Still, he answered questions about Rodney Stuckey starting, Chauncey Billups’ exit, Antonio McDyess’ return, and how the newly acquired Allen Iverson would fit into the lineup.

The Pistons went out that night and were soundly defeated by a then 3-15 Washington Wizards team, 107-94. In his post game press conference the mildly perturbed look that Curry displayed before the game had morphed into a much more defined annoyed look and tone. Curry found himself defending the performance of a team that had just played in the Eastern Conference finals the previous year and he bristled at suggestions that playing Stuckey disrupted the flow of the offense.

When Curry answered the last and final question, he quickly undid his tie, briefly spoke to the Pistons’ PR person, and dipped into the office designated for the visiting team.  Everything from his body language to the tone of his answers indicated this was a coach who was in for a long season.

On March 28th, when Curry and the Detroit Pistons returned to the Verizon Center to face a Wizards team that had Gilbert Arenas for the first time all season, not much had changed.  Iverson, who had been inserted in the starting lineup over Richard Hamilton, was out with a bad back. Rasheed Wallace was out with calf strain and Hamilton was to return to the starting lineup, but he too was battling a calf injury.  On top of all this malaise, the Pistons came into the contest having lost seven out of their last ten games.

Things were so bad for Curry that the media (present company included) spent more time asking about his feelings surrounding the return of Arenas than they did about the Pistons.  Curry was a good sport about it all, but it had to be gnawing at him that his team’s performance really didn’t warrant any questions.

That night, Curry’s Pistons went out and played inspired basketball despite being shorthanded and defeated the Wizards 98-96.  But after the game the questions focused on the rumors that Iverson, Wallace and Hamilton were not happy with the direction of the team.  Curry brushed it off as something that all NBA players go through during the season, but again, it was clear that the strand of discomfort ran through this Pistons team.

In the following months after the Pistons last visit to the Verizon Center I watched along with all the other basketball fans as their season unraveled.  Iverson was shelved due to a back injury but the rumors were that he was disgruntled with his role.  Wallace, who in the Pistons’ heyday was the emotional center of the team, seemed to be uninspired on a nightly basis.  Hamilton, Stuckey, McDyess and Tayshaun Prince still gave yeoman efforts, but the continuity of the team seemed to be gone, and Curry was unable to galvanize it at all.

When their season ended with the Cleveland Cavaliers sweeping them out of the playoffs, I thought back to the lack of control Curry had on the team, and I just assumed that his firing was imminent; but after the season, General Manager Joe Dumars said Curry’s job status was “a non-issue” and insisted that personnel changes, not coaching ones, were the key to this team returning to championship form.

Even last week, when the Pistons introduced their new draft picks Austin Daye, Dajuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko, Curry was still in attendance and very much a part of the Pistons future plans–at least on the surface.

But on the eve of free agency, and with rumors swirling about the Pistons losing Wallace and McDyess and possibly gaining Ben Gordon, Dumars changed his mind and fired Curry.

I was surprised by only the timing of the firing, not the firing itself.  If I were creating a checklist by which a coach should be fired, Curry would pass with flying colors.

Lose the confidence of the stars on your team? Check.

Bench arguably your best player? Check.

Produce a losing record (39-43) on a team that had been to six straight Eastern Conference finals? Check.

Oversee a total lack of team effort en route to a sweep at the hands of LeBron James? Check.

The Pistons’ woes won’t be solved with a naming of a new coach, the signing of their new draft picks, or even hot-shot free agents.  But it certainly won’t hurt to have a coach who demands respect and produces results; I saw firsthand that Curry could not be that man.

It’s not just fans that are getting prepared as this past season saw Detroit, New York, and Sacramento start to shed contracts in an attempt to have as much cap room as possible for the free agent bonanza of 2010.

Have you ever wondered what goes through the head of a general manager in regards to the summer of 2010? Wonder no more as Los Angeles Clippers general manager and head coach Mike Dunleavy let loose with some great sound bites when his team was in Toronto last season.

With Bosh being a year away from free agency, Dunleavy was bombarded with questions about this topic and the veteran general manager wasn’t shy about sharing what would go through his mind if he had a player in a similar position.

“I think the first and foremost the primary consideration is for your ownership and your fans,” Dunleavy explained to the media members huddled around him while relaxing on the Clippers bench.

“He’s got to protect them in the sense that you have an asset that could disappear. He needs to take all considerations into play and then you’ve got to make a decision along the way about whether there is a deal that brings me assets back that are under contract for a longer period of time that are positive, or is this the type of situation where I have a sense or indication from the player that he really wants to be here.”

And that’s the question which strikes fear into the hearts of Raptors fans: Does Bosh have any intention on resigning here with Toronto? Sure, he signed an extension a couple summers ago when the team was coming off a 27-win season, but he was essentially forced to do so because he was a restricted free agent at the time. A big reason why Bosh signed a shorter contract at the time was so he would have the ability to sign with the team of his choosing in 2010.

This means Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo has to gauge if Bosh is willing to sign with Toronto despite the team not being firmly entrenched among the elite of the NBA.

Dunleavy doesn’t know if Bosh will re-sign but admitted if he was in Colangelo’s position he would have a lot of questions running through his head.

“Is he willing to give any kind of indication that he really wants to be here on any kind of percentage basis? Is he willing to give you any kind of hope that it’s going to happen? Those are all heavy things that you really have to weigh. It’s not an easy thing to do for your fans and your ownership. If it comes down to the trade deadline and he’s not willing to give you any kind of indication that makes for a very tough decision.”

This means Colangelo is essentially entrenched in a high stakes game of poker; however, instead of playing with his own money he’s risking the future of the franchise as well as his own reputation.

As a general manager himself, would Dunleavy be willing to wait until the trade deadline next February or even until next summer when Bosh becomes an unrestricted free agent?

“I think what you have to say to yourself is that you have to at least explore it and if there’s something out there that would make sense. Then, at that point, I would really have to look at it because at that point it’s really the law of diminishing returns. As the time gets closer (to next summer) the chances of moving him anywhere than where he wants to go kind of becomes slim.”

If Bosh bolts next season and the Raptors are left empty handed this wouldn’t doom the franchise because they’ll have a boat load of money from this summer, the cap room from Bosh’s current deal and a ton of players scrambling to get their piece of the free agent pie.

This is exactly how Dunleavy sees things and advises Raptors fans not to worry if things appear to be falling apart during contract negotiations next summer.

“You have to evaluate your cap space (if Bosh leaves). If a player gave me no indication that he was leaving and then we take it down to the wire in the hope that I can keep him, if he did in fact leave me how much cap space would I have and what could I go and do with that money? It’s a very precarious situation and it depends on the appetite of your ownership and fans to gamble. You play percentages and figure out what’s the best deal for your team.”

So, with nearly four months until training camps kicks off Raptors fans need to take a deep breath and relax. Regardless of whether Bosh is dealt before training camp, if he gets dealt during the season,  if we lose him via free agency or if he signs an extension, his departure would not cripple this franchise like the trade of Vince Carter did.

Besides, what other general managers would you want running the show in such a pivotal part of this franchises history?

Personally, there’s no one I’d rather have running the franchise than Colangelo.

He also fills a team need by being a gritty wing defender.

But what really caught the Raptors attention during pre-draft workouts was his willingness to check his ego at the door and soak up the advice the coaching staff offered to him during private workouts.

“During workouts we saw a couple of things so we made some suggestions and he cleaned those things up right away,” Triano boasted to the media Thursday evening. “He showed us he is willing to learn.”

No matter how talented a rookie is they will make countless mistakes during their first season in the NBA.

They’ll blow an assignment on the defensive end.

There will be games where they’ll commit costly turnovers that will leave their teammates shaking their heads in frustration.

You can count on a stretch of games late in the season where they will hit the rookie wall and run out of gas.

But learning, growing and soaking up knowledge from your new coaches and teammates is an integral part of any success - or lack thereof - any rookie will have. You need to throw young players into the fire and allow them to learn from these kinds of mistakes in order to see true growth.

This hasn’t been the case in Toronto the past few seasons because Sam Mitchell would yank young players out of games whenever they would make a mistake. This resulted in players looking over their shoulder and playing tentative which in turn stunted their growth and confidence.

Luckily for DeRozan, his new coach doesn’t agree with that style of coaching and is going to allow his star rookie ample opportunity to learn from his mistakes.

“I think he’s got that potential (to be be in the rotation next season) and I don’t think he’ll find that potential by sitting on the bench or playing restricted minutes,” Triano explained to the media. “I think we’ll have to find ways to get him minutes. Whether that means starting him early and play the first part of the first and third quarter or coming off the bench in relief for somebody, there’s going to be a certain amount of minutes on a consistent we’re going to try to find him because we’re going to have to find ways to make him better.”

As much as the coaching staff and front office are enamored with DeRozan’s potential, there has to be an understanding from fans that he was drafted on the type of player he might develop into. At this state of his development there are a lot of positives, but his skills need further development and there a lot of areas he’ll need to improve on his game which will be accomplished by spending a lot of time in the gym.

But this responsibility won’t rely solely on DeRozan as the coaching staff will be constantly prodding him along.

“He’s got a chance to be special,” Bryan Colangelo told the media shortly after he selected DeRozan. “Now it’s about us putting him an environment where he can succeed. It’s about the coaches working with him, motivating him and pushing him to be the best possible player he can be.”

While DeRozan may be the most athletically gifted player in the draft, what will separate him from his peers is how much work he’s willing to put into his game. Despite being guaranteed minutes next season, it ultimately rests on him to step up and make sure he’s putting in the work needed to ensure he’s developing into the star many envision him to become.

Based on what I heard last night from the Raptors brain trust it doesn’t sound like this should be a problem.

Some of the topics discussed include; the adjustment of going from a losing to a winning team, what each player brings to the Wizards on the court, how each player will make the existing Wizards players better and how winning is all that matters now.

You’ve probably also read an impressive amount of hyperbole about what the Cavs can now accomplish both offensively and defensively with a bonafide center who averaged 17 points and eight rebounds last year for the Suns.  Shaq, who will be motivated to push his title count to five, now that Kobe has caught up to him, will combine with reigning MVP LeBron James, to win the NBA title that Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic denied them this year.

This particular Hoops Addict writer is here to tell you its not going to happen and I will tell you why.

First off, O’Neal played in 74 games this year, and he started in 73.  Both totals represented his highest since the ‘04-’05 season when he played and started in 73 games, and he was 31 years old.  O’Neal never missed an opportunity this season to tell any and everyone, that his prolonged health was in direct correlation to the wonderful trainers and staff of the Phoenix Suns.  Now that O’Neal has left them behind, will his healthy days follow suit?  That’s a huge question mark.

Secondly, anyone who watched the Magic/Cavs series could point out that Dwight Howard was not the reason the Cavs lost.  Yes, Howard had an amazing Game 6, but the majority of the damage done by the Magic was by Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, who are primarily perimeter players.  Aside from LeBron James, no one on the Cavs roster could guard them in the post, outside the three-point line, or in the mid range region, and this led to their downfall.

If you’re the Cavs, why not add a taller, athletic perimeter player who can guard shooting guards and small forwards of all sizes, especially since you’re in a conference with Turkoglu, Lewis, Paul Pierce, Caron Butler, Josh Smith, etc. Sure, James can hold his own on defense, but he needs help out there on the perimeter defensively, and O’Neal simply doesn’t offer that type of assistance.

The third major reason this trade is average has to do with the long term.  It is no secret that James is a free agent at the end of next season, and although he has yet to come out and say it, I’m sure his decision will be swayed by the moves the Cavaliers do or do not make for the long term.  Trading for a 37-year-old center whose personality is bigger than his game at this point, reaks of the win now mentality that a veteran team like the Celtics or Spurs should have. Not a team with a 24 year old superstar who has yet to hit his prime.  Why not go after a perimeter player in his prime like Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter?  Why not try to move up in the NBA draft to select a player with top 10 talent? Why not go after a player like Charlie Villanueva who is also young and versatile?  These moves say, we are serious about winning now and later.  Shaq’s arrival doesn’t have that versatility.

Of course I could be totally wrong, and the Cavs could roll through both the Eastern and Western Conferences en route to a 2010 NBA title.  It just isn’t adding up that way so far.

I have to admit I’m pretty excited about the fact we’ll be giving basketball fans exclusive audio and video from both of these locations as the NBA Draft unfolds. Rashad Mobley will be posting audio clips from Washington while I’ll be in Toronto and I’ll throw up some audio or video when Bryan Colangelo and Jay Triano talk with the media. This night won’t just be for Raptors and Wizards fans as we will be relaying any inside scoops we’re hearing as well as our commentary on how the draft is unfolding.

While my ego loves that I’ll be the center of attention, one of my favorite parts of the night is you’ll be able to follow along at home while adding your own commentary. We’re trying out a program called Cover It Live which allows you to read our running commentary while also adding your own comments and feedback to picks, trades and what you’re reading from us. If things work out well tonight then this is a tool we’ll start using next season when we’re covering games in Toronto and Washington.

Please join us at 6:30 pm EST as we kick off the festivities.

With the news breaking yesterday that Crawford was dealt to Atlanta essentially for two spare parts - an injured Speedy Claxton that is basically done in the NBA and a young player in Acie Law IV that struggled to earn minutes last season - it left my scratching my head over why Colangelo couldn’t have topped that offer.

From reading about that transaction it’s clear Golden State just wanted to shed Crawford to the first team that offered up a deal with salaries that matched up. With the chance to add a guard who scored 50 points last season and has averaged 15.2 points over 32.6  minutes during his career, couldn’t the Raptors have thrown together a package that included Kris Humphries or Roko Ukic?

If the Warriors were looking for another young point guard one would have to think Ukic would be a better fit than Law. Sure, Law is a former Bob Cousy Award winner, but during his first 111 games in the NBA he has failed to leave his mark while averaging 3.6 points and only 1.8 assists. Ukic struggled at stretches last season as a rookie, but he was at least able to secure steady minutes and at times showed flashes of brilliance.

Humphries, meanwhile, is an athletic big man who could get out and run in Don Nelson’s high tempo offense. While the Dubs wouldn’t want him chucking up a lot of shots, if they could convince him to dedicate himself on the defensive end he could be another athletic big to add to Nelson’s rotation next season.

As the old saying goes: One mans junk is anothers treasure. While I viewed Crawford as being a treasure and a relatively easy to obtain player this summer, apparently Colangelo didn’t view things the same way I did and passed on the chance to add the talented scorer to his roster.