LMAO

[WTF]

Wise...let me offer a more optimistic perspective on the country's race relations.  In Sept of 2017, The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the African-American unemployment rate hit 7%, it's lowest level ever recorded, since records began to be kept in 1972.

Let me repeat that, on 9/17 the African American unemployment rate hit its lowest level in recorded history...7% (tying a reading from April of 2000).

A 7% unemployment rate is still way too high.  But by any objective measure, that represents real progress.  

Great but not representative of race relations at all.  Race isn't a job concern it's a morality concern. You got any stats on that 

[Murph]

Wise...let me offer a more optimistic perspective on the country's race relations.  In Sept of 2017, The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the African-American unemployment rate hit 7%, it's lowest level ever recorded, since records began to be kept in 1972.

Let me repeat that, on 9/17 the African American unemployment rate hit its lowest level in recorded history...7% (tying a reading from April of 2000).

A 7% unemployment rate is still way too high.  But by any objective measure, that represents real progress.  

[WTF]

His comments has nothing to do with basketball he's expressing his personal views on a subject outside of basketball.  I purposely posted this because I knew you respond to it.

SVG has a right to his opinion rather you like it or not.  At least he's making a stance and voicing his concerns.  Just because you would rather blinders, pretend or truly believe that these social and political matters don't exist or not important you that fine and dandy.  

I hate to say this but you're starting to sound a certain way because you react a certain way?  I'm glad to see people like SVG and other celebs using their platform to address issues rather than pretend that racism along with all other social ills don't effect us.  So when a guy like Kerr speaks about gun control, or Pop speaks on social injustice and SVG address politics I say great.

This word is going to hell in a hand basket and clearly that's more relevant than a basketball game or any other game.  I can hate SVG for much of his coaching but I'll be damn if I criticize him for the compassion he shows toward social matters.  In fact things like this makes me more forgiving of his blunders as coach.   

Seriously what is going on with you?  Did something happen to you?  It's not just things like this that have me asking the questions even some of your basketball remarks borders insanity.   

I swear where do you come up with this stuff anyway?  The mayor is white, the governor is white, and both republicans half the police force is white, the cities white population has increased in the city.  Then this vision of drugs and poor people in the city you have is insane.

No it's not the 1950's but I'm sure somewhere a black is still being hanged from a tree if he ventures in to wrong direction of some hick town.  Nope the police aren't turning hose on blacks and not because some don't want to they know a riot today would look nothing like one from the 1950's but damn if they haven't gotten away with killing unarmed black men.  

Also how do you know what black people are thinking and want and who should represent them?  Oh a in-named friend who's black told you this  . so I guess it's true then just like SJ is the next Dennis Rodman.  If people don't want to go to games because black athletes kneel in protest of social injustice then they're not real fans to begin with.  If they're tired of hearing about racism then perhaps they should take a more active approach in rectifying the problem instead of turning a blind eye to it.  

BTW did you that Kaepernick is Citizen of the Year and guess who been in an uproar about it any already comments have been made about how that N***** get Citizen of the year. Too Funny.  But I guess you're cool with it because it's not racism in your eyes.

[cool breeze]

We all have our opinions and as I studied history for many years as a hobby i have learned that most people who rant about racism in today's world are just blowing smoke and attempting to create mass hysteria. SVG has no facts does he? What kind of racism is taking place in Detroit now. Most of the police force, city government, judges etc are all Black. We are not in the 1050s anymore. And wasn't Detroit much better off before busing took place in Detroit? If you were on a sports team in those days you were suddenly off the team with your buddies and now spending 2 hours being bused to a strange school with kids who didn't like you or know you. Does SVG advocate more busing now? This is 2017 and it is time to move on and ignore people who keep trying to divide us into groups like SVG. Now I have lost all respect for him. Basketball is a sport where for years people from all races play as one. Anything that goes on outside the team doesn't matter. The TEAM matters.

Does SVG want to turn off normal white citizens who are tired of the subject of racial injustice and see it purely as political activism with them being the target of SVG's rant as now they believe SVG's players under his guidance think that all Whites are White supremacists. Remember that a lot of the Russian energy went into our social media to encourage hating pitting the different races against each other knowing that Americans are the 2nd most gullible creatures on the face of the Earth. The British rank in 1st place. Most Americans know next to nothing including SVG when it comes to who is currently stirring up the pot in America. It seems that SVG is trying his best to stir the pot and how will that help the Pistons sell more tickets now????? The last time I knew the City of Detroit is being run by Blacks and most of the population living there are black citizens. Does SVG want to turn off all the whites who live in upper Michigan? I liked the way Billups handled things when he was in charge of the Pistons. That is the way I took it when he was here. I believed that Chauncey ran things not Joe Dumars who was AWOL most of the time when it came to building a bigger fan base. Billups liked to travel to all parts of Michigan in the summer to encourage more Michigan citizens to embracing the Detroit Pistons more. SVG is saying between the lines that a lot of Michigan folks are pure racists and all Blacks need to be on guard. SVG reminds me of the old corrupt politicians from the past. He will say anything he thinks might be popular so people won't judge him on his work as the President and coach. But the Pistons need more followers from all walks of live not less. And he has for sure turned off a lot of people now. I see a lot of empty seats and SVG blowing smoke about racism might have struck another nail in the coffin as far as the death of the Piston fans base goes. People from all races need to feel comfortable coming to games in Detroit. They should not be looking over their shoulder now if they are white thinking that some young black kid who read SVG's opinion might now want to kill them on the way back to their car after the game. A lot of White people loved the Palace. It was closer for them. Wouldn't you want to get them to drive for an extra hour to see the Pistons play in Detroit rather than turn them off? Why bring it up SVG you idiot? Haven't you seen the empty seats this season in NFL games. People who have served in the military are huge sports fans. You have just turned a lot of them off and they have crossed off a visit to the new arena in Detroit.Soldiers who have died in battle are not heroes. They should not be honored by standing anymore. There is a bigger cause much more important. Protestors are heroes especially protestors who are paid to protest. Thanks for that SVG. If I were the owner, I would be looking at SVG as possibly one of the reasons why it is half empty as the season moves forward. A lot of Black citizens want to be called by their names and known as American citizens not protestors. Many Black soldiers have died in battle. This is a new era. Many Black citizens do not like people representing them. They stand as individuals and do not need people like SVG telling them about racism. Donate some of your money clean up the neighborhoods and clean up the drug trade in Detroit so it is safe to walk two blocks from downtown at night. Confront the political leaders who run the city and force them to do their jobs better. The last time I checked they are mostly Black.

What will be next? Will SVG come out with a new speaker to talk to his players about possibly how bald men have been subjected to a lot of mis treatment in the past and SVG will proclaim that it continues on today. Next year the BALD COMMUNITY will launch a protest that will quickly pick up a huge following after they convince one bald NFL football player represent them by lying flat out on the grass during the national anthem smoking a fake cigarette with his pants down. SVG will show the team a video of this blemish on our Nation. He will say yes we live in a horrible country and this has to stop and you must be aware of the fact that I Stan Van Gundy have identified this insult to Bald men and thought a work shop was necessary while the Piston team was in training camp.

Phil I agree with you that the last game was annoying relating to the way Reggie Jackson was allowed to run the team. He was running Reggie's solo offense. And it was not his night but he never gave up trying to make it work. He should be embarrassed and the coaching staff looked brain dead in those closing moments too.Who is in charge? Once again because the head coach allows Reggie to ignore the MOTION offense this team practices all I saw on the last 6 possessions was 4 players standing and Reggie dribbling. If Bradley could handle the ball on the top of the key he will run some type of play that could shock opponents who get real comfortable on defense when Reggie is control. All you have to do is stop Reggie who is only looking to shoot it or pass it to AD. If this continues at the beginning and end of games look for players like Avery Bradley to take matters into their own hands because the coaching staff won't as witnessed last season by many fans. We still have a very weak coach who is afraid of both AD and RJ. It will have to be the players who keep things on track for improvement not regression by both Reggie and Andre. We can't count on this coaching staff to do much of anything other than discuss politics so look for Stan the Man to come out with the latest disrespect of all people who belong to the Bald Community. Will they attend Piston games if SVG keeps ignoring them? Will Tom Gores make SVG say something good about White people to try to bring them back as fans?? So many questions.

[WTF]

Auburn Hills — Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy has taken strong stances in recent years about his views on political and social issues. He famously vented on the day after President Donald Trump was elected last year and has been outspoken about many issues, including protests by athletes about racial and social injustices.
He made a new foray, authoring an op-ed for Time Magazine: “Detroit Pistons Coach: Athletes Who Protest Are Patriots,” which was published online Tuesday morning.
“In a time where bigotry seems on the rise and commitment to racial equality on the decline, I have an obligation as a citizen to speak out and to support, in any way possible, those brave and patriotic athletes who are working to bring change to our country,” Van Gundy wrote. “I believe all of us do.”
He mentioned the harsh criticism hurled at players from the NFL and WNBA for taking a knee or raising a fist and disagreed with the notion that those silent forms of protest dishonor the country because they came during the national anthem.

The Pistons players had similar sentiments, but after inviting noted author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson to speak to the team during training camp, Van Gundy and the team got an education, especially in the difference between nationalism and patriotism, and the issues with he calls “racist language” in the later verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
2017-18 DETROIT PISTONS SCHEDULE
Van Gundy said he took about four hours to write the piece, which he completed on the plane ride back from Los Angeles during their three-game road trip in October. It was his first time he’s ever been published in a national publication, but he wanted to get some of the issues off his chest and not offend.

The one thing I like about SVG is his taking a stance on issues.

[Phil-Good]

My mom and my wife keep asking me if I'm excited the Pistons are in first place? I'm like no! I don't care too much about regular season wins. I like playoff wins. NBA finals wins. NBA championships. But because the Pistons have been bad for so long I will smile OK that's over now.

This is what I see and what I feel needs to happen over the next few months.

1. Stan and Jeff need to be talking with A.Bradley agent right now about A 3 year deal. 13 or 14 A year is fair for A.Bradley. The Pistons have truly taken out the TRASH with KCP and made room for CERTIFIED, REAL-Quality, NBA ballers-2-Guards in Avery and Luke K. KCP max contract..

2. Reggie Jackson is more trash that needs to be dumped. His pitiful display of over- dribbling, lack of effort on defense, hero ball; swing in his favor that other night vs Atlanta. I'm happy it did. Some dumb-AZZ just might bite on A Reggie Jackson for anything of value trade. I can't wait till Jackson is out of town. His time in Detroit is ticking down by the seconds!

3. Identity. Thanks to Avery B. (The BUST) Stanley Johnson, A.Tolliver, etc... these guys have A identity. Now if Drummonds get his big-soft-azz in line, now the Pistons would be cooking on Defense. But Drummonds still wants to be Kevin Durant and Lebron James.

I have more but I have to go. GO PISTONS!!!

PS. Reggie Jackson trade should be going down within next 60 days or less

[WTF]

Rankings: This stuff makes me smile and happy inside but I don't believe it though our current record indicates otherwise.  But no way do I think we're the 4th best team in the league right now.  13 games in and 7 more before we reach the 20 game assessment mark I can say we're decent, perhaps even now respectable but these next 5 to 7 games are going to tell us a lot.

Harris:  Was doing the things he's doing now long before we traded for him so I'm not surprise with his performance what I am surprise with is that SVG has finally seen his way to featuring Harris as he should have the day we traded for him.  While I'm still not crazy about the number of 3's the team takes overall I would like to see more closely contested games to see if Harris is a clutch time player.  I would like to see if a lot of players are clutch time players right now I only think that Reggie is the only one.

Next Level:  I've barking up this tree since forever and I don't think it's too early in the season to be considering a bold move but I'm afraid that SVG will get too comfortable.  Yes we should try like hell to trade Boban and JL and perhaps even a pick on either a bona-fide defensive minded PF but if it requires the addition of another player example SJ or Ellenson will SVG pull a Dumars and stand pat.  

Identity:  Even with this early success the Pistons still not getting attention beyond the local media  and talking heads.  I think it's largely due to a lack of identity the talk is still about Orlando, even Philly and NY are getting more press coverage than the Pistons are.  I guess I'm okay with it being this way in that hopefully the Pistons can use it as motivation oppose to all the head swelling that might happen if every time they click on ESPN, SI and NBA.COM there's some article hyping them.   Still this team needs an identity much in the way the Bad Boys and Goin To Work to snatch the attention of outside media.

Reggie: While I still don't think Reggie is the PG to carry this team to the next level my desire to see him traded has lessen some because he seem to be getting it now.  But if we are to keep him then SVG has to strongly consider making that next level move to improve the defense Andre does need help because he's our weakest link in the chain defensively right now.

[BallinD]

Tobias, Eastern Conference Player of the Week. A nice honor, for a very nice Pistons asset and a good guy. He wouldn't have gotten it had we not stomped through the home stand without a blemish last week

More accolades will come to our Pistons as we continue to win. A few of us thought that All Business would be "this guy" if he had higher usage and became the go-to-guy as opposed to Weggie trying to do it all. Glad Weggie has embraced this and passes to him now.

Addition by subtraction cause last year Morris got most of the shots. This is like a new team in some ways. Are there other gems waiting to be unlocked? Go Pistons.

.

[Oracle]

However, the next 6 games will test us.

Only one back to back, but it's the home game against the Cavs, so we will be somewhat rested for the road games.

In the past, we would lose all of the road games, but this time may be different.

1. Bucks - This one will be tough, but they're still learning Bledsoe, so now is the time to tap that Deer ass for some soup, 70% chance of a win, IMO.

2. Indy - This is a WIN for any team that's real, and I expect a win here.

3. Wolves - I see this one as a LOSS

4. Cavs - WIN

5. Thunder - LOSS

6. Boston - If Irving is back and healthy we LOSE, if not, we WIN


So I see us winning 2 games for sure with a chance to win 4 of the 6, which would be solid, IMO.

Having said that, the reality is that I only THINK I know this team, I don't, at least not yet. These tests are beginning to give us a glimpse at who they are, which adds to the excitement.

[WTF]

The next test is with the next 5 games with 4 of them being on the road.  Milwaukee will certainly be looking for some pay back,  and I don't think they'll be facing the same Minny team that they've beat prior to beating the Clips and Warriors.   They have the Cavs at home but you can't just pencil the Pistons as getting win simply because it Lebron.    

The Pistons need to the first 3 games period losing to the Cavs and Thunder won't be a great disappointment if they win the next 3 games.

[BallinD]

I would not have bet on them winning out their homestand, and still find it hard to believe.  But this team is deep and hungry and surprisingly poised.

Surprised SVG played Kid Kennard for 28 minutes, mostly in a small-ball lineup.  He has decided to coach.  Should be a fun ride.  

Who are we? Scrappy, better shooting and defending team, waaaaay more consistent, maybe trending toward mature?  Motion offense, with Weggie mostly in check, though I don't trust him, an abysmal end to the game, and Dre got schooled by Whiteside, but we'll take the win, a testimony to the T for Team in the Tolliverse.  

Next Level...we need to package Leuer, Boban and change, for a tweak, but we will know better after this road trip exactly what we need.  

Shout out to DX on the Kennard call.  SVG's eyes are big as saucers now, with all the weapons, and 3pt shooters he can deploy, what with Tobias, Avery, Reggie, Galloway, Kennard, Ellensen, Dre.

Biggest difference this year...Everything.  It's not sexy, but it is definitely Team Committee in the Tolliverse. BTW, I'd love to get a young, rangy, athletic point guard prospect in here to groom for next level.

[Sparma]

Weird game. The Pistons looked awful on D for quite a while, with Miami torching them with one wide open 3 after another, and along with easy penetration. And then it stopped, and we went from being down 11 to winning comfortably.

You've got to give a shooter like Kennard minutes. Nice comeback by him, as Don notes, after he got burned turning the ball over after trying fancy dribbling.

At 10-3 they actually have a chance to get to my predicted 54 wins. Part of the reason I predicted that, along with not wanting to be tied, is that I experienced ambivalence last year as the lowest predictor, both wanting them to win and for me to be right. With an absurdly high prediction, there's no ambivalence this year, but all out hoping they'll play great. I agree with the commentator that Drummond's heading to the All Star and that there's a good chance Tobias will be joining him.

[Murph]

Why not give Luke Kennard those 12 minutes at backup SF? He doesn't have the natural physical attributes of Stanley Johnson, but his court savvy and shifty play with the ball would more than compensate for what we'd loose on the defensive end (I know some will beat the SVG drum about defense as a legit reason for not playing a rookie) and his team first attitude is what seems to be making this team tick. You're right Murph, Bullock has been sucking to high heaven!

DX...I have to hand it to you. Last week you suggested Kennard play SF off the bench, and last night SVG did just that. SVG went with several small ball lineups, featuring Kennard at SF. The smallest of them was Ish, Galloway, Kennard, Harris and Toliver. That's probably the smallest, fastest lineup used in the NBA today.

And Kennard responded well. He was a team high +21 on he night, and as Don pointed out, played great defense. Good call.


I would have liked to see Drummond play better against Whiteside. Whiteside wore him down.

[cool breeze]

Watching Smith go to the bench in the 4th holding his back after that hard fall with the sweat running down his face was a beautiful thing to see. What a supreme effort Smith made tonight to get his team back on track. Cool Hand Luke did not impress as much on offense as he did on defense. He was working his feet, digging deep in crunch time in the paint on defense. He sure did not look like a rookie. What was really cool was how he reacted after getting the ball stolen and giving up a layup from that steal. Instead of folding and losing confidence, that is when Kennard started his run of beautiful basketball. Now the only question that I have is how will SVG keep him out of the starting lineup. Hopefully if the matchup is right, Luke could take Bullock's spot at small forward. I really like it when Kennard plays with Bradley. Both are high IQ players. And isn't it about time for Reggie to share the ball in crunch time. Tonight was not Reggie's night. He made key mistakes in both halves of that game but insisted on going solo to do what Reggie does. Reggie cannot be that guy every night especially on the 2nd of a back to back. Come on Reggie move over to the wing or baseline and let Bradley direct this team just to change things up in crunch time. Tolliver played hard especially on defense in the 2nd half.

WOW I was really impressed with those 4 players. And even though Galloway's shots were not falling as often tonight, I still love how he plays basketball. Kennard, Bradley, Tolliver, Smith and Galloway are the players that i pull for the most this season. Of course there is no doubt in my mind as to how valuable Stanley Johnson is to this team. My hope is that SVG will not forget Ellenson. He needs playing time on a regular basic. If it means sending him to GR or getting him a few minutes in the first half of games, SVG has to keep Henry's confidence moving in the right direction. But Kennard is a seasoned basketball player who can hold his own in many areas already. This win against Miami was so sweet. Great job Pistons!

[WTF]

Good Happy Victorious Weekend thanks to the My Lions, Wolverines and Pistons. Go All Three Blues!!!!!!!

[lemonpen]

Contender for what, exactly.
Playoffs? Yeah, given good health.
Home court advantage? Weak maybe.
Conference finals? No chance.
Finals? HaHaHaHaHa

We have sooooooo far to go before understanding if even 80% of what we've seen can be maintained.

[cool breeze]

@Murph - I too wanted Ibaka because that would spell, as Wise said, next level, but it wasn't to be. However, just like getting Sheed, we do need that defensive PF to complete this team. We have the assets in Leuer and possibly Boban to trade for that person if he was available.

@Don - Let me see if I understand this, Dre makes more improvements than you've see a Piston make since you've been a fan year over year, and it's not good enough for you because he didn't get one more thing?

I guess he's also responsible for not getting a defensive PF that SVG will play, maybe he should study being the GM too.

You can't even give him the rest of the season to do more and you simply can't give him all the credit he's due for what he's done, but you willingly and lovingly gave Stanley credit for stuff he never did.

Amazing how you can watch games and whine about Drummond, see every flaw, real or imaginary, but see nothing but fantastic things from the players you like.

Stop being a professional biased whiner!

Oracle AD is the key to the Pistons becoming a contending playoff team. There is too much fluff talk in the press about how great Andre is but the real truth is that the Pistons almost lost to a rebuilding team that ruled the paint when they played offense against the Pistons. There is no secondary defense when guards and small forwards have to extend to prevent open 3 point attempts. AD is AWOL when opposing perimeter players do the natural thing all good players do when they are played tight. They drive to the hoop. If you have nobody to do more than reach one arm out as those drivers pass by, then that encourages more dribble drives in the paint for easy layups. Did you watch that game? If you did are you saying that I am wrong that AD actually did move his feet and get in front of drivers or at least contest shots around the rim? He didn't do squat on defense. AD loves offense and he is willing to see his team lose as long as he has a nice offensive game. His stats mean nothing to me. ZERO because he will not provide the effort it takes for this team to be among the best. There are no other big men on this team that could do what AD can do if he wanted to do it. AD is fools gold. Maybe in 3 years he will get tired of losing because if the pistons play like they did last night, there are going to go on a long losing streak. SVG knows it. Anyone who really watches objectively knows it.

This has nothing to do with Stanley Johnson. What a cop out Oracle. Johnson is injured and is not playing. They missed his interior defense last night if you didn't notice. But Johnson is not a center or power forward. We need a rim protector. Unless we get one, the Pistons are screwed.

[Oracle]

@Murph - I too wanted Ibaka because that would spell, as Wise said, next level, but it wasn't to be. However, just like getting Sheed, we do need that defensive PF to complete this team. We have the assets in Leuer and possibly Boban to trade for that person if he was available.

@Don - Let me see if I understand this, Dre makes more improvements than you've see a Piston make since you've been a fan year over year, and it's not good enough for you because he didn't get one more thing?

I guess he's also responsible for not getting a defensive PF that SVG will play, maybe he should study being the GM too.

You can't even give him the rest of the season to do more and you simply can't give him all the credit he's due for what he's done, but you willingly and lovingly gave Stanley credit for stuff he never did.

Amazing how you can watch games and whine about Drummond, see every flaw, real or imaginary, but see nothing but fantastic things from the players you like.

Stop being a professional biased whiner!

[Murph]

Don, you make a very good point about the Pistons needing a defensive minded, rim protecting PF. That's why I was lobbying for SVG to go after Serge Ibaka in the off season. Unfortunately, SVG had already blown all his cap money on non-performing assets such as Leuer. Boban and Josh Smith. So we're just going to have to make due with who we have.

The Whiteside match-up will be interesting for Drummond tonight. Whiteside is a very similar player...huge, physically imposing, rebounding machine. This is exactly the kind of center that Drummond needs to out-play, if the Pistons are really going to be contenders.

[cool breeze]

I see that anyone is happy. That is nice. But the Pistons were lucky to get that win by Reggie hitting some fantastic long range bombs. Sweet that those shots went in but do any of you recall how this weak opponent managed to make that comeback? In the first half the Pistons interior defense was non existent. Once the perimeter line of defense broke down there was no player all night long who could or would protect the rim. That was why SVG was going crazy on the sidelines. He knows the truth about this game. He knows that at half time this Piston opponent had a really good coach who told his players hey they have nobody who cares about playing any defense in the paint. They don't even get their arms up. That score after score in the second half came on layups inside of 2 feet. If a shot was missed, that was no problem because there was no resistance or interest in securing a defensive rebound. No team can consistently win without some type of interior defense and at least one shot blocker. We do not have any when AD is in the game.

I read where Oracle said maybe even Don would give Andre some slack now. Did anyone actually watch this horribly played basketball game? AD was outstanding on the offensive end getting very difficult offensive rebounds. He even made clutch foul shots. But he played horribly on defense all night long.

This is what I came away with from this game. Unless the Pistons make a trade and secure a non shooting power forward who is a monster defender and rim protector this team is not going to have a successful season. I say that on the premise that AD is not traded and continues to play basketball like he has played it since he arrived from the draft. AD is not interested in providing his team with a solid effort on defense. He is not engaged or invested in learning what it takes to become an effective defender. But he loves offense especially his role now at the high post distributing the basketball and going hard to the glass on Piston missed shots. If only he cared as much when playing defense this team could be special. But that is not going to happen. Therefore in the long run it will not work to play Harris at power forward because he is not a gifted defender either. Somebody has to pick up drivers and not just stand and watch opponents go by and shot a layup possession after possession. Now the cat is out of the bag as it was last season. AD blocked one shot all night long. He didn't even try to get his arms up on defense 80% of the time on defense. He didn't bother to jump 70% of the time to even try to grab defensive rebounds. He was standing and opponent players were moving inside of him boxing him out for those rebounds because AD was not engaged meaning he was not even moving his feet at all most of the time. And did anyone watch him run back on defense? He didn't run back. He jogged back and was the last Piston defender back on defense more than 90% of the time last night. So go ahead and look at those amazing stats and that effort he gave on offense but this team is not going anywhere because opponents are not going to give up on getting into the paint and they are not going to give up on securing offensive rebounds against this feeble defense.

If some of you actually watched this game closely then I doubt that you could be optimistic about what the wins and loses will look like in April for our Pistons if this shoddy interior defensive effort remains the same. Opponents have not played well against the Pistons because they are really bad teams not because our team has played outstanding basketball. This team is executing well enough in crunch time to beat these sorry teams and they have caught a few on the 2nd or back to back games while the Pistons were well rested. The weaknesses that I see in this Piston team tell me that success cannot last unless the Pistons obtain at least one big man who can play defense the right way. AD plays defense the wrong way and that will prevent him from ever being a winning type of player. It is a matter or caring or having some basic interest in taking pride in being an alert defender. AD cannot give or is not interested in giving the thing his team needs the most. If opponents can like this last one can get to the rim at will with no resistance, then when all is said and done at the end of the season, things will not be much different from last year as far as the Pistons are concerned. I don't expect Leuer to be the savior either when he returns from his injury. Moreland and even Boban play more effective interior defense than Leuer. But I am sure SVG will pencil in Leuer as soon has he recovers.

[BallinD]

Does the Big Fella Want it?  Is the synergy with Weggie a good thing?

Chauncey: “I played with him in my last year,” he said. “No, wait, you can’t call what I did playing. (But) I’ve always thought there is greatness in him. I think he can be one of those generational players.”

Well, hell!  Let's go get some mo wins! Another ship?

[Oracle]

Bradley: Well I wondered if both his defense and offense would travel... well the early results are fantastic and I couldn't be happier.

Reggie: Not quite superman yet, but dropping those two 3 pointers to seal the win was nice stuff.

Ish: Can he keep scoring? Nice game with an unexpected 17 points.

But the big news is Andre Drummond! Even Don needs to ease up on him now, this dude has transformed more of his game year over year than I've seen from anyone. Last night, he displayed the full menu of his achievements!

Drummond surpassed his previous career high of five assists by halftime, and he calmly made two free throws with 1:28 remaining to put the Pistons up 100-98. Drummond's foul shooting has improved noticeably this season, and he was 4 for 6 against the Hawks.

CONSISTENT

Drummond has had at least 12 rebounds in each of his first 12 games this season, matching Kevin Love's streak to start the 2011-12 season. The last player with a longer streak to start a season was Moses Malone with 16 games in 1978-79.

I'm so proud of him and so happy he didn't get traded, big guys take longer to "Get It", but if they do, look out!

Go Pistons!!!

[WTF]

Just Keep It Up!!!! Beat the teams you're suppose to and defend you're home court and you'll be fine.  Still Hating Those Damn 3's

[WTF]

Yay! College Basketball is here and of course GO BLUE!  Man it's tough being on the West Coast, Oh I do enjoy the Arizona weather but man do I miss being close to my teams.  Hate that I'll miss the Thanksgiving Day Lions Victory bummer, hate not having the Big Ten Network,  Good thing is I did discover I can buy individual Lions games and I do catch Michigan on TV quite a bit as far as football goes I don't think I'll be as lucky with basketball.

My Lions face a winless team in the Browns and I hate these games because what should be an easy win for them bad luck will rear it's ugly head. I hope it doesn't be nice if they can win 4 in row I still think they're capable of 11 wins this season.

Right how can I be so optimistic when it comes to my Lions and such a pessimist when it comes to the Pistons?  Notice the "my" and "the" before each teams name.  Sorry folks I'm a Lions Die Hard 

SVG seems to be worried about head swelling from all the press clippings the players are reading.  Hope the players are listening to him "Don't Believe The Hype"  Chauncey made a good point I think the team needs to take note of and that winning doesn't become easier it's harder and he pointed to the loss to the Lakers as an example.  It was a game we should have won easily but ended up losing by 20 and he noted that teams take notice when you come has success like they did against the Clips and Warriors because it creates a bulls-eye on you so teams want to beat you.  In others words you can't take days off period every game should mean something.   My concern can this team stay motivated.

I think this to is a reason I stuck with 39 wins, if adversity becomes the learned motivating tool for this team then we'll have problems.  This team is playing good perhaps but they still don't have an identity who the hell are they.   Wouldn't it be great if they just start picking fights, and talking ****.  They have no bravado, there's no rallying cry.  Every championship team has that edge, every wannbe champions team has that edge.  

What I'm saying is I can't identify with this team.  Don't dismiss what I'm saying because both our prior championship teams had all this and then some we need AD to start blocking shot and waving his finger ala Mutumbo.  We need Harris to start guaranteeing wins ala Sheed,  we need to see a few ejections and a few techs.  Something needs to happen

[Oracle]

I think you're both right!

I'm loving where we are because a prerequisite for being good is actually doing good and building the confidence that winning brings.

Are we good because others are bad, or are we just good? Right now it's certainly a combination of the two and we're expected to benefit from a weak east.

However, we're going to hit a bad patch, every team does and that will be the test of this team. Everything is good when you're winning, but a couple of ass kickings in a row can drain the kool aid dry.

We're due to come down to earth, but I expect that we'll still do well in the east.

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