Posts tagged ‘Pistonscast’

I want to comment on that you guys say that Rodney doesn’t play defense. As many faults I see with Stuckey, I actually disagree here to some extent - outside of that period where he just couldn’t get anything going.

Look at some games at the start of the year such as the first time they lost to Atlanta. He was their offensive and defensive spark plug in those games. He was rebounding, blocking dribble penetration, and forcing his way to the rim.

Perhaps you guys are correct that he became complacent after scoring 40 - I personally think its an issue between him and the vets, but that’s for another time. But regardless of why, we both agree that something just was not clicking in the middle of the season.

However you look at the second half of the season around the time that Rip went out again, he was actually doing a good job of staying in front of his defender.

The issue was that without athletic bigs to step into the lane, whenever people would run the pick and roll you’d see players run in between Stuckey and Sheed (which really isn’t Stuckey’s fault since he’s fighting through a screen). And the biggest thing to me is that he’s much bigger than Tayshaun - I can’t see why Curry was too stupid to notice this - but whenever they put Stuckey on LeBron, James’ numbers were much lower than his average.

Don’t believe me, look at game 3 third period, the only time they put Stuckey on LeBron for the entire quarter with Kwame in for Rasheed. The Cavs were held to a total of 9 points for the quarter, LeBron with only 4 points through the first 10 minutes. The way they were able to do this was by having Stuckey prevent LeBron from getting into the lane until there was under 5 in the shot clock, which forced a bad shot and allowed Kwame to get his 3 blocks in the quarter.

And of course, as soon as something works, Curry has to change it up, putting Bynum in for Stuckey. I like Bynum, but that was just a bad match up to put him in their, and the score reflected it.

Also don’t forget that Mo Williams couldn’t get going until the 3rd or 4th quarters of most of the games, and ended up shooting below his season averages (especially the from 3 and the free throw line, given that he was one of the best in the regular season, the only reason - since he was not injured - is because he could not get into rhythm).

I personally think that Stuckey does have a lot of qualities that are overlooked because he was struggling a lot in the middle of the season. Look back at some of the playoff games and you’ll notice that he also did a much better job of setting people up than his assist numbers reflected, people missed a good number of wide open shots.

Give him a guy like Chris Bosh and a good 3 point shooter and you’ll see 10 assists nightly in 2 to 3 years.

I’m only bringing this up because I feel that people often grade Stuckey a bit too hard, most likely because of his flashes of brilliance earlier in the season as you guys pointed out. That and you guys both understand that I take a third party view when I comment on players instead of just raving about them.

And as for his struggles, I still feel that a good part of them were because of leadership discrepancies between him and the vets, but once again I’ll bring that up another time when the occasion calls for it (you can only cause so much madness in one sitting :p) .

Peace,

Ali H.

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

Breaking at 6am:

1st Pistons blog to get this breaking news!!!

A true Pistons coach Chuck Daly dies at 78.

He is survived by his wife, his daughter and 2 grandchildren.

THE PISTONS RELEASED THIS STATEMENT OVERNIGHT:

“THE DALY FAMILY AND THE ENTIRE DETROIT PISTONS AND PALACE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF CHUCK DALY. CHUCK LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION WITH EVERYONE HE MET BOTH PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY AND HIS SPIRIT WILL LIVE WITH ALL OF US FOREVER.”

Update:

Check out a few links around the net on Daly:

Jemele Hill ESPN and Detroit Born and Raised: Daly Cool When It Counted Most

Detroit Free Press: Chuck Daly: The Legend

Terry Foster Detroit News and fellow CMU Alum Aheem: Daly still coaching in 09

And one more: Flashback to Daly’s 1994 Hall of Fame Induction

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

So the latest Pistonscast Episode is out and we want your feelings!

Check this out: The Message Board Messiah call out Kwame Brown!

Episode 106!

Dont forget to call in at (313) 384 8458.

Leave your feelings via voice mail!

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

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Also I just had to share this! Skip slaps Eddie House!

That’s what happens when your bustin someone’s BEEP! -Eddie House

by Ray Stone

The drafting miscues haven’t been the only soft spot for the Pistons under Joe Dumars.

Amir Johnson shines as a good example of how the Detroit Pistons do not do a good job of developing players.

A 6-foot-9 kid out of high school is a blank canvas in the NBA. The Pistons drafted this broad-shouldered young man from LA and had an opportunity to develop him however they wanted.

Johnson is very quick off of the floor, has a nose for the ball, and he effortlessly flies up and down the basketball court as fast as anyone his size in the NBA.

The Pistons were the elite team in the Eastern Conference when AJ got to town. He saw virtually NO playing time during his first couple seasons. No development.

Funny thing is, the team was supposedly ‘running out of gas’ in the post-seasons, after the starters logged heavy minutes during the regular season.

It’s really odd.

Very strange to watch a team supposedly run out of gas, when they have a bouncy 19-year-old kid who would love to get on the floor and hustle for them. He was in street clothes a lot of games.

They were the best team in the conference, but why not start to groom the young guy right away?

It would have cost you some leads and games perhaps, but the Eastern Conference was hideous back then. It wouldn’t have mattered much at all. He would gain experience. Plus most importantly, its saves gas for the games that count.

But there he sat.

Suddenly this year the Pistons announced that they would start Amir Johnson at the power forward position. What? (Had they planned on this being a rebuilding year from the very beginning?)

He was clearly not ready to start. He hadn’t even been giving any consistent playing time at all in his career, now he’s going to be a starter in the NBA? WTH?

That’s not how it works.

After being thrown to the wolves and chewed up, Johnson was eventually benched again. Amir finished this campaign in a familiar fashion, glued to the Detroit bench.

It is too bad for the young guy. I really hope he is moved in a deal this summer for his sake. He needs a real opportunity to develop his basketball game.

He certainly has the talent to play at a high level in this league.

Too bad he didn’t land of a club like the Atlanta Hawks, or the 76ers, whose style of play is perfect for young athletic guys.

They both play a more up-tempo, attacking style game. Full court pressing after made baskets, Amir would fit quite well into a system like that.

I think it would benefit Amir to work on his offensive game facing the basket. Develop more of a small forward’s game as opposed to a power forward’s.

Despite the slow start to his career, he still has years to iron out his game.

He should aspire to be far more than just the rebounding, shot-blocking, hustle player role that this team carved out for him. The sky is the limit for the young man if he has a chance to learn the game.

There was little opportunity to do so in Detroit.

If he is dealt this summer, he should smile as he packs his bags. If he’s put in a good situation, I think we will hear a lot from Amir Johnson in years to come.

-Ray Stone

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

Last weekend, the Detroit Pistons exited the NBA Playoffs before reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2001-02 season. After getting swept by King James and Co., it’s likely that the series officially marked the end of a remarkable era in Pistons’ basketball.

Since Joe Dumars brought Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton to Motown in the 2002-03 season, the Pistons won at least 50 games a year, made it to six-straight Eastern Conference Finals, appeared in the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons (including a championship in 2004) and led the league in attendance five times, selling out every regular-season home game from the 2004-05 season through the 2007-08 season.

For years, the Pistons would pride themselves on playing great team basketball. Without a true superstar on the roster, Detroit remained an elite team year after year by playing gritty defense and attacking teams with a multitude of scorers on a nightly basis, with Billups as their even-tempered leader at the point. He earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” for his ability to come through in the clutch for the team, including a 2004 NBA Finals MVP award after the Pistons dismantled the heavily favored, star-studded Lakers in five games.

All of that changed this season, in large part due to the trade Dumars made in November when he dealt Billups to the Denver Nuggets for perennial scorer Allen Iverson, one of the best individual talents to ever grace the hardwood. The key word here is individual.

Trying to fit Iverson into the Pistons’ lineup is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It just doesn’t work. Detroit never regrouped after their captain was traded, stumbling to a 39-43 regular-season record, their first losing season since 2000, when none of the current Pistons were even on the roster.

That record was good enough for Detroit to make the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference; however, they were stopped dead in their tracks by the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons entered the postseason without Iverson, who had been suffering from back problems since late February and saw limited minutes once he returned to the court in late March. The lack of playing time and sixth-man duties prompted Iverson to declare he would “rather retire” before coming off the bench again.

Despite the disappointment this past season has brought to Detroit, the future is bright for the Pistons. Although many have condemned the trade for Iverson, it was actually a win-win situation for both parties. Denver got their hometown hero to provide leadership on a young and talented roster. Detroit received one of the best scorers in the history of the game to possibly help lead them back to the Finals. If Iverson didn’t gel with the team, which he hasn’t, they can let him and his expiring contract walk at the end of the season.

According to USA Today, Iverson made almost $21 million this year. Rasheed Wallace, who came to the Pistons in a trade that helped them win the 2004 title, will also be a free agent this summer. Wallace, the second-highest paid Piston this season, had an annual salary of almost $13.7 million Past his prime and in decline at the age of 34, Dumars will likely let him go as well.

With over $34.5 million coming off the books from those two players alone, you can bet that Dumars will continue to tweak his roster this summer, either through trades or free agency to help get Detroit back to elite status throughout the NBA. Even though Detroit fans miss Billups, the bottom-line is that Mr. Big Shot has three years remaining on a five-year, $60 million contract that he signed with the Pistons back in 2007, including a guaranteed $46 million over four years with a team option for the fifth year, when Billups will be 35 years old.

Trading Billups while he was in his prime allowed the Pistons the flexibility they needed to grow in the future. With the emergence of guard Rodney Stuckey last season, just imagine where the Pistons would be two or three years from now with a budding star and an aging veteran in Billups playing at the same position. Putting him on the bench would only cause problems in the locker room, as it did this season.

Instead, Dumars pulled the trigger and traded Billups back to his hometown, in his prime. Now, Detroit has the money to go after the likes of Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh and several other big names that would love to play in a city with dedicated fans on a team that is one or two pieces away from a championship. Trust me. In the next few years, you don’t want to sleep on the D.

— Mike Bauman is the Assistant Sports Editor of The Independent Collegian and a junior at University of Toledo majoring in communication.

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

On the note of the Pistons-Cavaliers series — Rasheed is right. It’s all entertainment. The refs call NOTHING on the Cavaliers I.E. LeBron and his teammates traveling, LeBron and his teammates committing obvious fouls…

Delonte West OBVIOUSLY goaltending Rodney Stuckey’s shot — should’ve been an And 1, and he misses one free throw on the two shots he gets.

Cleveland committing offensive goaltends (tipping the ball in while it’s above the cylinder).

And don’t even get me started on the moron from Brazil.

Okay, I’ll get started.

He gets into EVERYONE’S face, TAUNTS everyone, yet the PISTONS get called for technical fouls, and the flopper (who repeatedly is flopping in this series) gets away with all the crap and is smiling about it.

Amir wasn’t going to take the idiot getting into his face - so he pushes him away.

TECHNICAL FOUL - #25, AMIR JOHNSON

He PUSHES Kwame…

TECHNICAL FOUL - #38, KWAME BROWN

Rasheed gets a tech from the bench, all the while the Cavs players are screaming at the referees at every foul they call.

“Hey, REF!!! Didn’t you go over Stern’s plans!? You call that on THEM for TOUCHING me, not ME for BULLDOZING them. Got it now? Okay, okay, I know you have to try to make the game LOOK fair, but you’ve already had us shoot 50 more free throws than them, so what’s the difference?”

Peace,

Ryan

Pistonscast.com

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

Check out Deven Khrucell!!!

Episode 103: featuring The Real Coach Curry!

Peace,

Pistonscast.com

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

What’s Going on World?

It’s your boy, John W. Davis here with you. 1st of all, I’m excited because Episode 99 is here! But I’m more excited that Episode 100 will be here any day! 100 is a great milestone for some many reasons.

When you say you’ve given your all you say I’m giving 100%. That’s what Deven and I have given you since November 2007. 100% of A Die-Hard Pistons’ Fans perspective. As D says it, “straight no chaser.”

After the “Best of” Show 100, its going to be time to take Pistonscast to another level. Like Emeril says, “kick it up another notch.”

Hell, we plan on kicking it up way more than a few notches. Regardless we want to thank all of the Pistonscast Posse for their undying die hard support.

See you on Episode 100 aka The Best of Pistonscast!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Hey Pistonscast Posse,

Check out our new and improve myspace layout!  It’s officially going down at  www.myspace.com/pistonscast.  Special shoutout to DK who hooked up the background and special podcast player.

ADD US AS A FRIEND!!!!!

Peace,

www.pistonscast.com

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here.  As I write this article, the Pistons are seemingly on their way to a win just beat the Wizards and are now on 3-game winning streak.

All is well in Pistons land?   Well maybe…

Who knows if everything is good now because beating the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Bobcats, and the Washington Wizards does not prove a thing.

I want to place my blame for the Pistons average start and it’s not on Allen Iverson.  (I’m so over him.)

• Defense: This year has been our worse year since 02-03 season for on the ball defense.  We have to Man Up possession after possession.

• Baby Big Man Rotation:  Regardless of matchups, Amir Johnson, Kwame Brown, and Jason Maxiell all need at least 8-12 minutes.  We have to stay fresh for the playoffs.  More importantly, we have to teach the young guys how to play.  You learn best by performing your craft, not just observing from the bench.

• Chauncey Billups: Tune in to Pistonscast Episode 73!!! (LISTEN NOW!) for my reasoning on blaming Denver’s finest.

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com