The NBA 2004-2005 season kicks off tonight as the Detroit Pistons receive their championship rings and then battle the new-look Houston Rockets.

With Larry Brown and Joe Dumars at the helm, there will be no complacency in the Motor City.

"There are a lot of things that we still have to work on," coach Brown said. "Right now I'm a little concerned because we did lose three guys that contributed" -- Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur and Mike James.

"I don't think McDyess is going to have a problem. It's just a matter of us finding ways to help him," he added. "The other positions are going to be hard to fill. We have an awful lot of young guys on the team, which makes me a little nervous. Last year we had some veterans coming off the bench."

Only one person in the organization has played on a team that successfully defended its title, Joe Dumars, president of basketball operations. He thinks the group he has put together is ready to duplicate the Pistons' feat of winning back-to-back championships in 1989-90.

"I think what happens is that throughout the season you get used to being the hunted," Dumars said. "You become used to being the team that everybody is using as a measuring stick; that we're going to find out where we are by playing these guys. Over the course of the season you become accustomed to that.

"I like the personality of our team to be able to take that challenge. We have some pretty level-headed guys. We have some guys who are warriors, who will fight, who have a lot of pride."

Tonight's game will be the debut of Tracy McGrady in a Rocket uniform.  Many expect him and Yao Ming to become the best tandem in the entire league.