Nice............

[FlyDog]

Good point, Oracle; was this a game we were supposed to win? It's tough to say, this early in the season. It seems as though there is a lot of parity in the NBA this season (With the exception of a few great teams). To go on the road and beat a team with a sh*t ton of young talent..........I'm impressed. Although that loooser Drummond could only muster up 11 rebounds. It was great to see Stanley have another good game. And although KCP was quiet (Okay........silent), his +/- figures led the team.

[BallinD]

Go Pistons. Stanley Johnson starting to settle in, just in time. We need him, the bench needs him, and we need the bench.

Reggie Jackson hit his shots, he is great down the stretch, he will learn to share the ball more, but so far it is working, mostly, when he takes it to the hole. Marcus Morris, great game.

Team is Getting Tough Down The Stretch. Intermittent results so far, but it appears to be a Thing!

Let's see if RJ goes hard at John Wall, next up Washington.

[Oracle]

This is what good teams do, beat the teams they should beat, but it did take waking up in the 2nd half! KCP is still struggling, but Wiggins is a load, and big for a shooting guard at 6'8, 3 inches on KCP! Illy came back to earth, but fortunately Morris lit them up!

Better bench play, as Stanley finally goes off. Drummond got his double/double, but low(for him) rebounds!


Good game, and one that we really needed going into another needed win tomorrow against the Wizards!

[Oracle]

@Fly - Yes, Cousins is a real head case, and possibly beyond hope at this point unless the Kings listen to Karl and start getting tough with him. Karl is right because if you don't check this behavior, it never ends well! IMO, it makes no difference if they sit his butt or not, the Kings are going nowhere in the west this year, but by getting tough, it could set a better tone for the coming years. Better yet, they should put out feelers to see what they could get in trade.

@BallinD - Fly mentioned how tough(and stupid) the schedule was, but you bring up a good point! We have to beat the teams we're supposed to beat, even though at this point, it's hard to tell who is who . Tonight's game will be very tough, but our experience makes this one that, IMO, we're supposed to win. Let's see if they can!

@Seb - Yup, we have a real issue once you navigate beyond the starting 5! Unfortunately, that issue affects how well the starting 5 can play. Those 4th quarter finishes requires that the starters are rested properly, but they can't get the rest needed if the bench can't be competitive!

The bench isn't quite as bad as it looks, it just lacks a leader capable of making them look and play better. We truly need Jennings back, but I would like SVG to play both Dinwiddie & Blake, just play Blake for very few minutes!  The bottom line is that we're in deep trouble if the bench can't do better than they did in the Cavs game!

@Cool - You made 3 very good points! The east is a lot better this year, and the Central division alone is beating up the rest of the league by damn near a 2 to 1 rate!

The second point was that these winter games are important! We have to take advantage of teams trying to figure things out while we're also figuring things out!

The third is about chemistry and focus! IMO, we haven't developed any chemistry beyond Reggie & Drummond, and that's been a work in progress. We're operating on talent and experience with some added natural growth, and we should get a lot better once the chemistry sets in. But our focus is terribly off! The silly errors we keep making are all related to in game focus, and while it will get better, it makes winning games until we get there even more important!

Finally, I see this team coming together around the 20 game mark and getting better throughout the rest of the season. Last year, that would have gotten us somewhere near a 4th seed, but this year I see a real dog fight for the 6-8th seed, but nobody can see far enough ahead to make any real assessments.

[cool breeze]

This is going to be a real dog fight Piston fans. Eastern conference teams are much stronger so far. Now the rebuilding is going to take place in the Western conference. What kind of team do the Pistons really have? We will know starting in December when many young team start breaking down due to the tough NBA schedule. I still see weakness in the Piston defense where players are slacking off especially in the painted area. Shooting percentages need to improve which will come if the team buys into sharing the basketball, moving without the ball, playing both sides of the court and just improving on basic FOCUS in recognizing situations on the court. It will be interesting to see how our Pistons match up against some of the young teams like Orlando who have some really athletic and smart players who keep improving every game. There will be no easy games for our Pistons. It will take an all out effort and dedication to get that 8th spot or better. The positive thing Detroit has going is the fact that these players have not played together very long yet the chemistry seems to be there unlike previous seasons. But time will tell as the going gets tougher during the long winter months. Last December is still fresh in my mind where so many players looked as if they didn't really want to play basketball. if Van Gundy starts to see the same type of thing brewing, then I expect he will attempt to impliment change though trades. We may see a much different team in March if this group follows previous Piston teams in recent memory.

[Sebastian]

Pistons Pals: Tonight's game against the Wolves is going to be tough. That team has far more players than do OUR Pistons. The Wolves have the "Second-coming of Kobe" (Wiggins), this boy is getting better with each game. That other youngin', Big Karl Anthony Towns, is a very, very good player and student of the game. Then there's Ricky Rubio and Zach Levine, and even Shabazz Muhammad plays a very active game. They also Gorgui Dieng and Adrian Payne. And, no disrespect to Kevin Martin, this guy can still score.

And, OUR Pistons only have about 5 1/2 guys. WE really need B. Jennings back, as soon as possible. WE need Stanley to breakout. And, I wouldn't hesitate to trade for another guy to back-up at PF spot. I would trade OUR 2016 First Round Pick to Portland for Meyers Leonard, although he did recently suffer a shoulder injury that will have him out for about 3 weeks.

But, my point is if WE had an 85%-version of B. Jennings, an emerging Stanley Johnson, and a guy like Meyers Leonard to back-up at the PF, WE would then be a complete team.

[FlyDog]

So after our early season 6 game west coast swing, we come home to play the defending EC champs. Then we go back on the road. Then home, away, home, away home, away.....................wtf is this crap?

[FlyDog]

Very talented guy. Pretty much single handedly beat the Pistons by knocking down a bunch of contested 3's. Too bad he's a freakin knucklehead. The cheapshot on Horford? What a dooshbag. He will NEVER be the centerpiece on a good team. We'll read about him in 10 or 15 years about how he filed for bankruptcy. Book it.

[BallinD]

Strange how the Pistons beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams. It is the NBA, so there is the On Any Sunday syndrome in play, but...time will tell, if they can start to beat the teams they should beat, which is the mark of a good team.

In the meantime, the process bcontinues. Stay Tuned. I still think they are on target for 47 wins. When Jennings returns, He will push Reggie and I wager that is when he will cross the rubicon of maturity by necessity.

We need Stanimal. I still say he is the wild card.

Is Hopla starting to pay dividends? He may wanna focus more on Stanley and KCP. We need help on the wing.

[Phil-Good]

Don't know how Detroit won but they did and I'm happy about it. Not much else to say about this game. Good to see Jackson make fast decisions with the basketball in his hands. Drummonds will be the starting Center in the Eastern Conference All Star Game. Van Gundy is using his bench now. I'm happy to see that.


PS... Cleveland over paid in A major way for Kevin Love. Giving away Andrew Wiggins LOL! Bad move.

Add NY to the list of teams that got the 2015 NBA Draft correct. That 7'3' Euro kid looks amazing!

[merc]

Old Piston Farts Coming Back...

[Oracle]

If you had me look at this Piston team (Who I predicted to go 39-43, I think), and analyze the schedule, I'd be thrilled with a 6-5 start.  And I am.

C'mon, WTF.  9-2?  With this roster?

This start is very important for several reasons!

• We really need to see who the players are because there is likely to be movement at the trade deadline! I love the fact that SVG isn't like Joe, fearing making a change when one is desperately needed. SVG will correct a mistake quickly if possible.
  
• As Fly said, looking at that schedule, it was a murders row of good teams with a 6 game west coast trip to boot! Yeah, I wouldn't like a 5-6 record, but it certainly could have been looked at as a win for this team.
  
• What experiment failed? Steve Blake is #1. If he has any gas left in the tank, it's basically used up after 5 minutes of play! I find it hard to fault him because 5 minutes is likely all SVG originally envisioned for him until Dinwiddie got off to the bad start. I don't want to say Baynes is a mistake yet, but he's getting close. Not so much in what he delivers, but at that price and the poor way his contract is structured. Baynes may yet make good, he is coming off of injury and he does a lot of little things well, so there's hope!
  
• Meeks is one of those dudes that are helpful, but he's never there when you really need help! This cat is hurt to begin every season, and I wonder if he's capable of getting his Johnson out of his pants fast enough before he pees!
  

Beyond all of that, the one thing that I've noticed is that this team has a lot more heart and toughness than in the past! These guys truly don't like losing, and they're playing like it!

Win or lose, I'll take that! If you're going to get beat, it's better to let the other guy know he was in a fight instead of laying down like we used to do!

Finally, and this is important: Drummond went into the season saying he was sick and tired of losing and people laughing at the Pistons! He's spouted off about leadership before, and never really provided any!

Not this year, Dre is putting his money where his mouth is! Mosgov used to dominate him in the past... not any more! At some point everybody has to grow up, and Drummond isn't just sending out smoke signals, he's burning the damn house down with this torrid start he's having!

Go get'um Dre!!!

[FlyDog]

If you had me look at this Piston team (Who I predicted to go 39-43, I think), and analyze the schedule, I'd be thrilled with a 6-5 start. And I am.

C'mon, WTF. 9-2? With this roster?

[Oracle]

I figured they would pull this game off before they even played.  This team is still so much an enigma that you could quote Mrs Gump that "Life is like a box of chocolates"

While it was nice to see Reggie's 12 assist I still cringed at the fact he's takes far too many shots for a PG(He absolutely does take more shots than you would expect, but he's connecting better than anybody outside of Illy when he's on, so until the others step up, I'm cool with the way he's shooting).  I still think the team look more under control with Dinwiddie on the court and that if he ever truly find his comfort level and confidence he can have a career along the lines of Miller and Billups more so to that of Miller (Miller would be a good analogy! Dinwiddie is still inexperienced, even though he has a more veteran game, he needs more PT, not less).  

IMO as of right now the team should better than the 6-5 and I agree it sounds a lot better than 5-6.  This team should be 8-3 hell maybe even 9-2 but I have to contribute at least 4 of these losses to a combination of SVG coaching and Reggie's erratic leadership from the PG position.  (Both are learning the team)

Okay I have to get back on my KCP displeasure because he offense is too inconsistent and still don't like his shot selection.  For the thousandth time he's not a shooter he's a freaking scorer and he should always be attacking the basket. Okay his handles stinks as well and that might be the issue in why he happily settles on shooting 3's. Honestly would love to see him attack the basket in the Bull Mannerism Stuckey use to do oppose to going 0-6 or 7 on freaking 3 attempts.   (Here's where I have a difference, explained below)

Okay they got this win now they need a mini 4 or 5 game win streak.  (Oh hell yeah!!!)

I'm sure everybody's noticed the difference in KCP & Morris!

Well, both are suffering from the same problem... way too many minutes!!! Both are in the top minutes for a player in the league!

When the season started they were fresh and the numbers both were putting up were stellar! After getting worn down because the bench sucked, both of their numbers went down drastically!

Is KCP a scorer? Hell yeah, but he's forced to shoot 3's because that's mostly what he's getting in the flow of this offense! The paint is reserved for Reggie, Drummond, and sometimes Morris! If he goes there on most designed plays, he would disrupt the Pistons offense, so he does that on broken plays of fast breaks.

IMO, he(KCP) has two problems, being over played and the way the offense is run. I hate to say it, but he needs more rest and to just learn to shoot the 3 better because I don't think the offense will change, and until the bench steps up, rest may not be coming!

What I circled in red below has to change ASAP!!!

[WTF]

I figured they would pull this game off before they even played. This team is still so much an enigma that you could quote Mrs Gump that "Life is like a box of chocolates"

While it was nice to see Reggie's 12 assist I still cringed at the fact he's takes far too many shots for a PG. I still think the team look more under control with Dinwiddie on the court and that if he ever truly find his comfort level and confidence he can have a career along the lines of Miller and Billups more so to that of Miller.

IMO as of right now the team should better than the 6-5 and I agree it sounds a lot better than 5-6. This team should be 8-3 hell maybe even 9-2 but I have to contribute at least 4 of these losses to a combination of SVG coaching and Reggie's erratic leadership from the PG position.

Okay I have to get back on my KCP displeasure because he offense is too inconsistent and still don't like his shot selection. For the thousandth time he's not a shooter he's a freaking scorer and he should always be attacking the basket. Okay his handles stinks as well and that might be the issue in why he happily settles on shooting 3's. Honestly would love to see him attack the basket in the Bull Mannerism Stuckey use to do oppose to going 0-6 or 7 on freaking 3 attempts.

Okay they got this win now they need a mini 4 or 5 game win streak.

[Oracle]

The Pistons were TOTALLY on the ropes, down by 13, then something happened... COMEBACK!

We needed this one in the worst way, going to 6-5 sounds a hell of a lot better than 5-6!

Drummond 25 points 18 rebounds, another so, so night

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

I hope so, I'd love to ride on either of these ladies "Little Red Wagon"

[cool breeze]

Turns out that all you needed was a point guard to destroy the Lakers. Knight, who's only 23 years old, dropped a 30 point, 15 assist, 10 rebound and 4 steal game on the Lakers... WOW!!! They obviously have taken to the kid in Phoenix, as that play the theme from the Dark Knight when he scores!

After every shot made by Brandon Knight, Talking Stick Arena played a piece of the theme from “The Dark Knight” for their aptly named young talent.

And in a 120-101 win over the Lakers, Knight was truly Batman to everyone else’s Robin, as he went off for his first-ever triple-double, with 30 points, 10 rebounds and an career-high 15 assists.

Knight, who shot 11-of-23 and also swiped four steals, was Phoenix’s motor in its 40-point fourth quarter, which turned a five-point lead into a 19-point victory.

Knight became the first player this season with a 30-point triple-double. He joined Bledsoe (twice) as the only Suns since 2006 with a triple-double

SVG's Offense: While a lot of us have questions about, not the amount of 3 point shooting so much, but the reliance on it, Wise and myself have been very vocal about it for a long time. I happen to catch this article that talks about some of the concerns.

The question here, however, has less to do with Andre Drummond than it does the 1-in/4-out philosophy as a whole.  Power forward was the weakest link in Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic, and when the 3-point shots weren't falling, Howard didn't have the offensive game to put the team on his back and score with possession of the ball.  Conversely, when Orlando's competition had a big body with a low center of gravity at the 5, keeping Howard away from the basket made the Magic rely on jump shots to win games.  Again, Howard didn't have the offensive game to isolate or post-up around interior defenders, so the offense fell to jump shots from the other four.

The traditional recipe for championship contenders sticks to the 2-in/3-out formula that represents just about every winner in recent NBA history.  The "2-in" usually includes a defensive specialist and a scorer, from Gasol to Bynum, Garnett to Perkins, Wallace to Wallace.  Every once in a while, you get that one special player who can do both -- guys like Shaq and Duncan.  Around these guys, however, their frontcourt counterparts were largely traditional. Is there any good reason to try the 1-in/4-out in Detroit, given the outcome in Orlando and the traditional recipe for froncourt success?

The analysis of Drummond is particularly on point(Problem Number One: Andre Drummond is Probably Not a 1-in Type of Center), and agrees with my observation of his minutes covering up other issues. But the stunning thing is the comparison with Howard, and in one quote, "2007 Dwight Howard is the only player to average 20 points on less than 12 field goal attempts.", that's not Andre!

Then they indict the use of Drummond: "The problem with Drummond's offensive efficiency is his usage. He's been handed too large a role in the offense, and the team is making poor use of possessions as a result.". SVG has some adapting to do, IMO!

I kind of like the solution offered, to play Baynes more with Drummond, and use his midrange shooting, which Monroe didn't have, to provide additional space. However, wasn't that what Illy was supposed to do, but unfortunately, by choice or design, he rarely plays anywhere near the post, generally camping out beyond the 3 point line.

The conclusion is a bit harsh as everybody gets torched, and it sounds like a rant from Wise, but at this point in the season, it's also a fair assessment of what we see unless/until they do better: "In total, Detroit has an inconsistent offensive leader, a miscast centerpiece and a pair of overused wing players that both probably belong on the bench."

It's a long article, and well worth a read - Stan Van Gundy's blueprint shows shaky foundation

I watched that game involving Brandon Knight vs the Lakers. I am still bitter about Dumars trade that many posters here thought Joe was doing the right thing. Posters continued to rag on Knight saying "he will never be a point guard". "He can't run a team". "Why did Detroit waste a draft pick on Knight?" Remember all that nonsense Oracle? Meanwhile nobody was noticing who Knight was playing with in the front court at the time. Maxiell and Monroe couldn't run a pick and roll play to save their asses and they couldn't defend anyone in the paint. But the focus was on Knight who said after his rookie season that he was going to work hard over the summer and become an elite defender. Sure enough he was an elite defender the following year while his teammates (with the exception of Middleton) took another season off. It was time to fire another coach and get rid of bad players like Knight and Middleton. Joe had seen enough but still kept pushing his new coaching staffs to somehow fit Daye into the mix. Joe worked hard selecting soft defensive minded guards and Jennings fit the bill. Middleton was showing too much skill on defense and might compete for playing time with Joe's favorites so yes Middleton can be included in Joe's blockbuster trade.

Thank the dear Lord we are in a new era where we don't have to depend on Dumars crystal ball and players are at least giving a strong effort each game. Fans please come back to the Palace and support this Piston team.

[cool breeze]

During the last game, opposing announcers talked a lot about Andre Drummond's free throw shooting style. They had the camera man do close ups of Andre before he releases the ball. It was clear that Drummond doesn't get his thumb under the basketball. It appears that his hand is flat with the thumb on the side of the ball and there is zero finger tip control while the entire stroke has too much motion. In the old days we were taught that the finger tips especially the thumb, first and middle fingers were critical in establishing a proper base. Even playing in college, we were encourage to do a lot of finger tip push ups to help build strength and control when releasing the basketball on free throws and jump shots. Also, it is critical to get the opposite hand off the ball before your release the shot. Our Pistons now have an expert shooting coach on the staff. What in hell is happening? After the embarrassing season Andre had last year, one would think that he would have been shooting not hundreds but thousands of free throws each day over the long summer. Drummond is athletic and strong. Drummond at times seems to be releasing the basketball with both hands. It is clear that he has no idea what is going to happen before he attempts the free throw. Nobody in this world could make free throws using Drummond's technique. Either Van Gundy's shooting coach is inept, or Drummond is not a coachable player relating to free throw shooting. We saw it with Josh Smith who is also very athletic and has no excuse for not making a higher percentage at the line. It has to be lack of practice, poor coaching, or a mental block where the player cannot relax and focus and tune out everything but what the player has learned through hours and days of hard practice.

Van Gundy cannot keep playing Drummond like he has if he expects to win more basketball games. Nothing is changing relating to Drummond's free throw shooting. When Drummond does make free throws, to me he is lucky because he lacks confidence because of poor technique and lack of hard work. Drummond must feel embarrassed when opposing teams intentionally foul him. Imagine yourself being talked about as the franchise player who keeps losing ball games because you have a huge weakness in an area where many Jr High players have already mastered the skill required to make free throws.

Because of Andre's impact in other areas of the game, if I were the opposing coach, I would introduce the Hack a Drummond game plan at the beginning of the game and not stop until the rules come into play. How can a team get in a rhythm on the offensive end if opponents foul Drummond on every possession? During this past road trip, teams have been doing it a lot whenever Detroit gets a good run going.

We can talk all we want to about how our starting point guard fails to use both sides of the court on offense, but other teams have identified the Pistons Achilles heal for sure.

[Oracle]

Turns out that all you needed was a point guard to destroy the Lakers. Knight, who's only 23 years old, dropped a 30 point, 15 assist, 10 rebound and 4 steal game on the Lakers... WOW!!! They obviously have taken to the kid in Phoenix, as that play the theme from the Dark Knight when he scores!

After every shot made by Brandon Knight, Talking Stick Arena played a piece of the theme from “The Dark Knight” for their aptly named young talent.

And in a 120-101 win over the Lakers, Knight was truly Batman to everyone else’s Robin, as he went off for his first-ever triple-double, with 30 points, 10 rebounds and an career-high 15 assists.

Knight, who shot 11-of-23 and also swiped four steals, was Phoenix’s motor in its 40-point fourth quarter, which turned a five-point lead into a 19-point victory.

Knight became the first player this season with a 30-point triple-double. He joined Bledsoe (twice) as the only Suns since 2006 with a triple-double

SVG's Offense: While a lot of us have questions about, not the amount of 3 point shooting so much, but the reliance on it, Wise and myself have been very vocal about it for a long time. I happen to catch this article that talks about some of the concerns.

The question here, however, has less to do with Andre Drummond than it does the 1-in/4-out philosophy as a whole.  Power forward was the weakest link in Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic, and when the 3-point shots weren't falling, Howard didn't have the offensive game to put the team on his back and score with possession of the ball.  Conversely, when Orlando's competition had a big body with a low center of gravity at the 5, keeping Howard away from the basket made the Magic rely on jump shots to win games.  Again, Howard didn't have the offensive game to isolate or post-up around interior defenders, so the offense fell to jump shots from the other four.

The traditional recipe for championship contenders sticks to the 2-in/3-out formula that represents just about every winner in recent NBA history.  The "2-in" usually includes a defensive specialist and a scorer, from Gasol to Bynum, Garnett to Perkins, Wallace to Wallace.  Every once in a while, you get that one special player who can do both -- guys like Shaq and Duncan.  Around these guys, however, their frontcourt counterparts were largely traditional. Is there any good reason to try the 1-in/4-out in Detroit, given the outcome in Orlando and the traditional recipe for froncourt success?

The analysis of Drummond is particularly on point(Problem Number One: Andre Drummond is Probably Not a 1-in Type of Center), and agrees with my observation of his minutes covering up other issues. But the stunning thing is the comparison with Howard, and in one quote, "2007 Dwight Howard is the only player to average 20 points on less than 12 field goal attempts.", that's not Andre!

Then they indict the use of Drummond: "The problem with Drummond's offensive efficiency is his usage. He's been handed too large a role in the offense, and the team is making poor use of possessions as a result.". SVG has some adapting to do, IMO!

I kind of like the solution offered, to play Baynes more with Drummond, and use his midrange shooting, which Monroe didn't have, to provide additional space. However, wasn't that what Illy was supposed to do, but unfortunately, by choice or design, he rarely plays anywhere near the post, generally camping out beyond the 3 point line.

The conclusion is a bit harsh as everybody gets torched, and it sounds like a rant from Wise, but at this point in the season, it's also a fair assessment of what we see unless/until they do better: "In total, Detroit has an inconsistent offensive leader, a miscast centerpiece and a pair of overused wing players that both probably belong on the bench."

It's a long article, and well worth a read - Stan Van Gundy's blueprint shows shaky foundation

[Oracle]

Look, I have no doubt that he can "Get it", the question is WHEN??? After this performance, he should be clued in and fully focused on what the hell is going on!

Reggie runs into trouble, he doesn't even try to avoid it, thinking that he's Houdini, and will magically escape. And what's with this dribbling behind his back in traffic being molested by two dudes??? He's turning the ball over trying to be too damn slick!

The sadness of this approach, as many of you have noted is that the contrast between how he ran the team and how Dinwiddie did it!

IMO, Wise was close, SVG is the problem too, almost identically the way Joe was! SVG ordained Reggie & Drummond as the two headed offense for this team, so I guess Reggie decided to do what his coach has been selling, and limit most plays to either him or Drummond!

BTW, Drummond is scheduled for burnout because to keep his numbers up, and the press coverage coming, they try to keep him on the court as much as possible, even after he has his double/double in the first half!

SVG can blame them if he wants, but he's got to get better as well, which is not unusual, it takes about 20 games to settle in on both sides of the ball.

The biggest concern is that you don't lose too many games while you work out the kinks! BTW, Don wrote a very good post, and to my surprise, not one single all caps paragraph! Great to see you posting again Don!!!

[WTF]

I've been only questioning Reggie since the start of the season and nothing has changed thus far. Can he beocme a floor leader? Perhaps but he is nothing close to a floor leader at this stage and we cough up a lot of loot.

Reggie need to channel his inner Zeke or Chauncey I don't care which one at this point but a PG has no business putting up 18-20 shots in a game period at least not at the rate Jackson does it. This team had an opportunity to win at least 4 games of this road trip and beside the abundance of miss 3's being a factor in loses so has the ugly play of our PG.

I agree winning makes some blind to a lot of things, hell we might even knock off the Cavs tonight but the problem at PG will remain the same until this cat gets it in his head that leading is sometimes directing others.

It's not all Reggie, SVG gets some of the fault as well because he needs to get his PG under control. Hell he needs to get the offense as a whole under control because this team has jump shot its way out of 2 possible wins.

I agree that Dinwiddie is a better floor leader than all of them, he's not going to put up shiny numbers but he will direct the team and the game will flow better IMO!

[lemonpen]

Why were so many Piston fans upset when Joe Dumars made that trade with the Bucks giving up Knight and Middleton for Jennings? Many of us knew from history that teams seldom win in the playoffs with point guards who are weak defensive players and shoot first on offense. Reggie will have his incredible scoring nights like we have seen this season. But when he is on the floor everyone knows what is going to happen. You need more than a two man show between Jackson and Drummond. With Spencer playing we saw good floor spacing with players who seldom touch the basketball suddenly trying harder to get open. Reggie is very young and has potential to become more than he is now. He can learn to focus more on defense when his offensive game sucks. He might learn to look to reverse the basketball more and not over penetrate and dominate the basketball.  
RJ needs his very own Larry Brown.  Woe is us until then.

This was a tough road trip. Hopefully the players have learned something from the loses. The lone bright spot has to be the play of Spencer Dinwiddie last night. He really looks good when he is on the floor with better players. I was more impressed with his great defense and how he was able to get the team in better positions relating to floor spacing. There has been no positive floor spacing on this road trip when Jackson has been on the floor.  
It's only a sample of 1 so far.  I'm looking forward to some consistency.

Andre Drummond is not ready to assume the responsibility he has been given relating to offensive production. He is a work in progress at best at this moment in his career. Andre needs to look first to pass the basketball when he gets it in the painted area. Instead he puts up low percentage off balance shot attempts. And no team will hesitate fouling Andre who is almost a sure miss at the free throw line. That strategy of getting the ball inside for Andre to make his move for a shot is insane coach Van Gundy. You know better. Andre is playing too many minutes. Baines is still not in game shape mostly because he was receiving from injuries in training camp and beyond and now only is getting a few minutes per game. He does many things better than Drummond on defense. He can pass the basketball well and he sets screens for other players.  
I rather see them as a potential outstanding 1-2 punch.

Pope is showing this season that he can get over screens and anticipate better on defense. However, he seems to be the same type of offensive player he was for the last two seasons. He is not consistent on offense. However, much of the time he is playing with Jackson and mostly ends up not touching the basketball for several minutes. He is the 2 guard and the teams needs scoring from that position. Timing is everything and somehow I believe that Pope would be a better all around player with a different type of point guard. Yet sometimes I see that he is not trying hard enough to get open as if he is resigned to being a decoy. For this team to win bigger, we need a better 2 guard and more emphisis buy the coaching staff on getting the 2 guard more involved in the offense.  
No doubt, but I can ride with a guy who continues to make sizeable strides forward.

Stanley Johnson is seeing teams for the first time right now. He is a quick learner and I expect he will be a much more consistent player on offense as the season moves forward. As of now, he still might be the best defender on the team. And considering the skill players, Spencer Dinwiddie might be the second best defender with KCP coming in third. Notice in this last game, Johnson had 4 fouls called against him and I thought 3 of them could have gone the other way. Dinwiddie did not allow dribble penetration. He is a smart player who has received the short end of the stick so far by Van Gundy. I don't look forward to the return of Brandon Jennings unless Jennings has somehow changed his mental outlook relating to playing defense. We could use his shooting playing the 2 guard though that is if he can defend any 2 guards.
Regarding Johnson, I see a ROOKIE, making rookie mistakes.  He can't out run-jump-bully everyone at this level and is having to make adjustments.  That isn't a bad thing though.  SVG seems fully willing to live through the learning curve.

Morris looked like the same guy on this road trip that earned him a lot of bench time when he played for the Suns. The West coast teams know his weaknesses. However, overall, I am pleasantly surprised what he has brought to the team. He is just not a prime time NBA small forward who one would see on a really good team. Hopefully, Stanley Johnson can be that man eventually.  
There is nothing like a little competition to bring out the best.

We all have to admit that our Pistons were for the most part NOT fun to watch. The movement was not there on offense. The players played lazy mentally on both ends. This team is young so we need to stay patient and hope they have more in their hearts than players had in the recent past. Also, when will we fans get to see players who have the guts and focus to step up to the free throw line and make those easy shots???? Our Pistons lost 3 games on this road trip because of horrible free throw shooting and the inability to draw more fouls. There is nothing that kills team chemistry more than having players who get the ball in prime time end up missing free throws.
No truer words.

[lemonpen]

In the movie White Men Can't Jump do you remember the line by Rosie Perez,
"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and when you lose you really win"
I felt like last nights Laker loss was really a win.  A big win.

We've noticed for a while now how poorly the offense flowed with RJax at the helm.  But, like the saying goes winning covers a lot of stink.  I believed we were blessed to have Spencer D provide the type of contrasting play that exposed this problem to the brightest spotlight.  We watched two completely different Pistons teams with a simple exchange of point guards.  Not once but several times in the span of 2 quarters.  

I think Spencer provided a pretty clear view of how smoothly, intelligently and connected our offense CAN operate with a less dominant floor leader.   Can we fairly judge the performance of the other starters when RJax is playing this selfishly.

It appears that everyone except Reggie “gets it”.   Wonder if that will change after last nights benching.

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