Posts tagged ‘Mike B’

Hey guys-or should I say, ‘What’s goin’ on D?!’. Seriously fellas, you should patent that phrase, make some t-shirts and take ‘em to games around the D lol. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten in touch with ya, but I still listen to every show and stay up to date on the website.

Anywho, as for the Pistons? I think there’s a few All-Star caliber players on the roster this year. I look for Charlie V to have an immediate impact, and Gordon should dominate off the bench. It’s so hard to get guards in the game because guys like Wade, Pierce, Allen, Carter, and even Devin Harris and Derrick Rose now will still have immense popularity among the fans, not to mention that those guys get a lot of prime-time shine the Pistons don’t.

With that said, I’d say Gordon has a real shot at making it based on how well he played in prime-time last year. If he can bring his clutch scoring ability to the D and be a 21st Century version of Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson, then he should have a legitimate shot at making the All-Star roster in Dallas. I also think that if Stuckey can be more consistent this year, he’ll turn some heads, too.

The one guy I really want to see make it is Tay. He certainly deserves it, and still is the most underrated player in the League by far. If he was a little more flamboyant like Shawn Marion or Paul Pierce, he’d definitely be there already, which is sad. I like that he’s quiet and just plays his game. Tayshaun is just a nostalgic, old school guy who leads by example. I think if he can be that quiet leader who plays hard for four quarters, he might be able to do enough damage to get some more votes.

Previous Mike B article:

2009 Champs… Tayshaun Prince Needs To Be The Focal Point

Honestly, though, I don’t think too many guys on this year’s team are worried about the All-Star game as much as they are focused on getting the respect they deserve. Right now, everybody is talking about Orlando, Boston, and Cleveland. I’ll break it down like this:

Carter is a good acquisition, but he’s on the downside of 30 and has yet to be on a team where he wasn’t the Man. I’m as big a VC fan as anybody, but Orlando also gave up Courtney Lee and Rafer “Skip to my Lou” Alston to get him, and those guys played real well for them in the playoffs last year.

Sheed will be a good fit for Boston, especially since he’ll be coming off the bench and not have to play big minutes to have an impact, something I think he’ll actually enjoy at this stage of his career. However, the Celtics are collectively getting older, and I still think our bench can handle their bench any day of the week if need be. People will see that come playoff time.

Bron-Bron is on the cusp of winning the title, and adding Shaq, Moon, Parker, and Powe certainly improves their roster depth. However, the Cavs still don’t have a true point guard, something they desperately need. Everybody brings up the fact that they didn’t have a big man who could contain Howard and that that’s why they lost to the Magic. How about the fact that Cleveland has three players in Mo Williams, DeLonte West and Daniel Gibson who all are essentially the same player? Neither guy is over 6′3 on a good day, and they are above-average scores with good range who get the looks they do in large part because of the attention given to LeBron. None of those guys is a true point guard, either. Cleveland lost that series not just because of Howard, but because Turkoglu, Pietrus, Lewis, Redick and Alston all had range and all of them (minus Alston) were bigger than the Cavs prime-time guards. Moon and Parker will help, but there is no substitute for experience, something Detroit and Boston have as an edge in that department when it comes to postseason basketball.

Shaq is the most dominant player of my generation-maybe ever. However, I’ve always felt LeBron would be better suited with a big who could run the floor like a Samuel Dalembert or Amar’e Stoudemire. The Diesel still has game, but it doesn’t involve much running, which is something LeBron and Co. like to do out in the open floor. I’m just not real sold on him being the key to a championship in Cleveland.

Detroit has a young roster, but they still have great veteran leadership in Big Ben, Tay, and Rip. Those guys know what it takes to win it all, and enough young teams have made deep playoff pushes in the past that I think we’ll have a legitimate shot to go the distance and get a chance to be in the Finals. Some people think that sounds crazy, but so did saying that Toledo would beat Michigan in the Big House last year and guess what-it happened.

Basketball is a game of matchups, and our guards can out-hustle any backcourt any day of the week. I can’t name one backcourt in the NBA right now that has the combination of firepower and experience that ours does. I’m glad Joe D didn’t trade Rip. That just would have taken out part of the dynamic that will make us tough in the playoffs. And I have to believe after AI that there was no way Joe would ever had signed Gordon to that contract if he thought he would just be another problem like Iverson, something a few basketball writers out there are saying he’ll be. Gordon knows his role will be as a monster off the bench, so I don’t see there being any attitude problem. We also have enough bodies in the frontcourt that barring any serious injuries, we should be able to match up well against the East.

Previous Mike B article:

There’s Still Hope For The Struggling Pistons

We’re sleepers again this year, but I think the guys like it like that. This team has that hunger back again, and I think we’ll be a top-four team in the East with a legitimate shot at the title if we stay together and stay healthy.

Thanks for reading and I’ll talk to you guys soon.

P.S. My Rockets face the Buckeyes Saturday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. I’m not gonna pull a guaranSheed by any means, but just remember what I said about that Michigan game last year. Anything is possible.

Mike B.
Erie, Michigan
www.pistonscast.com

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

Previous Mike B articles:

2009 Champs… Tayshaun Prince Needs To Be The Focal Point

There’s Still Hope For The Struggling Pistons