NBA Trading Deadline: These Pistons Ain't the 'Bad Boys'

My assignment: Pick one NBA team in need of a key player, analyze their weakness, look at the available players and determine if a trade should be made.

I'm going to break the rules a tad because my Detroit Pistons are one of the most unique, one of the most original teams in National Basketball Association history.

At the same time I wish to excuse my distaff non-sports AC readers -- Alyce Rocco, Momie Tullottes, Destiny, Michelle Williams, Sussy, Linda Corby, Dr. Jamie Y. Marable, jcorn, Lenora Murdock, Kim Linton, Molly Carter, Cynthia Martin, Tye Martin, Fabletoo, Dragonfly, Laurel LaFone -- from reading this. Ladies, I'm hangin' out with the jocks for a minute! But sports guys, you should visit their AC sites and read some of their work in order to expand your vistas beyond the sweaty bump and grind. Women are smarter than us, even though I still hope Barack can defeat Hillary.

OK, we are slowly backing our way into this article the way that Shaq, the main focus of these trade talks, slowly backs into the paint. And we, like Shaq, may commit some offensive fouls. But onward.

My team is the Detroit Pistons.

AC asks, in need of a key player? The odd thing is that our Pistons don't have one key player, but on the other hand we might not need one. Sound weird? Continue.

Analyze their weaknesses? To repeat, unlike most teams, we don't have one key player, we have many semi-key players. Is that a weakness or a strength?

Look for available players? Determine if a trade should be made? I know Shaq and others are available, but I don't want to look for available players or make a trade, even if we could get Shaq for Joe Lipshuitz..

Why not get Shaq or some other superstar? In short, I want to see how this existing in-place Pistons' team fares, win or lose. I'm curious. This is because I believe the Detroit Pistons of 2008, and of the past few years, are ones-of-a-kind..

They are unique because they are one of the best teams ever, maybe the best, in the "sans a superstar" category.