People called him selfish, chose to look at his poor shooting percentage, high number of turnovers or the fact his teammates were offensively challenged. But the fact is, Jerry Stackhouse, who couldn't make it in Philadelphia, certainly made it last season for the Detroit Pistons. A franchise that has been around since the beginning of the NBA saw records fall all around. But in the end, the one record that mattered was 32-50.

	Stackhouse had a marvelous season, but the Pistons didn't win much.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Pistons.

The good: Even in Philly, nobody really questioned Stackhouse's talent. They just didn't think he could play with another superstar, Mr. Allen Iverson. And frankly, other than a year with Grant Hill, we have no other proof he can. But on his own, which Stack was on most nights last season, the guy can certainly put up standout numbers. He averaged 29.8 points a game, second in the league and a new franchise record. He topped 40 points on eight occasions, and dropped a league-high 57 points on the Bulls in April. All the while, he contributed 5.1 assists and had his first career triple-double.

That was the good. Stack also led the league in turnovers, with 4.1 per game. He shot barely 40 percent from the field (.402), but managed to score 30 most nights because he was second in the NBA in field goal attempts. Also, nobody else on the Pistons wanted to shoot. Stack piled on the points because nobody in the league was better at getting to the line (more than 10 attempts a game, and a solid .822 when he got there), and only four players drained more threes.

Stackhouse, who was an All-Star for the second straight season, continued to be criticized for selfish play, but maybe it's not his fault. The Pistons had no other options, really. Stackhouse contributed a stunning amount of offense. Career underachiever Joe Smith (now back in Minnesota) and career backup Chucky Atkins were the only other players to score more than 511 points for the team. Even the misera-Bulls had five guys do it.

The only other Piston truly salvageable from last year's wreckage would be center Ben Wallace, who along with Atkins were the Magic giveaways in the Grant Hill signing-turned-trade. But Wallace was much better than that. He ended up fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, with Mutombo-like figures across the board. In fairness and similar to Stackhouse, no other Pistons were capable of helping Wallace out. He ended up second only to Mutombo in rebounding at 13.2 per, and 10th in blocks, while also getting 1.34 steals a game, 29th overall. Just hide the women and children when he goes to the line -- even Shaq never shot as low as .336 from the stripe.

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 32-50, 5th in Central, 10th in East Playoffs: none Team leaders: Stackhouse 29.8 ppg; 5.1 apg, Wallace 13.1 rpg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 95.6 (13th); Rebs, 45.5 (1st); FG %, .424 (28th) Current rotation: Wallace C; Robinson PF; White SF; Stackhouse SG; Atkins PG; Williamson/Barry 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 23

The bad: The Pistons figure to help Stackhouse and Wallace out a lot more this year. Had Chris Webber chosen to bolt Sacramento for a place with soul food readily available, Detroit might have been that place. The landscape of the East would have surely changed. Without CWebb, Detroit still got better because the housecleaning Suns were willing to give away very capable big man Clifford Robinson, for a mere Jud Buechler and John Wallace. Cliffy is five years removed from averaging 20 ppg, but could get back to that number here. He averaged more than 17 points the last three years for a deep playoff team and he defends well. And unlike the Suns, the Pistons weren't too concerned with his recent DUI.

Robinson and Wallace are joined in the frontcourt by rookie Rodney White, a potential big scorer who played just one year of college, but showed flashes of stardom. Corliss Williamson, who averaged 15.2 ppg on .534 shooting after a trade from Toronto, will get the minutes if White needs more time.

The main reason Stackhouse could get the large amounts of assists and turnovers that he did is because he always had the ball. Such was the plight at the point guard position. Atkins contributed only 4.1 assists per and didn't even shoot 40 percent from the field. He's better suited for backup duty. But Dana Barros, now 34 and long past starting, is already the backup. Last year's top pick, local hero Mateen Cleaves, played like four years at Michigan State weren't enough for a pro career. Desperate for a backup to Stackhouse, team president Joe Dumars did the unthinkable and sent Cleaves to Sacramento for veteran Jon Barry. But the team should benefit.

The ugly: The Pistons are a strange team statistically. Thanks to Stackhouse, they managed to score more than numerous playoff outfits, 13th overall. Thanks to Ben Wallace, they led the league in rebounding. But only the Wizards allowed more points in the East, only the Warriors shot a poorer percentage from the field and only three teams committed more turnovers.

The aftermath of the disappointing Grant Hill era was tough to overcome, and coach George Irvine could do little. Hill got this team to the postseason four times, but never did win anything, and his departure left fans with mixed feelings on whether they wished he stayed or not. The Pistons weren't exactly caught unprepared, but with a regular lineup that featured few players that should be relied upon for big things, it might not look that way.

The future: Like most mediocre East teams, the Pistons do appear to be improved. But 12 teams aren't going to suddenly make the playoffs. The Pistons were 10th in the conference last season, and now that the forward spots have been aided and a new coach in Rick Carlisle, eager to prove he deserved his shot years ago, is in town, things should get better.

One could point out that Stackhouse and Wallace aren't yet 30, which is good, and White certainly appears to have a bright future. Also, the Pistons still have money to spend. The bench, which wasn't at all a strength a year ago, now will be deeper, with Barry and Barros in the backcourt, Williamson, Mikki Moore, Victor Alexander, Michael Curry and Brian Cardinal up front.

Also, a trio of Europeans in Zeljko Rebraca, Ratko Varda and second-round pick Mehmet Okur have promise, but nobody knows how they will hold up in the rougher NBA game. Rebraca, for example, is a talented Yugoslavian, but rumor has it he makes the svelte Marcus Camby look fat. Dumars is hoping he can start, move Wallace to power forward and Robinson can be the sixth man.

This isn't a lineup capable of contending for a division title, but get them a point guard to go with the four legit starters they have, and the Pistons should be more respectable. Whatever happens, look for Stackhouse's lofty numbers to slip, but don't blame him: Congratulate Pistons management.

So we asked you this question about the Pistons: Now that he has more help, is Stackhouse capable of leading the Pistons to the playoffs?

Check the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.