The Detroit Pistons have not mattered in the basketball world for nearly a decade. While they are nowhere near being considered a title or even playoff threat, the organization has been intent on changing those perceptions over the offseason with their big-name coaching hire and solid free agent acquisitions. Detroit brought in Stan Van Gundy to run the team and handle basketball operations and is hoping his stern presence and experience can help a few of its struggling players mature into solid basketball talents.

Van Gundy had two solid stints in Miami and Orlando, which helped him build quite a reputation around the league, and he nearly won titles with both groups-he lead Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals and resigned midseason in 2005 to hand the reigns of the Shaquille O'Neal- and Dwyane Wade-led Miami Heat over to Pat Riley. The Pistons are still a long way from reaching its former glory as an NBA champion, but the hiring of Van Gundy is a start.

2014 Detroit Pistons Additions and Departures

Key Additions: DJ Augustin, Caron Butler, Jodie Meeks

Key Departures: Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva

Detroit essentially cleaned house over the summer and will be adding multiple new players to its 15-man roster. The biggest additions were the free agency signings of DJ Augustin, Caron Butler and Jodie Meeks. All three played significant minutes for their respective teams last season and will be expected to provide quality production as key contributors off the bench.

Detroit did lose Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva, two solid players that were simply bad fits on an already-messy and dysfunctional Pistons' roster. The team has a talented, but mistake-prone, core in Brandon Jennings, Josh Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. Last season the group was criticized for having a low-basketball IQ and constantly making selfish plays. Detroit's hope is that with Van Gundy as coach those bad habits will begin to change.

2014 Detroit Pistons Futures Odds

NBA Title Odds: +30000

Eastern Conference Odds: +12500

Division Odds: +6000

Win Total: O/U 36

One of the Pistons biggest issues last season was its lack of coaching leadership. The inmates were essentially running the prison as Smith-a dynamic and powerful inside presence-would hang out on the perimeter and shoot far too many three-point shots while Jennings spent his time over dribbling and looking to score far too often. Van Gundy should be able to address these issues over the next couple of seasons. However, Detroit's 2014-15 futures odds are essentially worthless.

A best-case scenario for the team is to end the year slightly above .500, while a worst-case is barely reaching the 30-win mark. The only futures wager to even contemplate betting would be the Detroit's win total, which is set at 36 wins. If you are a believer in Van Gundy then the "over" is the way to go, and if you are not then expect a disaster as a dysfunctional group meets a strong-willed head coach.

2014 Detroit Pistons Predictions and Futures Odds Picks

Record: 32-50

Playoffs: No

The Pistons' future looks bright with Van Gundy running the show, and bettors should eventually expect a solid contender coming out of Detroit in the near future. The team has a couple of talented players that can make in impact in the league, but do not expect much improvement this season. Van Gundy will emphasize defense and pounding the ball down low early in the year, and he wants to take advantage of his team's size and strength in the paint.

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