D. Howard (continued)

[Go Stones!]

I meant that D.Howard to would take the money that CV and Max would take. We typically were using a 3 man rotation with our bigs (Max/Drummond/Monroe...CV/JJ). Back in 2004 we had Ben/Sheed/Turk...then when Turk left we got Dyess.

[WTF]

I meant that D.Howard to would take the money that CV and Max would take. We typically were using a 3 man rotation with our bigs (Max/Drummond/Monroe...CV/JJ). Back in 2004 we had Ben/Sheed/Turk...then when Turk left we got Dyess.

Back in 2004 we used Sheed, Elden Campbell, Ben, Okur and Corliss as our primary bigs. We only had Sheed for 22 regular season games and the playoffs

[WTF]

I would rather spend that money on any of the following before Howard (Aldridge, Josh Smith, Bosh). Nothing about Howard says he's worthy of being a Pistons and how he acted in Orlando sucked. Now if we ended up with him would I be mad? Of course not!

[Go Stones!]

I meant that D.Howard to would take the money that CV and Max would take. We typically were using a 3 man rotation with our bigs (Max/Drummond/Monroe...CV/JJ). Back in 2004 we had Ben/Sheed/Turk...then when Turk left we got Dyess.

Back in 2004 we used Sheed, Elden Campbell, Ben, Okur and Corliss as our primary bigs. We only had Sheed for 22 regular season games and the playoffs

I had a brain fart as to his name, but knew he came from Turkey.

[Oracle]

We won 2 tie breakers, and beat out the Wizards to get the 7th pick!!!

When the Clippers beat out the Grizz, we got another pick in the 2nd round!

More here - [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

[Sparma]

Oh yeah! Beating the Wiz is big, but I like getting the late pick too. Rather than needing to beat out all other teams to bring in a rookie free agent, you can take a flyer. Maybe another Amir Johnson will fall our way?

[merc]

Excellent news indeed... this gives us a 12.6% chance at a top 3 pick...
We should be able to snag one of:
McLemore
Noel
Porter
Bennet
Burke
Oladipo
Shabazz

[deusXango]

Now with the firing of Lil' Larry completed, there's blood on the water and the sharks are circling, and treading water just won't do for joe Dumars continued survival; let's not forget that he's the late Bill Davidson's man, and Tom Gores may not really want him to be running his team (lame duck GM?) There were so many things that I didn't like about Lil' Larry, and I stated them, now that he's done I wish him and his family the best in the days to come; that being said, I've long been pissed with Joe Dumars' way of handling business, and if Lil' Larry was a politician, Joe is a cold-blooded snake.

I fear keeping Joe on for the draft and FA signing period; there's no reason to trust his judgment with either of those team functions, because they are much too important for the franchises' future. Damn allowing him a chance to redeem himself, as many misguided fans believe he deserves, he's in a mess he made and this ain't a game, it's a real life, real time business! His ability to assess NBA trade values is shot and he looks at his players through rose colored glasses. He has nothing to prove as a GM anymore than he does as a player, and just like his playing days are over, so is his days as a GM.

His thoughtless destruction of a winning combination without having a sound plan in mind to rebuild over the "cleared" ground began to show after the 2004 championship. The clearing of the rosters solid bench players to "get Ben's money together," resulted in losing Mike James (one half of the "Pit Bulls"), Corliss Williamson and Memhet Okur (solid starting quality bigs), and failed to do any more than lowball Wallace when his crappy contract expired. Now that the Pistons had no bench, what was Joe's solution? Replace Ben Wallace with Nazr Mohammad. Ben Wallace at the peak of his powers, the face of the franchise, and their #1 marketing tool being replaced with non-descript Nazr Mohammad; I'm still scratching my head over that one.

The as yet unexplained love affair with this particular #15 draft pick AKA Rodney Stuckey. When it was clear that the teams needs was to shore up an aging frontline (Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess), because the strength was in the backcourt with Billips, Hamilton, and two very promising rookies in Aaron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey, what did he do? Broke up an all-star backcourt by trading the floor general (and team Capt.) for a ballhogging, over the hill, malcontent to play where? He spread the lie that there was no such thing as a traditional "pass first" PG, had his boy install Stuckey in the starting lineup where he's been acting as a doorstop for progress ever since. Does anyone remember how that affected the play of Wallace when McDyess was included in that ill-advised trade? Aaron Afflalo was shipped out for nothing, while Hamilton and Iverson scrapped over the last starting guard position; the total destruction of a backcourt by use of unneccessary confusion.

Amir Johnson was to be the PF of the future, but he was sent packing because 6' 6" Jason Maxiell was the second coming of Ben Wallace. Nazr Mohammad was "upgraded" Kwame Brown, McDyess realizing the error of his decision to return to the Dumars ran Pistons, signed with San Antonio, and Rasheed was off to Boston. The frontline may just be coming together next year; out of 60 healthy games, 50 of which Drummond should have started alongside Monroe, the prized rookie and cornerstone of the franchises' future only had 10 opportunities this season, and the reason behind that has been laid at the doorstep of Joe (right Wise?). #15 is a magical pick that's why Joe wasted it on a 190 lb., 6' 11" player who he's traded away before his rookie contract was up. Speaking of 6' 11" do nothings, what about the sad case of Charlie Villanueva? Joe put together a frontline with two 6' 11" forwards who could hit the occasional 3 pointer, and a 6' 6" PF who made the occasional "thunder dunk." Under his watch 21 century terms were coined, like combo guards and hybrid forwards, which the Pistons had an over abundance of; years without a PG (in skill set) and years with a legit center.

Trade deadlines come and go, and when a trade is made it makes you wonder "how the hell is this going to turn out?" He brought in 3rd tier players and signed a D-leaguer, and all of them got hefty PT, but there was always excuses made about his draft picks not being ready to contribute; coaches were fired for the simple reason the players drafted to facilitate the rebuild weren't ready (the fans were never able to make that determination). Summers, Daye, Macklin, to name a few who could have made an impact were never given a decent chance, and the one who stayed was sat on the bench until he could have turned to stone (Jerebko). If Joe in fact stuck his nose in and told his coaches who was to play and who was to sit, then thinking one can build a contending team around Stuckey and Maxiell as key players on a starting unit, that's reason enough to be let go!!

This is not the GM who I want to try and improve our draft position and acquire an additional mid first round draft pick (he's lazy, some call it cautious, and IMHO other GM's think he's a joke and to be taken advantage of), nor make selections that have an impact (he'll go with the ESPN, or local media hype about a player who doesn't fit what we already have). As many coaches as he's fired, I don't think he has the backbone to cut bait with Stuckey, and it remains to be determined if Maxiell has played his last game as a Piston. He doesn't need to be involved in any more personel decisions. Josh Smith is the biggest, strongest, most athletic, and skilled big man on the FA market, but the mere mention of Igoudala (who's paid more and does less) makes some fans all giddy inside and Joe might be one of his fans; we've gone down that road where he's signed (and overpaid) players who came to Detroit and stalled, and IMHO Iggy would be one of them. Hell, he's not playing up to his contract in Denver, they just have so much experienced talent around him and a damn good coach, that his fall off is not showing like it really is. Monroe and Drummond is the future (like it or not) and I think that he'll make another ill-advised move in surrounding them with the complementay players who'll take this team back into contention. I can go on and on, but I'll save some for later.

[Sebastian]

If WE are indeed drafting in the 7th position on June 27th, then WE will have to give this kid very serious consideration.

[Oracle]

DX, good points!

I'm backing Joe, and fully endorse him for one more year to right the ship, but you're right!

Now that the little one is gone, I too haven't been happy with Joe on a number of issues(you hit a lot of them), but I'm not ready to throw him out after he's done so well lately and got us in position to really get back in the game!

While Joe has made mistakes, he gets some blame that isn't all his. When Mr. D was active, Joe was constrained a lot because Mr. D wanted to do everything on the cheap, and didn't like to pay anything!

If we had Gores during those times, I think we would have gotten the cash to keep a strong bench and prolong the careers of our core!

BTW, I think Lemonpen nailed it and I believe Gores will do exactly what he said, but he's going to hold Joe accountable!

"My suggestion would be for Gores to simply butt the F out of the process until his NBA acumen rises to the task, and allow his BASKETBALL people to do what they are employed to do." - Lemonpen

Everybody with a good basketball sniffer can smell that something really good is brewing in Detroit! Bynum & Magette want to stay and be a part of what they see coming! Coaches aren't blind, and are going to want in on what we have here!

We're, as I said before and got called a homer, in position to become the dominant team in the east a lot sooner than most suspect, and Joe needs to get us the vets to pull this off!

Strong vets around this solid frontcourt will work wonders, and it doesn't depend solely on the FA market!

Trades are going to be easier to transact with the way the CBA is forcing teams to dump salary... it's a new game, and Joe is loaded for BEAR!

So here's where we part company! I have a lot of confidence in Joe going forward, mainly because of Gores!

When you see a carcas(Lil Larry) hanging outside of your office, you get the message that the dude that hung it ain't playing!

Gores likes Joe... but he liked Frank too, but he still cut his throat without so much as a fare thee well! Joe knows this, and he knows the silly stuff has to end, this time it's for all the marbles... No Curry's or Kuesters need apply!

[deusXango]

Sebastian, another "combo guard?" That's a guard truly without a definate position, but because he usualyy dominates the ball (even though he doesn't have the skills to justify PG) he's a high scorer, but needs to taught to do the near impossible (see the floor, and direct an offense), and that's to become a pro PG. That's a tweener and haven't we saw enough of that? Let's look at players with the size and/or skills to excell at their positions.

[WTF]

All of what you stated DX validates why I don't cheer on for Joe to stay.

Oracle, Davidson was a cheap ass slug, but Joe fucked up royally in areas where Davidson had no influence starting with the Darko selection and then there were so many other direction Joe could have went with that cap space in 2010 then settling on Ben and Charlie and the crappy ass draft selections thereafter. We can't blame Davidson for everything or Mrs. Davidson for that matter.

I mean really how do you pass on Marc Gasol how do you take Affalo over Gasol and Daye instead of Ty Lawson? How do you give up on Affalo and keep Bynum? I love what Chauncey and the guy accomplished but they accomplished those things in spite of Joe failings.

What made the picking of Affalo so insane is that the team needed a big when the Affalo selection was made and we not select Gasol I love AA but SG was not a pressing issue and then he freaking traded him.

What made the selection of Daye so insane was we needed a freaking PG and he draft a 160lb PF and he trades him and we still need a PG.

We could have had David Lee oppose to Ben Gordon for the same price. Go it's just too much bad to wash away and sweep under the covers /

[Sebastian]

Sebastian, another "combo guard?" That's a guard truly without a definate position, but because he usualyy dominates the ball (even though he doesn't have the skills to justify PG) he's a high scorer, but needs to taught to do the near impossible (see the floor, and direct an offense), and that's to become a pro PG. That's a tweener and haven't we saw enough of that? Let's look at players with the size and/or skills to excell at their positions.

Yeah, DX, you're probably right.

[deusXango]

Oracle, you made one hell of a case for a stay of execution for Joe.

Say he stays for one more year, he's got to hit the ground running, and the first thing that needs addressing is the next coach; IMHO he's got to grow the phuque up and give Bill Laimbeer his due, and sell Tom Gores on that choice. It won't be the first time their destinies have been tied together and they worked well then to achieve the ultimate. Laims is certain to bring Rick Mahorn on board and that's a respected presence when Joe, Bill, or Rick walk into the Pistons locker room; the franchise will have taken on a near mystical culture compared to what's been going on, and a long forgotten team philosophy will begin to re-emerge. Those three were known for their defensive prowess, in their day. The curiosity alone will boost season ticket sales and put fannies back in the seats at the Palace (something else Joe is responsible for).

If Joe is the master builder of championships and solicitor without peer he'll obtain Trey Burke in this draft (no matter what!), and when the FA signing period starts he'll get Josh Smiths' name on the dotted line, along with Tony Allens'. IMHO these moves should be aimed at bringing a toughness and intelligence to the starting lineup that's not been there since the '04's. Two of the three are hard-nosed veterans who play sound enough defense to "hide" the deficiencies that Monroe and Burke may have, until they come up to speed. This is also another move that'll bring the fans back to the Palace (which should make Mr. Gores happy).

Joe has got to have the gumption to allow Calderon and Maggette walk, resist the temptation to re-sign Maxiell, and trading either Stuckey or Villanueva is a must (Singler or Jerebko is an option). Whoever can't be traded between CV and Stuck, keep them on the roster to expire next year when it'll be time to make a decision on re-signing Monroe. If Bynum is to be re-signed it has to be for the same money or he walks too. Now that the Pistons have two second rounders, flip them for a first round pick; BPA or a bargining chip.

These moves may not appeal to a lot of armchair fans, but they may save Joe's ass and place the Pistons firmly back into championship contention. Anyone who don't believe we can go from "worst to first" in one year have been taken in by a bad product for too long, and I ain't mad at you.

[merc]

Yep one more year for Joe... his success rate is still higher than most.... but it's not an endless rope anymore.... please don't hang yourself.

[WTF]

The Light of 2004 doesn't shine so brightly anymore and a lot of fans are beginning to see the truth. I see the local media is still making the case for Joe by blaming Mrs. D as if she made Joe sign Ben and Charlie or hire Kuester.

[Go Stones!]

This is what I think Joe D will do with these guys. I thnk he will keep both at the beginning of the year. He will always be open to trading them, but if that happens it will be at the trade deadline (aka Rasheed Wallace-like trading chips). A lot will determine what the new coach's style is. CV will not be amnestied.

Stuckey: A coach will make or break him. Very similar to how L.Brown did for Billups. He had to deal with a lot this year with B.Knight on his heals and even starting ahead of him to getting a previous all-star PG that could have been perceived as taking his place. He didn't cause attitude issues in the locker room, but tried his best. I suspect he knew Lil' Larry would also be gone after the year's end. I think 8.5M is a good contract for Stuckey's POTENTIAL...let's see which one shows up.

CV: He adds another dimension and everyone knows that Frank didn't use him properly. He is not worth the 8M, but his stock may rise with the right coach and playing opportunities...and surrounding players. Again, I look for CV to be a trade bait candidate at the trade deadline. He would be an expiring contract of sizeable porportions.

I'm pushing for a TRADE this year like the Calderon trade (but better) that will change the dynamics of the team. This is what he is capable of.

I think Joe D has the knowledge, craftiness and financial situation to pull off a "big 3" like Boston did a few years ago around the draft date.

I'm sick of people blaming others for the past...no matter how HIGH you are in administration. Just a sign of weakness. Show us your hard work and we can come to our own conclusion.

[Go Stones!]

Billups: If Clips don't sign him, I would jump on him taking Will Bynum's $/place. I think he would be open to coming back.

Josh Smith: Not a max guy but will get his $ b/c of a poor free agent class...like Joe Johnson did back in the day. I don't see him as a good piece for us. I think his best days are behind and likes the 3-point shot too much. How does he do defensively vs. other top SFs (James, Melo, etc)?? I know he rebounds and blocks shots, but can he keep on with them...quickness? I doubt it. Will only get worse with more birthdays.

Calderon: I like him, but not sure if he is best for us. It would depend what he wanted (playing time and $). A plan would have to come together. NOT defensively the best option...we need a good defensive PG...for once (since Billups/M.James/Hunter).

Bynum (C): Injury prone...would have to get our trainers approval before touching this one. Is Joe D going to gamble with this situation? Could easily lead to his demise.

Howard (C): Injury prone...(ditto the above). Not fitting in best in LA, but may tough it out. Better situation than Orlando for his last year. If he stays he will always be compared to Shaq and all the other all-time great LA centers. Not sure if his psyche can handle it. He could be a big fish in a small pond in Detroit. (No, I'm not giving up on Drummond or Monroe...we have always shared major minutes between 3 bigs...). He would fit in nicely with our poor FT shooting bigs.

Tony Allen: This is a Joe D type player. Great D and experience and most likely on the cheap.

OJ Mayo: I believe he too is going to get paid too much just b/c of the weak free agent class. Joe D will be very tight with the money.

True success next year will have to be a combination of the right coach, trades, sign-n-trades, free agent signings, and draft. It will NOT be just on one of them.

Question: does Joe D have full control of his situation or has Gores tightened his leash that will hinder his creativity?

[Sparma]

Vincent Goodwill describes what things look like if the Pistons see Knight as their future PG [no, please!], but then goes on to how it will be if they see him as combo guard off the bench [my view]. What strikes me is that he seriously raises the possibility of amnestying CV in that case. I know Langlois, as insider, has consistently downplayed that possibility. Could Goodwill, as insider, know that it's a genuine possibility, depending on how Knight's viewed? CV could be a strong player off the bench, as he was mid-season, but at this point I'd like to see the commitment of amnestying him, alongside re-resigning Calderon.

"If they view Knight as a combo guard off the bench, then perhaps re-signing Calderon at a reasonable price is easier to swallow and it could facilitate using the amnesty clause on Villanueva to ensure flexibility for this summer and next season."

From The Detroit News: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

[deusXango]

In the Backcourt: Since we've been stuck with Stuckey for the last six years (waiting for that magic year when he turns the corner and finally gets it), last year would've been the perfect time to give him just what he said he needs to succeed ("the ball in his hands"), and be paired with the best player in the backcourt since Afflalo. When Stuckey went down with his injury he should have been replaced with English instead of Singler at SG, and on his return from that inury he should have been re-installed at PG; a starting backcourt of Stuckey and English would have been interesting, to say the least, and would have given the Pistons a NBA sized backcourt. Stuckey may have flourished and gained some consistency, and one of the rookies would have began developing at his natural position (SG is unnatural for Singler). BK7 should have been relagated to the 6th man role and all the flaws fans were pointing out during the course of the year, wouldn't have stuck out as much. Because we didn't see that, there's a ground swell of support to trade all three of 'em for some reason or another. That was on Lil' Larry, not Joe.

On the Wing: Up to the point that Prince was traded he ate up all the PT at SF which didn't allow for Singler to get much and Middleton not get any; once he and Daye were traded, the Pistons should have been running Singler and Middleton at SF (starting Singler and bringing Middleton off the bench). Since Maggette wasn't played and Stuckey would be starting at PG, those two promising rookies would have had a chance to really develop. Because we never saw that it shows a lack of imagination on the coaching staffs' behalf, and footdragging with the rebuild process.

Bigs play BIG: Greg Monroe was told to prepare himself for time at PF over the course of last summer (it was a wasted summer for all that were eager to point out his lack of progress this year), but he didn't have an opportunity to display what he had worked on until the last 10 games of the season; I always championed the fact that the competition for starting PF should have been between Monroe, CV, Jerebko, and Maxiell, and IMHO Monroe was the best, hands down! The Pistons would have had a monster at PF in Monroe compared to what Maxiell brought to the table. The competition for starting center should have been between Drummond and Kravtsov, and in emergencies Monroe would have been moved back into the middle. We all know now who the man in the middle would have been, but what we don't know is, what would the teams frontline have provided defensively had Drummond been given 20-25 minutes and Kravtsov been given the same? CV and Jerebko should have been higher on the playing charts than Maxiell at PF (playing behind the Moose). Because we didn't see the best of the Pistons bigs growing together, we have no idea how good or bad the teams defense could have been; judging by the glimpse we got of Monroe and Drummond finally playing together, at the end of the season, this was indeed a playoff team (being first round fodder instead of sitting at home now, Lil' Larry just might not be out of a job; the boss said "playoffs" not championship).

Shot Caller From the Bench: Out of the last three coaches let go by the Pistons, the last two were the new owners choice; Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown were ownerships call also, so that's four coaches that even though Joe fired them it wasn't his call. As I look at the NBA's coaching ranks ex-players, most of them were not outstanding as players, but smart as hell as far as understanding how the game should be played. Lenny Wilkins, Mark Jackson, and Scott Skiles were exceptional PG's, but beyond that they were from decent to good; Bill Laimbeer was real good, good enough to be the backbone of back-to-back champions. The talk about the great Chuck Daly being the last coach with extended coaching experience as the Pistons head man, why no talk about those who he not only coached, but taught? Why we thumb our noses at not one, but two of Mr. Dalys' proteges (Chuck often spoke of the successful coaching potential that both Mahorn and Laimbeer possessed) I'll never know, particularly since I'm in Pistons country! We've saw Flip, Banjo, "Q", and Lil' Larry, but no Laimbeer for lame ass reasons; that's eight seasons running of bullsh!t, when any of those 2-3 years we could have been given a look at Billy and know for sure what he could or couldn't do. Fact is we didn't see it so we don't know. The good news is, it's not too late and this seems to be the perfect time.

The Real WIDE Oval Office of the GM: With the firing of Lil' Larry, the pitchforks and torches came out with demands for Dumars to be ran from the village also; all of Lil' Larry's shortcomings were because of Joe. Look at how many coaches he's fired. That championship team was put together a lifetime ago. He drafted Darko. He signed Gordon and Villanueva, and over-paid them in doing so. He's given away talent and kept the scrubs. We know what he's done (both good and bad), but we don't know what he can do, because we haven't seen it. I personally haven't seen "again" being as good as the first time with anything, other than a championship! He's been a champion and built a championship team, so he knows what goes into being the best; it's time to shoot your best shot Joe! I don't care who owns the team, or runs the team, I'm just eager for the parades down Jefferson or Woodward Ave., seeing the disappointed weeping of opposing fans, buying up championship memorabilia to proudly wear around the world proclaiming my pride of being from Detroit, because the team is a winner! That I have seen and I want to see it again!!!

[deusXango]

Sparma, I'm on the same page with you as far as Knight being a better player as a bench contributor, but Vinny Goodwill is in and out of his mind, and what he and Langlolis writes should be taken with a grain of salt.

Why would the Pistons amnesty CV now that he's on the doorstep of expiring ($8.5 million) to re-sign an "old" defenseless PG who's been paid over $10 million a year; what will it take to re-sign him? Whatever the cost it's going to extend beyond next year. I'm not picking your thoughts apart Sparma, I just haven't given up hope on drafting Burke, that's my problem.

[Sparma]

We may not be that far apart in that I'm now operating on the assumption that Burke won't be drafted (at 7 or below; if we get a top three, it's possible, but I doubt we'd go for him top 3). I could be wrong for sure! Concerning CV, he's probably worth the $$ that you pay him anyway in midseason form, but he's habitually fallen short of that, and I'd like to move on with plenty of cash in hand as we attempt to set up an advantageous trade with a budget pressed team.

[Oracle]

Vincent Goodwill describes what things look like if the Pistons see Knight as their future PG [no, please!], but then goes on to how it will be if they see him as combo guard off the bench [my view]. What strikes me is that he seriously raises the possibility of amnestying CV in that case. I know Langlois, as insider, has consistently downplayed that possibility. Could Goodwill, as insider, know that it's a genuine possibility, depending on how Knight's viewed? CV could be a strong player off the bench, as he was mid-season, but at this point I'd like to see the commitment of amnestying him, alongside re-resigning Calderon.

"If they view Knight as a combo guard off the bench, then perhaps re-signing Calderon at a reasonable price is easier to swallow and it could facilitate using the amnesty clause on Villanueva to ensure flexibility for this summer and next season."

From The Detroit News: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

I can't see how it's possible to say that Knight can't be seen as the PG of the future, but as a fan, I guess that assumption could be made.

I think Joe and talent evaluators/developers think differently(actually I know they do), and while you can, and should have questions, you shouldn't assume too much about a guy with less than 2 years experience!

If your statement is a reflection of where we are now, then it makes a lot of sense, Knight is NOT PG material now, he has a lot to prove to this poster, fans, and Pistons Management!

Right now he has a lot of the tools, but lacks the floor vision(results in assists) and stability(too many silly turnovers) required to have the reigns of any team! The skills he does have are perfect for a backup PG or 6th man situation, but if he's smart, the backup PG position is a prime place to develop and show your skills(it worked wonders for Chauncey)!

I'm encouraged because his turnover rate isn't that bad, but the number of silly, unfocused turnovers are high, and those are the turns that will eventually be greatly reduced, leaving him with a much better assist to turnover ratio!

Floor Vision is the wild card! It can be learned, but it's hard and requires a lot of work changing ingrained habits. Chauncey did it, and Knight can too, but it's up to him to figure it out if the next coach can't help!

[Oracle]

Each dumb arse in this post(Gundy & Frank) dig their graves with their own tongues!

Van Gundy goes on a rant about Joe firing another coach and saying that it's not the coach it's the roster!

Anybody that knows basketball, and he does, knows that isn't anywhere close to the truth, but he says it anyway!

Firstly, it's not what the talent level is, it's how well a coach uses the talent that he has! Frank, by his own admission stated that this years team was better than last years, and I agree!

So how does a better team underperform so badly? Shall we jump on the stupid train with Frank and blame the roster???

Now to Van Gundy! I'm watching the Knicks/Boston game, and Van Gundy opens his big mouth and finally speaks the truth, but he isn't smart enough to know that it completely invalidates the rant he had earlier.

Van Gundy says that the talent difference between the top teams and the teams that lose 50 games isn't that great! He says that there is a difference, but that other teams lose because they don't work as hard! And if they had the commitment to winning, they would win a lot more games!

Well DUH!!! That's the whole theory of smart coaches like Larry Brown, and why he was so successful with teams that nobody else could get to win! Hard work and focus can take you a lot further than the apparent talent, and a by product of that is the discovery of talent some thought wasn't there!

So if the talent difference isn't that great, the difference, in large measure, is the COACHING! Great leaders get more out of people than poor ones!

Nobody expected Frank to be this great leader, and quite frankly, he didn't need to make the playoffs to keep his job! No, all Frank had to do was show improvement, and he couldn't, because while Frank is a good coach, he's a HORRIBLE leader!

The biggest demonstration of being a poor leader was the way he treated JJ in London when his family and friends were there to see him! A leader would know how that once in a lifetime opportunity would be important to JJ!

Even more, Frank should have known how failing to do that simple thing would affect how the rest of the team would view him... leaders can't be that dumb! While that doesn't doom the man, you have to know someone that petty is doing a lot more day to day!

Frank was a bad hire and we're really lucky he's gone!

Van Gundy isn't a dummy, but he plays one from time to time! I think that rant came when he found out through the grapevine that he had no shot at the Detroit job! I never considered him a possible, but the press always throws out any name without a dance partner!

[Phil-Good]

Hey Jeff. All good points you made. But you have 1 major fact incorrect. JOE DID NOT HIRE THE GOT-DAMN COACH THIS TIME...


AND HE DID NOT FIRE HIM! His BOSS DID! You know, THE **** OWNER!

ALSO! JOE DID NOT FIRE Larry BROWN! Mr D DID! YOU KNOW THE PAST OWNER..RIP!

Other then that, Jeff had some good points! DUMB AZZ!!

[Sponsored content]