Archive → October, 2010
The Big Question: Joe Dumars
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: How limited is he by the ownership situation?
As constructed, the Pistons obviously aren’t going to win a title. Moves must be made. Can Joe Dumars make them now? Does he have to wait until a new owner takes over? Is he forbidden to take on payroll for the sake of Karen Davidson’s wallet? Will he have to shed payroll for the sake of Karen Davidson’s wallet?
It’s impossible to fairly criticize Dumars for his moves, or lack there of, without this information.
PH: Is he a tortured genius?
Often, people who have great success early on in their profession get a a genius complex. They think they’ve figured out “The Secret” as Bill Simmons would say and begin taking advice less or trying crazier ideas because their past success has them foolishly convinced that all of their goofy ideas will pan out.
Dumars constructed a title team, a year-in, year-out contender and did so in a way that no one has replicated: without a superstar. His two best players on his title team, Billups and Wallace, combined to make less money per season than Antoine Walker.
Now, Dumars has made a series of moves that can be described as reaches: believing that guys who have never been tough or physical or interested defenders in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva can suddenly be taught, drafting guys who weren’t well known (Austin Daye might work out, but he passed on guys like Ty Lawson and Darren Collison for him, and they are already good players in this league), taking flyers on aging vets with major questions (Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady).
Could Dumars be supremely confident his moves will work simply because they’ve worked out in the past?
Will Bynum has a 3-point shot now
I’ve made no secret of my belief that Will Bynum is better suited to the starting point guard job on the Pistons than Rodney Stuckey, so obviously this story from Keith Langlois caught my eye today:
After signing a three-year contract with the Pistons this summer as a restricted free agent, Bynum did what he always does – got back in the gym. A good deal of Bynum’s off-season focus was on improving his perimeter jump shot – out to and beyond the 3-point line – and that’s beginning to reveal itself in the NBA preseason.
Bynum hit three triples in the Pistons’ loss to Dallas last night. Langlois pretty adamantly states in his article that Stuckey is going to be the team’s starting PG, so there seems to be little Bynum can do to win that job.
But Bynum added a three-point shot in one offseason. Hasn’t Stuckey been working on that for like four years now?
The Big Question: Tracy McGrady
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: Will Arnie Kander produce another miracle?
Because of reclamations like Dana Barros and Antonio McDyess, everyone considers Arnie Kander a genius. It’s not necessarily out of line. He has a great track record. For years, I’ve called Kander the most underrated aspect of the organization. His ability to keep the team healthy over the years has meant countless wins, especially in the playoffs. But were last year’s injuries a sign Kander isn’t as great as he seems? Has the hype finally surpassed the substance? Or did chance fall so far on the negative side that it outweighed Kander?
If Tracy McGrady looks anything like he did in his prime, the legend of Arnie won’t die anytime soon.
PH: Will the Detroit Pistons ruin another icon?
After he was traded to Detroit, Allen Iverson went from one of the league’s most popular players to a guy who couldn’t beat Mike Conley for a starting job in Memphis. Now, another 2000s alpha dog icon in the twilight of his career finds himself on the Pistons. I don’t know what McGrady will produce. I just hope that his career is not going to end embarrassingly in Detroit the way Iverson’s did. Whatever you think of either of them personally, they are two of the most brilliant players of this era and deserved to be remembered for that. I don’t know what to expect from T-Mac. I just hope he’s still a solid player.
The Big Question: Jason Maxiell
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: Can he really be a reliable backup center?
At just 6-foot-7, Jason Maxiell was the Pistons’ most reliable backup center last year. Maxiell hadn’t held a defined role in years, but when pressed into a set spot, even one that doesn’t appear to naturally suit him, he thrived. Did the Pistons stumble onto something? Do Maxiell’s long arms, strong lower body and impressive hops negate his height mismatch against backup fives? If so, Greg Monroe might not be pressed into duty right away.
PH: Have the Pistons finally figured out how to use him?
Maxiell has had an up and down career with the Pistons. He’s been in and out of the rotation. At times, he’s played well and hasn’t been rewarded with more minutes. At times, he’s played poorly and been left in the game. Last year, he was given his first extended opportunity to start, with mixed results. What we know is this: Maxiell is no worse than the Pistons third best big man (not counting Jerebko) and, if healthy, will be a rotation player all season.
Has the Pistons’ history made adjusting to life in Detroit more difficult on Charlie Villanueva than it needed to be?
This may qualify as shameless self promotion, but hey, what are blogs for?
My first contribution to SLAM! is online now, and it discusses Charlie Villanueva. Here’s an excerpt:
Leave it to a sports talk radio personality to be a loudmouth, but the first question Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva fielded on media day spoke for a lot of Pistons fans, even if it did so in a less than tactful manner.
“What do you say to people who think you’re soft?” the reporter asked. Villanueva, taken aback slightly by the bluntness of the question, fought back whatever emotion he was feeling. Resisting the urge to react in the defensive, he gave the diplomatic and even-keeled response we’ve grown to expect from Charlie V, one of the most accessible players in the NBA.
But that niceness might be the root of the reason Charlie V has not been embraced by fans the way a young high profile free-agent signing is expected to be. Villanueva signed a contract that will pay him in excess of $7 million a year to play the frontcourt in Detroit for the next five years. Legendary Pistons like Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman, Corliss Williamson, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace have manned that position over the years. And let’s face it — as funny as it would be to see the reaction, no reporter would dare ask any of those guys about being soft.
Basically, the premise is that Villanueva is pretty much the opposite of every successful big man the Pistons have had in the last 30 years or so. Playing power forward/center in Detroit inevitably will bring comparisons and there’s definitely an expectation for a blue-collar style of play for anyone manning those spots as a Piston. I also toss out a couple of perhaps better former Pistons to compare Villanueva to.
Check it out if you’re so inclined and feel free to leave thoughts here or at SLAM! if you’re so inclined.
The Big Question: Will Bynum
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: Did his ankle injuries rob him of his all-around game?
At the beginning of last year, Will Bynum did an excellent job of scoring, passing, rebounding and even defending. Then, he was hit with a pair of ankle injuries. When he came back, he was more the one-dimensional scorer he appeared to be the season before.
So, I want to know whether that early-season production was skewed by a small sample size or derailed by injury. Bynum says his ankles are fine, so we should know the answer early.
PH: Can he win the starting point guard job?
The Pistons maintain that there is open competition at all spots. Rodney Stuckey is the presumed starter at point guard, but the Pistons have also expressed a desire to “return to their roots” and focus on the blue-collar style that has won the franchise three titles.
Bynum, the unheralded guy who has had to fight for everything in his career, better embodies that philosophy than Stuckey, the first round pick who was handed a starting job two years ago and shown little improvement.
The Big Question: Austin Daye
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: Is he really mentally stronger?
At media day, Austin Daye didn’t look any bigger or stronger than he did last season, but I’ll take the Pistons’ word that he gained 10 pounds of muscle. My bigger question is whether Daye has grown mentally.
To be honest, I don’t think he has the edge necessary to compete in high-level situations. Maybe he’ll develop it, and he’ll have time. The Pistons won’t have many crucial moments anytime soon.
Still, I’d like to see at least some progress in that regard this season.
PH: What will he learn from T-Mac?
Austin Daye is not strong enough, athletic enough or good enough for us to expect him to ever have Tracy McGrady-like production. But he, like McGrady, is a really tall wing player, has a nice jumper and can put the ball on the floor pretty well for a guy his height.
If I could choose any player for Daye to watch offensively, it would be T-Mac, simply to learn how McGrady effectively uses his body on drives and takes advantage of his height to get pretty clean looks even on contested shots.
Greg Monroe impresses Detroit writers in Pistons’ win over Atlanta Hawks
With Jonas Jerebko’s injury, Greg Monroe will probably be pressed into the rotation sooner than expected. There are still concerns (five turnovers and four fouls), but Monroe’s 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists made a good impression.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press:
Monroe has a tough time finishing in traffic, but he displayed the great passing skills that made the Pistons pick him seventh in the June draft. He found Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton for easy lay-ups off back-door cuts. He creates contact and gets to the line.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News:
Monroe showed his vast array of skills, from his passing to becoming more assertive on offense. He looked to score first as opposed to getting rid of the ball. He even beat the Hawks’ big men downcourt for easy layups, a rarity for a Pistons center the past couple of years.
Detroit Pistons-Atlanta Hawks aggregated coverage and live chat
The Pistons game won’t be televised tonight, but we’ll do our best to provide coverage anyway.
I’ve set up a Cover it Live chat that will aggregate in-game tweets from The Detroit News’ Vincent Goodwill, MLive’s Chris Iott, the Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis, The Oakland Press’s Dave Pemberton, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Michael Cunningham. (Those guys are all good to follow, if you’re not already.) If you know of more live coverage, let me know and I’ll add it.
Updates will begin appearing now, and come back during the game for a live chat.
The Big Question: Greg Monroe
With a cloud uncertainty thunder-storming, snowing and hailing on the Detroit Pistons, we wanted our Pistons preview series to capture that. So for each Piston, Patrick Hayes and I will identify and explain what we each see as the biggest question surrounding him entering the season.
DF: Can he play up-tempo?
When I analyzed Greg Monroe after the draft, I saw a pure half-court player. It seemed all his skills were best utilized in a slower tempo. But he got up and down the court well, with or without the ball, during summer league.
If he can play fast, the Pistons might have two excellent pieces in Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey going forward. If he can’t, they might have to choose one.
PH: Will he play?
Last year’s first round pick, Austin Daye, rarely saw the court because his strengths are undoubtedly on offense and his weaknesses are more obvious at the defensive end. This year’s first round pick, Monroe, could be described similarly.
The assumption is Monroe will have to play some simply because the team is thin up front. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case — if he doesn’t show that he’ll battle defensively, it’s conceivable he could lose minutes to the Ben Wallace-Jason Maxiell-Charlie Villanueva group (assuming Charlie V. is more focused defensively this year). I hope it plays out differently, but it’s rare a Pistons rookie earns big minutes his first season.
