Message to my friend the Oralce, and concerned others

[deusXango]

Oracle, I'll grant you that Don and I go to very passionate depths, when talking about Rodney Stuckey, but hatred is not the motivating factor. Speaking for myself, I love the game of basketball and the way it's played is where my enjoyment is based; the displayed character, or personality if you will, of the players who're revered is like 1a. Win, lose, or draw, I'm a homer (a Cobo Hall faithful, with attendance of 1,000), because my Pistons heroes could play the game extremely well; I find that the guard play of Pistons past is of legendary proportions. Dave Bing, Jimmy Walker, Kevin Porter, John Mengelt, "Bubbles" Hawkins, Eric Money, Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, and the list could go on about players who's career didn't/wouldn't last for six years playing at the level of Mr. Stuckey. There was a thoughtful pizazz about the way they played the game; all out effort and every one of them could shot, and bring the crowd to their feet with an unexpected stellar move every game!!! I've grown accustomed to Pistons PG's dishing off some "sweet" assists, not unsuccessfully trying to "bull" their way to the rim, time after time. The scorers scored, and the level of talent around them or who was coaching the team didn't matter, their skills shined through and they were recognized league wide, while playing for a mediocre team. These guys played when the term "combo guard" was unheard of, they were players who played guard!!

Naw, I don't hate Stuckey, I just have my heroes who I refuse to taint their memories of past efforts to entertain me on those long ago cold winter nights, by backing up off the standards they set with their hard work and play. How many were divas? Who boycotted? Who refused to enter a game? Who played past five years and in their sixth year they were treated like a rookie coming into the league? Pistons guards were good, and there was no doubt about it; fans across the board loved them!!

[Oracle]

Some are calling it the iPhone 5$, but I digress!

This had me rolling on the floor, some of you may like it too.

[Oracle]

Will Bynum hard-pressed to find playing time

[Oracle]

NFL fines Lions' Ndamukong Suh record $100K for low block

[Oracle]

Man...all y'all's panties are in a bunch about Stuckey these days. Joe's going to get fired.  Cheeks is and incompetent lapdog (before he's even coached 1 minute here).  Brandon Knight, the greatest PG since Oscar Robertson  , was kicked to the curb.  And Aaron Afflalo and Chauncey Billups were dumped.  All because of Stuckey???  

Please folks...get a grip.  I know nothing is going on in the news, and you're bored to tears. But try to maintain that tenuous hold on reality.  Stuckey ain't that bad.   And if he does play badly, the Pistons will sit him in favor of Billups or Kentavious, which is what y'all want anyway.  And then Stuckey's contract will expire.  

So it's not the end of the world....really.

Murph, who asked you to step up with the voice of reason? You make too much sense around here buddy, and you're sure to get it! HEY, put down that Jell-O!!!

DX, I'm glad you took Murph's comment that way.

I tease about Stuckey, but sometimes you & Don get very close to sounding like you hate Stuckey, although I know neither of you truly feel that way!

I really hope Stuckey plays well and provides a great transition for KCP! I think we all believe that Stuckey would be better served with a fresh start elsewhere, but I'm rooting for him to turn it around while he's still here.

Although there is some talk of starting Chauncey for the first game, just to get him announced for historical reasons.

BTW, I just love it when I can reference Rick Astley, that video always gets me rolling on the floor! Man he's bad,

[deusXango]

Man...all y'all's panties are in a bunch about Stuckey these days. Joe's going to get fired.  Cheeks is and incompetent lapdog (before he's even coached 1 minute here).  Brandon Knight, the greatest PG since Oscar Robertson  , was kicked to the curb.  And Aaron Afflalo and Chauncey Billups were dumped.  All because of Stuckey???  

Please folks...get a grip.  I know nothing is going on in the news, and you're bored to tears. But try to maintain that tenuous hold on reality.  Stuckey ain't that bad.   And if he does play badly, the Pistons will sit him in favor of Billups or Kentavious, which is what y'all want anyway.  And then Stuckey's contract will expire.  

So it's not the end of the world....really.

Murph, who asked you to step up with the voice of reason? You make too much sense around here buddy, and you're sure to get it! HEY, put down that Jell-O!!!

[Oracle]

Well, not dirt, just some good information.

What are the players thinking about next season, why didn't Drummond work out with "The Dream", and a lot more!

Andre Drummond taking initiative to get new Pistons in the gym

[Murph]

Man...all y'all's panties are in a bunch about Stuckey these days. Joe's going to get fired. Cheeks is and incompetent lapdog (before he's even coached 1 minute here). Brandon Knight, the greatest PG since Oscar Robertson  , was kicked to the curb. And Aaron Afflalo and Chauncey Billups were dumped. All because of Stuckey???

Please folks...get a grip. I know nothing is going on in the news, and you're bored to tears. But try to maintain that tenuous hold on reality. Stuckey ain't that bad. And if he does play badly, the Pistons will sit him in favor of Billups or Kentavious, which is what y'all want anyway. And then Stuckey's contract will expire.

So it's not the end of the world....really.

[deusXango]

In a Hoop Doctor article, listing the top 30 NBA players under 25, three potential elite players were Pistons!! Leading the list of our players at #13 was Brandon Jennings, followed by one of the youngest on the entire list, Andre Drummond at #16. For all those nutty enough to want to trade Greg Monroe so bad, he came in at #22 following a slew of PG's and SF's; he was the 6th big man under 25, preceded by Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Serge Ibaka, DeMarcus Cousins, and our own Dre Drummond! Not bad in my book, and certainly not a trade item.

Don, regrettably BK7 didn't show up on the list, but neither did a number of players who'll make some noise in the NBA before long. I think that once KCP gets his feet wet, he'll be a player to watch in the future, especially playing alongside Jennings (whenever he's allowed to).

Monroe could be traded, but there's not a good reason or a logical upgrade candidate that interests me.

BK7 will be alright, he isn't a hype player, so he won't show up on those lists.

But Jennings does deserve some credit! Those Buck teams he led into the plays were pretty stinky! I always thought it was amazing that they were there!

Oracle, I didn't qualify my statement about Monroe; he's not untouchable, as no player on our roster should be, because of the astute point you made, "a good reason or logical upgrade" should be what our trades are based on.

As far as I'm concerned, Brandon Knight got a raw deal...period. He was rushed to succeed beyond his level of experience, his tender years were ignored as was his dedication and work ethic, and in the end, he was another victim of doing what it takes to keep Stuckey on board. IMHO we'll regret trading away our "instant offense" 6th man of the year candidate, who'd be in the running for that award every year. We traded him for a player who we could have signed to a FA contract, and it wouldn't have been matched!

I'm happy with Jennings, but I would have been overjoyed with Jennings, Knight, and Middleton dressed in the red, white, and blue; Slava, Jerebko, and Stuckey could have gotten us the class backup big man we needed instead of who we settled for in Josh Harrelson. I also think our roster would have better balance.

[Oracle]

In a Hoop Doctor article, listing the top 30 NBA players under 25, three potential elite players were Pistons!! Leading the list of our players at #13 was Brandon Jennings, followed by one of the youngest on the entire list, Andre Drummond at #16. For all those nutty enough to want to trade Greg Monroe so bad, he came in at #22 following a slew of PG's and SF's; he was the 6th big man under 25, preceded by Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Serge Ibaka, DeMarcus Cousins, and our own Dre Drummond! Not bad in my book, and certainly not a trade item.

Don, regrettably BK7 didn't show up on the list, but neither did a number of players who'll make some noise in the NBA before long. I think that once KCP gets his feet wet, he'll be a player to watch in the future, especially playing alongside Jennings (whenever he's allowed to).

Monroe could be traded, but there's not a good reason or a logical upgrade candidate that interests me.

BK7 will be alright, he isn't a hype player, so he won't show up on those lists.

But Jennings does deserve some credit! Those Buck teams he led into the playoffs were pretty stinky! I always thought it was amazing that they were there!

[cool breeze]

In a Hoop Doctor article, listing the top 30 NBA players under 25, three potential elite players were Pistons!! Leading the list of our players at #13 was Brandon Jennings, followed by one of the youngest on the entire list, Andre Drummond at #16. For all those nutty enough to want to trade Greg Monroe so bad, he came in at #22 following a slew of PG's and SF's; he was the 6th big man under 25, preceded by Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Serge Ibaka, DeMarcus Cousins, and our own Dre Drummond! Not bad in my book, and certainly not a trade item.

Don, regrettably BK7 didn't show up on the list, but neither did a number of players who'll make some noise in the NBA before long. I think that once KCP gets his feet wet, he'll be a player to watch in the future, especially playing alongside Jennings (whenever he's allowed to).

dX I still can't get the image out of my mind of Isiah Thomas playing in that playoff game featuring Bernard King. I am not sure how long Zeke had been in the league but Laimbeer was on the team at that time in the early 1080s. Thomas made a lot of mistakes causing several turnovers. But what struck me was the expression on Zeke's face when he made those mistakes. Knight made those same gestures of disappointment showing how pissed off he was for making errors in judgment. And I noticed the foot work of Thomas and how quick his feet were which is what attracted me to Knight. I thought Detroit had a sure thing in Knight if only given more time and better teammates to play with. Knight has fantastic quickness and a great mind. I am sure he will be clever enough to figure things out and be a force in the league. It only makes me a bit pissed that he had to go because Dumars is in the last year of his contract and the pressure is on to make the playoffs. That is not how you build a championship. The Bucks made the playoffs but decided to rebuild without Jennings because they want something special.

[cool breeze]

Stuckey was drafted #15
Afflalo was drafted #27
(Joe D was drafted #18)

Stuckey is making ~8.5M this year
Afflalo is making ~7.5M for the next 3 years

•February 15, 2006 - Traded Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to Orlando in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a future first-round draft choice.

•June 28, 2007 - Selected Rodney Stuckey with the 15th pick (Orlando's pick), Arron Afflalo with the 27th pick and Sammy Mejia with the 57th pick in the 2007 - NBA Draft.

So, Darko (worst pick other than Sam Bowie) turned into Stuckey.  Stuckey has to succeed or Joe D would have to admit defeat again (in his mind at least).  I also think that Joe D sees a lot of himself in Stuckey...or at least wants to.  Unknown university, combo guard, height, picked in the "teens", etc.

I would love to have Afflalo right about now instead.  Just saying.

Go Stones you have struck another nerve with many Piston fans. The A. Affalo give away was never questioned by the Detroit News sports writers. Someone told me that he thought one of the reasons why Billups was traded for Iverson was the rumor that Billups had gone to Dumars asking him if it was possible to trade Stuckey to secure another big man. Billups was sold on Affalo when they played together according to my friend. And soon after Billups went to Denver, Joe Dumars gave Affalo to the Nuggets. Dumars has been protecting Stuckey for a long time and it might just get him fired in the end. How can the owners not connect the dots as to how Dumars manages his players? We must also factor in Austin Daye who was also under Dumar's protective blanket. He gave away both Affalo and Budinger for no good reason and never had to answer one question about those decisions with the media. Early on it was clear that Dumars was not impressed with the high profile college programs and it has to be a factor as to why he was attracted to Stuckey because they had similar backgrounds coming into the league. But Joe was a dedicated player who always tried to improve himself except for the last two seasons of his career which he shouldn't have attempted. The thing Dumars forgot was what drove him to be the player he ended up becoming. Isiah Thomas was a great leader and teammate. He had a lot to do with Dumars success as a player. Every opposing team was trying to stop Zeke. And Zeke demanded a lot from his teammates. There is no way Stuckey would have been allowed to play next to Thomas.

[Oracle]

[deusXango]

In a Hoop Doctor article, listing the top 30 NBA players under 25, three potential elite players were Pistons!! Leading the list of our players at #13 was Brandon Jennings, followed by one of the youngest on the entire list, Andre Drummond at #16. For all those nutty enough to want to trade Greg Monroe so bad, he came in at #22 following a slew of PG's and SF's; he was the 6th big man under 25, preceded by Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Serge Ibaka, DeMarcus Cousins, and our own Dre Drummond! Not bad in my book, and certainly not a trade item.

Don, regrettably BK7 didn't show up on the list, but neither did a number of players who'll make some noise in the NBA before long. I think that once KCP gets his feet wet, he'll be a player to watch in the future, especially playing alongside Jennings (whenever he's allowed to).

[Go Stones!]

Stuckey was drafted #15
Afflalo was drafted #27
(Joe D was drafted #18)

Stuckey is making ~8.5M this year
Afflalo is making ~7.5M for the next 3 years

•February 15, 2006 - Traded Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to Orlando in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a future first-round draft choice.

•June 28, 2007 - Selected Rodney Stuckey with the 15th pick (Orlando's pick), Arron Afflalo with the 27th pick and Sammy Mejia with the 57th pick in the 2007 - NBA Draft.

So, Darko (worst pick other than Sam Bowie) turned into Stuckey. Stuckey has to succeed or Joe D would have to admit defeat again (in his mind at least). I also think that Joe D sees a lot of himself in Stuckey...or at least wants to. Unknown university, combo guard, height, picked in the "teens", etc.

I would love to have Afflalo right about now instead. Just saying.

[cool breeze]

WILL CHEEKS BE FIRED BEFORE TRAINING CAMP? What happened in Birmingham? Reporters get to work and bring us this story. I don't care is it is true just be creative. Did the dispute involve pushing and shoving? Did this in any way involve Charlie V or Rodney Stuckey? Don't forget that Charlie is a boxer and still wants a match with Kevin Garnett. I am sure this event had nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. Was Joe there?????????

I know you're joking, but this Cheeks thing could be really bad, and if there's nothing going on, then why won't the Pistons & Cheeks come clean with a full disclosure?

They won't because there is something going on and their first response is to deny, deny, deny, just like the advice given to cheating spouses
,
When will they learn that the cover up can be worse than the crime at times?

Yes that post was a joke Oracle. However, I believe that everything is fair game if our new head coach tells the press that he expects Rodney Stuckey to be the team leader this season. It seems that Cheeks is a political guy for sure. He knows that 4 previous coaching staffs have been fired by Joe Dumars because of one issue. Those coaching staffs couldn't get along with Rodney Stuckey or those coaching staffs realized that Stuckey was not good enough to start and sometimes even be in the rotation. When a coaching staff states that they are playing guys who they trust because their jobs on the line and Stuckey is not part of their vision for a successful team, that means they don't trust Stuckey. But Joe Dumars does love and trust Stuckey which has now become a Mother-Son thing. And some fans are forgetting about the past now and believe all those coaches were wrong. Cheeks wants to keep his job so he will make Stuckey the team leader and if you are the team leader, there is no way he can send Rodney to the bench. So good luck Piston fans. Stuckey is a lock no matter how badly he performs. Where are the owners? Do you want the seats to remain empty again?

Don, Cheeks can be a "suck ass" for Joe if he wants to, by having the albatross that's Rodney Stuckey hung around his neck, but it's been made clear that Stuckey has NO leadership abilities, whatsoever! This summer alone, Andre Drummond (a second year player) has done more to create team chemistry and unity than Stuckey's done in his entire career as a Piston. I've said it before and still stand by my feelings that if Stuckey is not traded by the start of training camp, Joe's not doing his job by allowing Stuckey to remain in a Pistons uniform. He takes away more from the team than he brings to it. That "mother-son" analogy was too kind, considering we're talking about two men, to me the relationship has gay overtones. I hope the gay rights supporters don't come out of the wood work and misuse my "gay" statement to divert our attention from the fact that by Joe forcing Stuckey on his coaches to play a prominent role on the Pistons, he contributing to dragging our team down, rather than giving us a chance to see the BEST basketball played.

dX I must correct you relating to Stuckey's attempts to create good chemistry. You forgot about the quote by Joe Dumars newspaper, The Detroit News, when it was heavily reported that Stuckey was determined to take Brandon Knight under his wing last summer to help him get it right for the coming season. So Stuckey was responsible for Knight becoming the best guard defender on the team last year directing him while eating ice cream on the sidelines. Go harder Brandon! Bend those knees! The pressure of helping Knight took so much out of Stuckey that he just didn't have enough energy to perform the way his fans and his Mother, Joe Dumars thought he could. And of course that coaching staff of Frank's didn't know how to judge talent at all. Now with Knight gone, Stuckey can really show his stuff and concentrate on his own game. And his increased effort this season will have nothing to do with the fact that he might be out of the league next year if he doesn't get his act together. And Stuckey also attended on summer league game this summer to show his support for the team after coach Cheeks announced that Rodney was Detroit's new team leader. Cheeks believes Rodney earned that designation after working so hard with Knight and saying that he wanted to come off the bench for the good of the team. Joe has Rodney motivated and the coach will do as Dumars dictates. This should be an enjoyable season for Rodney Stuckey. If Joe and the Detroit News states that Rodney is one of the most talented players on the team, then the fans will believe it as well. Everyone is happy dX. Why fight it?

[cool breeze]

"The Oklahoma City Thunder waived DeAndre Liggins late Friday, six days after he was arrested on complaints of domestic battery and three days after a probable cause affidavit revealed that the 25-year-old guard had been accused of punching his girlfriend in the head and dropping both a fan and an Xbox on her in front of their 2-year-old son." - Thunder waive DeAndre Liggins after arrest on domestic violence, kidnapping charges

IMO, everybody on this board would want to rip that clown a new one!!!

But see how this article offers up all the details as sickening as they are.  Nothing to assume here or guess at.  

...could the Thunder use a good, upstanding, guard like Rodney Stuckey? He could be the second coming of James Harden.

dX Rodney might be a good fit for the Thunder but Dumars will be skeptical relating to any phone calls involving Stuckey. He has a Mother-Son relationship and would not consider trading him to a playoff team which could mean more competition for Stuckey to make the rotation there. He has his new coach in his pocket now especially with the Birmingham incident. Cheeks has told the press that Rodney needs to be a team leader. Making that statement is much like Obama's "Don't cross the red line" statement. Now that Stuckey is our team leader, there is no way the coach can justify keeping him out of the starting lineup. The only way out would be for the coach to tell the press," Rodney Stuckey came to me and said he wanted to come in off the bench for the good of the team". Maybe Cheeks will do what Frank did last season and the season before that and copy that remark. The Detroit News will say, Boy is that guy really cares about the team. And next summer Joe will give Rodney a new 4 year max contract. Fans will find ways to support that idea.

[deusXango]

"The Oklahoma City Thunder waived DeAndre Liggins late Friday, six days after he was arrested on complaints of domestic battery and three days after a probable cause affidavit revealed that the 25-year-old guard had been accused of punching his girlfriend in the head and dropping both a fan and an Xbox on her in front of their 2-year-old son." - Thunder waive DeAndre Liggins after arrest on domestic violence, kidnapping charges

IMO, everybody on this board would want to rip that clown a new one!!!

But see how this article offers up all the details as sickening as they are.  Nothing to assume here or guess at.  

...could the Thunder use a good, upstanding, guard like Rodney Stuckey? He could be the second coming of James Harden.

[WTF]

"The Oklahoma City Thunder waived DeAndre Liggins late Friday, six days after he was arrested on complaints of domestic battery and three days after a probable cause affidavit revealed that the 25-year-old guard had been accused of punching his girlfriend in the head and dropping both a fan and an Xbox on her in front of their 2-year-old son." - Thunder waive DeAndre Liggins after arrest on domestic violence, kidnapping charges

IMO, everybody on this board would want to rip that clown a new one!!!

But see how this article offers up all the details as sickening as they are. Nothing to assume here or guess at.

[Murph]

I'm not sure if it was Merc or Murph, who were BIG John Henson supporters for the Pistons to draft, but we ended up with Andre Drummond (thank the Lord); I want to say here and now that I was wrong about that guy! I think that Henson's the sleeper on the Bucks and will surprise fans and sports writers alike this season, so my hat's off to my fellow poster(s) who championed John Henson; the central's getting stronger day-by-day.

Yes, I was the big John Henson advocate. At the time, I couldn't envision in my wildest dreams that Drummond would fall to us at #9. I mean at one point, Drummond was projected to go #2 in the draft, after Anthony Davis. And in fact, Drummond is emerging as about the second best player in that draft, after Davis. Drummond might even eventually surpass Davis as the best player from that draft.

But Henson put together a fine rookie year for the Bucks. Had Drummond not somehow fallen to us at #9, Henson would have been a decent consolation prize.

[Oracle]

"The Oklahoma City Thunder waived DeAndre Liggins late Friday, six days after he was arrested on complaints of domestic battery and three days after a probable cause affidavit revealed that the 25-year-old guard had been accused of punching his girlfriend in the head and dropping both a fan and an Xbox on her in front of their 2-year-old son." - Thunder waive DeAndre Liggins after arrest on domestic violence, kidnapping charges

IMO, everybody on this board would want to rip that clown a new one!!!

[deusXango]

I'm not sure if it was Merc or Murph, who were BIG John Henson supporters for the Pistons to draft, but we ended up with Andre Drummond (thank the Lord); I want to say here and now that I was wrong about that guy! I think that Henson's the sleeper on the Bucks and will surprise fans and sports writers alike this season, so my hat's off to my fellow poster(s) who championed John Henson; the central's getting stronger day-by-day.

[deusXango]

2. IMO, it is very important to get KCP starting ASAP, and BTW, Seb, that was a GREAT post you did about KCP & Stuckey. KCP is really the only player on this team with the size and potentially the defensive capability to guard the better SG's. He's going to be critical for us when we face teams like Indiana, NJ & Miami to mention a few who have great SG's.

Oracle, I'm so glad that a knowledgeable basketball fan, such as yourself, is on the KCP bandwagon; now I don't feel like a man on an island all by himself.

[deusXango]

WILL CHEEKS BE FIRED BEFORE TRAINING CAMP? What happened in Birmingham? Reporters get to work and bring us this story. I don't care is it is true just be creative. Did the dispute involve pushing and shoving? Did this in any way involve Charlie V or Rodney Stuckey? Don't forget that Charlie is a boxer and still wants a match with Kevin Garnett. I am sure this event had nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. Was Joe there?????????

I know you're joking, but this Cheeks thing could be really bad, and if there's nothing going on, then why won't the Pistons & Cheeks come clean with a full disclosure?

They won't because there is something going on and their first response is to deny, deny, deny, just like the advice given to cheating spouses
,
When will they learn that the cover up can be worse than the crime at times?

Yes that post was a joke Oracle. However, I believe that everything is fair game if our new head coach tells the press that he expects Rodney Stuckey to be the team leader this season. It seems that Cheeks is a political guy for sure. He knows that 4 previous coaching staffs have been fired by Joe Dumars because of one issue. Those coaching staffs couldn't get along with Rodney Stuckey or those coaching staffs realized that Stuckey was not good enough to start and sometimes even be in the rotation. When a coaching staff states that they are playing guys who they trust because their jobs on the line and Stuckey is not part of their vision for a successful team, that means they don't trust Stuckey. But Joe Dumars does love and trust Stuckey which has now become a Mother-Son thing. And some fans are forgetting about the past now and believe all those coaches were wrong. Cheeks wants to keep his job so he will make Stuckey the team leader and if you are the team leader, there is no way he can send Rodney to the bench. So good luck Piston fans. Stuckey is a lock no matter how badly he performs. Where are the owners? Do you want the seats to remain empty again?

Don, Cheeks can be a "suck ass" for Joe if he wants to, by having the albatross that's Rodney Stuckey hung around his neck, but it's been made clear that Stuckey has NO leadership abilities, whatsoever! This summer alone, Andre Drummond (a second year player) has done more to create team chemistry and unity than Stuckey's done in his entire career as a Piston. I've said it before and still stand by my feelings that if Stuckey is not traded by the start of training camp, Joe's not doing his job by allowing Stuckey to remain in a Pistons uniform. He takes away more from the team than he brings to it. That "mother-son" analogy was too kind, considering we're talking about two men, to me the relationship has gay overtones. I hope the gay rights supporters don't come out of the wood work and misuse my "gay" statement to divert our attention from the fact that by Joe forcing Stuckey on his coaches to play a prominent role on the Pistons, he contributing to dragging our team down, rather than giving us a chance to see the BEST basketball played.

[Oracle]

We are in the toughest division in the east, with two established power house teams in the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers!

However, that leaves the 3 weaker sisters, the Bucks, Cleveland, and our Pistons!

This is going to be interesting because each of these teams have players that are highly motivated to prove something!

By head to head competition, the Bucks would appear to have the better PG in Knight who has owned both Kyrie Irving and Jennings, and has even more to prove now!

Unfortunately for Knight, he may have the weaker team of the 3 to deal with in this campaign! While you can't rule the Bucks out, you certainly have to believe that the battle between Cleveland & Detroit for playoff position will be the more interesting one!

IMO, and this is not from the homer perspective, Detroit has more players, coaching and management out to prove something than any other team in the division!

That's generally a prescription for some inspired play, and with Sheed & Chauncey fueling the competitive drive, this is going to get real interesting real fast!

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