A minor trade in the works?

Published by Matt Watson on January 5, 2009 in D-League and Rumors. 9 Comments

As previously noted, the team sent Alex Acker and Walter Sharpe down to the D-League last Friday, and as DBB reader (and Pistonscast proprietor) John W. Davis pointed out, the D-League Showcase is taking place Jan. 5-8. What’s the D-League Showcase? From the league’s official site:

The 2009 NBA Development League Showcase tips off its 16-game schedule on Monday, Jan. 5 and runs through Thursday, Jan. 8. The fifth annual event will take place at the McKay Events Center, home of the Utah Flash, in Orem, Utah and will feature all 16 NBA D-League teams playing two games apiece under one roof. Fans can stay in step with their favorite NBA D-League team by logging onto www.nba.com/futurecast to watch every Showcase game on-line for free.

[…] The premier in-season basketball scouting event, the Showcase will welcome general managers, player personnel staff and scouts from each of the 30 NBA teams who will converge in Utah for four days to evaluate the league’s talent. The Showcase takes on an international flavor as numerous members of the international basketball community will also make the trip to Orem to watch the action unfold.

“With the extraordinary depth of talent in the NBA D-League this season, the NBA D-League Showcase affords NBA teams an opportunity to evaluate all of the League’s players in one location. Historically, we have seen NBA teams sign players immediately following the Showcase, and in some instances during the Showcase, too,” said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA D-League. “We are excited about being in Orem, Utah for this year’s Showcase and look forward to an exciting four days of basketball.”

In other words, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase Acker and/or Sharpe for a trade. Why would the Pistons want to move one of those two? For the same reason the Nuggets just traded Cheikh Samb for a future draft pick — a move, incidentally, Eric Pincus of HOOPSWORLD predicted three weeks ago:

The tax threshold is $71.15 million. A number of teams find themselves slightly over and are looking for help.

[…] At a minimum, Denver might have to part with big man prospect Cheick Samb, recently acquired from the Detroit Pistons.

Speaking of the Pistons, they too need to make a move before the deadline to trim off the slightest margin since they’re a measly $45k over the tax threshold. Expect General Manager Joe Dumars to look for someone to take a young player like rookie forward Walter Sharpe or second-year guard Alex Acker, assuming the team doesn’t look to make a bigger deal.

When a team is over the luxury tax threshold, not only do they have to pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, they also miss out on the chance to collect their share of the tax collected from the other teams over the threshold. In other words, being $45,000 over actually costs the Pistons something in the neighborhood of $3 million or more.

Sharpe is still the new guy with an unknown ceiling, so I’d imagine Joe Dumars would have to be bowled over to agree moving him. But is having Alex Acker sit behind the bench in a nice suit all season really worth the opportunity for Bill Davidson to cash a $3 million check? I can’t imagine anyone in the front office thinks so. As such, I won’t be surprised to see him dealt for a conditional second-rounder sometime before February’s deadline — and possibly sooner rather than later if he turns heads in Utah.

In Acker’s first game, he played 38 minutes and finished with 20 points on 7-19 shooting with eight boards and five assists before fouling out. In his second game, he scored 22 (8-18) with three boards and one assist. Sharpe has been somewhat less impressive, scoring 10 (3-10 FG) with four boards and two steals in 24 minutes his first game, and nine points (3-6 FG) with three boards and a block in 20 minutes the second.

It’s good to be Rodney Stuckey

Published by Matt Watson on January 5, 2009 in Around the Internets. 4 Comments

If you were looking for Rodney Stuckey’s coming out party, you’re too late. Stuckey spent the weekend collecting accolades from the blogosphere’s heavy-hitters (see: Tom Ziller, Bethlehem Shoals) and relative unknowns (no offense, NBA Mate, you’re on my radar now), and today he was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week:

Stuckey guided the Pistons to a 4-0 week, leading the team in scoring in three of their four games. The second-year guard posted averages of 23.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds, while helping the Pistons to a season-high seven game win streak. On Jan. 2 against Sacramento, Stuckey tied his career high in field goals made (15); he played a career-high 43 minutes in each of his last two games. The Pistons are 13-3 with Stuckey as a starter.

It can’t get better than this, right? Actually, it can: thanks to Detroit’s road trip out west, he’ll have a chance to stop by his alma mater, where he’ll watch his jersey be raised to the rafters. From Eastern Washington’s official website:

Consider it the Senior Day he was never able to receive.

Former Eastern Washington University men’s basketball All-American and current Detroit Piston Rodney Stuckey will have his EWU jersey retired in ceremonies that will take place on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.

The event takes place in conjunction with Eastern’s Big Sky Conference game against Weber State that starts at 1:05 p.m. Pacific time and will be televised live regionally on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. The Pistons play at Utah the night before, and don’t play again until Charlotte visits Detroit on Jan. 13.

“I am very honored and humbled to have my EWU jersey retired,” said Stuckey on Tuesday (Dec. 30). “I have so many wonderful memories from my college days and I’m thankful to the University, the fans, my coaches and my teammates.”

(Thanks to Mike Payne for finding the video)

Pistons tempt fate by playing on a Sunday

Published by Matt Watson on January 4, 2009 in Clippers, Guest Writer and Previews. 324 Comments
It’s an early one — the ball tips at 3:30 PM. Thanks again to Kevin for the preview — leave your thoughts (and crude Photoshop’d pictures) in the comments. — MW

Clippers: 8-24 (3-13 home)
Margin: -6.4 ppg (-10.1 home)
Last 10: 3-7 (margin -7.1)

Pistons: 20-11 (8-6 road)
Margin: +1.1 ppg (-0.7 road)
Last 10: 8-2 (margin +4.4)

Oppo research:

Well, this should put the Sunday jinx meme to the test. The Clippers were a lottery team BEFORE Chris Kaman went down with injury. Today’s version will be playing without Zach Randolph, Baron Davis, Ricky Davis, and some other players whose absence actually makes them a better team.

At present, the Pistons are likely to face a starting lineup of Eric Gordon, Fred Jones, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby and Brian Skinner. That is, unless Camby is found this morning with his head in an oven, in which case the Clippers will look to Paul “Paxil” Davis to man the pivot.

This team really doesn’t have any offensive weapons. Gordon and Thornton are the “scorers” (defining that term loosely), and each has a PER in the 12s, though Gordon has shot the ball pretty well of late. When healthy, this is one of the worst offensive squads in the league. Now? Ouch.

That said, the Clippers do play relatively solid defense, thanks in no small part to Camby. With no other personnel capable of securing a rebound, Camby has gone berserk, averaging 19 rebounds per game in the absence of Randolph and Kaman, and garnered more offensive rebounds than the Phoenix Suns combined on Friday night.

So there, I said something nice. Now let me say something mean. The Clipper franchise shouldn’t exist.

The Drama:

With Detroit still thin at the frontcourt, Camby could put up the highest rebound total in a very long time.

Keys for Detroit:

NOTE: SINCE THIS IS A SUNDAY GAME, I AM REVISING MY ADVICE DOWNWARD ACCORDINGLY.

Stay between your man and the basket: Before the game, or after a timeout, select one opposing player to defend. Then, work to stay between your man and the basket. This is the best way to prevent the offensive player from scoring. Remember, you play defense with your legs, not your hands. When the opposing player does shoot, put your hands in the air to contest the shot.

Practice sound shooting fundamentals: When taking a shot, square up to the basket. Make sure to bend your legs and your elbows, and use your offhand as a guide. If necessary, use the backboard, aiming for the square just above the rim.

Drink plenty of fluids: The game of basketball can take a lot out of you. It is vital that you consume enough fluids in the 24 hours prior to the game to avoid dehydration. During the game, consume small quantities of liquid to replenish fluids lost through expiration. Avoid drinking too many liquids during the game to avoid cramping.

Question of the game:

Is the Sunday jinx for real? Seriously, this is as bad of a squad as we will face all year. If we can’t win this one, we might as well count every Sunday game as an ‘L’ going forward.

Pistons host Kings

Published by Matt Watson on January 2, 2009 in Guest Writer, Kings and Previews. 272 Comments
The Kings are in town, which means Pistons fans have an excuse to check out Tom Ziller and Co. at Sactown Royalty. (Wait, Kings fans are drooling over Boozer, too?) As usual, many thanks to Kevin for the preview. The ball tips at 8 PM on FSN — leave your thoughts in the comments. — MW

Kings: 8-24 (2-13 road)
Margin: -9.5 ppg (-13.5 road)
Last 10: 2-8 (margin -13.5)

Pistons: 19-11 (11-5 home)
Margin: +0.9 ppg (+2.3 home)
Last 10: 8-2 (margin +4.2)

Oppo research:

The 8-24 record doesn’t really do justice to how poor this Kings squad really is. The team needed 17 points from Kevin Martin (just returned from injury) to beat a short-handed Clippers squad by two at home. At present, this is the worst team in the league.

That said, Kevin Martin is precisely the sort of player who gives the Piston defense fits, and we didn’t exactly light up the Kings when they were without Martin. Jason Thompson, Beno Udrih and Spencer Hawes all had nice games, even though none of them has played particularly well this season.

Hawes is out with an abdominal strain, which is a boon given that the Pistons are likely to be down two (Wallace and Dyess) in the front court. Without Hawes, and with Martin likely returning to the starting lineup, the Kings are unlikely to go big. But then, Brad Miller is unlikely to go 2-16.

The Drama:

I’ve got nothin’…

Keys for Detroit:

Go to the zone: The Kings are an awful perimeter team, so there is absolutely no reason to let Martin get into the lane. Expect to see some zone, plenty of Spellcheck, and a lot of wide open three point looks.

Keep contact to a minimum: The Kings are solid free throw shooters up and down their lineup. Ticky-tack fouls on their bigs are going to cost us points. This should be an interesting test for Amir, who could potentially see 30+ minutes tonight.

Take it to the hoop: The Kings are foul prone, slow on defense, and can’t defend the perimeter. Iverson and Stuckey should not hesitate to feed the Kings a stead diet of drive and dish. If those two on their game, this will be over early.

Question of the game:

Can’t we just have a good old-fashioned blowout? With a Western Conference swing on the horizon, including a cross country trip to Los Angeles for a Sunday matinee, it would be nice to get the starters some rest. The Pistons have only one victory of 15 or more this season. They had 26 such contests last year.

Pistons ring in the New Year with Nets

Published by Matt Watson on December 31, 2008 in Nets and Previews. 183 Comments

We’re going old school today — after weeks of being spoiled with Kevin’s awesome previews, all I’ve got a few sparse words before reminding you the ball tips at 3 PM on Fox Sports. Enjoy the game, and if you go out tonight, be safe. Thanks for spending another year with DBB, everybody. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

__________

Update: Actually, no, we do have a preview — sorry for the delay, we briefly had our wires crossed.

Nets: 15-16 (10-4 road)
Margin: -2.5 ppg (+1.5 road)
Last 10: 4-6 (margin -2.4)

Pistons: 18-11 (10-5 home)
Margin: +0.6 ppg (+2.5 home)
Last 10: 7-3 (margin +2.1)

Oppo research:

The Nets are the surprise team of the year. After doffing Richard Jefferson for Yi Jianlian, the Nets were thought to be tanking for LeBron. Alas, they’ve actually played pretty well, at least on the road. The Nets are one of the leagues best road teams, and one of the very worst home teams. Maybe the players have already made the mental move to Brooklyn.

The Nets’ offense pretty much consists of a bunch of big guys shagging balls for Devin Harris and Vince Carter. Harris’ astonishing season has been well covered, but Carter seems to be enjoying the freedom of being the second scoring option, putting up his best numbers in years.

And then there’s the rest. Brook Lopez is enjoying a solid rookie campaign, but paired with Yi and Bobby Simmons… That’s one lousy frontcourt. The Nets have had bad luck with big men, from Nenad Krstic’s injuries to losing DaSagana Diop to free agency, to Sean Williams forgetting how to play the sport in the offseason.

The Nets are a lousy defensive squad, and fail to guard the perimeter at all, allowing opponents to shoot 42% from three point range. The Nets use a long bench, with no player other than Carter and Harris, earning more than 30 mpg. It is not clear to me why this is so, since the Nets have a weak bench.

The Drama:

Devin Harris torched Detroit in Iverson’s first game as a Piston. Hopefully, that will be added motivation for the D to lock down on dribble penetration. Otherwise, things will get dramatic in a hurry.

Keys for Detroit:

Focus on Carter and Harris: In particular, harassing Carter on the perimeter and preventing Harris from getting into the lane. If you stop these guys, the Nets have no other offensive options.

Crash the boards: While NJs big men aren’t particularly skilled, they are decent rebounders, and that’s about all they do. McDyess and Amir should see heavy minutes keeping the Nets big men off the glass.

SHEEEEEED!: There’s no way NJ can keep up with him on the perimeter. Sheed should have the green light to light it up, as he’ll be open all day from three point range.

Question of the game:

With the arbitrary 3p starting time, will the Pistons be tricked into thinking it’s Sunday? If so, expect Devin Harris to drop score 67 points on 38-43 free throw shooting.

The physical effects of smallball

Published by Matt Watson on December 31, 2008 in From the news and Injuries. 28 Comments

Tayshaun Prince is feeling the physical effects of playing out of position at the four. From Keith Langlois at True Blue Pistons:

“It’s not even close,” he said of the difference to his body between guarding a small forward for 40 minutes or playing 40 minutes at power forward. “There’s so many more things the big men have to do. Boxing out, your guy setting screens, fighting through screens and also bigs setting pick and rolls and you’ve got to help the guard and get back to the big and try to box him out. The little things. (Playing small forward) is not so much wear and tear on you as far as body contact. There’s a lot of perimeter-oriented stuff. The only thing you worry about at the three is pick and rolls.

“At the end of the day, no matter what, you’re going to be tired. But playing the four, or playing against Utah and going double overtime against Mehmet (Okur), those types of games, when you wake up the next day, you’re going to feel it as opposed to guarding a strong three man. You just pretty much have to keep him in front of you and make them take jump shots. He’s not crashing the boards every time so you have to box him out. When you’re at the four, you have to do those types of things.”

Did smallball just die?

Published by Matt Watson on December 30, 2008 in Shameless Plugging. 151 Comments

Of course not; as Kevin pointed out in last night’s game thread, “It was never alive.”

The question, though, is whether Michael Curry is ready to admit it. We won’t know for sure until Rip Hamilton’s groin allows him to play and gives Curry a full deck, but he certainly seems to be leaning in the direction of sanity and a balanced rotation. I wrote a long-ish piece on this at FanHouse featuring bunches of post-game comments from both Curry and Allen Iverson.

“We’ve looked at our lineup at different times and we’ve thought about different guys possibly coming off the bench, but we haven’t made a decision on that,” Curry said. “That’s kind of a tough decision.

“But we look around and … we look at teams that have done it and it’s pretty effective. I think the Lakers with Lamar Odom it’s effective for them, Kirilenko in Utah has been really effective, and same thing with Ginobili in San Antonio. So it can be effective, and whether it is any of our perimeter guys, one of them coming off the bench, maybe we’ll have to look at it. But we’ll just cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Just when will the Pistons cross that bridge? The fact that he’s openly talking about it as a possibility leads me to think it’ll happen as soon as Hamilton is ready to return.

Earlier this month I asked Curry if he’d thought about benching Iverson for Stuckey (which, to be honest, seemed more plausible than simply starting three guards and playing four players out of position) and he looked at me like I was crazy. But last night? He admitted in front of a dozen reporters and a couple of television cameras that it’s not only a possibility but perhaps inevitable, at least so long as defense is a priority.

Go read the whole thing, it’s like having Christmas twice in one week.

Pistons host Magic

Published by Matt Watson on December 29, 2008 in Guest Writer, Magic and Previews. 206 Comments
I’m at the game for FanHouse, Twittering all the while. Kevin, meanwhile, came through again with yet another bang-up preview. Remember how I called BrewHoop one of my favorite team blogs? Ben Q Rock’s Third Quarter Collapse is right there at the top, too. Ball tips at 7:30 — leave your thoughts in the comments. –MW

By Kevin Sawyer

Magic: 24-6 (11-3 road)
Margin: +7.5 ppg (+7.7 road)
Last 10: 9-1 (margin +11.8)

Pistons: 17-11 (9-5 home)
Margin: +0.4 ppg (+2.8 home)
Last 10: 6-4 (margin +0.3)

Oppo research:

Indeed, the team that didn’t give Detroit much of a fight in the playoffs last year has, without any substantive personnel changes, morphed into a powerhouse. The Magic have silenced critics who pointed to their early schedule by winning 11 of 12 against a slate that included the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Jazz and Blazers.

The biggest difference this year has been the inspired play of Jameer Nelson, who is averaging 20 ppg on 58% shooting in December, and a ridiculous 61% from three point range. His performance has been enough to offset Hedo Turkoglu’s predictable return to earth after last year’s excellent campaign.

Of course, the Magic still have Dwight Howard, who has established himself as a defensive force. Together with newly acquired defensive stopper Pietrus, he leads a team that allows a stingy 42.5% field goal percentage, all without fouling excessively. As a result, the Magic are the leagues third best defensive squad.

On the offensive end, the Magic offer few surprises. Howard on the post and TONS of three pointers.

The Drama:

Given his hot shooting stroke, maybe Jameer Nelson will focus on playing basketball instead of judo leg-sweeps. Chauncey plays for Denver, but I haven’t forgotten.

Keys for Detroit:

Guard Jameer Nelson: Nelson has benefited from the perception that Hedo Turkoglu is a greater offensive threat than he is. Nobody shoots 60% from three point range unless defenses are utterly ignoring them.

Ditch small ball: Irrespective of the system’s merits, it won’t work against this team. Prince has shown that he can stop Hedo Turkoglu, which will allow Detroit to stay on their defensive assignments. With Hamilton possibly out another game with injury, coach Curry might not have a choice.

Send Howard to the line: Given that the Magic average 1.28 points per shot, consider this the equivalent of an intentional walk. As usual, Howard is starting to wear down as the season progresses, so aggressive defense will also mean more minutes for Marcin Gortat, though the latter has acquitted himself nicely in limited minutes.

Question of the game:

I’ll defer to McCosky on this one. Will it be small ball or basketball in this one? Curry might be able to use Hamilton’s injury as an excuse to get one more look at what Detroit can do with a normal lineup. A win tonight would certainly help make a decision either way.

The Pistons are in Milwaukee

Published by Matt Watson on December 27, 2008 in Bucks and Previews. 209 Comments
Being on the tail-end of a back-to-back isn’t ideal, but the silver lining is the Pistons avoiding the dreaded Sunday game. Kudos to Kevin for the preview, and if you have time, be sure to check out BrewHoop, one of my personal favorite team blogs. The ball tips at 8:30 PM on Fox Sports, leave your thoughts in the comments. — MW

By Kevin Sawyer

Bucks: 14-16 (6-12 road)
Margin: +0.3 ppg (-1.0 road)
Last 10: 6-4 (margin +4.8)

Pistons: 16-11 (9-5 home)
Margin: +0.1 ppg (+2.1 home)
Last 10: 5-5 (margin -1.3)

Oppo research:

Pop quiz. Which of these teams currently ranks 22nd in John Hollinger’s power rankings, and which ranks 11th? If you guessed the Bucks and Pistons, respectively, you aren’t good with putting pop quizzes into context. Alas, the Bucks come to the Palace having won five of their last six, and are playing on four days rest. The Pistons, of course, needed each and every second to put away the OKC Thunder last night.

The Bucks are an interesting team. Had they kept Mo Williams, instead of (absurdly) trading him for Luke Ridnour, they might be a dark horse to win a playoff round. Instead, the combo of Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson and Andrew Bogut hasn’t provided enough offensive firepower.

Redd, in particular, seems to miss having another shooter on the squad. His 41% field goal percentage rates as a career low by a country mile. Meanwhile, it is unclear why backup Ramon Sessions has not been granted the starting spot. Ridnour is a solid backup, but nothing more.

The Bucks are a greatly improved defensive squad, with rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and hardnosed coach Scott Skiles earning much of the credit in this department. They play a VERY physical style, which shows up at the foul line, where Bucks opponents arrive 31 times per game. They are also an outstanding offensive rebounding squad, which will be fun to watch I’m sure.

The Drama:

I would expect to see coach Skiles chew out the PISTONS backcourt, just on principle.

Keys for Detroit:

Get the bigs involved: The Bucks don’t have a single front-court option that has been able to avoid foul trouble. Sheed, Dyess and Amir (fingers-crossed) should make a particular effort to get inside, since all three can hit free throws.

Run in transition: Curious as it sounds, given the Bucks’ recent history, a fast paced game will take them out of their element. They miss a lot of shots, and a faster pace tends to limit second-chance opportunities. Again, why play small ball if you aren’t going to do this?

Just because you haven’t heard of them, doesn’t mean you don’t defend them: Ramon Sessions and Luc Richard Etc are very good at what they do, and each can put up a double-double. With Luke Ridnour possibly limited due to flu-like symptoms, Sessions could be set for a big game.

Question of the game:

Can the Pistons stand a real test? Detroit has been feasting (if you can call it that) a VERY weak schedule. Now that they are consistently playing real NBA teams, we should get a better idea of where they stand.

Pistons host Thunder

Published by Matt Watson on December 26, 2008 in Guest Writer, Previews and Sonics. 233 Comments
I hope everyone had a happy holiday, assuming, you know, your faith of choice celebrated one recently. (It’s wordy being PC!) I’ll be at the game for FanHouse, and if you have a Twitter account, you can send me questions for players/coaches/me @NBAFanHouse during the game. Thanks again to Kevin for the preview — ball tips at 8 PM on Fox Sports Plus. As usual, leave your thoughts in the comments. — MW

By Kevin Sawyer

Thunder: 3-26 (1-3 road)
Margin: -9.4 ppg (-7.4 road)
Last 10: 1-9 (-6.4 margin)

Pistons: 15-11 (8-5 home)
Margin: even (+2.6 home)
Last 10: 5-5 (-0.3 margin)

Oppo research:

Of the Chicago Bulls, I said “(they) don’t do anything particularly well.” I am now bereft of anti-superlatives to describe the OKC Thunder. General Manager Sam Presti is revered as some sort of basketball genius, but at present, he’s saddled with one of the worst rosters in NBA history. To date, his biggest accomplishment was watching ping-pong balls bounce his way.

That said, the Thunder have been playing well of late, registering a win against Toronto, and credible challenges to Cleveland and Atlanta on their Eastern Conference swing. Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook in particular have stepped up their game. Westbrook dropped 24 points to go with 11 assists against the Cavs, while Jeff Green is coming off back-to-back double-doubles.

Outside of their solid young trio, however, the pickings are slim. Nick Collison has been disappointing this season, and looks to be out with a thumb injury. That leaves Chris Wilcox, Johan Petro and Robert Swift (also day-to-day) to man the paint. Each is a capable rebounder, but none are stellar defenders or scorers.

As such, this Thunder team is one without a real threat on the outside (they only shoot ten threes per game) or the inside. That’s not a good combination.

The Drama:

If the Pistons blow this, the calls to fire Curry will begin in earnest.

Keys for Detroit:

Sit Iverson: Curry is hopeful that Allen Iverson can play on three days’ rest after suffering a groin injury against Chicago. Let me get this straight. Your point guard is coming off a 40 point effort. Your squad is facing the worst team in the league at home in your 27th game of the year… And you’re going to test the legs of a 33 year old who relies on his speed to be effective?

Man the boards: OKC has been on a roll of late, outrebounding seven of their last eight opponents. Of course, given that this team shoots 43% from the field, the Thunder bigs have had plenty of practice.

Stop dribble penetration: The Pistons shouldn’t hesitate to go zone to stop Durant and Green. It is rare to find a team that doesn’t have anyone to penalize opponents from outside, and the Pistons have been vulnerable to dribble penetration all season.

Question of the game:

Can Stuckey do it again? With Iverson likely to see limited minutes, and facing young perimeter defenders, Stuckey has a golden opportunity to prove his big game was no fluke.

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