Comments on: John Kuester merits Pistons fans’ support

By: kashmeer

kashmeer — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:07:58 +0000

Glad to read some support for Q
Looking at his basketball resume I wonder what could possibly RIP & Tay teach him bball wise..

great work guys

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:42:49 +0000

Fennis, you don’t succeed as an NBA coach by being right. You succeed by making it work. About five players, if you wanted to take a hardline stance, wouldn’t play the rest of the season. All of them were in the rotation, and three were starters. You can’t just forsake them. Kuester did the savvy thing by paving a road for their return.
Since removing Rip from the rotation (no including the two games against the Bucks he played), the Pistons are 9-14. I’d hardly call that surging.

By: Fennis

Fennis — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:40:03 +0000

Dujuan Summers? Really?

By: Fennis

Fennis — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 01:38:11 +0000

@Dan

Dan — Vincent Goodwill read it the same way I did, but it’s obviously open to interpretation. However, I’m not sure why you would make a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT that yo planned to play the guys that are playing well in practice and have a good attitude. I mean, is that a newsworthy coaching philosophy or worthy of a public declaration. He is folding to Rip’s whining and just put a nail in his coffin in terms of future head coaching jobs and general respectability throughout the league.

If you remember, Rip was benched for his play and the Pistons surged immediately after his benching. To hit the reset button as though none of that matters makes Kuester look like a clown. I don’t like his coaching, but I thought benching Rip had proven to be his best (and most gutsy move to date), and it worked! My theory is that he hit “reset” for political rather than basketball purposes. To me, there is no other plausible way to read it. Like Goodwill, I think it makes him look like a fool. I hate to use such harsh language but this is downright silly.

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:54:40 +0000

Dell, Hamilton and Prince have more job security because they're paid more than the coach. That's basically true everywhere in the NBA. You don't think Kobe could get Phil Jackson fired or Tim Duncan could get Gregg Popovich fired?

I'm not sure where you get the idea the Pistons would especially want Billups back. The Pistons brought back Ben Wallace and Rick Mahorn with the idea of them being backups. Two guys in 15 years doesn't made a trend.

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:51:41 +0000

Exactly. If Rip wants to play, what’s he going to do? Work hard and have a good attitude? That’ll teach Kuester.

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:50:34 +0000

Emphasizing competition? Making players earn minutes? Giving a team full of players with checkered resumes a fresh start? Yeah, sounds awful.

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:48:13 +0000

Jay, not the first first comment I expected. Obviously, I mostly agree.

I think, with the Rip fiasco, Kuester learned a lesson about being an NBA head coach. Regardless of how obvious Rip's benching was, Kuester should have sat down with Rip and explained clearly and directly why Rip had lost his rotation spot and what Rip needed to do to earn it back. That would have taken away a lot of Rip's right to gripe and may have even kept Rip in line. It couldn't have hurt.

And I wouldn't go as far as calling the players terrible human beings. They made a mistake, and they're obviously not the type of players you want on your team. Their character obviously isn't flawless. But it doesn't extend past that.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:58:25 +0000

You think that’s for Rip?

That is exactly what I want him to do. He’s saying he’s not going to play someone because they’re a veteran or because they have a history with the team. He’s going to choose his players based on effort and results.

Kudos, I say.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:48:24 +0000

@Fennis: I read that completely the opposite way. To quote AI: “We’re talking about practice.” I hear a willingness to play guys that had been relegated to the bench, if they out-hustle everybody else in practice.
As to bush-league … well, I’d say this particular team has asked for it.