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Get a decent big Joe.
David Lee (Knicks) signed a one year deal for this season but is looking for a long term contract. He's 26, 6'9", 240 lb. Forward-Center. So far this season he's averaged 19 ppg, 10 reb, and 2.2 assists. Tonight against the Pacers he scored 20 pts, 19 reb, 4 assists.
Tonight Piston Charlie V. scored 16 pts, 9 reb, 0 assists. Wilcox scored 1 pt, 3 reb. 0 assists.
Said it before and will say it again. Lee is really underrated and undervalued playing for the Knicks. Joe D picked CV and CW over Lee this summer. He will have another chance,
I still think that JD should have gone after......
During the off-season I was hoping that JD would have gone after David Lee instead of Charlie V.
I didn't find many that shared my opinion of Lee's value as a big. So, just for the record here is what Lee did tonight in the Knicks double OT loss to Charlotte.
50 minutes, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots and 17 points.
Now what were Charlie V's stats tonight?
Lesson learned from todays loss
1. - Their defense disappeared in the 2nd half...especially the 3rd quarter.
2. - Total assists for the game: Oklahoma = 23, Detroit = 12. Isn't that the primary role of a point guard?
3. - Let's see. Stuckey scored 21 points in 36:38 minutes but had 5 fouls, 3 turnovers and only 2 assists.
4. - It's pretty sad when your SG (Gordon) and C (Wallace) led the team in assists with 4 & 3 respectively.
Sorry - but I just don't like this team.....
The paradox is that while I like ALL of the players individually I just have the impression that the whole (read team) will never be as good as the sum of the parts (players).
Dumars dealt Kuester a bad hand to play. This is a team with a lot of potential offense but woefully lacking on defense. This is a team overloaded in the backcourt with players whose strength's and weaknesses don't compliment one another. Clearly Bynum is more the polished floor leader PG than Stuckey who should really be a SG.
I understand the why's & wherefore's of losing Billups, Sheed, Dyess & Affaflo. But collectively they were/are greatly superior defensive players to their current replacements.
As for the rookies.... only Jerebko looks like he is NBA ready to get some spare replacement minutes. Daye and Summers show real potential but need a lot of seasoning.
I like this coaching staff over last years but they have a big challenge trying to mold this disparate bunch of individuals into playing as a team.
Wallace is playing on "old" legs & Kwame is still erratic. It remains to be seen just how much Villanueva & Wilcox can contribute consistently over the long haul. None of these guys are the equal of Dyess and Sheed defensively.
It's a work in progress but lets hope the coaches can figure out the best starters, rotation and playing time allotments. Lets hope they can improve team chemistry and team defense. Most of all lets hope JD doesn't meddle & interfere with the coaches.
Let Stuckey have a season .... somewhere else.
When Dumar's personally adopts a player to be his "pet project" he tends to wait and wait and wait for them to meet his expectations for greatness. We seen it happen with Darko and then Amir.
Waiting too long minimizes their eventual trade value. Stuckey is a good example. Right now his trade value is pretty good, because he does show flashes... but not as a PG. Between Rip & Ben the PG is really good because of their complimentary strengths. Rip has his detractors but he still can run great screens and play great defense. Plus he is a smart, experienced veteran.
Stuckey, on the other hand is neither a true leader nor a natural point guard. Worst of all he is not consistent. Wait some say. Wait for what? Bynum brings scoring, ball handling and good distribution skills on a consistent basis game in and game out.
Bynum is slightly undersized and knew he would have to elevate his game to another level. He spent the summer - at his own expense - training at Tim Grover's ATTACK Athletics Basketball Camp, working out with the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Dwyane Wade and Tracy McGrady.
And what was Stuckey doing all summer? Don't know? Nobody else does either. Winners are always willing to do things that ordinary guys aren't willing to do.
Speaking of winners. Jonas Jerebko was an after -thought in the draft but he has proven to be a diamond in the rough. Size-wise he's a small forward but has been playing at the power. What's more he more than holds his own against the big boys in the paint. He "shined" in Vegas and continues to show that he is the most consistent of the rookies. Plus he plays tough, tough defense.
I still think that JD should seriously consider trading Stuckey (his value will never be higher), Prince (ditto) and Max.
Trade Stuckey / Prince/Maxiell while you can
Here's what "RealGM" Piston's review had to say:
"Stuckey has good offensive instincts, but they don't appear to translate over to his court vision and passing. He screams off-guard to me. As the quarterback of an offense, point guards are usually among their team's leaders in assist percentage, win shares and net points per 100 possessions. Stuckey's numbers were sub par and at times downright awful in those categories last season."
Trade Stuckey for another decent PG to back up Bynum.
At the 2 guard Gordon is a scoring machine, albeit streaky, at times. Hamilton is a much better defender and among the NBA's best coming off screens. Between the two of them they are a nightmare for opponents trying to make match-up adjustments.
Tayshaun Prince's game is starting to fade and it shows. One or a combo of the rookies (Daye/Summers/Jerebko should/could replace him without a drop in productivity. Perhaps even improve productivity.
Trade Prince for a big, strong wide-body defender/rebounder to work in the paint. Ben Wallace, still has some game, but he is getting older and will wear down faster.
I'm okay with Kwame Brown, Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox. Brown especially looks like he's starting to realize his true potential.
These players will be a work in progress until they learn to play as a team. No one should expect them to do much more than hopefully improve enough to make the playoffs. The current coaching staff looks like a real improvement over the two previous ones.
If JD can trade for a couple of good talents in exchange for Stuckey, Prince & Maxiell these guys could surprise a lot of the so-called experts.
What in the ........?
M-Live: "Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester announced his starting lineup for tonight's game would be Rodney Stuckey; Richard Hamilton; Tayshaun Prince; Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown."
Detroit forward Charlie Villanueva (sore hamstring) will not play.
I hope that this is just a one-time "chemistry" experiment that will change for every pre-season game. If not, forget about making the playoffs!
Last year vs. This year?
Will this year's team be better than last year's? I would hope so ...... but I seriously doubt it. For sake of comparison:
PG: Stuckey, Bynum vs Billups, Stuckey
Huge edge to last year's duo
SG: Hamilton, Gordon vs Hamilton, Afflalo
Hard to figure. Gordon's scoring vs Afflalo defense.
SF: Prince, Daye vs Prince, Johnson
Toss-up
PF: Villanueva, Wilcox vs McDyess, Maxiell
Hard to call. Depends if you need finesse or muscle.
C: Brown, B. Wallace, vs R. Wallace, Brown
Sheed's moody and inconsistent but when motivated is much better than Brown, even now. Brown is much better than Big Ben who has nothing left in the tank.
Reserves this year: Summers, Jerebko, Washington
Reserves last year: Bynum, Herrman
Sorry gang but since I'm the one who has to pay for my season tickets (should I decide to renew) I think last years starting five could beat this years. And we all know they were not all that great last year.
I actually like the draft picks and the FA's that were signed (Big Ben being the exception) but am not convinced. Personally I don't think Stuckey will ever be a superior PG. With two really good SG's I don't see how they avoid the same kind of problem finding playing time to keep them both happy. They still lack rebounding muscle in the paint. Overall they look to be much weaker defensively than last years team.
The coaching staff is definitely better than last year and that alone should be good for 5 to 10 wins alone. I think that Joe is hoping that lightening will strike twice as it did when he brought in the guys that won a championship. I hope it does but I wouldn't bet my house that it is going to happen.
I'm not ready to drink the kool-aid.
Stuck at 29%?
Until by some miracle Stuckey learns to shoot from 3 point land he will never become the PG for the future. Billups is a 40% shooter while Rodney shoots 29% A good PG needs to be able to nail 3's to keep the defenders from collapsing the middle.
I'll believe it when I see it
Lot's of changes and new faces. Overall we have a much younger roster and conceivably much more depth. But are we better? That remains to be seen. Billups is one of the better PG's in the NBA. Stuckey isn't even close. Sheed and Dyess provided muscle, defense and intimidation in the paint. Whose going to do that...Brown & Wilcox? Affaflo was the best defender of all the guards. And now his role is taken over by???
I think Gordon is a lite version of Iverson when he was in his prime. He can score and take over a game. But he isn't much of a defender and he is a shoot first and pass second player. That's why the Bulls used him as the 6th man.
Last I heard it was still a team game. Five players and only one ball. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of playbook and rotation that Dumars/Kuester comes up with.
Are the Pistons going to be a fast break or half court type of team? Three guard small ball is great unless you are playing teams that have strong muscle guys in the middle. Teams like the Cavs, Magic, Celts, Lakers etc.
I'm hopefull about this bunch but so far I see too many SG & SF types. I don't see any bigs who can intimidate in the middle and I only see mediocrity at the point.
I think I'll still wait to see what the roster looks like at the start of the season before any tickets are renewed.
5 Star Gourmet Meal or Corned Beef Hash?
I understand the excitement of some fans about the changing faces on the roster but I'm not ready to jump aboard the bandwagon yet.
First, I still believe that any championship caliber team needs a good point guard. He doesn't have to be great but he has to be really good. He needs to have good judgment, instincts, ability to read defenses, create mis-matches and call plays. He needs to be a leader that his team-mates respect and trust. This is all in addition to having a solid set of offensive and defensive skills of his own. Dumars desperately hopes Stuckey is the man. So far I haven't seen it yet.
The rest of the roster has some talent and depth but who do you start and who comes off the bench?
PG - Stuckey/Bynum
SG - Hamilton/Gordon/Washington
SF - Prince/Daye/Summers
PF - Villanueva/Maxiell/Jerebko
C = Brown/Wilcox
So besides PG being a weakness instead of a strength how do you sort out the SG mess. Gordon says he wants a shot at starting. Rip will pout if he doesn't start. Who starts and how do you rotate playing time at PF? Center is still a weakness. Brown is what I consider a true "Big" albeit not a very good one while Wilcox has the size of a PF, which we have too many of. Plus we have to see if Wilcox can recover from a lousy year last season. Truth is I can't see either one on them taking on Shaq, Garnette or Dwight Howard.
I respect Kuester's coaching knowledge but I see him as a nice guy stand-in for Dumar's on the bench but I am concerned about his ability to lead, motivate and discipline if needed.
So in looking at this new bunch of Pistons I see more of a corned beef hash or Mulligan Stew of some good but not great talent. But I don't see a team with good chemistry and leadership yet. I hope it happens but I still have many doubts.
Explain it to me ...
I've previously stated that I'm a long-time fan but I never considered myself to be an analyst or a student of the game. That said. I'd like someone to explain how the current roster can work based on the following considerations.
1. JD traded away one of the best PG's in the NBA and so far, no replacement of near equal ability and talent has been acquired. I don't consider Stuckey anywhere close to CB nor is he a natural at that position. Bynum is undersized and strictly a decent back-up.
2. JD signs Villanuava to replace both Sheed and Dyess? CV is good but I can't see how he can replace the combined stats, the muscle and the defense S&D provided.
3. JD acquires Gordon who has a strong offensive game but he is a bit undersized and has minimal defensive skills. I wonder if he will continue to be as productive without a Derrick Rose type of Point Guard who had stats of 19ppg, 6+apg & 6+rpg. Stuckey is no Rose who is a superior natural PG.
4. So if JD keeps both Rip and Gordon how does the rotation work? Rip is more a deliberate half court SG while BG is up-tempo, slash and burn "Iverson" type talent. This will be a nightmare for the PG to sort out.
5. I actually feel sorry for Kuester. He knows that Joe is the puppetmaster pulling all the strings. Joe didn't even allow him to pick even one of his personal choices for an assistant. I doubt that JD will give him much freedom to use his own playbook or to even determine who will start or what the rotation will be.
I'm trying to have a positive and optimistic attitude about the coming season but these questions keep nagging me. Can any of you "experts" share how this can all work out successfully?
Wishful thinking....
OBM - That's why I asked the question of what Lee would be worth.....you might be right. But, does't Lee have another year to go on his current contract? And, isn't everyone saying that if the cap is lowered next year nobody will be able to pay a premium?
How much do you think Lee is worth compared to Ben Gordon's contract. All Ben can do is score. He's not big on assists or rebounds and he has a poor defensive game?
Wishful thinking....
I came across a blog where the author proposed that Dumars work out a sign & trade with the Knicks for David Lee.
What do you resident experts think? How much would or should Dumars give up to make such a deal? Rip, Tay, Stuckey, future draft picks?
What say you? Is that a good idea or not?
Explain it to me
I'm a long-time Piston fan and have had season tickets for many years. I don't intend to renew unless JD finds a PG & a couple of real Bigs before the seasnon starts.
But can someone explain to me why JD would keep both Rip and Gordon? To me they have two different games. Rip is a more half-court, pick and roll, ball control player. Gordon resembles Iverson in that he is a run and gun, fast break, drive, slash and create his own shot type.
I can't see them both on the floor at the same time since their styles are complete opposites. Stuckey has enough of a problem trying to pretend he's a point guard. So whose game does he play?
I'm one of the few that likes Rip's game and think he's underappreciated by many fans. But I think a decision needs to be made about what kind of game you want to play. Problem is that Rip might be hard to trade after the long-term contract that Joe gave him.
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