right pick in the draft who makes an immediate impact, sign Chris Webber, and Rick Carlisle turns out to be a great young coach, Dumars will be looked at as a genius and will probably be snatched up by another team. Hang in there, Joe, your job is just beginning.