Speaking of Cutting Ties.......

[FlyDog]

I have an appointment tomorrow with the vet, and unless I talk myself out of it, we're putting our 12 year old lab down. It may be the toughest thing I've ever had to do. So I will be changing my screen name, but keeping his picture up. Just curious if it is this difficult to do for anybody else, or am I just a big pussy?

[FlyDog]

Much like the Lions, no matter your feelings about Stuckey or Josh Smith or Stafford or CJ.........in order to move forward, sometimes you just have to cut ties. That's what the Pistons did. Give the Lions about 9 years, and they'll do the same thing.

[FlyDog]

From now on. If I'm every Pistons player, when Indiana comes in town or we go to they house. The players should want to kick they a..s..s..

Indiana believes they can beat Detroit 10 out of 10 times. It's time to kick off the rivalry again.

But I think the Pistons main rivalry this season will be with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Next Indiana

and then The Phoenix Suns.

I'm looking for Detroit to go 3 and 3

Or 4 and 2 on this West Coast Trip.

It looked the Pistons wanted to spoon with the Pacers. Blank, Dimwitted and Buttock still have dried up cum on their chins.

[Phil-Good]

From now on. If I'm every Pistons player, when Indiana comes in town or we go to they house. The players should want to kick they a..s..s..

Indiana believes they can beat Detroit 10 out of 10 times. It's time to kick off the rivalry again.

But I think the Pistons main rivalry this season will be with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Next Indiana

and then The Phoenix Suns.

I'm looking for Detroit to go 3 and 3

Or 4 and 2 on this West Coast Trip.

[Phil-Good]

2pts by the bench. Bullock looks like A true scrub. Johnson looks lost. KCP looks like he can't dribble the basketball anymore these last two games.

Pistons need some help.

I sure wish Washington would accept Jennings and KCP for Bradley Beal????

[WTF]

This should have been a winnable game they so generously gifted wrapped and handed to the Pacers before heading out West. No lets see how they respond.

Again KCP has disappointed for a second game with poor shooting I'm telling you I don't like the 3's. The difference between shooting 2's, attacking the rim and jacking up 3's is the probability of a make or a miss. Why make things harder?

I don't think our bench will ever get out-scored this bad again but the defensive effort it gave sucks ass, overall both units sucked ass. They need to get their heads out of those early press clippings and get back to reality that they need to play a whole 48 minutes with full effort.

Jackson, Jennings, Dinwiddie, Blake it doesn't matter who because none seem able to run an offense and command a team. Jackson it's kind of hard to do when your 8-20 and have 6 TO's.

Admittedly watching Stuckey bust their ass made me smile a little, but we should have won this game now lets see what happens next. Three of these games are winnable games Phoenix, Portland and Sacramento maybe even the Lakers game so IMO if the team comes back 3-3 then they have arrived another notch on the growth chart.

Just know that if they lose all 6 i'll be ripping a vicious hole in their asses because they'll be right on track to having a season like last year.

[Sebastian]

I had to take a second look at OUR cap situation in context to OUR roster and it looks bad.

WE have the 9th highest payroll ($89.9 million). WE are paying Josh Smith $12 million to play for the Clippers and We have two guards, B. Jennings ($8.5 million) and Jodie F@ckin' Meeks ($6.25 million) unavailable on the IR.

I really wished that WE still had the services of Rodney Norvell Stuckey. And, if GM Stan was really thinking he should had pursued another former Piston, this summer - Amir Johnson. Stuckey and Amir would had provided some much needed veteran leadership. Dre is too damn young to expected to be a leader at this point in his career.

And, I know that Stanley is only 19, but let's get it going son!

I am afraid that this upcoming west coast trip is going to get ugly.

[Sebastian]

I had to take a second look at OUR cap situation in context to OUR roster and it looks bad.

WE have the 9th highest payroll ($89.9 million). WE are paing Josh Smith $12 million to play for the Clippers and We have two guards, B. Jennings ($8.5 million) and Jodie F@ckin' Meeks ($6.25 million) unavailable on the IR.

I really wished that WE still had the services of Rodney Norvell Stuckey. And, if GM Stan was really thinking he should had pursued another former Piston, this summer - Amir Johnson. Stuckey and Amir would had provided some much needed veteran leadership. Dre is too damn young to expected to be a leader at this point in his career.

And, I know that Stanley is only 19, but let's get it going son!

I am afraid that this upcoming west coast trip is going to get ugly.

[Fennis Dembo]

The Marvelous: Drummond 25 points and 29 rebounds.

The Really Crappy: Pacers 22-0 run.

This Is Not Logical or Possible: Pacers bench outscores Pistons bench 43-2.

The Law of Averages Sucks: Undefeated Pistons lose to winless Pacers.

Couldn't We Just Drive a Stake Though His Heart: Ex-Piston Rodney Stuckey scores 23 points off the bench.

Summary: The first Pistons loss although generally unpleasant does not compare to the zombie apocalypse that accompanies each Lion loss.

[Sebastian]

Stuckey (23 pts., 4 rbs., 2 ast., 2 stl.) destroyed OUR Pistons, this eve. I still say that GM Stan should had offered Stuckey the contract that Jodie F@ckin' Meeks is eating off of.

Pistons Pals: WE currently have Dre' and Marcus Morris and sometimes, KCP, Ersan, and Reggie. OUR roster is in big, big trouble. Damn!

[FlyDog]

I'm glad they gave the fans at the Palace something to cheer about tonight before heading West.

[FlyDog]

Stunkmeister going OFF!!!

I was expecting a better Defensive effort tonight.  The 22-0 run against our bench really derailed things.  Reggie and Dre came to play, but that's about it.

[FlyDog]

I hope Jennings comes back healthy. And soon.

[Oracle]

That 2nd unit is BUTT UGLY!!! Why SVG doesn't try Dinwiddie is a huge mystery, Blake looks useless.

Stanley Johnson isn't only coming back to earth, he's going to make an Asteroid sixed hole when he does!

The starters could win this one if the played ALL game, and one more issue! KCP is brutal, he used to be good at home, but now he's an equal opportunity sucker!

They have their work cut out for themselves, now that the Pacers have some confidence!

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

Here's a game tonight at the Palace that we really should win. Tonight would be a good night to give the fans a reason to come back. Lose tonight, and same ol same ol starts to creep in with the Palace faithful.

We absolutely have to win the games we're supposed to, that's what good teams do!

The Pacers are reeling, so they need to put a foot on their throat early and often!

[FlyDog]

Oracle, I caught bits and pieces of Jackson last season. He seems to me to be more than able, just that he dribbles too much and goes mentally adrift......kinda like me on a Saturday night with a few Ron Wallaces in me. I'm more than willing to be patient with him; what choice do I really have? Obviously, SVG believes in him.

Congrats to Andre for his player of the week award, it was well deserved. Here's a game tonight at the Palace that we really should win. Tonight would be a good night to give the fans a reason to come back. Lose tonight, and same ol same ol starts to creep in with the Palace faithful. Go get em Pistons!

[Go Stones!]

http://www.motownsportsfans.com/great-start-detroit-pistons-what-next/

Just a blog I follow. Enjoy.

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

The talking whores, I mean heads, are jumping on our bandwagon! The problem with these guys is that they always like to build you up, but they LOVE to tear you down! We're a work in progress, they have a lot to learn and a lot to adapt to!

When I think back to all of our great teams, the story is the same! None of them just started being great overnight, it was a process, and these guys will have to go through that process before both us and they develop the confidence that comes from winning games over a long period of time.

The Meeks Effect: I complained about Meeks shooting and lack of defense, but I was totally blind to what he actually meant to that 2nd unit! It didn't matter if he shot well, he was the engine that made that unit work!

Through his constant motion and 3 point threat, he opened up the floor for all of the other guys! Watching that unit without Meeks in the Chicago game was BRUTAL! They were stagnant, very little movement, with horrible spacing! Getting off shots was near impossible.

We're going to need Jennings at 80% to straighten that unit out and free up Johnson to do his thing! Meeks has proven that it's not all about shooting & defense, at least on the 2nd unit!

[lemonpen]

I did want to rain on this early parade Oracle and the team has looked okay not great.  My hope is that these 3 game become a confidence builder and that eventually confidence super-cedes the actual level of talent because they are young.  How quickly can a unsuccessful trip out west can derail things so we have to bank on certain intangibles to come into play.

The element of surprise might be an early factor because this team looks different from last season team in so many ways with the addition of Johnson, Morris,  Illy and Baynes.   Even KCP looks out of the norm though IMO he slipped the last game and look the same.  

There are certain motivational factors that could explain what we've seen out of Morris and hopefully it'll stick all season.  This may also be a factor for Jackson after signing his deal.

I wouldn't actually know what to call it but Drummond seem different and by that I mean more free and less stressed.  Not having Monroe on the floor with him could be a blessing in itself. Andre don't have to struggle with being politically correct or bias towards a team mate in answering question this season and he can close that chapter of his young career.  

I hear ya.

My cautionary tale begins and ends with injury to a starter. The quality of our starters has risen well above anything we've seen in 6 years, and is now the equal to many teams. Decent teams. We have a well rounded group of reserves. But none of the reserves can be considered starting quality at this point.

[BallinD]

Word!

Team: “What's the play coach?
SVG: Form a f$@cking wall.
Team: Uh. Is that all you got?
SVG: It worked the last time
Team: Uh, we got the ball coach
SVG: We're evaluating everything

Pistons up 79 to 76 Vs Pacers 3:23 to go

SVG: Third and 23, we're gonna punt.
Dre: Staffords not on the team coach
SVG: Oh shoot, well let's go for it then. Reggie, run the Ball.
SVG: Dre and Mook, block somebody. Get Joel in here too. Where's Maxiell
RJ: On three. Hut, Hut, powerdribble to the goal line.

SVG, shaking his head:No more Philly Cheese n Meatball subs the night before the game. Damn heartburn gives me nightmares.

[WTF]

I did want to rain on this early parade Oracle and the team has looked okay not great. My hope is that these 3 game become a confidence builder and that eventually confidence super-cedes the actual level of talent because they are young. How quickly can a unsuccessful trip out west can derail things so we have to bank on certain intangibles to come into play.

The element of surprise might be an early factor because this team looks different from last season team in so many ways with the addition of Johnson, Morris, Illy and Baynes. Even KCP looks out of the norm though IMO he slipped the last game and look the same.

There are certain motivational factors that could explain what we've seen out of Morris and hopefully it'll stick all season. This may also be a factor for Jackson after signing his deal.

I wouldn't actually know what to call it but Drummond seem different and by that I mean more free and less stressed. Not having Monroe on the floor with him could be a blessing in itself. Andre don't have to struggle with being politically correct or bias towards a team mate in answering question this season and he can close that chapter of his young career.

[Oracle]

@Fly: You likely missed Jackson's performance last year, and trust me, he is a starting PG, he has all the tools to be successful!

However, if you've seen his performance so far this year, I can understand anybody questioning a lot of things about him. It wasn't until this last game that he started looking like himself to me, and he still wasn't nearly as good as he was last year, so expect him to get a lot better!

@WTF(Wise) and @BallinD: You both made very interesting comments that I'll focus in on!

Ballin, the thrust of your comment boils down to what I firmly believe... coaching is the true difference maker in a few ways. The fact is that almost every team in the NBA can craft a story of why they should be in the playoffs, and a smaller group can say that about winning it all. Coaching is huge, but it requires other things to happen.

1. The coach delivers the system that will define the way players play, but,
2. The players must fully buy into the system

For this to work, item 2 is really critical, the coach must make the sale, and the players must fully commit!

If items 1 & 2 are fulfilled, the last thing is having enough talent! Do we have enough talent?

That's a tricky question. The short answer is yes, the longer discussion will revolve around the experience of that talent, and holes in the lineup, but I do believe we have enough talent to make the playoffs barring injury! How much further we go will depend on how well the team matures, and what moves are made at the trade deadline!

Wise, you were more positive than I've seen in some time, I like that, but you also brought up a hard truth! Every season, a lot of bottom feeders may look good for 20 games or so, but as the good teams get their sea legs, order gets restored!

I'm excited, but I also know that to keep this up, they're going to have to grow and get even better around that 20 game mark to keep up with the better teams.

Looking at the Bulls game, you can't expect them to make that many mistakes when they get rolling, but on the flip side, we need to get better with our mistakes, to keep pace, and this is where I have faith in SVG, he's going to ride these guys hard!

Final Note: The teams we beat are rolling, only falling to the buzz saw known as the Detroit Pistons . Utah kicked the Pacers butt really bad, and did it with defense. The teams we've played all have very good defenses, and that's another encouraging sign for this team.

Our guys are young, so we also have to keep that in mind, but there's no crime in being very excited!!!

[BallinD]

3-0 Pistons are running on four cylinders so far, maybe five.

1. Drummond
2. Jackson
3. Mook/Swag
4. KCP/Defense
5. Deeetroit Basketbal/SVG = Character.  All for One teamwork. Grit n Grind.  

Missing Cylinders are
1. Missing Shooting.
2. Missing Playmaking
3. Missing Sharing the ball...ball movement
4. Missing Brandon Jennings/more Swag, shooting, playmaking
5. Missing Stanley Johnson in his role as Stanimal.

Backintheday: "If it ain't rough it ain't right" in the infamous words of Rip Hamilton, meant playing down to the competition and grinding out wins and ultimately failing to put your foot on the opponent's throat during the Flip Saunders going to work era.  It's different this time around.

Right now its rough and right for the pistons as this young team grows into itself.  Grinding out wins, not because they are playing down to teams, but because they are learning to get up for teams, effort-wise, unlike recent years.  The shooting will come.  The offense will begin to mesh.  Jennings will be back to kickstart the second unit. Stanley Johnson will begin to be Stanley Johnson more consistently as he plays through his early acclimation difficulties.

Why be confident of the above? Because we have SVG.  Our ceiling in terms of playing style is the team that won 7-4 last year with Moose out with an injury.  

Langlois: "It wasn’t a huge sample size, of course, but the Pistons went 7-4 when Monroe was hurt late last season despite the fact their depth was severely depleted and Reggie Jackson was just starting to settle in and become comfortable as the point guard. From that team that went 7-4, they’ve added Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson, Aron Baynes and Steve Blake and lost only the Caron Butler-Tayhsaun Prince small forward tandem. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe a team with the improved depth, 3-point shooting and greater fit this one figures to have could win more..."

Over a season, that type of play would be 51 wins.  Not expecting 51, but it shows what we are capable of as currently constituted.  

No Superstar, No Problem.  Well, Dre might be our star, but not thinking he will ever be a superstar. Could be wrong about that.  Otherwise, don't even see a superstar on our horizon.  So barring SVG stealing one from some poor GM, we should be a strong contender until we get that next piece, maybe as soon as next summer.

Dre, Jackson, Mook and Jennings (playing at 80% of his 2014-2015) might be enough to equal out to two superstars though. Stanimal is the wild card.

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