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2009-08-19T16:03:00.002-04:00

Check out our new NBA and Detroit Pistons writer, Dave Pemberton, who will blogging at the Pistons' Point inside www.theoaklandpress.com. Click here for everything you want and need to know about the Pistons.

NO RASHO - BEN COMING?

2009-07-25T10:07:00.001-04:00

Rasho Nesterovic, one of the big men that Joe Dumars was considering as his fifth man, will sign with Toronto. He'll get $1.9 million next year, about $600,000 than the Pistons could offer with the veteran's minimum.

That makes it more likely Ben Wallace will return to his former club. Wallace received a $10 million buyout from Phoenix and still has a home here. At $1.3 million, he'd give John Kuester another defensive option behind Chris Wilcox and Kwame Brown at center.

Kuester found a lead assistant by coaxing Brian Hill to leave the New Jersey staff. Hill was the head coach at Orlando and will provide a good sounding board for Kuester in his first NBA head coaching job.

In the coming days, the Pistons will start signing their rookies. They needed to spend their cap money before making those deals.

CLOSING TIME

2009-07-23T20:51:00.001-04:00

It didn't work that well with Allen Iverson here. But it sounds like John Kuester will often play small ball during crunch time. That means Charlie Villanueva at center, Tayshaun Prince at small forward, Richard Hamilton at small forward and Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt. That's the only way for Kuester to get his five best players on the floor at the same time. They had better be productive at the offensive end because they're going to have trouble getting stops in halfcourt situations.

IT'S WILCOX

2009-07-18T23:16:00.001-04:00

The mystery concerning the Pistons' search for a big man is over. The club has reportedly reached a two-year agreement with journeyman power forward Chris Wilcox.
Wilcox has played for the Clippers, Seattle/Oklahoma City and the Knicks. He had his best years in Seattle, averaging as much as 14 points and 8 rebounds.
I had been advocating something bolder - a sign-and-trade for David Lee - but Joe Dumars took a much-less expensive alternative and held onto Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Wilcox will apparently receive the rest of Detroit's cap space - about $3.2 million.
Now, they'll go about the business of signing their three rookie forwards - Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko - and possibly shooting guard Deron Washington. It also leaves open the possibility of bringing back Ben Wallace for the veteran's minimum - $1.3 million - to allow Big Ben to finish his career here.
Can't really get excited about the Pistons' frontcourt rotation - Charlie Villanueva, Wilcox, Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell and either Jerebko or Wallace. They're strong on the wings and still in good financial shape to sign an impact free agent next season or make a significant trade during the season or next offseason.

LEE MAKES SENSE

2009-07-13T18:11:00.001-04:00

With Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe off the books, the PIstons have more financial flexibility. The remaining unrestricted free agent frontcourt players are unspectacular, to say the least. And I don't see where Glen Davis would solve any issues - Boston would probably match an offer sheet starting at $3.8 million, anyway.

We've heard the Rip Hamilton-Carlos Boozer rumor for weeks but the PIstons aren't really thrilled with Boozer, especially with his injury history.

They do like David Lee. Defensively, I don't know if a Lee-Charles Villanueva combo would work but you've got Kwame Brown as a big body off the bench against bigger centers.

Lee would be a very productive addition. Hard worker, great rebounding, eager defender (though not a shot blocker), finds ways to contribute offensively. Guaranteed fan favorite, no small consideration in this economy.

Why not a sign-and-trade for Lee in a three-way deal with Utah?

The Knicks get Boozer and his expiring deal. More ammo for the 2010 free agent sweepstakes.

Rip goes to Utah, filling a huge need at shooting guard. The Pistons get Lee, though they'd probably have to take a contract from Utah (C.J. Miles?) to give the Jazz more financial flexibility to match the Paul Millsap offer sheet extended by Portland.

Something for everybody. This, to me, makes sense all around.

Lee, Villanueva, Prince, Gordon and Stuckey starting, Plenty of young, versatile pieces behind them. Not bad at all.

Certainly food for thought.

DON'T GET SMALL

2009-07-11T19:36:00.001-04:00

Brandon Bass is now off the market, heading to Orlando, so the Pistons will have to target another free agent to provide frontcourt depth. Boston's Glen Davis seems like the best of the bunch but he's restricted. Do the Pistons really want to sweat out an offer sheet the Celtics might match? First, they have to open more cap room by trading Arron Afflalo or someone else.
I like Bass but I didn't understand where he would fit in. Charlie Villanueva is a natural power forward. They have Jason Maxiell to back him up and the second-round picks, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko, can play there, too.
I hope they're not seriously considering going small with Villanueva at center. Might as well spot the opponent 110 points every night.
I still think Tyson Chandler for Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince makes the most sense, provided that Chandler's health issues don't get in the way. Chandler, Villanueva, Prince, Gordon and Stuckey with plenty of depth behind ... that's a pretty good team there. Maybe not championship caliber but definitely a playoff team that could advance out of the first round next season.

NICE FOR DICE

2009-07-09T09:15:00.001-04:00

Antonio McDyess' decision to join San Antonio creates a serious problem for the Pistons but will be a boon for McDyess and the Spurs.
I hate to see McDyess go in many ways - terrific, hard-working player, even better person. He'll be missed greatly in the Pistons' locker room. Heck, they missed him the month he had to sit out last season after being traded to Denver and then getting bought out.
McDyess left $9 million on the table to rejoin the Pistons, thinking they still had a shot to win a title. That's $9 million. He would have had to sacrifice $2 or $3 million next season to stay on board with Detroit instead of signing a mid-level with San Antonio. The Pistons owed him - not the other way around - so they were fortunate McDyess even considered coming back.
As long as Gregg Popovich doesn't overuse him, as Michael Curry did, McDyess will be an ideal partner for Tim Duncan. Think about it - Duncan has won championships with the likes of Nazr Mohammed starting alongside him. Dice is the best frontcourt partner he's had since David Robinson.
The Spurs also traded for Richard Jefferson this offseason. I rate them the second- or third-best team in the West now, behind the Lakers and alongside young and talented Portland.
As for the Pistons, their power forwards and centers consist of Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown, along with a couple of second-round picks. Yikes. I have to believe Richard Hamilton, or Tayshaun Prince, will be dealt for a center at some point this offseason. A low-level free agent signing isn't going to be enough.

PRIZE BEHIND DOOR NO. 3?

2009-07-08T09:55:00.001-04:00

In the world of "Let's Make A Deal," the Pistons might have stumbled onto the prize behind the third curtain.
John Kuester was clearly the No. 3 choice, a distant third, behind Doug Collins and Avery Johnson for the head coaching job.
But Joe Dumars might have lucked into a better situation. The domineering personalities of Collins and Johnson would have inevitably created a crash and burn situation sometime down the road.
Kuester will be more low-keyed, low-maintenance and perhaps, quietly efficient. Not to say he's another Chuck Daly but he's a longtime assistant in this league who deserves a shot, much like Daly when he was hired by the Pistons (I'm not counting Daly's short heading coaching stint with Ted Stepien's Cavs). Now, he's got it and he has something to prove, much like many of his players.
And the team he's inheriting is younger and much less accomplished. The only remaining players from the Pistons' elite teams are Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton and there's still a decent chance Hamilton will be traded for frontcourt help. He's not going to have to proceed cautiously while a group of longterm, close-knit starters watch and critique his every move.
This group is younger and needs a good teacher. Collins could have been that guy but why not Kuester? He's been an assistant since 1995. He knows the league, knows what makes players tick and knows the schemes that can make a team successful, without interjecting his ego into the proceedings.

LOOKS LIKE KUESTER BUT...

2009-07-07T15:36:00.001-04:00

All signs are pointing toward Cleveland assistant John Kuester being the next Pistons coach. Avery Johnson and Joe Dumars couldn't come to an agreement over the last couple of days, mainly because Johnson wanted more money and security than Dumars was willing to give.
Kuester is heading to town to close the deal but Dumars told me just moments ago "there's nothing to announce."
Kuester is the third coach Dumars has pursued. He wanted Doug Collins, then moved on to Johnson when Collins pulled out of the running. Kuester has never been a head coach but he's a longtime assistant, including a 2004 stint in Detroit under Larry Brown. He'll come a lot cheaper than DC or AJ but how will the players respond to him? That's the great unknown.
Johnson was quoted on ESPN: "I was only interested in it if we could agree on a vision for the team going forward." I don't believe that for a minute. If Dumars had thrown enough money and/or seasons at him, he would have readily signed the dotted line.

NO AVERY

2009-07-07T12:45:00.001-04:00

Talks broke down between Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and ex-Dallas coach Avery Johnson Tuesday, meaning that Dumars will probably hire an assistant with no previous head coaching experience.
Johnson was in a position of strength, since Dallas is still paying him $4 million in each of the next two seasons. He wanted a fat contract and long-term security, supposedly a four-year deal, and Dumars was unwilling to give it to him.
Johnson struck me as another Michael Curry, albeit with a proven track record. Johnson is headstrong and clashed with his players, particularly during his last year in Dallas.
Next on the list is Cleveland assistant John Kuester, who was on Larry Brown's staff when the PIstons won it all in 2004. Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau is also a possibility but Dumars has a comfort level with Kuester and doesn't know Thibodeau. As for Bill Laimbeer, that was never a true possibility even though Dumars listed him as a candidate. That was more of a way to help Laimbeer build this resume, more than anything, as he seeks out an NBA job.

COACHING SEARCH CONTINUES; SHEED TO BOSTON

2009-07-05T21:21:00.001-04:00

I've been told tonight (Sunday) that Cleveland assistant John Kuester and Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau are still in the running for the Pistons' head coaching job. Joe Dumars met with ex-Dallas coach Avery Johnson today but they obviously didn't come to an agreement. At the very least, Dumars wants to consider options before hiring the most experienced head coach on his list.
Thibodeau was added to the list this weekend. He's been in the league quite a while, mostly as an assistant to Jeff Van Gundy in New York and Houston. He's the main assistant to Doc Rivers and is considered a defensive guru.
As for Rasheed Wallace, he's staying in the conference. He agreed to a two-year deal with the Celtics tonight to back up Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. I think that's an ideal situation for him. He'll play about 20 minutes a game, which is all his legs will allow these days, and he can beat up on second-stringers as well as defend against Cleveland's Shaquille O'Neal and Orlando's Dwight Howard, the main big men on Boston's main Eastern Conference rivals.

DOUG OUT; AVERY'S PRICE HIGH

2009-07-02T09:55:00.001-04:00

Doug Collins removed his name from the short list of candidates under considering for the Pistons' head coaching job late Wednesday night. Collins did the same thing last offseason with Chicago.
That puts Avery Johnson in the driver's seat and gives the ex-Mavericks coach the ability to drive a hard bargain. The only other name on Dumars' list immediately after he fired Michael Curry Tuesday was Cleveland assistant John Kuester, who was an assistant here under Larry Brown. Kuester does not have the head coaching experience that Dumars presumably wants after Curry crashed and burned in his first year as a head coach.
Johnson's price tag will be high. He stands to collect $4 million during each of the next two seasons off of his Dallas contract, which will be nullified if he takes another head coaching job. Logically, he's going to ask for at least $5 million and probably $6 million or more to take the Pistons' job, instead of collecting Mark Cuban's paycheck and doing some spot work as an ESPN analyst.
The Pistons paid Flip Saunders $5 million last season NOT to coach. They'll be paying Michael Curry $2.5 million each of the next two years NOT to coach.
Good thing for Dumars there's no cap on head coaching salaries.

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE

2009-07-01T22:26:00.001-04:00

The Pistons secured commitments from Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva tonight, as Joe Dumars delivered on his promise to bring in some impact players. He got that done on the first day of free agency and those additions signal a new era of Pistons basketball, for better or worse.
Fans fell in love with the tough, physical, defensive-minded Pistons that made six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Dumars is convinced the team can't play that way anymore, not with the hand-checking rules and ticky-tack calls given to the league's new breed of superstars. So the Pistons are now much more offensively-gifted, though they'll give up plenty at the other end with Gordon and Villanueva playing heavy minutes.
There's still plenty of work to be done. The Pistons have to get a starting center to pair with Villanueva. They'd like Antonio McDyess back but that would mean having McDyess and Kwame Brown rotating at center all season. It makes more sense that Richard Hamilton will be dealt for a big man, though there's a chance they could make that trade and still resign McDyess.
McDyess likes it here but I think he'll wait to see who Dumars brings in as the head coach before he seriously considers returning and leaving some money on the table. He could easily get a full mid-level exception with a contender.

QUICK STRIKES?

2009-07-01T12:09:00.001-04:00

Joe Dumars is wasting no time courting free agents. UConn alums Ben Gordon and Charles Villanueva are in town today, visiting the practice facility and touring the area. They are believed to be at the top of Detroit's wish list. Gordon would give the Pistons a dynamite scorer and creator from the perimeter, while Villanueva would more than fill the inside-out scoring void left by aging free agent Rasheed Wallace.
Nothing new to report on the coaching search but my gut feeling is that Doug Collins is the natural choice. Dumars, who played for Collins, at least knows what's he getting if he brings back Collins - good and bad. And there's no doubt about Collins' coaching prowess.

NOW THE REAL FUN BEGINS

2009-06-27T22:15:00.001-04:00

Unlike the Lions, where draft day was the biggest of the offseason, the Pistons simply added pieces to their bench on draft night Thursday.
They're not expecting Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers or Jonas Jerebko to play major roles next season and perhaps beyond. Daye will probably back up Tayshaun Prince as a rookie, if Prince doesn't get traded, but that's about the extent of it.
The fireworks begin this week. First, the Pistons have to find out if Kwame Brown will opt out or not. That will give them a better idea of how much cap room they have available.
Then comes the free-agent market, which opens Wednesday. Will they make a big play for Carlos Boozer, assuming he opts out? Will they target Ben Gordon and will Gordon accept a super sixth man role? Is there another free agent, like Hedo Turkoglu, that has caught their eye? Will they get serious with Toronto about a potential Chris Bosh deal and how much will they have to give up to make that happen?
What happens this July will determine whether the Pistons will play in May and June in the near future.

BIG DAYE

2009-06-25T22:30:00.001-04:00

The Pistons chose 6-11 Gonzaga forward Austin Daye with the No. 15 pick. They were hoping Louisville's Earl Clark would slide out of the lottery but Phoenix took him at No. 14.
Daye is a stick figure - 193 pounds - but under strength coach Arnie Kander's program, the Pistons aren't worried about his build. They think he can develop into a versatile forward in the mold of Lamar Odom or Rashard Lewis. Daye certainly has the offensive skills to add to the Pistons' anemic attack.
"We like his skill set, we like his growth and we like his basketball IQ," Joe Dumars said. "He's an extremely smart young player being around the game all his life, and he's also a high-character guy."
Daye's father, Darren, played five NBA seasons.

QUIET ON PISTONS FRONT

2009-06-25T17:05:00.001-04:00

Lots of trade talks are going on around them but it looks like the Pistons are staying put with the No. 15 overall pick. Sacramento apparently tried to trade up and give the Pistons two lower picks, but that made no sense for Detroit because it has three second-rounders and didn't want five picks bunched together.
Watch carefully what the Bulls do in this draft. If they pick a shooting guard - they are reportedly interested in Terrence Williams - that may be a signal they're not going to get into a bidding war with the Pistons over Ben Gordon.
As for Carlos Boozer, the Pistons' brass is a little leery of his price range. They'd be interested if he wanted a starting salary of $10 to $12 million with normal yearly raises. If he wants $15 million, he'll price himself out of the market.
There's also a lot of Amare Stoudemire rumors flying around and you've got to believe the Pistons would be interested, but only if Stoudemire agreed to an extension. Same goes for Chris Bosh, who has no intention of returning to Toronto when he becomes a free agent after next season.

JOE SPEAKS

2009-06-24T13:45:00.001-04:00

Joe Dumars spoke to the media a day before the annual NBA draft. Nothing earthshattering in his comments, though he did offer some tidbits:
1. He wants a frontcourt player with the team's first-round selection, to the No. 15 overall. So much for picking the best player available nonsense.
2. He doesn't plan to trade the pick, or try to move into the lottery. He basically feels he can get just as good a player at No. 15 as he could early in the lottery.
3. He wants to come out of this offseason with three "good" players - the first-rounder, plus two impact players through free agency and/or trades.
For more, see Thursday's editions of The Oakland Press

AJ GONE

2009-06-23T22:14:00.001-04:00

Tired of waiting for potential to turn into production, the Pistons traded Amir Johnson to Milwaukee Tuesday in what was essentially a salary dump.
The Pistons took back center Fabricio Oberto, whom the Bucks acquired earlier in the day in the Richard Jefferson deal with San Antonio.
Oberto has only $1.8 million of his $3.5 million contract guaranteed for next season. Once he's waived, the Pistons will save $1.9 million in salary.
That will get them closer to $20 million under the cap once the free agent market opens next week. Of course, the Pistons are expected to be the most aggressive team on the market, with Carlos Boozer and Ben Gordon at the top of their wish list.

WEIRD, WILD STUFF

2009-06-23T13:19:00.001-04:00

A trade rumor reported on ESPN had the Pistons rejecting a Boston proposal in which the Celtics would have dealt their starting backcourt - Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo - for Detroit's 3 perimeter starters - Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey.
If there's any truth to it, it's an audacious proposal by Boston. Allen is on the downside of his career, so you'd basically be giving up 3 starters over the long term for Rondo. If you took Prince or Hamilton out of the equation, that would be an equitable but somewhat useless trade. How would that make the Pistons dramatically better?
I'm sure they'll be several more rumors like this before the Pistons either sign a couple of free agents next month, or make a huge deal.

BIG MAN GUARANTEE?

2009-06-21T10:17:00.001-04:00

One of the top NBA draft sites insists that the Pistons have made a guarantee to Ohio State freshman center B.J. Mullens that he's their guy if he's available with the No. 15 pick.
Ordinarily, I would quickly dismiss such talk and I am skeptical about this one, too. But I do remember how the talk two years ago was that the Pistons were enamored with Rodney Stuckey and that turned out to be true.
Giving the current rumor more credence is the Mullens' agent is Andy Miller, who also represents Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess. Joe Dumars and Miller have a very solid relationship, so it wouldn't shock if the Pistons gave Miller some sort of indication that they really liked Mullens.
Of course, we won't know for sure until Thursday night.

LATEST WORKOUTS

2009-06-19T18:02:00.001-04:00

The Pistons brought in a dozen more draft prospects this week. Among that group was senior forwards Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll from Missouri; senior forward Alfred Aboya from UCLA; and junior guards Daniel Hackett (USC) and Eric Devendorf (Syracuse).
There has been some speculation that the Pistons made a draft promise to either Gonzaga forward Austin Daye or Ohio State center BJ Mullens. I don't think the Pistons like anyone at the No. 15 overall spot to make any promises. I certainly don't see them picking Mullens, despite their obvious need at center. They're in a win-now mode and Mullens had his hands full learning the college game for one season with the Buckeyes.
I also don't think it's going to be DaJuan Blair of Pittsburgh. I think he's too much of a Jason Maxiell clone. Daye's body shape is similar to Tayshaun Prince. Do you really need two of those guys?
My feeling is if they draft a frontcourt player up top, it will be either Louisville's Earl Clark or North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough.

HEDO DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

2009-06-18T22:18:00.001-04:00

I've heard in some corners that the Pistons might be one of the teams that will pursue Hedo Turkoglu. I don't see how he can significantly improve the Pistons.
He's a better shooter than Tayshaun Prince but otherwise, he's not an upgrade at the small forward position. Prince is a better defender and shotblocker. Both can handle the ball well - I suspect if Tay were playing with Dwight Howard, he'd be running pick and rolls with him, too. What big man will Hedo run that play with on the Pistons?

PISTONS AS LONG SHOTS

2009-06-15T18:54:00.001-04:00

How far have the Pistons fallen in the eyes of Las Vegas oddsmakers? Bodog.com has posted odds for the 2010 NBA championship. The Los Angeles Lakers, of course, are the favorites at 9-4 (slightly more than 2-1). Cleveland is next at 3-1, followed by Boston (9-2) and Orlando (15-2 or 7 1/2-1). Where are the Pistons? 11th among the 30 teams at a whopping 45-1. But that still puts them ahead of Eastern Conference playoff teams Atlanta, Miami and Chicago, who are all 50-1 propositions.

FINALS REMATCH?

2009-06-15T10:10:00.001-04:00

We saw a rematch in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. It would come as no surprise if the same thing developed in the NBA next season.
The Lakers, with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, are a powerhouse. They won the title despite not getting much in the playoffs from Andrew Bynum, whom they hope will develop into a franchise player.
Dwight Howard isn't going anywhere and his offensive game should improve as the years go by. The key for the Magic is to resign Hedo Turkoglu, who will probably opt out of his contract. Orlando's offense revolves around Hedo's ability to run pick-and-rolls from the small forward spot.

IT'S OVER

2009-06-12T00:28:00.001-04:00

The Orlando Magic had every chance to tie the NBA Finals at 2-2 on Thursday night. But ultimately, their inexperience in these situations and their poor free throw shooting did them in. Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard each missed crucial free throws late in regulation. Had they made just one more, Derek Fisher couldn't have tied the game with the first of his two huge 3-pointers.
The Magic had trouble inbounding the ball a few times after timeouts, reinforcing my feeling that the best way to blow up such plays is to hound the inbounder. Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom did a good job of contesting those passes.
I also have to fault Stan Van Gundy for riding rusty Jameer Nelson through the fourth quarter and overtime. Yes, Nelson made some nice decisions but he was no threat to score. He also made a terrible decision to back off Fisher on that tying 3-pointer. At some point, Van Gundy should have gone back to Rafer Alston, who could have created a game-winning shot on one of those late possessions.
Now, with the series 3-1, the Lakers will wrap things up in Game 5 Sunday or Game 6 Tuesday. Orlando knows it won't win twice in L.A., so it might not put forth enough effort to prevent Kobe & Co. from celebrating on the Magic's home floor Sunday.

LEE-PIN' LIZARDS!

2009-06-08T12:02:00.001-04:00

One blown layup cost Orlando the chance to steal homecourt advantage in Game 2 of the Finals. Stan Van Gundy drew up a perfect play with .6 seconds left in regulation and the game tied. He had Hedo Turkoglu, the inbounder, throw a lob pass. But instead of it going to a big man, as the Lakers anticipated, shooting guard Courtney Lee snuck in behind the defense. But Lee, who had missed a runner during the final minute, bounced it off the glass and front rim.
That probably cost the Magic the series. They now have to win 4 of 5.
I'm still sticking with my original prediction - Lakers in 7. Orlando played much better in Game 2 as all of their frontcourt players increased their offensive production. They now have to sort out what to do with the point guard situation, complicated by the return of Jameer Nelson. For a crucial stretch in the late going, Van Gundy didn't use Nelson or starter Rafer Alston, instead having Turkoglu bring up the ball. I thought that was a mistake - they had four turnovers during that stretch.
I think Van Gundy should stick with Alston, spot in Nelson during the second quarter and about 6-8 minutes midway through the second half, then play the hot hand down the stretch.

AI WITH LB AGAIN?

2009-06-05T19:48:00.002-04:00

Allen Iverson still wants to play basketball - on his terms, of course. And guess who might give him the chance next season?
Yep. his old coach in Philadelphia. Larry Brown said he'd be more than willing to take AI back and give his team an offensive spark. Charlotte ranked last in the league in scoring this season.
AI better hope that LB doesn't study the replays of AI's stormy season in Detroit. It was clear to me that AI had lost a step or two and his drives to the basket became increasingly unproductive. I was amazed how often he missed layups and shots within five feet of the basket. And when he didn't put it up, he had an annoying habit of dribbling through the lane and going back outside, rather than looking to pass it to a big man in the lane.
All I can say to LB if the Bobcats sign Iverson as a free agent this summer is good luck. He'll need plenty of it, if he's expecting AI to be the piece that puts Charlotte in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

FINALS PICK

2009-06-04T11:36:00.001-04:00

The NBA Finals of 2009 doesn't have the glitz and glamor of the Boston-Los Angeles matchup a year ago but it should be more competitive and closer. The Lakers are very hungry after flopping to the tougher Celtics last June, while Orlando has zero pressure on it after vanquishing heavily-favored Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic could be like the Pistons of 2004 - being so loose that they feel they can do anything. And with Dwight Howard playing like he did against the Cavs, they have a right to feel that way.
Orlando beat L.A. in both regular-season games, so there's no intimidation factor going for the Lakers. But I do think Los Angeles will use the home-court advantage to squeak out a thriller, seven-game series. They have better athletes on the perimeter to distract the Magic's 3-point shooters and the combo of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum should be somewhat more effective on Howard than Cleveland's lumbering big men.

SHAKY CONSEQUENCES

2009-06-01T22:03:00.001-04:00

To shake or not to shake?
That is the question in the wake of LeBron James' decision to ignore the usual post-series handshakes after his Cavaliers were eliminated by the Magic.
What has made the controversy linger is James' refusal to apologize for his behavior, even at the risk of looking like a poor sport to his legions of fans, particularly youngsters. James basically said he didn't see any reason why he should congratulate the people who just beat up him and his team.
I do think the whole handshake thing is overrated. Being a poor sport has more to do with the way you play and act during a series than whether you exchange a few meaningless handshakes and hugs with the opposing team afterward. It's especially strange to see hockey teams who just beat the daylights out of each other exchanging pleasantries after a series.
But this isn't an issue for LeBron to make some sort of a statement about such traditions. It's more important that he sends a message to his young fans to act with class and dignity in the face of adversity and disappointment. From that standpoint, LeBron has disappointed a lot of people.

CONSOLATION PRIZE

2009-05-31T10:30:00.001-04:00

The NBA, its network partners and ad agencies wanted LeBron. Instead, they got Tiger - sitting in the front row.
The FInals features the two best teams in the league and its two most famous spectators - Magic supporter Woods and Lakers' courtside fan, Jack Nicholson.
Orlando was far superior to the Cavs in the conference finals and earned its way into the championship round. Dwight Howard has taken all those lessons he learned from Rasheed Wallace to heart - he, not LeBron, is the league's most dominant player when he's at the top of his game.
I think the Finals will be fascinating and very close. The Lakers have better and more athletic defenders than the Cavs to match up with the Magic. But Orlando is peaking ar the right time and Howard is feeling invincible. I see it going the distance with the Lakers' playoff experience being the deciding factor.
Broader question - will advertisers pull all those LeBron commercials or risk looking foolish during Finals timeouts?

LAST THOUGHT ON LEBRON

2009-05-23T18:10:00.001-04:00

LeBron James' last-second miracle shot reminded me of Christian Laettner's buzzer-beating vs. Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Why? Because the coach and/or players on the opposing team forgot one important fact - the best way to prevent those shots is to distract the inbounder. Grant Hill had a clear look when he heaved the ball to Laettner.
Mo Williams didn't have quite that luxury but Rashard Lewis backed off an at angle while guarding the inbound. Was he afraid of a lob pass? Whatever the reason, if I were Stan Van Gundy, I would have told Lewis to get as close to Williams as possible and wave those long arms of his. No way would LeBron have had such a clean catch and shot. As it was, the Cavs only had to run a simple inbounds play with LeBron coming off a screen.
There's been some criticism of Hedo Turkoglu for backing off but I think he did all he could. If he had so much as breathed on LeBron in that situation, the officials would have tooted their whistles.

MAGIC MEN

2009-05-21T13:15:00.001-04:00

Wrote a column the other day about Chauncey Billups. I almost wrote about Orlando and how it's been underrated all season by most people, including myself.

I don't think the Magic can win the series but it would be wrong to simply dismiss their Game 1 win over Cleveland as a fluke. Orlando nearly won 60 games this season despite losing its point guard in midstream.

Everyone talks about Dwight Howard but what really makes the Magic difficult to play are their forwards. I'm not a big fan of the whole point forward concept but Hedo Turkoglu does that better than anyone in the league. Rashard Lewis is a dangerous offensive player - and should be, considering the size of his paycheck. He made a cold-blooded 3-pointer to win the game after LeBron got a cheap call which led to a 3-point play.

Their trio of shooting guards isn't bad. J.R. Redick played surprisingly well defensively against Ray Allen and Courtney Lee is a promising young player. But the guy who's really emerged is Mickael Pietrus, who has always shown flashes of ability and great athleticism. He never really put it together in Golden State and got hurt in his first year with Orlando but has really emerged in the postseason.

CHAUNCEY, PART II

2009-05-19T14:49:00.001-04:00

Does anyone remember the other two point guards on the free agent market when the Pistons signed Chauncey Billups?
If you guessed Travis Best and Jeff McInnis, consider yourself a Pistons historian. It wasn't a no-brainer at the time that Chauncey was better than that duo. Rick Carlisle and Joe Dumars knew what they were doing when they courted Chauncey the first weekend of free agency in 2002.
For more on Billups and my take on whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame, see Wednesday's edition of The Oakland Press.

CHAUNCEY'S LEGACY

2009-05-15T21:14:00.001-04:00

How significant is Chauncey Billups' accomplishment of playing in his seventh straight conference finals?
Only four other players since 1970 have advanced to seven or more consecutive conference finals, and they all played for the great Lakers teams in the 1980s - Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kurt Rambis.
Really, that puts Chauncey on par with Magic - not in talent, obviously, but in the fact he was the floor leader of those teams. Before this year, I don't know if you could have called Chauncey a Hall of Famer. Now, like the Osgood debate in hockey, it's hard to deny him, based on his postseason resume.
I remember asking a question about Chauncey to Rick Carlisle during a Pistons-Pacers series a few years back after he lit up Indiana. Carlisle's response was fairly simple, something along the lines, 'Hey, he's a great player.'
At the time, you still didn't think of Billups in that fashion. You do now. Can you think of a better (i.e. more effective) point man in the league than Chauncey? Or put it this way, if you had a playoff team, which active point guard would you choose to run your club?
He's the best in the business.

PLAYOFF MUSINGS

2009-05-14T10:09:00.001-04:00

Coming into the playoffs, I felt Denver was very vulnerable to getting knocked off in the first round.
Instead, the Nuggets have been the second-best team in the playoffs, behind only the steamrolling Cleveland Cavaliers.
After seeing how the Cavs forced Chauncey Billups to give up the ball in past playoff series, I figured the Western Conference teams would embrace the same strategy. But Billups has controlled the action while his team overpowered the Hornets and Mavericks offensively in the first two rounds.
By the way, got to figure the Mavs' franchise is in deep trouble. Dirk Nowitzki turns 31 this summer and his supporting cast is average at best. Over-the-hill Jason Kidd and his $21 million contract comes off the books, but the Mavs still don't have the financial flexibility to make significant changes to their roster.
The Lakers will finish off the banged-up Rockets, setting up a very intriguing conference finals between the rampaging Nuggets and inconsistent but supremely talented Lakers. At this stage, you've got to give a slight edge to Denver, which has shown a blend of toughness and cohesiveness.
By the way, was there anything more predictable than Orlando's Game 5 collapse in Boston? Time and again, the Magic have shown no mental toughness when tested. Criticize Van Gundy all you want about Dwight Howard's lack of touches but Orlando has to finish off the Celtics in that situation, no matter who's taking the shots.

IN MEMORY OF CHUCK

2009-05-09T15:33:00.001-04:00

It's sad to know Chuck Daly had to suffer before death - pancreatic cancer is one of the most evil forms of the disease - but the man, as usual, handled it with dignity and class. He didn't want great public outpourings of sympathy during the last couple of months of his life. He was visited by family, close friends and colleagues but wanted everything kept private.
That makes it easier to remember how he lived and what he accomplished in his career. He went from a virtual unknown when he was hired by the Pistons in 1983 to a Hall of Famer just 11 years later. And the "CD" lapel pins the coaches have been wearing in the playoffs shows how much he meant to his peers. Everyone around here knows what he meant to his players, the Pistons organization, this city, this state and basketball fans.
He didn't even want flowers after his death, which occurred Saturday morning.
The organization issued a statement, through his family, that those who wish to further honor his memory may do so by making a contribution to the following:

Jupiter Medical Center Foundation
1210 South Old Dixie Highway
Jupiter, FL 33458
(561) 746-7974

Rest in peace, Coach.

LATE-NIGHT FIREWORKS

2009-05-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

The best playoff series right now is going on when most people are already asleep.
I'm not talking Wings-Ducks here. The Rockets-Lakers second-rounder has quickly developed into must-see-TV.
Not only are the Rockets offering a strong challenge to the Lakers, the series has become very heated and chippy. The Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter of Game 2 Wednesday to even the series and there was all kinds of extra-curricular drama.
Rockets forward Luis Scola has not made any friends in L.A. with his physical play. Lamar Odom has been chirping at him and Luke Walton got a technical after giving Scola a piece of his mind. Derek Fisher then got tossed from the game late in the third quarter for leveling Scola with an elbow.
To no one's surprise, Ron Artest is also making headlines for his antics. After getting called for an offensive foul against Kobe Bryant, Artest ran to an official early in the fourth quarter and vehemently pleaded with him that Bryant nailed him with an elbow to the throat. Artest then raced over to Bryant and screamed in his face, resulting in another ejection.
Bryant smugly dismissed the incident afterward as "playoff basketball." Another Artest-Kobe confrontation seems inevitable.
If that wasn't enough, Houston coach Rick Adelman banished one of his players in the middle of all this craziness for insubordination. He told reserve Von Wafer, one of the great names in the game, to go back to the locker room after Wafer argued with him on the bench.
Can't wait to see what happens when the series shifts to Houston this weekend.

BACK IN BUSINESS

2009-05-05T16:34:00.001-04:00

Readers of this blog might have wondered where I've been the past couple of weeks. Other than trying to figure out how Mine The Bird won the Derby, I've been on the mend. I broke my right foot the morning that the Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs.
There was nothing that surprised me about Joe Dumars' press conference last week. I knew he was frustrated with the effort and attitude of some of his veterans this season. No doubt, he'd like to make some significant moves this summer and he's got the cap room to do it.
As I've stated recently, I don't see any way Rasheed Wallace comes back, even for a reduced price. His skills have diminished to the point where even having him around as a backup doesn't seem like a good idea.
I also strongly believe he'll try to move Tayshaun Prince. Seems to me Prince has gotten too complacent and needs a change of scenery.
The big thing is just what impact players he can bring in. I have to believe either Bosh or Stoudemire would have to be the centerpiece. Carlos Boozer puts up numbers, but he's not the type of guy who can carry a team. And given his injury history, I'd rather roll the dice that Bosh tells Toronto he's not coming back or that Stoudemire could thrive just as much in a more structured offense as he did in Phoenix's attack.

GAME 3 PREGAME

2009-04-24T17:54:00.001-04:00

Just got back from Michael Curry's pregame press conference.
Expect to see more of Will Bynum tonight. He wants to put Bynum on the floor with Rodney Stuckey and Rip Hamilton in order to push the tempo. The Pistons are averaging just 83 points in this series on 42.5 percent shooting.
Tayshaun Prince has been bothered by a sore lower back since the start of the playoffs. He scored just two points in Game 2 and has been receiving treatment the last few days.
"He's moving a little better," Curry said. "Hopefully, he'll get something going early."
Curry will play his reserves more if another slow start occurs but he doesn't expect miracles from the second unit.
"Our bench has been playing really good but let's make no mistakes about it," he said. "If Tayshaun and Sheed (Wallace) can't play really good in this series, we have no chance."

CURRY: THE HEART IS THERE

2009-04-23T16:44:00.001-04:00

Pistons head coach Michael Curry bristled Thursday at the suggestion that his team isn't playing with heart and desire, even though one of his players, Antonio McDyess, did just that after Tuesday's Game 2 loss at Cleveland.
"I hear that word pride and heart and all that stuff," he said. "I don't know where you would go with that. As a player, when I heard it, it was strange to me and it's still strange to me. You step out on the court to compete. All your pride and heart is there every time you step out on the court. I don't know how you play with pride and sometimes you don't. I don't know if you leave pride at the door and pick it back up on the way out."
For more of Curry's comments and a preview of Game 3, check out Friday's edition of The Oakland Press.

PLAYOFF OBSERVATIONS

2009-04-22T10:44:00.001-04:00

The Pistons' late rally in Game 2 against Cleveland reminded me of the Cavs-Pistons 2006 conference semifinals series. The Pistons won the first two games at home but eased up during a blowout in Game 2 and gave the Cavs confidence with a late rally. That series went seven exhausting games before the Cavs finally succumbed.
Could the same thing happen in this series? Nah.
While that group of Cavs was up and coming, the Pistons are in sharp decline. Their starters have been alarmingly unfocused and listless. That's especially true of Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.
I remember watching Ben Wallace in his final year with the Pistons, thinking 'He's lost it. He doesn't have the same explosion anymore.'
Same thing this year with Sheed, though Sheed's at an age where you expect that. He just doesn't have the mobility to be a special defensive player anymore, as he was during his first 3 or 4 seasons in Detroit.
Prince is a more maddening case. He seems to be full of excuses every postseason. Before, he'd decline in the conference finals. This year, he's gone into the tank from the start. He's averaging 6 points in his last six postseason games.
I have to believe Joe D. is thinking the same thing. To somehow challenge the Cavs and LeBron in future years, he needs someone who's at least willing to stand up to LeBron and also make him work at the defensive end. Prince appears mentally defeated against Cleveland before the game starts.
Don't be surprised if one of the moves that Joe makes this offseason is a change at small forward. The restructuring of this team is going to take more than an inside scoring option and a shooter off the bench.

POSTSEASON DEDICATED TO CHUCK

2009-04-16T11:39:00.001-04:00

Just got this release from the NBA. A classy move by ex-Piston coach Rick Carlisle and the rest of the league's coaches to dedicate the postseason to Chuck Daly and create an award in his honor. Daly is seriously ill with pancreatic cancer.

The National Basketball Coaches' Association
   (NBCA) announced today that it will dedicate the 2009 NBA Playoffs to
   former NBA Head Coach Chuck Daly.

          Dallas Mavericks Head Coach and President of the NBCA Rick
   Carlisle and NBCA Executive Director Michael Goldberg announced that NBA
   coaches throughout the Playoffs will wear a lapel pin emblazoned with
   the initials “CD” as a show of support for Daly, who was diagnosed with
   pancreatic cancer in February and is currently undergoing treatment.
   The Hall of Famer coached the Cavaliers, Pistons, Nets and Magic and led
   the 1992 Men's Olympic Dream Team to a Gold Medal.

         In addition to honoring Daly throughout the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the
   NBCA also announced that it is developing the “Chuck Daly Lifetime
   Achievement Award” to honor a current or former NBA Coach (Head Coach or
   Assistant).

         “I   am pleased to announce that the NBCA is dedicating the 2009
   NBA Playoffs to Chuck Daly and we all send our thoughts and best wishes
   to him and his family,” said Carlisle.   “Chuck has played such an
   important role as a friend and mentor to so many NBA coaches, it’s only
   fitting that we develop the ‘Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award’ in
   his honor.”

         The “Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award” will be awarded yearly
   to a current or former NBA coach who, throughout an NBA career, has made
   a special contribution to the sport and whose work has had a positive
   impact on the NBA coaching profession. The award will be voted upon by
   the members of the NBA Coaches Association and will be announced at the
   conclusion of the NBA regular season.

         The inaugural award will be presented later this year.

FINISH LINE

2009-04-16T00:04:00.001-04:00

During the final week of the regular season, the Pistons played like a team that wanted the season to end quickly. They lost their last three games, dooming them to the No. 8 seed. But guard Richard Hamilton doesn’t want anyone to read too much into that.
“The season is over and the playoffs is a whole different season,” he said. “As you know, the last couple of years the regular season hasn’t meant much. Everybody just waits on the playoffs. Now is the time for us to make a run. It’s going to be tougher than any other year because we are in the eighth spot, but we have to figure out a way.”
Sorry, but the only way the Pistons can beat Cleveland in the opening round is if LeBron James blows out his knee in the opener. Even then, I'd still lean toward the Cavs. The Pistons have just been way too inconsistent and unfocused to suddenly make some magic.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

2009-04-13T18:30:00.001-04:00

Kwame Brown missed Saturday's game with a tight hamstring but he participated in shootaround and should play tonight against Chicago.
Meanwhile, the team that drafted Brown first overall is about to hire Flip Saunders as its next head coach. Washington is close to finalizing contract negotiations with Saunders, who took the year off after the Pistons fired him at the end of last season.

PERFECT WORLD

2009-04-13T10:21:00.001-04:00

Right now, the Pistons should have no shot at finishing sixth in the East. They got beat by the lottery-bound Indiana Pacers Saturday night, seemingly banishing themselves to seventh or eighth place. But Philadelphia continues to falter, losing to Toronto on Sunday.
If the Pistons can beat Chicago tonight and Miami Wednesday - the latter a meaningless game to the Heat - the Pistons would finish at .500. They would win the tiebreaker over the Bulls because of a better conference record.
Philly would have to lose both of its remaining games for the Pistons to elevate to sixth but that's quite possible. The Sixers' remaining games are against Boston (home Tuesday) and Cleveland (road Wednesday).
If nothing else, the Pistons will finish seventh if they win their last two games. With Kevin Garnett's knee troubles, a matchup with Boston is more desirable than having the top-seeded Cavs and LeBron James smash them in the opening round.

ODDS AND ENDS

2009-04-10T18:51:00.001-04:00

With the Pistons closing in on a playoff berth - they should get it tonight - the prevailing sentiment is that their season will still be over by the end of the month. And with good reason.
It's going to be nearly impossible for them to finish higher than seventh, even if they sweep their remaining games. Philadelphia, the current sixth seed, is two games ahead of them record-wise and also holds the tiebreaker.
The home finale Monday against Chicago will likely determine who finishes seventh - and draws either Boston or Orlando - and who gets the No. 8 seed and plays Cleveland.
Michael Curry said tonight he doesn't plan on shortening his rotation for the playoffs. He'd like to go nine-deep with Kwame Brown and Jason Maxiell spelling the frontcourt starters, Will Bynum will back up Rodney Stuckey and either Arron Afflalo or Walter Herrmann will get minutes at the wing.

BIG CHANGES? MAYBE NOT

2009-04-07T11:23:00.001-04:00

We've talked about the Pistons' cap space a lot in recent months but don't be surprised if the roster is pretty similar to this year's group.
They'll bring in another big man and a perimeter shooter but there won't be wholesale changes, unless a deal comes along where Joe Dumars would give up either Tayshaun Prince or Richard Hamilton.
You figure the point guard tandem will remain Rodney Stuckey-Will Bynum. Backups Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo are signed through at least next season. Kwame Brown has a player option on his contract and will probably keep the $4 million, rather than take his chances in a tight free agent market.
The team wants to resign Antonio McDyess and would probably take back Rasheed Wallace with a reasonably-priced, short-term deal.
I also think Michael Curry will get another chance to prove he can do the job. The Pistons would have won a few more games with an experienced coach but it would have been tough for anybody, given the turmoil created by Allen Iverson and the injuries they had.

AI IS DONE

2009-04-03T16:52:00.001-04:00

You just knew this was coming.
The Pistons just released a statement, saying Allen Iverson would miss the remainder of the season. The official reason, according to a Joe Dumars statement, is that he was "still feeling some discomfort" in his back. But we all know the truth. He had no desire to be a sixth man and complained all week about it after coming off the bench for three games.
With the team desperately trying to making the playoffs, it didn't need the additional drama created by AI's unhappiness with being a bench player. Will Bynum and Arron Afflalo, two young, hungry players, will benefit in the short term.
In the long team, obviously, the Pistons will take Iverson's expiring contract and use the $21.9 million on free agents and trades.
The question now is will AI play again in the league? He obviously won't accept anything less than being a starter and a main cog in the attack. Who will want to deal with an aging AI's ego and belief that he's still an All-Star? That will be one of the interesting sideshows of the summer.

GO AWAY, AI

2009-04-01T09:17:00.001-04:00

Boston shut down Kevin Garnett for the rest of the regular season. It's time for the Pistons to do the same with Allen Iverson - not because he's injured but for the sake of team chemistry.
The Pistons put up with Iverson sitting out a month with a mysterious back injury and his insistence on getting outside opinions on his condition. All along, the speculation was that he simply didn't want to come off the bench as a sixth man, a spot that Michael Curry moved him to just before his back supposedly flared up.
In both of the games he's played since his return, Iverson has complained about being put in that role. The first time, he essentially said he felt a player of his stature was too good to be placed in that spot. After the game against Cleveland Tuesday, he fumed about playing just 18 minutes and said the team rushed him back into action.
The Pistons didn't rush him back. In fact, they'd probably be happy if he took the rest of the season off. They're fighting for a playoff spot - they don't Iverson whining after every game about his role.
I've said it numerous times this season - the Iverson deal was a trade the Pistons had to make. They have over $20 million in salary-cap room this summer to reshape the roster, thanks to Iverson's expiring contract. But the on-court results this year have been a disaster. The sooner Iverson sheds his Pistons uniform, the better.

AI RIPS CRITICS

2009-03-29T22:16:00.001-04:00

Allen Iverson answered his critics on the court, then took them to task off of it.
For a month, he bubbled with frustration as his image of being the toughest little man in the NBA eroded. He missed 16 games with soreness in his back, a vague prognosis that fueled suspicion he was just upset about being benched.
There was rampant speculation that Iverson wouldn’t play again this season but he appeared in his new role Sunday night against, fittingly, the team he carried for so many years. Iverson had eight points in 21 minutes in the Pistons’ 101-97 victory over Philadelphia - their first home Sunday win in nine attempts this season.
He made his biggest point during the postgame press conference against critics who thought he wasn’t really injured.
“You have no idea how frustrated I got,” said Iverson, who had not played since Feb. 25. “You get all the praise in the world for being a warrior. ‘Allen Iverson played through this injury and that injury. The doctors said four- to six-weeks and you come back in a week. He’s tough as nails.’
“Then, when I get an injury I never had before, an injury that bothered me the way it did, people started to question me. That was the toughest thing. I had this warrior image my whole career and then I get an injury where I can’t go, it’s more or less people just can’t believe it.”
Iverson kept a very low profile, not granting interviews or sitting on the bench, during his idle period. That added to speculation he had quit on the team, which won its second straight game in as many nights after losing six of seven.
“No matter how many positive things I do in the community or positive things I do for other people, (with) writers and commentators - positive is not going to sell when it comes to Allen Iverson,” he said. “The negative is going to sell. If you can come up with a negative story about Allen Iverson, then everybody wants to listen. They don’t want to hear nothing positive about me, so that’s what everybody ran with. ... I kind of understood where it was coming from, it’s just a sad thing.”
Read more in Monday's edition of The Oakland Press.

CAN THEY GO?

2009-03-29T16:46:00.001-04:00

Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace will be in uniform tonight when the Pistons play the 76ers. However, it's uncertain whether they play.
"I'm only going to ask them at the end of warmups if they can go?" Michael Curry said.
Iverson has not played all month because of a sore back. Rasheed has missed 10 straight with a left calf strain.

FEELING BETTER

2009-03-26T19:16:00.001-04:00

Help is on the way. At last.
Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson missed the game Thursday night with injuries but they are all close to returning.
Each worked out under the watchful eye of Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander Thursday afternoon and showed progress. Head coach Michael Curry says Hamilton, out the last six games with a left groin strain, should return for the road game Saturday against Washington.
Rasheed Wallace, who has missed nine consecutive games with a left calf strain, might also be back this weekend against either the Wizards or the home game against Philadelphia Sunday night.
Even Allen Iverson - he of the mysterious back injury - is poised to answer the skeptics who believe he’ll sit out the rest of the season, rather than coming off the bench. Curry is hopeful Iverson will be back “by the beginning of next week.”

ACHING TO GET BETTER

2009-03-26T17:27:00.001-04:00

Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson are still out tonight, when the Pistons play the Lakers. We'll find out more soon from Michael Curry on their status for the road game at Washington Saturday night and Philadelphia at The Palace Sunday.
Did you know the Pistons have beaten the Lakers nine straight times at The Palace? That includes Games 3-5 in the 2004 Finals.
The Lakers need just four more wins to reach the 60 mark with 12 games remaining. Safe bet they'll get there.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

2009-03-24T09:35:00.001-04:00

If the Pistons played in the Western Conference, as the Red Wings do, they'd already be planning for a lottery selection.
Being a game under .500 in the NBA's Eastern Conference, where the Pistons are at heading into Tuesday's TNT game against Chicago, is more than good enough for a playoff berth. Only a complete collapse will prevent them from getting in.
Chicago is the current eighth seed at 33-38. The team with the next-best record is Charlotte at 31-39. The Pistons are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Bobcats with 13 games left. I figure if the Pistons win six more times, they're safe. They still have a good chance of catching Philadelphia at No. 6 if they can go 8-5. They have two more games left with the Sixers, including Sunday night.
Cleveland has a stranglehold on the top conference seed, with Boston and Orlando battling for the No. 2 spot. Obviously, the Pistons would prefer to draw the Magic, a team they have defeated three times this year and beaten in the playoffs the last two seasons.
Beyond the Lakers with the top seed, the West remains wide open. The other division races are extremely close, with three teams within 1 1/2 games of each other in the Southwest and Northwest divisions. A team can go from the No. 2 seed to the No. 7 spot with just a couple of losses and vice versa.

FW: INJURY UPDATE

2009-03-22T12:25:00.001-04:00

Rodney Stuckey will play today against Miami after missing the last game with the flu.
The injury news is improving - finally. Allen Iverson's back tests have all come back "fairly good," according to head coach Michael Curry. He's going to start doing some therapy and rehab work with strength coach Arnie Kander. Still, no target date for his return.
Rasheed Wallace had some tests done on his calf strain Saturday and they were also positive. He could return to action as early as Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Richard Hamilton is feeling better after his nagging groin injury flared up last weekend. He could be back as early as Tuesday against Chicago.

STUCK'S SICK

2009-03-20T20:03:00.001-04:00

Rodney Stuckey is suffering from flu-like symptoms. He's not starting but might play. Lots of ball-handling duties for Will Bynum and Tay Prince, even if Stuckey gets off the bench.

NO SHEED OR RIP AGAIN

2009-03-20T19:16:00.001-04:00

Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton are both out for tonight's game against the Clippers. It will be Wallace's sixth consecutive absence with a left calf strain. Rip is still nursing a sore groin. It's very likely they'll both sit out Sunday afternoon against Miami, as well. Good luck guarding Dwyane Wade, Arron Afflalo.
Allen Iverson is having more tests on his back from doctors recommended by the Pistons' staff. As I speculated earlier this week, I think we already may have seen the last of Iverson in a Pistons uniform.

AI THROUGH?

2009-03-18T22:40:00.001-04:00

Has Allen Iverson played his last game in a Pistons uniform?
Iverson remains out indefinitely with a mysterious back injury. He has missed 11 consecutive games, coinciding with head coach Michael Curry’s decision to make him a bench player.
Iverson met with doctors at Georgetown University Wednesday and will undergo a more extensive examination the next two days.
Even if he’s cleared to practice after the tests, Iverson would need at least a week to get back in condition to play. If Iverson is not cleared to practice soon, the Pistons might reach the point - perhaps at the end of the month - where they’d shut down Iverson for the rest of the season.
You have to wonder how seriously Iverson is hurt. Despite several tests, the only thing we've heard is the vague prognosis of a sore back.
When Iverson returns from D.C., it would behoove him to meet with the media and assure everyone he hasn't quit on the team and the season.
In any case, Iverson will not return next season. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in July, and the Pistons will use the salary-cap space created by his expiring contract to upgrade the roster with younger players.

SPREADING THE PAIN

2009-03-18T09:41:00.001-04:00

Arron Afflalo was not in the rotation last week. Now, he's the main shooting guard.
Richard Hamilton's nagging groin injury has flared up again. He missed the game against Dallas Tuesday and is doubtful to play tonight in Houston. He joins Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace on the sidelines. Afflalo scored 16 points against the Mavs, including four 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough.
The Pistons have been remarkably healthy over the past decade, so their luck was due to run out. Better that it happens in this wayward season.
By the way, Iverson is supposed to get his sore back checked today at Georgetown University.
Right now, the Pistons are sitting in the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. If they remain there, they'll either play Orlando or Boston in the first round. They have 16 games left and probably need to win about half of them to hang onto the No. 7 position. With their injury situation, that's going to be a challenge.

SHEED, AI STILL OUT

2009-03-15T11:54:00.001-04:00

Rasheed Wallace's left calf strain is still a major issue. He'll miss Sunday's game against Memphis and will likely sit out the team's two-game Texas road trip against Dallas and Houston.
Allen Iverson's back will be reevaluated this week, probably Wednesday in Washington, D.C. There's no timetable on his return.
Iverson has been virtually invisible since he began sitting out. He hasn't been on the bench during games but head coach Michael Curry says Iverson is keeping a low profile for a good reason.
"He doesn't want his injury or his coming off the bench to be a distraction to the team," Curry said.

BE LIKE DICE

2009-03-12T10:38:00.001-04:00

Antonio McDyess continues to be the team's most consistent player. If everyone played like him this season, the Pistons would be challenging Cleveland for the division title. McDyess was at it again Wednesday with Rasheed Wallace injured, grabbing every rebound in sight, setting screens, defending the post and hitting mid-range shots. He recorded the Pistons' first 20-20 game in more than 11 years. And they still lost.
For all the talk of which free agents the Pistons might bring in this summer, the biggest signing could be to retain Dice. They signed him to a one-year, veteran's minimum contract after he took a buyout with Denver, leaving $9 million on the table. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer and all the same contenders who wanted him in November will at least dangle their mid-level exception to him. He'd be a great fit in San Antonio, Cleveland or Dallas.

MAX GETS START

2009-03-11T18:27:00.001-04:00

Jason Maxiell will start for the first time this season in place of the injured Rasheed Wallace. Michael Curry says that Maxiell's improved defense against 3-point shooting power forwards convinced him to start Maxiell ahead of Amir Johnson or Kwame Brown.

SHEED'S OUT

2009-03-11T11:57:00.001-04:00

Rasheed Wallace will miss Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks and Friday's road game against Toronto with a left calf strain. He suffered the injury during the first quarter against Orlando Monday night.
Without him, either Kwame Brown or Amir Johnson will get the start. Brown played 26 solid minutes against the Magic but is most effectively against bigger centers. The Knicks and Raptors have smaller, more athletic frontcourts, which better suit Johnson's style of play.

KNOCKING DOWN THE PRICE

2009-03-10T10:33:00.001-04:00

The price of season tickets for the Pistons is going down.
The Pistons announced Tuesday that the club will lower all season ticket prices for the 2009-10 NBA season. Season ticket holders who renew season tickets and pay in full by May 1 will save at least 10% from last season.
Additional ways to save include taking part in a newly-developed 10-payment plan or by taking advantage of a free upgrade option on seats.
The Pistons' sellout streak ended last month. They're still drawing sizable crowds for special games like Chauncey Billups' return last week and weekend games. But there were plenty of empty seats Monday when they played Southeast Division leader Orlando. The Pistons have been discounting single tickets in the upper levels all season to fill the building and know that season ticket sales will fall dramatically next season unless they take some steps to entice buyers.
For information on purchasing season tickets or renewals, contact the Pistons ticket sales and services department at 248-377-0100 or log on to www.pistons.com.

TELETHON DAY ALMOST HERE

2009-03-09T19:00:00.001-04:00

Lots of people around the state could use some help.
The Pistons and The Palace organization are doing all they can to aid the neediest residents this week.
The Pistons are holding their annual telethon for the Feed The Children relief organization on Wednesday.
All proceeds will support families in critical need of food and basic necessities throughout the state in areas that have been hit hardest, beginning with metro Detroit. The event will begin early in the morning with radio and television broadcasts taking place at The Palace and continue throughout the day. Fans attending the Pistons game against the New York Knicks Wednesday night can donate at the arena.
Donations can be made through their web site, www.pistons.com. Fans can text DEP to 90999 to donate as well, with a minimum $5 donation.

NOT FRETTING ABOUT THE BENCH

2009-03-09T18:59:00.001-04:00

With Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess back in the starting lineup, and Allen Iverson resting his aching back, the Pistons do not have a true scorer off the bench.
The bench delivered in a road victory against Boston nine days ago, scoring 30 points, and also racked up 48 against depleted Golden State in a blowout last Friday. But in the other three games since Hamilton replaced Iverson in the lineup, the reserves scored a combined 31 points.
That would seem to be the Pistons’ biggest issue until Iverson recovers and becomes a bench player for first time in his career. But head coach Michael Curry doesn’t share that notion.
“How many times are there five guys off the bench at the same time?” he said. “It’s doesn’t happen too often in this league. Most of the time, we always have two starters in the game.”
When those starters are playing with the reserves, the offense revolves around them.
“We just try to run some of the same stuff and try to feature different guys at different times,” Curry said. “Once Allen is back, he’ll just be one of the guys we try to feature as well.”
Jason Maxiell is the reserve corps’ top scorer for the time being, and he’s averaging just 5.6 points. None of the remaining reserves average more than 4.3 points.

MORE ON CHUCK

2009-03-06T19:20:00.001-05:00

The club has not released any information about how advanced Chuck Daly's cancer is but the raw statistics on pancreatic cancer are grim. The disease is considered largely incurable and usually, inoperable. The survival rate for all patients with that form of cancer for one year is 20 percent; The five-year survival rate is 4 percent. Factor in Daly's age, and the odds get even longer.
"I wish him the best," Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "That's a tough cancer to get."
But his friends don't care about those numbers.
"If there's one guy who can battle this whole thing," longtime Pistons trainer Mike Abdenour said, "it's Chuck Daly. he has always been a fighter."

DALY HAS CANCER

2009-03-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

Legendary Pistons coach Chuck Daly has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The news was revealed through a Pistons spokesman.
Daly, 78, won two championships with the Pistons and is the runaway leader in franchise victories with 467.
"Chuck is being treated for the cancer and the family is requesting privacy," said Matt Dobek, who heads The Palace's public relations department. "When he was coaching, Chuck was always known as the Prince of Pessimism, right now Chuck Daly is the King of Optimism."
Daly served as head coach of the Dream Team, the 1992 Gold-Medal winning USA Basketball Olympic Team, which has been acknowledged by many as the greatest basketball team ever assembled. Daly was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. The number 2 (for those 2 NBA Championships) was retired in his honor by the Detroit Pistons in 1997.
"He used to always say the best thing I have going for me as a coach is my ability to go deaf," Palace president Tom Wilson said. "People would come off the floor complaining about being taken out, swearing at him, he’d just ignore it and move on. His sense of perspective was always amazing and his ability to talk to you like you were the only person in the room. And that’s what he did with players. He could have a conversation with you and you were confident he’d never had that conversation with anybody else, ever, and never would again. And then he’d move to the next guy and have the same one."

NEXT WORRY: BENCH SCORING

2009-03-05T08:29:00.001-05:00

Allen Iverson and his chemistry-busting style are on the shelf for at least two weeks. So, AI avoids having to come off the bench for the first time in his career until later this month.
The way the Pistons are playing, it seems they're better off without him. But now they have to wonder who's going to produce off the bench.
Not too long ago, they had Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess as their sixth and seventh men. Now, Jason Maxiell is back in the role he had last year as sixth man and the seventh man is, who, Will Bynum?
That's the dilemma for Michael Curry until and if AI returns. He's got a bunch of role players but no go-to scorers to carry the second unit. Walter Herrmann is probably the offensive skilled but he's just too inconstent. He had 11 points against Boston, none against Denver. That's typical of guy who relies so much on 3-point shooting.

AI OUT

2009-03-04T17:17:00.001-05:00

Allen Iverson will be out at least two weeks after getting his achy back examined at Georgetown University Wednesday morning. Iverson will be reevaluated after the two weeks are up.
Obviously, the Pistons aren't in any rush to get him back, even if they have no scorers off the bench right now. They've won three straight without AI, all against division winners, while shooting 48 percent from the field.

CHAUNCEY SPEAKS

2009-03-02T15:42:00.001-05:00

Chauncey Billups spoke to the media Monday afternoon, following Denver's practice at Oakland University. Here's a few snippets about his return to The Palace Tuesday night:

(on playing at The Palace for the first time since the trade) "I'm really not that emotional of a person but this city means a lot to me, the fans mean a lot to me. This will always be my home away from home. I miss our fans here, I miss all of that, I really do, so I'm looking forward to that."

(on how much it would mean to be greeted warmly) "It would mean a lot because all the fans know I gave everything that I had, every ounce that I always had to the city and the team and the organization. I think people appreciate that and I certainly appreciate the fans and how they treated me. They made me a star. When I came here, not a lot of people knew what I could do and who I could be and they helped me in that process."

(on Rip Hamilton coming off the bench and then returning to the starting lineup) "Rip, he's one of those guys that built the team. We built around him, we played around him. I'm just going to say I would never think he would be somebody that would come off the bench."

WHOA, WHAT A RELIEF

2009-02-27T22:33:00.001-05:00

The Pistons' game at Orlando Friday was a 'You had me at hello' experience. Right from the opening possession, when Tayshaun Prince went right at Dwight Howard and converted a three-point play, I felt they were going to win and snap the eight-game losing streak. Even when they were down eight at halftime, I felt they were playing with energy and passion.
You can't blame Allen Iverson for getting traded to Detroit but the Pistons sure played better without him. Iverson has a bad back and missed the game but Michael Curry had already decided to bench him and give Richard Hamilton his old starting job back. Hamilton responded wtih 31 points. Sure looked like the ol' Pistons for a night but how will things flow when Iverson returns? That's the big question.

SHEED CAN PLAY - FOR NOW

2009-02-26T12:42:00.001-05:00

The league office told the Pistons Thursday morning that two of Rasheed Wallace's technicals this season had been rescinded. That drops Wallace's total to 14, making him eligible to play Friday at Orlando. When Wallace got kicked out of Wednesday's game, he seemingly had reached the season limit of 16, which results in an automatic one-game suspension.
However, Wallace's towel-throwing incident - he tossed one into the stands and another toward official Bill Kennedy in New Orleans - is still under review. He will be fined and could face a suspension for that blowup.
Stay tuned.

UNDER SIEGE

2009-02-26T00:18:00.001-05:00

It just keeps getting worse for the Pistons.
Rasheed Wallace will be suspended for Friday's game against Orlando for reaching the league's season limit on technicals. That means Kwame Brown will get extended minutes against the NBA's best center, Dwight Howard, as the Pistons try to halt their slide at eight games. Let's just say I don't like their chances.
A bigger issue involves Richard Hamilton. With the team reeling, Hamilton says he wants his starting job back. If Michael Curry doesn't have enough headaches, he now faces the dilemma of either angering Rip by leaving him on the bench or asking Allen Iverson to take the bullet and come off the bench. Curry may be able to delay his decision temporarily because Iverson has a bad back and may not play this weekend.

MAILING IT IN

2009-02-23T09:46:00.001-05:00

The Pistons' loss to Cleveland Sunday night was beyond embarrassing. It was downright disgraceful.
The effort was lacking, the execution was putrid. Their poor defensive rotation left shooters wide open on the perimeter and there was no ball movement on offense.
Most of all, their body language spoke of a team that had already given up on the season. Slumped shoulders, blank looks, no hustle plays, it was all there on display before a national television audience.
I feel bad for Antonio McDyess, who thought he was coming back to a contender when he gave up $9 million to resign with the club. Otherwise, the Pistons are getting what they deserve.
I've finally come around to the notion that the Pistons would be better off not making the playoffs. They need all the pieces they can get to rebuild this club. A lottery pick is also a lot more easier to trade in a larger package. And who knows, they could get real lucky like the Bulls did last June and wind up with a top three selection. At this point, the only positive developments with the Pistons are going to come after the season.

WATCH OUT BELOW

2009-02-20T09:32:00.001-05:00

The Pistons' slide could take on avalanche proportions during their five-game road trip.

They head out of town with a five-game losing streak and now have to play Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston. See any wins on that list? Not to mention that the first home game after that stretch is Chauncey Billups' return to The Palace with his division-leading Denver Nuggets.

Right now, the Pistons have one player who brings it every night and can be counted on for production - Antonio McDyess. When the Pistons were down one in the final minute against San Antonio Thursday, I told my elbow mates at press row that they should run a play for McDyess. Instead, the ball went to Rasheed Wallace, who last hit a big shot - well, you tell me. Maybe the 60-foot heave against Denver two years ago? Wallace faded away for no particular reason and missed a 17-footer.

The biggest culprit in this meltdown, though, has to be Rodney Stuckey. When the Pistons moved 10 games above .500 last month, Stuckey was playing like Deron Williams. Now, he's playing like Kevin Ollie. Stuckey has scored five points the last two games. He's so discombobulated, he's not even trying to attack anymore. And in three of the last five games, he's recorded exactly one assist.

Stuckey, who missed the first two months of last season with a hand injury, has hit a rookie wall a year late. If he doesn't find a second wind real soon, the Pistons will be going home in April.

SUMMER - TIME TO POUNCE

2009-02-19T20:30:00.001-05:00

The Pistons will use their valuable salary-cap space - at least $20 million this summer - before LeBron, Dwyane and Bosh become free agents in 2010. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars went on the record with that statement after not making any deals before Thursday's trade deadline.
“Given the fact we have to play a season next year,” Dumars said Thursday night prior the team's game against San Antonio, “I think I need to use that money. I think we’re going to tip it off next year, so I better put a hell of a team on the floor. You can’t wait. You can’t sit here and say we’re going to wait two years down the road and hope we get somebody. We have no idea what could happen (in 2010).”
Dumars didn't come close to making a deal, in part because he told teams he wouldn't take on any salary and give up any of that cap space.

WHO'S GOING TO SCORE?

2009-02-17T11:54:00.002-05:00

The biggest concern with the latest Pistons lineup change is bench scoring.
Richard Hamilton has settled in nicely to his sixth-man role but with Antonio McDyess moving to the starting lineup - a change Michael Curry announced after the All-Star break - there are no other natural scorers in reserve.
The other main reserves now are Amir Johnson - who lost his starting job - Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo. The Pistons are going to need to play more uptempo with that second unit, try to force turnovers and manufacture points. You're not going to run pick and rolls to free up Maxiell or Johnson, so Curry will have to do something to make sure defenses don't overload on Rip.
By the way, McDyess has handled the latest switch like a pro, as always, even though he'd prefer to be a key reserve at this stage of his career.
"I know we've been struggling this year and he came to me and asked me, 'Would I start?'" McDyess said of Curry. "I told him, 'Yeah, whatever it takes.' I know it's already been tough this year. I don't want to make it more complicated than it already is, so it was easy for me to tell him yes."

RIDING OUT THE STORM

2009-02-12T10:17:00.001-05:00

Most Pistons fans pinpoint the Allen Iverson trade as the beginning of the downfall. The team has a 23-24 record since AI began suiting up, including a 5-12 record in the last 17 games heading into the All-Star break.
To paraphrase an old Rick Pitino line, Chauncey Billups isn't walking through that door. Flip Saunders isn't walking through that door. And I seriously doubt Amare Stoudemire will, either.
The best assets the Pistons have to rejoin the elite members of the Eastern Conference are the expiring contracts of Iverson and Rasheed Wallace. Stoudemire is one of the few players Joe Dumars would trade one of those expiring contracts for prior to the Feb. 19 deadline. But other teams have expiring contracts, too, plus better draft picks and/or talented young players. Face it, the only star-quality young player the Pistons have is Rodney Stuckey and it would be counterproductive to deal him. The Pistons don't have any additional first-round picks to dangle, contrary to some media reports. The most recent first-rounder they acquire was in the Darko Milicic deal with Orlando and they used that pick on Stuckey.
As for the coaching situation, I would be very surprised if Dumars gave up on Michael Curry this quickly. Dumars groomed Curry for the job; Curry is dealing with criticism, boos and harsh assessments from outsiders for the first time. Dumars is going to give Curry the chance to learn from this experience. Making top assistant Darrell Walker an interim coach isn't going to make the Pistons better than Boston or Cleveland, so why bother?
Chemistry issues aside, there's no excuse for a team with this much talent and experience to wallow in mediocrity. Unless Phoenix takes the Pistons' offer for Stoudemire or another sweet deal suddenly materializes, the onus will be on the current group of Pistons and their rookie coach to prevent a complete meltdown.

TIME TO GET BUSY

2009-02-09T09:26:00.002-05:00

With everything that's been going on this season, it might surprise some people the Pistons have actually played a light schedule.
Even after their weekend back-to-back against Milwaukee and Phoenix, the Pistons have played just 49 games. Only New Orleans has played fewer games (48). Boston and Milwaukee, in contrast, have already completed a league-high 53.
What does this mean? The Pistons won't get many breathers in the schedule after the All-Star break this weekend. They've got a particularly brutal stretch at the end of this month - a crazy-quilt five-game road trip that includes stops in Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston.
From that point, they play four games a week with one exception (a three-game week) until the last week of the regular season. Michael Curry must monitor the minutes of Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince, so that they'll have something left in the tank for the playoffs.
And please don't say, 'If they make the playoffs.' They've still go the fifth-best record in the East. The current eighth seed, New Jersey, is four games below .500. The Pistons, tough schedule or not, are not going to slide that much.

LEBRON'S TIME

2009-02-02T08:57:00.001-05:00

Give Orlando plenty of credit for playing above its heads this season. In virtually any other season, the Magic would be a lock for the conference finals.
Not this year. It's hard to imagine any other outcome than a Cleveland-Boston matchup, with a trip to the Finals on the line. After seeing both clubs this weekend, I give the slight edge to the Cavs.
Boston's defense is terrific, as is its offensive execution. Winning the championship last season didn't take away any of its hunger. In fact, it may have made the Celtics even more determined to prove they weren't one-hit wonders.
Watching LeBron now, bigger and stronger than ever, I just don't see how any team is going to stop him in a best-of-seven format. He's become a complete player now with his dedication to defense. There was nothing surprising about his 33 points or eight assists Sunday against the reeling Pistons. But seeing him guard Rodney Stuckey and holding the Pistons' future All-Star point guard to six points was a revelation.
Cleveland's depth is also slightly better. The Pistons were outscored 24-6 when LeBron rested, in part because the Cavs have the always-dangerous Daniel Gibson coming off the bench. And Anderson Varejao is a better player than any of Boston's reserve bigs.
LeBron's going to win his share of titles over the course of his career. The year 2009 will probably be remembered as his breakthrough season.

SMALL STEPS FOR RIP

2009-01-31T13:33:00.002-05:00

Richard Hamilton didn't seem limited when he scored 14 points in 30 minutes against the Celtics Friday night. Hamilton has a nagging groin injury and he says it was a "mind over matter" victory to overcome the pain and play.
"It's still sore, still hurts," he said after the team's shootaround Saturday. "Yesterday, I just told myself there's no way I'm going to sit out this game, from how the playoffs went last year and how they whipped us the first two gamese. I kind of just try to get over it mentally."
His movements are restricted and he's afraid to go full tilt for fear of aggravating the sore area.
"I'm taking shorter steps," he said. "When I talk to Arnie (Kander, the team's strength and conditioning coach), he always says when you're out there playing, people don't even know you're hurt. I tell people I'm faster than the average guy out there, so even when I'm hurt, I'm still just as quick as anybody else. There's certain things I can't do but I won't ever tell anybody."

RIP'S HURTING

2009-01-29T16:10:00.001-05:00

Richard Hamilton has not been able to shake a groin injury that sidelined him eight games about a month ago. Hamilton re-aggravated the injury last week and did not practice Thursday. He's still hoping to play against Boston Friday and Cleveland Sunday.
There's no hard evidence on this, but maybe being the sixth man had something to do with it. Before he accepted the role, Hamilton spoke of how he needed to keep warm. He's not used to sitting on the bench for the first eight or nine minutes, then try to make an immediate contribution. He no longer has the ability to ease into games and perhaps that idleness, followed by the quick bursts he makes, put too much strain on that area.
Another note: Will Bynum is out of the rotation for about the fifth time this season. Allen Iverson has played well enough at the point in stretches to be the backup to Rodney Stuckey. AI and Rip have to be able to co-exist on the court and it seems when they play together without Stuckey, instead of in a three-guard set, they're more comfortable.

DON'T GIVE UP 'EM, BABY

2009-01-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

The Arizona Cardinals emerged from the NFC pack to make the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Phillies stayed under the radar until they made the World Series, then defeated the Cinderella Tampa Bay Devil Rays to win it all.
So I'm not going to dismiss the Pistons three months before the playoffs begin. Seems like every loss these days is greeted with a 'They're done' assessment; Every win brings a 'That's what they're supposed to do' retort.
Did anyone here seriously believe the Pistons were going to win the NBA championship at this time five seasons ago? Did anyone in Miami anticipate a similar run three years ago during an injury-riddled regular season? Who gave Cleveland a chance to make the Finals two years ago, when the Pistons were rolling and Chicago was the hot new challenger?
Bottom line - don't try to judge the spring by what goes on in January.
As well as the Orlando Magic are playing, I'd be more surprised to see them in the Finals than the Pistons. From a personnel standpoint, the Pistons are better equipped to make the Finals than they were during the Flip Saunders era. The biggest concern, as I see it now, is how much Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson have left in the tank. Wallace has been horrible all month and Iverson has been shockingly unaggressive. How many times have you seen him get into the lane, only to pass up a layup in favor of a kickout or a low-percentage fadeaway?
Here's the good news: Even though Sheed and AI may be fading, the Pistons still have Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess, plus some young post players. They're just as likely to make the Finals as they are to flameout in the first round. As the Pistons muddle through the middle of the season, it's best to remember to this battle cry: "Remember the Cards!"

WILL UP, ARRON DOWN

2009-01-20T14:18:00.001-05:00

One of the offshoots of Michael Curry's decision to make Richard Hamilton the sixth man, which was announced Tuesday, is that Will Bynum will get steady minutes as Rodney Stuckey's backup. Bynum will have the responbility of getting Hamilton and Antonio McDyess early in the second quarter and late in the third when Stuckey comes out.
Arron Afflalo is bound to lose some playing time, even if he slides to the small forward position more often. There are only so many minutes to go our for the perimeter guys and now that Tayshaun Prince is back at small forward most of the time, Afflalo is the odd man out.

CRISIS TIME

2009-01-18T13:43:00.001-05:00

Michael Curry never expected his first year as a head coach to be this bumpy.
Curry had everything mapped out during training camp of how his starting lineup would look, what roles the reserves would play and how to get the Pistons to peak during the playoffs.
Then came the Allen Iverson trade and Curry's master plan was blown up.
Here we are in mid-January and the team is floundering, players are bouncing in and out of the rotation and fans are screaming about the small ball lineup.
Curry has changed his mind too much and that's created confusion and frustration.
It may be simplistic to say let's make a plan for the rest of the way and stick with it. Injuries can always throw things off but I believe more than ever that Richard Hamilton has to bite the bullet and come off the bench. As I wrote in a recent blog, the starters should be Prince, Johnson, Wallace, Iverson and Stuckey with Hamilton and McDyess leading the second unit. Afflalo and Maxiell should also get consistent minutes. When Stuckey needs a rest, Iverson and Prince can run the offense for five or six minutes each half.
Hamilton said last week he was willing to come off the bench if that is what's needed. After five straight losses, something has to change. At the same time, once the change is made, stick with it and let the rotation players settle into their roles.

RUNAWAY TRAIN

2009-01-14T10:55:00.001-05:00

The Pistons have won the Central Division regularly since the Pacers' demise but they're probably not going to catch Cleveland this season.
Not only have the Cavs won all their home games, they have built an 8-game lead over the Pistons. How big is the gap? Milwaukee and Chicago are closer to the Pistons in the race for second place than the Pistons are to Cleveland.
Statistically, the Cavs are doing the job at both ends of the court. They have the second-highest field-goal percentage in the league. Defensively, they're No. 1 in both points allowed and field-goal percentage.
Surprisingly, the only major area in which they've been subpar is 3-point shooting. They're 19th in the league in that category but with Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Mo Williams in the rotation, I don't think it will be a major problem going forward.
I don't see how the Pistons can catch the Cavs, unless LeBron gets injured for a long stretch. Even if the Pistons won three-quarters of their games the rest of the way, Cleveland would have to lose 20 games in order for the Pistons to reel them in. LeBron and his teammates look too focused to let that happen.
On a side note, why won't The Palace finally concede defeat and officially end the sellout streak? The upper level hasn't been close to full in most games this season. On Tuesday against Charlotte, I'd estimate the upper level was 25- to 30-percent capacity. And they couldn't use the weather as an excuse because it didn't snow. Please end the charade.

DECISION ON RIP COMING

2009-01-12T13:43:00.001-05:00

Pistons coach Michael Curry will have to confront the dilemma soon, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
Richard Hamilton returned to practice Monday after missing the last eight games with a partial groin tear. He's still questionable to play against Charlotte Tuesday.
"My main concern with him is just if he can bounce back after not having been doing a lot of cutting and playing," Curry said. "Rip still always shoots the ball well and he was active, but he's had a while off and to come back and cut and all that, we just want to make sure he's right, because we need him for the long run."
But will he be the sixth man? That's been the speculation during Rip's absence. The team's defense and rebounding has improved dramatically with Amir Johnson as the starting power forward, rather than the small lineup Curry was using before the injury.
Allen Iverson could also be the one asked to come off the bench. Curry hinted that one of his stars will have to make the sacrifice when Hamilton is ready to play.
"When it's time, we'll talk about it (to them)," Curry said. "They know that it's out there. At the proper time, we'll sit down and we'll explain the decision that we make and we'll explain why."
Rodney Stuckey and Allen Iverson were not at practice. Stuckey was returning from a jersey-retiring ceremony at his alma mater (Eastern Washington). Iverson missed practice because of a family matter.
Walter Herrmann came to practice but was sent home because he was sick.

RIP'S CLOSE TO RETURNING

2009-01-10T10:51:00.001-05:00

Finally, some good news on the injury front.
Richard Hamilton, who has missed eight straight games, is expected to return to practice Monday and play against Charlotte on Tuesday night. Hamilton has been sidelined with a groin strain, a tricky injury that could be a season-long problem if it doesn't properly heal.
The next issue is whether Hamilton will return to the starting lineup. The Pistons have played much better with Amir Johnson at power forward and Rodney Stuckey at the point. As stated in an earlier blog, Hamilton would be doing the team a favor by becoming the sixth man the rest of the season.
By the way, the Pistons didn't get any favors from the schedule-makers this month. Most teams get a few home games after a West Coast trip. They play Charlotte at home Tuesday, then head out on Roundball Two for games against Indiana and Oklahoma City before returning for a home game Saturday against the very good New Orleans Hornets.
Then, they leave again for a game in Memphis before finally staying home for a week. That's a crazy stretch, no matter which teams they're playing.

RIP AND THE ROTATION

2009-01-05T09:55:00.001-05:00

Richard Hamilton isn't close to returning from the groin strain that has forced him to miss five consecutive games. He has yet to sprint or make a hard cut since he was sidelined.
When he's ready to return, Rip needs to make a sacrifice. For the better of the team, he needs to be the first guard off the bench.
That's a lot to ask of a player who has been an All-Star the last three years. But with the current state of the roster, Hamilton would be doing Michael Curry and his teammates a big favor and bring some cohesion to the rotation.
After winning seven straight, the Pistons obviously are better when they play a conventional lineup. Rodney Stuckey needs to remain the starting point and Amir Johnson has to stay in the starting frontcourt to solidify the team's interior defense and rebounding. The Pistons have zoomed up the NBA's defensive charts since they virtually scrapped their small ball tactics.
I don't think Allen Iverson would work well as a sixth man - he's too used to playing heavy minutes and needs that extra time to get into a groove. But how about having Hamilton and Antonio McDyess as your sixth and seventh men? Tell me that doesn't make them a legitimate championship contender.
Here's how Curry should approach it. Start Sheed, Tay, Amir, AI and Stuckey. Bring in Hamilton and Arron Afflalo late in the first quarter for AI and Prince. When Stuckey needs a rest, send AI and Prince back in to handle the ball.
McDyess and Jason Maxiell would play most of the second quarter up front.
Curry can determine as the game goes along which five players should be on the court at crunch time that night.
Now, you've got a coherent nine-man rotation. Walter Herrmann and Kwame Brown are out of the mix. Both would play a lot more somewhere else but you can't have 10 or 11 guys running in and out of there. That's one of the problems the Pistons had earlier in the season.
Say what you will about Boston and Cleveland but they can't match the Pistons' from 1-9 if Curry goes in this direction. That makes them a much more dangerous team this spring, which is what the AI trade was supposed to bring all along.

COAST TRIP COULD BE BUZZ KILL

2009-01-02T23:45:00.001-05:00

The Pistons head to the West Coast this weekend battered and bruised, yet still feeling very good about themselves.
They carry a six-game winning streak into their second and final West Coast swing of the season, which begins in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon against the Clippers. They will also match up against playoff contenders Portland, Denver and Utah before returning home.
“I think we play a lot better against the tough teams,” Allen Iverson said. “That’s the positive thing.”
The bad thing is that the Pistons never win on Sunday and never beat Utah - or so it seems. They'll be lucky to 2-2 on this trip, especially with three regulars possibly missing part or all of the trip.
“We’ve been good on the road,” head coach Michael Curry said. “The last time we went West, we played well but we have some different teams this time.”
Richard Hamilton has missed four consecutive games with a strained left groin. He's the biggest question mark.
“Hopefully, Rip has turned the corner,” Curry said. “It’s starting to heal up. He did extra work after practice but with a muscle, it’s not when you’re doing the workout, it’s how they feel the next day or later on.”
Rasheed Wallace (sore right foot) and Antonio McDyess (sore ribs) sat out the team’s home victory over Sacramento on Friday night. Curry is also hopeful they’ll be able to play by Wednesday's game in Portland.
With Rodney Stuckey playing like a superstar, the Pistons have made up for Hamilton’s absence. The team is also defending better by using fewer three-guard lineups. Their last four opponents have shot 35.4 percent from the field.
“We’re starting to feel real good as a team,” Allen iverson said. “We’re starting to have the confidence and that swagger since the trade first happened. We didn’t have that feeling at first.”
They might not be feeling so giddy a week from now.

NO MORE T'S, PLEASE

2008-12-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

Rasheed Wallace may not deserve all the technicals he gets but the reality is he's getting way too close to the NBA limit two months into the season.
Wallace received his 11th earlier this week, a weak call by a young ref. Less than 30 games into the season, Wallace is just five techs away from getting a one-game league suspension. Every other technical from that point results in another one-game ban.
Wallace managed to avoid trouble last season until the playoffs. Had the Pistons advanced,he probably would have wound up sitting out a game in the Finals. The previous year, Wallace missed a late-season game after exceeding the limit.
At the rate he's going, Sheed's going to get multiple suspensions this year. I'll put the over-under at three and that might be conservative.

BOOZER CRUISER?

2008-12-23T14:52:00.001-05:00

We all know that the Pistons will have plenty of salary-cap space when Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson come off the books after the season.
The assumption is that Pistons will save most of it for the summer of 2010, when all the big free agents (LeBron, Dwyane, Bosh, Stoudemire) hit the market. But will Joe Dumars really take that approach?
Best case scenario would be to resign Rasheed to a one-year deal but would Sheed really do that? And would the Pistons basically concede next season with just the hope of adding one of those big names?
Looking at the free agent class of 2009, that would be the prudent approach. Unless Kobe Bryant shocks everyone by opting out of his deal, Carlos Boozer is the best of the unrestricted free agent class. The positive about Boozer is that he's a guaranteed 20 point-10 rebound guy. The downside is that he's fragile and soft. He's never been considered a top-flight defender, unlike Sheed, and he doesn't play unless he's 100 percent.
The Pistons could certainly use a consistent low-post scorer to play inside-out with Rodney Stuckey. But Bosh and Stoudemire are a couple of notches above Boozer. I know it's not easy to wait and see but why settle for being pretty good when there's a chance to be great?

FIRST-ROUND PREVIEW?

2008-12-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

The Pistons' next road game is Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. There's a good chance they will be visiting Georgia again in late April when the playoffs begin.
Sure, there's four months to go in the regular season but the way the Eastern Conference is shaping up, the Pistons and Hawks look like the two best teams that won't win their divisions. The Pistons have spotted Cleveland such a big lead that they may never catch up, unless LeBron James gets injured for a significant stretch.
Boston is running away with the Atlantic Division and will almost certainly be the top seed again. Orlando is quietly off to a solid start - the Magic just ripped apart San Antonio in a national TV game Thursday - and look like the class of its division.
Some people underestimated the Hawks during the preseason, thinking they might regress after the Josh Smith contract debacle this summer. But the Hawks weren't a fluke. They have a very good foundation, with Smith, Al Horford and Joe Johnson as their centerpieces.
Remember all the problems the Celtics had with the Hawks in the first round last season? They could very well be the Pistons' headaches in the opening round this season. And even if the Pistons get past them, they'd have to unseat the Celtics just to make the conference finals for a seventh straight year.
Those bad losses the Pistons had in the first seven weeks of the season, mostly a product of the Allen Iverson trade, could come back to haunt them four months from now.

DICE ROLLS, YOUNG BIG MEN SIT

2008-12-13T14:44:00.001-05:00

I have to say, that month off that Antonio McDyess had certainly rejuvenated him. He's been stroking his 17-foot jumpers regularly in the first couple of games since coming back. No doubt, the Pistons are a much more formidable team with him back.
I wonder, though, how the team's other frontcourt reserves are going to handle reduced playing time. Amir Johnson and Kwame Brown didn't play at all in McDyess' first two games back.
I can see why Brown is getting benched - he blew his starting job with too many defensive errors. But Johnson has kept his head up after losing his starting job early in the season. He's been productive and active most of the times that Michael Curry has used him. It doesn't make sense to bury the 21-year-old but I don't see how he's going to get minutes unless the small lineup experiment flops. McDyess and Jason Maxiell are options No. 1 and No. 2 off the bench in the frontcourt, leaving few or no minutes for anyone else.

STUCK ON CHANGES

2008-12-09T11:12:00.001-05:00

The Pistons officially re-signed Antonio McDyess today but that's the second-biggest news flash involving the Pistons.
Head coach Michael Curry continues to tinker with his starting lineup. He's going small now, with Tayshaun Prince at power forward and Rodney Stuckey at the point. Kwame Brown heads to the bench.
I'm skeptical on this one. Curry has been surprisingly impatient during the first 20 games. He groomed Amir Johnson to be a starter throughout camp, then removed him during the early West Coast trip in favor of Brown. Now, he's taking an entirely different approach.
I understand that he wants a true point in the lineup dishing the ball to Allen Iverson and Richard Hamilton on the wings. But wasn't Iverson supposed to give the Pistons a different dimension at the point? Instead, Prince was taken out of his comfort zone by becoming a point forward.
What's really mindboggling is that Curry kept emphasizing that he needed Stuckey and McDyess to be the leading scorers of the second unit. Then, just as McDyess comes back, he makes Stuckey a starter.
He's now got four power forwards and centers (McDyess, Jason Maxiell, Johnson and Brown) coming off the bench. How is he going to find adequate minutes for even three of them? And will Stuckey stay in the game and play longer minutes to run pick-and-rolls with McDyess? How is he going to find enough time for Arron Afflalo and Walter Herrmann, whom Curry says deserve more playing time?
From my vantage point, sticking with the original plan (Johnson starts) would have been the best course of action. Right now, in terms of the rotation, your guess is as good as mine.

STREAK TIME

2008-12-05T15:10:00.001-05:00

After going 4-0 before Allen Iverson put on their uniform, the Pistons have barely won more than half of their games. The way the schedule sets up the rest of this month, the Pistons are in good position to reel off a nice winning streak and make up some ground on Cleveland in the division race.
The Pistons only play two games against Western Conference teams the rest of December. Both are at home - Utah on the 19th and Oklahoma City on the 26th. The Jazz always give them problems but the matchup against the woeful Thunder is the equivalent of a fast-break layup.
The rest of their games are against New York, Washington (twice), Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee, Orlando and New Jersey. With the exception of the Magic, a team the Pistons have owned over the years, there's not a serious playoff contender in that bunch. Time for a good ol' holiday feast.

CRANKY TIMES

2008-12-01T17:05:00.001-05:00

The Pistons are going through the blahs a lot earlier than normal. Usually, the dog days come in January, when the playoffs are still 3 1/2 months away and the regular season seems endless.
After one month, the Pistons are already getting a little cranky. Iverson and Hamilton are both have issues with their reduced playing time. Rasheed Wallace has the opposite problem. His defense is so valuable, he's playing heavier minutes than expected until Antonio McDyess comes back. Tayshaun Prince was upset with his fourth-quarter benching against Portland Sunday.
Michael Curry is getting tested early in his regime, even for a rookie coach. The Iverson deal has thrown everything he meticulously planned prior to the regular season out of whack. The team has practiced harder and longer than normal, which often leads to grumbling. He goes by matchups and feel a lot more than previous coaches when it comes to substitutions, which has also left him open for criticism.
It's important that the rotation becomes more settled, once McDyess returns. He's also got to figure out how to maximize the production of Iverson and Hamilton in those reduced minutes. Iverson hasn't reached 20 points in five games and Hamilton hasn't hit that mark in eight consecutive outings. Sure, the Pistons are more balanced, but that's a pretty significant dropoff from their top two offensive sources.

CURRY ACES FIRST EXAM

2008-11-28T13:20:00.001-05:00

A rookie head coach is going to get tested, sooner or later. Michael Curry got his first challenge on Thursday and met it head on.
Curry could have easily swept Allen Iverson's absence from a Thanksgiving practice under the rug. It wouldn't have been difficult to keep it quiet - there were very few media members at the holiday practice and they're not allowed to watch until the very end of the practice session.
He could have also given Iverson a pass on his first offense with the team.
Instead, he was forthright about Iverson's absence and let everyone know of the consequences. Iverson was pulled from the starting lineup against Milwaukee and got fined.
"As head of the team, I have to make sure that I hold everybody, regardless of who it is, to the same standard," Curry said.
That's an approach that will earn him plenty of respect in the locker room. The biggest beef that the players had with Flip Saunders is that he wasn't tough enough behind the scenes when incidents happened, particularly involving Rasheed Wallace. Remember Wallace showing up late for the team shootaround before Game 6 of the conference finals? You've got to believe that wouldn't have happened if Wallace knew he'd be benched for that type of infraction.
As long as Curry remains consistent with his penalties, he'll go a long way toward retaining the players' support.
"(Curry) did a good job of handling it," Tayshaun Prince said. "For a guy who's late, we brought these things to the table at the beginning of the season, as far as rules and regulations and what he expects from us. If you don't do it, he said you're going to be taken care of and we're going to move on. He's not going to treat it as 'You're late. I'm going to keep it in the back of my mind.'"