Posts tagged ‘Arron Afflalo’

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GO PISTONS!!

What’s Going on Pistonscast Posse?

John W. Davis here.

Let’s update my post from a few weeks, the Most Important Pistons: Post All-Star Break.

Remember, I’m not including our two Playoff whoopings.  This is strictly the regular season list.

7. Rasheed Wallace- Sheed missed alot of playing time after All-Star break and honestly didn’t do his part when did play and that’s a major reason why we earned the 8th seed.

6. Rodney Stuckey- Oh where Oh where has our Super Stuckey gone.  That’s the problem right there.  The kid was crowned a Superstar before he truly proved his worth. Hopefully 09-10 he will take it to the hoop. HARD!

5. Will Bynum- I couldn’t really put him higher than Rip, Tay or Dice could I.  He has played extremely well with the small amount of minutes he was given and the significant playing he has earned.

4. Arron Afflalo- You say, but John he hardly plays. I say to you when he plays we win nearly 75% of our games. At one point we were 17-6 when Arron got 15 mins or more.  Arron replaced Rip in that starting lineup and showed us he can be a starter in this league. That’s a huge asset going into 2010 Free Agency.

3. Tayshaun Prince- I mean he’s Tay. For the most part he is consistent as it gets.  I wish he gave us more but I am happy he hardly gives us less.  Consistentcy is underrated.

2. Rip Hamilton- For a while it looked like Rip turned the corner.  He honestly did.  He was a dominated go to scorer without Chauncey and that was good to see.  I wonder where THE CAPTAIN has gone in the playoffs?

1. Antonio McDyess- If anyone can debate him being the Most Important Pistons Post All-Star Break I dare you to pose your reply. Double after Double after Double-Double.  He was drinking that Kool-Aid aka the Fountain of Youth!

Well that’s my list.

Let me know what you think?

Peace,

John W. Davis

Got a question for Pistonscast.com? Send it to John W. Davis. And for Pistonscast news and updates follow John on Twitter.

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13-8 Recap: 13. Allen Iverson- Why waste typing any more than this… My fingers deserve better.

12. Walter Sharpe (Check out the exclusive Pistonscast interview)-

11. Amir Johnson-   I thought this was going to be your year Amir!

10. Kwame Brown-  Fill in the Blank…

9. Walter Herrmann- Fill in the Blank…

8. Jason Maxiell-(I MISS THIS VERSION OF MAX)

What’s Going on Pistonscast Posse?   (Game Discussion:  Click here!)

It’s obviously the Pistons are reeling, from a combo of injuries and from just not playing up to par. Tayshaun Prince said it best after last game, “We really need those guys back, but at the same time we got to figure out a way; obviously with the situation that we have, that we almost got to play perfect basketball.”

Perfect basketball… for some reason I have a good feeling about this game.  Most of the time, it seems the Pistons are up for the big game challenge.  If we get Rip back and Afflalo is playing some tough Kobe D, then I smell a big time upset.

When you take on the Lakers, all you need to do is bait Kobe into not sharing the ball with his teammates and you are in business.  More often than not, when Kobe just relies on himself, he shoots too much. Anything over 20 shots is too much for Kobe.  The more shots he takes like 21 to 30 the worse the Lakers get and more often that not, THE LAKERS LOSE!  So… ball hog Kobe make sure you come out to play!

You can talk it up with your fellow Pistonscast Posse right here in the comment section!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here. I have something I want to get off my chest. See I’m mad. You want to know why? Of course you do, that’s why you are reading this.

I’m not mad at the players anymore. I think the trade deadline will bring them closure and comfort in knowing that they are Pistons for rest of the 2009 season.

I’m mad that guys don’t know when they are going to play. I’m also mad that guys who are obviously not cutting it (Stuckey), get all the playing time in the world and guys like Afflalo get DNP-CD’s for no apparent reason.

See I thought it could happen and would happen to my boy Amir and it did. But Afflalo not one minute of the game when you have guys on San Antonio like Mike Finley and George Hill (a rookie!) are making us look silly.

1. What do you think is up with Coach Curry?

2. What would you do to fix it?

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

What’s Going on Pistonscast Posse?

41 games have now been played and our Detroit Pistons are 24-17. If the Pistons were out west, our .585 Winning Percentage would place us 7th but we are in the top heavy Eastern Conference. Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando are running away from the playoff pack but that should be okay with Pistons fans. Let it be remembered that we beat Cleveland once this year as well as Orlando.  The Pistons are still contenders.

Expect a great game next Friday against Boston, where we can finally get that ugly Celtic monkey off our back. Remember you heard it hear first, John W. Davis has predicted the Detroit Pistons “will have the best 2nd half record in the league”.

We want your Pistons Mid-Season Review:

1. Who is your Most Improved Piston?

2. Who is your Defensive Piston of the 1st half of year?

3. Who is your most disappointing Piston at the halfway mark?

4. Who is your Mid-Season MVP?

You know the deal, let us know your opinion via email or the comments section.

Peace,

Pistoncast

www.pistonscast.com

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here.  The vaunted Los Angeles Lakers are no longer undefeated courtesy of a few Bench Babies,  Arron Afflalo and Killa Kwam Kwam Brown.  Ha!  Isn’t that lovely Minnesota LA Laker fans.   A UCLA Product and a former Laker who was cast out of the Kingdom of Kobe. WHEW!!!!

Why am I giving props to Afflalo and Brown, first because what they did last night, was not to be 100% expected.  They aren’t a first ballot Hall of Famer like AI,  nor are they perennial All-Stars like Rip and Sheed, and they definitely don’t have and probably never will have a gold medal like Tayshaun Prince. (Although, if Afflalo keeps that defense up, he could get an US National team invite like Bruce Bowen and Shane Battier did.)

They are the unsung heroes, so I’m singing their song from the mountain tops.  Praises for Afflalo and Brown.

I am very proud of this team.  I just want to point out our key to victory stats.  It’s the 29 of 34 from the free throw line.  If we continue to make 25+ free throws shooting at 85%.  PSSHHHH!!!! The rest of the league better watch the heck out!

CHECK OUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Whats Going On World?

John W. Davis here.  I found a great Arron Afflalo interview from last week where he shares his mindset going into his 2nd NBA Season.  Just like Stuckey, his mentality is D-E-F-E-N-S-E but we already knew that about him.  This mentality from Coach Curry will probably run of on the veterans on the team and should make for a great season.  Even if the veterans are lazy, young players like Stuckey and Afflalo feel like they are respected and valued for what they bring to the team, so look for them to carry us if the Big 4 slips.

Awkward Interviews: Arron Afflalo

Posted by Patrick Hayes September 19, 2008 08:30AM

Categories: Basketball, Interviews

BACKGROUND: The Detroit Pistons have been on their annual Season Tip-Off Tour this week and it made a stop in Flint Sept. 18.  Here’s the transcript for the interview with Afflalo, who averaged 3.7 points per game in 75 games (nine starts) his rookie season.

ARRON AFFLALO INTERVIEW

You came into the league as a rookie with a reputation for being a solid defender, which is something that most young players have to learn with experience. How do you think that helped you in your adjustment (to the NBA) last year?

“For one, it got me on the floor, at least a little bit. Um, I think that any team in the league would appreciate someone who could take on the other teams’ top scorers and try to shut ‘em down. So, its a niche for me to try and get on the floor and help our team. Obviously we have a lot of offensively talented guys on our team and I’m working on that as well, striving to be a complete player.”

As far as this season and I guess in the offseason as well what are some of the things you’ve done and what do you see your role being on the team this year?

“Just, you know, I think I’ve matured and gotten more comfortable with just myself and just the team, this being my second year and all. Again, I just want to be placed on the floor for whatever the team needs, for however long, so I’m going to try and increase my ability to score the basketball as well as maintain my defensive intensity, so no matter what you ask of me, you can put me on the floor for it.”

With Michael Curry as the new coach, defense is kind of his staple. Do you think that will help you get more minutes and fit into his system (easier)?

“It will definitely help me, but it is something that will help the entire team. Its no mystery about championship teams that your base has to be defensive, a defensive mindset. The Pistons won in 2004 with that mindset and I think we can win again with that same mindset. We have the players to score points, its just about are you willing to stop your opponent, and just go from there.”

Your work ethic is another thing that coaches seemed to talk about a lot last season. Where does that come from?

“Just passion for the game. I love basketball and as far as work ethic, its (basketball) different for me because its not really work. I love playing basketball, nobody asks me to do it. I’m getting paid for it for one, but if you didn’t pay me I would still be practicing basketball anyway because its fun to me, I love this and I have since I was a kid. I just take pride in trying to get better. I want to take full advantage. Nothing’s promised and you never know how long your career’s gonna last, so I just love to work at it.”

As a young guy coming on to a veteran team, how has that helped your development, despite maybe fewer minutes?

“I mean, I don’t want to place minutes over winning and I’ve been blessed to come to a program that has a winning tradition, that’s all about winning the title, and you have to go through a learning curve on a winning team and play behind All-Star guards, then so be it. That’s a challenging thing for me to compete against them every day and at the same time get to win. Its much better than being on any team out there (playing) 30 some minutes and I’m losing all the time. That’s not what its about. I’m very happy with my situation and I just want to get better so I can improve myself as an individual within this situation.”

OUR THANKS TO MLIVE AND THE FLINT JOURNAL!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Sheed on the Bobcats? Arron helping a future teammate?

What’s Going On World?

John W. Davis here. The Number 11 most important Piston in my humble opinion is Arron Afflalo. Some people are probably saying oh no J-Dubb his defense is so great and he has the jump shot to make it in the NBA. Yes that’s true but will he get the minutes to really contribute? I don’t think so. If this is the year of the Stuckey then Rodney will get minutes at PG and Backup shooting Guard taking minutes from Mr. Afflalo. We need Stuckey to play 25-30 minutes a game and there are only so many minutes that a guard can play.

-If Chauncey gets 32 at PG then Stuckey can only get 16 from the PG position.

-If Rip gets 35 then Stuckey can only get 13 from the SG position.

-Do the math and that’s 29 minutes for Stuckey (which he deserves to get) and I haven’t calculated one minute for Afflalo. So it will be hard for Arron to get more than 10 minutes a game.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Afflalo has NBA game. Is it NBA Starter game only time will tell. I do think with the right seasoning he could blossom like a Mike Redd did. I see some similarities in their games. I watched Mike Redd on Ohio State and he didn’t have an NBA 3 pointer. All of his success comes from hard work. All of Arron’s success with come from the same place, hard work. I know he works hard at defense and has proven to already be a lock down defender guarding anyone from Kobe to Lebron and holding his own. If Arron is every going to earn more minutes it will be because of his offense. I know its counter intuitive because defense wins championships. Yes it does but you also need to be able to score especially if you are earning those championship minutes at the Shooting Guard position.

Overall I look for much of the same from Arron. Strong tough defense. Hopefully he will not be scared to take that timely jumper, if that day ever comes we might not have to look far for a replacement for Rip Hamilton.

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

ENJOY THE ARRON AFFLALO YOUTUBE!!!

That’s the thing about any sport. You are bound to get hurt. You are bound to get nicked up. An injury is your bodies way of telling you I want to take a break. Your body is saying “I am going to hurt myself to force you to take that break”.

Tune into Episode 48, where we break down what the Pistons should do if Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince or Rasheed Wallace get injured. KNOCK ON WOOD!

Quick Summary:

-Chauncey Billups should be replaced by Rodney Stuckey and backed up by Lindsey Hunter and maybe even a little Juan Dixon. We also feel Tayshaun should get alot of the ball handling and play making duties.

-Richard Hamilton should be replaced by Arron Afflalo. We love his defensive and we believe in his jumper even if he doesn’t.

-Tayshaun Prince is a hard guy to replace. He does everything for the Pistons. We think that in general Jarvis Hayes should replace him but it all depends on the matchup. Sometimes Arron Afflalo should start to bring that defensive intensity. Even Walter Hermann should get a chance every once in a while.

-Rasheed Wallace we feel he should be replaced by Theo Ratliff. We love defense and so do you. So why shouldn’t one of the best shot blockers in NBA History start in place of Rasheed Wallace. If Sheed is out expect big minutes for Jason Maxiell, Antonio McDyess and even Amir Johnson the VALLEY BOY!!! You know we love you Amir.

We feel the Pistons can win with only 3 out of their Big 4. We even feel that any 2 of our top 4 players can hang with any tandem in the league.

What do you think? Hit us up on the comment section below!

DETROIT BASKETBALL!!!

-John

      Here is my  Rodney Stuckey Analysis.

The first document is the Pistons after 80 games.  As you can see, the team is led by Chauncey Billups.  He is easily their most productive player.  Average WP48 is 0.100, and so you can see that Billups gets quite a bit of help.  Prince, McDyess, Wallace, Hamilton, Maxiell, and Johnson are all above average (Amir is second to Billups in WP48).

The rookies, Stuckey and Afflalo, are each below average.  But not by much.

Relative to other guards, each rookie looks pretty good.  I compared Stuckey to both point guards and shooting guards.  Among point guards, only Conley has a higher Win Score per 48 minute (this is not the same as WP48).  Win Score does not take into account team defense, and when that is considered (as it is in calculating WP48), Stuckey is the more productive player (in other words, Stuckey has the highest WP48 among point guards).  I would add that Stuckey is also more productive than Billups was his rookie season.

Turning to shooting guards… Durant and Afflalo have higher Win Scores.  But the difference is small. If you wanted to argue that Stuckey is the most productive guard, I think you would have a case.  For comparison sake I also consider Rip Hamilton’s rookie numbers.  Again, Stuckey is much better.

Looking at the individual stats, Stuckey is able to rebound and get steals.  He also gets some assists and is not too bad with respect to turnovers.  Where he has problems is in the area of shooting efficiency.  When he gets his shots to fall more consistently, Stuckey will be an above average guard.

Evaluating the First Round Shooting Guards

Below Average Numbers in Red

Points-per-shot = [PTS-FTM]/FGA

Adjusted Field Goal Percentage = PPS/2

Net Possessions = Rebounds + Steals - Turnovers

Win Score = PTS + REB + STL + ½*BLK + ½*AST – FGA – ½*FTA – TO – ½*PF

season almost complete

If memory serves, Stuckey is who the Pistons got for Milicic.  So in the end, the Pistons did come out ahead on that transaction.  At least, Stuckey is likely to be a better pro than Milicic.  

Of course, had the Pistons taken Dwyane Wade (or Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman, etc…) they would also be better off.  

Best,

David J. Berri
Associate Professor of Economics
California State University-Bakersfield
www.csub.edu/~dberri
www.wagesofwins.com

www.dberri.wordpress.com