Re: FORUM

[cool breeze]

Thank you Oracle, lemonpen and Don for the thoughtful posts.  Great reading.


I wouldn't mind picking up Stanley Johnson in the off season for cheap...something like 2 years at $4 million.  We are going to have a lot of players coming off of contracts, and we're going to need warm bodies on cheap contracts to fill roster spots.  By my count, Ish, Ellington, Robinson, Calderone, Zaza, Lucas and Whitehead are all on expiring contracts.  We might bring 1 or 2 those guys back, but even so, we're going to have some roster spots to fill.  By my count, we only have 10 guys on contracts for next year, plus our two draft picks, which makes 12.  So that leaves 3 roster spots open.

And Johnson is far from just a warm body.  He's a good kid, he plays tenacious defense, and he's a willing passer.  He could develop into our defensive stopper off the bench.   I still remember SJ's signature performance in the playoffs his rookie year, when he contained Lebron to 23 ppg.  Lebron was still in his prime, and the Cavs went on to win the NBA Championship that year.  Johnson never quit.

If Johnson could just figure out how to finish at the rim, hit his mid-range shots, and not take so many (any?) 3 point shots, he would be a valuable asset off the bench at the 3 and 4 positions.  

He should spend the entire off season working on his shot.  But he already knows the coach, the system and the players, and by all accounts he's an enthusiastic locker room presence.

And if we resigned Johnson on the cheap, that would mean we stole Thon Maker, a #10 pick, for nothing.  Come on Stephanski...do it.



I'm guessing Kyrie Irving is getting ready to sign a max contract with the Knicks.

Murph you know that would make be happy to get Johnson back for that kind of money. He is far from finished. How about what Kelser said about Thomas. This guy knows everthing there is to know about all five positions. Two excellent 2nd round picks for Stephanski.

[BallinD]

Great win. And the annual Pistons swoon has so far been squashed.

Any day now, it could begin and even dropping to the 8th seed would disappoint but not surprise. The surprise would be if they continue to streak and hold the sixth seed.

So far all of us diehards are pinching ourselves and even still, the winning continues in non-Piston fashion.
Toughness, resilience, chemistry all the intangibles that were missing while all we could talk about was “hey, but they’re talented.” And now we’re a Team and the Casey-Blake leadership combo did that. Most importantly they got Weggie n Dre to Buy-In.

They built something. Its called a foundation of better habits, a mentality of Deeetroit Basketball!!!!

[Oracle]

You mentioned two important things.

1. Drummond: Yes he hit some soft shots, but the one that had me jumping up and down was that hook shot over Towns. The hook shot is one of the most potent in basketball because it's almost undefendable. If Dre can get that shot going, he'll be a monster!

2. Kennard: I don't think he knows just how good he can be yet! It was Kennard that keyed the comeback with his stellar play. This kid can stroke it from anywhere, but he's also a good ball handler, passer and playmaker, all of which was on display tonight. He won't make it this year, but it's going to be damn near impossible to keep him out of the starting lineup next year, he's earning it!

Very impressive blowout win vs Minny after being down 16 early.  A fluid O for much of the game, including nice inside-outside variety.

AD fantastic.  He not only hit his FTs, but his soft shots made me wonder if he's really figured it out (for a night, at least).

This version of Kennard is lethal, and seems to pull the team together.

Blake with a modest statistical night; good to see him looking for AD, as he did early in his time in Detroit.

Ish proving his value.

A bunch of others pitching in, including Glenn Robinsion (!!) and Galloway.

[Sparma]

Very impressive blowout win vs Minny after being down 16 early. A fluid O for much of the game, including nice inside-outside variety.

AD fantastic. He not only hit his FTs, but his soft shots made me wonder if he's really figured it out (for a night, at least).

This version of Kennard is lethal, and seems to pull the team together.

Blake with a modest statistical night; good to see him looking for AD, as he did early in his time in Detroit.

Ish proving his value.

A bunch of others pitching in, including Glenn Robinsion (!!) and Galloway.

[Oracle]

We started off so slow in the 1st that I was worried that we had fallen back into old habits. I don't know if they took these guys too lightly or Minny was just riding the high they got off of beating the crap out of the Thunder.

Whatever, we got down by 16 and it really looked bleak because turning that around starts on the defensive end, and we weren't matching up with their size and it hurt. We fought back to be down only 4 at the half, but we appeared to be the aggressor and that had me encouraged that we could pull out a victory in a very tight game.

How wrong I was!!! We came out SMOKING in the 2nd half and proceeded to turn this game around as impressively as I've seen in awhile, up by more than 30 in the 4th before emptying the bench for Darko Time 

Drummond was totally dominant, closing out the 1st with a much needed 3 pointer(a bit of luck, but hey, we'll take it). He once again eats Towns lunch, I swear Drummond has put a root on him   .  Drummond is undefeated against Towns, that's amazing.

But if you told me that Blake would score 9, Reggie only 6, I'd wonder how badly we lost. Fortunately we have Ish(19) & Kennard(21) with Maker, Galloway and GR3 combining for 28.

Lots of hero's tonight, however, we can't get back to the slow start stuff, especially on the road, it'll kill ya!

[Murph]

Thank you Oracle, lemonpen and Don for the thoughtful posts.  Great reading.


I wouldn't mind picking up Stanley Johnson in the off season for cheap...something like 2 years at $4 million.  We are going to have a lot of players coming off of contracts, and we're going to need warm bodies on cheap contracts to fill roster spots.  By my count, Ish, Ellington, Robinson, Calderone, Zaza, Lucas and Whitehead are all on expiring contracts.  We might bring 1 or 2 those guys back, but even so, we're going to have some roster spots to fill.  By my count, we only have 10 guys on contracts for next year, plus our two draft picks, which makes 12.  So that leaves 3 roster spots open.

And Johnson is far from just a warm body.  He's a good kid, he plays tenacious defense, and he's a willing passer.  He could develop into our defensive stopper off the bench.   I still remember SJ's signature performance in the playoffs his rookie year, when he contained Lebron to 23 ppg.  Lebron was still in his prime, and the Cavs went on to win the NBA Championship that year.  Johnson never quit.

If Johnson could just figure out how to finish at the rim, hit his mid-range shots, and not take so many (any?) 3 point shots, he would be a valuable asset off the bench at the 3 and 4 positions.  

He should spend the entire off season working on his shot.  But he already knows the coach, the system and the players, and by all accounts he's an enthusiastic locker room presence.

And if we resigned Johnson on the cheap, that would mean we stole Thon Maker, a #10 pick, for nothing.  Come on Stephanski...do it.



I'm guessing Kyrie Irving is getting ready to sign a max contract with the Knicks.

[cool breeze]

What happened to Stanley Johnson, and can he recover?

Stanley entered his NBA career as the "Self Proclaimed Best Player in His Draft", and it's been downhill from there.

To tell the truth, I actually believed that if not the best, he was in the top 3 in that draft, but it wasn't to be. What happened to Stanley? He started out so well that we were already printing all star tickets with his picture on them. His play was really good for a rookie and surprised me with how good his defense was. Unfortunately, even in Detroit, defense isn't enough to keep you in the lineup. Here's what I think happened... a toxic combination of Stanley & SVG.

1. Stanley believed every single one of his press clippings and early on, that level of confidence was cute, but later it was arrogance, and worse arrogance without the level of production that kept it cute.

2. Some may discount this, but IMO, the loss of his Mother was a HUGE blow to the kid. I can't imagine losing my mother at that tender age, and his mother was so much his guiding light for his career. She kept him grounded and would have been the first to straighten him out.

3. Enter SVG! Stanley's shot had some funky mechanics, but many players have that and nobody cares if the ball is dropping. Stanley was making a hell of a lot more shots before SVG "Fixed" his shot. After the fix, Stanley's shooting went so far south he couldn't find it anymore.

I hate that we had to give up on him and when that happens, in this league, it's hard for a young player to recover. They go to another team that didn't draft them and are faced with other guys that are entrenched in the new system, and it's an uphill battle.

I really do wish Stanley the best because he is special defensively, he just needs to get a serviceable offensive game, but that's tough because these days the stars get to do whatever they want and they want everybody else to stand out on the 3 point line and beg for scraps.

BTW, here's where he's at. The Pelicans beat a tough Utah team on the road, and Stanley didn't even sniff 1 minute of action.

Outstanding well thought out post Oracle. Johnson's Mom was his rock and that has been said by many people who have known Johnson for his entire life. I suspect being that he is so young with a lot of NBA experience, Stanley will surface later if not sooner with a more productive jump shot and all around game that works for the current way the game is played. What puzzled me more than his 3 point shooting percentage was his problems scoring in the paint. He used to take those small steps like Blake does which allows players to adjust and react quicker to paint defenders and get that tiny advantage that makes the difference between the fringe players and the great ones. Johnson used to use head fakes and other tricks to get opponents off their feet and just better all around mind control. He was instead often out of control lacking anticipation. How does a player regress and forget what made them successful? My final grade for the entire SVG coaching staff is a (F). Your job as an assistant includes working with players individually to eliminate their weaknesses. Players need to be receptive of course and Johnson was always an outstanding student in the classroom like Brandon Knight so it is somewhat baffling to me that he couldn't overcome adversity. He was doing all the right things in high school and somehow lost his confidence maybe because he didn't have his Mom around who was his go to person to correct things when he was struggling. She was a great teacher of the fundamentals and a pretty cool basketball player in her own right.

Stanley's defense should be enough to land another contract somewhere and I suspect he will be making a lot more money than I can hope for in my remaining life span. What was troubling was the lack of gradual improvement from year to year. But you are right, SVG's coaching staff really screwed with his technique and well as his mind.

Henry Ellenson is another matter. He was completely ignored by two coaching staffs. Neither would even give him the break he needed to even allow him to play in Grand Rapids for several months or even an entire season. We just lost this pick without ever knowing much about his potential. No player can be successful if they waste away sitting in street clothes or at the end of the bench. To know you will not play sucks. You lose confidence in yourself. Henry was 18 or 19 when he was drafted. The Pistons should have had a better plan but it appears they had no plan and the owner must not have noticed. But Henry has made a ton of money so who can feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for Piston fans though because it is fun to watch these young draft picks develop. We have not had enough of them become successful players. Yet who cannot bond with Blake Griffin. He has changed the culture of the Pistons. Blake dives for loose balls and gladly takes a beating in every game if he can help the Pistons win. There is no doubt that Blake has been the lightening rod to bring out the best especially in AD and RJ.

[Oracle]

I hope Kyrie totally screws the Celtics. Even though Isiah Thomas was a jerk, they screwed him hard to get Kyrie and now they deserve him.

Kyrie Irving: ‘I didn’t really come into this game to… be a celebrity’

Yeah he didn't want to be a celebrity... cough, cough Uncle Drew.

[Oracle]

Those boys better enjoy the playoff picture while they are still in it.  After the next couple of patsies life gets real hard for them.  First comes us, then a 6 game western swing against 6 of the WC top 10.  They limp home only to face the Sixers, Celtics and Bucks twice.  BuhBye

Somebody better pick up a case of vaseline for these dudes 

[Oracle]

What happened to Stanley Johnson, and can he recover?

Stanley entered his NBA career as the "Self Proclaimed Best Player in His Draft", and it's been downhill from there.

To tell the truth, I actually believed that if not the best, he was in the top 3 in that draft, but it wasn't to be. What happened to Stanley? He started out so well that we were already printing all star tickets with his picture on them. His play was really good for a rookie and surprised me with how good his defense was. Unfortunately, even in Detroit, defense isn't enough to keep you in the lineup. Here's what I think happened... a toxic combination of Stanley & SVG.

1. Stanley believed every single one of his press clippings and early on, that level of confidence was cute, but later it was arrogance, and worse arrogance without the level of production that kept it cute.

2. Some may discount this, but IMO, the loss of his Mother was a HUGE blow to the kid. I can't imagine losing my mother at that tender age, and his mother was so much his guiding light for his career. She kept him grounded and would have been the first to straighten him out.

3. Enter SVG! Stanley's shot had some funky mechanics, but many players have that and nobody cares if the ball is dropping. Stanley was making a hell of a lot more shots before SVG "Fixed" his shot. After the fix, Stanley's shooting went so far south he couldn't find it anymore.

I hate that we had to give up on him and when that happens, in this league, it's hard for a young player to recover. They go to another team that didn't draft them and are faced with other guys that are entrenched in the new system, and it's an uphill battle.

I really do wish Stanley the best because he is special defensively, he just needs to get a serviceable offensive game, but that's tough because these days the stars get to do whatever they want and they want everybody else to stand out on the 3 point line and beg for scraps.

BTW, here's where he's at. The Pelicans beat a tough Utah team on the road, and Stanley didn't even sniff 1 minute of action.

[lemonpen]

Those boys better enjoy the playoff picture while they are still in it. After the next couple of patsies life gets real hard for them. First comes us, then a 6 game western swing against 6 of the WC top 10. They limp home only to face the Sixers, Celtics and Bucks twice. BuhBye

[lemonpen]

"That said, I did perk up with Kennard was out there at the outset of OT, rather than BB. BB's exceeded expectations, but Kennard may well be the key to this hot streak, well, really him, AD, and Reggie. Didn't like trading away Bullock, but I had some thought Kennard would really emerge, and that's happened." - Sparma

Yes, Kennard is playing a major role in this resurgence, but that's normal for a good team. Was it Sheed or Ben, Chauncey or RIP or Prince? If we're going to have a good team, more than a couple of guys have to be playing well. That's what makes this so much more exciting!
________________________________________________________________________________________________

As many have noticed, Blake still isn't himself since the break, but the rest of the team is picking up the slack.

IMO, they're still trying to turn the corner, they made a lot of mistakes good teams have to eliminate to beat teams regularly. The good news is that they're playing so well that it's those little things we have the luxury to talk about instead of the late season collapses we suffered every year under SVG. Blake said that this team shouldn't be proud of getting a 6th, 7th or 8th seed, that's nothing special, their sights should be higher.

I agree, but in our case, I really don't care about the seed or the record to some extent. I care about how well they're playing, because if you're playing right, the rest takes care of itself.

Note: The talking heads made a big deal of Leonard missing, and he is a difference maker. However, what they miss is that we were on the back end of a back to back and they were rested. Nobody knows what would have happened if Leonard played, but PLEASE... IMO, missing a player and playing on a back to back kind of cancels out. This is a no excuse league, and that was an exciting game.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, I LOVE what I'm hearing from these guys: Pistons grind out taut OT win over Toronto

“I thought our guys found a way to win,” Casey said. “It wasn’t pretty. Made some mistakes down the stretch that were tough, but we made up for it with hard play. That’s one of the top defensive teams and when you’re not allowed to cut, move, you have a great advantage. But we fought through it.” - Casey

Kennard, a day after a career-high six 3-pointers, hit five more in a 19-point outing. Jackson matched his 19. It was Drummond’s impact that was felt most, though, as the Pistons were plus-27 in his 28 minutes, the last 10:28 played with five fouls.

“He was big time down the stretch,” Casey said. “Big rebounds. He was in foul trouble all night, but he played through it and was a big-time plus/minus guy. His rebounds down the stretch , his defense against (Marc) Gasol down the stretch, was huge.”

“We just kept doing what we’ve been doing this stretch,” Griffin said. “I thought guys were pretty gassed. But guys just dug in and everybody contributed. I was in the cold tub with Ish (Smith) looking at the stat sheet. It felt like Dre played 10 minutes, you look down he has 15 and 17. Luke’s 5 for 9 (from three). (Reggie Jackson), Wayne (Ellington), Ish – you go down the line, you can name something that somebody did to contribute to this win. When you play like that, it’s easy to buy in and believe.”

“In the beginning of the season, we were winning close games and we were winning despite what we were doing,” Griffin said. “And now we’re winning close games because of what we’re doing. And that’s a good sign. This is the time to be doing that. Hopefully we can carry that over into the playoffs.”

The kid is really playing with a chip on his shoulder. It's kind of funny how opposing guards have stopped entering the game licking their lips and running at Luke with reckless abandon. He just might get a couple of GMs fired for passing him up.

[lemonpen]

I know that Wayne Ellington was an odd pick up.  He was a veteran free agent, who does not really figure into the Pistons future.  And the Pistons already have a ton of promising young SGs, Kennard, Brown and Thomas.  Ellington only takes up a starting spot, and takes away minutes from the development of our younger players.  And he probably will not be back next year.

Nevertheless, after having said all of that, Ellington is playing well.  He's adds veteran influence, he plays a little D and his shooting is beginning to heat up.  In his last 4 games, Ellington is averaging 13 ppg and is shooting 50% from the 3 point line.

If the Pistons are going to make a run for the 6th seed and make a little noise in the playoffs, Ellington is going to be an important component of that run.

All in all, I'd have to say picking up Ellington for the remainder of the season was a good move.  More kudos to Stephanski.

Man was I having doubts at first.  Dude couldn't hit squadouch.  Glad I waited and kept my mouth shut.

[lemonpen]

That is a good sign for the Pistons to take a big hit at the beginning of overtime by the Raptors given the Pistons were playing the 2nd of back to back games. That takes character. This team seems to be acquiring a real identity of being a more physical type NBA team. AD manages to stay in the game with 5 fouls. Blake seems to be a bit injured or sore from taking a regular beating without getting many calls. Luke Kennard is playing really smart on both offense and defense. Everyone is making a good contribution and I am especially happy that Casey has given Robinson more playing time.

I wonder if the coach grades himself after games with his decisions on game time strategy and player combinations. For instance, Casey is playing Langston Galloway minutes even when Langston cannot make shots. By this time in the season Casey should only allow Galloway to be on the floor if he has the hot hand which he has had recently. But in this game, Galloway was not an effective scorer. The coach must realize that Robinson is a far superior defender than Galloway. And the few minutes that Robinson has been given shows that he has been extremely productive. So with Casey make the adjustment or just keep on plugging in Langston's name regardless of the circumstances??
Sooner or later someone will notice that more often than not LG struggles offensively as ONLY a 3pt shooter. He has performed better when first seeking closer shots.

The other question I have with the coaching strategy is end of game possessions and why the ball doesn't touch Blake Griffin in those situations and why there is little to no player movement a too much dribbling by Reggie Jackson. I personally love the way Reggie Jackson is playing but Casey's strategy out of the time out and his player combination was ridiculous. Why was Bruce Brown playing after the time out on the last possession of regulation? Why was Kennard on the bench? That decision was pure stupidity. Hello the Pistons were on offense not defense. If the Pistons had been on defense then Jackson should have been on the bench and Kennard should have been playing but that was not the case. Nobody has shot the ball better than Luke Kennard lately. Jackson is shooting it well from distance and made that huge baseline 3 point shot so he should be in the game for sure at the end. But why did the coach not call for more movement with 8 seconds on the shot clock? Jackson did have Blake Griffin open on the right baseline but was doubled and threw the ball high to Brown on the opposite side. The Pistons had no chance to get a good shot off.

I think RJax's effort on D and overall D has improved quite a bit in the last several weeks. He actually gets low and widens his stance. They all have.

With that said, Casey is doing something positive that is inspiring confidence in the players. The Players seem to like him a lot which is special. The Pistons use a variety of offensive sets now and move the ball around to both sides more and show moments when all the players on the floor are in sync playing as a team instead of individuals. The Pistons have no defensive stopper that has come forward. They will need that during the playoffs. Thon Maker's has to take on that role at times. He can do it but seems to need to get at least one score before he goes all out on the defensive end. But last night, Thon was effective on defense. For the perimeter players, perhaps Robinson could come off the bench and limit opponents who are on a hot streak. I can't think of any other guard or small forward who is big enough or willing enough to do that down and dirty job.

It appears that the decision to make that trade for Blake Griffin was actually fantastic. He has transformed the mindset of the Detroit Pistons. Blake has taken on the role of leadership so well that all of the players are giving maximum effort and are actually prepared for each game unlike so many games in past seasons. I don't know if the Pistons can win one game in the playoffs but I feel they will leave everything on the floor  which is all we should hope for relating to this season. Hats off to the players and coaches for creating some fun times for the fans in Michigan and elsewhere.
Just in the nick of time.

[Murph]

I know that Wayne Ellington was an odd pick up.  He was a veteran free agent, who does not really figure into the Pistons future.  And the Pistons already have a ton of promising young SGs, Kennard, Brown and Thomas.  Ellington only takes up a starting spot, and takes away minutes from the development of our younger players.  And he probably will not be back next year.

Nevertheless, after having said all of that, Ellington is playing well.  He's adds veteran influence, he plays a little D and his shooting is beginning to heat up.  In his last 4 games, Ellington is averaging 13 ppg and is shooting 50% from the 3 point line.

If the Pistons are going to make a run for the 6th seed and make a little noise in the playoffs, Ellington is going to be an important component of that run.

All in all, I'd have to say picking up Ellington for the remainder of the season was a good move.  More kudos to Stephanski.

[cool breeze]

That is a good sign for the Pistons to take a big hit at the beginning of overtime by the Raptors given the Pistons were playing the 2nd of back to back games. That takes character. This team seems to be acquiring a real identity of being a more physical type NBA team. AD manages to stay in the game with 5 fouls. Blake seems to be a bit injured or sore from taking a regular beating without getting many calls. Luke Kennard is playing really smart on both offense and defense. Everyone is making a good contribution and I am especially happy that Casey has given Robinson more playing time.

I wonder if the coach grades himself after games with his decisions on game time strategy and player combinations. For instance, Casey is playing Langston Galloway minutes even when Langston cannot make shots. By this time in the season Casey should only allow Galloway to be on the floor if he has the hot hand which he has had recently. But in this game, Galloway was not an effective scorer. The coach must realize that Robinson is a far superior defender than Galloway. And the few minutes that Robinson has been given shows that he has been extremely productive. So with Casey make the adjustment or just keep on plugging in Langston's name regardless of the circumstances??

The other question I have with the coaching strategy is end of game possessions and why the ball doesn't touch Blake Griffin in those situations and why there is little to no player movement a too much dribbling by Reggie Jackson. I personally love the way Reggie Jackson is playing but Casey's strategy out of the time out and his player combination was ridiculous. Why was Bruce Brown playing after the time out on the last possession of regulation? Why was Kennard on the bench? That decision was pure stupidity. Hello the Pistons were on offense not defense. If the Pistons had been on defense then Jackson should have been on the bench and Kennard should have been playing but that was not the case. Nobody has shot the ball better than Luke Kennard lately. Jackson is shooting it well from distance and made that huge baseline 3 point shot so he should be in the game for sure at the end. But why did the coach not call for more movement with 8 seconds on the shot clock? Jackson did have Blake Griffin open on the right baseline but was doubled and threw the ball high to Brown on the opposite side. The Pistons had no chance to get a good shot off.

With that said, Casey is doing something positive that is inspiring confidence in the players. The Players seem to like him a lot which is special. The Pistons use a variety of offensive sets now and move the ball around to both sides more and show moments when all the players on the floor are in sync playing as a team instead of individuals. The Pistons have no defensive stopper that has come forward. They will need that during the playoffs. Thon Maker's has to take on that role at times. He can do it but seems to need to get at least one score before he goes all out on the defensive end. But last night, Thon was effective on defense. For the perimeter players, perhaps Robinson could come off the bench and limit opponents who are on a hot streak. I can't think of any other guard or small forward who is big enough or willing enough to do that down and dirty job.

It appears that the decision to make that trade for Blake Griffin was actually fantastic. He has transformed the mindset of the Detroit Pistons. Blake has taken on the role of leadership so well that all of the players are giving maximum effort and are actually prepared for each game unlike so many games in past seasons. I don't know if the Pistons can win one game in the playoffs but I feel they will leave everything on the floor which is all we should hope for relating to this season. Hats off to the players and coaches for creating some fun times for the fans in Michigan and elsewhere.

[Oracle]

"That said, I did perk up with Kennard was out there at the outset of OT, rather than BB. BB's exceeded expectations, but Kennard may well be the key to this hot streak, well, really him, AD, and Reggie. Didn't like trading away Bullock, but I had some thought Kennard would really emerge, and that's happened." - Sparma

Yes, Kennard is playing a major role in this resurgence, but that's normal for a good team. Was it Sheed or Ben, Chauncey or RIP or Prince? If we're going to have a good team, more than a couple of guys have to be playing well. That's what makes this so much more exciting!
________________________________________________________________________________________________

As many have noticed, Blake still isn't himself since the break, but the rest of the team is picking up the slack.

IMO, they're still trying to turn the corner, they made a lot of mistakes good teams have to eliminate to beat teams regularly. The good news is that they're playing so well that it's those little things we have the luxury to talk about instead of the late season collapses we suffered every year under SVG. Blake said that this team shouldn't be proud of getting a 6th, 7th or 8th seed, that's nothing special, their sights should be higher.

I agree, but in our case, I really don't care about the seed or the record to some extent. I care about how well they're playing, because if you're playing right, the rest takes care of itself.

Note: The talking heads made a big deal of Leonard missing, and he is a difference maker. However, what they miss is that we were on the back end of a back to back and they were rested. Nobody knows what would have happened if Leonard played, but PLEASE... IMO, missing a player and playing on a back to back kind of cancels out. This is a no excuse league, and that was an exciting game.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, I LOVE what I'm hearing from these guys: Pistons grind out taut OT win over Toronto

“I thought our guys found a way to win,” Casey said. “It wasn’t pretty. Made some mistakes down the stretch that were tough, but we made up for it with hard play. That’s one of the top defensive teams and when you’re not allowed to cut, move, you have a great advantage. But we fought through it.” - Casey

Kennard, a day after a career-high six 3-pointers, hit five more in a 19-point outing. Jackson matched his 19. It was Drummond’s impact that was felt most, though, as the Pistons were plus-27 in his 28 minutes, the last 10:28 played with five fouls.

“He was big time down the stretch,” Casey said. “Big rebounds. He was in foul trouble all night, but he played through it and was a big-time plus/minus guy. His rebounds down the stretch , his defense against (Marc) Gasol down the stretch, was huge.”

“We just kept doing what we’ve been doing this stretch,” Griffin said. “I thought guys were pretty gassed. But guys just dug in and everybody contributed. I was in the cold tub with Ish (Smith) looking at the stat sheet. It felt like Dre played 10 minutes, you look down he has 15 and 17. Luke’s 5 for 9 (from three). (Reggie Jackson), Wayne (Ellington), Ish – you go down the line, you can name something that somebody did to contribute to this win. When you play like that, it’s easy to buy in and believe.”

“In the beginning of the season, we were winning close games and we were winning despite what we were doing,” Griffin said. “And now we’re winning close games because of what we’re doing. And that’s a good sign. This is the time to be doing that. Hopefully we can carry that over into the playoffs.”

[Sparma]

I'm amazed, even though I knew there was a soft portion in the schedule. In OT, we got blocked at least twice on the first possession, then they hit the three. Really, going in I felt we were going to go under, with Drummond fouling out. That said, I did perk up with Kennard was out there at the outset of OT, rather than BB. BB's exceeded expectations, but Kennard may well be the key to this hot streak, well, really him, AD, and Reggie. Didn't like trading away Bullock, but I had some thought Kennard would really emerge, and that's happened.

Let's see, we're 31-31, with a 9-2 run, right? We were 22-29 at the nadir, after starting 13-7: so, 13-7, 9-22, 9-2. That's incredible streakiness, even when taking the schedule into account.

Still, haven't they been 28-30 three years running, and 29-29 the year before. That's incredible consistency!

This is the most hopeful I've felt about the team for some time. Kennard looks really good, worthy of being a #12 pick. He needs to be able to shoot, along with some other things, and he's been given opportunities recently. BB looks like a long term rotation guy, even though he's limited offensively, and my sense is that Thomas is actually better than him, as I hope will emerge next year. And Svi really showed flashes against Cleveland, getting in a couple of nice passes and getting to the basket for a thunder dunk (only to be stopped by the rim that time). That's not exactly a Trammell-Whitaker-Morris-Parrish nucleus of youth, but a solid group of young players. And Thon can contribute, even though his limits (eg hands) are becoming apparent. Most promising group of young players we've had in quite a while, maybe since when we kept drafting around 7-9 (Monroe, Knight, KCP, Drummond).

Best of all, we're in sole possession of 6th seed!!!

[Oracle]

Best of all, we're in sole possession of 6th seed!!!

[Sparma]

Oracle: "and clutch defense from Drummond, who IMO, was, and has lately been the key to us winning. He's given up on the silly offensive crapola, and gets his offense from easy stuff and his defense and rim protection is what's keeping us in games and winning games."

Drummond was the principal difference in an OT game against an outstanding game, even with Kahwi out (they'd gone 13-4 without him, most of that without the newly arrived Gasol). Time for AD to get some national credit, indeed.

Huge win, showing a lot of heart, as Oracle says. Back to .500.

(btw, does this mean that my prediction of, what 43 wins is back in play?)


The talking heads aren't giving Drummond the credit he deserves yet, but it's going to come.

This guy is so true to his word! He said he doesn't have a dog house, and it shows.

GR3 was all but dead at the far end of the bench heading for street clothes, but Casey don't give a crap, he inserted him into the game and he delivered in limited minutes.

Casey is fueling these guys and they're starting to buy in and believe... it's a beautiful thing!

[Oracle]

This guy is so true to his word! He said he doesn't have a dog house, and it shows.

GR3 was all but dead at the far end of the bench heading for street clothes, but Casey don't give a crap, he inserted him into the game and he delivered in limited minutes.

Casey is fueling these guys and they're starting to buy in and believe... it's a beautiful thing!

[Oracle]

I could go on and on about how many mistakes the Pistons made down the stretch of the 4th, and continued in OT, but I won't because what these guys showed tonight was a sh!t load of HEART!!!

Ballin, the shots went down easy in Cleveland, and early on, they were cheap and easy as the Pistons built a 13 point lead and looked like they were on their way to another blowout victory.

But something happened on the way to an easy victory, the Pistons shots stopped falling so easily, and all of a sudden they had to actually WORK for their shots.

They managed to stay in the game, but were trailing in the 4th, and worst of all, their ball movement all but stopped and we were left with Blake and Reggie doing way too many ISO plays.

Still, they got some clutch scoring from Reggie and clutch defense from Drummond, who IMO, was, and has lately been the key to us winning. He's given up on the silly offensive crapola, and gets his offense from easy stuff and his defense and rim protection is what's keeping us in games and winning games.

The talking heads aren't giving Drummond the credit he deserves yet, but it's going to come.

This was a great game for the Pistons and one we SHOULD and MUST win if we're going to enter the playoffs as a legitimately decent team.

This is truly something they can build on, and the best sign that they're on the right path going forward. If they keep this up, the bandwagon is going to get a bit crowded, and they'll have a LOT more stinky butts in those seats 

[BallinD]

Casey’s silly sounding pronouncements that if they keep taking open 3s, shots will fall appears to have the ring of truth now.

I thought this team, if anything, would jell late in the season. That was some bitter koolaid early on, but now its somewhat refreshing. Time for me to give Casey a kudo or two!

Pistons ranks since February 1:
41.2% 3-point FG - 1st
56.1% effective FG - 1st
59.3% true shooting - 1st

[Murph]

Nice win on the road yesterday against a pathetic Cavs team that is desperately trying to tank in order to win the Zion Williamson sweepstakes.

I liked the fact that Casey played his starters sparingly, in order to try to save them for today's game against the Raptors.  If SVG were still coach, he would have played all the starters 36 minutes.

And the bench came through.  Kennard had 26 points and 5 rebounds, including a red hot 6-7 from the 3 point line.  Ish had 11 pts, 6 asts and 5 rbds.  And both Maker and Robinson played well.  Maker had one of his most efficient games as a Pistons with 5 pts and 6 rbds.

And we had a Svi Myhailuk sighting.  Svi hit a 3 and pulled down 2 asts in 5 minutes.  Not bad.

I like the fact that Casey always plays as many players as possible in an attempt to get everyone playing well.  He often gets 13 players in the game, like he did yesterday. I think the way he handles and develops players individually is his greatest asset as a coach.


With that win and with the Nets 3rd straight loss, the Pistons move into a tie for the 6th seed.  That would mean the Pistons would not have to play the Raptors in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Although the 76ers would be no picnic either.  If we do play the 6ers in the 1st round, hopefully Drummond can avoid all the drama with Embiid, and not become "his b*tch" as Phil so colorfully puts it.

At the beginning of the season, I predicted 47 wins and the 6th seed.  I doubt the Pistons will reach 47 wins, but the 6th seed is a very real possibility.

[Oracle]

A tune up, but hopefully they don't expect for teams to beat themselves like the Cavs did. Casey wanted focus and he got it!

No Love, no hope for that team, they were horrible defensively, we got damn near any shot we wanted and our guys took full advantage of them.

Haven't looked at the box score yet, but Kennard was a monster, the kid was showing up big and even got a beautiful 3 taken away when Blake took an elbow to the solar plexus.

I truly hope Kennard, Reggie and Galloway shoot well tomorrow!

BTW Ballin, I hear you. You'd think you could be the one armed man and trip over ONE assist, but stuff happens 

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