Kravtsov dominating...

[Oracle]

The boards and a tough score!!!

[Oracle]

Frank has been hiding a LOT of talent behind his closed coaching philosophy!

We've got more talent on this team that needs airing than the law allows!

Kravtsov is going to be a GREAT backup to Drummond until we can't afford him anymore!

[Grizz2]

I think I can answer this question!

"ESPN.com: Andre Drummond still has lots to learn but he could end up being the best player to emerge from the NBA Draft Class of 2012, writes David Thorpe. "Andre Drummond has been a revelation. Not only is he playing like someone who should have been the second pick in the draft (instead of the ninth), but he has executives and coaches thinking he can be the best player from this class. Yes, better than No. 1 pick and national collegiate player of the year Anthony Davis.""

Drummond WILL be better and more dominant than Davis... book it!

Just saw this: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

I like the Superman III thing, but I would like it more if Drummond was more of a Traditional Big with a for real post game. IMO I think Drummond can be better than both Shaq and Howard, especially Howard if he puts in tyhe effort to be Special.

Sitting here watching YouTube video of Ewing and I can see Drummond playing just the way ewing did offensively and even better defensively. Howard is a waste of space because never was ambitious enough to expand on his game and he had ewing right there. Shaq has title and power was his game he didn't need anything else and Drummond will never be Shaq size, but he already looks like a young Patrick.

Cynic .. good comparison of Ewing and Drummond ... Yep .. we have high hopes for this guy.. the player with the most talent many of us have ever seen in a Piston player ... Isaiah Thomas is the only one who comes close that I can think of ..

Rasheed was awfully talented. If it weren't for chronically sore feet, he'd be heading to the HOF.

Fly .. that is true .. Sheed was loaded ... Yeah ... Thomas . .Sheed .. Drummond .. our most talented players ever ... I saw Bing and Lanier play a bit ... HOFers . but I dont think ever saw them near their peak ... Rodman was up there too I suppose... Still would say are a step below the other group in raw talent of those top 3 ..

Gosh .. hope the back thing with Drummond is minor .. and that the lad gets himself in shape with a lot of stretching ...

[Grizz2]

Frank has been hiding a LOT of talent behind his closed coaching philosophy!

We've got more talent on this team that needs airing than the law allows!

Kravtsov is going to be a GREAT backup to Drummond until we can't afford him anymore!

Oracle ... sad but true ..

That is why I get so infuriated here in my posts .. You just know Frank is holding everyone back .. and yet .. he walks around after making mistakes of every kind .. The most serious being player rotations and position assignments ... And every loss his answer is the same .. the players didnt try hard enough .. JESUS EFFIN CHRIST ..

We win despite what Frank does as coach for the most part ..

I will always be pleased that he does have a strong defensive and feed the post angle to the team .. but ..

So we are developing inspite of him too .. And in fact .. Frank has kept the development down,,, stupidly and pointlessly .. .. and Joe too for that matter .. Just why the hell would anyone with half a brain want prince and max holding down starting positions on a team meant to be in development ..

Middleton, English, Kravtsov, Drummond all look pretty damn good out there .. WTF is his I-AM-THE-SHORT-DUMB-BALD slum lord aura he carries around all the time .. He had done nothing to be proud of ...

Should we go and get AI, Wilkins, Russell Jr, and T-MAC back on the team so Joe and Frank can have an even fuller roster of good old vets to pal around with? Our experiences with these foggies alone should have been enough for Joe D to get with the development .. and eff everything else ..

[Oracle]

Pistons are even worse!

This is a really bad loss!

Calderon leads team in turnovers, fortunately it's only 3!

At least the Nets have a go to big man!

[Rett]

[Grizz2]

Everyday in everyway, the Detroit Pistons are getting better and better.. and getting closer to getting rid of Frank ..

[Grizz2]

Actually .. maybe because I didnt see the game loss in agonizing fashion .. I feel like giving Frank and the team a pass on this one because they are still getting to know how to play together .. A new PG is a big deal .. Possibly it would have been a better idea to start Bynum and Knight together for a while ... Too bad about Drummond being hurt ... Hope he gets well soon .. no rush to return ..

I didnt see the game but am guessing maybe Kravtsov blew some assignments (from his plus / minus) but .. that is the point .. you cant get experience without making mistakes .. Keep playing Krav .. 11 minutes!

I have lost all confidence in Stuckey .. the guy just is a shell of the player he potentially could have been ..

I didnt expect Frank to figure out a smooth transition for a new player .. It seems to take him 2 or 3 weeks to figure out how to implement any player move from starter to bench or visa versa ...

Go Pistons!

[Grizz2]

Drummond: It's not my back, it's my tailbone. I fell on it the wrong way in the Laker gm so just need a day, day or 2 so I'm good.


Here's hoping AD is back in no time kicking ass ...

[deusXango]

Drummond: It's not my back, it's my tailbone. I fell on it the wrong way in the Laker gm so just need a day, day or 2 so I'm good.


Here's hoping AD is back in no time kicking ass ...

Grizz, the coccyx bone is one of the most dangerous, and painful, of the spinal bones to be injured. Drummond is young and don't know any better (he just want so badly to play), but Arnie Kander should know this sh!t, if I do...if not Arnie, then the team doctor should have issued a cautionary warning to management, because this young man is the real future of this franchise. All Lions fans should remember when MegaTron went up after one of those wild ass throws in his rookie year, and had his legs taken out from under him and came down on his "tail bone"; remember how long he was out, and how timid he was to leave his feet after that? The "tail bone" is the coccyx, for all that don't know.

[deusXango]

Slava Kravtsov has got to be one smart mutha' to pick up the language in such a short time...that was the reason Lil' Larry didn't allow him on the floor, isn't it, he couldn't communicate? More BS of the little man being exposed. The only thing developing on this team is the growing ignorance of Lil' Larry.

[deusXango]

Give Khris Middleton 20-25 minutes of PT one night, and all of us will have our hair blown back; we'll see some mistakes but, we'll also see that there has not been any justification to keep him buried on the bench either. I've said it before, and I'm saying it still, this team has better talent than we've been allowed to see...the Pistons, as a team, ain't that bad...the coach sucks, and preaching defense doesn't change that (it's part of his schick to hold down the HC chair for as long as he can...any coach worth his salt will talk defense, and Lil' Larry knows this).

[Grizz2]

Drummond: It's not my back, it's my tailbone. I fell on it the wrong way in the Laker gm so just need a day, day or 2 so I'm good.


Here's hoping AD is back in no time kicking ass ...

Grizz, the coccyx bone is one of the most dangerous, and painful, of the spinal bones to be injured. Drummond is young and don't know any better (he just want so badly to play), but Arnie Kander should know this sh!t, if I do...if not Arnie, then the team doctor should have issued a cautionary warning to management, because this young man is the real future of this franchise. All Lions fans should remember when MegaTron went up after one of those wild ass throws in his rookie year, and had his legs taken out from under him and came down on his "tail bone"; remember how long he was out, and how timid he was to leave his feet after that? The "tail bone" is the coccyx, for all that don't know.

DX .. thanks for the info .. I'm sure you are right this kind of injury can be quite serious .. but even if you are right ... I hope AD ends up being right that it is not a big deal and that he will be OK .. Talk about a castastrophe losing AD would be .. Knock on wood ..

[deusXango]

Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight should have been able to play with Drummond, Singler, English, Kravtsov, and Middleton this year...that's what I'd call a rebuilding team that's developing in earnest. I'm not going to say the record would be better than it is but, considering the vets who've wasted valuable time, it wouldn't be worse!!! It doesn't matter which camp you're in (those that blame Lil' Larry or those that blame Fat Joe), somebody should be held accountable for this cockamamie handling of this team, and treated accordingly.

Moose and BK7 deserved better than what they've been given, to continue to develop, and Drummond should have been looked at as being in the same class, until he proved otherwise (we can all clearly see that's not the case).

I'd love to see Ben McLemore or Otto Porter or Michael Carter-Williams or Shabazz Mohammad or Trey Burke or.............* Oh hell, nobody's listening that matters, just my fellow posters.

[merc]

Interesting discussions tonight fellow posters... tailbone vs. the back?... thanks DX for shedding some light on this important subject... I had my collegiate career at UM (Missouri) shortened due to an ACL injury... spent a lot of time in physical therapy doing something called balance and proprioceptive exercises... I met a few young athletes that had lower back treatments... this can range from acute to chronic.. a couple of these dudes were addicted to opiates from severe back pain... others were taking epideral (sp) shots... and some were just taking relaxants and doing regular therapy... so I don't think we can make a blanket statement that one injury is better than another...
Thankfully we have Arnie and a good medical staff to deal with A.D.'s issues... if I've learned one thing it was that strengthening the muscle around the injury is key to a long term recovery... I strongly believe in keeping the weight down to reduce stress on the joints... For Andre 297 lbs at his age is definitely too heavy too sustain a healthy career.

[Sparma]

Just watched the first quarter and am not surprised they couldn't quite sustain that effort (especially without AD!!), but it's worth making a few observations.

The give and take between Knight and Calderon was much, much more heartening than in the previous game. Knight came out aggressive, commanding the ball early, hitting a nice assist early. Both Calderon three pointers were served by Knight, as I remember.

At the outset, the comical mishandling of opportunities created by Calderon continued, with a missed lay up by Monroe, then fumbles by him and by Maxiell. That must have gotten better if Calderon ended up with nine assists.

I had gotten excited by Maxiell's early three fouls, because I was curious about a lengthy Calderon-Monroe-AD playing spell, but it was not to be.

Whereas Calderon looked pretty good defensively --energetic and light on his feet -- in his first game, it looked like he was no match for Williams's strength early.

What struck me the most was the far more dynamic interplay between Calderon and Knight than we saw the first game. For the stretch that I watched the combination looked really promising. I don't know if the coaches spoke to Knight or if he decided on his own to make adjustments, but the combination looked lethal. For it to work, Knight will need to draw from his combo guard strength, rather than being relegated strictly to off guard; in the first quarter, that happened very effectively.

[Grizz2]

Just watched the first quarter and am not surprised they couldn't quite sustain that effort (especially without AD!!), but it's worth making a few observations.

The give and take between Knight and Calderon was much, much more heartening than in the previous game. Knight came out aggressive, commanding the ball early, hitting a nice assist early. Both Calderon three pointers were served by Knight, as I remember.

At the outset, the comical mishandling of opportunities created by Calderon continued, with a missed lay up by Monroe, then fumbles by him and by Maxiell. That must have gotten better if Calderon ended up with nine assists.

I had gotten excited by Maxiell's early three fouls, because I was curious about a lengthy Calderon-Monroe-AD playing spell, but it was not to be.

Whereas Calderon looked pretty good defensively --energetic and light on his feet -- in his first game, it looked like he was no match for Williams's strength early.

What struck me the most was the far more dynamic interplay between Calderon and Knight than we saw the first game. For the stretch that I watched the combination looked really promising. I don't know if the coaches spoke to Knight or if he decided on his own to make adjustments, but the combination looked lethal. For it to work, Knight will need to draw from his combo guard strength, rather than being relegated strictly to off guard; in the first quarter, that happened very effectively.

Thanks for this Sparma .. better observations than I read at 3 or 4 other professional accounts of the game ..

[Sparma]

Thanks! Whether the dynamism of the combination for that short period can be sustained, I don't know, but it will be fun to watch it unfold this season and maybe beyond. As Dumars noted, there's a history in Detroit of being able to play more than one guy on the ball (evidently referring to himself!).

[Murph]

That was a frustrating game last night. We lost the game at the 4:40 mark of the 4th quarter, when we missed 8 shots in a row and failed to score for over 3 minutes.

The Nets are a tough team, and they've been playing very well lately, going 15-6 since replacing Johnson with Carlisimo. Lopez, Blatche and Evans are playing well, and give the Nets a very physical identity, which they previously lacked. Together, those 3 pulled down 30 rebounds last night.

I hope Drummond isn't out too long resting his bruised tailbone.

Next up?...San Antonio. It doesn't get any easier.

[lemonpen]

That was a frustrating game last night. We lost the game at the 4:40 mark of the 4th quarter, when we missed 8 shots in a row and failed to score for over 3 minutes.

The Nets are a tough team, and they've been playing very well lately, going 15-6 since replacing Johnson with Carlisimo. Lopez, Blatche and Evans are playing well, and give the Nets a very physical identity, which they previously lacked. Together, those 3 pulled down 30 rebounds last night.

I hope Drummond isn't out too long resting his bruised tailbone.

Next up?...San Antonio. It doesn't get any easier.

.... I bet we win that game with a healthy AD. We lacked a spurt fueled by a period of the kind of strong board work on both ends that Drummond provides. We got enough stops but could not secure the rebounds.

[Da Stone]

I haven't seen a whole lot of lists of who is available this off season for free agency. If Joe D could trade Charlie V (8M), Maggette (10.9M) and others for one of these guys, it may be a win, win situation.

Chris Kaman (8M) - would take Max's place and provide finess.
Brand (18M) - only for the expiring contract with the possibility of signing him next year for cheap.
Bynum (16M) - may excel in a place where there is less drama and excellent sports treatment personnel.
Josh Smith (13.2M) - would be deadly with Monroe and Drummond.
Al Jefferson (15M) - highly unlikely

I'm also in favor of trading for Granger (14M) if that is possible. The fact that Bird HATES us/Joe D will never help us, but worth a shot.

We could offer up Stuckey (8.5M), Charlie V (8M), Maggette (10.9M), Bynum (3.5M), Max (5M)...additionally I'd be fine with JJ (4.5M) going too as long as we get a big PF/C in return. That's 40.5M that we could trade going forward. Of course I wouldn't trade ALL of it, but if the offer was good, I would pull the trigger.

[Da Stone]

Just like some are asking if Knight is our solution at SG/PG for the longterm, I wonder if Monroe is. If we can package Monroe up to get Aldrige or similar PF/C in return, I'm all for it. I just feel like he is gets in towards the basket and throws it up looking for a foul every time. The problem is that he can't shoot free throws. I saw we package up and get a stud.

Although, if Joe D gets a stud without Monroe being affected, I think Monore would be a great 1st Big off the bench. He would provide a lot of depth.

[Da Stone]

They have been parading CV out there for a team to offer a trade for him. I love the fact that Joe D didn't amnesty him. If he can use his 8M towards a trade getting value in return, he doesn't have to worry about amnesty and Gores gets his value without wasting his money.

[Grizz2]

That was a frustrating game last night. We lost the game at the 4:40 mark of the 4th quarter, when we missed 8 shots in a row and failed to score for over 3 minutes.

The Nets are a tough team, and they've been playing very well lately, going 15-6 since replacing Johnson with Carlisimo. Lopez, Blatche and Evans are playing well, and give the Nets a very physical identity, which they previously lacked. Together, those 3 pulled down 30 rebounds last night.

I hope Drummond isn't out too long resting his bruised tailbone.

Next up?...San Antonio. It doesn't get any easier.

.... I bet we win that game with a healthy AD. We lacked a spurt fueled by a period of the kind of strong board work on both ends that Drummond provides. We got enough stops but could not secure the rebounds.

LP .. For sure that is a good conclusion .. AD would have made a difference .. AD gives this team so much when he is out there ..

Which reminds me again to wonder and curse about why Frankless would rather have Max out there instead

Get well big guy soon ..

Looking forward to seeing Drummond and Knight compete against each other in the Rising Stars challenge .. Should be fun!

[Oracle]

Just like some are asking if Knight is our solution at SG/PG for the longterm, I wonder if Monroe is. If we can package Monroe up to get Aldrige or similar PF/C in return, I'm all for it. I just feel like he is gets in towards the basket and throws it up looking for a foul every time. The problem is that he can't shoot free throws. I saw we package up and get a stud.

Although, if Joe D gets a stud without Monroe being affected, I think Monore would be a great 1st Big off the bench. He would provide a lot of depth.

I'm REALLY beginning to wonder about Monroe!

He's regressed so much this year, he looks like a slow, scared, stumble bum most nights, even though last game, he did shoot two jumpers that he normally wouldn't.

It'll be hard to move him now because his stock is so low. All the reasons the Kings passed on him for Cousins are shockingly clear now.

He's horrible on a breakaway! When Drummond gets a steal, he goes full court, and defenders basically give up, because there's no catching him, and if you do, you're posterized, and qualify for replay embarassement on national TV.

When Monroe gets a steal for a breakaway, everybody knows they can catch him, I swear I saw kids on tricycle's gaing ground on his arse. What's worse is that he rarely finishes because the combination of his slowness and inability to jump is lethally bad! Then he compounds the problem because he can't hit his free throws, which renders the whole play a new way to take time off the clock!

Unfortunately we're stuck with him, because the only real piece that anyone should consider trading is Stuckey(ok, CV too, but we know that's difficult), nobody else makes more sense. You don't want to move expiring contracts like Maxiell.

However, if CV & Stuckey could be packaged, maybe we could get something better than a bag of chips!

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