Archive → January, 2009
Are the Pistons getting dull?
Not dull as in boring, but maybe a little less Sharp(e).
There are plenty of signs Walter Sharpe will be traded soon.
The Pistons need to cut just $45,000 in salary to get under the luxury tax threshold, according to Eric Pincus of Hoopsworld. Paying an extra $45,000 in the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax is probably of no concern to Detroit owner Bill Davidson. But there’s a good chance the $3 million in revenue sharing teams under the cap will get would be worth trading Sharpe for a conditional second round pick.
And as noted by Matt Watson of Detroit Bad Boys, the Pistons sent Sharpe to the D-league just in time for the NBA Development League Showcase.
Then the Detroit News’s Chris McCoskey reports Sharpe didn’t join the Pistons on their trip to Indiana and Oklahoma City. McCoskey speculates this could be for disciplinary or medical reasons.
But a pending trade could be the reason, too.
Little problems: Detroit isn’t the only team with a widespread debate about the size of its lineup. Columnists in Toronto and Dallas both wrote today that their city’s respective team should go with a bigger lineup.
Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun argues the Raptors should use its big lineup once Jermaine O’Neal returns from injury, and David Moore of The Dallas Morning News complains the Mavericks’ small-ball unit shoots too many jump shots and plays poor defense.
Professional Game Coverage: Indiana 110, Detroit 106
- Detroit News: “Pistons in need of steadfast closer,” by Chris McCosky
- Detroit News: “Pistons desire points,” by Chris McCosky
- Detroit Free Press: ”Pistons get lapped,” by Vince Ellis
- Detroit Free Press: ”Danny Granger’s scoring earns him All-Star status with Michael Curry,” by Vince Ellis
- Booth Newspapers: “Pistons can’t close again, lose to Pacers in OT,” by A. Sherrod Blakely
- Booth Newspapers: “Pistons want Allen Iverson to score more in paint,” by A. Sherrod Blakely
- Indianapolis Star: “Pacers show they can go the distance,” by Mike Wells
- Indianapolis Star: “Dunleavy starts, Ford does not,” by Mike Wells
Game Review: Indiana 110, Detroit 106
0-2.
The Pistons have lost both of their games since Detroit coach Michael Curry implemented the small-ball lineup.
But I’m willing to withhold judgement on small ball because Richard Hamilton has been a little off since returning from injury. He missed nine of his 13 shots tonight, including the potential game winner. Let’s see what the lineup can do once he starts hitting his shots.
And it’s not like the Pistons, losers of four-of-five, were in a groove before Hamilton returned.
Rodney Stuckey has been solid after a brief rough patch. He had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists tonight.
And Allen Iverson might be coming around. He had 23 points and seven assists – but four turnovers, too.
If Hamilton gets rolling, this lineup could work. No guarantees, but it’s too early to give up on it.
Curry will face plenty of questions after these two losses, but it’s way to early to throw away the season.
A bigger lineup definitely appears to be the best option, but small ball could work, too.
- Wallace had a nice game with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
- Detroit grabbed six of the last seven rebounds in regulation. McDyess was playing power forward, and Prince was at small forward.
- Arron Afflalo had provided the scoring off the bench the Pistons didn’t have last night. He scored 10 points in 15 minutes and made 4-of-6 shots.
- A very balanced game for the Pacers, who had six players in double figures scoring.
Game Preview: Detroit at Indiana
Date: Jan. 13, 2009
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Detroit record: 22-14
Indiana record: 13-25
Detroit probable starters:
PG- Rodney Stuckey
SG- Allen Iverson
SF- Richard Hamilton
PF- Tayshaun Prince
C- Rasheed Wallace
Indiana probable starters:
PG- Jarrett Jack
SG- Stephen Graham
SF- Danny Granger
PF- Troy Murhpy
C- Roy Hibbert
Spread: Detroit -1
Outlook: Last night’s loss to Charlotte may have been anomaly. Maybe it was just an off night. Maybe small ball will work.
Maybe.
Piston coach Michael Curry will start five men with heights of 6-foot-5, 6-foot-0, 6-foot-7, 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-11. And people will call that group small.
With the little lineup, the Pistons beat Indiana by four in December.
Stuckey, Iverson and Hamilton combined for 66 points and 25 points. The Pistons scored 114 points.
Granger scored 42 points on Hamilton. Troy Murphy had a double-double matched up with Prince at power forward. Detroit was outrebounded by 10. The Pacers scored 110.
All in all, what you’d expect from the small ball lineup. And the Pistons only beat last-place Indiana by four.
Detroit seems to have three matchup problems tonight. Prince on Murphey, Hamilton on Granger and Iverson on Graham. If the game goes well, I’ll feel better about small ball.
If not, then it’s probably time for a change.
Professional Game Coverage: Charlotte 80, Detroit 78
- Detroit News: “Commentary: Pistons’ Curry must make hard choices,” by Bob Wojnowski
- Detroit News: “Bobcats, Felton stun Pistons,” by Chris McCosky
- Detroit Free Press: ”Pistons’ small lineup can’t stop Felton, Bobcats,” by Carlos Monarrez
- Detroit Free Press: ”Pistons make Iverson, Hamilton starters,” by Carlos Monarrez
- Booth Newspapers: “Bobcats, Felton beat Pistons on last-second shot,” by A. Sherrod Blakely
- The Grand Rapids Press: “Pistons rounding into form despite Bobcats loss,” by David Mayo
- Queen City Hoops: “Bobcats vs Pistons Recap,” by Brett Hainline
Game Review: Charlotte 80, Detroit 78
As soon as the game ended, I received a message from Ian Robinson, who covered football with me for The Michigan Daily this year.
“If today’s game shows anything, is that it doesn’t matter who starts if no one finishes.”
I couldn’t have summed it up better myself.
The Bobcats ended the game on a 9-0 run, and the Pistons looked helpless to stop them.
Detroit, one of the league’s better teams, wasn’t helpless, of course. The Pistons just weren’t focused enough to close the game. It’s a long season, and games like this happen.
No reason to panic, even with the the lineup.
Piston coach Michael Curry took the easy route by starting Richard Hamilton and Allen Iverson. But this game doesn’t prove Curry used the wrong lineup.
The Pistons beat the lowly Charlotte in December, when they started Rodney Stuckey, Iverson and Hamilton. In fact, Detroit led by as many as 29 that game before the reserves let it slip. It was the first game Charlotte had Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.
But the Bobcats have clicked, going 8-8 since trading Jason Richardson for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, so they’re now a better team. No reason to panic because the small ballers didn’t light up the Bobcats like they did in December.
- Stuckey had a nice game offensively with 22 points on 11 shots, six rebounds, five assists and one turnover.
- Stuckey had a rough game defensively. He allowed Raymond Felton to control the pace. Felton scored 23 points on 15 shots. Felton also had nine assists and one turnover. Stuckey didn’t play his normal solid defense. I wonder how much his back is bothering him.
- Prince played 40 minutes, and Walter Herrmann played none. Somehow, Prince’s minutes have to come down at some point.
Detroit vs. Charlotte live blog
Game Preview: Detroit vs. Charlotte
Date: Jan. 13, 2009
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Detroit record: 22-13
Charlotte record: 14-24
Detroit probable starters:
PG- Rodney Stuckey
SG- Allen Iverson
SF- Richard Hamilton
PF- Tayshaun Prince
C- Rasheed Wallace
Charlotte probable starters:
PG- Raymond Felton
SG- Raja Bell
SF- Gerald Wallace
PF- Boris Diaw
C- Emeka Okafor
Spread: Detroit -8
Outlook: The big question tonight is how the small-ball lineup will play. After I analyzed the merits of starting Iverson or Hamilton, Pistons coach Michael Curry started them both.
This lineup has an excellent turnover difference, but it rebounds poorly.
There shouldn’t be many defensive problems tonight. The biggest issue on that end with this lineup is Prince is forced to guard a power forward. But Diaw isn’t the low-post presence that should cause problems.
- This game also features several Bobcats with local ties – head coach Larry Brown (former Detroit coach), Nazr Mohammed (former Piston) Juwan Howard (former Michigan player) and Shannon Brown (former Michigan State player).
Who should start?
The Pistons have been hobbled with bumps and bruises, as detailed by Chris McCoskey of the Detroit News.
But maybe not enough to make everyone happy.
If Rodney Stuckey’s sore back has stayed loose enough, he will be ready to play against the Bobcats tonight.
If Allen Iverson’s body is still serviceable, he should be ready to play, too.
And if the timetable is still on course, Richard Hamilton will be ready to go against the Bobcats.
Three guards, two starting spots.
Stuckey is an emerging star, and Detroit is 14-5 when he starts. He’s also the most natural point guard of the three, so he’s in.
That leaves Iverson and Hamilton.
Iverson:
- 2001 MVP
- Nine-time All-Star Three-time All-NBA
- Three-time All-NBA second team
- Two-time All-Star Game MVP
- Career average of 27.3 points, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game
- Years in the NBA: 12
- Years as a starter: 12
Hamilton:
- All-Star in the last three years
- Pistons’ all-time leading playoff scorer
- Career average of 17.8 points per game
- Years in the NBA: 10
- Years as a starter: 8.5
Both obviously have the pedigree of a starter. So let’s examine what Detroit coach Michael Curry should do.
First, what makes the most sense on the court?
82games.com is a great resource for analyzing teams, including the Pistons’ lineups.
The minutes (Min.) are listed on each table as a reminder that the fewer minutes a unit has played together, the less likely its statistics are relevant.
I included the small-ball lineup of Stuckey-Iverson-Tayshaun Prince- Amir Johnson-Rasheed Wallace for comparison’s sake. It’s possible Curry starts that lineup again, but unlikely.
Let’s start by comparing the offense.
Offense
[TABLE=3]
PPP is the points per possession that unit scores when on the court together.
eFG is effective field-goal percentage, which is adjusted for the value of 3-pointers. Its formula is (field goals made + .5 * 3-pointers made) / field goal attempts.
Close is the percentage of shots taken from close range.
With Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Johnson-Wallace, the Pistons score more points, shoot more efficiently and take better shots than with Iverson in place of Hamilton.
The small-ball unit is even more proficient offensively than Stuckey-Iverson-Prince-Johnson-Wallace.
Edge: Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Johnson-Wallace
Defense
[TABLE=6]
PPPA is the points per possesion that unit allows when on the court together.
eFGA is effective field-goal percentage, which is adjusted for the value of 3-pointers, of the opponents. Its formula is (field goals made + .5 * 3-pointers made) / field goal attempts.
Close is the percentage of shots the opponents has taken from close range.
The unit of Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Johnson-Wallace holds opponents to a lower effective field-goal percentage and prevents them into taking as many close shots.
Although that group allows a slightly higher points per possession than Stuckey-Iverson-Prince-Johnson-Wallace, the first unit appears to be better defensively.
Surprisingly, the small-ball unit allows the fewest points per possession. But it doesn’t pass the eye test of a good defense.
Prince is an elite defensive small forward, but a mediocre stopper as a power forward. His matchup is the big difference defensively between the top two lineups and small ball.
Edge: Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Johnson-Wallace
Ball Control
[TABLE=5]
Reb. is percentage of rebounds as a percentage of available rebounds.
T.O. is turnover difference.
The lineup with Hamilton has fairly better turnover difference.
The group Iverson is a little better rebounding. But I take this to be more coincidence than anything because Iverson (3.5) averages about the same number of rebounds as Hamilton (3.3), and neither’s clip is particularly impressive.
As expected, the small-ball unit has the worst rebounding percentage and the best turnover difference.
Edge: Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Johnson-Wallace
Off the court
Neither player will be happy about being a reserve.
McCoskey asked Hamilton about coming off the bench before the Piston’s game against Denver.
So, what’s going to happen when you come back, do you think you will jump right back into the starting lineup?
Rip: “Yeah, that’s the only option.”
Well, there is another option — coming off the bench.
Rip: “That ain’t happening.”
Hamilton was unhappy with the trade of Chauncey Billups, a close friend. He might not be as willing to take one for the team as he once was.
Hamilton’s response was slightly better than Iverson’s to Sixer coach Chris Ford in 2004. Ford asked Iverson to come off the bench after missing three games with an injury. Iverson said he was “insulted” and refused to play against, coincidentally, the Pistons.
“A lot of people might look at it like it’s a selfish thing or something like that,” Iverson said. “Why wouldn’t I start? I’m the franchise player here. I don’t know any franchise players that come off the bench. I don’t know any Olympian that comes off the bench. I don’t know any All-Star that comes off the bench. I don’t know any former MVP that comes off the bench. I don’t know any three-time scoring champion that comes off the bench.
“I don’t know any first team All-NBA (player) that comes off the bench. Why Allen Iverson? Why should I come off the bench? … I think it is an insult to me. Who I am as a player, who I am to this organization, who I’ve been to this organization, that’s an insult to me to come off the bench if I’m a starter.”
Iverson has talked about how his focus has changed from his younger days, but I doubt he’d take this move well.
Recommendation
The starting five definitely seems like it would be better with Hamilton on the court. This makes sense. A jumpshooter like him would complement Stuckey’s driving game.
I don’t think either will take a demotion well, and there’s the possibility of a major problem.
But Hamilton has two years left on his contract and is three years younger than Iverson. He figures to be much more part of the Pistons’ future than Iverson.
If Iverson becomes unhappy, Detroit can just let him leave as a free agent in the offseason.
Prediction
Hamilton comes off the bench against Charlotte tonight, and Curry says the move was solely because Hamilton is returning from an injury. The Pistons win. Iverson stays in the starting lineup, and Hamilton continues to come off the bench because “it’s working right now.”
