(My Sportsbook) - The Detroit Pistons rose from a lottery team to the Central Division title last season. There were plenty of reasons for the turnaround, not the least of which was head coach Rick Carlisle.

Carlisle changed the entire personality of the Pistons in his first season as head coach. He preached a commitment to defense, and the team responded. He also got Jerry Stackhouse to play the most unselfish and effective season of his career. Carlisle turned Ben Wallace -- a slightly above average forward -- into a monster. Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year honors and swept the glass clean each and every night.

For the immense impact he obviously had on the 2001-02 Pistons, Carlisle earned Coach of the Year Honors.

"You can't have things like this happen, individual recognition for coaching, without a great effort from your team and your staff," said Carlisle. "I feel very fortunate. I didn't think this was going to happen, so I'm somewhat shocked."

Despite their success, the Pistons decided to shake up their roster.

Detroit traded Stackhouse along with forward Brian Cardinal and center Ratko Varda to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guards Richard Hamilton and Hubert Davis and forward Bobby Simmons.

Hamilton, 24, appeared in 63 games with the Wizards last season, averaging 20.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. For his career, Hamilton has averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 212 games -- 111 starts -- over three seasons. He was selected by the Wizards in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft.

"We are very pleased to add Richard Hamilton, Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons to the organization as we continue the principle of adding talent and youth to our club," said Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

"Richard blossomed into one of the top young two-guards in the league last season, averaging 20.0 points per game and ranking second in the league in free throw percentage. Hubert can flat-out shoot the ball and we look forward to adding his perimeter scoring this season."

Davis, 32, appeared in 51 games with Washington last season, averaging 7.2 points and 2.1 assists in 24.1 minutes. The 11-year veteran has averaged 8.8 points and 1.8 assists in 625 games -- 148 starts -- in his career, also playing for New York, Toronto and Dallas.

Simmons, 22, appeared in 30 games as a rookie with Washington in 2001-02, averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes.

Trading Stackhouse was definitely risky. If the Pistons can't duplicate their success of a year ago, the second-guessers will have a field day.

FRONTCOURT

Detroit is very pleased with the starters it has at both the small forward and power forward position.

At power forward is Wallace, coming off his career season. He led the league with averages of 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. Wallace's offensive game even improved slightly -- up to 7.6 points per contest. Detroit doesn't need offense from Wallace -- besides maybe the occasional putback. The Pistons will gladly settle for Wallace's typical limited offensive game as long as he continues to be one of the top enforcers in the NBA

Michael Curry will start at the small forward, but he will have to hold off the constant pressure of Corliss Williamson pushing him for the starting job. Curry is not as offensively gifted as Williamson, but he's a tough, smart player that hustles constantly. His presence was a huge part of the Pistons' hard-nosed defensive personality from last season.

GUARDS

Filling Stackhouse's spot in the starting lineup is Hamilton. During his three-year tenure with the Wizards, Hamilton averaged 15.6 points per game. Last season, Hamilton notched a career-best, 20-point average. This led Detroit's brass to think he was a star on the rise. Hamilton is not the all-around player that Stackhouse is, but he's a better shooter and he'll get plenty of opportunity in Detroit.

Chauncey Billups will start at the point guard this season. At 6-3, he has great size and is more versatile than any point guard the Pistons have had in years. Billups was once considered a shoot-first point guard, which would get on Carlisle's nerves early given his halfcourt system. Billups proved to be more diverse in Minnesota last season when Terrell Brandon went down to more diverse in Minnesota last season when Terrell Brandon went down to injury.

BENCH

In the frontcourt, Wallace will be backed up primarily by Mehmet Okur, a solid player who can score. Okur will be the perfect change of pace when Wallace needs a rest.

Williamson, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, may very well defend the title. He averaged 13.6 points last season and earned a reputation with clutch buckets in the fourth quarter. Williamson also gives Carlisle the option of playing him at the power forward spot when the Pistons go small.

Chucky Atkins did a decent job as a starting point guard last season, and now he'll serve as a high quality reserve. Atkins is a streaky scorer that improved his defensive game last season.

Jon Barry gives Carlisle some long-range shooting off the bench. He's also streaky, but when he's hot he can compile points in a hurry.

Tayshaun Prince is a wild card who will get playing time at backup shooting guard and backup small forward. Prince, even at 6-9, is more of a perimeter player. He's an excellent outside shooter and possesses great athleticism as well as leaping ability. Prince has long arms despite his slight frame. He is an effort player with intensity to spare, which should please Carlisle.

OUTLOOK

The Pistons took a huge gamble in parting with Stackhouse. Detroit is a disciplined, system team, which is often the type of squad that can succeed with interchangeable parts. Wallace is now the team's leader, and the Pistons' defense should once again rank among the league's elite. They probably won't win the division again, but they could easily make the playoffs once again.