Comments on: Detroit Pistons play smart, hustle, battle (and lose) against Miami Heat

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:26:37 +0000

I don’t think Gordon was signed to play with Hamilton. I think Dumars expected to trade Hamilton in the near future. But then Hamilton got hurt. Then the team went up for sale. Then Hamilton started playing terribly. All of a sudden, he was basically untradeable.

By: bg8

bg8 — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:03:41 +0000

thanks for the info. i still think those two could work together if just given a chance. you sign bg expecting him to be playing with hamilton on the court at the sametime, but they just aren’t given any chance to do it. no consistency at all so its hard for both guys to get into any kind of rythm with each other

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:42:29 +0000

Usual caveats about small sample size and who they're playing with and against (although considering your built-in excuse about them not being used correctly, the caveats are superfluous), but with Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon on the court:

Minutes: 191.86
Offensive rating: 108.61
Defensive rating: 115.04

Basically, with those two on the court together, the Pistons have played like an above-average offensive team and the worst defensive team of all time.

By: rick

rick — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:23:21 +0000

Man, why cant Rodney do that every time he drives?

To me, thats what makes LeBron so unstoppable, because he can get to the basket at will, and you know if you dont foul him, he’s going to dunk it. You cant just try to play solid defense and hope he misses a lay-up.

Rodney is one of the few players in the league aside from LeBron that can get to the basket at will too. He has size and strength, so idk why he doesnt go for the dunk EVERY time.

He’s an excellent FT shooter too. IMO, the only reason LeBron ever not goes hard for the dunk is because he’s afraid of missing FT when he gets hammered. Stuckey can use that to his advantage.

If he goes in hard like that for the dunk every time, he’s either going to slam it, or get fouled and just get it at the line instead. Or, even result in many more 3pt plays.

I hope this is something he is planning on adding to his game now that he is older and more confident.

By: khandor

khandor — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:19:42 +0000

The Pistons lost this game when John Kuester removed Rip Hamilton from the floor to the start the 4th quarter [DET 81; Mia 73] and, then, did not go back to him until the 6:43 mark [DET 81; Mia 86], after the flood-gates had already been opened and the cow had fled the barn … i.e. when the Heat went on a 13-0 run to start the final frame. When the Pistons had the following players on the floor together:

PG and OG – Any 2 of Stuckey or Hamilton or Gordon
SF - Any 1 of Prince or McGrady or Daye
PF and C - Any 2 of Maxiell, Monroe or Wilcox

they were highly competitive with one of the best teams in the league this season.

The Pistons’ main problems this season have not been rooted in the performance of these 9 players, in concert with one another, according to the combinations shown above.

Their main problems have been rooted in the poor decision-making skills of John Kuester and the ineffective way he has handled the OTHER players on Detroit’s roster, in concert with one another AND the 9 players’ names listed above.

By: khandor

khandor — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:54:08 +0000

The acquisition of Charlie Villanueva was a mistake by Joe Dumars, and the Pistons will be significantly improved, if they can unload him on another team prior to the start of next season. In the NBA, one-way Big Men, who are totally disinterested in playing individual and team defense, are a waste of time … even if they can stretch the floor, on occasion, as a result of their perimeter shooting skills. Even though Monroe, Maxiell, Wilcox and Wallace can’t really shoot the ball, at all, Detroit is much better off any time they have some combination of those 4 Bigs on the floor together, than they are whenever Charlie V. is included in the mix.

By: bg8

bg8 — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:22:29 +0000

it hasn’t been tried enough. just don’t remember them playing together that much except sometime in the 4th. i would like to see some kind of stats with those two on the court together

and im sure when those 2 did play together, one of them is probably standing in the corner doing nothing. they’re just not being use correctly while they are on the court together

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:29:55 +0000

Hey you sound like Keith Langlois! BG and Rip playing together has been tried. It doesn’t work as well as it could in a pipe dream.

By: The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: The latest around the league «

The Point Forward » Posts Court Vision: The latest around the league « — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:51:55 +0000

[...] Miami won a close one in Detroit on Wednesday, and Charlie Villanueva appears to be the latest Piston upset with coach John Kuester. [...]

By: bg8

bg8 — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:55:52 +0000

i think the pistons lost the game in the third quarter when kuester decided not to make any changes in the line up except the wilcox for stuckey. i think he should’ve taken rip/prince/or mcgrady out earlier in the 3rd (like the 4min mark) and have them come back in at the start of the 4th. you know lebron/bosh/wade or some kind of combo of them will be in at the start of the 4th. but instead, kuester decide to go all bench guy to start the 4th, with 4 of those guy probably hasn’t seen the court in like an hour of real time, your two biggest scoring threat played like 6min each, and you expect them to be able to stop a heats run and you know a heats run is coming. im not supraise they went scorless in the 4th whne those 5 were on the court.

anyway, im just wondering why we hardly ever see rip and bg on the court together. i think they could be deadly on the court together. im not much of a x and o guy, but what if they had rip do a midrange curl on one side of the court, gordon does a curl that gets him to the 3point line on the other side of the court and have stuckey/tmac decide who to pass the ball to. that would be 2 great shooting option, and you could have the big roll to the basket instead of setting a screen for another possible option. then once the ball gets to bg or rip, they have the option of shooting it or passing it to a rolling big. i don’t know, i just think that would be a good play to run with both of them on the court