The Pistons would be smart to continue rebuilding by moving Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince at the trade deadline in a couple of weeks. Hamilton has played in 20 games (all starts) for the Pistons this season and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. But he is only shooting 39.9% from the floor and 25% from three point range as he is starting to be a little more selfish with the basketball. Tayshaun Prince has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Pistons this season and he is averaging 32.1 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He is only shooting 41.2% from the floor, 26.7% from three point range and 64% from the free throw line this year. Lucky for the Pistons that Prince is still playing solid defense which has been his calling card his whole career. The Pistons will likely be looking for young players and draft picks as well as expiring contracts in return for this pair of veterans.

The Pistons have the feeling that the more power forward Jason Maxiell plays the less effective he becomes. He has played in 44 games (15 starts) this season and he is averaging 17.3 minutes, 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Maxiell doesn’t keep in the best shape which is likely the cause for him wearing down in games. It seems like Maxiell won’t get a chance to be a starter full-time in Detroit any time soon.

The Detroit Pistons’ season has been a disappointment thus far, but things have been looking better lately.  They have won 4 of their last 5 games, including a 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.  One of the few consistent players for the Pistons has been Charlie Villanueva, who is a key reason why they have been winning some games lately.  In the past 5 games, Villanueva is averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks on 47% shooting.  At 6′11″, 235 lbs and with the ability to work both the inside and outside game, Villanueva can be a matchup nightmare.  He is only averaging 27 minutes per game on the season, but in the past 5 games he has been averaging 32 minutes per game, so the Pistons should continue to give him some more playing time.

27-year old Will Bynum has really established himself as a decent NBA player this year. He has played in 27 games (0 starts) for the Pistons this season and he is averaging 27.3 minutes, 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Bynum has been one of the very few bright spots for the Pistons this season who are having their worst season in a very, very long time.

Center Bill Laimbeer was one of the meanest, nastiest players in the NBA and the Pistons loved him for it. He played in 937 games for the Pistons and he averaged 32.7 minutes, 13.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Laimbeer was #3 all-time in games played for the Pistons (937) and he is #3 in minutes played in Pistons’ history with 30,602. Laimbeer is the all-time leading rebounder in franchise history with 9,430 and no one is even close to him. He is also #5 in Pistons’ history in points (12,665), #9 in steals (632) and #4 in blocked shots (857). The Pistons really could use a player with Laimbeer’s skill set right now but they don’t have anyone like him on the team.