Moose Droppings

[lemonpen]

I bet an expanded crew was required for cleanup duty.  There were moose pieces scattered all about the arena.

Note to GM's agent:  Scratch the Pelicans off of your wish list.   Ain't no friggin way they are interested in your client after witnessing the uber-ass-kicking leveled on him last night.  That was one for the ages.

Moose was soooooo athletically overwhelmed he finished out the game in panic.  Can you split blocked shots on the stat sheet?  Friggin Moose was as responsible for AD's final 3 blocks as was AD.  I've never seen a guy at this level repeatedly shoot the ball into the defenders outstretched hands as if they were the backboard.  I mean his hands were sitting out in space just waiting for the ball to arrive. There had to be four hands on the ball the last time.

2nd note to GM's agent:  Moose would be the Pelicans b/u C.  Nope he couldn't crack the starting lineup.  

Where did his IQ go.  How the beep do you repeatedly walk away from the guy that is killing your team.

I'm done.  Just done with him.  Damn Man !!!!!!!!

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cool breeze]

100% ready to get on without Moose... consistently bad on the perimeter (both sides of the ball)... old school PF's might have gotten away with this... I'm pretty certain he has only one good game out of every three... not nearly good enough for the contract he wants... then there's those stone hands

You're being too kind Merc, because its more like one good  game out seven.   But I've been screaming this very sentiment for 3 seasons now and nothing has changed as many were hoping.  

Our Gentle Flowers both Andre and Moose brought very little passion to the game especially Moose.  How can you not get pumped going against a player like Davis match him tic for tac in effort is beyond me.  Just a little more effort on the parts of both and we could have won this game easily IMO

I was going to argue with Don that it is the guard play, especially the PG play that will determine the rest of the season, but it's more complicated than that. Don said it would be our bigs that would make the difference.

While I do believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle, this past game really shows where we're at!

I'm soooo in agreement with Merc that I'm 100% ready to move on without Moose! I think 10M is too much to keep him around, it's time to get beyond this passionless dude(thanks for the right words Wise)! His performance against Davis should haunt him for the rest of the season, he was PUTRID!

Most players adjust after they get blocked, but not Moose!

Seb, I too am beginning to believe that this is a totally wasted season for Drummond's development! It was going great until Jennings went down, after that... meh!

Seb also mentioned Jackson, and I admit I was a bit blinded by his first 2 games, but recently, he's looked, well, less spectacular. It's my fault, I was hoping for a closer at the PG position, which is what Jennings was providing, but he hasn't been that lately. It's still too early to tell, but I certainly don't see max money for him at this point!

Drummond will get his max deal, but seriously, he's mostly a max dunker and nothing else. They really need to focus on making him a feared defender, it would go a hell of a long way towards keeping players out of the paint and improving our defense.

DX, don't beat the QM drum too hard, he's not likely to move the needle much, but I would rather see him play backup SF than either Butler or others. Let's see what the kid has! IMO, SVG is simply waiting to see when its time to close the hope out for the playoffs and start looking at developing for next year.

Oracle you have been one of the biggest supporters of wait and see approach to the Monroe situation. I have blasted his play and attitude towards game preparation through the years and was ready to welcome a trade after last season. But now I am not so sure. Monroe is playing much better on both ends this season. Last night he left his man again and again on defense and was torched from the outside and then did it again after a time out at the end of the game allowing the KILL SHOT. And that same All Star player blocked Monroe on about 6 of his 8 blocked shots. With that said, Monroe didn't give up at any time in that game. He played extremely hard. I think Monroe is capable of great improvement if he stays with Stan Van Gundy. All Monroe needs to do when he is under the basket is get a better jump stop with his legs spread wider than the 3 inches apart. Monroe cannot jump in that position and he allows his defender to get right up in his body. Monroe is capable to changing that one part of his lazy approach to playing basketball. Get a wider base and jam the ball making the shot or getting to the foul line. Nobody I have ever known liked getting their shot blocked even one time in a game. I am sure that Greg is pissed off today. Van Gundy's staff can really help Monroe become a better all around player if he stays. I am more worried about the quality of player Detroit might end up with if he Monroe leaves than playing him 10 mil if he stays. Van Gundy could always trade him at that price if Greg doesn't become a better player. Monroe is a good guy but hasn't pushed himself hard enough. I think he might be ready to push himself in this off season.

Oracle you mentioned the guard play and spoke about Jackson. I thought that Jackson played a lot better last night than he did the previous two games. What I like is that floater shot in the lane. He is deadly with it. And he didn't force things as much running the offense last night. All of the Piston guards still struggle because of lack of player movement in the half court offense. Poor shooting by small forwards and shooting guards have also made the life of the point guard difficult. Meeks was great last night but Pope hasn't been missing outside shots and attempting too many low percentage outside shots lately. Pope is young and is up and down and when he is not making shots or getting open for shots, the life of the point guard playing with him his HELL. I felt sorry for Dinwiddie last night. He had to hold the ball or dribble the ball in the half court offense on almost every possession because too many of his teammates were standing around watching instead of moving and setting screens. The timing was off as well with the screens. It sure wasn't Meeks fault though because he worked his butt off to get open before the shot clock expired. Some fans might think that everything was Dinwiddie's fault as to why the offense looked so bad in the first half. I didn't see it that way. I believe that Drummond was screwing up the works. Drummond offered no threat scoring the basketball and he was out of position, had the wrong angles on many of the screens that he did set and offered no offensive rebounding effort at all in the 2nd quarter. But Drummond is like Pope. They are both up and down which is to be expected from guys learning how to play. I am high on Drummond, Pope and Dinwiddie. And I believe this coaching staff will help make them superior players as time moves forward.

Our Pistons have lost some really close games lately and the team has not played anywhere near perfection. That Cleveland game still stands out on one of the best performances any Piston team has played in many years and they made a lot of correctible mistakes while losing. I can take losses like last night. This franchise is getting a lot better. We are in for some good times. I can feel it coming.

[Phil-Good]

Anthony Davis is the F.U.C.K.I.N.G. man... case closed!!

Last time I saw him kick the Pistons ass I thought about Hakeem Olajuwon. I walk away from last nights game thinking Hakeem Olajuwon again.

The boy is for real! New Orleans has A mega super star, hall of fame, first ballot, type of big man on they hands.

If I'm Greg Monroe I think about playing for New Orleans just so i don't have to play vs Davis anymore. Davis own Monroe's A.S.S. Greg couldn't get off A shot. Any Pistons that went into the paint had to think about it 5 times because Davis is good enough to help but still come over and block your shot.

What's also amazing about Davis is that he will not leave his feet to block your shot until your full committed and off the ground to shoot your shot. Then he jumps to block it. AMAZING!!

Davis has A good jump-shot, he has nice face-up game. They boy has A nice hook shot, and he can put the ball on the floor. He can rebound, pass and he can steal plus he has great hands so he catches anything coming his way...

Lebron knows how to will his way into A win, James Harden can score with anybody, Westbrook is A beast in human skin, Durant is injured so he not on my list but Davis is the best all around NBA player right now in my opinion.

[cool breeze]

This has hardly gone un-noticed to true NBA fans but the casual fan doesn't have a clue.   The quality of this game sucks royally and there's a sh!t load of reasons why that is.   I guess it started with expanding the league from and shortening the draft, then I guess you can blame some of it on not having an age limit of the draft, toss in the lack of control spending by the owners, and the overall greed of the league overall and this is the turd we end up with.

There was a time it didn't take beyond 2 seasons for a player to develop and they we're peaking by year 4 or 5.  There was a time when you were picking in the top 10 you were almost certainly drafting an All Star player.  Today its a crap shoot followed by a shi!t load of excuses why a player hasn't reach his potential.   Sadly athleticism has over taken both talent and skills.

It would sure be nice if the MJ's, Magic's Bird's, Dreams, Gervin's, Doc's voiced what they obviously see in the quality and state of the NBA.  It would be wonderful if both Duncan, and Kobe spoke out as well.   This leagues has become a joke and it's getting harder to watch.

Wisefan for sure expansion has destroyed the quality of NBA basketball. But if the NBA would put an end to one and done in college basketball, both the NBA and NCAA would benefit. The same players who are forced to stay in college would benefit the most though by having an easier transition to the pro game and lifestyle and they might learn something in the classroom that could guide them in other ways. Those lottery picks who have to wait would still make 100s of millions. But for sure this season we won't see the NBA doing anything. The Lakers and Knicks have been tanking all season to get the top players. If both of those teams or Boston somehow end up with the top 2 picks, I will have a difficult time thinking everything is rigged. However, if our Pistons end up out of the playoffs, and get one of those top picks, then I will believe everything is above board at the front office. I still remember that moment in Piston history when the Lakers beat our Pistons only by criminal conduct by an NBA official relating to the Jabbar incident. If Detroit made the playoffs and ended up playing against Cleveland, things be any different? Labon James is a great man and fantastic basketball player, but he is also human and does push and shove a lot in regular season games but seldom ever has more than one or two fouls called against him. But in the playoffs, he really ramps up the pushing and shoving and charging on those drives but it seems the refs swallow their whistles even more especially if Labron's team is behind in a series. I am sure that Indiana can remember those games when James was playing with the "Hatchet Man", Duane Wade, at Miami. When will Detroit get a player that the NBA Front office will favor?????

[WTF]

This has hardly gone un-noticed to true NBA fans but the casual fan doesn't have a clue. The quality of this game sucks royally and there's a sh!t load of reasons why that is. I guess it started with expanding the league from and shortening the draft, then I guess you can blame some of it on not having an age limit of the draft, toss in the lack of control spending by the owners, and the overall greed of the league overall and this is the turd we end up with.

There was a time it didn't take beyond 2 seasons for a player to develop and they we're peaking by year 4 or 5. There was a time when you were picking in the top 10 you were almost certainly drafting an All Star player. Today its a crap shoot followed by a shi!t load of excuses why a player hasn't reach his potential. Sadly athleticism has over taken both talent and skills.

It would sure be nice if the MJ's, Magic's Bird's, Dreams, Gervin's, Doc's voiced what they obviously see in the quality and state of the NBA. It would be wonderful if both Duncan, and Kobe spoke out as well. This leagues has become a joke and it's getting harder to watch.

[Oracle]

100% ready to get on without Moose... consistently bad on the perimeter (both sides of the ball)... old school PF's might have gotten away with this... I'm pretty certain he has only one good game out of every three... not nearly good enough for the contract he wants... then there's those stone hands

You're being too kind Merc, because its more like one good  game out seven.   But I've been screaming this very sentiment for 3 seasons now and nothing has changed as many were hoping.  

Our Gentle Flowers both Andre and Moose brought very little passion to the game especially Moose.  How can you not get pumped going against a player like Davis match him tic for tac in effort is beyond me.  Just a little more effort on the parts of both and we could have won this game easily IMO

I was going to argue with Don that it is the guard play, especially the PG play that will determine the rest of the season, but it's more complicated than that. Don said it would be our bigs that would make the difference.

While I do believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle, this past game really shows where we're at!

I'm soooo in agreement with Merc that I'm 100% ready to move on without Moose! I think 10M is too much to keep him around, it's time to get beyond this passionless dude(thanks for the right words Wise)! His performance against Davis should haunt him for the rest of the season, he was PUTRID!

Most players adjust after they get blocked, but not Moose!

Seb, I too am beginning to believe that this is a totally wasted season for Drummond's development! It was going great until Jennings went down, after that... meh!

Seb also mentioned Jackson, and I admit I was a bit blinded by his first 2 games, but recently, he's looked, well, less spectacular. It's my fault, I was hoping for a closer at the PG position, which is what Jennings was providing, but he hasn't been that lately. It's still too early to tell, but I certainly don't see max money for him at this point!

Drummond will get his max deal, but seriously, he's mostly a max dunker and nothing else. They really need to focus on making him a feared defender, it would go a hell of a long way towards keeping players out of the paint and improving our defense.

DX, don't beat the QM drum too hard, he's not likely to move the needle much, but I would rather see him play backup SF than either Butler or others. Let's see what the kid has! IMO, SVG is simply waiting to see when its time to close the hope out for the playoffs and start looking at developing for next year.

[deusXango]

All the sh!t being talked about the worth of Monroe and how important Singler and Augustin was to this team is pure bullsh!t. The fact is, the Pistons were getting their asses kicked long before Singler and Augustin were traded, and Monroe continues to be the master of the "smoke and mirrors" stat sheet. The biggest flaw with Van Gundy, the president, is his stupid ass love affair with Monroe, the......WTF is he anyway?! The next most damaging chink in his armour is his unwillingness to address the SF position; Singler was a million miles away from being the answer and Prince doesn't move the needle at all. As of right now, who has the oldest, most overhyped SF's in the entire NBA, if not the Pistons? We need a set of starting forwards!

KCP, Jackson, and Mr. Dinwiddie can develop into a great 3 guard rotation; let's stop looking for flaws in any of those players because they could become a strength of the team going forward. Look at what we can get for F@ckin' Jodie Meeks and Jennings expiring contract. Once you take a long and honest look at their combined salaries you'll realize that we are able to do better with less. I'd love to see what KCP, Jackson, and Dinwiddie look like with an off-season of learning each others game, an injury free pre-season, and a complete season playing together against the NBA's competition....that's the chance they should be given before any judgements are passed.

DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYER? WTF does that mean? Quincy Miller is a developmental player! Here's a newsflash for those that are slow on the uptake; D-League is short for "DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE." Quincy Miller came out of a league designed for developing NBA talent, and he distinguished himself quite well there! Every time his numbers from the D-League are mentioned, those 2 point, 2 rebound numbers are quoted from his brief stay with the Kings, which is demeaning to reflecting how hard this young man has been working; not once have I seen his numbers from the Nuggets mentioned, or how much he was valued, playing behind Rudy Gay. His coach didn't play him and lobbied for him to be dropped from the squad, now I hear the coach has been fired for incompetence....who can figure! I'd love to see this 22 year old, highly skilled, long, athletic kid brought back next season to play with Drummond, and the 3 young developing guards. Say goodbye to the old farts, Prince and Butler, because their time is up!

Now that brings us to Monroe, or should I say, our need for a PF that fits our needs; one fan, that's wiser than I, has repeatedly said that we need to bring in a veteran PF in order for this team to develop and compete....I choose to differ! If we can get a Millsap (which are few and far in between) I'm looking at the draft, because the available "veterans" are old as hell, by the time our core of youthful talent has gelled and is ready to make a 5-8 year run at the top of the league; why not get a young PF, with todays skillset, to grow along with Drummond? Monroe wants a max? I ain't mad at him for wanting what he wants, but I'm not giving him a max deal....that's reserved for Drummond!!! Monroe is 5 years deep into his career and his much ballyhooed numbers are equal to Drummonds, only he doesn't have the impact on the game or ceiling that Drummond has, and oh by the way, he's older than Drummond! There's no way I'd hamstring the teams future with signing Monroe for what he and his sly agent are attempting to suck out of the Pistons, and I'm willing to let him walk for nothing, if that what it comes to at the end of the day; all the fans who have a problem with it can have a pants pissing contest with the Moose.

This is clearly the time to be frugal and responsible, go with youthful and healthy players, and read which way the league is developing in order to gain respectability....we've been down for far too long because of sentiment and bad decisions based on sentiment. Sound basketball teams on the floor begins with sound basketball decisions made on the management level, so come on SVG, stop f@ckin' around!

[Sebastian]

Well, Head Coach Stan coached his way to another "L". The 37th lost of the season was at the hands of The Brow that dude wanted more than any member on OUR roster.

Yes, F@ckin' Jodie Meeks had a good game, probably the fourth best game of the season and I know he didn't begin playing until after Christmas, but he is not worth the money he is making.

Reggie Jackson ... I am not sure about this guy. He is good and bad and probably not good enough to go crazy over during his pending Restricted Free Agency.

Is this another wasted season with Dre'? As OUR Pistons continue to finish with 29 wins, will Dre' choose to follow a similar path in his contract negotiations as Moose has chosen.

KCP has improved, but the team continues to be without direction, in my opinion, which may have a negative affect on KCP's growth going forward.

Then there is Moose. I'm sorry Pals, but Moose is not worth a max contract and WE don't need two starting centers.

Next up, the bearded Rockets on Friday.

[cool breeze]

Our players did a lot of good things in this game. Just having some practices with all the player changes noticably helped. If only Drummond would get his body on the man he is guarding on defense, he would be able to secure the long rebounds when he is on the weak side. How many times did that happen? Pope is going though a bad spell offensively. He may have some type of injury that is affecting his shooting. If Pope had played better on both ends, Detroit would have won that game. However, Meeks might have had his best game against a good team last night. Great job! Prince played a a good floor game and especially doing the little things to help on defense. And Jackson played exceptionally hard last night. He also played a lot smarter not forcing bad shots and then stepping up in crunch time for some nice shot making. Monroe had good and bad moments. But under Stan Van Gundy, Greg Monroe is a much better player. He just needs to spread his body wider to get more spacing under the basket and he will draw fouls instead of getting his shot blocked. Finally, New Orleans has some really gifted players and they play hard and smart.

I came away from this game in a positive frame of mind. The Detroit Piston organization is still suffering from several years where GM President, Joe Dumars, failed to do a good job. That much is clear. If Mr. Gores had severed his ties with Dumars directly after purchasing the team and had hired Stan Van Gundy, our Pistons would be solidly in the playoffs now. What Van Gundy has done in one season is amazing. Players like playing for him. His staff helps players play better and smarter. There is only so much you can do in one year and there is no doubt that the Detroit Pistons will be a real force in one or two more seasons. We will make the playoffs next year and then compete for the conference finals in the next. After looking at this New Orleans team, I now have my doubts that Greg Monroe will be going there next season. Monroe clearly likes playing for Van Gundy. He is getting better as a player but still is not the best that he can be. If he stays I can see the positives for the Pistons and if he goes, Stan Van Gundy will have his work cut out to find a good replacement.

Will karma provide good fortune for the Pistons when the draft lottery comes around? Can we get a huge break and move up like Cleveland did last year and the year before that?? It is about time that the Detroit Pistons get a break.

[WTF]

By 2 guys, Davis & Evans!

Could of used Stuckey in a game like this

I think so as well not just this game but a few other losses we suffered.

[WTF]

100% ready to get on without Moose... consistently bad on the perimeter (both sides of the ball)... old school PF's might have gotten away with this... I'm pretty certain he has only one good game out of every three... not nearly good enough for the contract he wants... then there's those stone hands

You're being too kind Merc, because its more like one good game out seven. But I've been screaming this very sentiment for 3 seasons now and nothing has changed as many were hoping.

Our Gentle Flowers both Andre and Moose brought very little passion to the game especially Moose. How can you not get pumped going against a player like Davis match him tic for tac in effort is beyond me. Just a little more effort on the parts of both and we could have won this game easily IMO

[Oracle]

Westbrook & Davis Aren't Human
By Aaron Bruski 1 hour ago Rotoworld


Russell Westbrook owners dodged a bullet when his facial injury cost him just one game, so anything he did in last night’s game would have been fine for most.  Having already crossed the unreal 40-10-10 threshold the last time out, last night I joked that he could go for 50-10-10 because they’re playing the Sixers and why the hell not. 

He almost did exactly that with a career-high 49 points, a career-high 16 boards, 10 assists, three steals, one block and one three in an overtime win.  You're going to hear a lot of names mentioned in the same breath as Westbrook over the next 24 hours (and beyond), and none of us should pretend like we know where his ceiling at.  Nor should we summarily assume that he can't overtake Kevin Durant as the Thunder's best player. 

Yes, you read that right.  There's something to be said for having the mentality of an assassin and the athletic gifts of a mutant from another planet. 

The crazy thing about Westbrook's record-breaking game is that it wasn’t even the best fantasy line of the night. 
That belonged to none other than Anthony Davis (shoulder), who also returned to action after missing even more time than Westbrook did.  Davis scored 39 points on 17-of-30 shooting with 13 rebounds, three steals and eight blocks while leading his team to a much-needed win over the Pistons. 

These were just two of at least 10 if not 20 compelling storylines from a massive Big Wednesday, so we’ll hit the highlights here and then you can watch out for the Breakdown later today.

[Sparma]

One of the best games I've seen by a player, the wrong A.D. Monroe had a heck of a time getting his shot off against himself, having multiple double pumps blocked.

Pistons off to a great start, largely because of the nice chemistry between Monroe and KCP.

I watched the whole game and was surprised Reggie wound up with as many assists as he did. Didn't look like he was doing a good job running the offense, but he's a dynamic (albeit error prone) player. On one play he rifled the ball down the middle to no one; the N.O. announcers used the play as an example of unnecessarily going for a home run, of trying too hard.

Drummond had a nice deflection/ block on Davis, well above the basket.

Meeks showed what he could do.

Dinwiddie came back to earth.

Watched the Pelicans broadcast: they featured Monroe right off. Weird thing about the broadcast: the "Pels" (as the announcers called them) went on a 15-0 run, with the game calling sound muted all the while, because of a lengthy interview (in the corner of the screen) with Archie Manning, largely about football.

[merc]

100% ready to get on without Moose... consistently bad on the perimeter (both sides of the ball)... old school PF's might have gotten away with this... I'm pretty certain he has only one good game out of every three... not nearly good enough for the contract he wants... then there's those stone hands

[Oracle]

By 2 guys, Davis & Evans!

Could of used Stuckey in a game like this

[Sparma]

Good point, Oracle. It could well turn out that a three way trade offers us the best S&T deal.

[Oracle]

New Orleans would be a great landing spot for Monroe, I agree.  No hometown discounts for him!  I've wondered before why megastars like LeBron and Kobe don't offer to play for the minimum in order to build the strongest possible teams around them (given their enormous incomes from ads, not to mention accumulated wealth).  Greed aside, I guess the Players' Union would go nuts because of the effect on other players.

A sign-and-trade, Oracle?  I'd be all for a good one, given that it seems so improbable that Monroe's staying in Detroit at a reasonable salary.  All things being equal, he'd rather not go in a sign-and-trade because that weakens the team he's about to join.  But things often aren't equal.  He's probably not interested in a number of the teams (Knicks?) he could just join as UFA.  If he wants to join a handful of select teams, chances are pretty good those teams don't have the cap space to sign him outright, so would be forced into a sign-and-trade in order to create the necessary space.  So a sign-and-trade seems somewhat probable.  But can we make a good sign-and-trade, where a team isn't just offloading players to create space?  If so, go for it.

Good points, but remember one thing.

A S&T doesn't limit you to one team! A third team could also be involved, after all, it's a traditional trade!

[Sparma]

New Orleans would be a great landing spot for Monroe, I agree. No hometown discounts for him! I've wondered before why megastars like LeBron and Kobe don't offer to play for the minimum in order to build the strongest possible teams around them (given their enormous incomes from ads, not to mention accumulated wealth). Greed aside, I guess the Players' Union would go nuts because of the effect on other players.

A sign-and-trade, Oracle? I'd be all for a good one, given that it seems so improbable that Monroe's staying in Detroit at a reasonable salary. All things being equal, he'd rather not go in a sign-and-trade because that weakens the team he's about to join. But things often aren't equal. He's probably not interested in a number of the teams (Knicks?) he could just join as UFA. If he wants to join a handful of select teams, chances are pretty good those teams don't have the cap space to sign him outright, so would be forced into a sign-and-trade in order to create the necessary space. So a sign-and-trade seems somewhat probable. But can we make a good sign-and-trade, where a team isn't just offloading players to create space? If so, go for it.

[cool breeze]

It's all blowing smoke!

Monroe can't stay here and Falk knows it, Moose knows it, and SVG knows it!

Let's get this S&T with the Pelicans over with and get on with our business.

I used to have hope, but those stubborn things like facts kept getting in my way!

It's all financial, the numbers just don't work, and like the ball, they don't lie!

Sparma Greg Monroe knows that he will have it made next season playing in his hometown, at his natural position while playing with a "smart" All Star power forward who can score inside and outside while also committed to being an outstanding defender.

Meanwhile, our team has no top level performer at any position. Knowing that why wouldn't he even take less money to play in New Orleans? That could be a feel good story where Greg accepts tons of money but not the max amount so he can fulfill his dreams of playing before fans that he loves. Greg is not greedy. He is full of love for his people. The police would not dare to arrest him for drinking under the influence. He is a free man with no pressure to turn around a losing franchise. He was a big part of the reason why his Piston teams lost but nobody will remember. It will be Jason Maxiell's fault. The NBA is a soap opera with the kids running the show.

[cool breeze]

Ok, it's sh*t or get off the pot time for the Pistons!

It's going to be really tough, but if we're going to make the playoffs, this is the time, and it's the best time. If you're going to do something, do it when your back is against the wall, and you'll really deserve it!

The ball is in Jackson's court! If I'm to be honest, if Jennings was still able, I'd LOVE our chances... in fact, we'd be in 7th or 8th place right now!

The $100,000 question is this: Can Jackson get smart enough, fast enough, to do us any good?

Sorry Oracle but the main reason why our Pistons are not making the playoffs again this season rests on the fact that our two starting big men cannot play effective defense for at least half of every game. When a big came comes around for the team, the opponent creates a game plan where their big men outplay our big men. They run the court faster and set up in the low post closer. They come up with offensive rebounds for second chance opportunities. And now we have one additional liability and that is with the small forward position. We no longer have Kyle Singler who covered up a lot of the blunders our bigs make with their lack of performing basic fundamentals of boxing out or making correct rotations on defense. At some moments both Piston big men do the right thing but they cannot do it for an entire game YET. The obvious observation of most fans has to be that opponents can score at will in the paint. That is what happened last season with Monroe and Drummond. On offense our bigs often stand and rest while the point guard is in a panic mode. Then they set their high screens too late. Lack of movement by our big men on offense and lack of ability to defend creates more opponent made shots which prevents our quick guards from pushing the ball and getting early open shots. Jackson and Pope are not very good in the half court and especially Jackson. He also did not defend well in the last two games. That is why Spencer Dinwiddie played most of the 2nd half of this last game. Dinwiddie can organize our slow thinking big men and and has the poise to get the offense going although it is painful to watch at times because the shot clock is winding down so we usually only get to see a first option in the half court offense. Everything relating to losing can be traced to our starting big men in most games. Those two are supposed to be the strength of the team but continually fail in many ways. If Drummond continues to miss free throws he needs to play defense exceptionally well and also score on the offensive boards. He isn't doing it so he is a liability in crunch time. This still in many ways is the flawed team that Joe Dumars built. We have had many more exciting moments this season since Smith was released and I am sure our team will be much improved next season. But our playoff chances are slim. Our competition is winning big games right now. We lost to New York because of basic lack of effort in the first half at home.

It is better to hope Detroit can move ahead of Utah in the draft.

[Oracle]

It's all blowing smoke!

Monroe can't stay here and Falk knows it, Moose knows it, and SVG knows it!

Let's get this S&T with the Pelicans over with and get on with our business.

I used to have hope, but those stubborn things like facts kept getting in my way!

It's all financial, the numbers just don't work, and like the ball, they don't lie!

[Oracle]

Ok, it's sh*t or get off the pot time for the Pistons!

It's going to be really tough, but if we're going to make the playoffs, this is the time, and it's the best time. If you're going to do something, do it when your back is against the wall, and you'll really deserve it!

The ball is in Jackson's court! If I'm to be honest, if Jennings was still able, I'd LOVE our chances... in fact, we'd be in 7th or 8th place right now!

The $100,000 question is this: Can Jackson get smart enough, fast enough, to do us any good?

[Oracle]

I Actually Think
This team has become offensively and defensively challenged and looks nothing like the pre-All-Star game team we were all getting excited about. 

They've lost to some under-whelming teams since the break and it looks like the Bucks sailing balloon has sprung a leak. It might just be all out of air. 

I don't care how many points Golden State has to lay tomorrow night, I'm taking them. 

Da Geek
Wow, just a few weeks ago this was an exciting team to watch.... And now its like I'm watching last year's sqad. I know its early, but I'm not liking the trade at all. Well at least the brewers are starting soon

VAWisconsinFan
Now I see why Philly was willing to trade MCW. He SUCKS. What on earth were they thinking when they're trying to get funding for a new arena. If I still lived in Milwaukee there is NO WAY I would support this. Keeping Knight would not have held up the development of Giannis if that's what they were thinking. MCW isn't nearly as quick as Knight. He can't shoot. The ball isn't moving around even close to as much. The rest of the players look like they're upset. He's taller - that's it. I just don't get it.

@HawthorneWingoII We don't, we now suck. Could this team "NOT" make the playoffs???? Probably not enough games for a Brewer like collapse, but who knows. Let's party like it's the 13-14 season, cuz that's how were looking!!! This team smells like last year!!

[Sebastian]

According to Rockey the squirrel from the mid-20th century cartoon Bullwinkle, Moose has been running this season from the day he decided to take the qualifying offer.

Stan Van Gundy should had never gotten the job as President of Detroit Pistons Basketball without a more advantageous plan of improving the roster and thus the play of OUR Pistons that involve the conveying of one: Greg Monroe.

But GM Stan has allowed Moose, who is less of power forward in today's NBA, than Josh was a small forward for OUR Pistons, to totally sabotage the entire 2014-2015 season.

Moose has played Stan Van Gundy, like the amateur GM he has proven to be.



The progress that has come from this season is the development of KCP, as a rotation third guard, who has become a much improved two-way player. Dre who can get rebounds in his sleep has had a fairly mediocre season that has been some what stagnant growth-wise. In all fairness, Dre' can only improve, as OUR PG play improves and becomes more consistent.

With all of the lateral player transactions and signings, OUR Pistons are no better than WE have been during the previous 6 seasons.

And if, GM Stan thought about bringing any former Pistons back, then he should had brought back my boy, Rodney Norvell Stuckey, who has been heating up since late January, not broke down Tay. Damn!

[Oracle]

Knight leaves the Bucks, and guess who takes over as their leader... Middleton!

We sent over not only one, but two starting level players like they were trash... how STUPID!!!

On another Joeism, I think our luck in hoping that Josh latches on somewhere and saves us money, is in trouble.

He caused the Rockets to lose one at the Hawks. When they had a 10+ point lead after Josh hit a 3, he told the crowd to shut and be quiet.

Then in the 4th, he proceeded to believe that he could dribble the ball the length of the court, had become a 3 point specialist, and could drive to the basket against a packed perimeter... what a dumbass!!!

Of course that let the deflated Hawks back in the game, and McHale simply took too long getting his ass out of the game.

Josh just has absolutely no self control!

[Sponsored content]