Cavs

[WTF]

I'm tripping on the Cavs seem they've cleaned house of all their problems some of the moves have me cracking up though like trading Wade back to Miami that's too funny thought the Cavs never should have picked him up.  Then they dumped Rose, Channing, Crowder, and Shumpert.   Doesn't look like much on the surface but this just might help them getting Hill, Hood, Nance and Clarkston.

[Murph]

I never cared for Jameer Nelson even in his prime.  But at least he's an NBA PG, something that's in short supply around here.  Please hurry back Reggie!

I'm guessing this signals the end to the Dwight Buycks experiment.  It was fun while it lasted.

I thought Willie Reed was a keeper, but I guess SVG didn't want to deal with him and his 6 game suspension for domestic violence.



James Ennis' stats look good.  He looks like another shooter from the wing.

[Oracle]

True. But, the one fact everyone on this squad, not named Blake, can lean on is knowing they have demonstrated the capacity to enter the absolute toughest arenas in the Association and kick plenty arse. That may be the one situation Blake will have something to prove to the team.

I think they'll be fine, it just has to happen. BTW, Friday should be VERY interesting, the Clippers have been playing pretty good!

Good work Cleveland, they got rid of that defensive loser and overall cancer(at least for them) Thomas.

[Oracle]

Look at those 3 point, 2 point and effective shooting percentages... Nice!

[lemonpen]

Lemon, while Don does have some legitimate concerns in that post, my reason for somewhat disagreeing is that it's too early to make those types of judgments.

If he's just pointing out what he sees, then that's fine, I see some of it too, but like you, I'm enjoying it too much to complain.

We shouldn't get too high either because as I said before, we've been at home, and that's an easier task than being on the road... time will tell, but so far so good.

True. But, the one fact everyone on this squad, not named Blake, can lean on is knowing they have demonstrated the capacity to enter the absolute toughest arenas in the Association and kick plenty arse. That may be the one situation Blake will have something to prove to the team.

[lemonpen]

James Ennis?   Any thoughts on this trade and I see we gave up another pick in the process.  Not what I was hoping for but hey maybe it helps.

Both Jameer and Ennis are the kind of insurance you hope to never need, cause using them likely signals the end.

[Oracle]

Lemon, while Don does have some legitimate concerns in that post, my reason for somewhat disagreeing is that it's too early to make those types of judgments.

If he's just pointing out what he sees, then that's fine, I see some of it too, but like you, I'm enjoying it too much to complain.

We shouldn't get too high either because as I said before, we've been at home, and that's an easier task than being on the road... time will tell, but so far so good.

[WTF]

Can a gay pride parade at center court be far behind???

They'll be serving tea and crumpets on the top of his head every trip down the court. Look, I've seen him play well in a couple of games, there's still a little gas left in the old tank along with all of those fumes, but seriously, what additional value does he bring. What's next, we conjure up the ghost of Bison Dele???

This is the kind of move you keep hidden, like an ugly girl used for a quick booty call!

Don, you're wrong, SVG doesn't close his door and take a nap, he's in his office jerking off to old Orlando tapes 

Okay someone needs to slap SVG OMG I think he's just doing stuff to be doing it 

[lemonpen]

-     Jameer Nelson eh?  Why does this smell like Reggie isn't returning anytime soon, if at all.

I felt this might be coming. SVG gets his most trusted point guard back who was the same point guard our Champs used to target as Orlando's weak link. SVG has been living in the past so long maybe he thinks Nelson is not over the hill. How many small NBA point guards are effective players in playoff situations when they are 36 years old? SVG can now do what he does best. Just throw out the ball in practice and close the door of the coaches office and take a nap. Another small point guard is just what the doctor ordered especially after Spencer Dinwiddie made a fool out of the Pistons for most of the night last night. Couldn't allow Spencer any chance of success with the Pistons. SVG has to use small point guards who cannot defend. No tall point guards allowed. No point guard diversity allowed. I am surprised that Stan didn't throw in one of our future first round picks in that deal. Meanwhile, a team like Boston is set up good for the future. Funny that they didn't think of adding Nelson to their roster.

Watch Avery Bradley shine if the Spurs get him today. Bradley has to be happy is is no longer playing in SVG's system where no offense is the best offense read and react. But I do admit that SVG did call a great play at the end of this last game where Smith made the cut into the center of the paint and got Blake's pass for a easy 4 foot shot. That play worked to perfection and SVG drew that play up. Just trying to be fair and balanced. I still am not happy with the Piston offense. Who can be?

SVG did conjure a stroke of brilliance on that one.  It was so good and unexpected it made me pop up out of my seat with a fist pump.

Avery who?

[WTF]

James Ennis?   Any thoughts on this trade and I see we gave up another pick in the process.  Not what I was hoping for but hey maybe it helps.

[Oracle]

Can a gay pride parade at center court be far behind???

They'll be serving tea and crumpets on the top of his head every trip down the court. Look, I've seen him play well in a couple of games, there's still a little gas left in the old tank along with all of those fumes, but seriously, what additional value does he bring. What's next, we conjure up the ghost of Bison Dele???

This is the kind of move you keep hidden, like an ugly girl used for a quick booty call!

Don, you're wrong, SVG doesn't close his door and take a nap, he's in his office jerking off to old Orlando tapes 

[lemonpen]

There are no guarantees that the pistons will even make the playoffs. After watching the entire game last night I felt exactly the same way I did relating to the previous game. The Pistons have been playing teams who have played several games in a close period of time many on back to back situations. Yet like last night it did not appear that our Piston players had any more if as much energy as a team as the opposition. Players were late getting back on defense. They were disorganized as well. Whenever Detroit was able to start to pull away, the Nets easily got back in the game very quickly. And that team had played a tough game the previous night. The Pistons were well rested. Why were the Nets able to keep the game close?

1. Piston players were late getting their asses back on defense.

2. Rotations on defense were horrible with only one Piston player showing the ability to defend his own assigned player - Stanley Johnson

3. Not enough player or ball movement. The Pistons are back to square one in my opinion now that Griffin has arrived. Players are standing and watching again. SVG must like that because he tolerates it. Dumb ass game plan created by the coaching staff featuring undisciplined decision making where instead of running a half court offense which everyone else in the league does against the Nets and making that 3rd pass to get easy shots inside the paint, our players were determined to shoot the long ball early in the shot clock. It appeared that players had no thought in mind at all as to where their teammates were located on the court when they shot those stupid 3 point shots that missed in high quantity. The coaches can't play the game but they should have some control as to the way players are functioning on the court. Does SVG condone shooting and missing 3 point shots when there is 17 to 19 seconds on the shot clock and his team is up by 8 points? What kind of interior defense does the Nets really have now that a they have so many injuries?

4. While Ish Smith made some really good decisions on offense, he could not guard one player on the Nets team. Whoever Smith guarded, that is where the ball would go to most of the time. Johnson was forced to defend Dinwiddie in the 2nd half. Crabbe was wide open all night long and he has been the one player in the NBA who shoots 70 to 80% from long range against the Pistons. SVG could not think of anything he could do as a coach to at least get one player to get a hand up when Crabbe launched one of those 3 point shots?

The Pistons are showing that since SVG arrived that they are still a low basketball IQ team. If the old Bad Boys had played the Nets last night, the game would have been over by the end of the first quarter. The Bad Boys with Thomas didn't need a coach. The players would have put their heads together and had a real plan to take out the Nets early. They would not have started the game in a fog just going through the motions. The players need to understand that they must prepare and not depend on the coaching staff to come up with a solid game plan. A good team identifies how and where the opposing team has the most success scoring the basketball. If you shoot 3 point shots before your team gets ready to start playing offense and you miss that shot, then that should get you a spot on the bench at least for a few minutes regardless of who you are. The players who see one of their teammates take those stupid shots should not stand by and not say anything as well. Do these players really want to win? If they do than some of them need to take charge and not look to the coach. They are the players and need to take responsibility. This coaching staff subscribes to the notion that there should be no accountability with the exception of maybe one or two players that the coach watches carefully. The rest are free to do as they wish. So if the players really want to win, then they need to keep everyone in line and become enforcers. Those players who deviate from the game plan must face their teammates and be held accountable. But the NBA is a party where everyone is rich and happy and really could care less about doing the right thing it appears. Some teams have enforcers but not our Pistons. We still have the Teal effect alive and well. In my opinion, the Pistons were damn lucky to win that game. This has been two games in a row where the Pistons didn't deserve to win because they allowed bad teams to keep the game close. Our players didn't seem to recognize that fact when the game was over. They were playful throwing water around on AD and the interviewer.  

One observation on Stanley Johnson that I have mentioned 100 times since he changed his jump shot release. Before the coaches forced him to change his technique to get him to release the ball quicker, Johnson released his jump shot with one hand where the off hand was clearly off the ball at the point of release. It is clear that he still does not have good control of the ball at the point of release when he shoots the ball from distance using that technique. However, notice when Stanley drives into the paint and forces contact and then releases his shot. He gets his damn off hand off the ball and releases the ball with one hand and has great control. That is the way Johnson looked as a high school player and in college. So much for the help of SVG's assistant coaches with the young players. And the owner is paying those coaches millions of dollars a year. Here is some free advise for Stanley. Look at game film from previous years when you could make jump shots and felt more confident in your jump shot. Then get your non dominate hand off the ball before you release the shot. Forget everything our coaches told you relating to Piston coaches.

And here is some advice for Tom Gores. After this season, cut your payroll in half relating to money paid for coaching. If the assistant coaches find more money elsewhere then say good luck. Insist that SVG take a pay cut if he wants to return next season as well relating to the money he receives for being head coach. I hear SVG telling his players, " get in your defensive stance". That means get your legs bent spread out and don't stand straight up with a narrow base.  Most of the time,  That is good advise but in the first half of games, AD does not seem engaged on defense. He is getting massive amounts of rebounds but does not have his legs bent and is not alert in the paint. Then he picks it up in the 4th quarter on defense and plays the right way. Why not play Ellenson in the first half SVG if your starting center is not motivated in the first half to defend the paint. Ellenson could just concentrate on playing as hard as he can defending the paint and get good at that one thing if he were given about 8 minutes in the first half of every game. Then Henry could start working on another aspect of his game. Otherwise sent Ellenson to the G League so he can play basketball. So far this season has been a total waste of a young talented big man. Ellenson needs to play. He was a no show in this last game. The Pistons looked really dysfunctional for most of the game. What did SVG have to lose by not playing him in the first half? Ellenson's contract will be up before anyone really knows who he is. SVG is worried about getting that 8th spot in the playoffs. Like all coaches he is worried about job security. Now with the owner paying Griffin, the player rotation is shrinking. SVG needs to be brave and play Henry Ellenson or let him finish the season in a situation where he can play basketball and not sit and shrink his confidence even more.

I was impressed with the way the Pistons performed in the first three games of this winning streak but after watching the last two games there is no reason to get excited.  This team does not play smart basketball. If you don't play smart and focused you lose.  

Every game won't be a masterpiece.  You're wrong about the Bad Boys.  During the Championship years I sat in the stands watching countless games against weak opponents that weren't decided until the final six minutes.  It's the NBA;  carry a lead to crunch time, clamp down on D, be as efficient as possible on O, until there isn't enough time left for a comeback.  That is pretty much what we did.  

Frankly I enjoyed the game.  Stanley was exciting, and it has been fun watching his game continue to expand.   I especially enjoyed watching Griffin DEMAND the ball down the stretch.  This team is doing it so much better than anytime in the last decade, that I recall.  And yeah, there is room to improve.  But, when was the last time you felt they might actually have the capacity to realize a significant portion of that improvement.  

I intend to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.

[cool breeze]

Of course that would depend on what offense the coach would agree the team could run. Forgetting all about SVG and his lame 4 out and 1 in stand around offense, what if the Pistons ran the same offense they used to run when they were champs? Richard Hamilton's amazing mid range game could net him many 50 point nights. He might be averaging 36 points a game. Players working hard setting screens, players moving without the basketball and the ball moving instead of a point guard dribbling would be refreshing to see. Watching the Pistons in this last game was all about worry that they looked as if they were too stupid to win. All we do is worry instead of enjoying watching good high quality basketball. This is fake basketball at best. There is no consistency relating to movement in the offense. When this team wins, they are lucky. So all we can do is watch and worry and believe there is a high probability that the Pistons will blow up and lose another 8 games in a row. The last two games were played exactly like the 8 games that they lost. It was just that the Pistons caught opposing teams at the right time. The players should not be getting excited about anything. They should recognize that they still suck and need to work a lot harder at the mental aspect of playing basketball. The Pistons are still a low basketball IQ team in many respects. And the coaching staff has shuffled players in and out and nothing they have done has changed anything. So could this have anything to do with the coaching staff itself? Or are the players just low basketball IQ players who cannot resist the impulse to play the wrong way? It is hard to say this knowing Detroit is on a 5 game winning streak but there is no doubt in my mind that too many players have played dumb for too many minutes in the last two basketball games.

[cool breeze]

-     Jameer Nelson eh?  Why does this smell like Reggie isn't returning anytime soon, if at all.

I felt this might be coming. SVG gets his most trusted point guard back who was the same point guard our Champs used to target as Orlando's weak link. SVG has been living in the past so long maybe he thinks Nelson is not over the hill. How many small NBA point guards are effective players in playoff situations when they are 36 years old? SVG can now do what he does best. Just throw out the ball in practice and close the door of the coaches office and take a nap. Another small point guard is just what the doctor ordered especially after Spencer Dinwiddie made a fool out of the Pistons for most of the night last night. Couldn't allow Spencer any chance of success with the Pistons. SVG has to use small point guards who cannot defend. No tall point guards allowed. No point guard diversity allowed. I am surprised that Stan didn't throw in one of our future first round picks in that deal. Meanwhile, a team like Boston is set up good for the future. Funny that they didn't think of adding Nelson to their roster.

Watch Avery Bradley shine if the Spurs get him today. Bradley has to be happy is is no longer playing in SVG's system where no offense is the best offense read and react. But I do admit that SVG did call a great play at the end of this last game where Smith made the cut into the center of the paint and got Blake's pass for a easy 4 foot shot. That play worked to perfection and SVG drew that play up. Just trying to be fair and balanced. I still am not happy with the Piston offense. Who can be?

[lemonpen]

- Jameer Nelson eh? Why does this smell like Reggie isn't returning anytime soon, if at all.

[cool breeze]

There are no guarantees that the pistons will even make the playoffs. After watching the entire game last night I felt exactly the same way I did relating to the previous game. The Pistons have been playing teams who have played several games in a close period of time many on back to back situations. Yet like last night it did not appear that our Piston players had any more if as much energy as a team as the opposition. Players were late getting back on defense. They were disorganized as well. Whenever Detroit was able to start to pull away, the Nets easily got back in the game very quickly. And that team had played a tough game the previous night. The Pistons were well rested. Why were the Nets able to keep the game close?

1. Piston players were late getting their asses back on defense.

2. Rotations on defense were horrible with only one Piston player showing the ability to defend his own assigned player - Stanley Johnson

3. Not enough player or ball movement. The Pistons are back to square one in my opinion now that Griffin has arrived. Players are standing and watching again. SVG must like that because he tolerates it. Dumb ass game plan created by the coaching staff featuring undisciplined decision making where instead of running a half court offense which everyone else in the league does against the Nets and making that 3rd pass to get easy shots inside the paint, our players were determined to shoot the long ball early in the shot clock. It appeared that players had no thought in mind at all as to where their teammates were located on the court when they shot those stupid 3 point shots that missed in high quantity. The coaches can't play the game but they should have some control as to the way players are functioning on the court. Does SVG condone shooting and missing 3 point shots when there is 17 to 19 seconds on the shot clock and his team is up by 8 points? What kind of interior defense does the Nets really have now that a they have so many injuries?

4. While Ish Smith made some really good decisions on offense, he could not guard one player on the Nets team. Whoever Smith guarded, that is where the ball would go to most of the time. Johnson was forced to defend Dinwiddie in the 2nd half. Crabbe was wide open all night long and he has been the one player in the NBA who shoots 70 to 80% from long range against the Pistons. SVG could not think of anything he could do as a coach to at least get one player to get a hand up when Crabbe launched one of those 3 point shots?

The Pistons are showing that since SVG arrived that they are still a low basketball IQ team. If the old Bad Boys had played the Nets last night, the game would have been over by the end of the first quarter. The Bad Boys with Thomas didn't need a coach. The players would have put their heads together and had a real plan to take out the Nets early. They would not have started the game in a fog just going through the motions. The players need to understand that they must prepare and not depend on the coaching staff to come up with a solid game plan. A good team identifies how and where the opposing team has the most success scoring the basketball. If you shoot 3 point shots before your team gets ready to start playing offense and you miss that shot, then that should get you a spot on the bench at least for a few minutes regardless of who you are. The players who see one of their teammates take those stupid shots should not stand by and not say anything as well. Do these players really want to win? If they do than some of them need to take charge and not look to the coach. They are the players and need to take responsibility. This coaching staff subscribes to the notion that there should be no accountability with the exception of maybe one or two players that the coach watches carefully. The rest are free to do as they wish. So if the players really want to win, then they need to keep everyone in line and become enforcers. Those players who deviate from the game plan must face their teammates and be held accountable. But the NBA is a party where everyone is rich and happy and really could care less about doing the right thing it appears. Some teams have enforcers but not our Pistons. We still have the Teal effect alive and well. In my opinion, the Pistons were damn lucky to win that game. This has been two games in a row where the Pistons didn't deserve to win because they allowed bad teams to keep the game close. Our players didn't seem to recognize that fact when the game was over. They were playful throwing water around on AD and the interviewer.

One observation on Stanley Johnson that I have mentioned 100 times since he changed his jump shot release. Before the coaches forced him to change his technique to get him to release the ball quicker, Johnson released his jump shot with one hand where the off hand was clearly off the ball at the point of release. It is clear that he still does not have good control of the ball at the point of release when he shoots the ball from distance using that technique. However, notice when Stanley drives into the paint and forces contact and then releases his shot. He gets his damn off hand off the ball and releases the ball with one hand and has great control. That is the way Johnson looked as a high school player and in college. So much for the help of SVG's assistant coaches with the young players. And the owner is paying those coaches millions of dollars a year. Here is some free advise for Stanley. Look at game film from previous years when you could make jump shots and felt more confident in your jump shot. Then get your non dominate hand off the ball before you release the shot. Forget everything our coaches told you relating to Piston coaches.

And here is some advice for Tom Gores. After this season, cut your payroll in half relating to money paid for coaching. If the assistant coaches find more money elsewhere then say good luck. Insist that SVG take a pay cut if he wants to return next season as well relating to the money he receives for being head coach. I hear SVG telling his players, " get in your defensive stance". That means get your legs bent spread out and don't stand straight up with a narrow base. Most of the time, That is good advise but in the first half of games, AD does not seem engaged on defense. He is getting massive amounts of rebounds but does not have his legs bent and is not alert in the paint. Then he picks it up in the 4th quarter on defense and plays the right way. Why not play Ellenson in the first half SVG if your starting center is not motivated in the first half to defend the paint. Ellenson could just concentrate on playing as hard as he can defending the paint and get good at that one thing if he were given about 8 minutes in the first half of every game. Then Henry could start working on another aspect of his game. Otherwise sent Ellenson to the G League so he can play basketball. So far this season has been a total waste of a young talented big man. Ellenson needs to play. He was a no show in this last game. The Pistons looked really dysfunctional for most of the game. What did SVG have to lose by not playing him in the first half? Ellenson's contract will be up before anyone really knows who he is. SVG is worried about getting that 8th spot in the playoffs. Like all coaches he is worried about job security. Now with the owner paying Griffin, the player rotation is shrinking. SVG needs to be brave and play Henry Ellenson or let him finish the season in a situation where he can play basketball and not sit and shrink his confidence even more.

I was impressed with the way the Pistons performed in the first three games of this winning streak but after watching the last two games there is no reason to get excited. This team does not play smart basketball. If you don't play smart and focused you lose.

[Sparma]

We let the Nets hang around too long, but still a great win in the end.

Congrats to Stanley J. Dude's on fire. Beautiful bounce pass to Kennard; I wasn't giving him enough credit as a passer.

27 bounds by Andre?! That's crazy for today's NBA. In the olden days they tossed up far more bricks, creating a lot more rebounding opportunities. We'll never see rebounding averages like in the 60s again. Today, Dre benefited in part by tossing up bricks himself, getting the put backs. That and the Nets put up an incredible number of 3s (I'm guessing today's league 3% is around the league average for shots beyond a few feet out in the 60s). Still, it's a heck of a number.

Still not sure what happened that first game after the trade, against Cleveland, before Blake arrived, but I can't remember the last time we've had a run like this. What was the longest winning streak a couple of years ago?

On we go. Clippers next?

[BallinD]

We thought the Tolliver Effect was funny a couple years ago, but here we go again. Go Pistons!

[Oracle]

Stanley, formerly Stanky Johnson is smelling as sweet as a rose these days!

Reducing his 3's, scoring, defending and getting steals... Bradley Who? I do miss Harris, good guy, good player!

Blake and even more so Drummond got points, but both were very inefficient. But Drummonds 27 Rebounds is some great stuff!!!

They're still trying to figure this out, and they better get it done before they have to hit the road, where our role players don't play as well, and even starters dip just a bit from time to time.

[cool breeze]

Only My Opinion but is everyone not truly bothered by the state of sports period?  First looking at the situation with the Cavs and all the reporting and talk behind all of it makes me wonder WTF is going on.  I mean at the end of the day players are making millions of dollars under contract and you are obligated to go out and perform to a teams expectation.  This drama that's going on right now in Cleveland is totally insane, I'm not going to say that some levels of dysfunction didn't occur back in the 80's and 90's but this is stupid.   There is something very wrong with the mentality of the modern day athletes across all sports.

I think that professional leagues are to blame for allowing players to become selfish in thought, I blame the media that's feed off of it and debate it's merits when it should be clear it should have no place at all (Promoting Brand My Ass).  I blame the athletes who have lost touch with what it really means to be a professional.  

Do any of us or can any of us say that todays athletes aren't paid well beyond what there worth?  I recall debating with some on Pistons Talk about players being paid all this money and I was against it and sided with the owners and the league on this subject.   The owners caved to much on this and now we're seeing the ugly results of it.  Greed on the part of the players is far uglier than the greed of ownership because of the level of selfishness we see with these athletes.

Somehow Blake was looked at as being a victims because LA traded him and ownership can't be trusted, the way I see it is they just gave him a 173 million contract over 5 seasons and he's going to get it no matter where he plays.  Players have too much power and not enough dedication to the team itself and the team is always bigger than the ownership itself at times.   What's going in Cleveland is sickening and every player should be a shame including James.   

Players have every right not to commit to the future and determine where they would like to play and they've been afforded those opportunities with Free Agency this bitch moaning while under contract should not be happening.  Wouldn't it be nice if James just said I'm not coming back next season but will give a 100% to the organization until the end of the season.  This so call beef between James and Gilbert is stupid  IMO if James can't or won't commit beyond this season then don't get mad if Gilbert don't invest money beyond this season or trade his picks so you can win now.  But where it's childish and stupid on Gilbert part is not openly saying just that.   

I hope Blake isn't a Diva and actually wants to show that he deserves to be paid 35 Million a season and not become a sideshow or talking point for ESPN everyday.  I hope Blake uses this trade as a chance to start over, stay healthy and deliver this team a championship before that contract is up.

I hear you loud and clear WTF and agree. It would be a lot smarter if players would just keep their mouths shut. They would be better off because all they do is cause fans to drop off the NBA bandwagon. If people love basketball in the State of Michigan the way I know they used to, then they can easily pay a lot less and bond with a high school team closest to where they live or played at when they were young. It seems that with a lot of adults, if your kid is not involved in basketball or any other high school sport, they you have no interest. For athletes who previously played in high school I think they could really have a lot more fun attending high school games and getting to know who those young up and coming high school players are as players and people. They do not have to be from your blood or your race. Before I got into coaching, I did a favor for an old friend of mine and did some scouting for him around the Detroit area. I didn't know any of the players or their parents. I couldn't believe how much fun that was for me. My wife didn't like it at first but then thought it was a cool thing to do. The smell of the gym is exciting. If you can't get excited about high school basketball then turn to the college game and attend one. The college students really make it a fun experience. By the way high school football and soccer games can be really fun too.

With professional sports, the fans come in last. Nobody really cares about the fans. The owner can trade your favorite player at any time and they do. The players you bond with suddenly get a call from their agent and suddenly want to leave your team. Being that everyone involved with the NBA has made it known that there is no loyalty ever considered relating to what the fans want, it seems likely that at some point in time, fans will drift away. I personally know a lot of my friends who do not ever watch the Pistons and they live in Michigan. With that said, a lot of current Piston players really do reach out to the community and help young kids. Keep that going and if you want out of the Piston organization I wouldn't talk publicly about it if you are concerned about the NBA survival.

[WTF]

4 minutes in to the game and hey jacked up 6 3's SMH 

[WTF]

Only My Opinion but is everyone not truly bothered by the state of sports period?  First looking at the situation with the Cavs and all the reporting and talk behind all of it makes me wonder WTF is going on.  I mean at the end of the day players are making millions of dollars under contract and you are obligated to go out and perform to a teams expectation.  This drama that's going on right now in Cleveland is totally insane, I'm not going to say that some levels of dysfunction didn't occur back in the 80's and 90's but this is stupid.   There is something very wrong with the mentality of the modern day athletes across all sports.

I think that professional leagues are to blame for allowing players to become selfish in thought, I blame the media that's feed off of it and debate it's merits when it should be clear it should have no place at all (Promoting Brand My Ass).  I blame the athletes who have lost touch with what it really means to be a professional.  

Do any of us or can any of us say that todays athletes aren't paid well beyond what there worth?  I recall debating with some on Pistons Talk about players being paid all this money and I was against it and sided with the owners and the league on this subject.   The owners caved to much on this and now we're seeing the ugly results of it.  Greed on the part of the players is far uglier than the greed of ownership because of the level of selfishness we see with these athletes.

Somehow Blake was looked at as being a victims because LA traded him and ownership can't be trusted, the way I see it is they just gave him a 173 million contract over 5 seasons and he's going to get it no matter where he plays.  Players have too much power and not enough dedication to the team itself and the team is always bigger than the ownership itself at times.   What's going in Cleveland is sickening and every player should be a shame including James.   

Players have every right not to commit to the future and determine where they would like to play and they've been afforded those opportunities with Free Agency this bitch moaning while under contract should not be happening.  Wouldn't it be nice if James just said I'm not coming back next season but will give a 100% to the organization until the end of the season.  This so call beef between James and Gilbert is stupid  IMO if James can't or won't commit beyond this season then don't get mad if Gilbert don't invest money beyond this season or trade his picks so you can win now.  But where it's childish and stupid on Gilbert part is not openly saying just that.   

I hope Blake isn't a Diva and actually wants to show that he deserves to be paid 35 Million a season and not become a sideshow or talking point for ESPN everyday.  I hope Blake uses this trade as a chance to start over, stay healthy and deliver this team a championship before that contract is up.

[lemonpen]

One guy that seems rejuvenated by the trade is AT. Tollie has played roughly 120 pre-trade games as a Piston and I swear I can't recall him dunking once. In the last three games dude has yolked it 4 times. Once in heavy traffic !!!

Maybe AT is really AIR Tolliver.

Must be the shoes. Is it the shoes?

[Murph]

Well, I guess now we know why we got Willie Reed as a throw-in.


You know who I'd like to see get some minutes?....Brice Johnson.  Johnson was the star player on that UNC team that lost the 2016 National Championship game to Villanova 77-74.  

He led the Tar Heels that season in points with 18 per game and rebounds with 10 per game, and he shot 62% for the season.

I remember at the time wondering why Johnson went so late in the 2016 draft.  The Clippers finally took him at #25.  The Pistons passed on Johnson to take Ellenson at #18.

He was probably penalized because he was a senior, but as Wise has pointed out, juniors and seniors are sometime more desirable, because they take less time to develop and there is less risk involved.

Regardless,  Johnson has never really been given a chance. I'd like to see him get some minutes to see what he can do.  He might eventually outplay Ellenson, who has been struggling all year.

[cool breeze]

I have only one question for this coach. Why did it take that long Stan? Why did Pope have to be punished for so long when the coach made him stand in the corner? Some kids get punished that way in elementary school along with a long list of other players who had their careers set back by Stan and his assistant coaches. Johnson had a long history of being able to drive and break down a defense. He was never known to be a specialist who shot three point shots from the coaches designated areas on the court. This article should have included other players that were forced to fit SVG's offense that only played one half of the court on 85% of all possessions. I still cannot trust the assistant coaches SVG has selected because they create the plays and run the practice sessions. There is more to offensive basketball than one pick and roll play involving two players and for laughs maybe bring in one other player who gets to touch the basketball.

NBA coaches are paid so damn much money and this is what the Piston's owner has received back. Finally Stan is figuring out the puzzle involving one player. I guess that is still not as bad as Joe Dumars throwing in Middleton in that trade for Brandon Jennings when the Bucks were trying to give away Jennings and no team was interested in him but Joe. But that was a GM decision and maybe is not a good comparison because SVG is will his team almost everyday. Johnson has been on the team for almost 3 years. But I should add this one truth. It is very difficult for any player and especially a young player to stand at a spot and not touch the ball for 7 or 8 minutes and then be expected to have any timing when you are forced to shoot a 3 point shot at the end of the shot clock. SVG is guilty of giving too much freedom to his point guard. There has been no accountability. When last year's team was losing and Morris tried to find a solution by calling Reggie Jackson out in a players only meeting, Stan Van Gundy shut it all down very quickly. The players lost interest and were close to the worst NBA team in either conference for the rest of the season. How much money did Tom Gores spend on the assistant coaches and Stan Van Gundy last season? The players only meeting was not just attacking the point guards and how they ran the offense, they were attacking SVG's offensive system. That is why the players only meeting was condemned. The players rejected their coach and his silly 4 out 1 in and the silly one track mind of SVG and his limited ability to draw up more than one play ( pick and roll between AD and RJ).

I hope the players will feel more freedom on offense and relax more so they don't rush things. I saw that a lot last night. The ball was moving and players were moving without the ball. But it seemed that at times players were rushing their shots. But Dead Eye Tolliver kept making those bombs overtime the team needed success on offense. Where would this team be without Tolliver? That was a damn good pick up by SVG. Maybe hire a new coach and keep SVG as the GM. Would that work?

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