State of the Pistons Address (Nov. 21)
Ten games into this Detroit Pistons season, far more remains unclear and ambiguous than set in stone. That's one of the big reasons I have prevented myself from unloading a rant on this team; it's just too early to make firm conclusions.
At 5-5, we've beaten some good teams and lost to some crappy ones. But in a league where the only true power thus far has proven to be the Utah Jazz -- are you kidding me? -- it may be too early to even say we've played "good" and "crappy" teams. We've played 10 teams. We've won five games. That's what we know.
First, the losses: Milwaukee, Utah, Sacramento, Golden State and New Orleans.
It was disconcerting to lose to the Bucks on opening night, mostly because we lacked energy.
Then the three losses to the Jazz, Kings and Warriors came on that West Coast Swing where it seemed as though we were more consumed by what the officials were doing than with how we were playing.
Then came the loss to the Hornets at home, which stung. I was pumped to see Chauncey school Chris Paul -- which he did in the second half -- but when it came down to it, we couldn't get any big stops. Especially in the Eastern Conference, it seems like the teams are a lot more even, so that means a lot more close games. In the past, the Pistons hung their hats on getting big stops in the clutch, which won them those close games. But with Nazr Mohammed on a different defensive page than the rest of the starters and the energy still below the level it used to be when Ben Wallace was around, that is no longer our cornerstone.
Can it become our trademark again? I don't think so. But that doesn't mean we can't climb the ladder to the crop of elite teams by midseason.
Why? Well, in our five wins -- for the most part -- we've looked good. We knocked off Boston and Memphis early, the Lakers out in L.A. (Tayshaun looked like an All-Star in that one), and now we're coming off consecutive wins against Washington and Houston -- two loaded teams.
We've averaged close to 26 assists in those games (we averaged 24 per last season). We're 5-1 when we hold the opponent under 100. And Flip Saunders is still figuring out which combinations are going to work well and when.
One lineup I think he needs to continue to utilize is the five of Lindsey, Chaunce, Rip, Tay and 'Sheed. With these guys (five of the six contributors remaining from the '04 championship year, the other being Dyess), there's an uptempo chemistry that other teams have trouble stopping. The only potential downfall is on defense, where size is lacking. But to combat that, Flip has installed a pretty befuddling zone (the only team to break it down effectively was Golden State).
Elsewhere, I think Dyess, Maxiell and Nazr need to play pretty similar minutes. Each of them brings something different to the floor, and by shuffling them in for equal spurts, it may maximize the energy that's out there.
As for Flip Murray and Carlos Delfino, I haven't been pleased with either's performance thus far. Flip just doesn't seem comfortable yet. He can create his own shot -- a luxury the Pistons thought they wanted after last year's offensive struggles -- but it seems too forced to happen within the flow of the offense. Delfino has contributed in spurts, but his streaky shooting encapsulates the inconsistency that has kept him from being a significant presence on the floor ever since he came to the NBA.
I wish we could have acquired Jalen when he left the Knicks, but he seemed content going to Phoenix. I don't know if Joe D will look to make any moves this season, but if I were the GM, I might try to get one guy (maybe a Morris Peterson or Juan Dixon type) for Flip and Los and use him -- along with budding star Amir Johnson, who really should be playing -- throughout the regular season to spell Rip and Tay.
But again, it's still early. Maybe Flip and Los will gel with everyone else, just like I'm confident Nazr will do. Much more will be clear 10 games from now, when we can characterize this team as an up-and-down, .500 club, or simply one that got off to a slow start and is starting to click on both ends of the floor.
I'll leave you with this tidbit from 'Sheed, which he received from a heckler in Sacramento a couple weeks back (courtesy of the Detroit News):
Rasheed Wallace was scoreless, missing all nine of his shots (though he pulled down 15 rebounds).
The best shot Wallace took all night came at the expense of a courtside heckler.
“Rasheed, you’re 0-for-8,” the guy yelled.
“I don’t care if I am 0-for-1,000, at least I’m not wearing a pink and lime green shirt,” said Wallace, who for the rest of the game referred to the heckler as Fruit Loop.
That was at the height of 'Sheed's frustration with the league's new zero-tolerance policy. Since, it looks like he's channeled his frustration into energy on the court. In his last three games, he's been consistent from the field (19-41 FG, 16.3 ppg) and averaged 10 rebounds -- especially important in the wake of Ben's departure.
At 5-5, we've beaten some good teams and lost to some crappy ones. But in a league where the only true power thus far has proven to be the Utah Jazz -- are you kidding me? -- it may be too early to even say we've played "good" and "crappy" teams. We've played 10 teams. We've won five games. That's what we know.
First, the losses: Milwaukee, Utah, Sacramento, Golden State and New Orleans.
It was disconcerting to lose to the Bucks on opening night, mostly because we lacked energy.
Then the three losses to the Jazz, Kings and Warriors came on that West Coast Swing where it seemed as though we were more consumed by what the officials were doing than with how we were playing.
Then came the loss to the Hornets at home, which stung. I was pumped to see Chauncey school Chris Paul -- which he did in the second half -- but when it came down to it, we couldn't get any big stops. Especially in the Eastern Conference, it seems like the teams are a lot more even, so that means a lot more close games. In the past, the Pistons hung their hats on getting big stops in the clutch, which won them those close games. But with Nazr Mohammed on a different defensive page than the rest of the starters and the energy still below the level it used to be when Ben Wallace was around, that is no longer our cornerstone.
Can it become our trademark again? I don't think so. But that doesn't mean we can't climb the ladder to the crop of elite teams by midseason.
Why? Well, in our five wins -- for the most part -- we've looked good. We knocked off Boston and Memphis early, the Lakers out in L.A. (Tayshaun looked like an All-Star in that one), and now we're coming off consecutive wins against Washington and Houston -- two loaded teams.
We've averaged close to 26 assists in those games (we averaged 24 per last season). We're 5-1 when we hold the opponent under 100. And Flip Saunders is still figuring out which combinations are going to work well and when.
One lineup I think he needs to continue to utilize is the five of Lindsey, Chaunce, Rip, Tay and 'Sheed. With these guys (five of the six contributors remaining from the '04 championship year, the other being Dyess), there's an uptempo chemistry that other teams have trouble stopping. The only potential downfall is on defense, where size is lacking. But to combat that, Flip has installed a pretty befuddling zone (the only team to break it down effectively was Golden State).
Elsewhere, I think Dyess, Maxiell and Nazr need to play pretty similar minutes. Each of them brings something different to the floor, and by shuffling them in for equal spurts, it may maximize the energy that's out there.
As for Flip Murray and Carlos Delfino, I haven't been pleased with either's performance thus far. Flip just doesn't seem comfortable yet. He can create his own shot -- a luxury the Pistons thought they wanted after last year's offensive struggles -- but it seems too forced to happen within the flow of the offense. Delfino has contributed in spurts, but his streaky shooting encapsulates the inconsistency that has kept him from being a significant presence on the floor ever since he came to the NBA.
I wish we could have acquired Jalen when he left the Knicks, but he seemed content going to Phoenix. I don't know if Joe D will look to make any moves this season, but if I were the GM, I might try to get one guy (maybe a Morris Peterson or Juan Dixon type) for Flip and Los and use him -- along with budding star Amir Johnson, who really should be playing -- throughout the regular season to spell Rip and Tay.
But again, it's still early. Maybe Flip and Los will gel with everyone else, just like I'm confident Nazr will do. Much more will be clear 10 games from now, when we can characterize this team as an up-and-down, .500 club, or simply one that got off to a slow start and is starting to click on both ends of the floor.
I'll leave you with this tidbit from 'Sheed, which he received from a heckler in Sacramento a couple weeks back (courtesy of the Detroit News):
Rasheed Wallace was scoreless, missing all nine of his shots (though he pulled down 15 rebounds).
The best shot Wallace took all night came at the expense of a courtside heckler.
“Rasheed, you’re 0-for-8,” the guy yelled.
“I don’t care if I am 0-for-1,000, at least I’m not wearing a pink and lime green shirt,” said Wallace, who for the rest of the game referred to the heckler as Fruit Loop.
That was at the height of 'Sheed's frustration with the league's new zero-tolerance policy. Since, it looks like he's channeled his frustration into energy on the court. In his last three games, he's been consistent from the field (19-41 FG, 16.3 ppg) and averaged 10 rebounds -- especially important in the wake of Ben's departure.
posted by RGarfield @ 3:12 PM
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