Comments on: With Rodney Stuckey injured, Brandon Knight fills bigger role, but can’t match Kyrie Irving; Pistons top Cavs, anyway

By: tarsier

tarsier — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:35:31 +0000

I like the idea of the team being good. But winning a close game doesn’t really show that a team is much better than losing a close one. It is within the margins of how a few balls bounced. Now, if Detroit blew out the Cavs by 20-30 points, I would not be disappointed at all.

By: apa8ren9

apa8ren9 — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:26:25 +0000

Im going to go out on a limb a bit but the type of player I see Knight developing into is a better version of Doc Rivers. Now Im hoping he becomes much better than that but right now I see someone who at this point cant totally take anyone off the dribble but can run the offense competently and can sneak past you and make you pay as well as make the basic simple passes. He hasnt shown any flashiness in his game yet. At this point its all fundamental bounce passes and pretty much keeping within the structure of what Frank has set for him. However you can see that he plays very hard and is improving daily on the basics of running the team and recognizing clock and getting the ball in the right places.

By: sebastian

sebastian — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:10:58 +0000

tarsier, I have believed throughout this season that WE will draft somewhere from 6th – 8th, so Joe just may as well do the necessary research that will be required to select the best player on the board that will fit OUR needs.
I, unlike many of the poster here, think that WE should draft Perry Jones III. Jones III will be an excellent starting SF. On the Pistons roster, he would be an offensive force, able to score from multiple positions on the floor. He is also a willing and skilled passer and his handle is superb for a player his size. Also, at 6’11″ he will be able to defend the SF position.
Perry Jones III will not be the second-coming of Austin Daye.

By: jb

jb — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:16:53 +0000

Is it me or has Monroe looked pretty bad on offense lately? It seems like he’s losing the ball way too often and missing shots he was making earlier in the season.

By: domnick

domnick — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:30:46 +0000

about greg monroe’s number going down… i believe detroit is going to make him score alot depending on Matchups…. and he benefits better whenever he bullies a bad defender than forcing himself against a good defender…

By: Steve K

Steve K — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:27:26 +0000

Great point. Maxiell was incredible. That block on Tristan Thompson was a thing of beauty.

By: Steve K

Steve K — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:24:17 +0000

Based on the eyeball test, I’d have to agree with Dan. Irving’s points seemed significantly easier. Knight had to scrape and claw and didn’t run the offense like Irving.

With that said, the bottom line in this game is winning, and Knight’s team won. He deserves credit for that. But when comparing the players mano a mano? Irving is the more polished, NBA-ready player. He sees the game like a veteran and shoots a much higher %.

I do like seeing these head-to-head matchups. They seem to bring out the best in both players.

By: Steve K

Steve K — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:17:50 +0000

By: vic

vic — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:07:25 +0000

yes, i agree its a little disappointing at first glance…but when you think about it: all it means is that we’re better than most of the teams that got higher picks than us the past couple of years. plus our top 2 guards didnt play so its not like we didnt have the same effect as “tanking”…. that speaks well to our drafting and coaching. and this draft is pretty deep so we can get good picks again if we draft smart. and if thhat doesnt make you feel better, hopefully our schedule will get harder the last few games

By: Mikko

Mikko — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:42:23 +0000

I cant believe there`s no mention of Maxiells play. He got his 12 points on 66% shooting, atleast 3 of those midrange jumpers. Plus he had 4 offensive rebounds, 3 blocks, atleast 2 charges drawn and two huge putback dunks. If you look at his effort in this game forget that he propably wont match that at nighly basis, I think that looks a bit like someone we would like to have paired with Greg Monroe in the future.