One of the ugliest wins I have seen all year. Pistons played horrible in the second half and still pulled out a win against an even worse Raptors team. Somehow these two teams play bad games against each other. It is probably because one of them cannot really score and they other one tries to guard Tracy McGrady with Jose Calderon. So as a surprise, T-Mac went for 22 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds to help the Pistons steal this one. I don't think the Pistons would have won this game against any other team in this league, maybe the Cavs, that's about it!
Basic Thoughts
Can someone please tell Charlie to put some arch on his shot and stop trying to get charges like this one?
Chris Wilcox made great use of his minutes really contributing with his energy. He grabbed 12 rebounds and five offensive boards at that. He was +7 on the night and a real joy to watch.
This was a game where Charlie V and Ben Gordon did what they were signed to do. Scoring a combined 27 points with .500 shooting off the bench sounds like a nice contribution. CV31 shot is too flat in my opinion, I think his three-point-percentage would go way up if he put a little more arch on it, as mentioned above. But still, I don't wanna complain.
Let Rip Go
Another DNP-CD for Rip ... I mean, come on! He is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. He may never have been a star like Chauncey or Sheed or Isiah, yet he probably ran the more during his Pistons career than any other player ever. He needs to be traded and he will be traded soon. I don't know what is going on here, if Joe D wants to zero the risk of Hamilton injuring himself during a game and then the Nets pull out of the trade, or if Kuester just wants to go on and get a consistent rotation with the players he will have for the rest of the year. I just don't like Rip sitting, unlike many other fans I hear talking, I will never forget what he did for this franchise and it hurts seeing this happening to him.
À propos consistent rotation
Most of you guys know I'm not a big fan of Kuester. I realize though that he doesn't have the greatest roster in the league and he is really trying to figure things out. It is really tough for him to find a consistens rotation. Just as one would think he has the right starting line-up because some of the people have been playing well, they start playing poorly again.
He inserted Gordon into the starting 5 just to see him playing worse. Stuckey has been in and out more than I had expected. T-Mac appears to be a starter for the rest of the season barring injury (knocking on wood). Surprisingly, Wilcox is a starter right now despite Kuester not using him for much of his stint with Detroit, therefor Maxiell is getting DNP-CDs now. Pretty much every player on this team has been between starting and DNP-CD in the first 39 games of this campaign, safe for Ben Wallace and Prince. I hope Kuester has his rotation set by now. I really like the starting five right now.
Showing posts with label Hamilton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hamilton. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
McGrady with vintage performance
Let me start with a poem:
"'Twas only a few years ago
A soldier named Tracy
Put up a nightly show
Laying the ball up
Throwing it down
Left the crowd in awe
Breathlessly saying 'Wow'
Then came years of agony and pain
Young Tracy
Had lost his game
Surgeries and rehab and unkindly fans
He left the Rocket and hoped for better times
In Piston land
At first there were skeptics
Questioning his shape
Then they said his former form
Could not be regained
But on a cold night just before Christmas
He finally fulfilled all of our wishes"
Okay, this was just for fun, but let's hope we'll remember this game as the turning point for not only McGrady but for the entire season. Tracy exploded for 17 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds and one insult to Chris Bosh in just 24 minutes of playing time. NICE!!!
While most people know he is a great scorer his most underrated skill has always been his passing and all-around game. Somehow he was reduced by the media as a poor version of Kobe Bryant, most people don't realize in which way consecutive injuries affect you. Do you think if Kobe had the injury report McGrady has he would be a practice monster. You ought to learn to rest and recover and you can't go all out every game. Kobe is playing through injuries and I really respect playing with broken fingers. Screwed up knees and a bad shoulder is something you cannot play through though ...
And that is why McGrady's performance was so heart-warming last night. He is showing flashes of his old self, last night he did not show flashes, he put together a complete performance and made the Pistons look like a contender. Will he be able to do it every night? Probably not ... Let's be honest, Calderon, Barbosa and DeRozan are not what one would call a lockdown backcourt. Will he be able to perform in a similar way regularly? I would think so.
Patience
I picked one moment which is, in my opinion, typical of how McGrady helps our offense. In this case he is stuck in the high post, doubled near the freethrow line after a Monroe screen. Monroe goes out to the three point line to open things up.
I especially like the spacing. Tay and Will are in the corner or at least near the corner and Rip is at the wing. McGrady is being pressured by Ed Davis and his own defender, but McGrady stays calm. A rookie or a smaller player or a player with less skills what either throw the ball away or pass it back to Monroe and just wasted half of the shot clock probably causing a bad look.
McGrady, smart player he is, waits for the Toronto defense to rotate. Kleiza has to watch out for the three second violation and he also wants to catch a possible pass to Prince in the corner. He leaves the middle and thereby creates the huge hole in the next picture.
Rip recognizes this, cuts right to the basket and receives the ball from McGrady for an easy jumper.
T-Mac held the ball under pressure for three or four seconds! He then used his length to find the open cutter who then got a rather easy look for the bucket. Gotta love the patience!
It's Rip City
Gotta give love to Rip for backing up my last post with this performance! 35 points off the bench. You could say either he is making the case for starting or he is making the case for coming off the bench. I would take the latter. As long as he performs like this, we'll be good.
Then again, it's the Raptors. They could make a team look good who's fastest stars are a turtle and a snail. It's a win and I'll take it. Maybe we can get some momentum going, maybe John Kuester is finally figuring out his rotation (it's just been a year or so). Or, quite possibly, the next game will be horrible to watch. You never know with this team. For a decade we knew they were going to win and play well or play badly and still be better than the other team. Now they gotta bring their A-game every night!
"'Twas only a few years ago
A soldier named Tracy
Put up a nightly show
Laying the ball up
Throwing it down
Left the crowd in awe
Breathlessly saying 'Wow'
Then came years of agony and pain
Young Tracy
Had lost his game
Surgeries and rehab and unkindly fans
He left the Rocket and hoped for better times
In Piston land
At first there were skeptics
Questioning his shape
Then they said his former form
Could not be regained
But on a cold night just before Christmas
He finally fulfilled all of our wishes"
Okay, this was just for fun, but let's hope we'll remember this game as the turning point for not only McGrady but for the entire season. Tracy exploded for 17 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds and one insult to Chris Bosh in just 24 minutes of playing time. NICE!!!
While most people know he is a great scorer his most underrated skill has always been his passing and all-around game. Somehow he was reduced by the media as a poor version of Kobe Bryant, most people don't realize in which way consecutive injuries affect you. Do you think if Kobe had the injury report McGrady has he would be a practice monster. You ought to learn to rest and recover and you can't go all out every game. Kobe is playing through injuries and I really respect playing with broken fingers. Screwed up knees and a bad shoulder is something you cannot play through though ...
And that is why McGrady's performance was so heart-warming last night. He is showing flashes of his old self, last night he did not show flashes, he put together a complete performance and made the Pistons look like a contender. Will he be able to do it every night? Probably not ... Let's be honest, Calderon, Barbosa and DeRozan are not what one would call a lockdown backcourt. Will he be able to perform in a similar way regularly? I would think so.
Patience
I picked one moment which is, in my opinion, typical of how McGrady helps our offense. In this case he is stuck in the high post, doubled near the freethrow line after a Monroe screen. Monroe goes out to the three point line to open things up.
I especially like the spacing. Tay and Will are in the corner or at least near the corner and Rip is at the wing. McGrady is being pressured by Ed Davis and his own defender, but McGrady stays calm. A rookie or a smaller player or a player with less skills what either throw the ball away or pass it back to Monroe and just wasted half of the shot clock probably causing a bad look.
McGrady, smart player he is, waits for the Toronto defense to rotate. Kleiza has to watch out for the three second violation and he also wants to catch a possible pass to Prince in the corner. He leaves the middle and thereby creates the huge hole in the next picture.
Rip recognizes this, cuts right to the basket and receives the ball from McGrady for an easy jumper.
T-Mac held the ball under pressure for three or four seconds! He then used his length to find the open cutter who then got a rather easy look for the bucket. Gotta love the patience!
It's Rip City
Gotta give love to Rip for backing up my last post with this performance! 35 points off the bench. You could say either he is making the case for starting or he is making the case for coming off the bench. I would take the latter. As long as he performs like this, we'll be good.
Then again, it's the Raptors. They could make a team look good who's fastest stars are a turtle and a snail. It's a win and I'll take it. Maybe we can get some momentum going, maybe John Kuester is finally figuring out his rotation (it's just been a year or so). Or, quite possibly, the next game will be horrible to watch. You never know with this team. For a decade we knew they were going to win and play well or play badly and still be better than the other team. Now they gotta bring their A-game every night!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Rip Hamilton's quit on the Pistons??? Come on now!
I just got done reading this great piece by Dan Feldman of Piston Powered about Rip Hamilton having quit on the team and the history of him with the Pistons.
Alright, I think now it's really getting unfair to him. Dan Feldman is not wrong with his presumption that Hamilton should get his act together and just go out there and play and that Rip has taken on too much of Ben and Rasheed's way of treating coaches and referees.
But look: He's a very accomplished player. He's been with our organization for 9 years and has done nothing but giving his all for us. How many games have I watched enjoying his endless curling, cutting and jumping, all the while wonderin if he could have become a world class marathon runner ... He and Chauncey were the guys one could count on night in and night out without having to worry about their offense. Rasheed was a nightly spectacle between "Oh my! I feel like shooting 15 threes tonight" and "Maybe I should only take left handed jumpers!" and "Tonight I'm gonna completely shut down the best Center in the league!" Sheed was my favorite player on the team, I also happen to have a Rip Jersey in my closet!
All I'm saying is. I don't think Rip has quit on this team. He's a great competitor after all. All of his career he's been committed to winning. Are people really blaming him for being frustrated. The ejections were bad, but at least he shows he cares. He's frustrated and at the back end of his career, I don't think he will get used to losing now. He never was as big a star as Iverson, he doesn't have the "leverage" of a former MVP. He's given the Pistons all he's had, let's appreciate it!
PistonPowered:
Telling like it is! Everybody has his ups and downs though, especially in a losing situation. Remember when Kobe had quit on the Lakers and on Andrew Bynum?
Either give him some time or trade him. I don't believe in him quitting on the organization for one second. I believe he cares too much, that's all!
Alright, I think now it's really getting unfair to him. Dan Feldman is not wrong with his presumption that Hamilton should get his act together and just go out there and play and that Rip has taken on too much of Ben and Rasheed's way of treating coaches and referees.
But look: He's a very accomplished player. He's been with our organization for 9 years and has done nothing but giving his all for us. How many games have I watched enjoying his endless curling, cutting and jumping, all the while wonderin if he could have become a world class marathon runner ... He and Chauncey were the guys one could count on night in and night out without having to worry about their offense. Rasheed was a nightly spectacle between "Oh my! I feel like shooting 15 threes tonight" and "Maybe I should only take left handed jumpers!" and "Tonight I'm gonna completely shut down the best Center in the league!" Sheed was my favorite player on the team, I also happen to have a Rip Jersey in my closet!
All I'm saying is. I don't think Rip has quit on this team. He's a great competitor after all. All of his career he's been committed to winning. Are people really blaming him for being frustrated. The ejections were bad, but at least he shows he cares. He's frustrated and at the back end of his career, I don't think he will get used to losing now. He never was as big a star as Iverson, he doesn't have the "leverage" of a former MVP. He's given the Pistons all he's had, let's appreciate it!
PistonPowered:
Hamilton accomplished a lot in Detroit, and nothing will ever take that from him. But history isn’t objective. How Hamilton handles this situation will play a huge part in his legacy – whether he’s remembered as the Pistons’ all-time leading playoff scorer or that malcontent who drained three years and $37.5 million from the organization.
Telling like it is! Everybody has his ups and downs though, especially in a losing situation. Remember when Kobe had quit on the Lakers and on Andrew Bynum?
Either give him some time or trade him. I don't believe in him quitting on the organization for one second. I believe he cares too much, that's all!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Trading for Melo
The rumor has been swimming around (nice metaphor to start this off) that the Denver Nuggets might be inclined to trade their star, Carmelo Anthony. I know this is probably post number 500 what trade Joey D should make in which he would acquire a player he passed on on in order to draft Darko Milicic, but I'll just tell you why it makes sense for both teams, to do this trade, even IF Melo should sign with the Knicks next summer or won't extend his contract beyond the season.
Let's start with the actual trade. The Pistons give up Tay and Rip while the Pistons get JR Smith and Melo. This would the Pistons in contention in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets want to trade both players and they both have expiring contracts, worth approximately $24 Mio. The Pistons would get two players that can score in bunches, which would probably help one of the worst offenses in the league, plus they get a great sixth man and both are capable of playing defense, although they don't always show that.
The Nuggets get two players of the Detroit championship year, so they wouldn't have to wonder at all if those guys will play together well. Honestly, which other scenario could practically guarantee that? CB and Rip once formed what can be called the best backcourt of the past decade. And Prince wasn't bad with them either. All of them would be thrilled to play together again and Rip and Tay would enjoy a bounce back season, if they stay healthy.
So, Tay's contract is running out too, the Nuggets could save his salary next season during a lockout if they choose to or re-sign him to a reasonable price. Detroit could take a shot at Melo, if they enjoy a great one-season run, maybe Melo doesn't think of Detroit as the worst fit, you know. If Greg Monroe develops into a reliable NBA center, Melo could think twice about leaving the D for the NYC spotlight. But even if he leaves, and Detroit doesn't sign either new addition next off season, it would clear $24 Mio of the books, giving Joe D another shot at re-modelling the roster.
Also, the last ten trades of the Pistons happened with the Nuggets, it feels like, so what the hell, go for it Joe! Although it would hurt to see both of them leave. I'd probably start liking Denver a lot more!
Let's start with the actual trade. The Pistons give up Tay and Rip while the Pistons get JR Smith and Melo. This would the Pistons in contention in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets want to trade both players and they both have expiring contracts, worth approximately $24 Mio. The Pistons would get two players that can score in bunches, which would probably help one of the worst offenses in the league, plus they get a great sixth man and both are capable of playing defense, although they don't always show that.
The Nuggets get two players of the Detroit championship year, so they wouldn't have to wonder at all if those guys will play together well. Honestly, which other scenario could practically guarantee that? CB and Rip once formed what can be called the best backcourt of the past decade. And Prince wasn't bad with them either. All of them would be thrilled to play together again and Rip and Tay would enjoy a bounce back season, if they stay healthy.
So, Tay's contract is running out too, the Nuggets could save his salary next season during a lockout if they choose to or re-sign him to a reasonable price. Detroit could take a shot at Melo, if they enjoy a great one-season run, maybe Melo doesn't think of Detroit as the worst fit, you know. If Greg Monroe develops into a reliable NBA center, Melo could think twice about leaving the D for the NYC spotlight. But even if he leaves, and Detroit doesn't sign either new addition next off season, it would clear $24 Mio of the books, giving Joe D another shot at re-modelling the roster.
Also, the last ten trades of the Pistons happened with the Nuggets, it feels like, so what the hell, go for it Joe! Although it would hurt to see both of them leave. I'd probably start liking Denver a lot more!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Pistons finally coming into their own
The Pistons are finally playing with some kind of consistency. We've waited for this since the 5-4 start to the season that had us hoping for a playoff run against one of the elite teams in the East and maybe surprising one or two teams, meanwhile having terrific contracts as potenital trade bait if the right offer was made to Joe Dumars. Well, mainly injuries prevented the plan from happening and after the good start, Detroit decided to drop 21 out of their next 28 games, sporting a 13-game losing streak and generally losing to teams that were very very beatable losing to the Raptors twice for instance.
A losing streak like that usually takes a toll on the players especially when the veterans wo have been leading this team for several years are out and injured and a new hierarchy has to develop. Rodney Stuckey isn't capable of leading this team yet (or ever) and the new additions Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva have been struggling with injuries of their own. A lot of people aren't satisfied what those two have shown but what a lot of people also don't understand is that supposedly minor aches can have a big impact on what you are capable of doing. Sprained ankles don't seem to be bad for a pure shooter like Gordon, but you lose lift and agility, that way you don't get the seperation from your defender, your drive isn't as big a weapon and when you shoot the jumper you don't get up as high. Kobe never seemed to have problems shooting because his finger was hurt, he started struggling with the ankle and groin injuries. Players usually play through sprained wrists pretty easily, but everything that aches in your lower back or downwards has a huge impact on your performance. That's why it has been bad for the Pistons, since most of their injuries were lower body injuries that effect the players in so many different ways, and what's worse, next morning when you get up out of bed, you feel every single move from the night before.
But there has been a change in dynamics ever since Tay and Rip returned from their injuries and their play has picked up. Tay looks like the Prince of the Palace again and Rip has been dead-on the past three games, even though he almost cost us that Spurs game but whatever dude.If you look at the last 20 games they have won 10 of those 20. I don't know if you realized that, I sure didn't. I'm so accustomed to this team winning around .700 of their games that being mediocre still seems, well, really bad. The overall record also doesn't help to see small improvements.They have against the teams they are supposed to lose to, but all in all they have been hovering around .500 and you can see from their win against the Spurs, this team has the talent to compete. Ok, San Antonio is not the team of '05 or '07, but they are still a playoff contender in the Western Conference so we'll take that win. The Schedule will become a little bit rougher playing Denver, Boston and Cleveland in the next two weeks, but if we get out of this playing at .500 still, I will be pretty proud of this team.
We have a lot of good pieces, we need some more additions but summing it up. I like this team, it's got character. Don't get down on Joe Dumars, he's the best GM there is for this franchise. I'm not saying the FA signings this summer were horrible, I think both C-Nuv and BG will be valuable assets for the years to come. Instead of focusing on trading Rip or BG I think we should explore trades for Stuckey. This team needs a true PG and a true C, that's all there is to it. We won't be a title contender with those two positions filled out, but the balance will be much better.
A losing streak like that usually takes a toll on the players especially when the veterans wo have been leading this team for several years are out and injured and a new hierarchy has to develop. Rodney Stuckey isn't capable of leading this team yet (or ever) and the new additions Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva have been struggling with injuries of their own. A lot of people aren't satisfied what those two have shown but what a lot of people also don't understand is that supposedly minor aches can have a big impact on what you are capable of doing. Sprained ankles don't seem to be bad for a pure shooter like Gordon, but you lose lift and agility, that way you don't get the seperation from your defender, your drive isn't as big a weapon and when you shoot the jumper you don't get up as high. Kobe never seemed to have problems shooting because his finger was hurt, he started struggling with the ankle and groin injuries. Players usually play through sprained wrists pretty easily, but everything that aches in your lower back or downwards has a huge impact on your performance. That's why it has been bad for the Pistons, since most of their injuries were lower body injuries that effect the players in so many different ways, and what's worse, next morning when you get up out of bed, you feel every single move from the night before.
But there has been a change in dynamics ever since Tay and Rip returned from their injuries and their play has picked up. Tay looks like the Prince of the Palace again and Rip has been dead-on the past three games, even though he almost cost us that Spurs game but whatever dude.If you look at the last 20 games they have won 10 of those 20. I don't know if you realized that, I sure didn't. I'm so accustomed to this team winning around .700 of their games that being mediocre still seems, well, really bad. The overall record also doesn't help to see small improvements.They have against the teams they are supposed to lose to, but all in all they have been hovering around .500 and you can see from their win against the Spurs, this team has the talent to compete. Ok, San Antonio is not the team of '05 or '07, but they are still a playoff contender in the Western Conference so we'll take that win. The Schedule will become a little bit rougher playing Denver, Boston and Cleveland in the next two weeks, but if we get out of this playing at .500 still, I will be pretty proud of this team.
We have a lot of good pieces, we need some more additions but summing it up. I like this team, it's got character. Don't get down on Joe Dumars, he's the best GM there is for this franchise. I'm not saying the FA signings this summer were horrible, I think both C-Nuv and BG will be valuable assets for the years to come. Instead of focusing on trading Rip or BG I think we should explore trades for Stuckey. This team needs a true PG and a true C, that's all there is to it. We won't be a title contender with those two positions filled out, but the balance will be much better.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Why the Pistons will probably trade Rip
Great win for Detroit last night against Denver! Check out Natalie Sitto's summary at Need4Sheed (or maybe Need4Swede soon).
I want to get into other stuff today: Why I think Rip Hamilton is going to be traded this season or during the offseason. It pains me as much to write as for you guys to read it, and this is just an assumption but looking at our roster right now, there's a good chance Joey D is thinking alike.
My assumption is based on the current roster and which player would be most dispensible and has the biggest value. We don't have a lot of big men and some of them aren't playing well (I'm talking to you Chris Wilcox, actually the rest has been great, I used the plural to make you feel better).
So it wouldn't be good to trade one of our big men plus it's highly unlikely we'd get a scoring big men for Chris Wilcox. Ben Wallace is untouchable, mainly because the league has probably accepted he can only play at an all-star level for Detroit, although his dollar for dollar production should be among the best in the league.
At Power Forward we have Charlie V, Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko, Jonas at Small Forward too along with Austin Daye and DeJuan Summers. Although the latter two have shown flashes of good play, they still remain rookies, so when Tay returns I wouldn't mind having 4 Small Forwards in the rotation.
Then we have this heavy guard rotation! Will Bynum, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, Rip, Chucky Atkins. Chucky doesn't need minutes, but still Rod Stuck feels more comfortable at the two, WAY more comfortable, Ben Gordon is a 2 too, and Rip, well, yeah, you guessed it, a Shooting Guard. Joey D won't give up Gordon and Stuckey, so Rip might be the odd man out. We have too many two guards and Rip has real value on the trade market so we might have to exploit the option and get used to a line-up without Rip. We've gotten good play from our guards even without him so we aren't dependent on him anymore, I'd look to trade him for a glaring need in our rotation, a scoring big man. Ok, I know, lots of teams have thought that kind of player would get them into contention (Philly anyone?).
So here are my Big Men to watch!
Elton Brand - I know, he currently sucks! But he's been starting to show flashes of his old self, if he keeps getting better until February and remains uncomfortable coming off the bench and keeps coming off the bench he might be a great catch. I know, the Iverson signing makes it unlikely, but who knows if he'll still be there in February ...
Jermaine O'Neal - Yeah, I know he isn't the best PF in the league anymore, he's slower and everything has decreased but he's still more capable of scoring down low than any big guy we have right now. Plus Miami is desperate to get Wade a little help. Rip could let Wade handle the ball and be a catch and shoot guy like he was with Chauncey, boy, I miss that! Also, the Palace brawl stands in the way.
Nenad Krstic - He's one of my favorite big men in the league. The Thunder might have to throw in another player, either a guy like Etan Thomas (great for the locker room) or a young player like James Harden. Krstic could space the floor, allow dribble penetration, he has a great shooting touch and go to moves in the post. He would actually be a good fit in my opinion.
Mehmet Okur/Carlos Boozer - I would just like to see Memo back. I like shooting big men, but I don't really think it's going to happen. With Boozer it's a different story, Joey D might be able to get him and Utah could use an uprade at the two-guard position.
Free Agency - If the Pistons should not be in the playoff hun in February you could trade Rip for cap space and the current set-up of the team could lure coming free-agents like Chris Bosh or Amaré Stoudemire. Detroit has a lot of pieces in place to be a contender again, there's just a little bit missing.
I don't think the Pistons necessarily need a back-to-the-basket player à la Elton Brand, I think Chris Bosh or Stoudemire would actually be perfect for the Pistons, but let's be patient and I'm sure Joey D will do the right thing!
I want to get into other stuff today: Why I think Rip Hamilton is going to be traded this season or during the offseason. It pains me as much to write as for you guys to read it, and this is just an assumption but looking at our roster right now, there's a good chance Joey D is thinking alike.
My assumption is based on the current roster and which player would be most dispensible and has the biggest value. We don't have a lot of big men and some of them aren't playing well (I'm talking to you Chris Wilcox, actually the rest has been great, I used the plural to make you feel better).
So it wouldn't be good to trade one of our big men plus it's highly unlikely we'd get a scoring big men for Chris Wilcox. Ben Wallace is untouchable, mainly because the league has probably accepted he can only play at an all-star level for Detroit, although his dollar for dollar production should be among the best in the league.
At Power Forward we have Charlie V, Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko, Jonas at Small Forward too along with Austin Daye and DeJuan Summers. Although the latter two have shown flashes of good play, they still remain rookies, so when Tay returns I wouldn't mind having 4 Small Forwards in the rotation.
Then we have this heavy guard rotation! Will Bynum, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon, Rip, Chucky Atkins. Chucky doesn't need minutes, but still Rod Stuck feels more comfortable at the two, WAY more comfortable, Ben Gordon is a 2 too, and Rip, well, yeah, you guessed it, a Shooting Guard. Joey D won't give up Gordon and Stuckey, so Rip might be the odd man out. We have too many two guards and Rip has real value on the trade market so we might have to exploit the option and get used to a line-up without Rip. We've gotten good play from our guards even without him so we aren't dependent on him anymore, I'd look to trade him for a glaring need in our rotation, a scoring big man. Ok, I know, lots of teams have thought that kind of player would get them into contention (Philly anyone?).
So here are my Big Men to watch!
Elton Brand - I know, he currently sucks! But he's been starting to show flashes of his old self, if he keeps getting better until February and remains uncomfortable coming off the bench and keeps coming off the bench he might be a great catch. I know, the Iverson signing makes it unlikely, but who knows if he'll still be there in February ...
Jermaine O'Neal - Yeah, I know he isn't the best PF in the league anymore, he's slower and everything has decreased but he's still more capable of scoring down low than any big guy we have right now. Plus Miami is desperate to get Wade a little help. Rip could let Wade handle the ball and be a catch and shoot guy like he was with Chauncey, boy, I miss that! Also, the Palace brawl stands in the way.
Nenad Krstic - He's one of my favorite big men in the league. The Thunder might have to throw in another player, either a guy like Etan Thomas (great for the locker room) or a young player like James Harden. Krstic could space the floor, allow dribble penetration, he has a great shooting touch and go to moves in the post. He would actually be a good fit in my opinion.
Mehmet Okur/Carlos Boozer - I would just like to see Memo back. I like shooting big men, but I don't really think it's going to happen. With Boozer it's a different story, Joey D might be able to get him and Utah could use an uprade at the two-guard position.
Free Agency - If the Pistons should not be in the playoff hun in February you could trade Rip for cap space and the current set-up of the team could lure coming free-agents like Chris Bosh or Amaré Stoudemire. Detroit has a lot of pieces in place to be a contender again, there's just a little bit missing.
I don't think the Pistons necessarily need a back-to-the-basket player à la Elton Brand, I think Chris Bosh or Stoudemire would actually be perfect for the Pistons, but let's be patient and I'm sure Joey D will do the right thing!
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