Only 18 games remain in the regular season,which in this case, leaves plenty of time for Flip Saunders and the Pistons to tinker with their line-ups before the playoffs get underway. Assistant Coach Michael Curry told me the top 7 or 8 guys are pretty much set, but there is plenty of wiggle room after that. Basically, the coaches are looking at different line-ups for different situations (small ball, pick-in-roll defense) that put the Pistons in the best position to succeed. Case in point, in last night's dreadful 83-82 loss to the Sixers, Saunders had played all 12 players on his active roster before the first half was in the books. (when's the last time a Pistons coach did that!!!??!?!) He's clearly trying to get a feel for what he has, while blending Theo Ratliff, Juan Dixon, and eventually, Lindsey Hunter into the mix.
My biggest concern heading into the postseason, is the lack of a "consistent" scorer off the bench. Who can you point to right now that can give you 8 to 10 points every night??? The answer? No one. That's why I think they should put Theo in the starting line-up at center, move Rasheed back to his natural power-forward position, and bring Dyess in off the bench. His recent shooting slump is further proof that perhaps all the minutes he's playing (already more than ALL of last season) are starting to take a toll. Move him back to the bench to provide some added scoring punch, thus making the Pistons that much more dangerous come playoff time.
The McDyess suggestion is a good idea, but they'll need to implement it fast, because Ratliff isn't in game shape yet. I must laugh, though, at the Lindsey Hunter mention; he's still active on this team!! Hunter isn't as important to the team as Dixon and Ratliff are, so let's not worry about him.
"Who can you point to right now that can give you 8 to 10 points every night???"
In the playoffs when rotations tighten up, coaches usually look to proven veterans for production off the bench. This is why Dumars signed Jarvis Hayes. He will be the answer to your question come playoff time.
Believe that Detroit is deep and the fact that they've been flying under the radar all season long is exactly what this savvy bunch wants. They'll be locked and loaded come mid April.
And don't worry about Lebron too much. With a determined group like Detroit, they won't allow James to repeat what he did to them last year. Not with a certain "bad boy" as the front office leader.
Well, with Boston & Cleveland on the same side of the playoff tree, Detroit may not play Cleveland this year. Lucky for them.
The Pistons are the same team they were last year. LeBron would walk all over them again. Trust me. They couldn't defend him last year. What makes you think they can this year?
Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are too small for King James.
lindsay hunter is energy off the bench, plus he plays larry brown defense, which is what got the boys to the ring in the first place. THATS why u want him in the game as part of the second unit during the playoffs.
Ryan: Good comments. The Pistons don't play well when Billups isn't piling up the assists. Look at the box score for the 83-82 loss to Philadelphia. Billups had TWO assists for the entire time he was in the game. It boggles the mind to think their coach didn't adjust in the first quarter. Wish I could have watched the game. The Pistons had the same problem in the recent inexcusable road loss to the Jazz. Billups had 4 assists for the whole game. Doesn't Saunders notice that? It's a symptom of when someone needs to help remind Billups -- a great guy -- not to be "the star" but the team player. It drives me nuts to watch Billups and Rasheed shooting all those lazy 3-point shots when other team fight to the hoop.
Doesn't Saunders notice that? It's a symptom of when someone needs to help remind Billups -- a great guy -- not to be "the star" but the team player. ..meetwealthyboomer.com..It drives me nuts to watch Billups and Rasheed shooting all those lazy 3-point shots when other team fight to the hoop.
Why is everybody dismissing the Magic this year, it's all about Cleveland and Lebron in the press,do people not understand that the Magic are 6 games up on Cleveland and that the Magic have also beaten Boston and Detoit, and the Magic also have a superstar named SUPERMAN. Don't sell the Magic short this year, they will surprise you!!!!
I guess Jarvis Hayes answered your concern about scoring off the bench on Saturday. In point of fact, the bench scored more points than the starters did.
After watching Ratliff play, only an #### would keep Mc Dyess in the starting five. Theo provides the key ingredient to coming out the East; interior defense on Lebron weakside. He also can provide post defense against goons such as Kendrick Perkins and PJ Brown. I hate to say it but Larry Brown would have this team in the Finals.
Hi, I'm Ryan Field of FSN Detroit, a correspondent on PISTONS LIVE, TIGERS LIVE and RED WINGS LIVE. My blog is primarily about the Pistons, although I also enjoy talking college football and basketball, so I hope you'll enjoy blogging with me about those topics.
Before joining FSN, I was a sports reporter at WJBK-TV (FOX 2) in Detroit (2000-03) and provided sports updates on WDFN Radio (1130 AM). Before that, I was sports director and previously weekend sports anchor at WSYM-TV (FOX 47) in Lansing. My television work began in 1996 as a sports intern at WILX-TV, the NBC affiliate in Lansing.
I'm a native of Troy, Mich., and a proud graduate of Michigan State University.
