Rodney Stuckey plans to spend a significant portion of his summer training at Detroit’s practice facility.

“Later in the summer, I’m going to try to get the guys back out to work out here for at least a month,” Stuckey said. “We’ll have our draft picks here as well, hopefully. Just try to change the atmosphere around in here. The chemistry is there, but just getting in work together will be good for us.”

Stuckey hopes to lose some weight in order to be more explosive at the rim.

“I just want to get my body right – at least 5 pounds and 1 percent body fat,” Stuckey said. “I want to be ready to come in next year and have a great season.”

Lawrence Frank had few concerns about entrusting the Pistons offense to rookie point guard Brandon Knight, even though Knight was just two years removed from high school.

"It was all through merit," Frank said. "Brandon came in, his work ethic -- I would say both he and Ben Wallace are consistently our two hardest workers. He just had a great aptitude and just soaked everything in. He just earned it.

"He didn't start the first six games. We started Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon. Rodney got hurt, and really from that point on, Brandon had the keys. He learned through trial and error but continued with his work ethic and his preparation."

Knight averaged 12.8 points and 3.8 assists over 60 games during the regular season.

Lawrence Frank expects the Pistons’ most critical improvements to come from existing players.

"First, we have to get better internally," Frank said. "Improvement always starts with every player and coach doing better and working every day to get better so when we get together in October everybody percentage-wise has improved.

"There are a lot of different areas we can address to improve upon. I don't think we're one part or one player away from being a finished product. Continuing to add hard-working, team-first, competitive guys will make us better."

Frank was encouraged by what he saw during the final three months of the season, when the Pistons posted a 21-21 record.

"From February on, with a couple of exceptions, we were a very competitive group and showed some resiliency and gave ourselves a chance to win most games," Frank said. "The most frustrating part (of the season) was factors you can't control, the lockout and how quickly things were put together.

"The first month of the season ... too many times when we were knocked down we stayed down. But the encouraging part is from that point on we got better and (developed) an inner toughness and became a team that was hard to play against."

Austin Daye plans to spends most of his offseason training in California with a personal trainer, and where he can work with his father, Darren, who played collegiately at UCLA and five years in the NBA.

Daye is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

“I think that's the main thing that's going to help me is just working with the guy who's gotten me here,” Daye said. “I think it's most important that I go home, be around my family, but also work hard at home.”

Daye still needs to improve his strength.

Tayshaun Prince believes the Pistons would benefit from a adding veteran guard who can tutor the team’s younger players.

"Brandon Knight is our starting point guard and will continue to be, but hopefully we can get a veteran point guard to kind of mentor him a little bit," Prince said. "There can be times that me and Ben Wallace can mentor and help him out and whatnot, but I think if you have a point guard that's been through the wars, he can help him out a little bit better than we can."

The Pistons are expected to be over the salary cap and will have only the mid-level exception at their disposal this summer to sign free agents.

Charlie Villanueva could be amnestied this offseason if the Pistons make a move in free agency.

Villanueva is scheduled to make $8 million in 12-13 and has a player option for $8.5 million during the 13-14 season.

“I would like to stay here,” Villanueva said. “I love it here, I love it here. At the same time, I'm a realist.”

Ben Gordon is another amnesty candidate, making $12 million for 12-13 and more than $13 million for 13-14 on a player option.

“Anything's possible, anything's possible,” said Gordon. “That's always in the back of your mind. But until you're told something, until you hear something, you just always assume you'll be here.”

Both Gordon and Villanueva were signed in the 2009 offseason.

Tom Gores believes the Pistons have enough talent to make the playoffs next season.

“We better make the playoffs,” Gores said. “That’s realistic.”

Gores assessed the team’s needs after a 21-20 finish to the season.

“One of the things I realized this year is we have great players on the team so I’m not sure it requires any moves to make the playoffs,” Gores said. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t look at the possibilities of making changes, but I’m also so saying we have great players on this team.”