Insider Special: Best Worst ~ Detroit

[Weez]

Best Case Scenario

Three things need to happen for the Pistons to win 55 games and compete for the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season.

Chauncey Billups, left, may be allowed to do what he does best: score.

1. Billups and Brown become friends. Everyone knows Larry Brown likes point guards who pass first and shoot second. And everyone knows that Chauncey Billups likes to shoot first and shoot second. So what gives? Everyone is hinting that Tayshaun Prince may do some of the ball handling, freeing up Billups to shoot and score. That seems fine with Billups, who claims he'll be the same player he was at the end of last season. "Our system will be different," Billups said. "But I'm always going to be a scoring threat." If that works for Larry, who's declining comment until he gets Billups in practice, fine. If it doesn't? See Worst Case Scenario No. 1.

2. Wallace needs to score. Brown wants to get more offense from his big men. While more skilled offensive players like Mehmet Okur, Elden Campbell and Zeljko Rebraca seem like more obvious options, Brown wants Ben Wallace to carry the load. "He's such a great player, I think we need to raise the bar for him and make sure he gets more involved on offense," Brown said. Teams were able to sag off Wallace on defense last year. If he can just give them a few buckets in the paint this season, teams will have to guard him.

3. Okur, Campbell, Rebraca and Prince need to rebound. Last year, the rest of the Pistons sometimes stood around, depending on Wallace to do the dirty work for them. "Ben can't grab every rebound and block every shot," Brown said. "We've got to get everyone involved." The statistics last year are staggering. Wallace led the NBA with 15.4 rebounds a game, yet the Pistons were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Okur is the team's second-best rebounder, and that's one reason why Brown is flirting with starting him at center.

Worst Case Scenario

The Pistons will struggle to keep home-court advantage in the first round with 45 victories if the following three things happen.

1. Billups has another identity crisis. Last season, Billups came to the Pistons determined to prove that he was a "true point guard." The result? Billups struggled to do anything the first two months. After Joe Dumars told Billups he signed him to score, Billups turned his season around. If Brown sends a different message, how will Billups respond?

2. Prince and Okur have a sophomore slump. The Pistons traded veterans Cliff Robinson and Michael Curry to clear the way for Prince and Okur. But what if they're not ready? Both players had impressive playoff performances, but with just one year under their belts, are they ready to do it for 82 games? If they aren't, the Pistons do have backups, but clearly they are counting on both players to have a big impact this season.

3. The team gets off to a slow start. The Pistons won 50 games last season. But with a new head coach, a new offensive and defensive philosophy and two new starters, it may take a while for everyone to gel.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN.com's ESPN Insider.