[1] During the off-season, the Pistons hired Doug Collins as head coach,[2][3][4][5] while acquiring Otis Thorpe from the Portland Trail Blazers; Thorpe won a championship as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals.
[10] At mid-season, the team signed free agent Michael Curry, who was previously released by the Washington Bullets.
[14][15][16][17] In addition, Houston finished second on the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game, and led them with 191 three-point field goals, while Thorpe provided the team with 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
On the defensive side, top draft pick Theo Ratliff led the team with 1.5 blocks per game off the bench, and second-round draft pick Don Reid was the team's starting power forward, averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
[20] Hill also finished tied in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Houston finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting,[21][22] and Collins finished tied in third place in Coach of the Year voting,[23][24][21][22] However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Pistons would be swept by the Orlando Magic in three straight games.