Pistons hold 76'ers to 32 points in the 1st quarter

[Oracle]

I say hold because with the defense they were playing, it could have been 50!!!

[BallinD]

This should be a good game to see some of our spare parts. Hilliard, Ellensen, Silent G, SJ.

[Oracle]

I hope SVG spreads the opportunity around! I haven't seen enough of Silent G, but when he did get minutes, he looked good.

But I totally agree that Ellenson looks like the real deal, and should get an extended look.

Look, Stanley had his chance and he's blown it. He'll get another chance, but the next in line is Hilliard first, then either Silent G or Ellenson. We likely could use another SG more than another PF unless SVG gets smart and does the following.

1. Move Harris to SF... PERIOD.
2. Start Leuer and send Morris to 6th man of the year honors
3. Use Hilliard and Silent G as the backup SG's

IMO, Harris can really dominate at the SF position and Leuer is ideal for today's PF slot. The bonus is that we get to develop promising youngsters to be ready to help in the playoffs.

Speaking of Stanley, we may need to fly Don in for an intervention if you read his twitter feed. The dude may be becoming unhinged... that basement floor comment was after he found out he was going to the D-League. I guess he's too good for that!


Word to the wise Stanley, don't bend over if you see both a Rod and a Staff, unless you're rolling that way now

I think the worst thing those twitter remarks show is that he hasn't learned his lesson yet, which is a bad indicator, character wise. Even Jennings went to the D-League and didn't complain!

D-League Update:

Stanley Johnson turns into D-League Dynamo, posting 26 points, five rebounds and four assists!

Every journey begins with the first step, good work young man!

[deusXango]

Oracle, this is totally unexpected but, when the coach has the power of Team President, this is what "produce/perform or something will be done" looks like. I had brought to mind another highly touted 6' 6" forward, who was a high draft pick, in Shabazz Muhammad, when I watched the Timberwolves last night; in their youth movement, Lavine and Wiggins has exposed Muhammad for what he is....over-rated. I guess every team in the NBA has at least one of that type on their roster but, for every mediocre, over-rated draft pick, there's an over-looked jewel also. Could that be our own Henry Ellenson, Michael Gbinije, or Darrun Hilliard? Could it be all of them??!! To your point Oracle:

"I know Don really wants him to succeed and that's his good purpose, but it's really bad for Stanley's development to ignore the visible truth. Such is the love of a mother that sees everyone out of step except her child."
-Oracle

How thick or thin will SVG spread "opportunity" among his young guns, or will he just go with "anointing due to popularity?" I've also noticed that the Pistons are quietly getting to be very dangerous, on both ends of the floor, and it's due to hard work, trusting the coach, teammates, and following orders.

Rodney Stuckey, the current backbone of the Pacers...oh how we loved him! Glad he's gone and don't want him back.
Greg Monroe, the offensive monster in the paint for the Bucks...some still want him in a Detroit uniform, even though the feelings weren't mutual. Glad he's gone and really don't want him back (why take the spotlight off Dre's lack of defense, and undeserved contract?).

GO PISTONS!!!

[Oracle]

@Wise - My problem with that trade is that it kicks off their youth movement and stops ours dead cold in the water! I could only justify that move if it was a clear win now move, and it clearly doesn't put us over the top.

@DX - Nothing wrong with asking because Stanley is indeed in the toilet! However, I do believe he will emerge as a solid core piece of this team. If you look at him, he has the tools to be very interesting, and what we saw was real, it's just a work in progress.

Fortunately SVG is using this lapse in his game to get better control over him and reign him in from the big head guys like Don keep giving him. If SVG kept gifting him minutes for phantom plays like Don keeps seeing, we would wind up with another Stuckey.

I know Don really wants him to succeed and that's his good purpose, but it's really bad for Stanley's development to ignore the visible truth. Such is the love of a mother that sees everyone out of step except her child.

@Don on the Game: Yes, everyone played well, but the headlines hide the three players that really broke this one open and delivered the blowout win, that honor goes to our two assist leaders, and our backup center.

But with Ish Smith dishing – all six of his assists came in that five-minute stretch – and Jon Leuer running the floor and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope causing defensive havoc and Aron Baynes setting rib-rattling picks and clogging up the lane on defense and Tobias Harris dropping 3-pointers, the Pistons closed the quarter on a 13-3 run over the last three minutes. And then opened the fourth quarter with another 7-0 spurt to seal a satisfying 117-90 win.

Ish getting all of his mind boggling 6 assists in only 5 minutes was huge!

KCP was very disruptive defensively, and was our total assist leader with 7.

And Baynes, who no one could accuse of being graceful and fleet of foot, continues to do the little things that cause opposing teams problems.

Yes, the big names got deserving credit, but it was only SVG and the Pistons site that appeared to focus in on the other key elements of a good win.

People say that the Wolves are struggling, which is true, but they have a history of giving us problems, and Andre has generally performed poorly against so called better bigs. That hasn't been the case lately as he's been putting his stamp on the best bigs in the game and making a case that he needs to be considered as one of the better bigs in the game!

[cool breeze]

Andre Drummond has now played really well for 3 games in a row. The chemistry with Drummond and his teammates is outstanding. Leuer comes in towards the end of the 3rd quarter and was on his game like I have never seen him play. He was ready, alert, and quick to the ball on the defensive boards. Then he ran the court hard and got open under the basket or just inside the free throw line and was a dead eye shooter. Harris played well all night long. Jackson looked like the old Reggie in the 2nd half. This was just an all around ass kicking by our Piston players. Great job!

[deusXango]

Watching the game the other night, I wondered if Stanley Johnson could be our 21st century's Marvin Williams. Aside from the height differences, there are so many similarities, from their draft hyperbole to the sad arc their careers seem to be paralleling.

[WTF]

From the one and only Headlines & Global News:

Now, NBA trade rumors are spreading that a proposed trade deal between the Pacers and Pistons that involves 5 players and future picks is now on the trading table waiting to be discussed. Trade scenario is suggesting as follows:

1. The Detroit Pistons will acquire Paul George and Monta Ellis from the Pacers;
2. The Indiana Pacers will then receive Tobias Harris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson plus Detroit's 2017 unprotected 1st, 2018 2nd and 2019 unprotected 1st draft picks

If that seems like insane garbage, it’s because it is. The original source is from the infamous nba-trade-rumors.com.

Yes and no.  Yes to getting George, but no too Ellis.  Nice if we get George for KCP and Harris we keep our picks and they toss in Robinson. They have SJ for a bad of chips.

[Oracle]

From the one and only Headlines & Global News:

Now, NBA trade rumors are spreading that a proposed trade deal between the Pacers and Pistons that involves 5 players and future picks is now on the trading table waiting to be discussed. Trade scenario is suggesting as follows:

1. The Detroit Pistons will acquire Paul George and Monta Ellis from the Pacers;
2. The Indiana Pacers will then receive Tobias Harris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson plus Detroit's 2017 unprotected 1st, 2018 2nd and 2019 unprotected 1st draft picks

If that seems like insane garbage, it’s because it is. The original source is from the infamous nba-trade-rumors.com.

[Oracle]

Don, how many bad plays does a player get in a single game before you declare that they have a low BBall IQ?

Just wondering...

[Oracle]

They rose because you were wrong then and you're even more wrong now!

So you want to take credit for thinking you're right about them being inconsistent, and it's a different team playing now?

I'll leave it to the logic Gods to sort that logic out...

I said it and I'll say it again that there is no proven consistency with this team.  Okay they have the what the expert say the 2nd toughest schedule in all the NBA,  they lost their starting PG for the firsts 20 plus games so being .500 was an accomplishment in itself but I don't see great improvement from last season to this one.  

They have a stretch of 3 games and they look like world beaters then they'll stink to high heaven the next 2 or 3 games.  I would like to see this team win more, i will like to hear less excuses and more consistency.  I guess we were turds for so long that many of you forgot what it was like when we were contending year in and year out.  

This team don't know how to pick up the slack when a player or 2 is having an off night.  Players on the team don't know how to recognize when they're having a bad night offensively and step their game up in other areas.  Not that I recall many nights that Zeke, Joe, Bill and the rest of the gang had bad nights but CB, Rip, Tay, Sheed, and Dice would be a perfect example because they played smart enough that they could overcome bad shooting nights but not this bunch.  

When this team can show me a double digit win streak at least twice in the season, have a road record above .500 then I'll believe they've turn the corner, flip the script or what every positive spin many want to give this small moments of success.   If this team isn't careful they might fall back into the lottery. After last year success we should not be talking about a lot of the things we talked about last season IMO.

[WTF]

Here's another thing that bothers me is that we should have at least one player statistically in the top 30 in scoring. Our top scorer sits currently at #47 with a scoring average of 16.7. Maybe Reggie can be that guy that gets us 20 plus every night but I just never wanted that from a PG, Harris needs to be at 20 plus and it would be nice if KCP was closely behind Harris. It would be extra nice nice if we got 20 plus a night from Andre. I mean I would love it if Andre numbers offensive looked like Da Brow hell or even Cousins. Really his numbers should look like those number considering the dollars he's making I'll say we're on the wrong end of the deal he just signed.

Seems were settling with so so stats from certain players. You know every other day I play with the trade machine and wish upon a star for a star. If the standings look about the same for entire league come the end of January we need start thinking trades. I'm sure other team will be if they're sitting below or barely above .500 struggling to keep a play off spot.

Our playoff spot should be solidified even today the only thing we should be talking about is if we finish 4th or 5th. I think its fair to think that way not like we're in the West that it might be asking too much. I was willing to give up Moose for Cousin, I think if things stay the same I might be will to give Andrea for Cousin. Can I have Cousin and Walls instead of Reggie and Andrea.

[WTF]

Say's a lot when you're close in MVP voting. I just feel something special is going to happen with the Lions this season not proclaiming Super Bowl but anything possible. I can see a conference final for my Lions.

Just having Stafford currently sitting at number 4 in MVP voting right there with Brady is special in itself way to go!!!! Change of heart forget just getting 2 of the last 4 I want all 4 games and then some!!!!!

[WTF]

I said it and I'll say it again that there is no proven consistency with this team. Okay they have the what the expert say the 2nd toughest schedule in all the NBA, they lost their starting PG for the firsts 20 plus games so being .500 was an accomplishment in itself but I don't see great improvement from last season to this one.

They have a stretch of 3 games and they look like world beaters then they'll stink to high heaven the next 2 or 3 games. I would like to see this team win more, i will like to hear less excuses and more consistency. I guess we were turds for so long that many of you forgot what it was like when we were contending year in and year out.

This team don't know how to pick up the slack when a player or 2 is having an off night. Players on the team don't know how to recognize when they're having a bad night offensively and step their game up in other areas. Not that I recall many nights that Zeke, Joe, Bill and the rest of the gang had bad nights but CB, Rip, Tay, Sheed, and Dice would be a perfect example because they played smart enough that they could overcome bad shooting nights but not this bunch.

When this team can show me a double digit win streak at least twice in the season, have a road record above .500 then I'll believe they've turn the corner, flip the script or what every positive spin many want to give this small moments of success. If this team isn't careful they might fall back into the lottery. After last year success we should not be talking about a lot of the things we talked about last season IMO.

[BallinD]

Back to the future.

Our training camp for the 2016 season is in full swing, trying to figure out how to play with a broke-down Reggie, dribble dribble dribble watch me make a turnover.  (fool's errand.  He should be coming off the bench as we continue to win and he gets his legs.) Freep: Poor Reggie

Meanwhile we shed position in the standings as we lurch toward 2017.  The team looks like it forgot how to play together.  KCP looks lost again, we have become a jump-shooting team (again) without an identity.  No foul calls?? I wonder why??

Our brief foray at sharing the ball (side-to-side, movement w/o the ball) has slowed to a crawl.

SVG (Trouble Man) thought it was a good idea to disrupt our momentum to reserve Reggie's spot in the starting lineup. (Not)

[cool breeze]

Most likely many Piston fans fell asleep during this last game against the Hornets. My recommendation is to record the games and watch them early in the morning before you go off to work. Stan Van Gundy keeps using a short bench with one guy, Jackson, who is not yet in game shape. Is that a smart thing to do on back to back games? Charlotte is not anywhere near as good of a basketball team as they were last season. They played horribly for 3 quarters plus. Detroit should have been ahead by 25 points after the first half and 30 after 3 quarters. Andre Drummond was terrific. Meanwhile, many of the other Piston players kept hitting the front of the rim on those long bombs. Did the Hornets play below average defense? YES they did and could they stop dribble penetration against your grandmother? No way. The Hornets played horribly on both ends. But our Pistons played ever worse. The announcers stated that Detroit really did a great job of limiting the Hornets in scoring for this game. No the Hornets missed wide open looks all night long. It seems that Stan Van Gundy didn't notice that his players with the exception of Harris and Drummond had tired legs. Pope looked as if he couldn't keep his eyes open during his time on the floor. They played hard in a tough game against the Bulls and then had to travel. So what do you do if you are the head coach when the guys you count on suck? Even Hilliard looked tired last night. Why didn't Van Gundy bring in his back up point guard who has been fantastic during Reggie's rehab? What in hell was he thinking? No playing time for Stanley Johnson. I would have even tried Ellenson in this game. It was clear to me that the starting guards couldn't beat a high school team last night. How many air balls did Jackson launch? Why was he even in the game in the 4th quarter? Why not play Reggie 15 minutes or under until he gets in game shape? This loss falls directly on the head coach. Stan needs to fire himself because he gets another F grade for his blundering coaching style for this game. Right now Charlotte is a scrub team but Van Gundy has made the Pistons even worse. But a great wasted effort goes to Drummond and Harris in this game. The coach let you down big time.

[cool breeze]

For the most part I trust Stan Van Gundy's judgment. Yet When he signed Boban to that 21 million dollar 3 year contract I couldn't believe it. My bet is that most Piston fans had zero knowledge of this big man who played mop up minutes for the Spurs. Did Van Gundy ever watch this man play basketball before offering him this incredible gift? Boban cannot play basketball worth a crap and anyone who has watched him perform so far knows that. We are stuck with him and that takes up 7 million dollars a year and limits signing free agents or re signing guys like Baynes. Will Van Gundy now try to make up for that blunder by giving away the Pistons first round pick? There will be some good players available where Detroit will most likely pick this next summer. Will the Pistons now have to sacrifice a first rounder or give up a promising young player they now have to make up for this error in judgement by Van Gundy. What in hell was he thinking of when it came to signing Boban? That must be what Mr. Gores is thinking as well. What I don't want to happen is for Piston management to rid the team of promising young talent to make up for this blunder thinking the fans won't notice. Stan should give up some of his salary so Mr. Gores can play the luxury tax. That would be doing the right thing Stan.

[cool breeze]

You would think that Reggie would start his comeback being a bit conservative and just working on making high percentage passes, setting screens and playing defense. He sets the tone being the starting point guard. I am not buying into this stupidity propaganda that it will take time for Jackson to acclimate being he has missed so much of the season. If you care about the team as a player and leader than you should DO The Right Thing which means you try hard to play fundamentally smart basketball for the time you are on the floor. You do not attempt low percentage long bombs early in the shot clock. You are supposed to organize your teammates to achieve proper floor spacing. The floor spacing was horrible all night long. Who could recognize this Piston team from the team that blew out Charlotte a week ago? Both starting guards played like idiots trying to play hero basketball. The only starters that played the right way in the first half was Drummond and Harris. It was Harris setting screens on offense and working his tail off on defense along with getting into position finding open spots on the floor to shoot the basketball. Andre protected the paint and rebounded along with adding high percentage scoring in the first half as well. The starting guards set the tone for this basketball game in a bad way. The guards are supposed to be the players with the highest basketball IQs of all the starters. Yet they are street type basketball players who seem to never mature and belong in the circus instead of on a quality NBA team. Guys like Leuer were missing shots because their timing was off. Floor spacing and lack of the ability of the guards to run simple offensive plays ruin the timing for the other 3 players. And the lack of interest in defense by the starters was incredible. I saw Pope standing so many times when opponent shots were launched. He stood like a spectator hoping that no Piston fan or coach would be watching.

This was a game where the coaches needed to step in and remove players that were hurting the team. This was the 2nd of a back to back and the starting guards could have the excuse for their horrible play because they just could not muster enough energy to play the game properly. Why is it that this coach along with so many other NBA coaches refuse to change the lineup when obvious inept play has been created by starters? What does the coach have to lose other than those inept starters getting a little pissed off. There has to be accountability if the team is going to ever grow into something special. You can't just sit back and watch guys like Pope failing to box out and attempt to get defensive rebounds when he has no energy to play. Pope and Jackson should be happy to sit on the bench and let the young guys get experience if they care about the team when they suck. Even Morris played weak defense in that game and failed to box out on opponent shot attempts. If the Piston management wants to fill the Palace with fans, then you have to offer a good product. Has the coaching staff thought of that? Detroit fans know basketball. They are not idiots. Fans want to watch players who play smart like Zeke and Laimbeer. They long for the days when even if the Pistons might lose, fans would always see basketball played the right way. I hate street basketball which you see so much of in AAU ball these days. The Pistons looked like an AAU team last night full of 15 year old kids. How many times did we see 3 or 4 passes made at any time in the half court offense? I saw Pope lining up another 3 point shot attempt with 20 seconds to go in the shot clock with his teammates running back from defense after he had blown the 3 point lead for his team in the first quarter by shooting that stupid 3 pointer and missing and allowing Charlotte to go on a fast break. Wouldn't it have been nice to start the 2nd quarter with a 3 point lead KCP? But he was getting his own like Reggie. Who cares about your teammates? Meanwhile, Johnson sits for the entire first half watching the street ballers with complete approval from the head coach. I don't care if the Pistons win or lose games. I want to see the team play the game the right way. If they do that, this team could be in 3rd place in the Eastern conference. Instead they will struggle to make the playoffs and will play a lot of games at the Palace with a lot of empty seats. Great job Stan. No accountability in an important game by the man in charge will encourage more inept low basketball IQ type basketball by the Detroit Pistons. Why not bring back Greg Monroe so we can watch him play defense on the pick and roll plays where he forgets to recover and instead would stand out beyond the foul line and watch his teammates try to get a defensive rebound. How many years did we have to watch that stupidity where the various coaching staffs ignored bad behavior hoping that the fans wouldn't notice? Stan we do notice that you do not believe in accountability for your favorites.

[cool breeze]

Twenty-five seconds left in the first quarter and Detroit gets the rebound with a 3 point lead in an away NBA basketball game against an opponent who is also fighting for a spot in the playoffs. What do you do in that situation if you are Pope dribbling the basketball up the court? Do you take a long 3 point shot with 20 seconds left in the shot clock. You be the judge?

[FlyDog]

KCP's game has taken the biggest hit. Just when it looked like he was starting to bud into a star, Reggie comes back and he's relegated to "Stand in the corner guy".

Hope they get this figured out. Soon.

[Sparma]

Caldwell-Pope and Leuer have a combined 9 assists to PGs Jackson & Smith's 1 late in the 3rd quarter. What the heck?

[Oracle]

NBA.com staff reports
Dec 6, 2016 5:34 PM ET
Just when the Rockets thought the long-running soap opera had ended when they matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet, restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas did not report for a physical Tuesday and now everything is back up in the air.

When the 7-footer signed a $37-million, four-year offer sheet on Friday, he said he’d be happy to play for either the Nets or the Rockets.

“We know our rights,” Motiejunas’ agent B.J. Armstrong told ESPN.com.  “We don't have a problem with the Rockets at all. We understand the rules fully.”

The Rockets can simply wait Motiejunas out and see if he’ll eventually report to the team or they can cancel the offer sheet and return him to the ranks of a restricted free agent.  According to NBA rules, he cannot play for the Nets for one year.

According to league sources, Motiejunas is fighting for his right to remain a free agent and to hopefully sign a larger dealt with another team if the Rockets pull back their offer sheet.
In light of Motiejunas’ recurring back problems and two surgeries over the past two years, the offer sheet from the Nets that was matched by Houston was only partly-guaranteed.

[cool breeze]

Chicago was playing the 2nd of a back to back. The Pistons knew Wade had played the night before. What was Wade likely to do a lot of on offense? Did any of the coaches tell the players who would be playing against Wade and Butler to make sure you don't leave your feet on defense and be ready for the PUMP FAKE? God some of our Piston players played with an extremely low basketball IQ in this game. Detroit builds a big lead and then the officials took over in the 2nd quarter to tighten up the game. But Piston players went for the PUMP Fake over and over. Wade waits and then draws the contact. Butler waits and draws the contact. Chicago shoots 18 foul shots in the first half making 13. Detroit shoots 5 foul shots and makes 3. Then I do not believe the Bulls were called for one foul in the 3rd quarter. Somebody must have told the officials that it appeared the game was being fixed because Chicago is called for 4 quick fouls and they are in the penalty with 8 minutes left in the game.

Hilliard struggled in the first half appearing to have little confidence on offense. Johnson played in a similar fashion and was clearly out of sorts having a lot of rust from lack of playing time. Everything went wrong for Johnson who got no favors from the refs to compound a nightmare type night. Still, I have zero worries about Johnson's long term success. He is a future star in the making although many might think he is a complete failure now. Ellenson and Johnson are the players we will be talking about in a positive way two years from now. Meanwhile, Hilliard comes back in the 2nd half giving a real spark on both ends of the floor. He makes a tough baseline shot and then a big 3 pointer when the Pistons were struggling to score. Hilliard also penetrated and made a difficult pass to Baynes for an easy shot under the hoop.

Andre Drummond played a really good first quarter and I thought this was going to be his night to shine as he actually looked to box out on defense and seemed to be really alert defending the painted area. Then Andre broke down in a big way seldom being in the correct area of the floor on defense and lacking the anticipation needed to play average defense including getting position to grab defensive rebounds. In the end, he had to be taken out because he could only manage to make one free throw on many attempts during the Hack a Drummond moments from the 3 minute mark to 2 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game. Baynes came in and made a big impact. Once Andre gets it all down mentally, the Pistons could be hard to stop. But of course Jackson's impact has changed everything relating to the impact of Drummond on offense. This stupid idea that Jackson and Drummond can be the central focus of the Piston offense in insane. It was very noticeable that this Piston team regresses with Jackson running the show. The floor spacing is horrible. I see at most only one screen being attempted in the half court offense. Every player reverts to street basketball and the dull one on one selfish game. No inside out or side to side passing with screening and player movement. It is always one guy dribbling around to get his shot.

Harris along with Smith were the heroes of this game. Harris matched up against Butler in the 4th quarter and did a really good job. And he made a really tough baseline jump shot after penetrating that was huge in the 4th.

Pope was the guy I thought would have a great game last night thinking that the Bulls would be really tired and Pope would be running his butt off on offense around screens and making that 10 foot jump shot. But Pope possibly because Jackson was so dominate seldom did move much without the basketball. The one play that Van Gundy calls Number 2 and hits his elbow is a play that has worked a lot in previous games. In that play, Pope is standing on the baseline and the point guard is supposed to pass the ball to Pope and then run fast to set a pick for Pope who dribbles around and gets that wide open 10 footer just off the free throw line. They ran it once and Reggie set a horrible pick never really even trying to get to a jump stop but Pope managed to get to his spot and made the shot anyway. That was it for Jackson creating anything for Pope at all. Meanwhile, while the Pistons showed no signs of practicing to stop the Bulls from getting to their sweet spots and of course going for the pump fakes all night long, the Bulls had obviously scouted Pope's weaknesses. HERE IS A MESSAGE TO THE COACHING STAFF. HAS ANYONE WORKED WITH KCP TO GET HIM TO LOWER HIS BODY POSITION WHEN DRIBBLING INTO THE PAINT? Pope has a bad habit of using a high dribble when he is in traffic. You have to pound the basketball more and get your body down to protect the basketball. How many times did Chicago player wait for Pope to dribble into the paint and then slap the basketball away causing another stupid turnover. Now if Pope does that one time that is one time too many as far as I am concerned. But Pope never seemed to learn and kept the high dribble and Chicago took the basketball away time after time. This fundamental mistake can easily be corrected. Credit goes to the Bulls coaching staff and you can bet that other teams will now be waiting for Pope to start his dribble on offense.

I want to see our Pistons help each other more on defense. If a guy like Butler can get to within 6 or 7 feet on the same side of the floor and get off that deadly bank shot, something is really wrong with the overall basketball IQ of this Piston team. That is a sure sign that players are not in the game. Butler was getting to his favorite spot over and over. Butler was able to shoot that bank shot on two possessions in a row and he made both shots easily. Nobody came over to beat Butler to that spot. Again Drummond looked like a lost puppy on defense after the first quarter. Once he decides to become an elite defender, his teammates will have a much easier time and will enjoy playing defense.

One positive goes to the coaching staff and SVG when they did not bring back Reggie with 2 minutes to go in the game. Jackson needs to gradually work his way into game shape both physically and mentally. I did notice that Reggie was really trying to work hard on defense. Keep his minutes down for about a month and re evaluate. When Reggie is on his game, extend his minutes.

Great win against the Bulls! Thanks players.

[deusXango]

Loved the grit shown in last nights game...4th quarter comeback sound familiar? Anyway, after watching Hilliard, who I've been personally pulling for along with Gbinije, I couldn't help but think about what this overload of 6' 6-7" perimeter players brings to the table.

Stanley Johnson: I've had high hopes for this guy since college (after Don brought me up to speed on him) and still believe he has something special to contribute, albeit not right now! He had a better than decent rookie year, considering what he went through personally and an unfortunate injury that marred his on court play; I also believe that he had an undeserved amount of entitlement unfairly foisted on him. Calling him a superstar in a commercial at 19?! Come on, no wonder SVG has had his challenges in coaching SJ up. Hard headedness and over inflated ego is the dark side of being 19-20 years old, especially when one is not exceptionally mature. Stanley is gifted, talented (to an extent) but, immature!

Hilliard and Silent G: Both these young men have the undeserved stigma attached to them of having reached their ceiling simply because they played 4 years in college!! That's some sh!t I'm too old school to fully comprehend. They're viewed as being too old by NBA standards...who set those standards? For every Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, there are at least 10 college players who come into the league and make it entertaining, competitive, and worth paying your hard earned coin to watch. Our 2nd round picks have had to deal with the injury bug as well, and all without a sense of entitlement; they were 2nd round picks, old by NBA standards, and didn't have name recognition. We overlook the fact they're mature, highly skilled, talented, hard workers, and have high basketball I.Q's. I've never heard SVG utter one word about difficulty in practice, or locker room.

Reggie Bullock: The most well rounded of the bunch, once you take into account his veteran status, but talk about "snake bit," he can't stay on the court for sh!t because of the injury bug. He's out now healing from injury.

This is interesting, going forward, as to how this is gonna shake out. I want a team that's kicking ass and taking names, regardless of who's on the roster and in the rotation. This is the most fun I've had in the last 6-7 years, watching the home team play!!!

GO PISTONS!!!

[FlyDog]

Great job by SVG rolling with the bench in the 4th. They got it done. Up 11 under 3 to play.

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