Singler, Covington, and another Damn "L"

[Sebastian]

You guys can kiss my... stats

Ok, it's one game, but nice so far from Singler!

I just hope we win, but one thing is for sure!

Singler in no Covington! How Bower let that guy escape from us is a mystery, Covington is VERY impressive!!!

Singler did have a nice game, tonight, but as the game evolved the magic dust began to wore off. He couldn't finish drives or effectively guard the position, which leads me to think how in the hell did Covington get out of the Pistons purview.

Covington would solve all of OUR SF issues. Damn you GM Stan and the unseen Bowers.

And, WE take an "L" at the crib from the youngest, most inept team in the League that was playing the second half of a back-to-back. (Truth be told, WE are the most impotent team in the League.)

WE are currently 3-17, after 20 games with a tough slate of games through December:

Sun, Dec 7  vs  Oklahoma City
Tue, Dec 9  vs  Portland
Fri, Dec 12 @ Phoenix
Sat, Dec 13 @ Sacramento
Mon, Dec 15 @ Los Angeles Clippers
Wed, Dec 17 vs Dallas
Fri, Dec 19 vs Toronto
Sun, Dec 21 @ Brooklyn
Fri, Dec 26 vs Indiana
Sun, Dec 27 @ Cleveland
Tue, Dec 30 @ Orlando

The Sixers handed the vaseline to OUR Pistons, tonight.

[Oracle]

Oh well, there's still the Lions!!!

[Oracle]

He's having a good game, but in the 4th he's a killer!

First he commits a foul to keep a possession alive, then he drives to score and gets fouled, with a chance to put the game out of reach, he splits the FT's!

IMO, I fault the PG, you don't get the ball to a poor FT shooter when you know they're likely to foul deep into the 4th!

The PG has to know who to get the ball to!

[Oracle]

You guys can kiss my... stats

Ok, it's one game, but nice so far from Singler!

I just hope we win, but one thing is for sure!

Singler in no Covington! How Bower let that guy escape from us is a mystery, Covington is VERY impressive!!!

[Oracle]

[lemonpen]

WARNING FROM the Surgeon General: Viewing the Detroit Philadelphia game may cause the following side effects:

An overwhelming desire to gouge your eyes out, urge to bang your head against the wall, non-stop vomiting, acid reflux, migraine headaches,  continuous farting, extreme rectal pain, and turning into a pillar of salt.

Don't say you weren't warned!

Unless Mrs. L'pen interferes I'll watch while doing my best to fight off dry heaves.

[Oracle]

WARNING FROM the Surgeon General: Viewing the Detroit Philadelphia game may cause the following side effects:

An overwhelming desire to gouge your eyes out, urge to bang your head against the wall, non-stop vomiting, acid reflux, migraine headaches,  continuous farting, extreme rectal pain, and turning into a pillar of salt.

Don't say you weren't warned!

I got all of that just thinking about the game

[Fennis Dembo]

WARNING FROM the Surgeon General: Viewing the Detroit Philadelphia game may cause the following side effects:

An overwhelming desire to gouge your eyes out, urge to bang your head against the wall, non-stop vomiting, acid reflux, migraine headaches, continuous farting, extreme rectal pain, and turning into a pillar of salt.

Don't say you weren't warned!

[lemonpen]

Excuse making time is over.  He was passed to, often and puked.  He was summarily worked over inside and out by Green, and anyone else he guarded got good looks.  Smarts is totally useless without the stuff to impact the bottom line.  

My greatest disappointment with Kyle is that I find no answer when asked what improvement has he made year over year.    He is NO quicker, faster, stronger, tougher, or more savvy.  Still NO left hand to speak of.  Can’t put the ball on the floor worth doggy poo.  Gets bullied too easily.  I mean, where has he demonstrated growth.  
If he’s so dang gone smart put him in a suit next to Stan.

Next up ............. Martin / Butler

Well said Lemon!!! What's your rebuttal to that Don?

I can't wait for your observations on SVG's other two FA signees, especially Butler.

Now, Now DX.
I respect cool breeze and his support of Kyle. Lets look at Singler this way.

There may be a good real life example of how Kyle might eventually develop. His name is JJ Redick, a former Dukie, with a strong college resume. JJ entered the NBA with a standstill jumper from beyond the arc, and that's all. I do mean ALL. It took a few years but Redick has added quite a bit to his game in the form of decent D, enough ball handling skills to clear his shot from oncomming defenders, and some real clutchness.

As long as Kyle Singler wears our uni I will want the best for both him and us. If cool breeze takes an unbiased look he too will realize Singler's lack of real development.

[deusXango]

Sebastian, Saturday, 5:15 PM, on ESPN, Arizona plays Gonzaga; this is your opportunity to get a look at Johnson against some stiff college competition, if you have the time. We need a SF for the future, one that can grow with the core we have now in Drummond, KCP, and Dinwiddie.

Don, yes you did post on Johnson and out of the respect I have for your evaluation of players in that part of the country, I investigated this kid and the more I see, the more I like him. I was able to catch his early collegiate development and everything people hoped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be, Johnson is now; Kidd-Gilchrist went #2 in his draft and still doesn't have a jump-shot. Johnson is a BEAST!!

The avoidance of deploying the best fitting players is something SVG is doing intentionally, I'm convinced of that, no matter what anyone says. Why else would Jennings play with an injured thumb and go 0-11 when he was benched for less than that, and Dinwiddie rides the bench? Playing Dinwiddie can't get any further than being an idea? Again, where was Datome? At this point of the season, don't he realize he's playing Butler too many minutes? The man's going to be out of gas by the All-Star break. If this asshole of a coach was going to show some integrity, by shaking things up, why didn't he play Martin, Datome, and Dinwiddie for extended minutes? I mean damn, we were playing the sorry ass Celtics!!! I don't know, but I think they'd have looked good with Monroe coming off the bench.

Oracle, don't you know that SVG and Bower are professional embezzlers? They're doing their jobs. On the serious side, that dropping the ball with Robert Covington is something to be closely looked at from the casual fan to Tom Gores; how are these guys justifying their positions? I mean they drafted the man after scouting him and they certainly knew their teams needs; was it the Singler/Butler factor that caused them to pass? As time goes on I get the feeling Covington will make us forget that Joe let Afflalo, and Amir go, and passing on a host of others irrelevant.

Thanks for the heads-up, DX. I will try not to forget to scout this kid, today, against Gonzaga. Appreciate it!!!

Look for me Seb. I will be there behind the Arizona bench.

Hey Don, throw a "shout out" to the Pistons Forum!

[deusXango]

"I think people are trying to get better. They're trying to do things differently."-Stan Van Gundy
Has it occurred to SVG that if HE tried doing things differently, the team would be better?

Van Gundy said he has watched for lapses of effort and concentration in practices and games.
What about his lapses in judgement and stubbornness from the bench during games?

So far I've found Van Gundy to be all empty talk and no productive action; the record bears this out! He started the season by saying that the best fitting and most competitive players would start, no matter who they were, but that's turned out to be untrue. He says the team is "messed up," but he was supposed to have already evaluated the film on players he consistently plays. His self-deprecation was a nice touch, but where was the nature of his shortcomings mentioned?

Is it just me, but does anyone else get the feeling that an announcement that F@ckin' Jodie Meeks is done for the season is forthcoming? What type of coach waits on TWO non-performing, undersized PG's to "come around" when he has a 6' 6" outstanding prospect at that position riding the bench? Dinwiddie has already shown he's got the potential to outperform both Jennings and Augustin, if given adequate PT, so what's the hold up based on? This is also the coach who said he'd like to play two PG's at the same time; why is KCP continuing to carry such a heavy load, minutes wise?

Luigi Datome got off the bench for some scrap minutes and didn't hurt the team, in fact he was a solid contributor that night; his supporters (me for one) were encouraged that his PT would go up, but what happened? Back to DNP-CD's!

My final salvo will be fired tonight when we play Philly and that player who was ignored by us (Robert Covington had 21 points last night in a loss) comes to town and kicks our SF's collective asses; win, lose, or draw, look at the difference between our players and a D-Leaguer! That'll be my final salvo, because the camera doesn't lie...."the ball don't Lie!"

[cool breeze]

If you look around the league there are some teams with owners and GMs who are able to remove players that are not getting the job down and within only 2 or 3 years fill their rosters with good two way players. There teams have players who are team orientated and put out great energy every night and have pride that they have winning records. Phoenix is an example and I know why this team has been so successful in such a short time. They have great leadership at the GM position. Have any of you ever listened to the Suns GM in interviews. He is ofter quoted in the Chicago Combines and on NBA TV. This guy is young and knows every young player in the game. He goes to college games and works his butt off getting the information necessary to evaluate players who entering the draft while also really studying the current players in the NBA. He is like Steve Kerr who was at one time the Suns GM. Kerr is like a computer relating to high school, college and pro players. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to become a good GM but you have to be willing to do the work. It is clear that while Joe Dumars was President and GM of the Pistons, he did not have the same mindset as most other GMs who run NBA teams. He was a good pro player and that got him in the door with the owner. Was Dumars even interested in learning how to evaluate talent? Did he have any insight as to who he should hire as scouts etc? It is obvious that he did not build a good team around him that had any capability to evaluate what players the team currently had or which young players Joe should try to bring in. We have all discussed his bogus draft picks early on and this early pick of Rodney White should have been the big clue as to Joe's work ethic when it came to doing the essentials of his job.

Stan Van Gundy has been out of basketball for a long time. I look at him on the bench with his assistant coaches and it looks as if this entire coaching staff is out of date like Joe. What does Stan Van Gundy know about the players in the league or the college players? I think this franchise is in big trouble.

[cool breeze]

Sebastian, Saturday, 5:15 PM, on ESPN, Arizona plays Gonzaga; this is your opportunity to get a look at Johnson against some stiff college competition, if you have the time. We need a SF for the future, one that can grow with the core we have now in Drummond, KCP, and Dinwiddie.

Don, yes you did post on Johnson and out of the respect I have for your evaluation of players in that part of the country, I investigated this kid and the more I see, the more I like him. I was able to catch his early collegiate development and everything people hoped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be, Johnson is now; Kidd-Gilchrist went #2 in his draft and still doesn't have a jump-shot. Johnson is a BEAST!!

The avoidance of deploying the best fitting players is something SVG is doing intentionally, I'm convinced of that, no matter what anyone says. Why else would Jennings play with an injured thumb and go 0-11 when he was benched for less than that, and Dinwiddie rides the bench? Playing Dinwiddie can't get any further than being an idea? Again, where was Datome? At this point of the season, don't he realize he's playing Butler too many minutes? The man's going to be out of gas by the All-Star break. If this asshole of a coach was going to show some integrity, by shaking things up, why didn't he play Martin, Datome, and Dinwiddie for extended minutes? I mean damn, we were playing the sorry ass Celtics!!! I don't know, but I think they'd have looked good with Monroe coming off the bench.

Oracle, don't you know that SVG and Bower are professional embezzlers? They're doing their jobs. On the serious side, that dropping the ball with Robert Covington is something to be closely looked at from the casual fan to Tom Gores; how are these guys justifying their positions? I mean they drafted the man after scouting him and they certainly knew their teams needs; was it the Singler/Butler factor that caused them to pass? As time goes on I get the feeling Covington will make us forget that Joe let Afflalo, and Amir go, and passing on a host of others irrelevant.

Thanks for the heads-up, DX. I will try not to forget to scout this kid, today, against Gonzaga. Appreciate it!!!

Look for me Seb. I will be there behind the Arizona bench.

[Oracle]

[Sebastian]

Sebastian, Saturday, 5:15 PM, on ESPN, Arizona plays Gonzaga; this is your opportunity to get a look at Johnson against some stiff college competition, if you have the time. We need a SF for the future, one that can grow with the core we have now in Drummond, KCP, and Dinwiddie.

Don, yes you did post on Johnson and out of the respect I have for your evaluation of players in that part of the country, I investigated this kid and the more I see, the more I like him. I was able to catch his early collegiate development and everything people hoped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be, Johnson is now; Kidd-Gilchrist went #2 in his draft and still doesn't have a jump-shot. Johnson is a BEAST!!

The avoidance of deploying the best fitting players is something SVG is doing intentionally, I'm convinced of that, no matter what anyone says. Why else would Jennings play with an injured thumb and go 0-11 when he was benched for less than that, and Dinwiddie rides the bench? Playing Dinwiddie can't get any further than being an idea? Again, where was Datome? At this point of the season, don't he realize he's playing Butler too many minutes? The man's going to be out of gas by the All-Star break. If this asshole of a coach was going to show some integrity, by shaking things up, why didn't he play Martin, Datome, and Dinwiddie for extended minutes? I mean damn, we were playing the sorry ass Celtics!!! I don't know, but I think they'd have looked good with Monroe coming off the bench.

Oracle, don't you know that SVG and Bower are professional embezzlers? They're doing their jobs. On the serious side, that dropping the ball with Robert Covington is something to be closely looked at from the casual fan to Tom Gores; how are these guys justifying their positions? I mean they drafted the man after scouting him and they certainly knew their teams needs; was it the Singler/Butler factor that caused them to pass? As time goes on I get the feeling Covington will make us forget that Joe let Afflalo, and Amir go, and passing on a host of others irrelevant.

Thanks for the heads-up, DX. I will try not to forget to scout this kid, today, against Gonzaga. Appreciate it!!!

[deusXango]

Sebastian, Saturday, 5:15 PM, on ESPN, Arizona plays Gonzaga; this is your opportunity to get a look at Johnson against some stiff college competition, if you have the time. We need a SF for the future, one that can grow with the core we have now in Drummond, KCP, and Dinwiddie.

Don, yes you did post on Johnson and out of the respect I have for your evaluation of players in that part of the country, I investigated this kid and the more I see, the more I like him. I was able to catch his early collegiate development and everything people hoped Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be, Johnson is now; Kidd-Gilchrist went #2 in his draft and still doesn't have a jump-shot. Johnson is a BEAST!!

The avoidance of deploying the best fitting players is something SVG is doing intentionally, I'm convinced of that, no matter what anyone says. Why else would Jennings play with an injured thumb and go 0-11 when he was benched for less than that, and Dinwiddie rides the bench? Playing Dinwiddie can't get any further than being an idea? Again, where was Datome? At this point of the season, don't he realize he's playing Butler too many minutes? The man's going to be out of gas by the All-Star break. If this asshole of a coach was going to show some integrity, by shaking things up, why didn't he play Martin, Datome, and Dinwiddie for extended minutes? I mean damn, we were playing the sorry ass Celtics!!! I don't know, but I think they'd have looked good with Monroe coming off the bench.

Oracle, don't you know that SVG and Bower are professional embezzlers? They're doing their jobs. On the serious side, that dropping the ball with Robert Covington is something to be closely looked at from the casual fan to Tom Gores; how are these guys justifying their positions? I mean they drafted the man after scouting him and they certainly knew their teams needs; was it the Singler/Butler factor that caused them to pass? As time goes on I get the feeling Covington will make us forget that Joe let Afflalo, and Amir go, and passing on a host of others irrelevant.

[Oracle]

While SVG sucks ass!

We drafted this kid and let the Sixers snatch him up!

He's scoring from anywhere on the court, DEEP 3, against the trees scoring and getting the and one(19pts/6 Boards/1 steal so far)!

Are both Bower & SVG just effing asleep at the wheel????

[cool breeze]

The article in the Free Press brought to light the hand injury Jennings has been dealing with and according to him affected his shooting in the Celtics game. Where is the coach? Are the players running the team or this high priced coach and President? I had to laugh while reading this story in the Free Press. I saw Jennings grab his thumb and for sure he was in pain. Jennings still managed to get his shots off though and was 0 for 11 from the field. Was Van Gundy OK with Jennings being in uniform and playing while shooting such a low percentage. I recall some Piston fans being extremely upset with Singler who had one bad shooting night but he didn't go 0 for 11 and I didn't hear a peep out of you Singler haters relating to Jennings performance. Is it courageous of Jennings to play with that injury? I believe he thought he should play because it is clear to me that the best point guard on this team is Spencer Dinwiddle. And the coach is happy as hell to let Jennings play so as to not add any confusion as to fitting Dinwiddie into the rotation. This is why I Believe that Stan Van Gundy is the worst Piston head coach since Dick Vitalle. Did Stan ask the other players if they wanted to win the Boston game. For sure Stan didn't care. He would rather lose than infringe Jennings status on this club. What a wimpy coach we have. Stan is now known as a man who doesn't do the right thing for the team and Spencer Dinwiddie. He dismissing Spencer saying he is just too inexperienced. We have such bright point guards in Augustin and Jennings. Who will challenge Stan? Where have the sports reporters been? Do they watch the games? Dinwiddie has done a good job and looks more in control on offense and is a far better defender than stand select players. Why should anyone wonder why this team looks so much worse than previous seasons? The same players played under two other head coaches last season. With Jennings injury, this time would have been a perfect time to play Dinwiddie as the starter. Jennings only came back early because he saw that Dinwiddie is capable of beating his ass out. Nobody should believe anything this coach says. He needs to be fired.

[cool breeze]

SF is the most dynamic position on the floor, by basketball design, because of the athleticism and skillset that normally accompanies the size of this perimeter player (6' 7"-6' 9"); he's bigger and as quick as most guards, but rebounds, blocks shots, and is quicker than the plodding big men. Most posses an outside shot that should be respected and although not ball dominate, they get their fair share of assists. I don't see any of that in Singler and Butler's skills are fading fast. I hope this is not made into a black/white thing, but check out this guy from Arizona. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE

I don't know about you, but I'm impressed with this college freshman over our paid pros; he's better than a minimum paid player and a damn sight better than our starting candidates so far. But then, SVG is tanking with his slick self.

dX I provided a post about a week ago on Stanley Johnson. I have seen in close up in all of his games so far with Arizona. At first I thought he was a selfish ball hog type guy because he was not playing team orientated basketball in his first two games. Coach Sean Miller stated publicly that integrating Johnson with the other vet players was not going to be as easy as it was last season with Arron Gordon. Gordon blended in so quick you would have thought he was a senior. Gordon brought his incredible motor, high end defensive skills and an unselfish attitude in from this first practice. Gordon needed to fine tune his shooting skills but every other aspect of his game was far superior to any of our highly paid Piston players.

The cool thing about Stanley Johnson was the fact that he didn't shut out coach Miller. he completely changed his attitude during the very next practice where he worked his butt off on the defensive end and spent a lot of time watching video of his teammates playing last season. I thought Stanley was a typical Kentucky All Star Freshman but not so because starting with his 3rd game, Johnson was a different player and moving on to the Maui Classic, Johnson because Arizona's go to player on the offensive end. He is a crunch time player and made critical plays on defense as well. Johnson is 245 pounds and is at least 6 foot 7. You would never know he weighs that much because he is so fast and agile. He can penetrate really well and also has hit some big shots from beyond 12 to 14 feet from the basket.

Dx the way Johnson plays basketball from the small forward position is what you are looking for for the Pistons. But I disagree with you as to which positions the Pistons are weakest at. We need a outstanding point guard to lead this team night in and night out. Our two small shooting guards, Jennings and Augustin have killed any chances for this team to have the chemistry needed to win in the NBA. Players like Prince and I believe Singler are adequate when thinking about how bad all the players are occupying the other positions. We have no big man who has the quickness or skill level to play defense at a high level against most NBA teams. Smith is showing that he cannot hold his own on defense as a power forward or small forward. Monroe has slow feet and a slow mind on defense. Drummond is fundamentally unsound and might never be a outstanding consistent defensive player. And we have KCP as the starting shooting guard. I am not impressed with his mental game or his shooting ability. He is just firing up shots now much like Brandon Jennings.

[Sebastian]

SF is the most dynamic position on the floor, by basketball design, because of the athleticism and skillset that normally accompanies the size of this perimeter player (6' 7"-6' 9"); he's bigger and as quick as most guards, but rebounds, blocks shots, and is quicker than the plodding big men. Most posses an outside shot that should be respected and although not ball dominate, they get their fair share of assists. I don't see any of that in Singler and Butler's skills are fading fast. I hope this is not made into a black/white thing, but check out this guy from Arizona. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE

I don't know about you, but I'm impressed with this college freshman over our paid pros; he's better than a minimum paid player and a damn sight better than our starting candidates so far. But then, SVG is tanking with his slick self.

First allow me to say that I have heard the name, but have yet to see the game and only have the familiarity of the kid's game from the video that you have provided. I will need to see how his game continues to evolve, as the competition improves.

WE need a SF, now.

[Phil-Good]

Again, Stan! You the freaking man. This team is going now where fast.

"I like the idea of playing Spencer."

How many 6'6' PG's do teams have sitting around collecting azz splinters.


USE THE KID!!! What do you have to lose? The 12th game in A row??

[deusXango]

Come with me into dreamland for a minute; Josh, the Moose, and Jennings are traded by the deadline (ala Philly's dumping of players) and we end up with what turns out to be a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft. With the record we're sure to have, our pick would be top 3.

How about Stanley Johnson replacing Josh Smith (SF) and Myles Turner replacing the Moose (PF)? A frontline of Drummond, Johnson, and Turner would peak my interest, particularly with a backcourt of KCP and Dinwiddie. They'd be young and wild, but damn, I can't help but dream of the return of excitement to the Palace. All it would take is two of the top five picks....Smith, Monroe, and Jennings ain't worth a top five pick? Damn shame is the reality of it.

[deusXango]

SF is the most dynamic position on the floor, by basketball design, because of the athleticism and skillset that normally accompanies the size of this perimeter player (6' 7"-6' 9"); he's bigger and as quick as most guards, but rebounds, blocks shots, and is quicker than the plodding big men. Most posses an outside shot that should be respected and although not ball dominate, they get their fair share of assists. I don't see any of that in Singler and Butler's skills are fading fast. I hope this is not made into a black/white thing, but check out this guy from Arizona. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9lEBEkeLDE

I don't know about you, but I'm impressed with this college freshman over our paid pros; he's better than a minimum paid player and a damn sight better than our starting candidates so far. But then, SVG is tanking with his slick self.

[deusXango]

But here is where we miss Bynum & Stuckey, who both knew how to get to the rim.

Bynum is out there and unsigned.

[Oracle]

I agree that SVG may be on to something!

We all knew that Josh could pass the ball, but SVG is actually making that a larger part of his game. This move has the double whammy of making Josh more effective, but also limiting the senior moments he generally has through the course of a game!

While I like the idea, he's missing the elephant in the room. When you have a team that can't shoot, you need to concentrate on the highest percentage shots you can get.

That means getting movement designed to get to the rim, especially for the guys that finish best, typically the 1,2 & 3 positions.

IMO, the 3 point shot for these guys should ONLY be for the cases where everything else breaks down.

But here is where we miss Bynum & Stuckey, who both knew how to get to the rim.

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