Archive → November, 2010
Despite spectacular Blake Griffin dunks and Eric Gordon’s offense, Pistons hold on to get first road win of the season
In a game where Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon and Austin Daye were the Pistons’ best offensive options, Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince combined to shoot the ball 38 times compared to just 27 shots for the much more efficient, better-shooting options on the team.
Earlier this week, Prince was quoted saying, “Even our wins don’t feel like wins.” The Clippers game was a perfect example of why that is. It’s becoming pretty clear that Prince, in particular, doesn’t have much interest in ceding the ‘primary option’ role even with evidence pretty clear, at least offensively, that the Pistons are more fluid when he is not dominating the ball.
Now, in this particular game, things worked out. Hamilton, Stuckey and Prince struggled the entire game shooting the ball, then all three hit huge shots in the fourth quarter to tie it, and then made plays in overtime to come away with a 113-107 win over the Clippers.
It was a needed win, but not a win that gave any clues as to how some of the growing whispers of chemistry issues will get worked out.
This sequence epitomizes why the “What the hell is wrong?” questions keep coming up. In overtime with about two minutes left, the Pistons got an offensive rebound. It got tossed into Prince, who was posting up on the wing, but didn’t necessarily have great position. John Kuester called a timeout, presumably to get a better shot. Prince reacted like he was surprised that a timeout was called, then he tossed the ball down, then he slumped his head and shoulders down, then he slowly crept to the bench. Now Prince has never been the boisterous, emotional type out on the court, so maybe it’s nothing. But the Pistons had just gone up two and got the ball back in a game they really needed to win, and there just wasn’t a sense of excitement from Prince or anyone really. You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking if they were winning or down 30.
The Pistons picked up their first road win of the season, it was hard-fought, entertaining and I don’t mean to take away from that. Even if the body language constantly looks emotionless, it’s not like guys aren’t playing hard. Prince had a great save under the Clippers basket in overtime. Hamilton hit a key shot in regulation to tie it. Stuckey had a nice drive and finish with a foul to get a three-point play in overtime.
Maybe if they can pick up a win at Sacramento on Sunday and repeat their earlier season performance against Golden State on Monday and come home with a successful trip against, other than Portland, some teams that are very beatable, that’ll reignite some of the passion that seems to be lacking. But the win against the Clippers, while important, didn’t do much to disprove some of the feelings Prince expressed in his quote.
Stuckey could take a lesson from Bledsoe
Earlier this week, Dan Feldman wrote a post defending the organization’s loyalty to the Stuckey-as-point-guard experiment, with the premise being that athletically and physically, Stuckey is the prototype of the ‘new breed’ of NBA point guard. He might not get it, and with each season, it’s become more likely that he won’t get it. But whatever chance there is left that he can put it together as a point guard/playmaker is a potential high reward if it works out. Stuckey has had flashes this season of really competent point guard play, and those have occurred when he’s been fearlessly attacking the basket, pushing the ball up quickly on makes or misses and not over-thinking the “should I shoot or pass?” situations too much. He just goes out and plays his style. That’s the same thing that Eric Bledsoe, another strong, young and explosive point guard did for the Clippers. Bledsoe made some mistakes, particularly early with some turnovers (forced by good defense by Stuckey), but it was his aggressiveness that helped the team get back in the game and take the lead in the second half. The Pistons have a pair of really fast point guards in Stuckey and Will Bynum. They don’t have to be a fast-breaking team, but why not take advantage of their speed? Bledsoe continuously running the ball up caused the Pistons defense to get on its heels and he created several open looks for shooters Eric Gordon and Rasual Butler.
Start sweating the little things
With the Pistons up nine and only about five seconds left in the first quarter, the Pistons allowed Eric Gordon to drive coast-to-coast and get a layup just before time expired. With the Pistons up 10 and Gordon shooting a free throw for the Clippers with one second left in the first half, Gordon missed the free throw and Craig Smith got an offensive rebound and put-back as time expired to cut the lead to eight. With less than nine minutes to go in the game and the Pistons up two, Jason Maxiell fouled Gordon on a short jumper, Gordon made the shot and Maxiell picked up a technical on the play. Four-point swing for no reason. Those are all things that, on their own, seem relatively minor. But they also represent four or five free points that teams just can’t afford to give up when they constantly play close games.
Nice defensive switch in fourth
Eric Gordon terrorized the Pistons in the fourth quarter, so it was no surprise with the game tied the Clippers would put the ball in his hands to try and win it. Kuester made a nice adjustment (one that would’ve been interesting to see earlier in the quarter, but better late than never), switching Prince onto Gordon that possession. Prince’s length bothered Gordon, who isn’t very tall for a shooting guard, he stumbled trying to get around Prince and lost the ball.
Those pesky third quarters
Once again, the Pistons came out of halftime after a good start and lost a lead. Coming into the game, the Pistons were averaging a -5.9 point differential per third quarter, third worst in the league. That number will get worse after they were outscored 27-17 against the Clippers.
A big reason the Pistons have had third quarter troubles is they are relatively easy to make adjustments against. The Clippers halftime adjustment was simple: play defense. Maybe don’t give Gordon, Villanueva and Daye a five-foot cushion to shoot threes. In the third, the Clippers closed out on shooters much better, the Pistons stopped getting open jumpers and players were forced into having to create more, something that no player on the roster is really good at doing on a consistent basis.
Daye’s two halves
Daye was the story in the first quarter. He finally wasn’t overmatched defensively by an opposing power forward, as the Clippers started hybrid forward Al-Farouq Aminu for the injured Chris Kaman. Daye scored nine points off the bat. But there was a common way he was scoring those points: he was either catching and shooting, or he was taking no more than one dribble and elevating for his shot.
In the second half, he turned the ball over twice in the third quarter because he started to over-dribble. Daye isn’t quick off the dribble. He’s great at getting to a spot he’s comfortable shooting in just one dribble. But when he tries to post up and back someone down or when he tries to face up and drive past someone, he’s ineffective. Daye’s not a creator right now. If he can’t get his shot quickly, he needs to kick the ball back out.
His shot looked great again, and he’s more and more assertive in taking it each game, but he does have to strike that balance where he’s confident enough to shoot, but not so confident that he begins to do more than he’s capable of with the ball.
Maxiell gets Monroe’s minutes
Maxiell had a nice performance after being buried on the bench a little for a few games. He was physical with Blake Griffin (the two got in a couple tangles where some elbows were thrown wildly by both guys) and he was active on offense, hanging out around the basket and scoring on some dump-offs. His minutes came at the expense of Greg Monroe.
Monroe didn’t play in the first two games because Kuester didn’t feel like he had been playing with enough energy. Then, Monroe started getting some minutes and responded with really solid production. Now, the last two games, he’s kind of disappeared again. Against the Clippers, he was really tentative in the few first half minutes he played. He caught the ball inside and instead of going straight up strong against the defender, undersized forward Craig Smith, he did a pump fake, allowed the defense to recover and didn’t get a good shot off, although he got fouled.
Inconsistent energy was a knock on Monroe in college, so it will be interesting to see how the Pistons manage his ups and downs. Against the Clips, he didn’t bring it in his stint in the first half, so Maxiell replaced him and took the minutes in the second half that had been going to him.
Villanueva for Sixth Man of the Year?
One positive to take away from the early season is that the Pistons seem to finally know how to use Villanueva. He was in and out of the rotation a bit last year because Kuester wanted some (any?) effort on defense from him. This year, Villanueva has responded. He’s not ever going to be a traditional big (as evidenced by his one rebound against the Clippers). This year though, he’s shown a willingness to at least put his body on people. He’s drawn charges this season, something I don’t ever remember seeing him do much last year. He’s blocked a couple shots. And the one skill that he brings that is really useful — scoring — has been more consistent so far. Villanueva has been in double figures off the bench in eight of nine games.
He’s still streaky, it would still be nice if he’d rebound just a little bit, but he comes off the bench every night as a matchup problem for the opposing team, and he’ll be among the Sixth Man candidates by season’s end if he keeps up the effort.
Love for Love
Not Pistons related, but check out what Kevin Love did last night. And based on the highlights, at least a few of his boards were courtesy of Darko misses. You’re welcome for him, Kevin.
Pistons try for first road win against reeling Clippers
Essentials
Date: Nov. 12, 2010
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Detroit
Records
Pistons: 2-6
Clippers: 1-8
Probable starters
Detroit:
Clippers:
-
Eric Bledsoe
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Eric Gordon
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Ryan Gomes
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Blake Griffin
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DeAndre Jordan Per Langlois, Jordan is also injured. Al-Farouq Aminu gets the start. Good matchup for Daye at least.
Las Vegas projection
Spread: Detroit +1
Over/under: 190
Score: Clippers win, 96-94
Three things to watch
1. Clippers have injury/depth issues.
The Pistons have finally run into a team that’s reeling as much as they are, possibly more. The Clippers are playing without Baron Davis and Chris Kaman, but the biggest loss is Eric Gordon, who is day-to-day with a shoulder stinger but he’s sat out two consecutive games. Blake Griffin has made just 9-of-27 shots in his last two games with opposing teams able to focus most of the attention of their defense on him. Gordon is probable against the Pistons as the Clippers try to avoid tying a franchise-worst 1-9 start.
2. Can Rodney Stuckey take advantage of a rookie?
Rookie Eric Bledsoe has been better than expected in the absence of Davis, but he’s played 35 minutes or more in five of six games as a starter, and check out the murderer’s row of PGs he’s faced head-to-head: Tony Parker (twice), Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups. The Clips are asking a lot of a rookie who is still learning to be a full-time point, and Stuckey should look to be aggressive against him.
3. Wallace v. Griffin
Blake Griffin had a poor game against the Spurs because San Antonio’s front line, primarily veterans Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess, got very physical with him. Wallace can have that same type of impact for the Pistons defensively. Griffin is at his best running the floor and hitting the offensive glass. Wallace and the other Pistons bigs have to keep a body on him at all times, or he’ll do things like this. Or this.
Pregame reading
- Vincent Goodwill reports that John Kuester is not thinking about lineup changes
- Keith Langlois gives Mike Abdenour some press (Is Abdenour the only trainer who has picked up a technical? I have no idea how to verify this.)
- Breene Murphy notes that Bledsoe is third on the Clippers in blocks. Weird.
- Count Vince Ellis among the ‘start Villanueva’ supporters.
Pistons might become third team in Carmelo Anthony trade by dealing Tayshaun Prince
Ben Golliver pretty well summed it up in his piece about the colliding eras in Detroit: The Pistons are a mess. Though Rip Hamilton’s contract, with $21.5 guaranteed over the next two seasons heading into CBA uncertainty, will be exceedingly difficult to move. But Tayshaun Prince, with an $11.1 million expiring deal, already is generating interest among teams looking to get their payrolls in order. Sources say the Pistons are expected to make their interest known in participating in the Carmelo Anthony talks as a third team, with Prince satisfying part of what Denver is looking for as a wing player on an expiring deal.
To me, this says the Pistons might closer to being sold than indicated.
According to report, Ilitch-Pistons negotiations hit a snag, other bidders contacted
After Mike Ilitch spoke with confidence a few days ago about finalizing his purchase of the Detroit Pistons and then, eventually, moving them downtown, Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News cited a report in the Sports Business Journal that there might be a window for other bidders to get back in:
Negotiations between Ilitch Holdings Inc. and the Detroit Pistons hit a snag, and the other bidders for the franchise have been contacted, according to a report Thursday in the online publication Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal Daily.
Mike and Marian Ilitch’s company was granted an exclusive 30-day negotiating period in early October, which might have expired this week, although Karen Davidson, owner of the Pistons, could decide to extend it.
The News also reported that two other interested parties, Tom Gores and George Postolos, declined to say whether they’d been contacted again. Ilitch getting the team still seems likely to happen, but having the team sold by the end of November, as was the original stated plan, seems less and less likely the longer this drags on.
The Rise and Fall of Joe Dumars
Matt Moore asked me to record an audio essay on “The Rise and Fall of Joe Dumars” for Voice on the Floor. You can listen to it on their site. (And while you’re there, poke around. It’s definitely one of the best new NBA sites.) If you’re more textually inclined, the transcript appears below.
Every major contributor to the Pistons’ run of success in the last decade has an iconic image. NBA fans know many of them. Pistons fans know all of them.
Chauncey Billups making a half-court 3-pointer against the Nets to force the first of three overtimes.
Richard Hamilton curling around multiple screens to hit a game-winning mid-range jumper with eight tenths of a second left against the Celtics.
Rasheed Wallace standing in front of his locker guaranteeing a Game 2 victory against the Pacers.
Tayshaun Prince backing up that Guaransheed with a come-from-behind block on Reggie Miller in the final seconds.
Ben Wallace holding the Larry O’Brien trophy high over his head in the middle of his cheering teammates.
Larry Brown sitting in the middle of a huddle and telling his team he loves them.
When you think of the Pistons’ greatness, you can see it. You can see it in Chauncey. You can see it in Rip. You can see it in Sheed. You can see it in Tay. You can see it in Big Ben. You can see it in LB.
You can see it in everyone – everyone except Joe Dumars.
While the talent he put together shined in front of 20,000 fans 100 nights a year, Dumars remained in the shadows. Literally.
He sits in a mid-level suite at The Palace. Occasionally, cameras zoom in on the dark space wedged above the lower deck and covered by the upper deck. You can make out a head, but if the graphic at the bottom of the screen didn’t identify it as belonging to Dumars, it could belong to anybody.
He comes out for a couple low-key press conferences a year, too, but that’s it.
When things were going well, Dumars never bragged. He never talked about himself. He never sought credit.
He still keeps himself out of the spotlight now, and maybe that’s why he’s so maligned..
When a man deserves praise, it’s difficult to bestow when he’s nowhere to be found. When a man deserves criticism, it’s easy to bestow when he’s nowhere to be found.
That’s why Dumars’ subtle sagacity was never appreciated as much as it should have been. If it had, perhaps, more people would believe he can turn this team around.
Dumars took a team that won 50 games in 2001-02, and in five years, completely turned over the roster – all while winning 50 years each year.
He built a title team without a major contribution from a lottery pick the Pistons drafted.
And perhaps my favorite accomplishment, he’s never been perfect.
He drafted Mateen Cleaves, Rodney White and Darko Milicic. He failed to re-sign Grant Hill. He hired Michael Curry. And that’s when things were going well.
But Dumars’ genius has always been his ability to fix his mistakes.
He turned Cleaves into another first-round pick and Jon Barry, who was instrumental in turning the team into a winner.
He traded White for a first-rounder used to acquire Rasheed Wallace.
He flipped Darko for a pick that became Rodney Stuckey.
He acquired Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins in a sign-and-trade for Hill.
He fired Curry, his handpicked coach, after only one season.
That’s why the fall of Joe Dumars has been oversimplified.
Sure, trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson was a mistake.
Keeping Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton is regrettable.
Signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva was questionable at best.
But give him a chance to fix his mistakes. Give him a chance to evaluate his team when it hasn’t lost 155 man games to injury. Give him a chance to operate without being handcuffed by the sale of the team.
Maybe Dumars will still fail. Maybe this special run is over. Maybe the Pistons should just appreciate what they had.
After all, Dumars was never supposed to be the GM. That was Isiah Thomas’ job. For years, everyone knew he would take over the front office after retirement. But a spat with Bill Davidson made him an outcast.
We didn’t realize it then, but Dumars – the quiet, thoughtful kid from Louisiana – was a much better fit as an executive than the impulsive and overly calculating Thomas.
And that’s why I can’t call this period the fall of Joe Dumars.
There is no fall of Joe Dumars. There will likely never be a fall of Joe Dumars.
His values are too resolute.
This is the man who stayed to shake the Bulls’ hands while his Bad Boy teammates walked off the court.
Not only did he win the NBA’s first sportsmanship award, rather than give it to him every year, the league named the trophy after him.
It’s silly to define Dumars’ record as a GM by just his last two years. It’s even sillier to define him by his record as a GM.
I can’t believe someone like that will fail. I keep telling myself he won’t fail because he’s too smart, too diligent, too focused. Although it might take time, he won’t fail. But maybe I just don’t want to believe he could fail – and I won’t.
So, yes, there was a rise of Joe Dumars. It began occurring Detroit when the Pistons drafted him in 1985.
But whether or not he turns this team around, there is no fall.
Pistons playing like ‘two halves of a team?’
Losing is going to cause this sort of thing, but CBS Sports’ Ben Golliver quickly noticed something about the Pistons before, during and after their loss to Portland Tuesday: as Golliver put it, they play like ‘two halves of a team.’
Of course, that’s nothing new to people who have been watching the team the past two seasons as young players uncomfortably were thrust upon a veteran core that had grown used to things being a certain way for a very long time.
But this season more than last, reports have alluded to an uncomfortable locker room, something that is a dramatic change from years past when the Pistons had arguably the best chemistry and locker room of any team in the NBA. From Golliver’s story:
Hamilton and old guard championship teammates Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince occupied one side of the post-game locker room, heads down, voices monotone, after the loss. Prince didn’t mince words when discussing his frustration. “It’s everything. Not just one thing. Everything. It’s always that way when you’re not winning. Even our wins didn’t feel like wins. When that happens, you know it’s a problem.”
A problem for Prince, perhaps, but his younger teammates on the other side of the locker room didn’t seem as touched, as Charlie Villanueva laughed and smiled, second-year forward Austin Daye exuded a flat air of relative indifference, and a shell-shocked Greg Monroe looked like he was trying to escape his decision to turn pro as he hustled quickly out of the locker room with headphones drowning out the world.
The night ended with that distinct divide, but it started that way too. Two hours before the game, Daye, Monroe and DaJuan Summers worked through their shootaround routines together, looking to develop skills under the tutelage of the team’s assistant coaches, and to enjoy a few laughs. Only after the young trio ceded the court did Prince and Wallace take the court, briefly and mostly in silence, to get their blood going before the game.
Some people (myself included) thought it was strange when Rodney Stuckey said in the preseason that the team needed more vocal leadership, and that he was going to fill that role. After all, the team had Prince, Wallace and Hamilton, three championship veterans, right? How could the team possibly be lacking leadership?
Golliver’s account suggests maybe Stuckey was onto something. Prince and Hamilton’s frustrations are somewhat understandable — both guys have heard their names in trade rumors for about two years now, so the prospect of teaching their potential replacements about playing winning basketball would probably be less than appealing if they feel like the team could move them at any time. Wallace, however, was brought in specifically to be a locker room presence for the younger players. Last season, there were reports that rookies Daye and Jonas Jerebko routinely worked out with Wallace in the weight room, trying to copy his work habits. Hopefully, that hasn’t ended as the team has grown more frustrated and less cohesive on the court this year.
John Hollinger’s praise of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and John Wall illustrates why the Pistons have invested so much in Rodney Stuckey
Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and John Wall are each better than Rodney Stuckey. I bet they will remain better than Stuckey for the rest of their careers, too.
Now that we have that out of the way, John Hollinger’s article praising Rose, Westbrook and Wall reminded me why the Pistons have invested so much in Stuckey.
The crux of Hollinger’s argument
And what’s unusual about this group is that they play the position much differently than the previous generations. Their older peers are mostly traditional, pick-and-roll point guards who succeed with quickness, guile and court vision.
These guys? Raw, unadulterated power. With awesome combinations of size and strength, they’re among the best finishers in basketball despite playing the point. They’re not great shooters and it doesn’t matter. They don’t have great court vision (though Wall has shown a lot of potential as a distributor; more on that below). That doesn’t matter, either. In today’s NBA, where the ability to beat opponents off the dribble is king and perimeter defenders can’t use their hands, burst and power are at a premium.
Forty-five “point guards” listed in DraftExpress’ database with weights and sprint times have been drafted in the first round since 2000.
Only 11 of them are above average among the group for both weight and sprint time.*
*Surprisingly, Tyreke Evans isn’t one.
Two are actually shooting guards (Dwyane Wade and O.J. Mayo). Three don’t crack 6 feet without shoes (Jameer Nelson, Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton). One is Jay Williams, who only played one season before injuring himself in a a motorcycle accident. Another is Jerryd Bayless, who has shown minimal point-guard ability.
The other four are Rose, Westbrook, Wall and Stuckey (denoted by their teams’ logos).
Like Wall (62.5 percent shooting at the rim, according to Hoopdata), Rose (58.6 percent) and Westbrook (52.4 percent), Stuckey (58.1 percent) is converting a high clip at the rim. That’s easily Stuckey’s career high, so we’ll see how whether it holds up.
Hollinger continues:
How much of a premium? Consider that Rose and Wall were the No. 1 picks in their respective drafts after just a year of college (after a generation in which point guards were almost never considered to be top-pick material), while Westbrook went fourth despite not even playing point guard as a collegian.
Stuckey was the 15th pick. Among the above-average, above-averagers, only Lawson (17th) and Jameer Nelson (20th) were picked lower. The Pistons got excellent value in acquiring their new-wave point guard.
Hollinger’s next point:
And the irony is that they end up doing a lot of damage with midrange jump shots. Opponents are so fearful of their blinding quickness off the dribble that they back up, go under screens and concede shots they’d never permit to almost any other opponent.
So while Rose, Westbrook and Wall live on the dynamic finishes at the rim, in between highlights they build up their numbers by hitting easy midrange jump shots, often shooting little more than a free throw with a defender still several feet off of them. You don’t have to be a great shooter to nail a high percentage of those shots.
Stuckey is shooting 46 percent on jumpers between 16 and 23 feet, according to Hoopdata – higher than Rose (43 percent), Westbrook (42 percent) and Wall (41 percent).
The key difference is Stuckey only makes 0.9 shots from that distance per game – fewer than Wall (2.6), Rose (2.0) and Westbrook (1.7).
Stuckey has obviously worked hard on his jumper. He’s shooting seven percentage points higher from that distance than his previous season high.
But he’s taking fewer shots from that distance than he ever has. Is he actually an improved jump-shooter, or is he just more selective? I’m not sure, but the answer probably determines how likely it is Stuckey can pad his scoring average from that distance like Rose, Westbrook and Wall.
Hollinger goes on to list the extra positives the three point guards have, and that’s where Stuckey falls short.
- Rose has an extremely effective floater – 57.1 percent shooting on attempts within 10 feet, but not at the rim, and, by far, a point-guard-high 2.4 makes from that distance per game. Stuckey shoots just 26.7 percent from that distance.
- Wall is a gifted passenger, averaging 9.6 assists per game. Stuckey averages just 6.3.
- Westbrook pulls in 2.2 offensive rebounds per game.* Stuckey grabs just 0.8 per game.
*I question the value of them, considering the Thunder, although ranking 12th in pace, allowed the fifth-most fastbreak points per game, according to Team Rankings.
If Stuckey wants to make the leap the Rose-Wall-Westbrook level, he’ll have to develop another strength. Defense, perhaps?
Hollinger’s final point:
But with three such players entering the league in the past three years, and all making a huge impact almost immediately, one thing is for certain: Scouts will be looking high and low for the next one. With rules favoring point guards with the quickness to get a step to the rim and the size and explosiveness to finish, the power point guard phenomenon looks like it’s here to stay.
Maybe Stuckey, despite playing more NBA years than the other three, can still be the next “point guard phenomenon.”
Rose and Wall played for John Calipari in college. Westbrook played for Ben Howland. Stuckey played for Mike Burns. No offense to Burns, but there’s clearly a difference. Plus, the other three have been NBA starters from day one.
Stuckey obviously has a way to go, and it’s unlikely he’ll get there.
But it’s possible, in a couple years, Hollinger will write about Ian Miller trying to be the next Wall-Rose-Westbrook-Stuckey.
Pistons’ rebounding woes deeper than meet the eye in loss to Trail Blazers
Entering the game, the Trail Blazers ranked third in the league in offensive rebounding percentage (31.9 percent).
The Pistons ranked 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage allowed (27.8 percent).
So, the Trail Blazers grabbing 28.9 percent of available offensive rebounds seems about right. But it’s how they got those rebounds that keyed their 100-78 victory.
First of all, neither team grabbed an offensive rebound in the final 8:17 – once the the game was completely out of hand and there was little incentive to risk crashing the offensive glass. So, the Trail Blazers were even more dominant on the glass than the initial numbers indicate, because they squeezed their impressive numbers into a shorter period of time.
But he bigger reason Portland’s glass dominance meant so much was why they grabbed so many boards.
In an August post about zone defense, NBAPlaybook.com’s Sebastian Pruiti explained why rebounding factors into a reluctance to play zone:
The main reason is because in zone defense, players are responsible for areas and not an actual player. This makes it harder to box-out and secure the rebound.
I’m going to offer the corollary to that. The Pistons didn’t box out tonight,* so when the Trail Blazers got offensive rebounds, it was very easy for them to score because nobody was on their man.
Portland had an offensive rating of 175 on possessions after grabbing an offensive rebound. For perspective, the Lakers lead the league with an offensive rating of 118.3. I’m sure teams score more than usual after offensive rebounds, but I’d guess it’s not typically this much more.
*Austin Daye is the exception. He does an excellent job of getting position to box out. That makes him a strong rebounder when playing shooting guard or small forward. When playing power forward, it’s not always enough.
The Trail Blazers’ sizable front court of LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby made this a difficult matchup for the Pistons on paper. The Pistons’ play tonight made it even more difficult.
The Pistons are showing signs of a mentally weak team. When the odds are stacked against them, they give in rather than battling.
It’s still early in the season, but I don’t like this trend.
New level for Villanueva
The only extended period of competence the Pistons showed was an 18-6 run in the second when the were led by – Charlie Villanueva? Yes, Charlie Villanueva.
He looked active on both ends of the court. He worked his way inside on offense. He protected the rim on defense.
That might be the best stretch I’ve seen him play in a Pistons uniform. This wasn’t him getting hot and scoring a bunch of points in a short burst. This was him actually looking like a good, not a lucky, basketball player.
Stuckey’s slow start
For the first time this season, Rodney Stuckey looked extremely passive early in the game. The extent of his offensive contributions in the first nine minutes: making a layup, assisting a Richard Hamilton 20-footer and forcing two jumpers late in the shot clock.
He looked more assertive against the Bobcats – when he was benched.
As I’ve written, the Pistons’ offense is usually much better with one of their two point guards in the game. But when you combine Stuckey standing around the perimeter and Will Bynum’s sloppy game (three turnovers in 14 minutes), that doesn’t really hold true.
Really, the only time the offense flowed smoothly in the first quarter were a few possessions when Hamilton pushed the court and Detroit attacked before Portland set its defense.
Stuckey bounced back to lead the team with a hollow 17 points, but he also looked banged up and was worked on by Arnie Kander.
Ben Wallace makes rare fourth-quarter appearance
After sitting out the last four fourth quarters, Ben Wallace played 3:05 in the final frame with the Pistons down more than 20 points. John Kuester said Wallace would play in fourth quarters, and he did. Maybe Wallace wanted a few minutes to stay loose tonight, but sitting him tonight would have made more sense from the outside than most of the other four games.
John Kuester: Don’t read into Ben Wallace’s fourth-quarters absences
After Ben Wallace sat out for the last four fourth quarters, I reached out to the team for more info.
Questions:
As far Wallace, he hasn’t played the last four fourth quarters. Was that due to the flow of the games? Were there matchup issues? Is the opponent intentionally fouling him a concern? Is it difficult for him to get loose after he sits? Going forward, can we expect to see Wallace sit in the fourth quarter more often than not?
Answers:
"There is no specific reason why Ben hasn’t played in the fourth quarter other than flow of the game,” Pistons coach John Kuester said through a team spokesperson. “…We’re monitoring his minutes to keep him fresh throughout the course of a long season.
"The fact that Ben draws intentional fouls is not a concern to me because I have tremendous confidence in Ben and his ability to perform on the floor.
"Ben is a pro and keeps himself ready throughout the game. We will monitor his minutes throughout the year to keep him fresh, but he’s always a big part of our success."
Detroit Pistons aim to snap four-game losing streak to Trail Blazers, three-game skid in Portland
Essentials
Date: Nov. 9, 2010
Time: 10 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Detroit
Records
Pistons: 2-5
Trail Blazers: 5-3
Probable starters
Detroit:
Trail Blazers:
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Andre Miller
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Brandon Roy
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Nikolas Batum
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LaMarcus Aldridge
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Marcus Camby
Las Vegas projection
Spread: Detroit +10
Over/under: 191
Score: Trail Blazers win, 100.5-90.5
Three things to watch
1. Brandon Roy’s health
Brandon Roy will play limited minutes tonight, according to Jason Quick of The Oregonian. If Roy is limited, that’s obviously a plus for the Pistons. Roy’s issue isn’t exactly clear, but it appears to be conditioning-related.
If he guards Richard Hamilton, Hamilton should run him off screen after screen. If he guards Tayshaun Prince, Prince should post him up.
The latter matchup will have immediate dividends. The former will pay off if Roy is gassed at the end of the game.
2. The Ben Wallace-Marcus Camby matchup
Maybe most of you aren’t intrigued by this, but I am. I love defense, and these are two defensive experts. Both are past their physical peaks, but they’re crafty enough to get the job done.
3. Road struggles
Winning on the road is very difficult for bad teams. The Pistons are 0-3 away from The Palace this season. The Pistons previous two victories said they weren’t imploding. A win tonight would say they might be OK.
Pregame reading
- Jason Whitlock says the Heat should seriously consider trading Chris Bosh.
- Cliff Robinson cares about charity.
- Mike Payne’s game preview for Detroit Bad Boys
- Andrew R. Tonry’s The Portland Roundball Society preview
