SVG on KCP

[lemonpen]

@Wise - I'd take a chance on AP, as bad as our running game is. BTW, speaking of momentum, I'm just hoping they can beat the Bucks, who have given them trouble this season.

@DX - I think SVG would have to get one hell of a deal to move Reggie now. I'm good with keeping him if Ish can start. Let's face it, if he's better he will have to prove it and take the job back.

SVG on KCP:

I sure would like to see a heapin spoon full of intelligence to go with the big brass balls. A few layups instead of all of the freakin misses might have eliminated the need for heroics. AND1's actually do more damage than bombs.

[Oracle]

@Wise - I'd take a chance on AP, as bad as our running game is. BTW, speaking of momentum, I'm just hoping they can beat the Bucks, who have given them trouble this season.

@DX - I think SVG would have to get one hell of a deal to move Reggie now. I'm good with keeping him if Ish can start. Let's face it, if he's better he will have to prove it and take the job back.

SVG on KCP:

[WTF]

But can they do it consistently and how focus can they remain after ASG and crunch time begins? Will SVG make a change that helps the team by the deadline?

A 6th seed would be nice, in fact that's better than just hoping an 8th seed falls in our lap. Still not on board with landing an 8th seed and feeling good about it. This team is still underachieving big time IMO.

There are some teams that could use Reggie more than we can. Plus Reggie needs to come back down to earth so I propose we ship his ass to the Cavs for whatever they have worth sending. Here's a thought since the Cavs are so convince that they can do their thing without Love how about we find a way to make a trade work Love for Reggie. Just a thought.

Okay Football on the brain today, what the thoughts on Victor Cruz and Adriene Petersen. Seems neither Giants or Vikings want to pay either salary next season don't think it would hurt if we took a look to see if it can work (salary wise). Stafford needs another target and if AP can't stay healthy for an entire season we might fair better next season.

[Oracle]

I swear I don't want to be a RJ hater. He is without a doubt one of the most talented PG's to wear the uni. If he manages to survive the trade deadline I can only hope that like Zeke and Mr. Big Shot Reggie will eventually learn to trust his team, and develop an expertise in pushing his chess pieces into the right spots each and every night.

I like this statement because it's close to how I feel about Reggie. He is very talented, and as Merc said, IMO, he is likely either not healed yet, or covering up an injury!

But this is a no excuses league, and for whatever reason, he's not the best fit at PG for this team, and Ish Smith is!

That doesn't automatically translate into "he needs to be traded", but it does mean that major adjustments are called for. So how do you do this without causing a major drop off in Reggie's value, and at the same time helping him to save face?

Well, the time honored NBA tradition is to either reveal a real injury or FAKE an injury that would account for reduced minutes or lack of starting. This way Reggie saves face and the team gets what it needs.

Would SVG do this? Who knows, but our eyes aren't lying to us, this is an entirely different team with Ish running it, we're way more explosive and almost impossible to guard.

How about KCP last night? He went from goat to hero in a few minutes. A totally brutal 3 point percentage, but he did as he does a lot, hits the big shots.

BTW Ballin, it ain't luck when you put the team on your back and score the final 5 points and one of them is a game winner.

[lemonpen]

I'm not a Reggie Jackson hater, nor am I a big fan any longer; at one time I thought he might bring something special to Detroit, particularly after what James Harden did after leaving OKC, but he's a long way from being one of the top 5-10 PG's in the league. He's simply a damn good backup (on a contender) being paid like a top tier player (a SVG miscalculation). Detroit is not a contender, now, and he's been over-hyped for too long to except playing behind Ish Smith....plus Beno Udrich looks better as a Pistons backup should Smith start, due to a trade of Jackson.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let's look at the big picture instead of the little picture-in-the-picture; we need to dump some salary in the worst way...too many players are being over-paid! KCP is a more valuable player to this TEAM than Reggie, if for no other reason than health, energy, defense, and an improving game; he deserves the contract Reggie's playing under more than Reggie. We can make the playoffs with Smith, albeit we won't go very far; our draft pick will be mediocre and even if we luck up and a coveted player falls to us (i.e. Henry Ellenson) we're trying to build with gambles. I'm almost certain that Jackson and Baynes can reap us a top lottery pick in this years, quality PG top heavy, draft. We should know better than hanging our hopes on a combo guard leading us to the promised land...who honestly believes that Jackson is in the same class as Isiah and Chauncey, or SVG is in the same class as "Daddy Rich" or LB? We're stuck with SVG (who's been there) but, we don't have to be stuck with Reggie. Let's think out the box people.

Holding onto Reggie until the next of never won't improve his trade value as it's diminishing daily, so it's best to trade him before he bottoms out completely; there are some takers now. Everybody hasn't seen how much he not only doesn't fit in Detroit but, he's a severe health risk! Sentiment is a bitch, if you allow it to be. TEAM first.

I swear I don't want to be a RJ hater. He is without a doubt one of the most talented PG's to wear the uni. If he manages to survive the trade deadline I can only hope that like Zeke and Mr. Big Shot Reggie will eventually learn to trust his team, and develop an expertise in pushing his chess pieces into the right spots each and every night.

[deusXango]

I'm not a Reggie Jackson hater, nor am I a big fan any longer; at one time I thought he might bring something special to Detroit, particularly after what James Harden did after leaving OKC, but he's a long way from being one of the top 5-10 PG's in the league. He's simply a damn good backup (on a contender) being paid like a top tier player (a SVG miscalculation). Detroit is not a contender, now, and he's been over-hyped for too long to except playing behind Ish Smith....plus Beno Udrich looks better as a Pistons backup should Smith start, due to a trade of Jackson.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let's look at the big picture instead of the little picture-in-the-picture; we need to dump some salary in the worst way...too many players are being over-paid! KCP is a more valuable player to this TEAM than Reggie, if for no other reason than health, energy, defense, and an improving game; he deserves the contract Reggie's playing under more than Reggie. We can make the playoffs with Smith, albeit we won't go very far; our draft pick will be mediocre and even if we luck up and a coveted player falls to us (i.e. Henry Ellenson) we're trying to build with gambles. I'm almost certain that Jackson and Baynes can reap us a top lottery pick in this years, quality PG top heavy, draft. We should know better than hanging our hopes on a combo guard leading us to the promised land...who honestly believes that Jackson is in the same class as Isiah and Chauncey, or SVG is in the same class as "Daddy Rich" or LB? We're stuck with SVG (who's been there) but, we don't have to be stuck with Reggie. Let's think out the box people.

Holding onto Reggie until the next of never won't improve his trade value as it's diminishing daily, so it's best to trade him before he bottoms out completely; there are some takers now. Everybody hasn't seen how much he not only doesn't fit in Detroit but, he's a severe health risk! Sentiment is a bitch, if you allow it to be. TEAM first.

[Phil-Good]

Mad Props to Mr Ish Smith. It's something to be said about A guy who had to bust his ball to stay in the NBA. The guy always plays hard and always shows how tuff A man he is.

As far as Reggie Jackson goes Pistons fans. Stan has to continue to ride out with Jackson. Stan can't allow Jackson trade value to sink too low by starting Ish. But the writing is on the wall here in Detroit for Jackson. His time will be up very...very soon.

Don't expect A Jackson trade this season. But I don't think he will last past the NBA draft this summer.

Look for the Pistons to draft A PG if they keep this 2017 pick. If A trade goes down Mudey in Denver, Al. Payton in Orlando and D'Angelo Russell in LA are the Pistons top 3 targets. Not in that order.

[BallinD]

So much hinges on SVG and his stubborness if we are to reach the sixth seed, which is within our grasp.  Can he continue to learn to believe his eyes with Ish?  Can he play the best players to give us a chance to win instead of his favorites and his fears?  

BTW: He said he wanted more three point attempts, and KCP (2-12)3P obliged.  It was the last shot that won the game for us.  Good going Stan?? Crazy like a fox, or Dumb and Dumber Gets Lucky??

[merc]

Any Questions?

Great game from Ish tonight.
It would be easy to say why not Ish vs RJ as a starter... can't say they would be wrong.... but I do like SVG's comment about him not being tied to X minutes for each player... if they are not playing well then bring in a reserve to see how he does.
Truth be told RJ will not fetch good trade value if he is demoted to backup )red flags)... there's also the chance that he turns it around.... I not sure he's not covering up an injury.
The trade deadline is the 23rd.

[Oracle]

Any Questions?

[cool breeze]

This wise statement first said back in the time of the early Greeks is still profound. Politics is a good example of how normal people otherwise become fanatics with their political party loyalty shutting down all information that could prove they might be wrong about backing a scoundrel. But this is true of physically gifted basketball players who go to college and learn nothing but still have enough physical gifts to earn high spot in the NBA draft. Currently the NBA has way too many of players who fit the profile of people who never learn what they don't want to know.

We possibly can identify our franchise player, Andre Drummond as fitting this formula. He refused to listen to any of his coaches in college but still managed to get drafted by the Pistons. He is a big powerful man who is extremely athletic so he is called a success now as a NBA player because he has signed a max contract and has some stats to back that image up. He gets a lot of rebounds because he has those two qualities that I have mentioned. He is not a player like Isiah Thomas who actually loved learning how to play basketball the right way and fought hard to improve in every area of the game before he was drafted. He was MVP on a national champion team in his 2nd year of college. He stayed in college and got better between his freshman year and 2nd year as a college player. And he never stopped learning and working on little things throughout his career to get a edge on his competition. He wanted to be one of the best players of all time and he succeeded. Two men who did things the opposite way. One is known to all Piston fans as the best Piston player of all time. We all smile when we think of what he did and how he played. I can't remember anyone I knew who followed the Pistons when Isiah played that talked about possible reasons why management should trade him. No we all respected his work ethic. He was the true franchise player. Just bringing up this information about his character reveals the huge difference between Andre Drummond and Isiah Thomas and their approach to playing basketball. Can you imagine Thomas not wanting to know how to box out opponents in the paint. Would Zeke if he had Andre's body not have worked 100s of hours on all of the techniques known to man relating to how to play defense and recognize situations on the defensive end? If Zeke had Andre's body how many blocks would you believe he would average in regular season games with the time Andre has spend as a starter in the NBA? Would we ever witness Zeke standing and looking at the basket when an opponent shot was being launched like a spectator might do? Would we ever see Zeke not bend his knees and not be moving his feet on defense knowing how weak of a defensive team he was playing on? No Zeke really wanted to be on a winning team. Money was not the prime factor in his life. He hated to be a loser. Andre Drummond played on a losing college team. He had a very difficult time getting along with his coaching staff and basically didn't learn much of anything and for sure didn't help make his team any better. At that time in his life, Andre Drummond just wanted to get in the draft and make some money and he knew some team would draft him in the first round. So now we Piston fans are stuck with this same player who never wanted to learn what he didn't know. That would take too much hard work. Who wants that especially when he has now signed this huge contract. Just shut the mind down and ignore all the critical fans and the coaching staff. He has done it before and most likely will do it until he retires from the sport.

This leads me to Stan Van Gundy and how he has dealt with players like Andre Drummond compared with players like Stanley Johnson. I can't recall at any time over the last two seasons since Van Gundy arrived that he has ever confronted Andre Drummond even before Andre signed his max contract. Drummond needs to lose weight and get in shape to play winning basketball. There is no other player on this team that could make the positive impact Andre could make if he was committed like Zeke was when he signed his rookie contract. Nobody had to even give Thomas tough love. Zeke was a man when he was drafted. Thomas had to go to work and learn how to be successful playing the NBA game. Too many coaches have spoiled Andre Drummond along with way. He is not getting the most out of himself because he doesn't want to learn what he doesn't know. If he wanted to learn why he is being made a fool of by Gortat for example and at times with 2nd string centers from opposing teams, he wouldn't always be on the losing side of things relating to being on a team that is always losing. It is a sad thing to watch. Drummond has so much potential but the light bulb is still off in his brain. He might wake up too late and his career will be over and nobody will remember him in the same light as Zeke. He will lose that great athletic ability he currently enjoys pretty soon and he will not be able to compensate by keeping himself in top physical condition and creating the mental curiosity all great players have that keeps them interested in staying on top of the competition by being mentally smarter than other players playing his position. I am surprised that Stan Van Gundy hasn't shown more interest in making Andre Drummond into a great Piston player. All Stan Van Gundy seems interested in doing is figuring out how the team can get more 3 point shots. Stan you your team is getting beat because your players are shooting too many 3 point shots early in the shot clock. The shots miss and the team struggles to get back on defense. Too many players just run from baseline to baseline and never get involved in offense. When will you force your team to start breaking down a defense before players shoot? Stan Van Gundy is not coaching. He is just rolling the basketball out on the court and saying go shoot the ball. After watching the Spurs with their great coach and then Stan Van Gundy's strange team, one would think that one team had a strategy and had practiced a lot with the other team (Pistons) just arriving from the AAU circuit where spooled high school players mindlessly run the court to get their shots. One team (Spurs) have great chemistry and the other (Pistons) have no chemistry at all. Just as Andre Drummond could be much happier if he put in the hard work to lose weight and get in shape while taking the time to learn the fundamentals, the head coach needs to spend some time and energy giving out tough love to his starters by coaching them and teaching them what they need to know. If after doing that and the players still do not respond then recognize that they are not interested in knowing what they don't know and somehow bring in players that are not like that. I do not see that any Piston player has improved this season under this coaching staff and the one player that the coaches should be hounding is Andre Drummond because he is the one guy who can make a difference. I want him to become a great player. Does anyone work with him on the mental stuff?

[cool breeze]

Maybe Andre Drummond is on the same diet as Stan Van Gundy. Notice when Zeke was featured at halftime against the Lakers. Thomas is still in amazing physical condition. He looks young and has not allowed himself to get fat. On the other hand SVG is obese and because he is so overweight, he looks unhealthy. I attended the Arizona-California game last night and got close to Sean Miller. He had been about 20 pounds over weight two years ago but last season he decided to change his life style and get himself in shape through a lot of exercise. Miller lost over 25 pounds and last night looked 15 years younger than he had two years before. Players respect coaches who have some discipline themselves with their life style.

This leads me to Andre Drummond and I was projecting in my mind what this man will look like in 4 more years. In my opinion, if he doesn't lose at least 20 pounds, Andre will not be able to jump more than 2 inches off the floor. He will be an old man in basketball terms because of his body type and current weight. If he could become a physical fitness freak and really embrace that lifestyle, then perhaps he will have the energy to make that turn and get a chest on the man he is defending in the paint so he can help prevent 2nd chance opportunities. And he could also become the best damn defender in the NBA. Talk about shot block potential. This man could be the best defender of all time. But with his current weight and mindset, Drummond will always be a inconsistent middle of the road player who gets his stats much like Greg Monroe did when he played for the Pistons.

Now please Mr. Gores, fire Stan Van Gundy and bring in Isiah Thomas to lead this team. He will get Andre on track for greatness. Let SVG have dinner with his brother Jeff and keep on eating.

[cool breeze]

After a game where Stan Van Gundy's team was humiliated because they made unacceptable effort on defense, our President and head coach has decided that just by shooting more 3 point shots the Pistons can become big winners. No Stan less would be better and anyone with half a brain who has watched all the games this season will come to the same conclusion. The Spurs might take a lot of 3 point shots but the shots come after the players move hard without the basketball, set screens and the ball goes inside, back out and from side to side. Then a Spurs player will get a wide open look in rhythm. Our players run down the court and the point guard either shoots the basketball right away or one pass is made that that player shoots the ball. The other 3 players continually run from baseline to baseline as if they are in some other time zone from the point guard. This team cannot get defensive stops when it counts. This team cannot get defensive rebounds when it counts. If I were the coach I sure would be more worried about Andre Drummond boxing out and not forcing bad shots then I would be about his team taking more 3 point shots. Has Stan gone insane? Please hire Zeke to bring back some sanity to the Piston organization.

[lemonpen]

HALF TIME SCORE: Spurs 58   Pistons 41

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: Spurs 57%  Pistons 40%

FREE THROWS: Spurs 3/4  Pistons 0/0

REBOUNDS: Spurs 28  Pistons 15

ASSISTS: Spurs 16  Pistons 7

PAINT POINTS: Spurs 22 Pistons 10

SECOND CHANCE POINTS: Spurs 14 Pistons 0

Take a close look at the last stat where the Spurs got 14 second chance opportunities. That is incredible for any team at any level to have that kind of breakdown. Why did that happen? First off, the brilliant Spurs coaching staff took the time to scout this current Piston team.

POINT ONE: We have all mentioned the fact that this Piston team is never ready to play defense in the first quarter especially Andre Drummond The starters as a group fail to come to the arena prepared to play the game from the opening tip. So the Spurs jumped on the Pistons early even though they were playing the tail end part of their 4 game road trip.

POINT TWO: The Spurs figured out that Detroit doesn't play a traditional half court offense. This piston team bases everything on their point guards so two or three players seldom or never touch the basketball. So why not encourage that type of half court offense even more by allowing the point guard to get some open shots? Good plan. That means the Spurs team can actually rest for most of the first half if not the entire game on defense. You only need to guard two players because the Pistons do not share the basketball. They do not set solid screens or at times no screens. Almost no energy is used up by the Spurs on defense. And of course the big men box out and prevent 2nd chance opportunities. Meanwhile the players on Detroit are always playing defense. Didn't it seem that was true all night long in this game? The Spurs run a really good half court offense. They move without the basketball and set a lot of screens because the players know their teammates share the basketball, see the floor well, and play both  sides of the basketball court instead of one. And of course their team would never just allow point guards to come down the court and jack up shots even if the shots are all going in. That kills team chemistry and prevents a good flow to the game and again forces Detroit to continually spend most of the time on defense. GREAAT JOB BY THE SPURS COACHING STAFF TO IDENTIFY THE INEPT NATURE OF THE PISTONS OFFENSE. THIS OFFENSE IS THE PRODUCT OF STAN VAN GUNDY'S OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN OF PLAYING STREET BASKETBALL FEATURING DOMINATE POINT GUARD OFFENSE WHILE THE TEAM HAS NO ALL STAR POINT GUARD. TELL ME WHAT REALLY GOOD NBA PLAYER WOULD WANT TO PLAY THIS TYPE OF OFFENSE IF THE PLAYER IS NOT A SHOOT FIRST TYPE OF POINT GUARD. HOW MANY 2 GUARDS WOULD WANT TO PLAY FOR THE PISTONS? THE ANSWER IS 0. And who wants to continually play on the defensive end and never touch the basketball on offense?

POINT THREE: Take a look at the stat involving 2nd chance opportunities. How many times have fans identified that the failure of Andre Drummond know who is in the paint, where opposing players are attempting to go in the paint, and anticipating when the shot is going up so instead of just looking at the basket and standing you move your feet and get contact so you can secure the rebound instead of the opposition? The Arizona basketball team has gone into a funk because of the failure of their big men to execute the fundamentals of boxing out in the paint on defense. This is what Sean Miller said two days ago. "The word pro is thrown around way too much at Arizona because of the great history of our program. We have guys who think they're NBA players and they can't guard the ball. It's like not only are you not getting picked, but you're not getting invited in camp. Nobody's going to take a chance on a guy who can't guard the man in front of him. And the same thing when shots go up, You can't block out right now, in February, AND KEEP YOUR MAN FROM SECOND SHOTS? THERE'S NOBODY PICKING YOU". "THE IRRESPONSIBILITY IN REBOUNDING AND THE NUMBER OF GUYS WHO JUST CAN'T GUARD THE BALL, IT ALLOWS US TO BE VULNERABLE AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU HAVE TO BLOCK YOUR MAN OUT. YOU CAN'T TURN AND LOOK. YOU HAVE TO TURN AND HIT THE MAN IN THE CHEST. YOU'VE GOT TO TURN. YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF THE GLASS AND THE SAME THING FOR THE GUARDS. GUARDS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REBOUND AND WHEN YOU LET TEAMS GET SECOND CHANCE POINTS, IT REALLY PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON YOUR ABILITY TO WIN". so imagine practice at Arizona where there are a lot of players close in ability fighting to show their coach that they can execute those fundamentals. The practices are spirited. The big men are trying hard to eliminate the bad habit of standing straight up in the paint and just turning and watching the ball go towards the rim instead of turning, getting your chest on the opposing bigs before the shot reaches the rim. the Spurs executed their game plan to perfection. They didn't have to expend very much energy to do it. The Spurs coaching staff along with all of the playoff teams know how our Pistons play the game. They know that Andre Drummond and other big men along with the guards continually fail to execute the fundamentals and the Pistons offensive style makes it easy for teams like the Spurs to easily get 20 point half time leads. So what in hell is going on with this coaching staff and the franchise player, Andre Drummond. Do they not practice at all? Does this team never practice boxing out opponents? Can the coaching staff not know that a non All Star point guard dominated NBA team that shoots the ball within 14 seconds of almost every possession is doomed from the very start? You have to let the players have some fun and that means they need to spend more time on offense and all of the players need to touch the basketball more than 4 times in an entire half. And of course you need to have players who have a high enough basketball IQ to learn how to box out on the defensive boards. That is why this season has been such a downer. My friends all say that the Pistons are so dull to watch. Who wants to watch a pick up street basketball game on television let alone at the Palace?

All of that to tell what we already know. The Spurs are better than us in every way. Shoot, they even look better running out of the tunnel.

[cool breeze]

HALF TIME SCORE: Spurs 58 Pistons 41

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: Spurs 57% Pistons 40%

FREE THROWS: Spurs 3/4 Pistons 0/0

REBOUNDS: Spurs 28 Pistons 15

ASSISTS: Spurs 16 Pistons 7

PAINT POINTS: Spurs 22 Pistons 10

SECOND CHANCE POINTS: Spurs 14 Pistons 0

Take a close look at the last stat where the Spurs got 14 second chance opportunities. That is incredible for any team at any level to have that kind of breakdown. Why did that happen? First off, the brilliant Spurs coaching staff took the time to scout this current Piston team.

POINT ONE: We have all mentioned the fact that this Piston team is never ready to play defense in the first quarter especially Andre Drummond The starters as a group fail to come to the arena prepared to play the game from the opening tip. So the Spurs jumped on the Pistons early even though they were playing the tail end part of their 4 game road trip.

POINT TWO: The Spurs figured out that Detroit doesn't play a traditional half court offense. This piston team bases everything on their point guards so two or three players seldom or never touch the basketball. So why not encourage that type of half court offense even more by allowing the point guard to get some open shots? Good plan. That means the Spurs team can actually rest for most of the first half if not the entire game on defense. You only need to guard two players because the Pistons do not share the basketball. They do not set solid screens or at times no screens. Almost no energy is used up by the Spurs on defense. And of course the big men box out and prevent 2nd chance opportunities. Meanwhile the players on Detroit are always playing defense. Didn't it seem that was true all night long in this game? The Spurs run a really good half court offense. They move without the basketball and set a lot of screens because the players know their teammates share the basketball, see the floor well, and play both sides of the basketball court instead of one. And of course their team would never just allow point guards to come down the court and jack up shots even if the shots are all going in. That kills team chemistry and prevents a good flow to the game and again forces Detroit to continually spend most of the time on defense. GREAAT JOB BY THE SPURS COACHING STAFF TO IDENTIFY THE INEPT NATURE OF THE PISTONS OFFENSE. THIS OFFENSE IS THE PRODUCT OF STAN VAN GUNDY'S OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN OF PLAYING STREET BASKETBALL FEATURING DOMINATE POINT GUARD OFFENSE WHILE THE TEAM HAS NO ALL STAR POINT GUARD. TELL ME WHAT REALLY GOOD NBA PLAYER WOULD WANT TO PLAY THIS TYPE OF OFFENSE IF THE PLAYER IS NOT A SHOOT FIRST TYPE OF POINT GUARD. HOW MANY 2 GUARDS WOULD WANT TO PLAY FOR THE PISTONS? THE ANSWER IS 0. And who wants to continually play on the defensive end and never touch the basketball on offense?

POINT THREE: Take a look at the stat involving 2nd chance opportunities. How many times have fans identified that the failure of Andre Drummond know who is in the paint, where opposing players are attempting to go in the paint, and anticipating when the shot is going up so instead of just looking at the basket and standing you move your feet and get contact so you can secure the rebound instead of the opposition? The Arizona basketball team has gone into a funk because of the failure of their big men to execute the fundamentals of boxing out in the paint on defense. This is what Sean Miller said two days ago. "The word pro is thrown around way too much at Arizona because of the great history of our program. We have guys who think they're NBA players and they can't guard the ball. It's like not only are you not getting picked, but you're not getting invited in camp. Nobody's going to take a chance on a guy who can't guard the man in front of him. And the same thing when shots go up, You can't block out right now, in February, AND KEEP YOUR MAN FROM SECOND SHOTS? THERE'S NOBODY PICKING YOU". "THE IRRESPONSIBILITY IN REBOUNDING AND THE NUMBER OF GUYS WHO JUST CAN'T GUARD THE BALL, IT ALLOWS US TO BE VULNERABLE AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU HAVE TO BLOCK YOUR MAN OUT. YOU CAN'T TURN AND LOOK. YOU HAVE TO TURN AND HIT THE MAN IN THE CHEST. YOU'VE GOT TO TURN. YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF THE GLASS AND THE SAME THING FOR THE GUARDS. GUARDS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO REBOUND AND WHEN YOU LET TEAMS GET SECOND CHANCE POINTS, IT REALLY PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON YOUR ABILITY TO WIN". so imagine practice at Arizona where there are a lot of players close in ability fighting to show their coach that they can execute those fundamentals. The practices are spirited. The big men are trying hard to eliminate the bad habit of standing straight up in the paint and just turning and watching the ball go towards the rim instead of turning, getting your chest on the opposing bigs before the shot reaches the rim. the Spurs executed their game plan to perfection. They didn't have to expend very much energy to do it. The Spurs coaching staff along with all of the playoff teams know how our Pistons play the game. They know that Andre Drummond and other big men along with the guards continually fail to execute the fundamentals and the Pistons offensive style makes it easy for teams like the Spurs to easily get 20 point half time leads. So what in hell is going on with this coaching staff and the franchise player, Andre Drummond. Do they not practice at all? Does this team never practice boxing out opponents? Can the coaching staff not know that a non All Star point guard dominated NBA team that shoots the ball within 14 seconds of almost every possession is doomed from the very start? You have to let the players have some fun and that means they need to spend more time on offense and all of the players need to touch the basketball more than 4 times in an entire half. And of course you need to have players who have a high enough basketball IQ to learn how to box out on the defensive boards. That is why this season has been such a downer. My friends all say that the Pistons are so dull to watch. Who wants to watch a pick up street basketball game on television let alone at the Palace?

[BallinD]

We have a TEAM! The talent is poorly deployed! We've got two good players that we can do better without; Aron Baynes and Reggie Jackson. What can we get for them? Damn contracts, think first round draft picks. What can we get? I'd rather see Ellenson (another Pistons first round draftee) backing up Leuer and Drummond...if he can't cut it, why'd they draft him?! I'd rather see Morris backing up Harris and KCP's minutes being cut by Bullock getting some decent PT. Ish Smith can get great production pushing a second unit of Bullock, Morris, and Ellenson, and that's all that's needed from our second unit; consistent point production. None of this is possible as long as we continually fit Jackson and Baynes in the rotation.

DX: I think the fly in the ointment for your plan to put together a "furious defensive presence" is whether we are rebuilding/retooling or are pushing for the sixth seed in the playoffs this year (Doable this year with sad state of the leastern Conference). In both instances if we're pushing for that sixth seed, or for Lotto fever, I think we need to parlay Jackson and Baynes, as you suggest.

If we're angling for the future, knowing the ceiling is low with this team, some of my Piston fan friends insists what you suggest is to make trades to get picks.  Under that scenario do we consider moving Tobias along with Reggie and Baynes to lower salary, get a pick or two and eventually move Dre and retool on the fly.  Radical, but troublesome IMO.  I don't see our way out of that morass.

If we're angling for that sixth seed my dream would be to move Tobias, Reggie, Baynes and go after Jimmy Butler as the first step, a true star, but moreso than that an alpha dog, leader, hardnosed type who could push Dre toward realizing his potential, and if SJ and Ellensen's progression meets expectations, we are one more star away from competing for a ship.  Where he would come from, I have no idea.  

Under neither scenario do I see us raising up another banner unless we steal another late first round or second round star.  Reality, not homerism, IMO.

Disclaimer: I love Tobias game and don't want to trade him, but he is our most valuable and moveable piece, perhaps.  Only trade him though if we can get rid of RJax and Baynes first.

[cool breeze]

Don, Isiah came home and redeemed us with his on point assessment of the TEAM's talent. You've been ridiculed for trumpeting the merits of Stanley Johnson and I was recently lambasted for suggesting starting him in the backcourt with KCP (Ish and Beno would get plenty of PT, and at the end of the day, the results would be better than what we're getting with Reggie). The common denominator with our stands was what Isiah talked about; establishing a defensive mindset! He also hinted at how ridiculously, offensive it is to have Tobias Harris coming off the damn bench. Drummond, KCP, and Johnson are all Pistons first round draftees but, Harris is the most prolific scorer on the TEAM; the Pistons didn't experience their turnaround until Harris was traded for last year (Jackson was already here and we were going nowhere so don't credit him for leading the TEAM into the playoffs).

We have a TEAM! The talent is poorly deployed! We've got two good players that we can do better without; Aron Baynes and Reggie Jackson. What can we get for them? Damn contracts, think first round draft picks. What can we get? I'd rather see Ellenson (another Pistons first round draftee) backing up Leuer and Drummond...if he can't cut it, why'd they draft him?! I'd rather see Morris backing up Harris and KCP's minutes being cut by Bullock getting some decent PT. Ish Smith can get great production pushing a second unit of Bullock, Morris, and Ellenson, and that's all that's needed from our second unit; consistent point production. None of this is possible as long as we continually fit Jackson and Baynes in the rotation.

Once the TEAM starts games by establishing a furious defensive presence, with the scorers we have (not shooters), the Pistons will be a force to be reckoned with. Heads will be scratched around the league with Johnson starting? Heads are being scratched now over the TEAM's production! The negative naysayers will come out? The naysayers are busy now with their negativity! Point is, once the TEAM wins 8-10 games in a row (which they haven't done all this season) heads will no longer be scratched and the naysayers will retreat into using "alternative facts."

Yes at least there are two of us who think like Zeke. It is a joke that Harris is not starting. That shows me that Stan Van Gundy has no business coaching this team. Harris should be the starting small forward. Johnson should be the starting point guard. It would take Johnson perhaps a month to get this team up to speed on the offensive end but no time at all to greatly improve the Piston's defense. But Stan Van Gundy has no believe that defense is the only way our Pistons will ever become winners. That is why he signed Reggie and Ish. That is a slap in the face of all Piston fans who know better. Why not sign Will Bynum instead of Smith? I noticed that TJ McConnell made the winning shot again for Philly. He plays defense and knows how to run an offense. McConnell was not drafted and is not an outstanding gifted athlete. But he is smart like Zeke and never plays one side of the floor which both Reggie and Ish do every damn game. If you are the 2 guard expect to perhaps touch the basketball 5 times if you play the entire game. Notice the article about Stanley Johnson where he decided to go to the practice facility after the LA Lakers game to work on his shooting. How in hell could anyone get in rhythm shooting wise if you are told to just stand beyond the 3 point line on the baseline and watch the point guards dribble and pass the pass to only one or two teammates. It appears that both Ish and Reggie freeze out certain players in every game. Sometimes it is Pope but it always happens with Johnson and Bullock. The problem remains and will always remain as long as Stan Van Gundy selects low basketball IQ point guards to lead his team. He props them up and closes his eyes to their mindless style of street basketball which Stan Van Gundy must have created himself for this team. Reggie is now playing less selfishly but he will never be the type of player who has the mindset of a guy like Isiah Thomas as a leader. Tom Gores needs to fire Stan Van Gundy and bring in Isiah Thomas who will gives the keys to Johnson and Harris. Zeke would make both players into great leaders featuring knock down in your face defense from the opening tip until the last second of the game.

After reading the "3-on-3: Detroit Pistons trade deadline edition" with the three so called experts, notice they all back the coach and all say that the decision to bring Harris off the bench was a great thing. Those three experts do not mention team chemistry as a factor or leadership within the team as being important. Harris is playing out of position and comes off the bench without bitching about it but he should be one of the leaders instead of Drummond and Jackson. And you can't be a leader if you are coming off the bench. That is always looked at as a demotion. Meanwhile Drummond needs a leader alpha dog type point guard badly so he will get on board in learning how to become the best defensive player in the league. That means he cannot take the first quarter of every game off on the defensive end. Jackson will never be respected as a team leader now because he has shown his teammates how selfish he can actually be as a point guard and he is a below average defender which will never get you the respect you need if you have a leadership role on an NBA team. Just take a long look at what John Wall is doing as far as leading his Washington team right now. He looks like Zeke. Wall is playing at a high level on both ends of the floor while at the same time getting his teammates every excited. If Washington continues to play as hard as they have been playing I believe that they could knock off Cleveland this season in the playoffs. The Irving - Wall matchup would be incredible in a playoff setting. Unless Detroit can unload Reggie Jackson now, there is no hope at all for our Pistons to become a quality team. Just looking at what Ball did at the end of the game last night between Oregon and UCLA, who wouldn't believe whoever drafts that guy will not end up in the NBA Finals eventually just like our Pistons did after we drafted Isiah Thomas? Anyone who looks at the way Reggie plays and then watches Wall, Irving and a college guy like Ball knows that the Pistons will be cannon fodder no matter which way Stan Van Gundy tries to spin things. I am not saying that Stanley Johnson is the long term answer at the point guard position but he has the mindset to change the mentality of the way this Piston team plays the game if he is one of the leaders instead of a having the role of a fringe player. Get rid of Jackson's salary now if possible and get nothing in return. That would be a good thing. And eventually find a way to move Smith and only sign or draft point guards who are capable of playing both ends of the floor and have high basketball IQs. Make no mistake about this last game. It meant nothing at all. The Lakers had no quality big men on the floor. Luke Walton and Laker management is looking to score big in this coming draft. Stan Van Gundy will never do that and we will never have hope that the Pistons will get back on top until Tom Gores talks a guy like Isiah Thomas into taking control of this Piston team. I am ready to say good-by to Stan Van Gundy and his mindless street ball offense and his cream puff defense.

[deusXango]

Don, Isiah came home and redeemed us with his on point assessment of the TEAM's talent. You've been ridiculed for trumpeting the merits of Stanley Johnson and I was recently lambasted for suggesting starting him in the backcourt with KCP (Ish and Beno would get plenty of PT, and at the end of the day, the results would be better than what we're getting with Reggie). The common denominator with our stands was what Isiah talked about; establishing a defensive mindset! He also hinted at how ridiculously, offensive it is to have Tobias Harris coming off the damn bench. Drummond, KCP, and Johnson are all Pistons first round draftees but, Harris is the most prolific scorer on the TEAM; the Pistons didn't experience their turnaround until Harris was traded for last year (Jackson was already here and we were going nowhere so don't credit him for leading the TEAM into the playoffs).

We have a TEAM! The talent is poorly deployed! We've got two good players that we can do better without; Aron Baynes and Reggie Jackson. What can we get for them? Damn contracts, think first round draft picks. What can we get? I'd rather see Ellenson (another Pistons first round draftee) backing up Leuer and Drummond...if he can't cut it, why'd they draft him?! I'd rather see Morris backing up Harris and KCP's minutes being cut by Bullock getting some decent PT. Ish Smith can get great production pushing a second unit of Bullock, Morris, and Ellenson, and that's all that's needed from our second unit; consistent point production. None of this is possible as long as we continually fit Jackson and Baynes in the rotation.

Once the TEAM starts games by establishing a furious defensive presence, with the scorers we have (not shooters), the Pistons will be a force to be reckoned with. Heads will be scratched around the league with Johnson starting? Heads are being scratched now over the TEAM's production! The negative naysayers will come out? The naysayers are busy now with their negativity! Point is, once the TEAM wins 8-10 games in a row (which they haven't done all this season) heads will no longer be scratched and the naysayers will retreat into using "alternative facts."

[cool breeze]

With around 30 seconds left unit the end of the 3rd quarter Johnson walks in front of Blaha, Thomas, and Kelser in front of the scorers table and Zeke pointed to Johnson. Thomas points to Johnson and says, " Him and Tobias Harris - I love the way they approach the game. Particularly last year in the playoffs." Zeke goes on to point out that the team needs to go in the directly they went in the playoffs where they had a defensive mindset. He states that the team needs to establish a defensive minded identity. Thank God Zeke at least recognizes that Stanley Johnson is the type of player who has that special gift of being able to create a team chemistry that has a defensive minded mentality. That is what this team is missing because Stanley Johnson is not one of the designated leaders yet. Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond are attempting to take the leadership this season and but it hasn't worked and never will work. When and if the coaching staff decides to give Johnson a bigger role and not continue to keep him in a role as a fringe player, then you will all see what happens. Thomas and Billups were the two guys who were more than just basketball players. As Zeke pointed out, sometimes he needed to be a phycologist as well as the point guard. Each game is different. You have to know your teammates extremely well on and off the court. If there is no connection between the team leader and his teammates with the leader having that special perception of what will work with certain players on any given night and what won't work, your team will not cross over to the elite level. I have stated before that Stanley Johnson has a special gift that doesn't involve what you see on the court. He is extremely perceptive as an individual and if he actually does establish himself as a key player for the Pistons, he will be working hard getting his teammates on board to finally play the game the right way. Johnson might be the guy who could completely change how Andre Drummond perceives himself as a basketball player. Looking at Drummond last night, I am still convinced that he could become one of the most outstanding big men defenders in the history of the game. He could block 10 shots a game and never let the guy he is guarding sneak around him because he doesn't box out. Johnson working with Drummond on and off the court to become the next Laimbeer but in a fantastic athletic body that Andre was given.

What is bothersome to me is that Stan Van Gundy has not identified what Mr. Thomas stated in just a few words. He said it all when he talked about his old team how you need to establish a defensive identity and the leader needs to know exactly what is going on with his teammates on any given night and then make the necessary adjustments to fit those circumstances. Nothing is set in stone. The game of basketball is simple but the human element makes things complex. Stan Van Gundy seems most interested in securing players to fit his preferred offensive style of play. He talks about how the players must become better defenders but does he really care that much about defense as long as he sees a lot of 3 pointers flying through the air?

My wish is that Thomas would be the coach of the Detroit Pistons now. I would be so damn happy. Any chance I get to hear what Zeke says when he is on NBA TV I take it. He seems to be spot on whenever he talks about the game. Thomas has such a good sense of humor and is always smiling and showing his love for basketball and doing things the right way. We Piston fans are so lucky to have witnessed what he has done in and out of a Piston uniform. Whenever I see pro players going through the motions like Charlie V and certain players on this current Piston team, I think of Zeke and know there is no way in hell that he would ever tolerate such basic disrespect for the game. Every moment you have to be on the court at any level including being a freshman on the JV Team is a gift. If only some of these lazy highly paid NBA players would realize that fact and get motivated to become the best basketball players possible to fit the specific needs of their team, then NBA would be a lot more fun to watch. The times were few when we Piston fans ever had to watch the players on the Bad Boys teams fake it when playing defense.

[cool breeze]

Walton knows all about Hubie Brown's methods. He will be looking for the the Piston players who like to kick their legs off to the side when they run the court. I know that doesn't happen anymore now that Charlie V no longer represents the Pistons so sorry for that. Zeke will be at the Palace. Will the current players be a little bit more motivated to play like Kings instead accepting their current reputation as Queens? Our guys are soft and easy to exploit as defenders but boy can they dunk the basketball. wow isn't that great! Still who wants to be known as a Queen. And everyone in the league have some of our players pegged as Queens. If the fans start holding up signs with the Piston Queens wearing dresses, will that help motivate them to work on their pick and roll defense over next summer?

[cool breeze]

You can't seem to seperate the system from the player!

Lemon commented that KCP took ill advised 3 point shots, but he framed it in the proper context, which you never do. You behave like the refsand only see the 2nd thing, not the real reason the situation existed,

Reggie: While I'm pleased to see him give up the ball more frequently I just don't care for his generalship. When your team is getting any shot they want in close why pass to Pope curling off a screen for a pullup J 3 feet behind the arc. Clank. 

That's the PG responding to the SYSTEM! That's oddly what SVG wants to happen, so he makes a pass to KCP, and KCP knows that the SYSTEM wants him to take that shot. Now he could decline, but the guy that declines that shot the most on this team doesn't start anymore(Harris).

In fact it's the PG who should deliver the ball to the player most likely to score. Reggie can do that, and he should because he's the one least likely to get heat from the coach, but he's also in the system and has pressure to perform.

BTW, Wise also frames his complaints within the system. His biggest complaint about KCP is that his game is not designed for the system SVG wants to run... and he's right! The proof was earlier in the season when Ish was running the team and KCP's scoring, assists and steals were peaking because he played a midrange game with limited 3 point shooting, more like RIP, but with assists.

I know it's frustrating, but it's just not as simple as blaming a player when the problem is deeper.

The big issue with the way you analyze is that it fails to identify the problem and leads to making the wrong decisions about how to fix it.

IMO, we have a coaching problem, but he controls all of the levers of power outside of the owner, so it is what it is!

Oracle I am not sure what you are talking about relating to any of my posts. My latest post involved the eye opening Cleveland - Washington game. Did you see it? That was one of the best regular season games I have witnessed in a long time. my post was focused on defense. I pointed out how after several seasons, Pope still cannot stay in front of top tier guards especially Irving and Wall. How many seasons have Pope and Drummond played together? Hasn't it been at least 3 seasons now? In my post, I pointed out the biggest problem this team has and the real reason why they are bottom feeders even if they somehow make the playoffs. I watched Wall and Gortat execute the pick and roll defense the way it is supposed to be executed. You have to be all in. I have thought high school players how to both stop the pick and roll play on defense and how to recognize chumps or softies my players could easily identify when they were on offense and really needed a score when the opponent did not play a zone defense. Hubie Brown was my teacher. I loved his creation of identifying keys to look for after the tip off when you use all of your senses to make positive things happen for your team. Hubie said of you are playing defense or offense especially if you play either guard position, you have to quickly find out if the guy you are assigned to defend is a KING or Queen. Sounds sexist right. If the guy you are responsible for on defense is a Queen, then all you have to do is establish maximum energy (effort) from the get go and put the fear of God tolet him know you are the alpha dog. Most likely if right off the bad the guy is a Queen, your confidence soars to the point that there is no way your assigned guy is going to score or drive around you. Then on offense usually the Queen will be matched up on defense against you. It doesn't make a difference which position you play on the floor. You have to identify what kind of player you will be doing battle with on any given night. If you draw a King then you have to suck it up and be aware that you will be in a battle for your life. You can't let your teammates down. They depend on you and you don't want them to think that you are a cream puff Queen. The thought of that will always light a fire in your ass.

Pope is a Queen. Jackson is a Queen. Drummond is Queen. Make no mistake about it. How many times have we witnessed Irving driving around Pope and Jackson and of course Smith as well. Irving is a King on both ends of the floor. He establishes that fact early on and after awhile, you see those current Piston players wilt so Irving can do whatever he wants to do. And Wall is even tougher on Pope, Jackson and Smith. Many times both Wall and Irving drive past KCP and Jackson without the help of any screen. But when both of those players execute the pick and roll play, Pope and Jackson have no answer. I explained that it is necessary to have a sharp center or power forward to play with when you defend that play. The center cannot be relaxing deep in the paint looking at the ladies in the stands while his assigned man is running out to set the high screen. Watch Andre with his pick and roll defense. He is just not into it at all and never warns the guards because he is a day late and a dollar short all the time on that play. Drummond will switch when he should stay with the big man he is guarding. Pope and Jackson will not anticipate the play coming and will not make a maximum effort to get over the screen and stay connected without fouling. Again how many years have Pope and Drummond been involved in playing defense together on the pick and roll plays? There is no excuse for their lack of effort or preparation. Both Pope and Drummond are Queens and they must not feel too bad about getting humiliated either because they sure don't get together over the summer months and work out a better technique. Andre will practice his hook shot and other offensive stuff. Pope will work on his ball handling and shooting. That is great but this team is never going anywhere if those two continue to get pinked by guys like Wall and Irving. The list is much longer Oracle. They submit to the Queen role when they play almost any team with a break even record.

Stan Van Gundy knows how to teach pick and roll defense. Hw shows his frustration on the sidelines in every game. The team works on the pick and roll defense all the time because that is the money play for all Piston opponents. Zeke, Dumars and Laimbeer were all Kings. They even slated up late at night to create the Jordan rules. Imagine this group of players staying up late at night discussing how they can become a better team defensively. No Drummond, Pope and Jackson have settled in and accept the role of Queens. Some of the professional women might be able to punk them out and make them submit. All you have to do is watch a game involving a matchup between two top NBA teams and you will then get a quick reality check and know that we have too many Queens. The sick thing for me is to know that Pope, Jackson and Drummond could all be top rated defenders. They all have the athletic ability but lack that special ingredient that Zeke, Dumars and Laimbeer had along with most every player who competed with those Piston heroes. Players like Drummond, KCP and Jackson set the tone and that is why we often see other Piston players accepting the role of Queens. I hate that fact and I am sure SVG hates watching them as well.

[Oracle]

You can't seem to seperate the system from the player!

Lemon commented that KCP took ill advised 3 point shots, but he framed it in the proper context, which you never do. You behave like the refsand only see the 2nd thing, not the real reason the situation existed,

Reggie: While I'm pleased to see him give up the ball more frequently I just don't care for his generalship. When your team is getting any shot they want in close why pass to Pope curling off a screen for a pullup J 3 feet behind the arc. Clank. 

That's the PG responding to the SYSTEM! That's oddly what SVG wants to happen, so he makes a pass to KCP, and KCP knows that the SYSTEM wants him to take that shot. Now he could decline, but the guy that declines that shot the most on this team doesn't start anymore(Harris).

In fact it's the PG who should deliver the ball to the player most likely to score. Reggie can do that, and he should because he's the one least likely to get heat from the coach, but he's also in the system and has pressure to perform.

BTW, Wise also frames his complaints within the system. His biggest complaint about KCP is that his game is not designed for the system SVG wants to run... and he's right! The proof was earlier in the season when Ish was running the team and KCP's scoring, assists and steals were peaking because he played a midrange game with limited 3 point shooting, more like RIP, but with assists.

I know it's frustrating, but it's just not as simple as blaming a player when the problem is deeper.

The big issue with the way you analyze is that it fails to identify the problem and leads to making the wrong decisions about how to fix it.

IMO, we have a coaching problem, but he controls all of the levers of power outside of the owner, so it is what it is!

[WTF]

So the Pistons are 10-10 in their last 20 games and are playing .500 ball so it's a glass halve empty or full I suppose. Being the Pessimist that I am it half empty be cause expectation at the start of the season to finish the somewhere around 8 games above .500.

Gee Gee aka Gores and Gilbert wants a MLS team here and wants the jail site on Gratiot Ave. I'm not mad at these 2 dudes between 3 of the sports team 4 owners are doing something that should have happened a long time ago. Think about it Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and maybe Soccer man what a wonderful thing for the city. Three casinos Motor City, Greektown and MGM, a new Rail System an expanded River Walk the only thing we need now is for the three major auto companies to bang heads and turn the Belle Isle into an amusement park (maybe not) or at least completely bring it back to it original glory.

Okay I said I wasn't but it irks me to not end every time I see this retard on TV. I have to ask myself what's wrong with the world? I don't care what political party you belong to don't have a someone crazy represent you. I really do look at people differently not because of political party (See My Indifference Concerning Brady). I'll stop here but damn do I feel like screaming and banging my head on the wall.

Always a pleasure when Zeke is in town maybe I'll try to catch the game tonight. Too bad he's not more involved with this team maybe SVG should step down as coach and let Zeke take over. I still dream of a coaching staff that consist of Zeke, Rick, Bill, Sheed, Chauncey and Big Ben How do you think the current group of players would respond to this coaching staff? Do you think Reggie would still be doing his own thing? Do you think Andre would be that hole in the middle? I doubt very seriously if we would have leadership problems and certainly players would have a **** load of respect from players that have been there and done that.

Man they'll sell out games just to see the coaching staff at work not only was these some great players they were coached by some HOF'er coaches on but the pro and college level. Okay enough dreaming time to wake the hell back up. I think had Joe thought of this he'll still be running things

Okay who's the hot draft players this season. I haven't paid much attention to the college game this season but I did think I read or seen something about a player at CMU that's causing a ruckus. I need to investigate.

Hell whos the hot item ticket for the NFL draft (We need a back, DE and WR) We need another Sanders or Sims, we need another Jerry Ball, we need another Moore or Mega, hell can I get a Benny and a Chris on defense.

Okay while they're remaking old movies can we get remakes of Godzilla VS Kong, Close Encounters, Filth Element and when in the hell are they going to follow up with sequels for the Green Hornet and Green Lantern okay they could just remake them with better actors. Also can we get a follow up a sequel to Predator as well.

[cool breeze]

Did anyone watch the Cleveland-Washington game this week. That game was going on when our Pistons were playing Philly. I recorded the game and watched some of it last night. There is so much separation between half of the league and the other half it makes my head spin. If only Washington gets a chance to play Cleveland in the Playoffs basketball fans will be in for a real treat. my guess is that the NBA Front Office is working hard to arrange match ups so it will be difficult for Washington to get that chance because of course politics always comes into play relating to what the lawyers think will draw the most fans in the NBA Finals. How would this series be officiated if the two teams do somehow get to play each other down the line in the playoffs? Will Labron chop off Wall's right arm in the first game and still not draw a foul? Or will Labron trip and decide he wants to throw Gortat around in the paint and play him on defense like he has done in previous playoff series when taking on opposing centers on defense? Remember some of those finals where Labron got away with anything he wanted to do to opposing big men in the paint. He would blind side anyone and get away with it. Remember when he would set a hard screen for Wade and knock Wade's defender to the ground when sneaking up behind him. The ref never saw it happen. But of course those non calls were not called because the NBA Front office would never think of getting involved in setting up the special rules before playoff series by having private discussions with officials. Our Bad Boys were so damn good that they not only defeated opposing teams in the playoffs but they defeated the corrupt officials and the NBA Front office two years in a row.

Now back to the game and the difference I saw with the players on both Cleveland and Washington as opposed to the Pistons even considering their past three wins. The reason why some of us point out mistakes being made by our players in actual games is to identify that our players are not playing the right way or the winning way. Both Cleveland and Washington players were all playing the right way in this recent game. It was really fun to watch how John Wall made the supreme effort to anticipate the high screen and get his body over the top of the screen and prevent dribble penetration. What a thing of beauty. There was no need to switch and help create a mis match. And Gortat was talking and advising Wall what was coming and he gave some room so Wall could operate all through the game when screens were being set against Wall. This is the way Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars played the pick and roll defense with Bill Laimbeer as the high IQ center. All three players had the gift of anticipation of what was about to happen instead of just reacting after the fact. This is what bugs me about all the nonsense that is continually being hyped about KCP and his amazing defensive skill set on defense. He is the guy who cannot figure out how to stop the pick and roll play. But how could he figure it out as long as he plays with Andre Drummond? It is no fluke that Gortat always makes Drummond look like a Jr High player every time they match up together. Gortat knows how to play the game and he prepares mentally and is always ready to execute on defense and he always makes the supreme effort to set solid screens not wimpy half hearted screens like most of our players attempt. Timing is everything and to watch Wall and Gortat play the pick and roll on both offense and defense is beautiful and solidifies the cold fact that our Piston players have not learned anything new since lat season and seem uninterested in ever becoming smart hard working NBA players like the players on both Cleveland and Washington. Exactly who could make the rotations on either team who now are starters for Detroit? The players who currently play for those teams would not want to play with any of our players with possibly the exception of Morris and Harris. Neither would be a starter but could crack the rotation possibly on either team. Notice that I left off our two franchise players? We fans are supposed to brag about Andre Drummond's stats but when we watch him perform on defense especially relating to the pick and roll play, the real truth comes out and we all know our team is a bottom feeder or cannon fodder for the winning NBA programs in other cities.

Knowing that the Pistons were destroyed last season by pick and roll plays by many opposing teams, why in hell didn't the players get together with coaches and figure out how to stop the bleeding? Why hasn't anything been done to improve in this area this season? I see Pope giving up when a pick and roll play starts when a high screen is set during games where he defends either Wall or Irving. And of course Jackson and Smith are even worse options. We have to ask these questions to bring accountability to the players if the coaches not going to do their jobs. It is the job of Stan Van Gundy to bench even the highest paid athletes if they refuse to play the game the right way. Or he could try to move them off the team and get players who are interested in correcting their weaknesses. This has gone on too long with Andre and Reggie and their refusal to get up to speed on the defensive end. Why Wall was successful in getting through screens was pure desire to prevent that play from being successful. It took pure effort on his part. The same is true relating to the Cleveland defender. I make fun of Labron and the way he gets away with committing so many fouls but Labron is committed to doing whatever he has to do to win. This is something that is foreign to our players. And I am tired of Stan Van Gundy acting as if his hands are tied.

After the trade deadline passes and some of our brain dead players are still faking it on defense playing their version of the pick and roll defense and just being lazy and content to heave up long bombs on offense instead of running a real half court offense, Stan Van Gundy will have to do the right thing and start benching the highest paid players whenever they show up for game unprepared to play to the best of their ability. That means they have to show extreme effort or sit while to allow some of the younger players or possibly D-League players get their opportunity. There has to be accountability for a team to ever have good team chemistry. Right now the designated leaders are the same players who don't care about playing the pick and roll play the right way and the coach is allowing this to happen.

I guarantee that Stan Van Gundy can find new players out in the world who will play a lot smarter and have a better result than continuing to tolerate players who have contracted The Charlie V flu. Once you get that illness, it is hard to ever recover. And we have some players who are very sick right now. Washington and Cleveland are real NBA teams along with several others. Then comes the Pistons along with several other fake teams. The show must go on.

[Sparma]

That's amazing. I'd heard of medical advances regarding prematurity, but that's quite a picture.

NBA star holds premature baby for first time

Cleveland Cavaliers player J.R. Smith shared a touching Instagram photo of his first opportunity to hold his daughter since her premature birth.


http://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2017/02/07/j-r-smith-holds-premature-baby-orig-vstan.cnn

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