Murph's Outlook ...

[Sebastian]

I wouldn't give up on Singler as our starting SF just yet.  He's smart and passes well, and  he's an excellent shooter on a team that needs shooting.  Last season, he shot 38% from beyond the arc.  He's also big and reasonably athletic, and I think his defense will improve with better coaching and a better system.

However, one thing is for sure:  Singler needs more touches.   But that's on Jennings and the coaching staff.



I'm afraid Datome is a hopeless 'tweener.  He'll always be too slow to play SF and too small to play PF.  The Pistons should cut
him loose after this season.



At reserve PF, my hope is SVG goes with Jerebko or Mitchell for any left over minutes.  IMO, this is Jerebko's last stand.  If he can't return to the form he showed his rookie season, then I think he should probably go back to Europe to play.

If neither JJ nor Mitchell show any promise at reserve PF this season, then I think the Pistons should spend next year's 1st round pick on a premium PF who could eventually replace Smith in the starting line-up, as Smith ages....someone like Bobby Portis form Arkansas.  (Noah Vonleh would have been perfect for reserve PF.  Thanks Joe.   )

Yo, Murph, I forget the number of games that you have submitted as your prediction of wins this season, but it can't be many more than the 34 that I have predicted.

It sounds like you are primed for a very, bleak season for OUR Pistons, especially if you think that Singler can be a starting SF in this League. You are right Singler could become an adequate and reliable player at that position, but "adequate" and "reliable" are 8th/9th-man attributes.

Again, I would start Jerebko at that position, given the sorry lot that SVG has assembled, but you are right if Jerebko can't show more than what he did as a rookie then his ass need to pack his bags and go back home.

And, you are dead on about Linguine, that dude is not a NBA player; plain and simple.

[Murph]

I wouldn't give up on Singler as our starting SF just yet.  He's smart and passes well, and  he's an excellent shooter on a team that needs shooting.  Last season, he shot 38% from beyond the arc.  He's also big and reasonably athletic, and I think his defense will improve with better coaching and a better system.

However, one thing is for sure:  Singler needs more touches.   But that's on Jennings and the coaching staff.



I'm afraid Datome is a hopeless 'tweener.  He'll always be too slow to play SF and too small to play PF.  The Pistons should cut
him loose after this season.



At reserve PF, my hope is SVG goes with Jerebko or Mitchell for any left over minutes.  IMO, this is Jerebko's last stand.  If he can't return to the form he showed his rookie season, then I think he should probably go back to Europe to play.

If neither JJ nor Mitchell show any promise at reserve PF this season, then I think the Pistons should spend next year's 1st round pick on a premium PF who could eventually replace Smith in the starting line-up, as Smith ages....someone like Bobby Portis form Arkansas.  (Noah Vonleh would have been perfect for reserve PF.  Thanks Joe.   )

[Sebastian]

"Now, I am not going to get in it with you with my boy, Rodney Norvell Stuckey. Everybody knows that Stuckey is better than F@ckin' Jodie Meeks."
-Sebastian

I'd share a foxhole with you any day Sebastian...you got a fellas back!

[WTF]

You can begin leading by STFU! and do it by example to start.   Leaders make no excuse, leaders make FTs, leaders defend and play hard, leaders carries a team to victories, leaders dominate in crunch.   My point is unless you're a Tim Duncan or KG how about you just play hard and do the things you need to help the team win oppose to talking about leading a team.   Stop yakking in the press, stop reading your clippings unless you're looking at those sh!tty FT stats, and points allowed in the paint.  

The Pistons anointed Stuckey & Amir prematurely and allowed the same sense of entitlement to run rampant! Now Drummond has turned delusional!

When will the madness stop!!!

Wise, I couldn't agree with you more! Drummond needs to STFU and perform.

In a tight game in the 4th, you can't even play that dumbass because he can't hit FT's!

He can't dominate on offense or defense, so who is he leading?

He needs to wait until his game catches up with his mouth!

If there is one thing that has be raising an eyebrow about SVG its that he hasn't told this clown (Andre) to stop talking yet. I would rather hear these comments coming from Jennings or Augustin, hell I'll even take hearing from Josh Smith, but until Andre acquire all the necessary components to being a team leader I wish he would STFU!

Yes this organization need to get out of the habit of prematurely anointing players leaders and franchise player before their time. Andre has great potential and upside and we should be building around him in hopes that he will someday be a goto type player. I don't want to see the next D-Ho I want to see the next Patrick Ewing because Andre can be far better than D-Ho in the long run.

We all would like to see him become a leader but not before its time

[deusXango]

"Now, I am not going to get in it with you with my boy, Rodney Norvell Stuckey. Everybody knows that Stuckey is better than F@ckin' Jodie Meeks."
-Sebastian

I'd share a foxhole with you any day Sebastian...you got a fellas back!

[Oracle]

You can begin leading by STFU! and do it by example to start.   Leaders make no excuse, leaders make FTs, leaders defend and play hard, leaders carries a team to victories, leaders dominate in crunch.   My point is unless you're a Tim Duncan or KG how about you just play hard and do the things you need to help the team win oppose to talking about leading a team.   Stop yakking in the press, stop reading your clippings unless you're looking at those sh!tty FT stats, and points allowed in the paint.  

The Pistons anointed Stuckey & Amir prematurely and allowed the same sense of entitlement to run rampant! Now Drummond has turned delusional!

When will the madness stop!!!

Wise, I couldn't agree with you more! Drummond needs to STFU and perform.

In a tight game in the 4th, you can't even play that dumbass because he can't hit FT's!

He can't dominate on offense or defense, so who is he leading?

He needs to wait until his game catches up with his mouth!

[WTF]

Okay maybe lockdown defender was a little strong but Josh is a an above far average defender, he's a good defender who has had moments as being able to lock down some players. The same with Meeks KCP and Andre are young but very inexperience but both have the tools. But collective as a group they can become a lockdown group.

Totally agree!

BTW, if Josh, Andre, and KCP get defensive chemistry, even Monroe & Singler will appear to be much better defenders!

I'll add this as well, though small both Jennings and Augustin can be disruptive defensively in the open court though they may get dominated in half court situations. I'm guessing but I think SVG will do a lot of pressing with his small guards.

[WTF]

You can begin leading by STFU! and do it by example to start. Leaders make no excuse, leaders make FTs, leaders defend and play hard, leaders carries a team to victories, leaders dominate in crunch. My point is unless you're a Tim Duncan or KG how about you just play hard and do the things you need to help the team win oppose to talking about leading a team. Stop yakking in the press, stop reading your clippings unless you're looking at those sh!tty FT stats, and points allowed in the paint.

[WTF]

Sebastian, here's a "what if" for you....what if Jerebkos' hard work this summer pays off and he wins the start at SF, would you be for or against that? This young man has been through the fires, trying to come back from that sophomore season injury, and like Singler, he was played out of position before that out of necessity; he's a SF not a PF! Energetic, smart, 6 foot 10 with a motor that won't quit. There's no SF candidate that gets up and down the floor faster than Jerebko; he's a shot blocker at the rim and capable perimeter defender with an improving outside shot, plus he's playing for a contract! Forget for a minute the dumb ass mistreatment meted out by Lil' Larry and go back to his rookie years performance....didn't he show promise?

DX, I agree and disagree with your assessment of Jerebko. I agree with everything you said except Jerebko being capable defender and I do love all the things you've stated about his motor, being energetic, his shooting and so on, but he's not that smart defensively and perhaps even offensively because he's not as focus as he needs to be and often gets lost on what he needs to do. This point Singler might have the edge though I agree that Jerebko is much much better athletically than Singler.

I will say this that either are more than capable of starting if the focus is to produce in other areas/positions on the court. We know that Jennings, Josh and Meeks will provide large chunks of the offense night in and night out and Andre and Moose will likely follow closely, but that SF isn't as big of an issue as it seems though it would be idea to have a player in that position as solid 4th or 5th option much in the way Prince was. Singler overall feels that role a lot better than Jerebko.

I see you keep Datome in the mix often, but unless he starts hitting like Big Shot Bob he is totally useless, much in the way Jerebko is because he didn't play as smart as I thought he could or should. When I look at that position (SF) I think at least 2 of the 4 (Singler, Butler, Jerebko, and Datome) should be traded for another serviceable PF to come of the bench. Right know I would like to see Jerebko and Datome along with Bynum moved for a solid backup to Josh. I'm of the opinion we need to be rotating 4 bigs consistently. It would be idea to have Moose backing up Andre while on the floor with a true stretch 4 like Ryan Anderson IMO.

[Sparma]

Is there some kind of medical exception whereby you're allowed to have more than 15 players under contract during the season? That would make sense (e.g., what if fourteen of your players get injured, but you still need to field a full roster), but I'm not sure how it works. Would Gray just not count as taking up a roster spot as long as he injured (on injured reserve)? Right now, that would still leave 15 others on the roster, but it's getting closer to there being a roster spot for Thabeet.

SVG signs Thabeet then Gray has a cardiac condition?

Did he know Gray had a problem BEFORE it was announced? Maybe, but if he did, he must be out of his Vulcan Mind if he thinks Thabeet is the answer to any basketball question not involving BUSTS!!!

[Sebastian]

First let me say for the record, I feel Singler is over rated; he's been playing on consistently bad Pistons teams and never really elevated himself to the top of the rotation, as a scoring wing player, but rather was plugged in because those positions sucked to high heaven!

Sebastian, here's a "what if" for you....what if Jerebkos' hard work this summer pays off and he wins the start at SF, would you be for or against that? This young man has been through the fires, trying to come back from that sophomore season injury, and like Singler, he was played out of position before that out of necessity; he's a SF not a PF! Energetic, smart, 6 foot 10 with a motor that won't quit. There's no SF candidate that gets up and down the floor faster than Jerebko; he's a shot blocker at the rim and capable perimeter defender with an improving outside shot, plus he's playing for a contract! Forget for a minute the dumb ass mistreatment meted out by Lil' Larry and go back to his rookie years performance....didn't he show promise?

F@ckin' Jodie Meeks! Jodie Meeks out performs Rodney Stuckey, if in no other areas, he's not a ball hog and makes smarter decisions with the ball. He's a team player that has an outside shot that Stuckey can never match! He's F@ckin' Jodie Meeks because SVG let Stuckey walk and signed him, and you're one of the last supporters Stuckey had in Detroit Sebastian. He's cheaper too compared to what we were paying Stuckey before he left! If Michael Curry can start on back-to-back 50 win teams, who can't start under competent coaching and the team achieves a measure of success?

Training camp starts today and I'm flexible in my thinking until official decisions are made by SVG, so here's another gut-wrenching lineup:

C-  Monroe/Drummond
PF-Smith/Monroe
SF-Jerebko/Datome/Butler/Singler
SG-KCP/Meeks
PG-Jennings/Augustin/Dinwiddie

It's easier to launch an attack on ones speculations, based on personal player dislikes, than it is to counter with a better suggestion. Let me get this straight, we won 29 games last year and with the infusion of six new players and one of the proven top coaches in the NBA calling the shots, you only see a 5 game increase in the teams efforts this year? Interesting.

Yo, DX, about a week ago I posted barring a trade that would bring US a starting NBA SF that I would start Jerebko at the SF position, without any hesitation for all of the very same reasons that you have noted.

Now, I am not going to get in it with you with my boy, Rodney Norvell Stuckey. Everybody knows that Stuckey is better than F@ckin' Jodie Meeks.

[deusXango]

"The Pistons offered me a long-term deal, but after talking it over with the people that are most important — my agent, some friends and my family, I decided to turn it down," he said.-Greg Monroe on his RFA

Who the hell is the bread winner? "My agent, some friends?" They're more important than the team he plays for? His loyalty is to an agent and friends over a franchise that'll pay him tens of millions? I'm the last to talk bad about ones family, but the question begs to be answered, who's future was being considered, Greg's or his family's?

[deusXango]

First let me say for the record, I feel Singler is over rated; he's been playing on consistently bad Pistons teams and never really elevated himself to the top of the rotation, as a scoring wing player, but rather was plugged in because those positions sucked to high heaven!

Sebastian, here's a "what if" for you....what if Jerebkos' hard work this summer pays off and he wins the start at SF, would you be for or against that? This young man has been through the fires, trying to come back from that sophomore season injury, and like Singler, he was played out of position before that out of necessity; he's a SF not a PF! Energetic, smart, 6 foot 10 with a motor that won't quit. There's no SF candidate that gets up and down the floor faster than Jerebko; he's a shot blocker at the rim and capable perimeter defender with an improving outside shot, plus he's playing for a contract! Forget for a minute the dumb ass mistreatment meted out by Lil' Larry and go back to his rookie years performance....didn't he show promise?

F@ckin' Jodie Meeks! Jodie Meeks out performs Rodney Stuckey, if in no other areas, he's not a ball hog and makes smarter decisions with the ball. He's a team player that has an outside shot that Stuckey can never match! He's F@ckin' Jodie Meeks because SVG let Stuckey walk and signed him, and you're one of the last supporters Stuckey had in Detroit Sebastian. He's cheaper too compared to what we were paying Stuckey before he left! If Michael Curry can start on back-to-back 50 win teams, who can't start under competent coaching and the team achieves a measure of success?

Training camp starts today and I'm flexible in my thinking until official decisions are made by SVG, so here's another gut-wrenching lineup:

C- Monroe/Drummond
PF-Smith/Monroe
SF-Jerebko/Datome/Butler/Singler
SG-KCP/Meeks
PG-Jennings/Augustin/Dinwiddie

It's easier to launch an attack on ones speculations, based on personal player dislikes, than it is to counter with a better suggestion. Let me get this straight, we won 29 games last year and with the infusion of six new players and one of the proven top coaches in the NBA calling the shots, you only see a 5 game increase in the teams efforts this year? Interesting.

[Oracle]

SVG signs Thabeet then Gray has a cardiac condition?

Did he know Gray had a problem BEFORE it was announced? Maybe, but if he did, he must be out of his Vulcan Mind if he thinks Thabeet is the answer to any basketball question not involving BUSTS!!!

[Oracle]

Okay maybe lockdown defender was a little strong but Josh is a an above far average defender, he's a good defender who has had moments as being able to lock down some players. The same with Meeks KCP and Andre are young but very inexperience but both have the tools. But collective as a group they can become a lockdown group.

Totally agree!

BTW, if Josh, Andre, and KCP get defensive chemistry, even Monroe & Singler will appear to be much better defenders!

[WTF]

Gores please shut up if didn't want Gilbert saying anything then you should have never implied that moving the team was a possibility prior to your purchase of the team. The team need to be playing downtown and Ilitch's new arena makes it a real option for you because that's how it's being built to accommodate both teams if your ass come on board.

[WTF]

Well, so much for Aaron Gray.



On defense, it's hard to imagine that Smith will suddenly become a lock-down defender at the age of 29.  The same is true of Meeks at 27.  KCP probably has the best chance of becoming an excellent defender.

I'm not sure what to think about Drummond's defense.  He has all the physical tools, but he has a lot to learn.

Joe picks a guy that's sleep most of the game, and now SVG picks a true cardiac kid? WTF is the deal here , how in hell did he even pass a physical?

Murph, 28 is the prime for men, so 29/30 is right in the sweet spot, but Josh hasn't ever been a lock down defender, but we don't need him to be, just the very good man defender and great help defender he's been all of his career!

I know what to think about Drummond! He's the 2nd best center on the team and should be the one coming off the bench, IMO!

His defense is only slightly better than Monroe's, and he was regularly put in the popcorn machine by SCRUB centers last year!

The good news is that he has the tools to be one of the best ever, but until he figures it out, he's a faster Monroe(defensively)!


Team USA knew what to do with Drummond... sit him and play the better centers!

Okay maybe lockdown defender was a little strong but Josh is a an above far average defender, he's a good defender who has had moments as being able to lock down some players. The same with Meeks KCP and Andre are young but very inexperience but both have the tools. But collective as a group they can become a lockdown group.

[Oracle]

I admit that KCP is still an unknown quantity, but that's what he has in his favor as second year pro; so I say start him for that reason alone. But, let's be real F@ckin' Jodie Meeks is not a starting caliber NBA shooting guard. He has his greatest leverage as a back-up, heat-check sort of player; and there is no shame with that definition. - This is why I want KCP to be the starter, and I think he could win it outright and still not get it! Meeks is SVG's hand picked boy, and he's going to start even if KCP kicks his ass six ways to Sunday!

Singler is not a starting NBA SF(TRUE), never has been and never will be(That's not fair, and we can't be sure yet. This year will let us know!). He is an 8th/9th-man and would be a damn good one if he was properly cast.

SVG has just f@cked up with his handling of Moose. Moose is a quality Big that should be on some other team's roster and WE should have received a starting SF, at minimum, in returned by now. - I've been hard on SVG the GM, and with good reason, he's done more wrong than good, and if we're to have a happy ending, SVG the coach is going to have to overcome SVG the GM's blunders, so I agree!

Do you guys mean to tell me that neither or together SVG and Jeff Bower, a friend of Van Gundy's and a former GM/President of the former Hornets (Pelicans) cannot (or couldn't) swing a deal that would have returned value in exchange for Moose's services?

If neither one of these guys has connections, then why were they hired(Good Question). SVG has found a way to hire a lot of former players, who have played for him (Tim Hardaway, Quinten Richardson); given NBA contracts to dudes who are fraudulent recipients (Caron Butler, Cartier Martin, and Aaron Grey). Hell, Aaron Grey has had a recent cardiology problem. DX, don't you start talking about Jeff Green's heart problem.  Green has played 81 ('12 - '13) and 82 ('13 - '14) games, in each of the previous seasons, while playing 32 minutes per game.

I really relate to a lot of what you say, but there are areas where I think you may go too far, even though you're still in the ballpark!

This Aaron Gray stuff really makes you wonder about how in the world SVG and his cronies are vetting these players! That Aaron Gray looks like a future heart attack victim anyway, so hell yeah you check him... cat's blood pressure was probably through the roof, but they didn't check it!

Vampires didn't need to bite him, just pin prick his ass and get a water fountain of blood


BTW, Butler is a GREAT pickup, but not for us!!! He needs to be with a team like the one he left, because on a young team, we need to develop talent, not listen to creaky knees wobbling on the bench and breaking down during games. We had enough of that last year with Chauncey!

Gray was just plain STUPID, and Martin is the Scrub you have backing up Scrubs... sort of a Scrubs, Scrub!

[Sebastian]

Something has gone badly wrong if by the All-Star break our rotation doesn't look something like this (and we're playing .500+ ball):

PG- Jennings/Dinwiddie
SG- Meeks/KCP
SF- Singler/Datome
PF- Smith/Monroe
C-  Drummond/Monroe

Fact: Drummond can only play center and Smith can only play PF successfully; neither should be forced to play off the bench or out of position. The duo of Monroe/Smith or Monroe/Drummond, when played together, is a daunting combo and will take the NBA by surprise under the steady hand of SVG. Monroe has the opportunity to become the most valued 6th man in the league.

Fact: The money back-court of Jennings and Meeks has to develop the chemistry Pistons starting back-courts are known for; should they play to expected levels of their individual skill sets, we'll have guards worthy of contention, and the "under studies" of KCP and Dinwiddie are potentially better than Stuckey and Afflalo when they were drafted.

Fact: The dice is being rolled with the SF dilemma; barring a big trade to upgrade that position, we could be rolling with any number of combos including: Singler, Butler, Datome, Mitchell, Martin, and Jerebko. A couple of players really need to separate themselves from the flock and this is where SVG must be honest and fair in his decision making as our coach, when he selects his starter and backup.

What's to be done with the extra body's is unimportant and not a major issue, but what is important is how the rotation is set, and as Oracle has pointed out, defense is going to be critical until team chemistry is established.

DX, this is not a NBA caliber, starting five. F@ckin' Jodie Meeks is not a starter and everybody and their grandma knows that Singler is an 8th/9th-man. And, I thought that it was the consensus of this Board that Moose is not a PF. Heck, I thought that it was you, DX, that wrote that Moose was not a PF.

Sebastian, you didn't read the post in it's entirety or you're expecting things to fall apart because of your dislike for Meeks and Singler; that's unfair and you're wrong on many points. We've got to play the best we have and employ the best fitting lineups.

Your F@ckin' Jodie Meeks is a better starter than Kyle Singler at SG and I would hope that you saw the wisdom of playing KCP with Dinwiddie only from this point on; Dinwiddie isn't ready to play now and KCP will only get better as time goes on...Jennings and Meeks are the highest paid guards we have and offer us the best chance of establishing control of a game. Augustin is actually my personal pick to start the season at PG, but it ain't going to happen; too many fans are dreaming of a miraculous turn around in Jennings game under SVG.

No Moose is not a PF, but he's not going to sit on his ass because of it, nor should he be starting; for 5-10 minutes a night he can backup Smith, but the majority of his PT will be as Drummonds backup! When Smith is out of the lineup, who'd you like to see paired with Drummond?

I realize SF is a sore spot on this team, as things stand now, so a 8th or 9th man starting is not entirely out of the question; the only Green that could be an improvement over starting Singler is Gerald Green, not Jeff Green!

DX, much respect to all of your points-of-view, and likewise to my fellow, Pistons Pals, but I must say that if F@ckin' Jodie Meeks and Singler are OUR starting SG and SF anywhere near 72 games of the the 2014-15 NBA season then WE will be hard pressed to win the 34 games that I predicted, this season. You can't with a straight face type that you think that a starting, F@ckin Jodie Meeks (SG) and Kyle Singer (SF) are 5 wins better than WE were last season. SVG was the Magic former Head Coach. He can't actually work magic or wizardry, no help here as he has never coached the Wizards.

Heck, even that atrocious Fansided website has F@ckin' Jodie Meeks ranked as the 24th best shooting guard on the League, going into the 14-15 season (http://hoopshabit.com/2014/08/12/nba-power-rankings-30-starting-shooting-guards/8/).

I admit that KCP is still an unknown quantity, but that's what he has in his favor as second year pro; so I say start him for that reason alone. But, let's be real F@ckin' Jodie Meeks is not a starting caliber NBA shooting guard. He has his greatest leverage as a back-up, heat-check sort of player; and there is no shame with that definition.

Singler is not a starting NBA SF, never has been and never will be. He is an 8th/9th-man and would be a damn good one if he was properly cast.

SVG has just f@cked up with his handling of Moose. Moose is a quality Big that should be on some other team's roster and WE should have received a starting SF, at minimum, in returned by now.

Do you guys mean to tell me that neither or together SVG and Jeff Bower, a friend of Van Gundy's and a former GM/President of the former Hornets (Pelicans) cannot (or couldn't) swing a deal that would have returned value in exchange for Moose's services?

If neither one of these guys has connections, then why were they hired. SVG has found a way to hire a lot of former players, who have played for him (Tim Hardaway, Quinten Richardson); given NBA contracts to dudes who are fraudulent recipients (Caron Butler, Cartier Martin, and Aaron Grey). Hell, Aaron Grey has had a recent cardiology problem. DX, don't you start talking about Jeff Green's heart problem.  Green has played 81 ('12 - '13) and 82 ('13 - '14) games, in each of the previous seasons, while playing 32 minutes per game.

As I have witnessed the transactions of GM SVG, I would expect Head Coach SVG to followup his questionable decisions, since late spring, with an even more asinine decision to start F@ckin' Jodie Meeks (SG) and your boy, Singler (SF), this fall. Don't be happy with this choice. WE will see a lot of slow starts. (WE will be trailing damn near all game long.) And, as opponents breakdown Meeks and Singler, OUR front line dudes: Dre, Josh, and Moose will be collecting more than their fair share of fouls, a recipe for a disastrous '14-'15 season.

[Oracle]

Well, so much for Aaron Gray.



On defense, it's hard to imagine that Smith will suddenly become a lock-down defender at the age of 29.  The same is true of Meeks at 27.  KCP probably has the best chance of becoming an excellent defender.

I'm not sure what to think about Drummond's defense.  He has all the physical tools, but he has a lot to learn.

Joe picks a guy that's sleep most of the game, and now SVG picks a true cardiac kid? WTF is the deal here , how in hell did he even pass a physical?

Murph, 28 is the prime for men, so 29/30 is right in the sweet spot, but Josh hasn't ever been a lock down defender, but we don't need him to be, just the very good man defender and great help defender he's been all of his career!

I know what to think about Drummond! He's the 2nd best center on the team and should be the one coming off the bench, IMO!

His defense is only slightly better than Monroe's, and he was regularly put in the popcorn machine by SCRUB centers last year!

The good news is that he has the tools to be one of the best ever, but until he figures it out, he's a faster Monroe(defensively)!

Team USA knew what to do with Drummond... sit him and play the better centers!

[Murph]

Well, so much for Aaron Gray.



On defense, it's hard to imagine that Smith will suddenly become a lock-down defender at the age of 29. The same is true of Meeks at 27. KCP probably has the best chance of becoming an excellent defender.

I'm not sure what to think about Drummond's defense. He has all the physical tools, but he has a lot to learn.

[Fennis Dembo]

Did anybody see the nasty events in the Michigan football game?   I have never been so disgusted with a coach in any sport in my life.   Morris is limping around.  Then he gets absolutely leveled.   He looked like was seeing stars and  might have a concussion. He needed help getting off the field. Third string QB  Bellomy couldn't find a helmet, unbelievable! Then Hoke puts Morse in a few plays later when Gardner has to sit out a play. This is a blatant disregard for a player's safety.   Hoke has the gall to say he didn't notice that anything was wrong with Morris who was taken to the locker room on a cart.  The question should be how could you not notice?   Hoke is either a liar or totally incompetent .   This is not  the first time he has pulled this crap.  Against Notre Dame Funchess was injured and was left in the game.    Last year against Ohio State Gardner was playing with a broken foot.  Brady told him he didn't want to see him limping.  This is disturbing.

[WTF]

I like where you're going Oracle but Defense is the most important thing about basketball and it always will be.

If you have great team defense, you rebound, you can defend the paint and limit second chance points, you have A championship quality team right before your eyes.

When it comes to scoring, I will take quality over quantity. I need guys who can get to the FT line, make FT's, hit open jump-shots, and have some type of Basketball IQ with the game on the line.

Phillip, this is a good subject for the forum, but do you think the Spurs beat Miami because of great defense?

IMO, it was a combination of good enough defense, but mostly because Miami lacked decent floor spacing because the only real threat that they had to guard was LeBron.

After our 2004 championship, the rules changed to give offense a better chance at defenses, and it's worked! Coaches like SVG became more effective because they practiced great spacing and good enough defense.

Times have changed, and the name of the game today is to get the best spacing possible, read that as best players at all positions with good shooting, and play good enough defense.

Obviously the better you play defense, the better you'll do, but great defenses can't shut down teams with the kind of talent Cleveland will put on the floor.

LeBron, Irving & Love gives you inside, outside, and everything in between, and all 3 can break down a defense, 2 of them at will!

They're not going to be a great defensive team, but likely good enough!

But this is a highly subjective conversation, so I'm not saying you're wrong, but this is another way to think about the situation.

I'd also like to hear what others think about this as well!

I think its hard to pen it down on just on of the other (offense or defense) it does take a combination of both. I think we kind of gotten spoiled because we had 2 of the greatest defenders on 2 of toughest championship teams ever. It's what beneath a great offense or defense that matters most IMO and that's coaching and talent so I think we have a decent coach and place and if all the addition can live up to what's been advertised I think offensively we'll be better than we are defensively.

I do think we have 3-4 players on the team that could become lockdown defenders (Josh, KCP, Meeks, and perhaps Andre)

[WTF]

Ebola has a kill ratio of 90%!!! WTF is on the minds of our country's leaders bringing that sh!t here, in the guise of noble doctors (carriers!) who've contacted the Ebola virus, instead of transporting whatever help, "cures," or concerned family members to the site of contamination? We don't have adequate nationwide containment facilities for our populace should this AIR BORNE virus get loose on American soil!!!

Dumb ass mutha' fuckas'!

Back to regular programming....let me tuck my head firmly in the sand.

Agreed.  Not only that, WTF are we doing sending 3000 US troops to Africa to try to contain the outbreak?  

The 1918 influenza pandemic, that killed 50 - 100 million people world-wide and 700,000 Americans, was spread throughout the globe by infected troops returning home from WWI.  

The bigger question is where did this cure magically appear from and why isn't being fully utilized in an effort to cure people. Sadly we pick and choose who should live and die to regularly IMO.

[WTF]

This guy drives me nuts! Yesterday he threw some passes that were absolutely incredible made good decisions with the ball and looked like the perfect QB for this team. But he sandwiched to turds in between the start or the season MNF game and this one played yesterday which he looked great I just hope to see more of the QB we saw yesterday the rest of this season. IMO team should be 4-0 but I'm not whining about 3-1

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