DALLAS -- Ben Wallace walked by, and Joe Dumars literally pinched his own left arm. Dumars rubbed his hands together with glee, so smitten with GM'ing that he can't remember the last time he picked a ball up to take a shot. Joe D then launched into a passionate case for the Pistons of last season becoming the first team in Detroit to create its own persona since those bad, bad lads of yore.

So, Joe: What made you break up the Breakthrough Boys?

"It was great last year because that kind of established us," Dumars said. "People realized, 'They've got a good little team over there.' We established a foundation for who we were and what we're trying to do. But it's time for us to build on that now.

	Joe Dumars, left, drafted Tayshaun Prince with the 23rd overall pick in June.

"We won 50 games, the Central Division title and more individual awards than anybody else last year. This year, if we don't win any individual awards, if we don't repeat as division champions, if we don't win 50 games -- we can still be a better team in the long run. That's how I look at it."

That's Dumars' way of acknowledging that his Pistons are at high risk for a slide this season. Jerry Stackhouse was unexpectedly dealt to Washington in September, stripping Detroit of its dominant scorer but freeing the Pistons from the pressure of giving Stack a significant summer raise from his current bargain salary of $6.4 million. The move helps position Dumars to be a major wheeler-dealer the next two off-seasons, with salary-cap flexibility forthcoming and potentially five first-round picks in the next two drafts. The idea is turning all those chips into an undeniable franchise player.

But ...

Making that swap -- at its core, Stackhouse for Richard Hamilton -- means Dumars is asking the Pistons' public to cling tight to its well-worn patience. Detroit went 10 straight seasons without advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs and is widely expected to fall short of Round 2 again with Rick Carlisle trying to integrate seven new players, none of whom can promise 20 points a night.

"Our team is different from most," said Carlisle, who was Coach of the Year as a rookie alongside Sixth Man Award winner Corliss Williamson and Wallace, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

"We don't have a true, quote-unquote, superstar-type player, and that's why there are a lot of doubters. I understand that. But I think we're going to be deeper. We're going to be younger. I think we're a team that's going to have to be dealt with."

Carlisle means now, despite the fact Detroit no longer has a focal point offensively. He is cautiously optimistic that the Motor City won't have to wait for Dumars' vision of the future to materlialize, because the Pistons really might be deeper than they were -- just not at the top without the All-Star scorer. "Much deeper," Jon Barry argued.

The starting backcourt is all-new, with Hamilton joined by free agent signee Chauncey Billups. Cliff Robinson has been moved to the bench to allow Zeljko Rebraca to start at center next to Wallace. Promising rookies Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur and three more newcomers -- Hubert Davis, Pepe Sanchez and Don Reid (on his second Pistons tour) -- join Williamson, Chucky Atkins and Barry on a reserve unit that should do no harm to the "Alternatorz" nickname Barry and Co. gave the bench last season.

In general philosophy, expect zero change. The Pistons will continue to be defense-first, with Michael Curry still being the starting small forward and Carlisle hoping Billups and Atkins can wear down opposing point guards with their aggressiveness at both ends. Behind them, Wallace and Robinson lurk for around-the-rim cleanup. Hamilton will have to prove he can fit in with the defensive mindset of that group, but the Pistons counter with the argument that Rip's ability to move without the ball and make use of screens will fit better than Stackhouse in Carlisle's movement-based offense. You also question whether Billups (like Atkins) can run a team smoothly, but there is less concern there, given that the Pistons' point guards often wind up off the ball in shooting positions, where both guys are comfortable.

	“	I think we have a reputation now. People know they better strap it on when they play the Pistons. I'm not going to say we're the Bad Boys yet, but we have a mentality that's tough and rugged. ”
		— Jon Barry

The outstanding issue is where to go for guaranteed offense, and the Pistons don't know how to answer. For all the criticism aimed at Stackhouse after a woeful playoffs -- 17.6 points on 32.1-percent shooting -- it's quickly forgotten that a) Stack created opportunities for his teammates all season to lead the way to those 50 wins and b) Stack got to the line with regularity and always occupied the opposing defense and c) he played hurt for much of the season's second half. In the short term, unless Hamilton continues to blossom or until Dumars can start maneuvering, they're going to miss all that.

"The fact that you don't know where all the points are going to come from on a given night, they could come from a lot of different areas," Carlisle said. "That's our hope. Our system is going to have to carry us."

Said Barry: "I expect us to be better. We made a big change obviously but I think we're going to be more diversified. I just think you're going to have five, six, seven players in double figures. Maybe not every night, but more times than not."

Dumars, meanwhile, thinks the fans understand what he's trying to do. "With as hard as we play, they won't be disappointed in what we do every night." Added Barry: "I think we have a reputation now. People know they better strap it on when they play the Pistons. I'm not going to say we're the Bad Boys yet, but we have a mentality that's tough and rugged."

As for that future, Dumars insists that he'll skirt disappointment there, too, risky as it is to be betting on stars you don't have. Cap space, as Orlando and Chicago have proven so recently, guarantees nothing. Good thing Dumars was paying close heed in both cases and isn't afraid to let it be known that the Pistons have plenty to offer in down-the-line trades.

For the right guy, Trader Joe D has cap relief and first-round picks to sell you -- unless the Pistons wind up in the unlikely position to draft the difference maker.

"I like those things," Dumars said, moving his hands in a circle to represent the bowl of assets in his possession. "I like being in that position. I like being able to control our own destiny. I'm open to either (scenario).

"Our base of guys is a great base to start with. With the draft picks and the cap space, it would be great to add that one guy that can kind put you over the top. (But) I don't need the players looking ahead. I don't need the coaches looking ahead. That's my job."

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. E-mail him at marc.stein@espn3.com.