If we're going to keep these bigs...

[Oracle]

We are going to have to find some shooters with SWAG!

[Oracle]

With bigs playing the 3, 4, or 5 that can't shoot midrange or FT's!

And they get worse when it counts!

[Oracle]

But now we need the scoring PG to come out!

[Oracle]

A effing half court offense?

We're doing nothing with each possession!

How in the world do they all of a sudden forget that we have an advantage down low, and start jacking up long jumpers!

Hey KCP! Stop playing scared, if you're open for 3, take the effing shot!

[WTF]

Monster!!!
 
He's playing out of his mind.... where has this dude been

Bounded by three dumb coaches Curry, Kuester and Frank. Cheeks has set him free....

[WTF]

Looking good if we can stop turning over the ball, and that perimeter defense is still shaky. for the life of me I can't understand why we play so far off these shooters.

[Oracle]

Monster!!!
 
He's playing out of his mind.... where has this dude been

[Oracle]

What's going on in Cleveland is an eye popper!!!

"Some Cleveland fans might have assumed that the drama around the Cavaliers left town about the same time The Multiple MVP Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned packed up and vamoosed. Mike Brown probably figured nothing could top the start of last season in L.A. for hyperventilating and zaniness, seeing as how he was terminated just five games into the season.

But they all would be wrong – Brown has even admitted it – because the first three weeks of 2013-14 for the Cavs has been dripping with turmoil and uncertainty, much of it only leaking out publicly in the past 24-48 hours.

An ESPN.com report Saturday disclosed that Cleveland’s players held a closed-door, players-only meeting after their 29-point loss at Minnesota. The comings and goings of players from center Andrew Bynum in his endless knees rehab to shooting guard Dion Waiters and his alleged blue flu have cut into those players’ opportunities and continuity, while having a trickle-down effect on the rest of Brown’s rotation." - It’s Getting Late Early In Cleveland

[Oracle]

Does anyone remember when all the radio talk shows were debating the wisdom of trading Calvin Johnson, because of what his contract demands may be and how they would impact the Lions future chances at making a Super Bowl?

Switching sports, there is a raging debate about the wisdom of trading Greg Monroe, because of what his contract demands may be and how they will impact the Pistons future chances at winning a championship/

Well, the Lions haven't lost hope by keeping Calvin Johnson, and our offense looks pretty damn good with him; the Pistons haven't completely come together yet, but Greg Monroe is proving to be an integral part of our growing success.

My point is, we shouldn't be looking to trade our proven quality players, because of what the cost may be to keep them, but be creative in finding ways to hold on to them. Hear that Dave Dombroski?

Yeah, and Megatron is doing it today, 2TD's already!
 
Good to get back to agreement with my buddy

[deusXango]

Does anyone remember when all the radio talk shows were debating the wisdom of trading Calvin Johnson, because of what his contract demands may be and how they would impact the Lions future chances at making a Super Bowl?

Switching sports, there is a raging debate about the wisdom of trading Greg Monroe, because of what his contract demands may be and how they will impact the Pistons future chances at winning a championship/

Well, the Lions haven't lost hope by keeping Calvin Johnson, and our offense looks pretty damn good with him; the Pistons haven't completely come together yet, but Greg Monroe is proving to be an integral part of our growing success.

My point is, we shouldn't be looking to trade our proven quality players, because of what the cost may be to keep them, but be creative in finding ways to hold on to them. Hear that Dave Dombroski?

[Oracle]

BTW, if you're looking for an active  Lions forum, here is where I post as Oracle with the same Avatar.

Detroit Lions Forum

[Oracle]

Brandon Knight will be OK. The guy is A hard worker. It's not his fault he is not A PG. B.K.7 is like A B.J Armstrong, Jason Terry, type of Guard. Not A starting PG but A guy you would love to have on your team and can shoot the LIGHTS OUT!!!-Phillip Boy

Without calling out or making challenges (about a player who's no longer here, by the way) Phillip indicated we were on the same page; he didn't address me personally, but addressed the principal, which is what matters. I respect a man who can eat the meat and spit out the bones, without chocking. Before someone jumps on that line, let me be clear, I RESPECT ALL THE POSTERS ON THIS SITE!! Really I do.

What Phillip said is silly, and we're discussing this ONLY because you brought it up, about a player that is no longer playing here!
 
If society calls you a loser, and the majority believes it too, do you roll over and declare yourself a loser?
 
Both of you would do what I said about Chauncey, or Tony Parker for that matter. You have a right to your opinion, but stop with parading it around as fact!
 
Knight is considered in a certain way for political and financial reasons! It's the same for a lot of NBA players that don't demonstrate star talent immediately for the position that they want to play. Any decisions by the Pistons has to be viewed under the bright lights of someone needing to keep a job! No problem with that, and in fact, Jennings is a great upgrade at the position, but that's not surprising since there is an experience difference.
 
I don't think Knight has demonstrated that he is a competent starting PG either, but that doesn't mean that he won't, and IMO, it wouldn't hurt being a 6th man, or the 1st PG off the bench to get out of the spotlight and prove yourself.
 
BTW, it was said about Avery Johnson that no team could ever win a championship with him as PG! He proved them wrong!

[Oracle]

"Oracle, I'm amazed that after all I posted regarding Knight, you found a platform to express such fire, in one line I wrote. Friend to friend, that was way over the top!" - DX

I'll take that as you have no response to anything I said...

[deusXango]

...right here, and right now, I can appreciate the difference of being 3-5 with hopes of winning another game on the west coast, as opposed to last year at this time being 0-8 and mad & bored as hell, because I had seen that before; this is new and refreshing.

[deusXango]

Brandon Knight will be OK. The guy is A hard worker. It's not his fault he is not A PG. B.K.7 is like A B.J Armstrong, Jason Terry, type of Guard. Not A starting PG but A guy you would love to have on your team and can shoot the LIGHTS OUT!!!-Phillip Boy

Without calling out or making challenges (about a player who's no longer here, by the way) Phillip indicated we were on the same page; he didn't address me personally, but addressed the principal, which is what matters. I respect a man who can eat the meat and spit out the bones, without chocking. Before someone jumps on that line, let me be clear, I RESPECT ALL THE POSTERS ON THIS SITE!! Really I do.

[deusXango]

Don, from the time Knight came to Detroit, this skinny, little kid who could barely throw a baseball from the mound to home plate, has worked very hard, every year, to increase his strength and size to compete on this level; this is one of the reasons I was so impressed with Knight...you could see the actual work he was putting into developing his career. I'm certain he would have cut down on his turnovers and increased his assist totals, if only given a chance. This guy will be another one of Joe's miscalculations of talent and character, regardless of what position he plays. Hard working, fearless defenders are hard to come by in todays NBA, and Knight is certainly one of those, if nothing else!

If all things go as divinely designed, then Knight will play to his natural instincts, rather than to what fans think he should be trying to do, and being a naturally aggressive basketball player, with diverse skills, he'll excel as a combo guard. I miss him and wish him well.

Firstly DX, this is one friend calling out another friend when they go a little off the beaten track, not an attack, just a friendly reminder of the facts! You appear to be  uninformed about some situations.
 
You are badly informed when you make the above underlined statement! It's NOT what fans think or want, its' what Knight says and wants... nobody else matters! And if you don't think Knight was the centerpiece in that trade, and that the Bucks didn't want and need a PG, or that Knight wasn't being groomed as the next Bucks PG, you need to invest in Google and get a refresher on recent facts.
 
With your logic, you would have Chauncey coming off the bench as  6th man when he came to Detroit! If ever there was an SG playing PG, Chauncey was it, and a true vagabond at that, having been dumped before we got him!
 
It makes no sense to categorize players so early in their career, and what's the rush?
 
I have no problem with saying this is where someone is at right now, and to get minutes, they need to fill role X until we figure out what he is, but playing mind reader and prognosticator is destructive, IMO.
 
BTW, people have all sorts of "Natural" instincts that we control on a daily basis, and learn how to channel them into better or different instincts.
 
The bottom line for me is that any player that has gone through life playing at one position, then all of a sudden they, and everyone that's known them has been wrong about the position is strange!
 
The league is full of championship players that you would consider not playing the optimum position, but that's not what it's about.
 
Learn from Zeke, the player you most loved in a Pistons Uni(mine too)!
 
"It's a battle of wills, not a battle of skills"
 
In my experience, this holds more than anything else in life... how badly do you want anything!

BTW: Aren't you doing what you complain about Wise doing with Monroe?

Oracle, I'm amazed that after all I posted regarding Knight, you found a platform to express such fire, in one line I wrote. Friend to friend, that was way over the top!

[Phil-Good]

Brandon Knight will be OK. The guy is A hard worker. It's not his fault he is not A PG. B.K.7 is like A B.J Armstrong, Jason Terry, type of Guard. Not A starting PG but A guy you would love to have on your team and can shoot the LIGHTS OUT!!!


But it really don't matter Piston fans. The Pistons PG of the future Is R.Rondo. Mark My words. This will be the Pistons starting PG before it's said and done.

[Oracle]

This is a good article with some interesting data on Jennings & Smith.

While I have a lot of faith that Knight will be a very good player, with apologies to Knight, Jennings has the talents that take us to another level right now!

Jennings is both an intriguing talent and an enigma at the same time, but we may get lucky in that he has finally decided to harness his talent and more importantly, may be maturing to better use that talent.

I think Josh Smith is in better control of his off court behavior, and just needs to have his role defined and he'll be good to go!

Anyway, this is a good read about where Jennings & Josh are at - How to Make Brandon Jennings, Josh Smith Really Hum for Detroit Pistons

[Oracle]

When we have our bigs in the game, which we do at the start of every game, starting Billups puts us at a severe disadvantage.
 
1. Billups paired with Jennings presents a horribly small backcourt.
2. Billups also doesn't have the foot speed to close out on 3 point shooters, and that's killing us.
 
KCP solves all of those problems! KCP has NBA size at the SG position, and he has the foot speed to not only close out on 3 point shooters, he has the quickness to take the ball from them.
 
In addition, he makes Billups look like a clown when it comes to filling the lane on the fast break!
 
IMO, he's better than Stuckey as a fit for that position, but just lacks the experience to push Stuckey out of the way. 
 
So I'm hoping that KCP starts the Laker game and sets the tone showing the Laker shooters that there will be no free lunch by running those punks off of the 3 point line.
 
As an aside, I'm also looking for Drum Dog to force Gasol out of the post and turn him into a jump shooter!

[Oracle]

Bulls raping the mighty Pacers!

Held them to 35 points in the first half!

[Oracle]

Don, from the time Knight came to Detroit, this skinny, little kid who could barely throw a baseball from the mound to home plate, has worked very hard, every year, to increase his strength and size to compete on this level; this is one of the reasons I was so impressed with Knight...you could see the actual work he was putting into developing his career. I'm certain he would have cut down on his turnovers and increased his assist totals, if only given a chance. This guy will be another one of Joe's miscalculations of talent and character, regardless of what position he plays. Hard working, fearless defenders are hard to come by in todays NBA, and Knight is certainly one of those, if nothing else!

If all things go as divinely designed, then Knight will play to his natural instincts, rather than to what fans think he should be trying to do, and being a naturally aggressive basketball player, with diverse skills, he'll excel as a combo guard. I miss him and wish him well.

Firstly DX, this is one friend calling out another friend when they go a little off the beaten track, not an attack, just a friendly reminder of the facts! You appear to be  uninformed about some situations.
 
You are badly informed when you make the above underlined statement! It's NOT what fans think or want, its' what Knight says and wants... nobody else matters! And if you don't think Knight was the centerpiece in that trade, and that the Bucks didn't want and need a PG, or that Knight wasn't being groomed as the next Bucks PG, you need to invest in Google and get a refresher on recent facts.
 
With your logic, you would have Chauncey coming off the bench as  6th man when he came to Detroit! If ever there was an SG playing PG, Chauncey was it, and a true vagabond at that, having been dumped before we got him!
 
It makes no sense to categorize players so early in their career, and what's the rush?
 
I have no problem with saying this is where someone is at right now, and to get minutes, they need to fill role X until we figure out what he is, but playing mind reader and prognosticator is destructive, IMO.
 
BTW, people have all sorts of "Natural" instincts that we control on a daily basis, and learn how to channel them into better or different instincts.
 
The bottom line for me is that any player that has gone through life playing at one position, then all of a sudden they, and everyone that's known them has been wrong about the position is strange!
 
The league is full of championship players that you would consider not playing the optimum position, but that's not what it's about.
 
Learn from Zeke, the player you most loved in a Pistons Uni(mine too)!
 
"It's a battle of wills, not a battle of skills"
 
In my experience, this holds more than anything else in life... how badly do you want anything!

BTW: Aren't you doing what you complain about Wise doing with Monroe?

[deusXango]

Don, from the time Knight came to Detroit, this skinny, little kid who could barely throw a baseball from the mound to home plate, has worked very hard, every year, to increase his strength and size to compete on this level; this is one of the reasons I was so impressed with Knight...you could see the actual work he was putting into developing his career. I'm certain he would have cut down on his turnovers and increased his assist totals, if only given a chance. This guy will be another one of Joe's miscalculations of talent and character, regardless of what position he plays. Hard working, fearless defenders are hard to come by in todays NBA, and Knight is certainly one of those, if nothing else!

If all things go as divinely designed, then Knight will play to his natural instincts, rather than to what fans think he should be trying to do, and being a naturally aggressive basketball player, with diverse skills, he'll excel as a combo guard. I miss him and wish him well.

[cool breeze]

Knight got another DNP-Coach's Decision last night.  I see he has had some injuries, so this really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  Can you only have so many players play due to injury?  If not, what gives?  I wonder if he is yet to crack the rotation due to being new.  Their starting PG (forgot his name) is injured too, so it really would be ideal for him to play if he is actually able to.

Billups has tendonitis, which is another word for "old man legs".  They are using this to give him a breather and have an excuse to not use him.  It also may be a pride thing that if he is able to have an excuse why he is not playing AND he/they can always say that he missed a lot of games due to injuries.  It works well for everyone.  I think when it comes down to it, the bottom line is that he can only go every 2 games and he should not be looked at as dependable for the long term, however, he can rise to the occasion from time to time when necessary.  Think Hunter in 2004.  

I do believe a trade is coming very soon!  Could be good...could be bad!

Go Stones I saw the game when Knight was injured. It looked like a hamstring injury but I haven't followed the medical history. What I do know is that Knight had a severe injury where he was making gestures that he was in really bad pain. He had to be helped off the court because he couldn't do it on his own. Knight is a starting for the Bucks for sure. It is just a matter of how soon he can return as a player. Before the injury I noticed that Knight looked different. He appeared to be much bigger and stronger. If what some of the other posters say is true that Detroit could have signed Jennings without making that trade to include Middleton, then Joe Dumars needs to explain his logic. This looks like another gift which Joe is good at. When will Dumars get a return gift from one of the NBA teams? The laws of Karma dictates that good things will come from doing what Joe has done so many times. Maybe that is how we got lucky with Drummond.

[deusXango]

Oracle, there is only one of you, and I love ya', really I do. Who else can take an argument and turn it inside out; what's not to love?  

I know that a PG wasn't one of Milwaukee's main needs, because they weren't trying to trade for one, resign one, or otherwise acquire one; their interest in Jennings had totally gone up in smoke. What John Hammond needed was to shore up his bench and get a hot shooting SF to compliment the abundance of big men they have in Milwaukee. Enter Joe Dumars, staggering drunk off sweet cream and greasy dough, suffering with delusions of grandeur, brought on by the recent signing of Josh Smith (which could be viewed as a coup), and offered Hammond just what he was looking for; a tremendous upgrade for an unwanted player. If Joe had signed Jennings, outright, to the $24 million contract, do you think the Bucks would have matched it? Honestly?!

I thought Joe was the only one that didn't know combo guards aren't starting material on championship contending teams, but I was wrong; I believe that Hammond is to be counted among those that know, so in the days to come, look for Knight to play a significant role for the Bucks coming off the bench. By the way, that's the role I wanted him to play in Detroit if Joe had drafted Trey Burke (which was a long shot before draft night) or Michael Carter-Williams; I favored Knight over Stuckey at the time, because of youth, salary, and Stuckey's past practice of showing his ass. I posted that many times.

You're right Oracle, vagabond is too strong of a word to apply to Knight, and it's more out of frustration over the turn of events that I used it; IMHO we could have had Knight, Middleton, and Jennings if Joe's mojo was truly working!! I know that this team would be more polished with those guards in the fold. Time is the teller of all facts, so time will tell what value Knight has when he returns from his unfortunate injury, but right now we can see the gradual development of Khris Middleton. More importantly, we can see the development of Stuckey in the role of a prominent bench player; this I'm personally glad to see.

[Oracle]

Brandon Knight is a player who I had no problem with as a person, but his combo game was redundant and I didn't like that. I've always felt that there was no place for combo guards in a starting lineup (an elite SG with PG skills is not a combo guard, like Kobe, DWade, or Harden), but they make excellent 6th men, or first guard off a bench. I watched Stuckey drag this team down, as a starting combo guard trying to play PG exclusively, then along comes Knight, with a new and different set of problems; neither one of those guys were at fault for the position they found themselves in (young men trying to make a name for themselves are blinded by the "wisdom" of old dogs, like Joe Dumars), and now Knight is beginning to turn into a basketball vagabond. That's a shame. In spite of what Hammond had to say about Knight being the PG he was looking for, I have the feeling he wanted Middleton all along and Knight was a throw-in, much like Kravstov. Think about it; the best SG/SF the Bucks had was Carlos Delfino, who has a career history of being injured, most of the time, and his shot is not as sweet as Middleton's. I think Middleton is being groomed to start and Knight is being groomed to do for the Bucks, what he didn't want to do for the Pistons and that's come off the bench.

Who can remember when we traded with Cleveland for Kenny Carr and Laimbeer was the throw-in? We didn't want Carr, we wanted Laimbeer and the rest is history.

So a player gets injured and you develop an entire theory surrounding events that happened before he got traded?
 
Knight was the PG before he got hurt, but now you've divined that he never was what they wanted, even though that's what they said, but of course, they don't know what they wanted.
 
Now Knight is a vagabond because why? Your trail of logic lost me somewhere between hobo trains.
 
Wow, maybe they need to call you the Oracle
 
Seriously, that's one strange analysis....

What's next, Trey Burke was a premature vagabond because he got traded before he had an NBA home... can't wait for that theory to evolve

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