DETROIT _ Blake Griffin did his homework.
The star power forward knows the history of the Detroit Pistons, one of eight NBA franchises with at least three championships.
He congratulated his new teammates on the rousing victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
There was a late-night session with Synergy Sports Technology on his laptop to scout his new teammates and get a head start on the process of developing chemistry.
And it was clear at his introductory news conference Wednesday afternoon that Griffin hopes to write a good chapter for the franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since the 2007-08 season.
"The franchise is storied and has had tremendous success," Griffin said at the Palace in Auburn Hills.
"The history, the fan base, the love from the fans and energy has been unbelievable. Just in this past 24 hours a lot of good will for being on the ground here."
The Pistons, who at 23-26 are two games out of the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot, and Clippers stunned the NBA on Monday when they agreed on a deal that sent Griffin, forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed to Detroit in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and a first- and second-round draft pick.
Griffin was joined on the podium by Johnson, Reed and Pistons general manager Jeff Bower.
The day was the result of the Pistons' lengthy quest to land a star.
Bower said it has been an organizational priority since team president Stan Van Gundy took over in May 2015.
Griffin, an All-Star each of his first five seasons in the NBA, is averaging 22.6 points and 7.9 rebounds this season.
The goal to acquire a star came from Pistons owner Tom Gores.
"It's the driving and guiding force behind our efforts and we take direction from him and we get a lot of motivation from him, his passion and his deep commitment to building a winner," Bower said.
