Super Bowl

[WTF]

Picking New England to win 24-17 would like to see Brady win #6 and retire.       Maybe one day before I die I'll get to see the Lions in a Super Bowl win or lose that would be sweet.

[WTF]

You know what SJ needs to do?  Forget 3 point shooting and concentrate on getting to the line.

George Blaha and Greg Kelser told an interesting story last night.  They said the press asked Chuck Daily how the Pistons defense would be right after they acquired Adrian Dantley.  Daily answered that he thought their defense would improve, because Dantley drew so many fouls and got to the line so often that it allowed the Pistons defense to get set like 6 more times throughout a game.

Stanley Johnson should adopt the same formula.  He should bag 3 point shooting, which leads to transition baskets on the other end of the court.  And he should concentrate on bullying his way to the basket and drawing fouls like Adrian Dantley and Blake Griffin.  In this way, SJ will improve the Pistons defense even more.

And in fact, Johnson did just that last night.  He only took two 3 point shots, but he went 5-5 from the line.  

This has been my stance on 3's in general with the players collectively on this team.  I see it in every loss especially the close games if this team took better shots attacked the paint more that likely win those games. If they have done that they'll likely still be sitting 3rd or 4th in the conference oppose to where they're sitting now.

[Murph]

You know what SJ needs to do?  Forget 3 point shooting and concentrate on getting to the line.

George Blaha and Greg Kelser told an interesting story last night.  They said the press asked Chuck Daily how the Pistons defense would be right after they acquired Adrian Dantley.  Daily answered that he thought their defense would improve, because Dantley drew so many fouls and got to the line so often that it allowed the Pistons defense to get set like 6 more times throughout a game.

Stanley Johnson should adopt the same formula.  He should bag 3 point shooting, which leads to transition baskets on the other end of the court.  And he should concentrate on bullying his way to the basket and drawing fouls like Adrian Dantley and Blake Griffin.  In this way, SJ will improve the Pistons defense even more.

And in fact, Johnson did just that last night.  He only took two 3 point shots, but he went 5-5 from the line.  

[Murph]

I see Stanley Johnson only took 2 shots from beyond the 3 point line last night.  That's all I ask.  If you're not a good 3 point shooter, don't shoot 3 pointers.  The rest of Johnson's game is slowly coming around.  

And speaking of busts, Justise Winslow stunk up the place last night.

On the bright side, Drummond had another monster game.  Ish played out of his mind.  And I loved Tolliver's dunk.  

On the downside, the starters are playing too many minutes, and we only have one healthy PG.  I hope Reggie comes back soon and is a positive force.



So the Pistons are .5 games out of 8th place, 3 games out of 6th place, 3.5 games out of 5th place and only 4.5 games behind the ailing Wizards in 4th place.  Should be interesting...  

[Phil-Good]

WOW!

Blake looks good.

Andre looks like he want to become A real NBA center and block shots and defend. WOW!

Ish is A solid PG. I like Ish Smith.

Bullock is here to stay!

But Stanley Johnson. I rag on Stanley Johnson all day everyday day.

BUT HE HAD the eye of the Tiger TONIGHT! WOW!

I wonder how Reggie Jackson will come back and F--Up the chemistry with he ball hogging and half azz effort?

Stan better dump Jackson ASAP!

[BallinD]

Energy: Probably one of the most bestial frontcourts in the league now that we have Stanimal joining the bullyball party.

Bestial Blocks:  I think Dre is finally getting the hang and timing of the blocked shot, a major evolution in his game. And he likes it!  4 of them.

Attack Mode: Stanimal in attack mode looks like an NBA player, finally, and if he can only continue to get in the paint and continue to rebound...I would say doable.  When he is on the court sometimes you can see he wants to will us to victory!

All we need: is Luke to...Feel The Force Luke!

That's That Ish: Holding Down The Fort!

[Oracle]

We'll take it. Miami just isn't that good to me, Philly really had no problem with them, that game wasn't as close as it seemed if you didn't watch it.

The fact that we struggled with them, without Whiteside, and them on a back to back is bad. Blake obviously can't fix everything about this team, and if Ish doesn't have an out of body experience, we're toast! Of course, Drummond had a very good game with their big man out.

Stanley does some very good stuff and turns around and does some really stupid stuff. Hell, he loses the damn ball with no one around him, just lost concentration, a brain fart for a minute and Miami picks up the fumble. But he did what I want him to do in the 4th, he bullied his way to the rim for a tough shot and it was a big one. Well, he's a 3rd year player, so I guess he'll get smarter.

Blake was awfully quiet in the 2nd half, but hit a MASSIVE 3 down the stretch that really sealed the deal and then dished to Ish to close the door with a corner 3.

That's the only thing I really liked is that we're closing games better, and that counts for something until the chemistry gets right, they're really not playing like a team yet.

Having lodged all of my complaints, this was a BIG WIN, we're 1/2 a game out of 8th seed and the playoffs!!!

[WTF]

I can run down a list of players that needed to improve their shooting over the course of their careers, Magic, MJ, James just to add few more names to the three you mentioned.   These are HOF players so it make the hair on my stand to mention them even as an example can't we find similar players that could be used as an example.   Maybe Rip for example who was horrible shooting deep but he worked on his deep ball I believe he got better.  BTW the way it makes my hair stand on my neck using Rip as well 

Also the reason why I hate using certain players as examples especially The Elite Players is it like saying look if they can so kind SJ.  I would be all in with this if we were saying this about an SJ that came in the league starting, was rookie of the year, already been in an 2 ASG and all we were concerned about was if he can improve his shooting from deep.  

IMO if SJ thinks nothing wrong then he never get better shooting deep especially when he has players like Tolliver on the team and a coach that thinks the crappy shooting from deep is okay.

[Sparma]

Earlier, I mentioned Grant, Jason K, and Blake to illustrate that distance shooting could be improved.  It's a possibility.  My general position (brought up numerous times concerning B.Knight) is that marked improvement in a skill is really, really rare in the NBA.  That's a whole story unto itself.  I do think there's great physical maturation (bulk, strength) that often occurs, for close to 10 years for those entering the NBA, especially at 19.  I see most improvement linked to physical maturation, minutes, opportunity, and fit, more so than in sheer improvement in skill level ("experience" is a bit of a sliding wild card).  For instance, I saw Spencer Dinwiddie as a really skilled player out of college, but at some doubts about him playing at NBA PG pace.  Clearly he added significant bulk, he's farther away from injury, and he's getting real opportunity.  So, it's possible that Stanley J will become a solid shooter from distance.  The odds aren't with him though.

That wasn't really what I want to discuss though.  Only once in the first 12 years (4 where he played few games) did Grant put up more than .5 3s per 36.  Stanley's more than doubled that all three of his seasons, at 1.3, 1.2, and 1.3.  Granted more 3s are launched now, but plenty were then too.  Grant did put up 1.3 per 36 one season, when he was playing at an MVP level, putting up a per of 24.5, roughly 3x SJ's career per of 8.2.  Dude was a superstar.  That season ('99-00), he averaged 34.7% from 3, which I'm guessing would have been right around the league % at that time (isn't it 36-37% now?).  His 3s weren't a liability.  They may even have been a necessity given how the league packed the middle against him.  His second highest attempts to that point came in his 2nd best 3 point shooting season to that point.  He knew what he was doing!  Most of his early career he was crummy at 3 point shooting, and he rarely took 3 point shots.  Smart!!  He waited until late in his career, when he was a better shooter, until he started hoisting them.

Stanley's never come close to Hill's .347 % (peaking at .307 in a better shooting league), but he's hoisting them for his career (1.3 per 36) at the rate a respectably shooting Grant did once his first 12 seasons, playing at MVP level.

Grant was a bad, or at least limited, shooter most of his time in Detroit.  We talked about that all the time!!  Stanley's a bad distance shooter.  Looks like the difference is that one guy knew it (and made fitting adjustments), while the other guy doesn't.  I can live with a bad shooter.  I loved Grant of Teal yore.  It's much harder putting up with bad judgment, but if you're really, really great (a la Westbrook) I'll try to live with that too.  But bad shooting combined with bad judgment?  BAD combination.

(but he's young...)

[cool breeze]

Why is it so hard for you to comprehend what you read, what in the world are you talking about here,

"You and Murph are very angry with Stanley Johnson. Do you want him traded Oracle?" - Don

I told you EXACTLY what I wanted,

"Somebody needs to tell him to NEVER take a 3 point shot unless there's one second left on the shot clock, otherwise get to the freaking paint and do what you do best... BULLY!" - Oracle

So what do you do? You go off and make up a whole bunch of silly crap that NOBODY said, react the the fake stuff you invented to write a long post about something nobody said and nobody is talking about.

It's so hard to communicate logic to you...

CTFU!!!! You know he loves SJ    It's Kyle Singler all over......

Maybe the next time Stanley misses a wide open 3 point shot you should all get together and hang him from the highest tree you can find. Watch him close. Find every defect you can muster up and ignore all the positives he brings to the team. But what if one of you happened to be Stanley Johnson. You had just played your butt off in the last two games and some idiot brings up your 3 point shooting They never mentioned any of the positives you might have brought with your effort on defense and of course they didn't watch that big steal and brought up hey the Pistons won by 2 points. You would say, please trade me. I hate these Piston fans. They have very selective memories and always hated me from the day I arrived. I should have listened to Brandon Knight because he warned me about Piston fans.

Johnson has to keep shooting wide open 3s if the defense is allowing that to happen. If he starts making those longer jump shots, then his ability to break down a defense with his first step will open up easy dunks for AD and BG. If he is shooting contested 3 point attempts they have to be taken only when the shot clock is expiring. My criticism of the cheap shots relating to Johnson's outside shooting is that it was not justified in the last two games. Yet the back seat driving continued. His presence on the court made a difference in both games and he was the best player on the court for either team in the Miami game. He made big long range jump shots in the 2nd half of the close game against Memphis. Nobody talked about Bullock missing all of his shots but one in the 2nd half of that game. Without Johnson making his jump shots the Pistons would have lost the game. When everyone jumped on to "GROUP THINK" relating to Johnson's shooting defects it was just as comical for me as Oracle thought my responses have been. We will all just have to agree to disagree regarding Johnson's impact for the Pistons. I believe he is very important to the team just for his defensive presence. And it is obvious that SVG feels the same way. SVG is afraid to take him out of games now. Opponents light up the arena when he goes to the bench. Every good NBA team needs to have great scorers but to win they need players like Stanley Johnson. I just hope that you back seat drivers are in the minority and Johnson does have a fan base in Detroit who shows him some love. Johnson fits in with the Bad Boys style. Some of you fans appear to long for the Teal uniforms. Don't you dare shoot those 3 balls Stanley. Liston to us. We are really smart watchers. And besides Johnson never ties his shoes the right way either. Get rid of him.

If some of you do not bond emotionally with some of the current players and support any of them why are you involved? It is about numbers? Do some of you want to be the guy making Piston decisions? That isn't going to happen. Piston players need fans who pull for them to be successful. If you want to find defects in Johnson and hate his guts because he shoots open 3 point shots, go for it. But try to find another player you love and pull for that player to be successful. That is part of the fun of being a fan. If SVG read any of your posts relating to Johnson he would laugh. The coaching staff knows Johnson needs to improve his shooting but they sure want him to keep on shooting. They know how well he performs in other areas that the team needs to win. And they believe he will at some point be a player who will be unstoppable because of his driving ability. Nobody complained when Grant Hill couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when he played point forward for the Pistons. Johnson is just getting his feet wet because he has been forced to play with ball dominate selfish point guards. Hopefully that will now change with the addition of Blake Griffin.

Maybe those who want to see Johnson on the bench or traded like they did with Singler and Knight, are emotionally bonded with Reggie Jackson. I never thought of that so if you are keep giving him your love. He will need some if he keeps on dribbling while Blake Griffin is on the floor.

[WTF]

Stanley's done a lot of things really well recently, as Don points out.

I continue to agree with skeptics about SJ's distance shooting though. For his career, he's a tick under 30%, and worse this year. It'd be great if he could become a solid shooter. Guys like Jason Kidd and our own Blake Griffin show that it can be done. Grant Hill made some progress, as I remember.

I'm glad you agree with the skeptics concerning SJ shooting    but you know how I get when we start mentioning less proven players in the same sentences with other player great players.   Certainly there's a sliver of hope SJ could improve his shooting but I don't think he has the same type of mentality of a Kidd, Griffin or Hill to want to improve especially if he already thinks he's a great shooter regardless to facts proving otherwise.

[Sparma]

Stanley's done a lot of things really well recently, as Don points out.

I continue to agree with skeptics about SJ's distance shooting though. For his career, he's a tick under 30%, and worse this year. It'd be great if he could become a solid shooter. Guys like Jason Kidd and our own Blake Griffin show that it can be done. Grant Hill made some progress, as I remember.

In the meantime, work on your shot in practice, Stanley, developing a reliable and sustainable release point for the NBA. Don't make the court your lab until you've got a distance shot worth putting to a real test.

What worries me about Stanley is that he doesn't seem to have the self-awareness that he's not a good shooter. When he came back, he had a nice game although the team played badly. A reporter said something like it must have felt good to hit that first shot from distance. Stanley appeared to take the question/ comment as a kind of slight, replying that he doesn't see himself as a bad shooter. Fact check: you're a bad shooter from distance, Stanley, according to NBA standards. Focus on your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and work on them. It's when you're not able to see your weaknesses that things get scary. That's when I question his ability to make good judgments about his shooting. I see evidence of that poor judgment regarding distance shooting on the court. Play smart and you'll be a valuable contributor!

(btw, I question that SVG has the patience to see whether SJ's distance shooting will come around some day, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of these trade rumors about him turns out to be true.)

[WTF]

Good for Moose the Celtics are a good fit for him as well he might see some PT in the Finals if Boston handle their business.

[WTF]

Why is it so hard for you to comprehend what you read, what in the world are you talking about here,

"You and Murph are very angry with Stanley Johnson. Do you want him traded Oracle?" - Don

I told you EXACTLY what I wanted,

"Somebody needs to tell him to NEVER take a 3 point shot unless there's one second left on the shot clock, otherwise get to the freaking paint and do what you do best... BULLY!" - Oracle

So what do you do? You go off and make up a whole bunch of silly crap that NOBODY said, react the the fake stuff you invented to write a long post about something nobody said and nobody is talking about.

It's so hard to communicate logic to you...

CTFU!!!! You know he loves SJ    It's Kyle Singler all over......

[Oracle]

Why is it so hard for you to comprehend what you read, what in the world are you talking about here,

"You and Murph are very angry with Stanley Johnson. Do you want him traded Oracle?" - Don

I told you EXACTLY what I wanted,

"Somebody needs to tell him to NEVER take a 3 point shot unless there's one second left on the shot clock, otherwise get to the freaking paint and do what you do best... BULLY!" - Oracle

So what do you do? You go off and make up a whole bunch of silly crap that NOBODY said, react the the fake stuff you invented to write a long post about something nobody said and nobody is talking about.

It's so hard to communicate logic to you...

[cool breeze]

Shooting 25% from deep while taking 8 freaking shots from there is EXACTLY what you claimed to hate about KCP, and all of a sudden that's a good game to you? You totally ignored anything else KCP did when he shot bad, but now you can find nuggets of made up stuff... wow!

I agree with Murph, Griffin looked GREAT, the rest of the team, especially Stanley, not so good.

Stanley was totally a dumbass in this game. He's blessed with that great NBA body without the good sense to use it and take better shots.

Somebody needs to tell him to NEVER take a 3 point shot unless there's one second left on the shot clock, otherwise get to the freaking paint and do what you do best... BULLY!

But did you miss the 2nd half of the game for some reason Oracle? Why the negative criticism with this powerful 21 year old player? I suppose you hated the way Johnson played in the Miami game as well. Johnson is not a player like Pope. Johnson is a play making type of player who hasn't been able to touch the ball enough in the past to show that part of his game. Was his steal a terrible play in crunch time? I saw Johnson make that type of steal on the wing about 20 times in his one year at Arizona. Johnson did the same thing in the Miami game in the 2nd half. He always waited until late in the game to do it in college. Johnson can be a really powerful offensive weapon now playing with Griffin. You just cannot conceive of that possibility perhaps. Maybe you will be pleasantly shocked as this season progresses. Johnson is already a very important piece of the starting lineup on defense. But his quickness, passing ability and play making ability along with his defense now makes Johnson a huge asset for the Pistons. He will be up and down for awhile but I predict Johnson is going to be a highly respected player by his peers before his career is over. The fans are fickle. Players like playing with Johnson type performers. I thought that you might go wild after Johnson's game against Miami but maybe some missed that game. By the way, Johnson hit several big long range jump shots in the 2nd half of this last game in critical situations. That was why I was so puzzled with Murph's comments. Everyone missed jump shots in this last game. You and Murph are very angry with Stanley Johnson. Do you want him traded Oracle? Bullock made shots in the first half but had bad luck for most of the 2nd. I like four players in the current starting lineup and feel they can match up with a lot of good teams.

Andre Drummond
Blake Griffin
Stanley Johnson
Reggie Bullock

It is the other position that that I have not listed that everyone should be extremely worried about when the Pistons play teams fighting for the playoffs. Smith played an outstanding game last night. If he could play that way and can match up defensively with starting guards, then I am good with Smith continuing as the starter. Now that Wall is out that eliminates one fantastic guard that the Pistons won't have to face on defense. It will be how SVG controls the point guards that will determine how well this team plays from here on out. I am one fan who is extremely worried about Reggie Jackson's style and how that fits now that Griffin has arrived. I am also concerned about the 2nd unit. Last night the 2nd unit in the 2nd quarter was horrible. But Bucks played really well in the 2nd half. That was great. Luke Kennard was horrible on both ends of the floor in this last game. Am I down on Luke like you and Murph are with Johnson? No way. It takes time and patience with young talented players. I feel the same way about Ellenson. Ellenson is a big strong athlete with a big motor. He just needs playing time and patience from his coach. SVG has to keep playing both players for the remainder of the season regardless of what happens.

There is no doubt in my mind that Johnson is going to make a huge impact in the NBA eventually hitting making it the norm to have games like he did against Labron's Cleveland team two games ago. I want it to happen while he plays for Detroit. There is no way I want him thrown in with a trade like Dumars did with Middleton. I am just happy that SVG did not throw in Johnson with this last trade. Who knows what desperate GMs will do when things are going bad? The number of minutes SJ has received over the past three games makes me believe that our coach is figuring out that if he helps Johnson by showing confidence in him and making him part of the offense, then things will really start clicking for the team. So I respectfully disagree with you and Murph regarding your criticism of Johnson's shot selection. He was open for the shots he took. That is what was important to me. He had the guts to take those shots. Maybe I am a bit too protective and emotional when I read this negative stuff when I see the games and believe that a certain player has been a big part of the last two victories. I provided my details in the response to Murph's post. If you are asked by your coach to defend the top skill player be it the point guard, 2 guard or small forward that is an honor that any player takes to heart. Johnson is the type of player who is called upon and is trusted now as a 21 year old guy to fill that role. SJ is also asked to clog up the paint in transition until our bigs get their butts back on defense. You hate to see that Johnson is not shooting a high percentage from distance. I don't like that either and I still do not like his release even when he makes his jumpers. That But nobody wins much unless you have players with heart who will do the dirty work.Nobody wins if you don't have players who will give up their bodies for the team. Nobody wins who doesn't have players who will give up their shot and pass the ball to a teammate with a better opportunity. It has been Johnson who has provided Drummond with a lot of great passes in the paint this season. Johnson has one advantage over most players. He has played and been MVP while playing every position on the court as a high school player. You need a center OK coach I will play center. You need a point guard? OK coach I can do that. Johnson is used to winning. He has been forced to play with selfish ball dominate low basketball IQ point guards who cannot think 2 or 3 plays ahead. If Zeke were in his prime playing with Johnson, you can bet that Johnson would be fully developed by now. Johnson is still one of Zeke's favorite Piston players. As with Pope who was punished for years standing in the baseline corner, our point guards have only thought of themselves and their star power and only have the ability to think one half of a play ahead at best. I am referring to our starting point guard Reggie Jackson with that comment. I wish this team could get a Paul George type point guard now. I am not looking forward to our hotdog glamor crazed Reggie Jackson one man show. But it is coming so I hope the Pistons get real lucky and the ball bounces the right way for the team. If SVG is not worried about the return of RJ and the way he plays the game, I would be very surprised. Even If RJ changes his style it will take him a month to get his timing and in game shape. The trade deadline has not come and gone just yet. SVG gets some credit for building a new team that has potential. The one big thing missing is a top tier point guard. If he can pull of something involving a point guard trade, I will very happy. I want a trade involving Reggie Jackson. I wish for a team first type of point guard or let Blake Griffin play as point forward mixing Ish Smith in and out as necessary. We do not need Reggie Jackson as we have known him in the past. Can RJ change his game to fit this team? I like Blake with the ball at the top of the key. I also like SJ on the top of the key surveying the court to create the best options for his teammates. Last night Ish Smith was thinking about his teammates. I loved it.

[WTF]

Collectively I wish they all stop taking too many 3's and that include those that's can make them.  There's no heat check in any of the players and that bugs the hell out me.  

We're get that type of game out of Blake consistently and if AD holds up his end then the rest of the group needs to step it up.  I can't stand Tolliver or SJ game mainly because the dumb 3's they take during a course of the game.  If you're leading why take a freaking 3, they're shot for taking leads and tying games.  Periodically you want to deliver a dagger here and there and that's okay but not 31 times in a game especially when you freaking not hitting them when you take them.

[Oracle]

Shooting 25% from deep while taking 8 freaking shots from there is EXACTLY what you claimed to hate about KCP, and all of a sudden that's a good game to you? You totally ignored anything else KCP did when he shot bad, but now you can find nuggets of made up stuff... wow!

I agree with Murph, Griffin looked GREAT, the rest of the team, especially Stanley, not so good.

Stanley was totally a dumbass in this game. He's blessed with that great NBA body without the good sense to use it and take better shots.

Somebody needs to tell him to NEVER take a 3 point shot unless there's one second left on the shot clock, otherwise get to the freaking paint and do what you do best... BULLY!

[Murph]

I was not impressed with SJ last night.  I swear he has the be the dimmest player on the team.  Earth to Stanley:  There's a reason why you're open at the 3 point line all the time.  It's because you suck at shooting 3 pointers!

If he stopped shooting 3 pointers altogether, he would be a much better player.

If he's going to continue shooting himself into oblivion, then he needs to come off the bench, until he can control himself.

I appears that I must step in and defend my MAN, Stanley Johnson. What game were you watching Murph? If you don't think that Johnson had a big impact on this last game especially in the 2nd half when the game was on the line then I have to assume that you are just attempting to spread negative propaganda involving our 21 year old player who is now just starting to feel that he might be a real part of the Piston team. of course that will still depend on the point guards and if they freeze him out once Reggie returns. Maybe he will shrink into oblivion. But as of now without Reggie's impact who has always been very selective passer, SJ is showing his power relating to helping create a winning mentality. Did you miss the last three games? Here are the stats which I hate because stats usually tells very little about who impacts a game relating to winning or losing.

One stat that sticks out for me as a former coach is this. Stanley Johnson is guarding the opponents highest scoring skill player and he is asked to play help defense relating to protecting the paint. You can always see him get back very quickly and pick up players trying to establish position in the paint. He had to guard Labron James in two out of the last three games. Yet check out the amount of fouls he accumulated. In the last game he was called for 1 foul and an T. In the two Piston matchups with Cleveland, he committed few personal fouls playing against Labron. But in his mega what I call his break out game of his career as a Piston that somehow you have forgotten even though that game was played just a few days ago against Cleveland, Stanley Johnson compiled the following stats but more important he controlled that game from beginning to end.

Cleveland vs Detroit - Johnson's stats
Minutes played - 40
Points scored - 26
Rebounds - 10
Assists - 4
Blocks - 1
Steals - 2
personal fouls - 2

I'll throw this in just for giggles relating to the Memphis game

Memphis vs Detroit
Minutes played - 36
Points scored - 14
Assists - 3
Rebounds - 3
Steals - 1
Personal fouls - 1
Perhaps the key play of the Memphis game being Detroit only won by 2 points was Johnson's steal late in the game from the wing where he drive full blast the length of the court and set Drummond up for an easy layup. It was a play of perfection where Johnson was in complete control throughout. That must not have had any effect on you.

Johnson needs to keep shooting the ball from distance even if he keeps on missing. He needs to establish the threat and will eventually knock down those open shots. The reason why I say this is because of Johnson's driving ability. After watching Griffin makes those moves in the paint, I said to myself he looks a lot like the old Stanley Johnson I used to watch before he designated as a fringe player for the Pistons. The power and control of the team was placed in the hands of Reggie Jackson and Jackson never was very kind to Stanley Johnson. And the Piston coaching staff really screwed with Johnson's head early on as well when they told him that to survive in the league he had to become a good outside shooter. That is when they messed with his jump shot changing his release. What the coaching staff should have done was make Johnson a big part of the offense from day 1. He is a hardcore driver. He has that great first step and ability to penetrate and change directions and get into the paint. But the situations within the Piston offense were not designed to take advantage of Johnson's real strength. He can penetrate with power and find teammates for easy shots. But instead of doing what he had been so successful with at every level while playing multiple positions doing it, Johnson was relegated to standing beyond the baseline 3 point line. Last season it was Morris shooting his outside jump shot. Or Harris shooting his outside jump shot. And at times the point guards threw Pope a bone and let him come off a few screens for his mid range jump shot that became really effective. Pope just didn't get that many attempts because of the point guards.

While you have focused on Johnson's missed 3 point attempts, I want more of Johnson's personality in the make up of the Piston offense. Now with Griffin on the team, the combination of Johnson and Griffin's driving ability and passing ability could put the Pistons into a position to make a great run if they can get into the playoffs.

Don...all I'm saying is that until SJ can hit his 3 point shots with any regularity, he should quit taking them.

The Grizzlies were literally leaving Johnson alone at the 3 point line, begging him to shoot. And Johnson obliged by going 2-8 from the 3 point line and taking a team high in 3 point attempts.

It is possible that the starting unit would play better with another long range shooter (Kennard) in the line-up as opposed to Johnson. Kennard and Bullock are our two best 3 point shooters. IMO, the Pistons might play better with Kennard and Bullock in the starting line-up to spread the floor for Griffin, Drummond and Jackson, who operate mostly inside.

[cool breeze]

I was not impressed with SJ last night.  I swear he has the be the dimmest player on the team.  Earth to Stanley:  There's a reason why you're open at the 3 point line all the time.  It's because you suck at shooting 3 pointers!

If he stopped shooting 3 pointers altogether, he would be a much better player.

If he's going to continue shooting himself into oblivion, then he needs to come off the bench, until he can control himself.

I appears that I must step in and defend my MAN, Stanley Johnson. What game were you watching Murph? If you don't think that Johnson had a big impact on this last game especially in the 2nd half when the game was on the line then I have to assume that you are just attempting to spread negative propaganda involving our 21 year old player who is now just starting to feel that he might be a real part of the Piston team. of course that will still depend on the point guards and if they freeze him out once Reggie returns. Maybe he will shrink into oblivion. But as of now without Reggie's impact who has always been very selective passer, SJ is showing his power relating to helping create a winning mentality. Did you miss the last three games? Here are the stats which I hate because stats usually tells very little about who impacts a game relating to winning or losing.

One stat that sticks out for me as a former coach is this. Stanley Johnson is guarding the opponents highest scoring skill player and he is asked to play help defense relating to protecting the paint. You can always see him get back very quickly and pick up players trying to establish position in the paint. He had to guard Labron James in two out of the last three games. Yet check out the amount of fouls he accumulated. In the last game he was called for 1 foul and an T. In the two Piston matchups with Cleveland, he committed few personal fouls playing against Labron. But in his mega what I call his break out game of his career as a Piston that somehow you have forgotten even though that game was played just a few days ago against Cleveland, Stanley Johnson compiled the following stats but more important he controlled that game from beginning to end.

Cleveland vs Detroit - Johnson's stats
Minutes played - 40
Points scored - 26
Rebounds - 10
Assists - 4
Blocks - 1
Steals - 2
personal fouls - 2

I'll throw this in just for giggles relating to the Memphis game

Memphis vs Detroit
Minutes played - 36
Points scored - 14
Assists - 3
Rebounds - 3
Steals - 1
Personal fouls - 1
Perhaps the key play of the Memphis game being Detroit only won by 2 points was Johnson's steal late in the game from the wing where he drive full blast the length of the court and set Drummond up for an easy layup. It was a play of perfection where Johnson was in complete control throughout. That must not have had any effect on you.

Johnson needs to keep shooting the ball from distance even if he keeps on missing. He needs to establish the threat and will eventually knock down those open shots. The reason why I say this is because of Johnson's driving ability. After watching Griffin makes those moves in the paint, I said to myself he looks a lot like the old Stanley Johnson I used to watch before he designated as a fringe player for the Pistons. The power and control of the team was placed in the hands of Reggie Jackson and Jackson never was very kind to Stanley Johnson. And the Piston coaching staff really screwed with Johnson's head early on as well when they told him that to survive in the league he had to become a good outside shooter. That is when they messed with his jump shot changing his release. What the coaching staff should have done was make Johnson a big part of the offense from day 1. He is a hardcore driver. He has that great first step and ability to penetrate and change directions and get into the paint. But the situations within the Piston offense were not designed to take advantage of Johnson's real strength. He can penetrate with power and find teammates for easy shots. But instead of doing what he had been so successful with at every level while playing multiple positions doing it, Johnson was relegated to standing beyond the baseline 3 point line. Last season it was Morris shooting his outside jump shot. Or Harris shooting his outside jump shot. And at times the point guards threw Pope a bone and let him come off a few screens for his mid range jump shot that became really effective. Pope just didn't get that many attempts because of the point guards.

While you have focused on Johnson's missed 3 point attempts, I want more of Johnson's personality in the make up of the Piston offense. Now with Griffin on the team, the combination of Johnson and Griffin's driving ability and passing ability could put the Pistons into a position to make a great run if they can get into the playoffs.

But I can't see that happening unless Piston management changes it's philosophy relating to how they want their point guards to play offense. We all know the biggest weakness in the team is point guard defense. Buycks and Galloway are the best point guard defenders. Ish Smith is better than Reggie Jackson. Jackson scares the hell out of me. He is not a good fit for this Piston team especially now that Blake Griffin has arrived. Jackson has a one track mind. He does not see the court well. He will focus on his personal offense and play politics and look too much for Griffin to carry the load much like he did with Tobias Harris. Griffin the the best player on this team by far. But we need a point guard who will share the ball with a high basketball IQ player like Stanley Johnson. Johnson's ability to break down a defense and find Griffin and Drummond to finish plays is essential for this team to win. Not only does Johnson's offensive impact help Drummond and Griffin but also Bullock will get wide open looks. I pray that SVG will trade Reggie Jackson for someone like Paul George before the trade deadline. If not, I predict dysfunction and stagnation where opposing teams will fulling concentrate on shutting down Blake Griffin. The Piston offensive players need to move without the basketball and share the basketball a lot to be successful. That means they need to use both sides of the court that will include play maker, Stanley Johnson on the weak side. The Pistons could be unstoppable if SVG coaches the right way.

Last night Ish Smith played a great game. He picked his spots and made his shots. He shared the basketball and moved without the basketball. He even set some screens too. I will always be a Ish Smith fan if he will play that way all of the time. And he showed that he can last night. I have no confidence that Reggie Jackson will ever play the right way. Reggie is about Reggie and he must score and dominate and include or exclude teammates anyway he sees fit. If this coach cannot correct this malfunction he has to go along with Reggie Jackson. I am sure whoever replaces SVG will make it his first priority to change the way Piston point guards have been playing since SVG arrived. Everyone has their worries who cares about the Pistons. We all think differently too. Maybe my view is not correct and your view that Johnson should be punished and brought off the bench again. But I think Piston success moving forward depends a great deal on how many touches Johnson gets along with how hard the coach works to create plays for Johnson so he can compliment Blake Griffin and make the Piston offense unstoppable. If the coach allows ball dominate point guards to go off on their own in an attempt to create all of the offense, this team will fall out of the playoffs and flat on their asses. I would this coach has seen enough of that type of dysfunction. Players stand and are passive with no hope of touching the basketball. What kind of idiot coach allows that to happen?

[Murph]

Griffin looked terrific. I can't believe how well he scores in traffic and draws fouls. There is nothing he doesn't do well; his has no area of weakness. And he's an amazingly smart player also.

Drummond and the rest of the team looked shaky, except for maybe Ish. They looked like they were trying too hard to impress Griffin.

That said, once Drummond and Griffin get comfortable with each other and get their timing down, they are going to be lethal. Drummond is going to get like 5 dunks a game off of BG's passes. And then when Reggie comes back....watch out...

[Murph]

I was not impressed with SJ last night.  I swear he has the be the dimmest player on the team.  Earth to Stanley:  There's a reason why you're open at the 3 point line all the time.  It's because you suck at shooting 3 pointers!

If he stopped shooting 3 pointers altogether, he would be a much better player.

If he's going to continue shooting himself into oblivion, then he needs to come off the bench, until he can control himself.

[Oracle]

@Ballin, I love your sense of humor, "Don't screw this up Stan; you know you want to!", was too funny ! On Stanley, yes he did come out of this decent, but I thought he took too many 3's when better shots were available. He can't get too excited just because a few shots went in. I don't know if Luke has hit the rook wall, but he has been less productive lately.

@Lemon - I agree, putting Blake on Gasol was brilliant, because on that last shot, Gasol was absolutely fouled! Refs shouldn't make that call on a last play, but if any other scrub Piston had guarded him that way, he would have been at the line to win the game.

@Sparma - This isn't Blake trying to get away from getting beat up for years, he was more so doing the beating, this is an evolution in his game that's been going on for years to add the passing, 3 point shooting, dribbling, etc., none of which he had when he entered the league, he could mostly only dunk!

@Wise - Yes, I said it early and often, even if it's just Blake and Drummond, that combination can only be stopped by great defense or special players. I don't see most teams having an answer, too much athleticism and power. When Reggie gets added to the equation, they're going to be ridiculous.

Notes:
1. Chemistry: There wasn't any beyond the natural chemistry between our two bigs. I can't wait until they actually learn to play together, this team could be something.

2. Attendance: Watching the games it looked to me like LCA only had about 2000-3000 fans there most nights, there were so many empty seats.

Imagine my surprise to find out that we're averaging 17,465 fans per game, 19th in the league!!!

We had 17,481 last night, which is only 83% capacity, but that's still a good number.

LCA isn't the loser attendance wise that it looks like on TV!

[BallinD]

What an amazing pleasure to see BG going to work.  We haven't had a player quite like this since the Bad Boys era.  On the block, getting to the line, in Iso, directing the team, passing, hitting 3s and just being poised to take advantage of what's presented. Cool, calm and collected, and physical!  We have our leader and our star.  We now look like a real team.  Even Weggie gonna have to bow down to this reality.

Don't screw this up Stan; you know you want to!   Glad he went back to Bikes.  Good to see SJ put two decent games together; he will be needed.  Luke has hit the rookie wall.

[Sparma]

As good as advertised tonight. One part that I think will make for a consistent improvement is Blake's ability to get to the line.

My sense is that Blake's been a superstar, and he's now trying to adjust to more of a finesse (more passing, distance shooting) game after getting beaten up for years. He's still a star, and as long as he's healthy and can co-exist reasonably with Dre, we should be in for a team upgrade.

A peak at his career stats shows that he's been over 22 PER since his second season (outstanding!), until this year when he's at his lowest at 20.7. That's still really good (again, a number Laim and Ben never hit for a season), but well below Dre's production this year. I think the Clippers knew what they were doing, but that doesn't mean our gamble can't pay off [in the short run, at least].

Started watching during the first quarter, with Blake driving into traffic for the bucket. The team completely fell apart at the end of the 1st/ beginning of the 2nd w/o him. Blake easily with the best +/- at 23, with Stanley J 2nd with a very nice +16.

He's got a better handle than I remembered. Protects the ball very well. Smooth. Can be a bruiser at times. Good passer, of course. Looks like he's got a decent shot, nothing great. Kelser commented on his skill in the post. I'd say he's the best guy we've had in the post since Sheed (and as his career progressed he seemed to hate going down low, even though he was tremendous there).

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