On the surface, little has changed for the Detroit Pistons since their 50-loss season a year ago.

Jerry Stackhouse is still the focus of their offense, and he"s still essentially surrounded with role players.

The Pistons still lack a legitimate point guard and they still lack a legitimate center.

Funny thing, though. They are headed for a 50-win season this year, holding onto first place in the Central Division going into tonight"s game with the Jazz at the Delta Center.

The difference has been subtle.

The Pistons lost Joe Smith, their second-leading scorer last season (12.3 ppg) and from an offensive standpoint, newcomer Clifford Robinson, who averages 14.5 points, does little more than replace Smith.

But Robinson is an underrated defender and even though the natural small forward is forced to play center in Detroit, he has teamed up with Ben Wallace, who has emerged as the best blue-collar player in the league, and together they anchor one of the NBA"s best defenses.