The Lakers and the Celtics are playing for the NBA championship. For any sports fan, the match up is enough to give you goose bumps. It is one of the most storied rivalries in sports – certainly in the top ten all time. Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird, it’s a beautiful thing. Now, history has come together again – Kobe, Gasol and the Boston Three Party.

But there was another team in the mix at this time, a team that beat up on Boston and the Lakers on an occasion, a team that could shut down Michael Jordan back in the day – the Pistons. Where are they now? Sitting at home, for the third year in a row. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. A good team, short of dynasty because they’re short on championships.

The Pistons have made a move to change their fortune by firing head coach Flip Saunders. This was a great move. Clearly, the players had tuned him out. The Pistons organization is running the risk of becoming the Atlanta Braves of basketball – winning all the time, but not the games that count. As far as a replacement goes, the worst potential move would be hiring former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, who couldn’t win in the playoffs either. The Pistons are playing for championships, not winning records or playoff appearances.

The Pistons are poised to move into a potentially tumultuous transition period. There are some great young players on the roster, but when Billups, Rip, Prince and ‘Sheed are all on the chopping block, things will change drastically. And eventually, they’ll have to. The reality is that these guys are getting older, but the Pistons have gotten to enjoy one of the most consistent and talented and underrated line-ups in the league. While it’d be nice to keep these guys together forever, the Pistons need to get younger and more explosive.

The most important keeps? Tayshaun Prince who can defend anyone in the league and/or Richard Hamilton who scores consistently. Billups is an amazing guard, but Mr. Big Shot lacks the charisma a younger team needs. Billups does well on a team of veterans with good chemistry, but soon, we’re going to be a team of young guns that need experienced players to holler at them. Not everyone can coordinate and please a team of experienced players the way Billups can. I wouldn’t sell him short on that. ‘Sheed is a fantastic player, but obviously his skills are overshadowed by his inability to shut up. This has never bothered me until the series versus the Celtics where his technical fouls set the Pistons back.

Consistency is great, but you run the risk of stagnation. The face of the Pistons is ready to change. As bittersweet as it is, the Pistons could get some great value for some of the marquee players Detroit has watched for years now. The Pistons roster may change, but the Pistons’ winning tradition is rock steady.