Like a litany of his players who’ve echoed the same mantra over the summer, John Kuester is eager to get going and put last season further behind him, confident that a healthy roster will position the Pistons for results that will catch casual observers by surprise.

“There’s no question that we’re an outstanding basketball team if things stay right,” he said, “and we’re expecting it to stay right this season. The thing about it is our goals have not changed at all. We can be as good as anybody, in my mind. On any given night, we can put up big numbers on offense. Defensively, we’ve got to show our staples and understand what needs to be done, but I’m real excited about our group.”

After one season, many have written Charlie Villanueva off as a bust, the ultimate underachiever. He has more time to extricate himself from being lumped in with the likes of former Piston William Bedford, a talented big man who was a pet project of former general manager Jack McCloskey during the Bad Boys era before a drug suspension ended his career.

This time around, Pistons president Joe Dumars made an investment with Villanueva, who’s talented enough to be a 20-point, 10-rebound performer. Villanueva calls Dumars “a father figure,” someone he can talk to about things in and away from the game. He wants to fulfill the faith Dumars placed in him.

“Joe always talks to me,” Villanueva said. “He knew my situation, that I wasn’t healthy. They made a commitment to me, so I’m going to be here for the long run. I could’ve been on vacation all summer, sipping lemonade.”

With training camp looming, Villanueva hopes to be the starting power forward on opening night. He’ll have to beat out, and even more so outwork, Jerebko and rookie Greg Monroe. It’s unlikely Kuester will alter his standards, so Villanueva will have to turn some heads.

“I love the challenge,” he said. “All my life has been a challenge. It’s gonna be interesting. You have 11 or 12 guys that can play. Let the best man get the spot.”

According to sources close to the search for a new owner, Tom Gores; the Ilitch family; George Postolos, a former executive with the Rockets who assembles groups interested in buying NBA franchises; and an unidentified group of investors from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, are all in the hunt for the Pistons.

Neither Gores nor his associates have confirmed he is in pursuit of the Pistons.

But, according to Pistons sources, Gores’ team was scheduled to visit The Palace to kick the tires when Mike Ilitch announced Aug. 9 he was interested in purchasing the team.

As a free agent this summer, what were all the factors you considered before deciding to sign with the Celtics?

Shaquille O’Neal : Atlanta was cool, but they don’t have a lot of national television games. But Boston, with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, I said we can do it. A lot of people said I only got the league minimum salary, but that’s all right. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I’ve had four max contracts in one lifetime, I don’t care about that little million. Did I want $10 million? I’m always going to put the number high. I could have gotten $8 million from Atlanta and Detroit, but it wasn’t about that. It was about being somewhere and being seen and winning.

Did you really have an interest in joining the Hornets?

Shaquille O’Neal : I did, but a lot of people say they want to win. There are only a few owners stepping up. Micky Arison stepped with the Miami Heat. Mark Cuban always steps up for the Mavericks. A lot of people want to pay, but if you look at their books nobody wants to go over the luxury tax.

Veterans Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, rookie Greg Monroe and recently acquired Tracy McGrady have been working with conditioning coach Arnie Kander in hopes of coming to training camp in great shape.

“A lot of players have been in our gym, and that’s good news,” coach John Kuester said. “They realize how important they are, and their making adjustments to make themselves better is very important for us. I’ll tell you this, what Tracy has done so far is put in a tremendous amount of time with Arnie. I had a chance to watch him work out, and he was moving extremely well.”

McGrady could be a key offensive component if he’s half the player he was five years ago.

“One of the things that we see (in McGrady) is a player that had high potential at one time, and he is somebody that is working religiously with Arnie, and that’s so important…” Kuester said. “McGrady is somebody that can give us a high-risk, high-reward situation.”

Greg Monroe can tell the difference.

Before his right big toe was surgically repaired last month, Monroe said it was bothersome putting on his shoes.

Now, he is pain-free, and the Pistons’2010 first-round draft pick has returned to getting ready for the upcoming season.

Monroe represented the Pistons on Wednesday morning at William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor downtown on the Detroit River and had a few brief remarks before a crowd that included Mayor Dave Bing, City Council President Charles Pugh, kids, business leaders and other government officials.

It was the first public appearance for Monroe since the surgery.

“It’s just a lot more comfortable,” said Monroe, a 6-foot-11 power forward from Georgetown. “It was something that gave me a little pain. It can affect you a lot in any sport with any athlete. It’s just a lot more comfortable.

“I’m not hesitating on some movements that I might have hesitated on before. It feels good. It’s going to help me out a lot.”

Flint native Tom Gores has emerged as the “front-runner” to become the Pistons’ new owner, according to sources close to the situation.

The sources requested anonymity due to a confidentiality agreement signed by all prospective buyers. The Pistons have been valued at $479 million by Forbes.

Gores, 46, and his group have made two visits to The Palace the past two weeks, the only interested group to do so. Gores made another visit Wednesday, but has not yet made a bid.

Gores, who owns Platinum Equity, went to Michigan State and sold computer software before moving to California to go into business with his older brother, Alec. He owns a home in Grosse Ile. According to Forbes, Gores is worth $2.2 billion, making him the 147th-richest American.

Tracy McGrady says he just wants to get back on the basketball court. Whether that is at the start of the game or not doesn’t matter to him, he said Monday after signing a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. “Come off the bench – if that’s what it is, that’s what it is,” McGrady said. “I’m just ready to play baskeball, y’all. Seriously. That’s what I wake up thinking about. That’s what I love to do.”

The contract will pay McGrady about $1.3 million this season, according to a source. McGrady, a seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champion, made about $23 million last season. McGrady has struggled to get his game back after undergoing micro-fracture surgery on his left knee in February 2009. He said he has worked hard to regain his form, and even joked that his work on the court has affected his life off of it. “For these last two years I’ve been kind of alienating my family a little bit because I’ve been fighting so hard to get back,” he said. “I’m just excited and I’m eager to get back. I look forward to it.”

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed free agent guard/forward Tracy McGrady. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

McGrady, 31, played 30 games last season with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks averaging 8.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.4 minutes per game.

The bank hired to broker a sale of the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment Inc. is seeking $500 million from potential buyers — a price industry insiders and likely bidders consider inflated by $100 million in this market, a source familiar with the situation said. Karen Davidson, who has owned the National Basketball Association franchise and the PS&E umbrella management organization since the March 2009 death of her husband, Guardian Industries Inc. Chairman Bill Davidson, has hired New York City-based Citi Private Bank’s sports finance and advisory team to broker a sale. Citi declined to comment, as has Davidson through her spokesman.