Most Valuable Player

Dan Feldman

1. LeBron James

2. Kevin Durant

3. Chris Paul

4. Marc Gasol

5. Russell Westbrook

Jameson Draper

1. LeBron James

2. Kevin Durant

3. Chris Paul

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Stephen Curry

Brady Fredericksen

1. LeBron James

2. Kevin Durant

3. Carmelo Anthony

4. Chris Paul

5. James Harden

J.M. Poulard

1. LeBron James

2. Kevin Durant

3. Chris Paul

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Carmelo Anthony

Defensive Player of the Year

Dan Feldman

1. Marc Gasol

2. Joakim Noah

3. LeBron James

Jameson Draper

1. Marc Gasol

2.  Roy Hibbert

3. LeBron James

Brady Fredericksen

1. Marc Gasol

2. Larry Sanders

3.  LeBron James

J.M. Poulard

1. Marc Gasol

2. Tim Duncan

3. Joakim Noah

Rookie of the Year

Dan Feldman

1. Anthony Davis

2. Damian Lillard

3. Andre Drummond

Jameson Draper

1. Damian Lillard

2. Andre Drummond

3. Anthony Davis

Brady Fredericksen

1. Damian Lillard

2. Andre Drummond

3. Anthony Davis

J.M. Poulard

1. Damian Lillard

2. Anthony Davis

3. Andre Drummond

Sixth Man of the Year

Dan Feldman

1. Kevin Martin

2. J.R. Smith

3. Jamal Crawford

Jameson Draper

1. Kevin Martin

2. Ryan Anderson

3. Jamal Crawford

Brady Fredericksen

1. J.R. Smith

2. Jamal Crawford

3. Ryan Anderson

J.M. Poulard

1. J.R. Smith

2. Kevin Martin

3. Jamal Crawford

Most Improved Player

Dan Feldman

1. Greivis Vasquez

2. Lance Stephenson

3. Nikola Vucevic

Jameson Draper

1. Nikola Vucevic

2.  Lance Stephenson

3. Greivis Vasquez

Brady Fredericksen

1. Larry Sanders

2. Jrue Holiday

3. Greivis Vasquez

J.M. Poulard

1. Nikola Vucevic

2. Greivis Vasquez

3. Paul George

Coach of the Year

Dan Feldman

1. Mark Jackson

2. Gregg Popovich

3. Tom Thibodeau

Jameson Draper

1. Mark Jackson

2.  Kevin McHale

3. Gregg Popovich

Brady Fredericksen

1. Gregg Popovich

2. Mark Jackson

3. George Karl

J.M. Poulard

1. Erik Spoelstra

2. Gregg Popovich

3. Mark Jackson

Executive of the Year

Dan Feldman

1. Darryl Morey

2. Masai Ujiri

3. Glen Grunwald

Jameson Draper

1. Darryl Morey

2.  Masai Ujiri

3. Pat Riley

Brady Fredericksen

1. Darryl Morey

2. Masai Ujiri

3. Rob Hennigan

J.M. Poulard

1. Darryl Morey

2. Pat Riley

3. Masai Ujiri

All-NBA

Dan Feldman

First team

• G: Russell Westbrook
• G: Chris Paul
• F: Kevin Durant
• F: LeBron James
• C: Marc Gasol

Second team

• G: James Harden
• G: Kobe Bryant
• F: Carmelo Anthony
• F: Blake Griffin
• C: Tyson Chandler

Third team

• G: Stephen Curry
• G: Dwayne Wade
• F: Paul George
• F: David West
• C: Tim Duncan

Jameson Draper

First team

• G: Russell Westbrook
• G: Chris Paul
• F: Kevin Durant
• F: LeBron James
• C: Marc Gasol

Second team

• G: James Harden
• G: Kobe Bryant
• F: Paul George
• F: Carmelo Anthony
• C: Tim Duncan

Third Team

• G: Tony Parker
• G: Dwayne Wade
• F: Paul Pierce
• F: Josh Smith
• C: Blake Griffin

Brady Fredericksen

First team

• G: Chris Paul
• G: Kobe Bryant
• F: Kevin Durant
• F: LeBron James
• C: Marc Gasol

Second team

• G: Russell Westbrook
• G: James Harden
• F: Carmelo Anthony
• F: Blake Griffin
• C: Tim Duncan

Third team

• G: Stephen Curry
• G: Tony Parker
• F: Paul George
• F: LaMarcus Aldridge
• C: Brook Lopez

J.M. Poulard

First team

• G: Chris Paul
• G: Kobe Bryant
• F: Kevin Durant
• F: LeBron James
• C: Tim Duncan

Second team

• G: Russell Westbrook
• G: Tony Parker
• F: Carmelo Anthony
• F: Blake Griffin
• C: Marc Gasol

Third team

• G: James Harden
• G: Dwayne Wade
• F: Josh Smith
• F: Chris Bosh
• C: Dwight Howard

All-Defensive

Dan Feldman

First team

• Marc Gasol
• LeBron James
• Joakim Noah
• Roy Hibbert
• Tim Duncan

Second team

• Kevin Garnett
• Tyson Chandler
• Tony Allen
• Avery Bradley
• Larry Sanders

Jameson Draper

First team

• Avery Bradley
• Tony Allen
• LeBron James
• Andre Iguodala
• Marc Gasol

Second team

• Serge Ibaka
• Thabo Sefolosha
• Roy Hibbert
• Tim Duncan
• Larry Sanders

Brady Fredericksen

First team

• Marc Gasol
• Andre Iguodala
• LeBron James
• Tony Allen
• Joakim Noah

Second team

• Avery Bradley
• Chris Paul
• Kawhi Leonard
• Tim Duncan
• Larry Sanders

All-Rookie

Dan Feldman

First team

• Damian Lillard
• Andre Drummond
• Bradley Beal
• Anthony Davis
• Jonas Valanciunas

Second team

• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• Harrison Barnes
• Moe Harkless
• Pablo Prigioni
• Kyle Singler

Jameson Draper

First team

• Damian Lillard
• Andre Drummond
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• Bradley Beal
• Anthony Davis

Second team

• Andrew Nicholson
• Harrison Barnes
• Evan Fournier
• Dion Waiters
• Moe Harkless

Brady Fredericksen

First team

• Damian Lillard
• Andre Drummond
• Bradley Beal
• Harrison Barnes
• Anthony Davis

Second team

• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• Andrew Nicholson
• Dion Waiters
• Jonas Valanciunas
• Kyle Singler

19.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds on 51.9% shooting from the field.

Well, this one sure is out of left field.

Last week, Brady said to watch out a lot of Piston of the Week awards to go to Jose Calderon and Greg Monroe. And then the following week, BAM! Rodney Stuckey goes off for 7, 15, 22 and a season-high 32 points. He didn’t have a bad game this week. Even though he scored only seven points Sunday, he played only 23 minutes in the Pistons’ blowout loss to the Clippers. No one played well in that game, really.

But Even in a week where a team goes 0-4, there are some bright spots.

Stuckey averaged 34 minutes this week due to Brandon Knight’s injury, and Stuckey has done a more than adequate job filling up that role. After playing only 23 minutes against the Clippers before Knight was injured, Stuckey played 35, 38 and 40 minutes in the next three, and he played really well.

Here’s his shot chart from the past week (via NBA.com/stats).

Stuckey didn’t shoot great on 3-pointers, but he was great on short-range shots. 

The Pistons even scored 16.2 more points per 100 possessions when Stuckey was on the court than when he was off.

Stuckey has been a work in progress over the year, switching from point guard to shooting guard and starter to reserve. This week, he’s shown that he can be a very effective shooting guard off the bench, providing good relief once Knight returns.

Past Winners

• 3/4/2013 – 3/10/2013: Jose Calderon
• 2/24/2013 – 3/3/2013: Greg Monroe
• 2/17/2013 – 2/23/2013: Jose Calderon
• 2/10/2013 – 2/16/2013: Jose Calderon
• 2/3/2013 – 2/9/2013: Greg Monroe
• 1/27/2013 – 2/2/2013: Brandon Knight
• 1/20/2013 – 1/26/2013: Greg Monroe
• 1/13/2013 – 1/19/2013: Andre Drummond
• 1/6/2013 – 1/12/2013: Greg Monroe
• 12/30/2012 – 1/5/2013: Austin Daye
• 12/23/2012 – 12/29/2012: Will Bynum
• 12/17/2012 – 12/22/2012: Greg Monroe
• 12/10/2012 – 12/15/2012: Rodney Stuckey
• 12/3/2012 – 12/8/2012:   Rodney Stuckey
• 11/26/2012 – 12/1/2012: Brandon Knight
• 11/21/2012 – 11/25/2012: Greg Monroe
• 11/12/2012 – 11/18/2012: Kyle Singler
• 11/6/2012 – 11/10/2012: Greg Monroe
• 10/31/2012 – 11/4/2012: Greg Monroe

Modeled after ESPN’s 5-on-5, three of us will answer three questions about a Pistons-related topic. Please add your responses in the comments.

1. Should the Pistons tank the rest of this season?

Dan Feldman: I’m not sure they have much choice. I think we can agree the Pistons weren’t tanking through the end of January, and they won just 17 of 46 games at that point. How much worse can it get? Well, a little, so here’s where I draw the line. I’m against telling players, directly or indirectly, not to give full effort. I’m for playing it safe on injuries and giving younger players the benefit of the doubt when it comes to earning playing time.

Patrick Hayes: Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t think they have the option of choosing. With the injuries piling up down the stretch, the Pistons are precisely what a bad team should be to close out a season. They are playing hard (for the most part), but don’t have nearly enough talent healthy right now to compete with most teams in the league. If Khris Middleton continues to get big minutes and Kim English and Viacheslav Kravtsov get some playing time to see if the Pistons have anything at all with those three players, the end of the season will be a success. They’ll lose, they’ll get a look at some young prospects and they’ll have more lottery combinations. Win-win-win.

Jameson Draper: Yes. It’s not like they really can’t tank right now, either, due to the losses of Andre Drummond and Brandon Knight. When not making the playoff push, there’s no reason to try to win games. Give young players playing time (they’ve been doing a nice job with that lately – Khris Middleton played 25 minutes on Monday night), and see how they will help the team next season. It’s really the only reasonable thing to do.

2. Should the Pistons play Andre Drummond again this year?

Dan Feldman: If he’s fully, 100 percent, no-doubt-about-it healthy. Otherwise, no. It would be great for Drummond to get more experience, ensure his All-Rookie team bid and give the Pistons a chance to evaluate him playing with Greg Monroe. But Drummond can’t elevate his status within the Pistons’ rebuilding effort. He can only hurt it with further injury. The Pistons already know Drummond is fundamental going forwrard, and they can operate with that in mind without seeing him play another minute this season.

Patrick Hayes: No. For what? When healthy, the biggest, most noticeable flaw in Drummond’s game was simply conditioning. As much as the Pistons needed him to assume a larger role, and as much as his production suggested he deserved one, there were plenty of instances showing that Drummond was just not physically ready to handle big minutes on a game-to-game basis. So start his offseason early, get him on an intense training regimen and have him prepare to be a starter next season.

Jameson Draper: Please no. The Pistons aren’t making the playoffs. Why bring back the most promising player too early? I mean, if he’s completely healed, then give him limited playing time (because in-game action is the best rehab assignment), but if not, they shouldn’t play him. It’s not like it would sell any more tickets at this point.

3. How should the Pistons handle Brandon Knight down the stretch?

Dan Feldman: Knight is a bit different than Drummond, because the Pistons don’t know exactly what they have in Knight. If Knight can become a competent scoring starting scoring guard, there’s no need to spend a lot of money to get one in free agency. If Knight can’t fill that role, the Pistons should pounce on someone like O.J. Mayo. So, seeing more of Knight could change a $40 million (give or take decision). Still, Knight has played more than anyone in his draft class save Chandler Parsons. Maybe it’s time to let Knight rest a bit. Like Drummond, Knight shouldn’t rush back, but the level of caution – especially given a guard’s durability relative to a center – needn’t be quite as high.

Patrick Hayes: The side of me that wants to see the Pistons finally land a top three pick in the draft would emphatically favor shutting Knight down the rest of the way, and if his injury is serious enough that his return could cause any lingering damage at all, I would definitely advocate that approach. But if Knight gets healthy enough to play again, he’s in a bit of a different situation than Drummond. While he’s still certainly in the Pistons’ long-term plans, the actual position he’s best-suited to play is still up in the air. He had some good moments playing shooting guard prior to his injury, and it would be nice to see him get the opportunity to build on those before the season ends. Any opportunity the Pistons have to give Knight big minutes at shooting guard again this season should be taken advantage of so that the team can better evaluate its needs heading into the draft and free agency.

Jameson Draper: I’m not as adamant about not playing Knight as I am Drummond, but if he’s not healthy, why play him? This is pretty much the same response as the last question for me. Even if he’s not as good as Drummond, Knight is still one of the Pistons’ best players. Why risk him being re-injured? The team shouldn’t be trying to win games anyway, so Knight shouldn’t get too much playing time. I say shut him down, but it’s not too big of a deal if he returns this season.

It’s not Jose Calderon, Will Bynum, Jonas Jerebko, Kim English, Kyle Singler, Rodney Stuckey, Corey Maggette or Brandon Knight – all of whom are making at least a third of their shots from that range.

It’s Jason Maxiell.

Jason Maxiell!

Of all Maxiell’s shots, 60.2 percent are mid-range jumpers, according to nba wowy!. That’s more than any Piston besides Khris Middleton, who’s played just 94 minutes this year. No other Pistons big man takes mid-rangers on even 30 percent of his shots.

The problem, of course, isn’t just that Maxiell shoots too many mid-range jumpers. The problem is he doesn’t make them.

Maxiell shoots just 32.8 percent on mid-range jumpers.

Worse, Maxiell takes those jumpers in lieu of inside shots. Maxiell (60.8 percent) actually shoots slightly better inside three feet than Greg Monroe (60.4 percent), but Monroe takes 59.3 percent of his shots at the rim compared to 31.9 percent for Maxiell. In fact, Bynum, Stuckey, Singler and Knight all take a higher percentage of their shots at the rim than Maxiell.

Maxiell’s problem is simple. He takes a lot of of jumpers and doesn’t make many of them.

For the first time in his career, Monroe will have a point guard capable of getting him the ball in his ideals spots. Turnovers have plagued him this year, but that’s partially due to him creating all his own offense. Less ball handling and more shots created by a guy like Jose Calderon is going to be huge.

-Brady Fredericksen

Loser: Rodney Stuckey

I suppose he isn’t really a loser, but his current predicament sure doesn’t get any better. He’s still not the dominant ball handler off the bench, and he still stuck standing in the corner chucking up 3-pointers. Frankly, he could be the next piece to go if Joe Dumars decides to make deals now rather than bank on landing free agents.

-Brady Fredericksen

Loser: Will Bynum

Bynum was becoming an integral part of the Pistons’ rotation. With Calderon on the scene now, he and Brandon Knight will likely occupy almost all of the playing time at point guard.

-Jameson Draper

Winner: Brandon Knight

Surprised? Think about it this way: For the first time in his career, Knight will see how to really play the point guard position. There’s a chance that won’t help,  but the there’s also a chance he thrives at shooting guard. He’s got plenty of options and a lot less pressure.

-Brady Fredericksen

Winner: Jonas Jerebko

Jerebko, who has not played much since early in the season, will likely re-join the rotation after the departures of small forward Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. There just isn’t enough depth at small forward to keep Jerebko on the bench.

-Jameson Draper

Winner: Kyle Singler

Singler is in a similar position to Jerebko. Singler, who has started at shooting guard, basically has no competition to start at small forward, his natural position.

-Jameson Draper

1. What is the hardest part of the Pistons’ remaining schedule?

Dan Feldman: Feb. 22 – March 22: at Pacers, vs. Pacers, vs. Hawks, at Wizards, at Hornets, at Spurs, vs. Knicks, vs. Mavericks, at Clippers, at Jazz, at Warriors, at Trail Blazers, vs. Nets and at Heat. That 14-game stretch, getting past the nine road contests for a moment, includes 10 games against teams with winning records. And it’s not like those other four will be easy. The Wizards have been playing much better since John Wall returned. The Mavericks already beat the Pistons by 15 without Dirk Nowitzki, and by March 8, he should be hitting his stride. The Trail Blazers are only one game under .500 in the tough Western Conference. And the Hornets… well, 14 of 15 games being very tough is still a lot.

Patrick Hayes: The rest of January is not particularly easy – Milwaukee and road games against Miami, Indiana and Orlando – and they have a tough road trip in late March/early April with games at Chicago, Toronto, Boston and Minnesota, but I think the toughest part of the remaining schedule will be a four-game stretch in February against the Lakers, Spurs, Knicks and Nets. Let’s face it, by April, the Pistons could be eliminated from contention. So doing well in those tough stretches in January and February are much more important if the team is still holding onto some faint playoff aspirations (or some would say delusions).

Jameson Draper: Between March 3rd and March 22nd, the Pistons play: at San Antonio, home against the Knicks, home against Dallas, at the Clippers, at Utah, at Golden State, at Portland, home against Brooklyn and at Miami. All those teams are playoff-caliber teams, with the exception of maybe Dallas. Add the fact that most of these games are on the road, and this part of the schedule is very daunting. Overall, the second half of the season seems harder everywhere. The Pistons don’t have one stretch with a lot of easy games for the remainder of the year.

2. What will the Pistons’ final record be?

Dan Feldman: 36-46. That would have the Pistons going 20-20 the rest of the season, which given their recent 9-4 stretch, seems fairly reasonable. To Lawrence Frank’s Andre Drummond’s credit, Detroit has really improved during the season. Most encouraging: several players look better than they did in the fall.

Patrick Hayes: I picked them to be in the 34-36 win range before the season started. To get to 34 wins, they’d need to go 18-22 the rest of the way. I think that’s a reasonable expectation. Since their disastrous 0-8 start, the Pistons have gone 15-17. A 34-48 season is certainly not good, but it could’ve been much worse considering how bad this team looked to start the season. It also could’ve been much better had Lawrence Frank decided their best player was worthy of playing more than 19 minutes per game.

Jameson Draper: 34-48. It’s going to be difficult, but I’d say the Pistons will go 18-22 the rest of the season. Though not an elite road team, the Pistons can win in places like Cleveland. They can also lose home games against weak teams, because when not everything’s going to go according to plan, the Pistons often can’t adjust.

3. What must change for the Pistons to make the playoffs?

Dan Feldman: Andre Drummond playing more. That’s it. That’s everything. It’s very possible Drummond isn’t ready to play major minutes and continue on the level he has, but that’s the only chance the Pistons have. Drummond has been a game-changer on both ends of the floor, producing very efficiently and making his teammates better in the process. If the Pistons want to make the playoffs – and I’m not sure they should want that – taking a chance on giving Drummond starter-level minutes is their only chance.

Patrick Hayes: Andre Drummond needs minutes, and he needs them like yesterday. He needs to start. He needs to play 25-30 minutes per game. Putting him in the starting lineup would help Greg Monroe by providing a nice target for Monroe’s high-post passes and a defensive presence so that Monroe isn’t always guarding centers. It would help Brandon Knight by providing a rim-protector so Knight can take more chances defending the ball and hopefully come up with more steals. Drummond would also be a nice target for Knight on lobs or fast breaks and his offensive rebounding would help create additional open looks for Knight. The Pistons’ future depends on the development of Drummond, Knight and Monroe. Not playing Drummond heavy minutes with those guys is slowing down the progress of all three.

Jameson Draper: Well, Andre Drummond needs to play more. He’s averaging 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. Also, his PER is 22.99. I just don’t understand what Jason Maxiell offers that Drummond doesn’t. If Greg Monroe and Drummond played a lot together, the Pistons would be a force to be reckoned with. It would also help if Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva regain the form they showed during Detroit’s recent hot streak. Both have slumped since.

What has been the most important way the bench has helped the Pistons lately?

Patrick Hayes: For the first time in … well … maybe four or five years, the current bench has given the Pistons a unit of players whose skills actually work well with each other. A tenet of this era of Pistons basketball post-Billups trade has been that the Pistons have had unique talent at some positions, but when you combine it all together, those unique talents have clashed with rather than complemented each other. Austin Daye, Charlie Villanueva, Will Bynum and Andre Drummond all have weaknesses, but all of them also do certain things really well and those skills mask the weaknesses of the others, resulting in a lineup that has had good chemistry and production.

Jameson Draper: Playing different roles. Now, people may look at this bench and wonder why the Pistons don’t start all of those guys, but that’s just because they aren’t starters. They can all play different roles that’ll help the team. For example, Rodney Stuckey was not playing well last season and early this season as a starter, but once he started coming off the bench his play has improved immensely. Also, it’s the fact that the players that weren’t providing anything to the team are now playing really well. Daye, Villanueva and Bynum have all started playing incredible basketball.

Dan Feldman: It has played so well, it’s going to get Andre Drummond into the starting lineup sooner than later. Lawrence Frank often begins the fourth quarter with the bench unit, and when its playing well, he tends to stick with it. In his last six games, beginning with the start of the fourth quarter until he’s subbed out, Drummond has played 22:00, 12:00, 8:42, 7:06, 7:29 and 9:36. That’s too long. It’s too long for Drummond to play straight, and it’s too long for the starters to sit. A simple remedy would be moving Drummond into the starting lineup and balancing the units. 

Who will be the Pistons’ Sixth Man of the Year this season, using the NBA rule that the award winner must come off the bench more than he starts?

Patrick Hayes: It’s Drummond. It’s unfortunate that it appears he’ll stay in this bench role his entire rookie season — he’s legitimately one of the two or three most productive players on the team. Although the team has been committed to playing him regular minutes, it doesn’t look like he’ll crack the starting lineup this season unless Jason Maxiell is traded. If Drummond is a reserve all season, he’s the easy choice as the team’s sixth man of the year.

Jameson Draper: It’s close, but at this rate I’d say Will Bynum. I would say Andre Drummond easily, but I think he’s going to eventually start a lot this season. The next best candidate is Bynum. Although Bynum doesn’t get as many minutes, if you look at his stats per 36 minutes, he’s averaging seven assists (most on the team) and 16.6 points. He also has the highest assist percentage (35.1) on the team. His stats are among the best, and he’s coming off the bench. If Drummond becomes a starter, Bynum’s the clear choice.

Dan Feldman: As explained above, I don’t think Andre Drummond will remain a reserve much longer. And as much as I’d like to pick Will Bynum, he runs too hot-and-cold, and at his age, he could lose a step with any slight injury. I think Rodney Stuckey will eventually move back into the starting lineup, though he already has a 23-8 advantage in games off the bench. If he’s eligible, he’s my pick, but I don’t think he will be. So, I guess I’ll say Charlie Villanueva, because I’m encouraged by the ways he’s contributed besides scoring. This is a really tough one to answer, because the beauty of the bench has been that everyone has played so well together.

Will the bench’s quality play continue throughout the year?

Patrick Hayes: As inconsistent as Bynum, Daye and Villanueva have been throughout their Pistons careers, I lean towards yes. Drummond has been remarkably consistent, and he’s the key to the bench. He makes up for the defensive shortcomings of the other three. Bynum works best with a finisher like Drummond who can bail him out when he penetrates too deep. Daye and Villanueva need a large volume of open shots, and Drummond’s offensive rebounding ability along with Bynum’s ability to make a defense account for his ability to get inside, successfully create those shots. Bynum will still have his signature erratic games, Daye and Villanueva will have occasional games when their shots aren’t falling and Drummond will still be prone to youthful mistakes as he learns the finer points of NBA defense and post play, but as long as they continue to get minutes together, they’ll continue to be productive as a unit.

Jameson Draper: It’s hard to say at this point, but the bench has stayed consistent for the past two weeks, so signs are pointing to yes. If Drummond stays on the bench, which I don’t think he will, it’ll help a ton. But with Charlie Villanueva playing well, Austin Daye getting his stroke back, Will Bynum playing out of his mind and Stuckey becoming one of the higher-scoring bench players on the team, the Pistons’ bench can sustain success throughout the course of this year.

Dan Feldman: Not to the degree it has. As Patrick wrote, Drummond keys everything. If – and, hopefully when – Drummond moves into the starting lineup, the rest of the bench must do some serious adjusting. That will take time, and I doubt the remaining bench players will ever become as productive without him. But Jason Maxiell could still set screen for Will Bynum, and Kyle Singler could space the floor if he loses his starting job to Rodney Stuckey. Defensively, it’s really tough to see any real success without Drummond.