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Joe Dumars Sign AI Off Waivers For $4.50
We will need to get rid of another guard or small forward as a cost saving decision. Joe is good at this type of thing. How about Stuckey? He played well before the injury late in the last game. Time to move him like Affalo and Budinger. By the way, Budinger has been incredibly productive in every game he has played in the regular season. Not good enough to play for this Piston team though but how much cash did Joe get for Budinger? Is there some type of under the table thing going on in the league. There just was no justification in giving away Affalo and Budinger. Yet the wonderful reporters working for the Detroit papers seem to have blinders on. Why is that? There is a story there. You can never have too many good players on your team especially when the players you decide to give away don't cost much. I admire the spirit of the guys that we have, but something is fishy with the Affalo and Budinger handling by Joe Dumars. It is not logical to wait and see if Budinger could play better than the other two guys he drafted. Why did he draft Budinger and not give him a shot? Joe Dumars is a poor judge of player potential. That makes him dangerous as our leader. The way our Pistons play, there will be a lot of injuries and we need a lot of capable bodies to play this style of play. I really admire the guts of Gordon, Stuckey, and Bynum. But Affalo and Budinger are couragous players too. Budinger can really penetrate and dish to the open man and he can jump amazingly high. That is why he is capable of being one of the best volleyball players in the world. It is amazing that Budinger did not go in the first round of the draft. Shows just how imperfect the scouting process is in the NBA. People questioned why Miami drafted D. Wade so high as our leader took Darko. But if anyone interviewed any of the college coaches who coached against Wade, everyone of them would say he was a no brainer future star in the league. What many scouts at the pro level don't know, is that with the improvement of coaching at the college level, even incredible players can be limited by employing defensive schemes. And often star players are asked to conform to the team needs. One case in point was Richard Jefferson who didn't score much at all in college but sacrificed his stats for the good of the team. The team needs a strong weak side rebounder and defensive stopper. Jefferson did just that and because he already had great offensive skills, by concentrating on the defensive end, he became more deadly as a NBA player. Joe Dumars blew it with Budinger and Affalo. At the very least, they could have been used in a trade. We got NOTHING! Thanks Joe.
Jerebko
With Charlie V and our guards playing so well last night, people might not spend much time watching Jerebko. This guy is for real. He is improving a lot every game. Last night, I thought Jerebko was the best player on the floor for the first four minutes. Please notice Jerebko's foot work. He has excepional quick feet for a big guy. He also has a nose for the ball and is a quick jumper. But the best ingredient in Jerebko is that he has an edge. He feels that he belongs on the court and will mix it up with anyone. Compare Wlicox with Jerebko and how they run the court and use their feet on both ends of the court. Wilcox just has terrible foot speed and technique. And watch Jerebko use angles and box out for rebounds. This is refreshing to me. Jerebko plays the game the right way. He can't help but be a huge asset for this Piston team. The coach has to find a way to keep him in the rotation when Prince returns. Detroit started the game really well with Jerebko. When he went to the bench and Daye replaced him, things didn't go so well for awhile. Of course Charlie V played an amazing game and our three guards played quality basketball on both ends consistantly.
Players have to buy into the system to get playi8ng time
It seems this coaching staff is not going to just let players go off the grid this season. People wonder about Summers and Wilcox. Why not instead say great job coaches, you are doing the right thing. When Charlie V does not play defense he goes to the bench. Yet two of the rookies are doing great and improving in every game. Those two have been bringing it on defense and are very active on both ends. Maxiell is playing because he is now running the court better but make no mistake, Maxiell is over weight and out of shape. My bet is that Ben Wallace is doing some talking behind the scenes backing up the coaches pushing guys like Charlie to start playing the right way. Just think if Charlie V ever turns on the light switch all the way, he can really be something special. But that is a big if. If only this coaching staff had Affalo to bring with defense with Big Ben, the coaches would be happy. But our guards sure played their hearts out in that last game. Keep playing hard and people will support this team.
BIG BEN
It was not Joe D who was responsible for getting Ben Wallace. Big Ben wanted badly to return to Detroit to finish his career. It sure isn't about the money for Ben. He loves being a Piston an was willing to do anything to come home. What Piston fan cannot feel Ben's heart beating like a powerful Piston. This guy is in top physical condition. A true basketball hero - Big Ben!
Jerebko
It would be a good bet that Jerebko wouldn't see the floor at all if Michael Curry was the coach. Credit this great new coaching staff. With all the negative things one can say about Joe Dumars decisions, he got some things right especially hiring this coaching staff. This is the best staff I have seen since the Bad Boy era. It was the players who won the title under Mr. Billups leadership dispite the coaching of Larry Brown. But now we have some real coaches who have made a positive impact on the players. It is clear even when losing, that the players are enjoying playing basketball. I think it is a combination of Ben Wallace influence and the coaches who are creating an environment where players actually enjoy playing even on the defensive end. Jerebko is learning fast. He gets to open spots and never rests on either end of the floor. And this guy can shoot the ball too even though he hasn't shown it yet. Daye, we know has some great shooting skills, even though the shots were not falling today. I like the effort by everyone today. The Pistons will now be starting a tough stretch of games so this was a nice win. Charlie V is playing harder, K. Brown is making a positive impact, Bynum brought some consistancy in middle of the third quarter after Stuckey made so many mistakes and got Detroit back on track. But Jerebko seemed to be everywhere keeping the ball alive for our Pistons. Although Joe D gave away Budinger and Affalo which makes no sense, I really like his picks this year in the draft. Both Jerebko and Daye can help this team and are smart players.
Most recent reason why Dumars should be fired now
Chase Budinger followed up his last game where he got 17 points, with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block in 22 minutes. Chase's game is perfect for the NBA. He is a fantastic passer, great jumper, has all the post up moves, can penetrate while seeing the floor, and has a dead on outside jump shot. It was five against one while Chase played in college. Budinger made Jordon Hill the high first rounder because all the attention was on Chase. Budinger will become an All Star if he avoids injuries. This steal by Houston was the best I can think of since Golden State got Gilbert Arenas in the second round. Although the GM at Golden State was not smart enough to keep Arenas, at least they didn't give him away like Joe Dumars did with Budinger before he even put on a Piston uniform. So many of us have questioned Joe's ability to have any wisdom in the draft. Now it is obvious with Dumars killed Detroit's future by giving away, Affalo and Budinger, that the owner must now stop the bleeding and find another person to build a new Piston team. Imagine Affalo and Budinger on this current Piston team with Ben Gordon. Two guys who can defend and pass the basketball. Affalo and Budinger are complete players. But Joe didn't want to worry about giving Affalo a new contract and got Bynum real cheap. Joe won't look so good on paper when the wins and loses are counted at the end of this season. No more executive of the year titles for Joe. It is more and more fun to watch other teams this season but so sad to see our Pistons headed in the wrong direction.
CYNIC DEPARTMENT STILL OPEN
Sorry Wise Fan but the Piston team is close to a last place team. Even with Dwight Howard, the Pistons might not make the playoffs. Right now, teams are not really serious about buckling down to secure spots in the playoffs. This is why Detroit is not getting blown out by 30 points every night. Our Pistons play street style basketball with no dicipline, mostly getting offense with one on one forced attempts. When Detroit needs a stop defensivly, they can't get one. Will Bynum is a horrible defender as we witnessed last night. Stuckey lacks the ability to concentrate for very long on defense or he just doesn't care much about defense. There is no teamwork that I can see. I do like the rookies and hope they get a lot of playing time.
Thank God we traded Billups....
You have to be kidding. Stuckey vs Billups is a no brainer. See how they play when it counts starting in January. Not that I don't want Stuckey to succeed. I do but it will take a few more years to become a consistant player for Stuckey. Billups is a stud and it will stay that way for several more years.
Dumas should be fired now!
I am watching Denver play tonight. Aaron Affalo was just interviewed. He is making plays fits in perfectly with this Denver team. What is wrong with our leader? Last season, Joe couldn't figure out who was hurting the team. Much of the time, the point guard, either Stuckey or Bynum were freezing out Affalo in offense. And he got lost in Joe's experiment with Iverson. I have said it since Stuckey and Affalo were drafted. Affalo was the steal of that draft. And Joe Dumars does not have the good sense to know when he got lucky with his pick. We cannot trust Joe Dumars to build a new Piston team. He has a bunch of selfish one on one low IQ players. Not much Ben Wallace can teach these guys. On the other hand, Denver is fun to watch. They are playing real basketball which includes team play. Affalo is still the unselfish strong defensive player. But he is stronger this year and has always been a great offensive all around player who can shoot the lights out but also pass to the open man. He was a delight to watch as a Piston and now I plan to watch a lot of Denver ball this season.
Joe Dumars doesn't have to provide any information to us scum fans
Do any of you fans have this feeling that Joe Dumars thinks he is so above us all, that he doesn't have to provide any of the Piston loyal fans any explanation as to why he does certain things that upset us. He did make a few off the cuff remarks about trading Billups. But what about Affalo and Budinger? There is some explaining to do Joe. Affalo played another solid game last night. Budinger didn't play and his team lost. The Piston team has a bunch of one on one players who struggle on defense. They play their hearts out but shouldn't the team have a balance? Shouldn't the team have a team type player who will pass the ball and a stopper on defense. I guess this ins't important in Joe's mind. Gosh, he did sign Bynum for next to nothing. Maybe that is it. Keep the costs down. We are in a recession. Poor Bynum is going all out banging up his body as Maxiell collects the big check. Joe needs to balance that out. He makes a mistake with a contract so he must cut back somewhere else. It is all catching up with Joe. People are not thinking much about Pistons basketball now. Only us old diehard fans still care. And Joe has no time for us meaningless fans. br>
On the bright side, I am impressed with the effort some of our players are making. Ben Wallace has been fantastic. Keep it up Ben. Jerebko shows some promise as well. He is really working on the defensive end and his offense will come. Even Daye showed signs that he will contribute this season. Our three guards are killing themselves to create some offense. We need more from Brown. The coaches are doing the right thing regarding Charlie V. They have a short leash on him now that he has showed us that he is not in basketball shape. He was injured and still might not be at 199%. But he is also lost on defense and makes rookie mistakes most of the time. Is he coachable? Can he improve? A lot of money was spent on this guy. The pressure is on Joe D.
offensive efficiency
The Michael Curry comparison with Affalo is laughable. Affalo has a higher basketball IQ, has much more quickness, can penetrate and has a good shooting touch. After all, Affalo played in a high quality college program with a great coach. He was the best player in the PAC10 for two seasons. Best of all, Affalo's off court character was mostly responsible for UCLA's success. He is a solid character guy who while playing for the Pistons flew Southwest Airlines with the common folk. Affalo is outstanding in many catagories.Michael Curry was always a fringe player who managed to suck up to Piston management to get that starting small forward position.I have no great memories of Curry as a player at any level. He is a good man who knew how to please management. Please don't compaae him with Affalo.
It is a shame that Joe Dumars did not have the smarts to keep him. I have zero faith in Dumars in his ability to judge young talent. Why not do the extra work to find out about the history of players, what previous teammates thought of a player in question, and maybe a personal interview. Joe has become very detached. Otherwise, there is no way that he would have let Affalo go. same for Budinger. But Mr. Billups knew talent and character. He was going crazy with happiness the day Denver stole Affalo from us. Many of my life time Piston fan friends a well as myself are sick over the loss of our favorite player Affalo. Joe Dumars has become known as a sucker in NBA circles. If only Joe had his head on straight years ago, he might have looked into the history of Joe Johnson vs Rodney White. People talk about the chain smoking teen Darko but to me, passing on Joe Johnson for White takes the cake. Obviously Joe's people and Joe did not take time to check White's history and what his teammates thought of him in high school and college. I just met a guy who knew Rodney back then. Crazy stuff! What does Joe Dumars do all day? Does he do any work at all? Maybe he is having tea with his ace Tony R. and looking at old film of Darko back in the day.
Pulling for the Pistons but we cannot fool ourselves
That is what I was doing last evening watching our team perform and win. But what has the NBA become? This last game was just a poorly played game by both teams.Why would people pay money to see this type of play? From looking at the empty seats, I guess many people have seen the light. Put your head down and force it. That gets you a seat on the bench in high school and college. That is why Bynum spent so much time there in college. But the NBA is a different animal and is not real basketball but entertainment. At least coach Scott Skyles of the Bucks made adjustments and shut down Detroit's guards. With Prince out, it is clear that this team could have used Budinger last night at the 3. Budinger has the consistant outside shot and can penetrate well. He has size and can jump well. But how about Affalo? Could we use a guard who uses his head and plays defense? Affalo scored something like 15 points last night. That was tough last year as Stuckey tried to freeze him out whenever they played together. I still see a bunch of individuals playing for the Pistons. But on the positive side, the defense was better last night and the effort was there. But how much fun is it to watch one on one street style basketball? Are there no plays or can't the players learn the plays?
CYNIC DEPARTMENT
Wise fan we must not forget that Mr. Dumars won executive of the year award for one year. He didn't get the much needed combo guard to take the team over the top to keep expenses below most teams in the league and managed to fill the Palace and win the attendance battle. So what if he didn't help the core players win another championship. He helped his best friends along the way. Hunter got to play on a quality team. Michael Curry was the starting small forward and then head coach. But who was on Joe's scouting team that helped him select his players in the draft? The the leader makes glaring errors in judgment, soon the little things pop up in our minds that generates more questions such as the make up of Joe's employees and their personal relationship with him.I think he has hired a good coaching staff this season, so maybe Dumars will clean house and hire some experts who can help him in the draft. But no announcements have been made so far. Th Palace will be empty this season so I doubt that Joe will win that executive of the year award again real soon.
Charlie V quote tells it all about the IQ of this team
"I don't know what it is, but a team makes a run and we can't respond". Wow! So Charlie can't put his finger on why the team can't respond. How about reviewing the tape of the game and figuring out how the horrible Bucks team made a run in the first place? How about Charley getting in basketball shape and playing some defense. To Charlie, it is all about offense. He doen't have a clue on how to play the game on both ends. And Dumars gave this guy crazy money. I don't care if Charlie V scores 50 points a game. I hate the way he plays the game. Why would Joe Dumars like his game? Has Charlie ever dug deep to get himself in proper shape? We are stuck with him. Some nights he will do incredible things with the basketball. But can we ever respect him as a player? The coach for this Piston team is dealing with children. Joe should be forced to coach them.
Maxiell vs. Wilcox
Who should be gettin the playing time? I say neither are good enough to command any playing time from what they have shown. Wilcox, in the first game looked as if he had never played the game. Ben Wallace was so upset with Wilcox, that he wanted to punch out some drywall in his home after that game. Wilcox was simply lost on defense as if nothing had sunk in during the entire training camp. So don't wonder why Wilcox is not playing. As for Maxiell, he is just there to collect his check. That much is clear. He is so out of it on both ends that I can't imagine how the coach puts up with him. Obviously, Joe Dumars is demanding that he play Maxiell. Joe knows he made a mistake with Maxiell, at least I hope is has figured that out. But Joe's efforts to Prop up the undersized Maxiell will not work. Nobody wants to take on Maxiell's contract. Everyone in the league watched Maxiell flop in the playoffs time after time. Joe should just give up and let the coach place him on the end of the bench with Wilcox. Play the Swede and see what he can do this season. Ben Wallace is exerting his influence on this team. Let Ben teach the young Swede how to play in the NBA. As for Charlie V, he must be on drugs. I can't think of anyone who would want to go back to your previous home court out of shape and make a complete fool out of yourself. You did just that Charlie. Grow up and get your life back and turn off the twitter. We have some juvinile minds on this current team. The rest of the solid guys on the team need to clean house and get Piston respect back.
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