Knock on Wood - The Arnie Kander Effect?

[Murph]

I hate to even bring up a subject like this for fear of jinxing the team, but has anyone noticed that previously often injured players like Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin have been healthy for almost the entire season, after being injured multiple times in past years?

Does this unexpected good health have anything to do with the Pistons re-hiring Arnie Kander as a strength and conditioning consultant last July? Kander, a former ballet dancer, puts a huge emphasis on stretching extensively before every game and practice. Furthermore, Kander advocates for the shorter lighter practices of Dwayne Casey, as opposed to the longer, grueling practices of SVG. Over the course of an 8 month season, that can have a big effect.

If the Pistons make the playoffs this season, a lot of it will be because they have been mostly injury free, whether it's coincidence, good luck, or due to the expertise of Arnie Kander as a trainer.

Who was it that continually lobbied for years for the Pistons to re-hire Kander? BallinD?

[cool breeze]

Casey has ignored players on this roster who offer more than a dummy defense effort. He has selected players who cannot stop dribble penetration at the skill positions especially when it counts in crunch time. So why should we expect that this coach will change his philosophy? That is what I worry about. Instead of recognizing Maker's value as a defender, Casey might well keep him on a short leash until he loses what confidence he brought from playing with those Bucks players. Maker needs to play a lot of minutes for the rest of the season regardless of how many points he can score. But this coaching staff pays strict attention to the modern stat models that never tell the true story about winning and losing games. I hope that I am wrong and this coach gets tired of losing. But so far he hasn't seemed to flinch after the Pistons get picked apart in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter.

Murph mentioned Billups and i happened to watch an interview with Chauncey on Sunday during the Colorado-Arizona game. He is such a good man and smart. The fans who attended the game at Colorado that featured some of their older players like Billups sure love Chauncey. Too bad Mr. BigShot like Zeke are not impacting the Pistons with their wisdom.

I will be surprised if Brogdon is not signed by the Bucks. But if not, the Pistons would be pretty stupid if they didn't at least try to get him. Brogdon is not yet in his prime. Yet now he shows his high basketball IQ and the ability to play both ends of the floor well. After all this time of watching shoot first point guards playing for the Pistons, it is difficult to trust that they will make a change in the type of point guard they seem to like. Yet this is a different management team that might make better decisions. I would not trust Casey's ability to select a future point guard. Sorry that I am so hard on this coach but I can't help but believe his hiring was a huge mistake. But if the owner wants the Teal type of thing again or can't remember what that was like, then so be it. There are a lot of teams who are in great financial position going into next summer, so Detroit might be left with the rejects. The next draft is not strong where the Pistons will be selecting either. So although I always hope for the best, it does not appear likely that this roster will change much due to contracts that are just not moveable perhaps until the trade deadline next season.

By the way, I noticed that Glen Robinson played really well before the break in the short minutes he got. I wonder if Casey might install him as the starting small forward again before the season is over. He is a better defender than Galloway but Casey has that Mother-Son relationship and hopes Langston will get the hot hand he has had in a few games. Offense is everything in Casey's eyes. That is why he is not a good fit for the Motor City.

[Murph]

It's nice to see Ben Wallace getting some consideration for the HOF.  I also hope that this will open the door for Chancey Billups to be considered also.


Don...I hope you're right about Thon Maker.  I don't think he will ever start of SF, but I'd like to see him develop into the first big off the bench, subbing in at both the center and PF position.  He is still very raw, but I agree that he's quick and athletic, and huge with a 7'3 wingspan.  He has all the physical tools to become the shot blocker and defensive big that the Pistons desperately need.


What do we need most in the draft this year?...a PG or a SF?  

Available PGs will be Coby White from UNC, Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, Tre Jones from Duke and Ashton Hagans from KY.

Available SFs will be DeAndre Hunter from UVA, Nassir Little from UNC, Keldon Johnson from KY, and Kris Wilkes from UCLA.  

I guess at this point, I'd probably take a flyer on Coby White.

The draft is not very deep this year.  The talent really drops off after the first 6 picks.

Maker is one of the few players that I like to watch on this Piston team Murph. That says a lot about this team. This coach is to lame to ever start Maker at small forward or play him in that position even though the Pistons have perhaps the worst talent at all three skill positions. Maker is raw and he needs to add weight but I think he has a high basketball IQ that is missing from most of the players on the roster including the head coach. I know that sounds extreme but after watching what Casey has done in the games so far where when the Pistons need stops in crunch time he subs for Galloway who is the 2nd worse defender on the team, I think that I am correct in my assessment that the head coach has caused the Pistons to lose a lot of close games so far. Remember he started the season playing Jackson and Smith at the same time in crunch time.

The draft prospects where the Pistons will pick will be slim this season. Last year when this owner threw in our number one pick is going to hurt the team for years to come. The Clippers were able to secure a really good player with the Pistons pick. The Piston front office might clash with the head coach regarding who they might pick in this draft. I hope the front office wins out. Detroit needs a point guard but it can't come from this draft in my opinion.

Looking at the standings Detroit is in the thick of it relating to getting either the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. That is how pathetic it has become in the Eastern conference. The Pistons are not a playoff caliber team in any way shape or form. I can't imagine them winning one game if they get in. The strategy would be stop Blake Griffin from scoring. Target all of the perimeter players Casey adores so much when the opposing team is on offense. Detroit has lost 30 games and they look like a pick up street ball team most of the time. But outside of a few teams, the entire Eastern conference is dull. That is why there needs to be a change where the best 16 teams make the playoffs regardless of what conference they might play in. Imagine this season how the television ratings are going to be in the first few rounds of the playoffs in the Eastern conference. At some point the Pistons need to tank or make a blockbuster trade to give up one or two of their best players to somehow secure a top 2 or 3 pick. But I don't think even Andre Drummond would bring the Pistons that opportunity. The Pistons appear to be doomed to stay in limbo as a below average NBA team for many years to come. I hope like hell that I am wrong and a player like Maker can somehow come into training camp next fall and look completely different physically and also have the mental game down. I hope he plays with some of those Bucks players over the summer instead of his teammates.

I too am mildly pleased by what little I’ve seen of Maker, and am eager to see more.  I agree that he isn’t polished, but may be more than RAW.  He seems to have several qualities that can’t be taught.  Height, length, foot quickness and better than expected defense awareness.  For the relatively few minutes I’ve seen, his skill as a help defender caught my attention.  He is pretty decisive with good timing.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Casey try closing out games with Thon, BB, and our more offensive 3 starters.
Is it time to put Mr. Galloway on reserve – reserve duty.  Luke is blowing his doors off offensively and hanging in on D.  Might be time to find out if the other kid can hit open jumpers off the bench.

Don...I think you are far too pessimistic about the Pistons prospects moving forward.  We have our draft picks  this year, and we will have a little money to spend to upgrade the PG position.  First and foremost, we need a replacement for Ish.  Unrestricted free agent PGs, who will not break the bank are:  Malcom Brogdon, Darren Collison, TJ McConnell, Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverly and Elfrid Payton.

I would like to see Gores dust off that fat wallet of his and go over the salary cap for one measly year to sign an accomplished PG like Brogdon, Collison or McConnell to a multi-year contract for something like $10 or $12 million a year.  That would represent a significant upgrade over Ish.



Lemonpen, I agree that Casey should give a lot of minutes to Kennard and Svi to see if they can handle the SF position.  I also agree that there is no point in playing Galloway any longer.  Galloway must be a good guy and a good teammate, that Casey likes on a personal basis. There is no other reason to play him.



I would welcome going into the season with a rotation that looks something like this:

Jackson, Brogdon, 1st round pick
Brown, Thomas, Galloway
Kennard, Svi, 2nd round pick
Griffin, Maker, Leuer
Drummond, Maker, Leuer

[lemonpen]

It's nice to see Ben Wallace getting some consideration for the HOF.  I also hope that this will open the door for Chancey Billups to be considered also.


Don...I hope you're right about Thon Maker.  I don't think he will ever start of SF, but I'd like to see him develop into the first big off the bench, subbing in at both the center and PF position.  He is still very raw, but I agree that he's quick and athletic, and huge with a 7'3 wingspan.  He has all the physical tools to become the shot blocker and defensive big that the Pistons desperately need.


What do we need most in the draft this year?...a PG or a SF?  

Available PGs will be Coby White from UNC, Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, Tre Jones from Duke and Ashton Hagans from KY.

Available SFs will be DeAndre Hunter from UVA, Nassir Little from UNC, Keldon Johnson from KY, and Kris Wilkes from UCLA.  

I guess at this point, I'd probably take a flyer on Coby White.

The draft is not very deep this year.  The talent really drops off after the first 6 picks.

Maker is one of the few players that I like to watch on this Piston team Murph. That says a lot about this team. This coach is to lame to ever start Maker at small forward or play him in that position even though the Pistons have perhaps the worst talent at all three skill positions. Maker is raw and he needs to add weight but I think he has a high basketball IQ that is missing from most of the players on the roster including the head coach. I know that sounds extreme but after watching what Casey has done in the games so far where when the Pistons need stops in crunch time he subs for Galloway who is the 2nd worse defender on the team, I think that I am correct in my assessment that the head coach has caused the Pistons to lose a lot of close games so far. Remember he started the season playing Jackson and Smith at the same time in crunch time.

The draft prospects where the Pistons will pick will be slim this season. Last year when this owner threw in our number one pick is going to hurt the team for years to come. The Clippers were able to secure a really good player with the Pistons pick. The Piston front office might clash with the head coach regarding who they might pick in this draft. I hope the front office wins out. Detroit needs a point guard but it can't come from this draft in my opinion.

Looking at the standings Detroit is in the thick of it relating to getting either the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. That is how pathetic it has become in the Eastern conference. The Pistons are not a playoff caliber team in any way shape or form. I can't imagine them winning one game if they get in. The strategy would be stop Blake Griffin from scoring. Target all of the perimeter players Casey adores so much when the opposing team is on offense. Detroit has lost 30 games and they look like a pick up street ball team most of the time. But outside of a few teams, the entire Eastern conference is dull. That is why there needs to be a change where the best 16 teams make the playoffs regardless of what conference they might play in. Imagine this season how the television ratings are going to be in the first few rounds of the playoffs in the Eastern conference. At some point the Pistons need to tank or make a blockbuster trade to give up one or two of their best players to somehow secure a top 2 or 3 pick. But I don't think even Andre Drummond would bring the Pistons that opportunity. The Pistons appear to be doomed to stay in limbo as a below average NBA team for many years to come. I hope like hell that I am wrong and a player like Maker can somehow come into training camp next fall and look completely different physically and also have the mental game down. I hope he plays with some of those Bucks players over the summer instead of his teammates.

I too am mildly pleased by what little I’ve seen of Maker, and am eager to see more. I agree that he isn’t polished, but may be more than RAW. He seems to have several qualities that can’t be taught. Height, length, foot quickness and better than expected defense awareness. For the relatively few minutes I’ve seen, his skill as a help defender caught my attention. He is pretty decisive with good timing.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Casey try closing out games with Thon, BB, and our more offensive 3 starters.
Is it time to put Mr. Galloway on reserve – reserve duty. Luke is blowing his doors off offensively and hanging in on D. Might be time to find out if the other kid can hit open jumpers off the bench.

[cool breeze]

It's nice to see Ben Wallace getting some consideration for the HOF.  I also hope that this will open the door for Chancey Billups to be considered also.


Don...I hope you're right about Thon Maker.  I don't think he will ever start of SF, but I'd like to see him develop into the first big off the bench, subbing in at both the center and PF position.  He is still very raw, but I agree that he's quick and athletic, and huge with a 7'3 wingspan.  He has all the physical tools to become the shot blocker and defensive big that the Pistons desperately need.


What do we need most in the draft this year?...a PG or a SF?  

Available PGs will be Coby White from UNC, Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, Tre Jones from Duke and Ashton Hagans from KY.

Available SFs will be DeAndre Hunter from UVA, Nassir Little from UNC, Keldon Johnson from KY, and Kris Wilkes from UCLA.  

I guess at this point, I'd probably take a flyer on Coby White.

The draft is not very deep this year.  The talent really drops off after the first 6 picks.

Maker is one of the few players that I like to watch on this Piston team Murph. That says a lot about this team. This coach is to lame to ever start Maker at small forward or play him in that position even though the Pistons have perhaps the worst talent at all three skill positions. Maker is raw and he needs to add weight but I think he has a high basketball IQ that is missing from most of the players on the roster including the head coach. I know that sounds extreme but after watching what Casey has done in the games so far where when the Pistons need stops in crunch time he subs for Galloway who is the 2nd worse defender on the team, I think that I am correct in my assessment that the head coach has caused the Pistons to lose a lot of close games so far. Remember he started the season playing Jackson and Smith at the same time in crunch time.

The draft prospects where the Pistons will pick will be slim this season. Last year when this owner threw in our number one pick is going to hurt the team for years to come. The Clippers were able to secure a really good player with the Pistons pick. The Piston front office might clash with the head coach regarding who they might pick in this draft. I hope the front office wins out. Detroit needs a point guard but it can't come from this draft in my opinion.

Looking at the standings Detroit is in the thick of it relating to getting either the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. That is how pathetic it has become in the Eastern conference. The Pistons are not a playoff caliber team in any way shape or form. I can't imagine them winning one game if they get in. The strategy would be stop Blake Griffin from scoring. Target all of the perimeter players Casey adores so much when the opposing team is on offense. Detroit has lost 30 games and they look like a pick up street ball team most of the time. But outside of a few teams, the entire Eastern conference is dull. That is why there needs to be a change where the best 16 teams make the playoffs regardless of what conference they might play in. Imagine this season how the television ratings are going to be in the first few rounds of the playoffs in the Eastern conference. At some point the Pistons need to tank or make a blockbuster trade to give up one or two of their best players to somehow secure a top 2 or 3 pick. But I don't think even Andre Drummond would bring the Pistons that opportunity. The Pistons appear to be doomed to stay in limbo as a below average NBA team for many years to come. I hope like hell that I am wrong and a player like Maker can somehow come into training camp next fall and look completely different physically and also have the mental game down. I hope he plays with some of those Bucks players over the summer instead of his teammates.

[Murph]

It's nice to see Ben Wallace getting some consideration for the HOF.  I also hope that this will open the door for Chancey Billups to be considered also.


Don...I hope you're right about Thon Maker.  I don't think he will ever start of SF, but I'd like to see him develop into the first big off the bench, subbing in at both the center and PF position.  He is still very raw, but I agree that he's quick and athletic, and huge with a 7'3 wingspan.  He has all the physical tools to become the shot blocker and defensive big that the Pistons desperately need.


What do we need most in the draft this year?...a PG or a SF?  

Available PGs will be Coby White from UNC, Darius Garland from Vanderbilt, Tre Jones from Duke and Ashton Hagans from KY.

Available SFs will be DeAndre Hunter from UVA, Nassir Little from UNC, Keldon Johnson from KY, and Kris Wilkes from UCLA.  

I guess at this point, I'd probably take a flyer on Coby White.

The draft is not very deep this year.  The talent really drops off after the first 6 picks.

[cool breeze]

Dumb and Dumber that has to be the thing I will remember from the 2018-2019 Piston season. This coaching staff is pure DUMB. Remember when the Pistons started to slide downhill before that string of wins against really bad teams? I know that everyone must believe that I am Stanley Johnson's agent. But I have to say it again. The pistons went on a big losing streak when Dwayne Casey decided that he didn't need a team first player who shored up the Piston defense making up for blunders by perimeter players and the two ineffective big men when they play defense. Didn't need Stanley at all because just look at his horrible shooting percentage. Even better focus on his 3 point shooting percentage as if that means anything at all when it comes to WINNING. That is what this coaching staff bases everything on. The coaching staff was responsible for that big losing streak that allowed this Piston team to slide way below the break even point in games played. Now the Pistons are still in a big hole and perhaps have a low chance of ending up with more wins than losses. Last night showed me the Pistons have the dumbest coaching staff in the entire league while being led by Dwayne Casey. The truth showed up in this matchup between a depleted Boston team that had size on the perimeter along with a smart game play. Dwayne Casey fell right into the trap and never knew it.

Playing Ish Smith against Boston is insane. He cannot match up with any Boston player on defense. I had to laugh at Dwayne Casey knowing that Brad Stevens knew what kind of coach he was playing against. Casey never made any adjustments when the onslaught took place. Casey was very content to use his guys Galloway, Smith and company against those Boston players. Meanwhile, Drummond and Griffin played horrible interior defense. Boston kicked the Pistons asses as pointed out in the article on the right "POOR DEFENSE PLAGUES PISTONS IN LOSS TO BOSTON CELTICS". Maybe if the announcers mentioned the Pistons inept defense once or twice and also described how effective Thon Maker was in this game on defense that might force the owner to call out Dwayne Casey for his inept bench coaching.

Maker is the only big man on the team who knows how to defend in the paint. ZaZa is OK but he is not a young man anymore. Blake is not supposed to be the defensive stopper because hie energy is needed on the offensive end. Andre Drummond is an inferior paint protector. His attitude and effort is much better than previous years and he can take up space in the paint when he is in the paint but AD does not offer superior ability the Pistons need to balance out horrible defenders on the perimeter. That is why Detroit needed Stanley Johnson to be in the game in crunch time. But as good as Johnson is not defense, that still was not enough to make up for the blunders other players made. ENTER THON MAKER THE DEFENSIVE STOPPER. While Johnson was the sub for Griffin in his brief breaks towards the end of Johnson's stay in Detroit, he was not a power forward capable of bullying big power forwards. However, Maker has incredible quickness, nose for the ball, and length needed to fill that void the Pistons have at this time. Maker should be in the starting lineup NOW playing small forward with the role of being a screener, offensive rebounder, and shooter close in the paint and one baseline beyond the 3 point line. But Maker should be in the game for the specific reason that he is a difference MAKER on the defensive end. In that comeback in the 2nd half, Maker was everywhere going from one side to the other helping teammates who had been beaten to cause havoc with shooters on the perimeter, on the low post, and in the middle of the paint. Never did I hear the announcers seem to notice that extreme effort Maker made. All they seem to be watching is who is shooting the ball for the Pistons. As soon as Maker came out of the game, the same thing happened that caused the Pistons to get so far behind. Casey has no idea what he is doing but for sure he has his favorites and is content to lose with them. The combination of Ish Smith, Brown, Galloway, and the Miami shooting guard along with AD and BG is perhaps the worst thing this coach could do. Yet he has no hesitation to put those players in the game playing together. Even Kennard looks horrible playing with those guys. I am going to stand up for Reggie Jackson at this point in the season. Jackson is showing more ability to play aggressive defense than at any time in his career. He looks serious on the court although he makes some dumb passes at times, this is a different Reggie Jackson and I like it.

As with other players that I have backed despite the rulings of past stubborn below average basketball IQ coaches, I will now make a point to badger this coaching staff as long as Maker is not considered a critical piece of this Piston team. If this coaching staff places him on the fringe like they did with Johnson, I will point out all of the blunders this head coach makes as a bench coach describing moments in the game where he has had his head up his rear which has effected the outcome of games. The announcers won't do it. The front office has not done anything about it. The owner is silent. If the assistant coaches do not come forward and help Maker to become a star NBA players that I know he is capable of becoming as a defender and eventually an offensive player, they all should be fired. Maker needs to have a defined role the team counts on him to provide instead of throwing him out on the floor with no direction or purpose. I can tell that Maker has not had enough good coaching. This guy is special. He is extremely quick and is very smart and has done things on defense in his short time with Detroit that stands out. But we are dealing with Dumb and Dumber. Maybe they should rent that movie to see what I am talking about.

[Phil-Good]

These are the kind of games where I can't F.U.C.K with Drummonds. When the Pistons play A good team. He all over the place. He never A real power house. He just ok

This is why the final chapter of this SVG era will end with Drummonds out of A Pistons uniform.

I can't wait.

[deusXango]

I wanna see Khyri shave Galloways minutes in half and take all of Calderone’s: 15/game unless Gallows is on fire. Khyri hasn't disappointed yet! Defense, offense, team player, it's all there.

I wanna see Svi get steady minutes at 2-3 moving forward to get size and extra playmaking on the floor. What's wrong with Casey? Svi is a 6' 8" Luke Kennard and shouldn't be SVGed.

I wanna see more Thon less Griffin down the stretch if possible when the game is in hand. Yeah!

I wanna see some Whitehead at Backup pg to see what we got. Who's Whitehead? I seem to have missed something.

I wanna see Luke get a couple 30 burgers this season as we scream towards the playoffs.

I wanna see casey swap Khyri into the lineup for Bruce for a couple games just to see...don't understand why not and am baffled why if not Brown, then certainly Galloway.

I wanna see if Thon can effectively guard Giannis. I wanna see him give it his best effort.

I wanna see how the new Dre will fare vs Embiid...is new Dre a thing; did the concussion knock some sense into his head as appears to be the case?

I wanna see if Oracle comes back when we grab a 6-7-8 seed.Come on back Oracle...miss your input.

[BallinD]

I wanna see Khyri shave Galloways minutes in half and take all of Calderone’s: 15/game unless Gallows is on fire

I wanna see Svi get steady minutes at 2-3 moving forward to get size and extra playmaking on the floor.

I wanna see more Thon less Griffin down the stretch if possible when the game is in hand.

I wanna see some Whitehead at Backup pg to see what we got.

I wanna see Luke get a couple 30 burgers this season as we scream towards the playoffs.

I wanna see casey swap Khyri into the lineup for Bruce for a couple games just to see...

I wanna see if Thon can effectively guard Giannis.

I wanna see how the new Dre will fare vs Embiid...is new Dre a thing; did the concussion knock some sense into his head as appears to be the case?

I wanna see if Oracle comes back when we grab a 6-7-8 seed.

[cool breeze]

There's no sane reason (only nonsensical excuses) for starting Langston Galloway, when "Big Ed" just traded for a legit SF in Svi Mykhailiuk...throw the multi-skilled, 6' 8", rookie in the starting lineup now rather than later...let's see what we got! Galloway isn't a core piece and barely a deserving member of the rotation...Bullock wasn't traded with making room for Galloway to start in mind, no way, no how.

Was Stanley valued more than Bullock? Stanley was traded for Maker, who's getting rotational minutes, and Bullock was traded for Mykhailiuk, who seems to be treated like Ellenson or Thomas...only token appearances.

Mr. Casey, if you're sincere about young player development then start playing Svi, Khyri, and Thon more down the stretch and allow Galloway, Leuer, and Calderon to watch a little more.

Good point dX. Svi didn't get a minute while the coach watched shorter extremely ineffective perimeter players stink it up on defense. Did Casey not notice the size difference between Washington's shooters and the players Casey decided to use. Casey loves Langston Galloway. It must be an emotional thing for Dwayne. Not only did we see too much of Galloway but how about the old vet from Miami. He played horribly on both ends but Casey couldn't get enough of him. Playing Svi who has really good size would have been the logical thing to do when the Wizard shooters were hitting so many outside shots. He certainly couldn't have played any worse.

I do not understand how Dwayne Casey thinks as a bench coach. He botches a lot to the refs to protect his players. That is standard. What else does he do to help the team when they are struggling? Casey ignores that is happening on the floor until it is too late and I believe his player combinations have cost the Pistons at least 12-15 games this season. But it appears that a lot of fans and the Pistons front office must like it when Piston opponents score at will in crunch time. Maybe Maker will sit the bench for the entire game against Boston. Who could be surprised anymore?

[deusXango]

There's no sane reason (only nonsensical excuses) for starting Langston Galloway, when "Big Ed" just traded for a legit SF in Svi Mykhailiuk...throw the multi-skilled, 6' 8", rookie in the starting lineup now rather than later...let's see what we got! Galloway isn't a core piece and barely a deserving member of the rotation...Bullock wasn't traded with making room for Galloway to start in mind, no way, no how.

Was Stanley valued more than Bullock? Stanley was traded for Maker, who's getting rotational minutes, and Bullock was traded for Mykhailiuk, who seems to be treated like Ellenson or Thomas...only token appearances.

Mr. Casey, if you're sincere about young player development then start playing Svi, Khyri, and Thon more down the stretch and allow Galloway, Leuer, and Calderon to watch a little more.

[cool breeze]

First off I must mention the bright spots in this match up against a team that has no credible big man.

1. Bruce Brown played and exceptional first quarter on both ends. He doesn't want to give up his starting job. After that Brown was not effective as a defender for the rest of the game. Brown has to play exceptional defense because this head coach insists on playing Langston Galloway and Reggie Jackson at the same time. It was comical that Casey started Galloway in the 3rd quarter. He just can't get enough of him. Wayne played horribly so maybe the coach is running out of options but still does it have to be Langston? How about Robinson?
2. Thon Maker really impressed me. I just hope he doesn't forget the fundamentals he learned with this Bucks teammates who are all solid defenders. Maker was always moving, setting multiple screens, cutting and trying to get open even if his teammates wouldn't pass him the ball much. Ish Smith did after getting a great offensive rebound and giving Maker the ball under the basket. Maker always goes up strong and tries to dunk. But what impressed me most about Maker is his foot work in the paint on defense. The last guy that I saw do that well was Eric Moreland who was rejected by Dwayne Casey. This game was close until the 2nd unit got that lead with Maker in the game. He flew out to challenge shooters and didn't stand like AD does and beat it back quickly into the paint where he really bothered the Wizard drivers who dared to come close to the basket. Casey must have been brain dead in crunch time after what Maker did on defense. Detroit couldn't get stops. All of the perimeter players were struggling to offer any resistance to the deadly Washington shooters. How about taking a chance on Maker playing in crunch time maybe by sticking him in at small forward. Maker can hit that baseline 3 but what is better is he could provide help defense for the inept defensive play of both Blake and Andre in crunch time. Both are guessing and gambling while getting extremely out of position failing to abide by the rules of the rotation system the team is supposed to live and die by. Maker is a keeper. He could be a key Piston piece for future success. If the coach doesn't want to use Maker at small forward in crunch time then he needs to sit either AD or Blake when the Pistons are on defense. It should be embarrassing for the coaching staff to see how badly both of those starters play together on defense. Even though they are complimenting each other more on offense against weak teams, the good doesn't out weigh the bad as far as i am concerned.

I guess that I got into the bad and ugly in the previous paragraph trying to pitch my wish for Maker to become the Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman this team desperately needs. This coach decided to start what I call The Dysfunctional Five in the 3rd quarter. Everyone knows who they are. AD, BG, LG, and RJ were all playing together with one rookie who actually has some skill while playing defense. He is not a great defender yet but has potential to be great. The other 4 players should not be on the court at the same time. Both RJ and LG are horrible defenders. RJ has improved his defensive effort for sure and is superior to Galloway. Jackson, even though he turned the ball over badly in this game, is a far better offensive player than Galloway. Galloway should only get perhaps 5 minutes a game to see if he has the hot hand from distance. In any other area, he hurts this team. But Dwayne Casey is stubborn. Is this a Mother-Son relationship?

There must have been a motive other than trying to win the game that caused Casey to sub in Galloway for Kennard in crunch time. Yes that means Reggie Jackson and Galloway are defending the perimeter against outstanding shooters who ended up being wide open time after time. When you add Andre Drummond to the mix who can tell that the Pistons actually do have any defensive rotation system that they practice at all. the logical choice to me would be to bring in Maker and sub him defensive for offense in the closing minutes of games. The Pistons have been lucky to beat up on some horrible teams lately. I love it when the Pistons win. But when the coaching staff brews up strategy and player combinations that have no chance of working relating to creating some opposition for their opponent they they are trying to score, who can have much faith in the success of the Detroit Pistons? This Piston team cannot simply outscore quality opponents who are breaking even or have won more games than they have lost.

But watching Maker's foot work in the paint and how he gives extra effort always makes me very happy that the Piston front office is a lot smarter than this coaching staff. The Pistons need a change but would this owner fire Dwayne Casey after this season and eat yet another head coach's contract. Who knows maybe the assistant coaches will have some power to make the necessary changes in player combinations depending on what is actually going on in the game and not what might be going on in Dwayne Casey's basement at night when he is writing down the player combinations he thinks might work. You have to actually watch the game to know how to make the right adjustments and plug in the right combinations of players. Casey might wish to somehow think about who he has on the bench after several screw ups occur in a short period of time. He did have both Maker and Robinson available. Oh well it might not be important anyway once the Pistons play against a better team.

[Murph]

Nice game last night against a terrible Wizards team.  

So if the Pistons play about .500 basketball and make the playoffs for the 2nd time in 10 years, while they made a couple of trades to pick up younger promising players and a draft pick, and while they worked through multiple bad contracts (Josh Smith, Galloway, Leuer, RJ, etc.)...if they accomplished all of that, would you call this a successful season?  I would have to answer YES.



Let me be clear.  I am not blaming Casey for Ellenson getting cut.  By the time Casey got here, Ellenson was too far gone.  I mean Casey didn't have anything to do with Ellenson's horrible Summer League performance.

However, I do blame SVG.  I think if a GM/Coach drafts a kid, he has an obligation to try and develop that kid.  He shouldn't just ruin him by sitting him for years.

That said, if Ellenson is serious about returning to professional basketball, he needs to hire himself a strength coach, an agility coach, a shooting coach and a nutritionist in the off season.  And he needs to work 6 or 7 days a week on his strength and weight, lateral movement, shooting and defensive footwork.  Maybe Ellenson can play a couple of years in Europe and then return to the NBA as a serviceable PF.  But he has a lot of work to do.

[Sparma]

Blake/Dre putting me to shame tonight (v Wash) for ever doubting what the Twin Towers could look like.

Seriously, Andre's really stepped up his offensive game recently, going aggressively to the basket instead of finessing.

Ellington 0-7 from 3? Oh well, he look like he can pass some, and will contribute.

Yes indeed, BallinD, hope springs eternal. And I'm not much of Reggie J fan, but give the guy his due for how he's played the past two weeks or so (even with 7 TOs tonight).

Here we sit within the playoffs, at 26-29.

I've been impressed by this offense recently. Looks like the league's abolished defense, along with special teams.

Despite it all, the inconsistencies, the injuries and the coaching gaffes, I found a keg of kool aid in the basement and bout to kill it.  Ive probably been the least Weggie fan , but with him playing like a starting pg, i am willing to stand and cheer as we truly need an “even occasional big 3”since he and Dre appear to maybe care a bit lately and their P&R synergy is picking up steam again and helps diversify what has been a one-trick-pony of an offense.

And maybe the annual late season swoons will skip a year due to the recent blood moon and favorable celestial alignments and the team will finally cognize Casey’s “read and react” focus and win their way out to a 7th or 6th seed.  Pomegranate flavored kool aid...

[BallinD]

Despite it all, the inconsistencies, the injuries and the coaching gaffes, I found a keg of kool aid in the basement and bout to kill it. Ive probably been the least Weggie fan , but with him playing like a starting pg, i am willing to stand and cheer as we truly need an “even occasional big 3”since he and Dre appear to maybe care a bit lately and their P&R synergy is picking up steam again and helps diversify what has been a one-trick-pony of an offense.

And maybe the annual late season swoons will skip a year due to the recent blood moon and favorable celestial alignments and the team will finally cognize Casey’s “read and react” focus and win their way out to a 7th or 6th seed. Pomegranate flavored kool aid...

[lemonpen]

Maybe the organization provided endless opportunities for Henry to destroy someone, anyone, in practice. He had to get burn as the scout team practice dummy. Who knows, maybe Henry is why Blake is at his career best this year


Maybe the organization didn't wish to steal playing time from some uncut diamond in the G_League. ie one of your favs Eric Moreland.

I would like to think that after the deciding Henry had no future or trade value with us the Stones should have cut him loose, BUT is it really such a disservice to force Ellenson to earn his nearly $2 million dollars.

Sheesh!!

[cool breeze]

I feel badly about Ellenson.  He never got a chance here.  By the time Van Gundy drafted him, SVG was so worried about losing his job that he never bothered to play and develop Ellenson.

And then there was a regime change, and Ellenson got lost in the shuffle.  His dreadful Summer League performance last summer sealed his fate.

Hopefully, the Bucks or the T-Wolves will pick him up as a project, and he can return to the northern Mid-West.  He needs to gain strength, work on his latteral quickness and defense, and regain his shooting touch.  The good news is he's still only 22.

Murph thanks for saying something positive about Henry. It is clear that Dwayne Casey never gave him the time of day maybe because he had orders to play Jon Leuer because of his contract and the hope that Jon could be part of a trade package before the trade deadline. Maybe that wasn't the case and Casey is just plain stupid. What is true that Dwayne Casey was cruel in his way of handling Ellenson. I can understand that Dwayne might not trust Ellenson based on his summer league play. But there was no excuse for not sending Henry down to the G League so he could at least play in real games. Instead most of the time, Ellenson sat behind the bench in street clothes. This kid is a better basketball player than Jon Leuer. If Leuer had been forced to play with that collection of players who played for the Pistons in the summer league, he would have looked worse. It is a big mistake to base anything on a players performance in summer league play in my opinion. A lot of players who play on those teams are desperate without NBA contracts who want to get invited to a team to play in training camp. I watched several Piston summer league games. Henry was not that bad. He did try to do too much but always gave a great effort on both offense and defense. There was just not a lot of teamwork going on with the Pistons in summer league play.

I read an interview in the New Orleans press relating to Stanley Johnson. He was still in Detroit in bed when Okafor called him to advise that he had been traded again to the Pelicans. They are close friends. Johnson's feeling about the coaching change in Detroit was that they made it clear to him that he was not wanted and not part of their vision for the future of the Pistons even as far back as last summer. He felt that the coach was trying hard to place him in a position to fail especially when he was only allowed to play for about two months as Blake's sub at power forward. Johnson loved Detroit other than the dysfunction within the team before Griffin arrived and then after the coaching change took place. It was as if Johnson was SVG's guy. SVG is bad. We got to get rid of him. Johnson like a lot of players 22 and younger need a coach they feel that they can trust and also a coach who has trust in the player. Perhaps the NBA game is one big AAU scramble where the NBA front office and owner have approved of playing a style with no strategy that involves wild low percentage shooting with no set offense. Post up centers is a thing of the past and multiple defenses must be outlawed. Does the NBA really want a low IQ type of product which might draw new fans who do not know squat about basketball and might love a circus act? Make sure there are a lot of transition baskets featuring an open lane to the basket. No Ben Wallace types should be allowed to play. Everyone must be a long distance shooter.

I know a retired former NBA scout who says that the college players who are on the watch list now for the coming drafts are selected in AAU ball before college. Their shortcomings relating to the ability to learn how to defend is not considered a liability anymore. Owners have meetings to decide what direction they want the NBA to go. I only wish our owner would be a maverick and defy this trend of low IQ run and gun read and react craziness and build a team of hard nosed defenders who play each oppression as if it is important with a grind it out half court office that sets up quickly without point guard dribbling while everyone moves and screens for each other until one player gets a wide open mid range shot. Don't give up any interior baskets and challenge opponents to beat them with 3 point shooting. I guess it might be hard to find top talent that can do those things in the first place now that top rated players do not play regular high school basketball anymore. That is where you used to learn how to screen, defend, box out, play both sides of the court, move without the basketball, know where everyone is located on the floor when you have control of the basketball. Those were the good old days. I heard some of this same thing from Bill Laimbeer about 4 years ago in an interview on his the men's game has gone into the toilet. Every kid with some big rating has an agent or representative which makes it harry for any college coach to know when they have crossed the line relating to NCAA rules. You no longer deal with the parents in many cases relating to recruiting. Those representatives are in it for themselves and direct players to do their thing and not necessarily listen to their coaches. For the players who are not big names, and play on regular high school teams, that is a great place to be. They learn so much more about how to play basketball the right way and develop that high basketball IQ that is missing with so many current NBA players.

That is my rant for today. I am happy that Thon Maker is on this Piston team. What will this coaching staff do with him? Will they get him to play better offense in the paint? Will they know how to teach him how to become a better paint defender? I think Maker has a pretty high basketball IQ. He didn't start early in his life playing basketball and for him to play with that current group on the Bucks team might pay big dividends for the Pistons even if the Piston coaches are not very good teachers. It is a good thing that Stanley Johnson is now playing basketball for the Pelicans head coach who is an exceptionally good man who players trust.

I hoped Henry would eventually shine.  But, I also believe in the metaphor of "Cream Rising To The Top".  A boat load of unheralded guys eventually outclass their competition in enough consecutive opportunities (large & small) to garner a real look.  Stanley, Bullock, Brown, and Luke climbed over a few somebodies and each other to get starting burn.  I won't blame the coach or organization for Henry's poor performances.  His motivation and his money open the door to all types of outside assistance.  Maybe this hurdle helps overcome the next.

I for one am not trying to organize a "PITY PARTY".
Lemonpen would you not send Henry down to the G League so he could play in real games if you have no intention on using him perhaps after training camp? Henry has been in street clothes traveling with the team getting zero game experience for 90% of the games up until the time he was released. Henry appeared to be a really good guy who always was cheering for his teammates.but he was an extremely young guy to be playing a big man's role in the NBA. Both SVG and Dwayne Casey are to blame for not getting Henry down to the G League so he could acquire game experience. No player can be successful without game experience. Henry has had very little and to base his entire career on how he played in Summer league when you only have Jon Leuer as a back up, was not good for the Pistons let alone Ellenson. But the pure evil of doing this to a young kid is what gets me. I have witnessed high school coaches do this same thing to young teenaged players. Make them feel like they are worthless and ridicule them instead of helping them any way you can. The way to help Ellenson was to get him regular playing time in the G League. Yes it is a tough world but why not try to make it a better world even if it involves the NBA especially when you are an exceptionally rich head coach? Coach Casey was pure evil in his treatment of Henry Ellenson in my opinion. Now he has been released which is the biggest break he has had in a long time relating to his playing career. Henry has made good money while sitting so we can't feel sorry for him.

Maybe Ellenson didn't belong in the NBA yet but nobody will convince me that Henry did not offer the team a better option than Jon Leuer. To Casey, Henry was garbage so why bother to give him a break and allow him to play in the G League or release him much earlier? To Casey it must have been that Henry was not worth even thinking about at all. Maybe that is what happened. Perhaps Casey was so busy trying to figure out how he could get his high contract players the maximum minutes, he must have forgotten that Ellenson was actually on the team. Yes this is a cruel world and players have to be cut by the coaching staff. But the way they handled Ellenson was not only cruel but dumb.

I hope Henry uses this bad experience to come back like Spencer Dinwiddie did against SVG and kick his ass wherever he might be coaching. How old is Henry now maybe 21 years old. Yes he might just do that someday. Kick Casey's ass in a NBA game. Dinwiddie has done it to the Pistons multiple times. Of course SVG believed as Casey does that speed is everything relating to point guard play. Maybe if Dinwiddie were on the Pistons now he would be in the same boat as Ellenson was. Spencer was too deliberate and would not push the ball fast enough. It is much easier for Piston coaches and less hard work when they select small fast point guards to get out like a race horse so the coaches don't have to figure out a way for the other 4 players to be part of the offense. That takes screening and floor spacing and NBA coaches don't have time or energy to get players to play a more complicated half court offense. High school coaches work really hard. College coaches work even harder. That is where it ends. I got that first hand from a former assistant and short time head NBA coach. You feel like you are almost in retirement when you get a job as a coach in the NBA. Sweet money and a great travel allowance makes everything good. It might be short lived but it is a great job. Then you have coaches who do work hard like Pop and Boston's head coach so that is not always true.There is just not enough time to do much teaching due to the incredible amount of games played in the regular season.

[cool breeze]

This insistence by management to convince the sports reporters that the failings of the Pistons has all been due to injures has to be funny for the teams that continue to kick the Pistons ass. Those teams that clearly are superior must dread playing games in Detroit before a small crowd when they are used to a lot of noise and feel the crowd. They get the win of course but it can't be fun. Ish Smith is simply not a threat to any team that will make the playoffs. If this coach will not play Luke Kennard at the point and we continue to see Smith hog the ball and try to create all of the offense himself instead of allowing his teammates to make plays, then to avoid a blowout against good teams, the Pistons will need to bench ZaZa and somehow make Maker into a high flying Dennis Rodman who can control the defensive boards, guard the paint all by himself, and be a threat in the paint to score. ZaZa is not a good fit for Ish Smith who's only advantage is his speed. He is not a good shooter. He just has fantastic speed to use to his advantage on offense. Smith is a huge liability on defense. Please tell me if I am wrong about that. I see every opponent trying to post up against Smith and they are usually successful scoring in the paint against him. If you are a target as the weakest link in the Piston defense, then that must take some of your confidence away when you are playing offense. Someone who plays with Smith must become a help defender for Smith. That means there will be openings by other players to drive into the paint. This is where Maker comes into play. He can run the court as fast or faster than any big man. Smith and Maker should create great chemistry between each other. Smith should be able to use Maker in pick and roll plays if Maker gets position quickly as Smith is charging down court. I am trying to figure out which skill players might work best with Smith as well.

What is puzzling for me is that Dwayne Casey and his staff haven't noticed that ZaZa and Smith are not a good fit. ZaZa is older and slower. He can be effective in a traditional half court offense which Smith is not capable of playing. That requires sharing the basketball with players like Kennard who is a high quality play maker and doesn't depend on dribbling like Smith has to do to be effective. Maker must be on the court whenever Smith plays. Eventually those two players might be deadly for the 2nd unit.

ON the other hand, if the coach tried Kennard at point guard, both ZaZa and Maker could form a really solid duo relating to defending the paint and offensive rebounding. They would have good size in the 2nd unit and a high IQ player at point guard who has the gift to see two plays ahead. Smith can only see the present or at best one potential play ahead. That is why he is so dependent on speed to be successful as a basketball player. I am still amazed at the lack of vision by this coaching staff so far. Yet they surprise me at times such as when they use AD as the ball distributor where you see 4 players moving at the same time without the basketball. When that happens, I am real happy feeling the coaches are at least trying new things and have some impact on making the team better. Just throwing the basketball out and playing the same way without any changes after losing 3 or 4 games in a row should not be tolerated by the Piston front office. The coaches are paid big money for what they are supposed to do. Detroit needs a smart bench coach who can see what changes are needed quickly when things are going badly. Overall this coaching staff is more flexible than SVG's lame group of assistant coaches. With the lack of top talent obvious, coaches must step up and prove themselves fit to coach. That is what the front office should demand.

[lemonpen]

I feel badly about Ellenson.  He never got a chance here.  By the time Van Gundy drafted him, SVG was so worried about losing his job that he never bothered to play and develop Ellenson.

And then there was a regime change, and Ellenson got lost in the shuffle.  His dreadful Summer League performance last summer sealed his fate.

Hopefully, the Bucks or the T-Wolves will pick him up as a project, and he can return to the northern Mid-West.  He needs to gain strength, work on his latteral quickness and defense, and regain his shooting touch.  The good news is he's still only 22.

Murph thanks for saying something positive about Henry. It is clear that Dwayne Casey never gave him the time of day maybe because he had orders to play Jon Leuer because of his contract and the hope that Jon could be part of a trade package before the trade deadline. Maybe that wasn't the case and Casey is just plain stupid. What is true that Dwayne Casey was cruel in his way of handling Ellenson. I can understand that Dwayne might not trust Ellenson based on his summer league play. But there was no excuse for not sending Henry down to the G League so he could at least play in real games. Instead most of the time, Ellenson sat behind the bench in street clothes. This kid is a better basketball player than Jon Leuer. If Leuer had been forced to play with that collection of players who played for the Pistons in the summer league, he would have looked worse. It is a big mistake to base anything on a players performance in summer league play in my opinion. A lot of players who play on those teams are desperate without NBA contracts who want to get invited to a team to play in training camp. I watched several Piston summer league games. Henry was not that bad. He did try to do too much but always gave a great effort on both offense and defense. There was just not a lot of teamwork going on with the Pistons in summer league play.

I read an interview in the New Orleans press relating to Stanley Johnson. He was still in Detroit in bed when Okafor called him to advise that he had been traded again to the Pelicans. They are close friends. Johnson's feeling about the coaching change in Detroit was that they made it clear to him that he was not wanted and not part of their vision for the future of the Pistons even as far back as last summer. He felt that the coach was trying hard to place him in a position to fail especially when he was only allowed to play for about two months as Blake's sub at power forward. Johnson loved Detroit other than the dysfunction within the team before Griffin arrived and then after the coaching change took place. It was as if Johnson was SVG's guy. SVG is bad. We got to get rid of him. Johnson like a lot of players 22 and younger need a coach they feel that they can trust and also a coach who has trust in the player. Perhaps the NBA game is one big AAU scramble where the NBA front office and owner have approved of playing a style with no strategy that involves wild low percentage shooting with no set offense. Post up centers is a thing of the past and multiple defenses must be outlawed. Does the NBA really want a low IQ type of product which might draw new fans who do not know squat about basketball and might love a circus act? Make sure there are a lot of transition baskets featuring an open lane to the basket. No Ben Wallace types should be allowed to play. Everyone must be a long distance shooter.

I know a retired former NBA scout who says that the college players who are on the watch list now for the coming drafts are selected in AAU ball before college. Their shortcomings relating to the ability to learn how to defend is not considered a liability anymore. Owners have meetings to decide what direction they want the NBA to go. I only wish our owner would be a maverick and defy this trend of low IQ run and gun read and react craziness and build a team of hard nosed defenders who play each oppression as if it is important with a grind it out half court office that sets up quickly without point guard dribbling while everyone moves and screens for each other until one player gets a wide open mid range shot. Don't give up any interior baskets and challenge opponents to beat them with 3 point shooting. I guess it might be hard to find top talent that can do those things in the first place now that top rated players do not play regular high school basketball anymore. That is where you used to learn how to screen, defend, box out, play both sides of the court, move without the basketball, know where everyone is located on the floor when you have control of the basketball. Those were the good old days. I heard some of this same thing from Bill Laimbeer about 4 years ago in an interview on his the men's game has gone into the toilet. Every kid with some big rating has an agent or representative which makes it harry for any college coach to know when they have crossed the line relating to NCAA rules. You no longer deal with the parents in many cases relating to recruiting. Those representatives are in it for themselves and direct players to do their thing and not necessarily listen to their coaches. For the players who are not big names, and play on regular high school teams, that is a great place to be. They learn so much more about how to play basketball the right way and develop that high basketball IQ that is missing with so many current NBA players.

That is my rant for today. I am happy that Thon Maker is on this Piston team. What will this coaching staff do with him? Will they get him to play better offense in the paint? Will they know how to teach him how to become a better paint defender? I think Maker has a pretty high basketball IQ. He didn't start early in his life playing basketball and for him to play with that current group on the Bucks team might pay big dividends for the Pistons even if the Piston coaches are not very good teachers. It is a good thing that Stanley Johnson is now playing basketball for the Pelicans head coach who is an exceptionally good man who players trust.

I hoped Henry would eventually shine. But, I also believe in the metaphor of "Cream Rising To The Top". A boat load of unheralded guys eventually outclass their competition in enough consecutive opportunities (large & small) to garner a real look. Stanley, Bullock, Brown, and Luke climbed over a few somebodies and each other to get starting burn. I won't blame the coach or organization for Henry's poor performances. His motivation and his money open the door to all types of outside assistance. Maybe this hurdle helps overcome the next.

[cool breeze]

I feel badly about Ellenson.  He never got a chance here.  By the time Van Gundy drafted him, SVG was so worried about losing his job that he never bothered to play and develop Ellenson.

And then there was a regime change, and Ellenson got lost in the shuffle.  His dreadful Summer League performance last summer sealed his fate.

Hopefully, the Bucks or the T-Wolves will pick him up as a project, and he can return to the northern Mid-West.  He needs to gain strength, work on his latteral quickness and defense, and regain his shooting touch.  The good news is he's still only 22.

Murph thanks for saying something positive about Henry. It is clear that Dwayne Casey never gave him the time of day maybe because he had orders to play Jon Leuer because of his contract and the hope that Jon could be part of a trade package before the trade deadline. Maybe that wasn't the case and Casey is just plain stupid. What is true that Dwayne Casey was cruel in his way of handling Ellenson. I can understand that Dwayne might not trust Ellenson based on his summer league play. But there was no excuse for not sending Henry down to the G League so he could at least play in real games. Instead most of the time, Ellenson sat behind the bench in street clothes. This kid is a better basketball player than Jon Leuer. If Leuer had been forced to play with that collection of players who played for the Pistons in the summer league, he would have looked worse. It is a big mistake to base anything on a players performance in summer league play in my opinion. A lot of players who play on those teams are desperate without NBA contracts who want to get invited to a team to play in training camp. I watched several Piston summer league games. Henry was not that bad. He did try to do too much but always gave a great effort on both offense and defense. There was just not a lot of teamwork going on with the Pistons in summer league play.

I read an interview in the New Orleans press relating to Stanley Johnson. He was still in Detroit in bed when Okafor called him to advise that he had been traded again to the Pelicans. They are close friends. Johnson's feeling about the coaching change in Detroit was that they made it clear to him that he was not wanted and not part of their vision for the future of the Pistons even as far back as last summer. He felt that the coach was trying hard to place him in a position to fail especially when he was only allowed to play for about two months as Blake's sub at power forward. Johnson loved Detroit other than the dysfunction within the team before Griffin arrived and then after the coaching change took place. It was as if Johnson was SVG's guy. SVG is bad. We got to get rid of him. Johnson like a lot of players 22 and younger need a coach they feel that they can trust and also a coach who has trust in the player. Perhaps the NBA game is one big AAU scramble where the NBA front office and owner have approved of playing a style with no strategy that involves wild low percentage shooting with no set offense. Post up centers is a thing of the past and multiple defenses must be outlawed. Does the NBA really want a low IQ type of product which might draw new fans who do not know squat about basketball and might love a circus act? Make sure there are a lot of transition baskets featuring an open lane to the basket. No Ben Wallace types should be allowed to play. Everyone must be a long distance shooter.

I know a retired former NBA scout who says that the college players who are on the watch list now for the coming drafts are selected in AAU ball before college. Their shortcomings relating to the ability to learn how to defend is not considered a liability anymore. Owners have meetings to decide what direction they want the NBA to go. I only wish our owner would be a maverick and defy this trend of low IQ run and gun read and react craziness and build a team of hard nosed defenders who play each oppression as if it is important with a grind it out half court office that sets up quickly without point guard dribbling while everyone moves and screens for each other until one player gets a wide open mid range shot. Don't give up any interior baskets and challenge opponents to beat them with 3 point shooting. I guess it might be hard to find top talent that can do those things in the first place now that top rated players do not play regular high school basketball anymore. That is where you used to learn how to screen, defend, box out, play both sides of the court, move without the basketball, know where everyone is located on the floor when you have control of the basketball. Those were the good old days. I heard some of this same thing from Bill Laimbeer about 4 years ago in an interview on his the men's game has gone into the toilet. Every kid with some big rating has an agent or representative which makes it harry for any college coach to know when they have crossed the line relating to NCAA rules. You no longer deal with the parents in many cases relating to recruiting. Those representatives are in it for themselves and direct players to do their thing and not necessarily listen to their coaches. For the players who are not big names, and play on regular high school teams, that is a great place to be. They learn so much more about how to play basketball the right way and develop that high basketball IQ that is missing with so many current NBA players.

That is my rant for today. I am happy that Thon Maker is on this Piston team. What will this coaching staff do with him? Will they get him to play better offense in the paint? Will they know how to teach him how to become a better paint defender? I think Maker has a pretty high basketball IQ. He didn't start early in his life playing basketball and for him to play with that current group on the Bucks team might pay big dividends for the Pistons even if the Piston coaches are not very good teachers. It is a good thing that Stanley Johnson is now playing basketball for the Pelicans head coach who is an exceptionally good man who players trust.

[Murph]

I feel badly about Ellenson.  He never got a chance here.  By the time Van Gundy drafted him, SVG was so worried about losing his job that he never bothered to play and develop Ellenson.

And then there was a regime change, and Ellenson got lost in the shuffle.  His dreadful Summer League performance last summer sealed his fate.

Hopefully, the Bucks or the T-Wolves will pick him up as a project, and he can return to the northern Mid-West.  He needs to gain strength, work on his latteral quickness and defense, and regain his shooting touch.  The good news is he's still only 22.

[Murph]

"How about a starting lineup of the following:
Andre Drummond - center
Reggie Jackson - 2 guard
Luke Kennard - point guard
Blake Griffin - power forward
Robinson or Thomas - small forward

Brown is having serious difficulty holding down his job as a starter. He needs time to settle down a bit to get his 2nd wind. There is no doubt in my mind that the Pistons have a really good point guard on the team now even though the coaching staff will not admit it. His name is Luke Kennard. He is by far the best play maker and if he played point guard this team would rock."



I agree that Brown could come out of the starting lineup for a spell to get his bearings. His offense is non-existent. I also agree that Kennard and Jackson are the best options to start, regardless of what positions they're playing. And finally, I think Wayne Ellington is eventually going to work his way into the starting lineup. I don't think we signed him so he can sit.

So that might give us a rotation of:
Jackson, Smith
Ellington, Brown, Thomas
Kennard, Svi, Robinson
Griffin, Maker
Drummond, Zaza


On Smith...I agree he has flaws. And I don't think he'll be back next year. I think the Pistons will use his cap space to sign other, more valuable players. That said, when Smith is on, he can carry the second unit offensively. When he's on and playing well, he can be a very valuable weapon. If the Pistons are going to try to make the playoffs, they need Smith scoring in bunches off the bench.

[cool breeze]

This is the modern NBA and what was interesting was Greg Kelser's comments on how the NBA differs from other professional spots teams. He advised that only 11 franchises have managed to win championships over the last 50 or so years. Now it appears it is a crap shoot where guessing rather than sound planning is the norm and owners are like most American corporations where short term profit rules rather than long term planning. that is why I like the Suns chances for future success. They have positioned themselves to secure top talent through the draft and they are patient with those young players while giving them tons of minutes even if they don't have good shooting percentages. It has paid off for Josh Jackson who was a horrible shooter last season and the first third of this season. Jackson is a Michigan product to didn't play college ball in Michigan as you know. After all of those misses and poor decisions on offense. Jackson has turned the corner and is becoming a really IQ basketball player. You have to have the confidence of your coach as a young guy to make it in the NBA. The Suns moved Anderson who was not effective at al with the Suns before the trade deadline. They lost a big contract and will continue to build a solid team for the future. A lot of other NBA teams like the Pistons appear desperate to make the playoffs and not think about the possibilities 3 to 5 years ahead.

I say this wondering why in hell the Pistons brain trust would go after another shooter in Wayne E.. And i hear more propaganda relating to the value of Ish Smith who seemed to cause a lot of dysfunction last night when he was in the game. This was the same crap the announcers were saying when Michael Curry occupied the small forward position while Prince was sitting on the bench. He creates great team chemistry. He is so positive. The players love him. No there are players on the bench who believe they are better than Ish Smith and so do I. The Pistons need more player and ball movement without all the dribbling and impulsive nonsense. Speed running from end to end goes only so far. It means nothing if your opponent scores and you dribble fast up court after the make. But I forgot that the fans love to see a speedy small point guard going up against the trees. You just don't win with that strategy to appeal to the fans desire to see dunks and small players dribbling. I did notice that NY singled out Smith as the weak link in the Piston defense constantly trying to create ISO situations with the player Ish was guarding who was 6 inches taller. Ball dominate point guards cause dysfunction unless you are a superstar. Yet it appears the Piston front office is setting up the fans for more of Ish Smith for the next 3 years. That is what I do not want. I do not want the Pistons to bring back Smith next season unless he is the 3rd guard. while I believe the current President of basketball operations is smarter than the previous brain trust, I didn't like his comments about how valuable Ish Smith is to the Piston team. If the Pistons do make the playoffs, too much of Ish Smith will cause the Pistons to crash and burn very quickly. what other successful team has an Ish Smith as their secret weapon?

I like the new look with the Pistons now with the addition of the two new players who got time last night. Piston assistant coaches have a great opportunity to show Piston fans how capable they are to help those two guys who to me have great potential. They both are really good athletes, have high IQs, and potential to become outstanding NBA players. They are only 21 years old as well so I hope the assistant coaches can make an impact quickly so we get to see them play more minutes instead of Langston Galloway. I really enjoyed the interview with Maker who is really articulate. If the coaching staff can get him to become a monster as a paint defender, the Pistons will be a much stronger team. Size matters and the Pistons have two bigger players at their positions and must incorporate them into the rotation now.

How about a starting lineup of the following:
Andre Drummond - center
Reggie Jackson - 2 guard
Luke Kennard - point guard
Blake Griffin - power forward
Robinson or Thomas - small forward

Brown is having serious difficulty holding down his job as a starter. He needs time to settle down a bit to get his 2nd wind. There is no doubt in my mind that the Pistons have a really good point guard on the team now even though the coaching staff will not admit it. His name is Luke Kennard. He is by far the best play maker and if he played point guard this team would rock. Yet it appears it is in stone that the Pistons will be using Jackson, Smith and Calderon as the only options moving forward. I know that Casey talked about using Kennard at the point last summer before Luke was injured. Has he forgotten that idea? The assistant coaches have a big impact on decision making so I hope they work to develop Kennard as the point guard in practice at least. Kennard should be the primary decision maker when the Pistons are in their half court offense. Currently it appears that Jackson is bringing the ball up court and when he hands the ball off the Luke good things happen.

Andre Drummond appears to be a new man after that nasty loss against the Clippers. He is showing the ability to protect the paint. And I like the new twist in the offense that was used with Blake out in the 4th where the offense was fun through AD at the high post. He made some great passes and his teammates found him wide open when he rolled to the basket for easy layups and dunks.

And hats off the Reggie Jackson who is to me the most improved player on this Piston team. He is more team orientated and has handled the change in his role very well. Jackson is playing better defense and making key plays when the team struggles. Way to go Reggie!

[BallinD]

BBall Index:
It's hard to do it all.

Only 5 players in the NBA with 1,000+ minutes this season have C+ or better grades in all 11 of our talent category metrics:

Paul George
Karl-Anthony Towns
Aaron Gordon
Rudy Gay
Blake Griffin

@Sparma/Murph: Hard to do more to make other players better than demonstrate Hard Work, Grit, Leadership, lead the team in assists and scoring and draw double and triple teams, pass out effectively for wide-open three ... and wait for it...CLANK

[Sponsored content]