Posts Tagged → Lawrence Frank
Pistons can’t keep Alonzo Gee off the offensive glass in loss to Cleveland
With :45 seconds to go in a tie game, the Pistons forced a missed layup by Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving. The 6-foot-6 Alonzo Gee snuck in and grabbed an offensive rebound.
With :25 seconds to go in a tie game, Gee missed a short jumper, grabbed the offensive rebound and dunked it to put Cleveland up two.
Of course, by that point in the game, Cleveland had all but assured they were going to win after erasing a 17-point Pistons second half lead, capping things with a 35-23 fourth quarter. The problems for the Pistons were simple ones. Their defense was at its best when Ben Wallace, Damien Wilkins and Jason Maxiell were on the floor. That group helped put the clamps on Cleveland in the second quarter, allowing the Pistons to take control. Unfortunately, that lineup couldn’t score. Their offense was at its best with Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe on the floor. Unfortunately, they weren’t stopping anyone, particularly Kyrie Irving (8-for-15, 25 points, 5 rebounds 8 assists, 2 steals) and Antawn Jamison (11-for-22, 32 points, 10 rebounds).
In hindsight, it was a mistake for Lawrence Frank to go back to that defensively active unit of Wallace, Wilkins, Maxiell, Will Bynum and Ben Gordon that helped spark the team a bit in the second. I understand why he did it — his main scoring threats in the starting lineup were horrid defensively and Tayshaun Prince was just plain horrid at everything he did. It was still a mistake though. Cleveland got hot and the Pistons didn’t have an offensive weapon to speak of in the game since Gordon was having an off night.
For three quarters, the Pistons continued to look like a hungry, improving young team that would be formidable soon. But much like their last loss to a bad team, the Washington Wizards, the Pistons built a lead only to watch the opposing team pretty easily pick apart their defense while their offense went cold. Oh, and did I mention how terrible Prince was? Because he was really really terrible and still kept shooting kind of a lot. The Pistons continue to play not terrible basketball, but this game was a perfect example of why that * ahem * playoff talk was premature. The Pistons weren’t as bad as they were early in the season and they’re not as good as they looked over the last 10 or so games. That all adds up to a team that is still bad. They’re improving, there has been none of the dissension that marred the last two seasons, the young guys are playing a lot and a couple of their pricey veterans — Maxiell and Gordon — have had good enough moments to show that they can still occasionally be competent rotation pieces. Everyone should be pretty satisfied with those results for now.
A tale of off-shooting nights
Three Pistons shot the ball pretty poorly: Gordon (although, in fairness, he did hit a couple of jumpers late helping keep the Pistons in it), Prince and Jonas Jerebko.
There was a big difference between what the three players contributed, though. Jerebko shot 4-for-12, but still made offensive contributions namely through is five offensive rebounds. He also had an assist and a steal and didn’t turn it over. In short, he found a way to make himself useful even though his shots weren’t going in.
Compare that with Prince and Gordon. Prince had four assists and, as always, took care of the ball. But he didn’t play particularly good defense — Prince couldn’t deal with Gee’s activity and, like the rest of the team, struggled the few times he was matched up with Jamison when the Pistons went small and Prince played some four late. Prince’s biggest issue was his over-involvement in the offense. Jerebko shot poorly, but wasn’t out there looking for his own shot. He missed a few from close range (including two that were blocked) and most of his misses were open looks that he should always take. Prince often looked for his own shot even on a night when it wasn’t falling, and making matters worse, the Pistons had three players on the court with him most of the time in Monroe, Knight and Stuckey who were shooting really well. I’ve harped on this all season, but here goes again: Prince was brought into to be a steadying, veteran influence on a young team. Fine, whatever, I’m OK with the concept even if they paid too much for that kind of luxury. But part of being a smart, steadying hand on a young team is understanding when you should defer. Prince is, at best, a third option on this team and, when the team plays its three guard lineup with Gordon, he really should be the fourth option. He’s still behaving as a one or two option, and that’s a problem.
As for Gordon, I don’t have a problem with him shooting, even when he struggles. He’s paid to score. The issue is simply that when he’s off, he does absolutely nothing else of value. No assists. No free throws. Sloppiness with the ball (including two turnovers). Stuckey’s play over the last couple weeks has certainly helped make the point moot, but Gordon is clearly entrenched as a reserve at this point. He came to the Pistons because he always wanted an opportunity to start. I think after two plus seasons, there is ample evidence proving he’s in the only role he’s suited for now.
Forgot about Greg?
With everyone’s hearts pitter-pattering over Stuckey’s resurgence over the last week has taken some of the focus off of the man who was basically the only positive on a game to game basis for a good chunk of the season. Monroe showed once again that he’s still the Pistons steadiest and best offensive player. He threatened a triple-double again — 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists — and once again was probably robbed by a few teammates who had a tough time knocking down open shots. The offense was at its best running through Monroe and although he was part of a frontcourt that was dismantled by Jamison, he came up with three steals, his highest output since Feb. 1.
The Pistons don’t have a point guard
After the Kings game Saturday, noted troll/screen name abuser robertbayer/Bob Bayer/Kagiso Edwards/at least one more different name that I’m forgetting tried to take me to task for not mentioning the role Stuckey playing shooting guard has had in his improvement.
I don’t mention it because it’s nonsense. Tonight’s game was a perfect example. Stuckey is not a full-time shooting guard because Knight is not anything resembling a point guard yet. Against the Cavs, Knight shot the ball really well, obviously hyped to play against his rival Kyrie Irving, which dates back to high school when Irving and Knight were the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects in the country respectively. But if you notice, Knight didn’t really do many point guard-like things. He had three assists and two turnovers, but the offense was initiated by Stuckey as much as it was Knight, and a lot of it was run through Monroe in the high post.
Stuckey obviously has more freedom under Frank to push the ball (Frank has called him a “one man fast break,” taking advantage of Stuckey’s speed in the open court, something two previous coaches have been hesitant/terrified to unleash). He’s obviously the team’s biggest guard, so matchup-wise, he’s often guarding the opposing shooting guard. But make no mistake, the Pistons aren’t running any kind of traditional offense that features one point guard. Point guard responsibilities are shared pretty equally between Stuckey, Knight, Monroe and Prince, all of whom have significant roles in running the offense.
As Knight develops more, that may change. But right now, it’s inaccurate to call Stuckey primarily a shooting guard.
Lawrence Frank would like everyone to shutup about lottery balls
“Our job is to give 100 percent, best effort, otherwise we’re stealing money,” Frank said in an interview with 97.1 The Ticket. “As I understand, from a theoretical standpoint, it’s a great draft coming up, so let’s get a lot of ping balls. But as a player or coach, if we think that way, they should fire us. You can’t do it. One, we make a lot of money to go out and do our jobs. Also, for the people that support our team, that would be one heck of an indictment to know that your team wasn’t giving its best effort because they were playing for next year.”
The Pistons need young assets, there’s no denying that. It’s also fun to fantasize about Anthony Davis playing next to Greg Monroe. But Frank is right — not playing competitively, not trying to win every game does far more damage to the overall culture of an organization than any advantage improving your draft lottery odds a percentage point or two will bring.
Rodney Stuckey continues stellar play in win over Celtics
I’m a dope, a fool, a sucker. Pick your word, and that’s me.
After the Pistons’ 96-81 win over the Celtics tonight, Detroit’s seventh win in its last nine games, not only am I starting to believe Rodney Stuckey has turned a corner, I actually checked the Eastern Conference standings to see how far the Pistons are from the playoffs. That gave me a much-needed reality check. With an 11-22 record, they’re 5.5 games and three teams out – too far back as the All-Star break nears to be considered a threat for the postseason.
But Stuckey? I’m nearly ready to jump on the bandwagon. As Patrick noted yesterday, Stuckey has had strong stretches before, but this run seems a little longer and a little better. For him to truly prove himself, he must play well the rest of the season. At least now, there are signs he will.
Stuckey is playing hard on both sides of the ball, which has been an issue for him. He’s getting to the free-throw line on offense, and he’s sticking with his man on defense.
At shooting guard, Stuckey no longer has a physical advantage over his opponents like he did at point guard. For him to compete, he must keep playing with energy. That’s far from a given to occur, but these flashes are inspiring.
Add his smart passing, improved outside shooting and savvy jumping of the passing lanes, and Stuckey looks like a complete player. For now, passing the eye test is fine and dandy.
The real test is still over the long haul, and it will be until he passes that one, too.
Most Valuable Player
Rodney Stuckey, who set the tone for the Pistons’ aggressive offense (12-of-15 on free throws) and defense (four steals while guarding Ray Allen and Paul Pierce).
Defining Moment
Rajon Rondo throwing the ball at a referee and getting ejected in the third quarter. It didn’t define the game, which the Pistons led comfortably at the time, but it will definitely define Rondo’s bank account balance.
X-Factor
Will Bynum. Bynum, who’s not part of Lawrence Frank’s regular rotation, played strong on-ball defense – an unusual event for him – and score seven points in his 13 minutes off the bench.
Leaving the benchwarmers on the bench
The Pistons led by at least 11 during the game’s final 16 minutes and as many as 20 in the fourth quarter. But Walker Russell and Vernon Macklin didn’t enter the game until 43 seconds remained. And Austin Daye didn’t play at all.
I was a little disappointed Lawrence Frank didn’t play the benchwarmers more, especially Macklin, who continued to play well in his extremely limited minutes. Tonight, he grabbed an offensive rebound and made a hook shot with three seconds left.
It’s also telling that Daye didn’t play, his third straight DNP-CD.
Is this the hot streak where Rodney Stuckey might be starting to figure out the consistency thing?
Rodney Stuckey has had really strong three, four, five game stretches in the past. So for that reason, I’m trying not to get overly excited about the way he’s played the last three games, including a 36-point (on 12-for-20 shooting) performance in Friday’s 114-108 win over the Kings.
Stuckey played well. He’s looked elite, like a scorer capable of carrying a team, like a man capable of holding down that starting shooting guard spot for a long time. But, even if it gets me killed for saying it by the Stuckey fans in the comments, it doesn’t mean anything yet. Don’t get me wrong — Stuckey playing well is far more preferred to Stuckey playing poorly. But he’s played well before. He’s played really really well before at times, enough to entice a winning organization to commit to his potential rather than production at a young age, to clear minutes for his ascension and to invest heavily in a belief that he’d turn into a special, special player. Playing well for a few games in a row is simply not the test for Stuckey anymore. The question, simply, is can he be an efficient, consistent, go-to player over the course of an entire season? Can the Pistons rely on him?
Certainly, he has the ability for the answer to that question to be ‘yes.’ He doesn’t have the track record yet to back that up though. Against the Kings, he was amazing. He only had one turnover, and none late in the game, when he’s had issues with decision-making in the past. He was a wrecking ball in the lane and, not only did he get to the line, he finished high percentage shots, something he has struggled with in the past. Now, he didn’t defend particularly well, but that’s forgivable considering his offensive performance.
The Pistons continue to be heavily invested in Stuckey. Their dire need for young players with upside to materialize into actual good players isn’t going anywhere. Stuckey, no doubt, can be one of those guys. It’s just going to take more than a three game stretch to prove to me that he is.
Oh, and the other half of that potential-laden backcourt?
Brandon Knight was awesome. He had arguably his best game as a pro with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and — most importantly — 0 turnovers. There have been several performances this season where you could come away thinking that Knight looked like he had a solid future in the NBA, but this was one of few where it was easy to come away seeing him as a difference-making point guard. He ran the offense well, he didn’t take many bad shots, he knocked down open shots — particularly a couple of big ones in a fourth quarter rally that saw the Pistons take the lead — and he and Stuckey look to both be growing comfortable playing next to each other in their respective roles.
Don’t get me wrong here … Knight and Stuckey were helped by an absolutely lousy defensive effort by Sacramento. Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton had zero interest in defense. Isaiah Thomas, bless him, tried as hard as his 5-foot-7 body would let him, but there wasn’t much he could do, particularly when the Kings inexplicably had him guarding Stuckey. Stuckey and Knight both played really well, so be excited about that while also realizing that the Kings have been allowing opponents to shoot lights out all season, so it’s not entirely surprising that Detroit’s starting backcourt had its way with them.
Greg Monroe gets shredded defensively
I was a bit disappointed earlier today when it looked like DeMarcus Cousins might sit out with back spasms, as I was really looking forward to seeing how Greg Monroe played against him. Oops.
Monroe provided little resistance to Cousins, who both bullied Monroe for inside position and even took him off the dribble a few times, catching Monroe a step slow more than once. Cousins is having a great season since his early season trade demand that wasn’t a trade demand, and he also is in great shape — seriously, that dude has added a lot of muscle since college. He’s an elite talent and a load for any big man to handle, but he also exposed Monroe’s glaring deficiencies on defense. Monroe struggles defensively against strong, smart big men (like Tim Duncan) and against super athletic big men (like JaVale McGee). Tonight, Cousins gave him a little bit of each style. To his credit, Monroe still collected eight rebounds, but Cousins got just about any shot he wanted most* of the night and Monroe struggled offensively, shooting just 1-for-7.
* Ben Wallace
I said ‘most’ of the night above because, as he occasionally does, Ben Wallace gave the Pistons a few minutes of vintage defense. Tonight, it was just enough to get them a win.
Wallace played 20 minutes and grabbed 7 rebounds, but in the fourth quarter, Wallace forced Cousins into tough shots for the first time all night. Cousins hit two jumpers in the fourth, but they were shots the Pistons could live with giving up and they were further out than where he was setting up most of the night. His only shot inside in the fourth was contested by Wallace and missed.
Time is running out to watch one of my favorite players of all-time in Wallace. I simply continue to hope that Monroe is paying extremely close attention to how Wallace works on defense and the pride he still plays with at this point in his career. As a fan, it’s a treat to watch. For a young player like Monroe, I hope he’s using it as the rare opportunity it is to learn up close from one of the smartest, most gifted defensive players in NBA history.
Brandon Knight makes baby steps toward freeing Rodney Stuckey to grow
Rodney Stuckey has served as Brandon Knight’s safety net this season.
When Knight turns the ball over too much, Lawrence Frank moves Stuckey to point guard and Knight off the ball. When Knight leaves leaves his man open too often, Frank gives Stuckey the tougher guard to defend.
Much of Stuckey’s value to this team derives from his ability not to make mistakes. Of course, not turning the ball over and not allowing his man to get wide open looks have real value. But at a certain point, Stuckey must show he can create plays on offense and force stops on defense.
Put another way, Knight has slowed Stuckey’s progress. Because Knight is a bad starting point guard right now, Stuckey often takes on some of Knight’s responsibilities. It’s a heavy burden on Stuckey, who’s still growing into his game at shooting guard, which appears to be his long-term position in Detroit.
For most of the game tonight, Rajon Rondo carved up Knight. In the game’s first six minutes, Rondo scored seven points, assisted two other baskets, stole the ball from Knight and drew two Knight fouls. The second foul sent Knight to the bench, and Frank tried Ben Gordon and Will Bynum on Rondo.
Obviously it didn’t work. Rondo – who had a career-high 35 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals – is too quick for the slow-footed Gordon and Bynum. Knight guarded Rondo to start the second half, and while he stopped fouling, he went too far the other way and allowed Rondo to make a few short open jumpers.
A lot has been written about Knight needing to improve offensively, but his defense is just as much a work in progress. Knight has the height and length to become a good defender. He also moves his feet well, although he does so with little purpose right now. And until he adds strength, he’ll get pushed around inside.
Rondo, one of the league’s savviest players, took advantage of the giant gap between Knight’s defensive potential and Knight’s defensive ability.
While all this was going on, Stuckey was having quite the game. He did a good job of getting to the rim, drawing contact and making free throws. He also forced too many jumpers, but he passed well and took care of the ball. Stuckey finished with 25 points, four assists and one turnover in 37 minutes. He also played quality defense on Ray Allen, who finished 1-of-5.
Finally, Frank moved Stuckey onto Rondo late in the third quarter. All of a sudden, Rondo’s offense slowed. But so did Stuckey’s.
Stuckey has a tough job this season, but it’s fair to question why he hasn’t ever played at a high level on both offense and defense for a sustained stretch. I’m not sure whether he’s missing the physical or mental stamina to do it, but becoming a consistent two-way player is the next step in his growth.
Maybe Stuckey will figure it out. Maybe he won’t. Either way, once Knight learns how to play at the NBA level, Stuckey will have a better chance of developing himself.
Knight took a step in that direction tonight.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Knight found himself guarding Rondo on the ball again. Knight inched closer than he had during the rest of the second half, and unlike the first half, he didn’t foul. Knight’s perfect defense forced a miss, then he ran the floor and made a layup. The Pistons led by 11 and were on their way to a 98-88 win.
It was only one play, but it’s encouraging – not just for Knight, but for Stuckey, too.
Greg Monroe drifts outside, effectively
Greg Monroe’s jumper is looking better and better, which is mostly encouraging, but there is a downside.
Monroe (22 points and nine rebounds) made jumpers from 6, 8, 9, 14 and 17 feet, and his only miss outside four feet came from 22 feet. An ability shoot from the perimeter makes Monroe more dangerous, especially on nights like this, when the Celtics played strong interior defense.
Monroe took jumpers, because they were available to him. But I’d like to see him force his way into the post a little more and create short shots with his strong footwork and ability to finish with either hand. Because he didn’t do that tonight, Monroe didn’t attempt a free throw.
Ben Gordon becoming super scoring sub
Tonight provided more evidence Ben Gordon is taking to his new role. He scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. He didn’t do much else, but that’s OK.
Don’t pass. Don’t dribble to set up others. Just score.
As long as the Pistons ask Gordon to do that – and it’s easier when he’s coming off the bench – Gordon can live up to expectations.
Lawrence Frank faces previous employer
Essentials
- Teams: Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics
- Date: Feb. 15, 2012
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: Fox Sports Detroit
Records
- Pistons: 8-22
- Celtics: 15-12
Probable starters
Pistons:
Celtics:
- Rajon Rondo
- Ray Allen
- Paul Pierce
- Chris Wilcox
- Jermaine O’Neal
Las Vegas projection
Spread: Pistons +9
Over/under: 181.5
Score: Celtics win, 95.25-86.25
Read about the Celtics
Pistons don’t run set plays after forcing misses
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:
Lawrence Frank offers players a tantalizing bargain: play good defense and you don’t have to worry about mastering the playbook.
“We give the ultimate gold ticket to players,” he said after a Saturday practice carried out with the lively tempo of a team riding a four-game winning streak. “If we get stops, we just play out of basketball principles. We don’t run set plays off of misses. So if I’m a player and I want freedom, I’m going to get stops.”
As I’ve said, the Pistons don’t rank last in pace because they’re willfully playing slow. They rank last in pace because their defense doesn’t create transition opportunities.
3-on-3: Player development
Modeled after ESPN’s 5-on-5, Patrick and I will answer three questions about a Pistons-related topic.
For each 3-on-3, we’ll be joined by a guest contributor. Today, that’s David Thorpe of ESPN.com.
1. Is sitting and watching ever better for a young player’s development than playing?
Dan Feldman: Sometimes, yes. When a player needs to develop mental toughness, the roadblock of overtaking a veteran can stimulate a psychological growth. If a player never becomes mentally strong enough to overtake a lower-end and less-talented veteran, that indicates a problem. Better to find out a player shies from competition when he’s young than deep in the playoffs, when the pressure and stakes are higher.
Patrick Hayes: Depends on what you mean by sitting and watching. I don’t think gluing a young guy to a bench is ever a great strategy. But, aside from the most elite, NBA-ready prospects, I don’t have a problem when young guys have to earn minutes by out-working, out-practicing and, eventually in game situations, out-playing veteran players in front of them. As a recent example, I think Denver developed Ty Lawson extremely well, finding him consistent minutes as a backup to Chauncey Billups until Billups was traded. The best strategy is simply to play players based on merit. Young guys shouldn’t sit just because they’re young, and old guys shouldn’t play just because they’re old.
David Thorpe: Only when poor play in games risks losing confidence. Guys must play to gain reference points for practice the next day and for games.
2. Which current Pistons should be playing more?
Dan Feldman: Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Jonas Jerebko are already getting big minutes. I’m not there yet, but late in the season, I’d like to see more Vernon Macklin – if he continues to perform well in his limited minutes and if he performs well in practice. His contract expiries at the end of the season, making it more urgent to assess his play in games – as long as he proves in practice he deserves the chance.
Patrick Hayes: Austin Daye is the easy choice, but I honestly think he’s been given sufficient opportunities to earn more minutes this season. He hasn’t taken advantage, and he’s played pretty poorly a majority of the season. I’ll go with Vernon Macklin. The Pistons’ big man rotation currently includes the ancient Ben Wallace, who is retiring after the season, the limited Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko, who isn’t even a true big man. It should be pretty easy to find Macklin 10-15 minutes a game rather than completely waste him on the bench in what is already a lost season.
David Thorpe: I always thought Jason Maxiell was going to be a solid and consistent rebounder and add toughness on defense. Maybe he would be that guy if given more opportunities.
3. How responsible is Joe Dumars for the Pistons typically giving more minutes to veterans than young players during his tenure?
Dan Feldman: Very responsible. He’s brought in veteran after veteran who was marginally better than the young player stuck behind him and given coaches a win-now directive. Maybe when the Pistons were contending for a title, that philosophy made sense. Maybe it even made sense when the Pistons could still enter the season with playoff hopes, and Dumars was trying to preserve a winning atmosphere (and playoff revenue). But now that the team has no shot at the postseason, it’s time to clear more minute for young players.
Patrick Hayes: Not directly responsible, but responsible by proxy. Because he’s hired the coaches who have done a poor job of developing young players over the years, Dumars deserves some of the blame. Obviously, if there was an impetus on playing and developing the young guys, and Dumars has always said there was, Flip Saunders, Michael Curry and John Kuester didn’t seem to get the message. I respect that Dumars tries not to meddle in how his coaches manage their rotation. But failing to develop players who have done well elsewhere has been a problem for long enough, that Dumars probably should’ve been more proactive in making sure his coaches accomplish this.
David Thorpe: We really have no way of knowing. Ownership sets the standard and then the GM has to execute the plan with the coach. I’m sure Lawrence Frank wants to win more than anything else. So, really there are three potentially competing agendas. They all need to be on the same page.
What do you think? Share your answers to each question in the comments.
Brandon Knight’s injury gives Walker Russell an extended look as primary point guard in win over Hornets
After his best performance as a pro Friday, Brandon Knight didn’t get much of a chance to build on that performance. Knight took an inadvertent elbow to the face from former Piston DaJuan Summers early in Saturday’s win over New Orleans and broke his nose.
Hopefully, the injury doesn’t cause him to miss a lot of time — he’ll probably join a long line of famous masked Pistons like Bill Laimbeer, Antonio McDyess, Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva. In the meantime, though, Knight’s absence allowed another rookie to show what he can do as a team’s primary lead guard.
Walker Russell‘s circumstances are quite different from Knight’s. Knight is a prized, highly hyped lottery pick who will be given ample opportunities to turn himself into a good NBA player. Russell has no such guarantees. He’s playing without a guaranteed contract. If not for a long list of injuries, the Pistons would’ve never signed him even to that non-guaranteed deal. He’ll be 30-years-old later this year. And when the Pistons regulars do return, there’s no guarantee, despite his solid play, that he’ll even hang around on the roster.
Saturday’s audition was big for Russell, and he made the most of it. He showed for an extended stretch what he has shown in the brief flashes of playing time the Pistons have given him: he can run a NBA offense, he always looks to make plays for others, he competes hard on defense and he takes care of the basketball. He scored nine points with four assists, two turnovers and two steals. If the Pistons can’t keep him, he might not be a difference maker, but he will give competent minutes off of most benches in a league that overall doesn’t have an abundance of unselfish, smart point guards.
But Russell’s performance didn’t just do him some favors if he finds himself in need of a new team soon. Subbing the minutes of a shoot-first player in Knight (he’s been getting incrementally better as a passer, but his first inclination his entire life has been to score the ball) for a pass-first (and maybe pass-second) player in Russell allowed the Pistons other shot-loving rotation players the chance to play more freely. Ignoring last night’s performance by Knight for a minute, when he’s been in the lineup, the Pistons offense hasn’t looked good. That’s not all Knight’s fault, but because he’s a shoot-first guy and because Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince are shoot-first guys, they all kind of struggle for power at times. All three guys possess some ability to create for others and all three possess some ability to create shots for themselves. What is usually missing is an understanding of who is supposed to do what. Sometimes all three are too assertive, sometimes none of them are. What has resulted has been a mess of an offense with no true facilitator and three guys who all seem to want that job, but none of the three showing he can do it full-time. Oh, and complicating things, the one guy who is a natural facilitator, who should have the offense running through him, Greg Monroe, plays center, so he relies on others to get him the ball. As we’ve seen all season, there are many games Monroe doesn’t touch it enough as a result.
Subbing Russell for Knight makes that problem less complex. When Russell’s in the game, he brings the ball up, he starts the offense and Prince and Stuckey didn’t have to worry about figuring out when they were supposed to take turns as playmakers and when they were supposed to simply take the shots that came to them.
Monroe also was heavily involved. He finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds, and he also got 17 shots, the most he’s had in the last four games.
I was looking forward to seeing how Knight followed up that first really good performance of his career. It’s disappointing he didn’t get a chance at it tonight, but the game wasn’t a total waste, either. Hopefully, he’s learning how to have command of an offense and run it efficiently when he gets to watch Russell out there.
Big plays by veterans
Stuckey and Prince didn’t have good games overall, but both helped put the game away late with key plays and big shots.
Prince made a nice pass to Jason Maxiell for a dunk to the the Pistons up five with 2:31 left. Stuckey hit a contested 18-footer off the dribble to put the Pistons up seven with less than two minutes left. Maxiell snuck in for an offensive rebound/dunk to put the Pistons up five with less than a minute to go.
Stuckey had a poor shooting night (5-for-13), but he got more aggressive in the second half and started getting to the free throw line by driving inside more. He was passive in the first half, didn’t get a couple of calls, and settled for jumpers after that. It was good to see him come out more aggressive, particularly late in the third quarter and in the fourth.
Prince also shot poorly, and he and a few others got torched by Trevor Ariza for 17 first half points. Prince did a little better job on him in the second half.
Maxiell had another fantastic game. Last night, I mentioned Maxiell’s previous struggles as a starter. He had a good game as a starter against Milwaukee, but due to injuries, the Bucks were starting their typical backup frontcourt guys. Tonight, Maxiell finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and a block against a big frontline of Emeka Okafor and Jason Smith. Those guys certainly aren’t All-Stars, but Maxiell has often had problems getting shots off inside against taller players. He was active and delivered another encouraging performance in what has been a nice bounce-back season for him so far.
Jerebko impresses again
After a rough stretch of games where Jonas Jerebko wasn’t his energetic self, his activity has come back nicely over the last three games. He scored 11 points and had five rebounds against the Hornets.
More importantly, though, he’s stayed out of foul trouble the last three games. When Jerebko picks up quick fouls, he becomes much less aggressive. A non-aggressive Jerebko is a non-effective Jerebko. He’s a huge asset with his constant motion and activity when he can stay on the court.
Mistakes during decisive possession
During Tuesday’s loss to the Nets, the Pistons had the ball down 98-96 with about 18 seconds left. Crunch-time buckets are very hard to come by, because the defense puts all its effort into securing the lead and the referees tend to allow a little more contact than during the first 47 minutes of the game.
After the inbound pass Prince holds the ball, guarded by the much smaller Keith Bogans, on the right wing. Greg Monroe is in the low-post. Brandon Knight and Jonas Jerebko stand at the left elbow.
Knight comes over to set a pick for Tayshaun Prince. Prince does a very poor job of using the screen, because as you can see, Knight must make a huge step to the right in order to give Prince any opportunity to get away from his defender. Luckily, the referees did not call a moving-screen violation. Unfortunately, the play wouldn’t get better, anyhow.
The Nets switch Deron Williams onto Tayshaun and Bogans stays with Knight. Williams is fast and strong enough to deny penetration by Prince. Meanwhile, Jerebko sets an off-ball screen for Walker Russell while Tayshaun drives left. I believe this was meant to be a hand-off, but Russell somehow simply runs into Jerebko.
Now, there are six players within a couple of feet of each other. Jerebko makes the correct read and fades out to the 3-point line, where he will receive the pass.
Note that the Pistons haven’t used (and will not use) their most effective scorer and one of their better screeners – Monroe – during this possession.
Jerebko has a pretty clear path toward the basket and tries to drive the ball into middle, while Prince hinders Shawne Williams to recover. Knight and Monroe (best shooter, best scorer on the court) are completely out of the picture.
Deron Williams makes another great read and quickly switches onto Jerebko, denying the penetration. Jerebko, who has little experience, gives the ball back to the veteran and let him isolate rather than giving the ball to Monroe, who is covered by Kris Humpries, one of the premier post defenders in NBA history (hint: irony).
Prince posts up Shawne Williams. Williams has several advantages, if not all. He is quicker, and more athletic.
Also, look at the bad spacing of the Pistons. Russell and Jerebko are in no position to score whatsoever. Monroe could take one more step inside to get within his range. Knight sort of hides far away from the basket, but at least he spaces the floor a little bit.
All the Nets are in position to help if Prince gets past his man. Knight should run over to the left wing to take one defender out of the picture, and if his defender decides to double team Prince, Knight could receive a pass and nail a 3-pointer. Jerebko should have stepped into Knight’s spot to create even more space. Another 3-point shooter other than Knight would have certainly helped, but I can’t blame Lawrence Frank for having Russell on the court.
Prince takes the contested fade-away jumper that was to be expected. Do you see Knight? No? Well, he is wide open at the top of the key. All five Nets are in the paint area, and Prince must recognize that. You cannot leave one of your best shooters wide open just so you can take a jumper with a hand in your face –unless you are Kobe Bryant, which Prince is not.
Another possible option would have been passing to Monroe, who has perfect position on Humphries. Granted, this would have been a risky pass, but still possible.
Patrick has written a lot written about Prince’s propensity to shoot, and this is a perfect example. We should let the youngsters try to win games like this. I just don’t see Prince making major contributions much longer, and the Pistons would be better off giving their green players these end-of-game shots.
