BIG NEWS!

I have decided that I would be better off writing a blog about the NBA in general, instead of focusing on just one team. So I will no longer be blogging at Motown Ballin. However, I will still be at blogger. My new blog is called Nick and Roll, so hopefully I will see you all there.

It's panic time

Well, I can't say this loss wasn't expected. Even without making a deal at the deadline, the Spurs are still at top 3 team in the NBA. That's right, one spot ahead of the Cavs. Tim Duncan was his usual robotic self, going for 18 and 18, but the thing that always catches me off guard is how good Tony Parker is. He had 19 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds. He should at least be in the conversation for the third best point guard in the League behind CP3 and Deron Williams. I would put him up there with Nash and Billups

Both teams showed up defensively last night, as each was held to about 40% shooting. Iverson was hot with 31 points, but he couldn't hit a 3-pointer at the end of the game, when he had two tries. That really kind of makes him useless at the end of close games. Most refs will swallow their whistle at the end, and teams won't let AI drive in and make an easy 2. He is only a 31% shooter from 3. He needs to work on his range

The Spurs unveiled a new secret weapon last night. Matt Bonner killed us, going 5-8 from downtown. Not bad for a center.

We played the Spurs close in basically every facet of the game, with the exception of perimeter shooting. I think the real reason we lost is because our most important scorer, Rip, never got into sync, going 2-10 from the floor. This is not coincidence. This is Bruce Bowen. We are not that great of a team at creating our own shots, so Bowen can seek and destroy.

Hopefully, the Pistons to get something out of this loss. I am not kidding about panic mode. We are now 1 game above .500. We need to make some changes. Perhaps move Rip into the starting lineup again, because Stuckey is really not playing very well lately. If we had won this game, everybody would have talked about how it righted the ship, but now we know for sure that we have major problems.

Also here is a quick review of the Bucks game from Tuesday:

We got off to a bad start, trailing 29-17 at the end of the first. Most of this was Richard Jefferson, who finished with 29 points on only 13 shots. Iverson, Stuckey, and Rip weren't shooting well (a combined 12-38), so we had to rely on McDyess to score. He did, getting 24 points and 14 boards, and we started to come back. But we were stymied by Milwaukee's defense all night. Sessions played well against us again, scoring 17, with 9 rebounds and 7 assists

Trade Deadline!

Once again, I apologize I did not write a review for the Bucks game. I had to write a 4 page english paper, so I was kinda busy. I will try to include it with my game review of tonight's Spurs game.

Anyways, today is the trade deadline. I will try to keep this updated to the closest as humanly possible. Some very interesting deals have already gone down. Let's back things up to Monday.

I did not know this but a Pistons trade went down on Monday. Nothing big but still, I don't know I haven't heard about this. Alex Acker was sent back to California, the L.A. Clippers, for a 2011 second round pick and a conditional 2013 second round pick. Maybe he will get a chance to play over there

On Tuesday, I announced that Tyson Chandler would be traded to OKC for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. No Dice! Apparently, Chandler has a messed up toe. Now, this is gonna create a really awkward situation for everyone involved.

Boston traded Sam I Am Cassell to the Kings for a 2015 second round draft pick. Yes, 2015, the same year Sam Cassell will turn 60.

The biggest trade so far went down last night. The Bulls dealt Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Michael Ruffin, and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for John Salmons and B-Rad Miller. The Kings immediately released Sam Cassell and then pulled off a steal in acquiring Ike Diogu from the Blazers for Michael Ruffin. This trade doesn't really seem like it will help the Bulls all that much. Miller doesn't play much defense, so I don't see him making much of an impact. The Kings get three nice players out of this deal in Gooden, a good rebounder, Nocioni, a tough defender, and Diogu, a decent post player. Plus, they can now let Spencer Hawes develop

Chris Mihm got shipped to the Grizz for a draft pick. Apparently the Lakers were protecting their superstar player, D.J. Mbenga

Sources from ESPN are saying that the Kings will send Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to the Timberwolves for Calvin Booth and Rashad McCants. Sources from Motown Ballin are saying whoopdee freakin doo.

Yahoo has a small blurb that says an Eastern Conference official is saying that the Bulls have dealt Larry Hughes to the Knicks for Jerome James and Tim Thomas. I believe that Hughes still has some game left. I like this trade for the Knicks. Jerome James is a walking example of buyer's remorse.

Chris Wilcox has been traded after all. He will be headed to the Knicks in exchange for Malik Rose. Wilcox and Lee should be fun to watch

The best news I've heard all frickin day, at least for a Rockets fan like myself. The Rockets have traded Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston to the Magic. The Magic will send a first round pick to the Grizz, and the Rockets will receive Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook. I don't really like Cook or Lowry that much, but Rafer getting exiled is just awesome. Plus, now Aaron Brooks gets his shot.

Weekly Preview

As promised, I am going to change the format of my current game previews. Instead of setting up the chart for each game, which can get a bit boring, I am going to start previewing the week ahead. Although today is Tuesday, I am going to try to take care of the previews on Sunday or Monday starting next week. Also, I apologize again about my lack of posting. After my vacation, I think I have a cold now, so hopefully that won't stop any further blogging. But anyways, lets get down to business

Tuesday Feb. 17th vs. Milwaukee

Well, last time we played the Bucks, it turned into an overtime fiasco. We are better off after that game because now we know that Ramon Sessions must be stopped. The Bucks still have a ton of injuries, so once again, they shouldn't give us a whole lot of trouble. Plus, they may be distracted by the Richard Jefferson trade talks. All in all, I like us to score a little less than the last time we met, but win by 17 points after getting a bunch of rest

Thursday Feb. 19th vs. San Antonio

This is gonna be tough. As of right now, these guys are my pick to win the title. They just showed how good they can be by getting a W over Boston. We should be able to hang with them though, as now we have both Manu and Rip going at it off the bench. This is going to tell us a lot about whether or not we can contend. Whatever we do, just don't let Roger Mason get open in the corner. I do not like us to win this game, but I really think we can stay close. I have us losing by 5.


As for other news, the NBA is full of ridiculous trade talks. However, I haven't yet seen the newest NBA commercial showing a picture of Raef LaFrentz "The NBA: Where expiring contracts happen."

As previously mentioned, The Matrix is now a Dnosaur, and if said Dinosaurs do not trade Chris Bosh, they are not only a threat to make the playoffs, but will be very dangerous when they get there. I picked them to win the East this season. I still think they are very capable of doing that.

Now, the Thunder have acquired Tyson Chandler. He has been awful this year, but when he gets healthy, the Thunder will start beating playoff teams. The Hornets received Joe Smith and Chris "Ill Wil" Wilcox. Sorry my nicknames are terrible. This trade really benefits both teams.

Also, the Nets and Rockets are currently trying to work out a deal that would send Vince Carter to the Rockets. As a fan of the them, I'm not sure of whether or not to support this.

Sorry

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. First off, I am going to do away with the daily game previews. Instead, I will do a preview at the beginning of each week. Also, I am currently trying to move my blog to a different site. I think I will be blogging at mysportspen.com, but only time will tell. However, I am going on my own All-Star Break to Mt. Pleasant, and unless there is a computer at my hotel, I will not be able to post until Monday.

The big news as of late has been the Marion-O'Neal trade. Honestly, I think this makes the Heat worse. O'Neal isn't capable of doing much anymore, and he is constantly on the fritz. On the other hand, I love this move by the Raptors. I wouldn't be surprised if they start to make a playoff push right now.

For now, let us root for AI in the All-Star Game that he should not be in.

Choke!

Going into last night's game, I thought we had a good shot at winning. Those odds increased to me when Iverson decided he had the flu and couldn't play. For three quarters, we played well as a team, with Rip filling in Iverson's role nicely. We were keeping pace with the Baby Bulls. Heading into the fourth, we had a nice 12 point lead, figuring we could coast off of the momentum Rasheed had just built (He scored 15 in the 3rd.) Then Tyrus Thomas started blocking shots and grabbing impossible rebounds, Andres Nocioni started driving through a barren, deserted lane, and Ben Gordon started knocking down impossible shots.

When the dust cleared, we lost by 5, 102-107. What a debacle! The Pistons should be ashamed of the way they defended late in the game, but luck also had a lot to do with the Bulls win. They got some questionable foul calls down the stretch. Nonetheless, the Bulls played like a team that should be in the playoffs. There two young big men were impressive. Tyrus Thomas had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Joakim Noah had 12 and 16 rebounds. Noah isn't exactly built like a tank. Someone besides Sheed and Tay needs to start grabbing more boards.

We outshot the Bulls, but they grabbed enough offensive boards to make it not matter, 18 in fact. Derrick Rose was 10-15 from the field, and now he already looks like a better player than Stuckey. Rip was hot again last night, going 11-21 for 30 points, and he also had 8 assists. Rasheed had 20 and Stuck and Tay both had 16. We got sucked into playing to fast, and we lost control near the end of the game. We have just got to slow things down.

Game 50 Preview

PG: At this point in their careers, this matchup is just about even. By next year, Rose will dominate

Advantage: Draw

SG: As long as Gordon get hot, we should take this matchup. AI isn't exactly Bruce Bowen though

Advantage: Pistons

SF: Here is another close matchup. Deng is the better shooter, but Prince is way better defensively. I don't know why the Bulls are so hesitant to give up Deng

Advantage: Pistons

PF: These two guys play a similar style of ball. Both are very athletic. Right now, Tyrus is better defensively

Advantage: Bulls

C: I really don't think Joakim Noah should be a center, at least not right now. Sheed should take advantage of him all night

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: In their last 6 games, the Bulls have won 4. In the two losses, they have lost by a combined 8 points against the Mavs and Rockets. Now they are well rested, not playing since Saturday. We could be in trouble. However, we beat them by 6 last time we played and Stuckey had 40 points. I would be surprised if he scored 25 points tonight, but I think the Pistons will escape with a 5 point win

Trade Needs: Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks: This team is an enigma. I really don't know how good they are. I don't think they are championship quality, but they can score. To move to championship quality, they need a C. They really need some help on the wing too, be it a starter or a backup

Denver Nuggets: This team is going to start falling off eventually, right? I don't think they can win a playoff series in the West. They could use a PF to put next to Nene. I don't favor K-Mart starting. He would be better in a Jason Maxiell type role. They need some defensive help too.

Golden State Warriors: Speaking of needing defensive help, this is the worst defensive team by far. They have more than enough wing shooters, but they either need a real PF who can rebound and play defense, or a distributing PG. Marcus Williams could eventually be one, but Monta Ellis is definitely shoot first. A backup C would be nice too.

Houston Rockets: Ah, the Western equivalent of the Pistons. This may be the best team in the league on paper. However, McGrady is now a play-every-other-day time waster, and Artest is struggling to stay healthy. They could use another backup at that position. They really need a PG, but I don't think they think they do. Whoa, now I'm confused.

Los Angeles Clippers: As it turns out, Baron would have been screwed even if Elton Brand would have stayed in town. This team would be decent if they were healthy, so I wouldn't advise dealing too many players. Trading for someone to play defense would be wise though. Camby can't do it alone. They need a backup SF as well.

Los Angeles Lakers: The question right now is if they want to trade for a big man during Bynum's absence. I think I would leave it alone. Just concentrate on getting Bynum healthy and leave the roster intact. Their bench is playing phenomenally, so I don't want to screw with the chemistry. Plus, now they have Adam Morrison. That's all you really need.

Memphis Grizzlies: Well, this team has needs, but they probably won't fill them when they are this far out of contention. They need a starting PF more than anything. They also do not have a competent PG, but they are hoping that Mike Conley or Kyle Lowry can become one. A backup C is needed as well.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Well, this team is toast without Big Al Jefferson. They really need another scoring threat that can form a tandem with Al. Mike Miller is not that guy. He is best at coming off the bench, a fourth or fifth option. Randy Foye is still a questionable PG too. Oh yeah, we will see who backs up Al. They need someone better than undersized Kevin Love (a PF), Calvin Booth (terrible), Jason Collins (more terrible), or Mark Madsen ( even more terrible, plus a really bad dancer.)

New Orleans Hornets: This team can contend for a championship with the current roster. A better starting SG would put them over the top, but defensive backup big men is what they really need.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Well this team has tried to address their major need. They just fail horribly every time they try to draft a center. So far they have Saer Sene, Robert Swift, and Johan Petro. Now, Petro is gone, and replace with Nenad Krstic. No improvement what so ever. A legit C would put this team in contention.

Phoenix Suns: This team is also very hard to understand. I don't know what they need. The roster they have is fine. Maybe a defensive specialist would help, but where do you put them in the rotation. I would just leave the lineup in tact and see what happens

Portland Trail Blazers: Every team around the League knows what they need, because they have basically announced it. They are looking for a starting PG and SF, and they have the talent to work out any trade.

Sacramento Kings: This might be the least talented team in the League. The only player worth anything is Kevin Martin. John Salmons is only scoring because he puts up 15-20 shots each night. I would build around Martin and Thompson, and just get rid of everyone else. Well, maybe Spencer Hawes and Donte Greene are worth keeping around, but not much else.

San Antonio Spurs: This team is playing excellent basketball right now. I don't see them making any trades, unless it is something very minor. They could use a center, but they can make it work with just about anybody

Utah Jazz: This team looks good, but they just don't have it. In this case, "it" is a scoring wing player. Ronnie Brewer is a good player and C.J. Miles isn't bad, but they could use somebody better. A backup C is another need

Nash destroys Pistons, 107-97

For all of the haters who said Steve Nash never deserved to win MVP, he just ruined your whole argument last night. He killed us down the stretch, going for 15 points and 21 assists. Plus, he reminded the Pistons of exactly what they are missing because of the Chauncey trade, a distributing point guard. Nash would drive and kick it out or dump it off to Shaq and Amare, and we couldn't stop it. Stuckey can't do that. Not yet anyways. Iverson is capable, he just shoots when he should pass.

Rip did his best again to keep us in the game, going 11-19 for 27 points, but the Suns were relentless, and we were tired from OT with the Bucks. All of their starters scored in double digits, even Grant Hill looked impressive. Just when the Pistons made it look like a game, they would usually committ a dumb turnover and give up the momentum. The Suns just made us look bad, tallying 31 assists to our 19. They weren't really shooting many 3's, they were dropping the ball off in the paint and letting Amare and Shaq do work. Overall, we got outscored 66-26 in the lane. They combined for 38 points and 17 rebounds (or 1 Al Jefferson stat line.) My big night never came for Amare, but that is because Michael Curry tricked me. About a week after he said he was done using Kwame in the starting lineup, voila, there he is. So Rasheed defended Amare, and kind of kept him in check.

Iverson had 25 points and 7 assists. For those of you that appreciate the finer things in basketball, check out this bounce pass. Maybe he learned it from Steve Nash. I mean he is a big fan after last nights game. He was quoted saying "Who's been down on Steve Nash, He’s definitely an All-Star and he’s still playing like an MVP."

Both teams were 27-21 heading into this game. Now, we are starting to get very close to falling out of playoff contention. Don't laugh. Sometimes even the worst teams can put together win streaks, and right now we have lost 11 of 17. Meanwhile, the Suns are fighting for a playoff spot, but I think if they get in, and still have Amare, they are very dangerous

Game 49 Preview

PG: Well, this will be fun. Nash really doesn't play much defense at all. To me, Rodney's defense is still suspect. There should be a ton of scoring

Advantage: Suns

SG: My bad. I meant to put former Spartan Jason Richardson up there, but I really wasn't thinking. Barbosa is one of the few guys that is faster than AI. Richardson is not. He thinks he is a shooter, which he isn't

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This is a past and present matchup. Tayshaun is going to lock down Grant. I don't expect much scoring out of either of these guys

Advantage: Pistons

PF: Well, here we go again. Amir should not be a starter at this point in his career. He got embarrased by Villanueva, and now things are only going to be worse. This could get ugly, even with McDyess in

Advantage: Suns

C: I really don't know how we plan to defend Shaq. We have nobody on our team who can stay with him down low. These type of things will hopefully be adressed at the deadline

Advantage: Suns

Overall: Hopefully, this is an audition for Amar'e ( Spelling his name is so stupid) Anyways, he is probably going to score at least 30, and maybe Joe D. will be impressed enough to trade for him. I think the guys are still going to be fatigued after last night's game, so we will lose tonight, by about 8

Sessions vs. Rip City

Wow! I had no idea that Ramon Sessions was going to tear through our defense like a hot knife through butta. He had 20 points in the fourth quarter, and 44 in all. He was 13-18 from the field and 18-21 from the free throw line. He also had 12 assists. Not bad for a second round draft pick. If the team would have had Michael Redd as a kick out option for Sessions, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have lost. However, they are crippled with injuries. We also have Rip Hamilton, who was the man last night

Rip scored 38 points on 15-25 shooting. The more unsung hero of last night's game was Tayshaun. He only scored 7 points, but he contributed 13 rebounds and 9 assists. Iverson and Sheed also played above average, each scoring 27 points. We had no trouble shooting the ball, going 48% from the field, 55% from downtown, and hitting 26-28 from the charity stripe.

Usually a win in overtime is cause for celebration and a good start in building momentum. In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend." We may have shot very well, but what quality of defense were we playing against. The only defensive minded player on that team is a rookie, LRMaM. Sheed played good defense against former Spur Francisco Elson, but Amir struggled mightily against Chuck Villanueva, who scored 33 points. And Allen Iverson and Rip could not stop Sessions all night. We got the win, but it came against a sub-.500 team missing three of it's best players (Bogut, Redd, and Ridnour if you are keeping track at home.) We need to start going deeper into our bench to allow our starters to stay fresh until the end of the game, because we are terrible in the second half. Coach Curry needs a new scheme

Other things of note:

• My boy, Adam Morrison, was traded to the Lakers along with former Spartan Shannon Brown for VladRad. Rufus on Fire believes the Lakers only really wanted Brown


• New Jersey obliterated Denver, 114 to 70


• Disco Dirk scored 44 as the Mavs beat da Bulls in OT

Game 48 Preview

PG: Well, the Bucks are going to miss Luke Ridnour. Maybe they put Sessions here, which wouldn't be a drop-off, but he was already playing in Redd's spot

Advantage: Pistons

SG: Sessions is a good distributor, but I am not sure if he is a good shooter or defender. I'm not betting on it

Advantage: Pistons

SF: I think Richard Jefferson is one of the most overrated players. He doesn't really do all that much but score about 15 a night

Advantage: Pistons

PF: Villanueva has the skill set to be an All-Star, but he seems indifferent to how he performs. Regardless, Amir is going to have his hands full, but what else is new?

Advantage: Bucks

C: The Bucks also really miss Andrew Bogut. Sheed should dominate tonight

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: I liked the Bucks team at the beginning of the season, but now, three of there top 5 players are down and out. We are definitely playing them at the right time. I think we should win by at least 10.

Trade Needs: Eastern Conference

With another off day for the Pistons, I am bored. Since every NBA fan is in a tizzy about the trade deadline coming up, I figure I might as well try to figure out what each teem needs. I will start with the Eastern Conference. Eventually, I will do the Western Conference, and then later, I will look at what each team is willing to give up.

Atlanta Hawks:
I believe with one more piece, this team could be legitimate. They got valuable playoff experience last year and I think they could win at least one playoff series this year. Currently they would be matched up with the Pistons. I believe that this team needs an actual center to contend. Al Horford could slide down to power forward, and Smith could be a SF.

Boston Celtics:
They really don't have a major need, but the Lakers just exposed them. If anything, I think they should add a veteran PF or C, just in case KG gets in foul trouble. However, they should be set with Powe and Big Baby

Charlotte Bobcats:
I think this team has a good shot at making the playoffs. If the new guys start to play together well, they are an average team. I think they would be better if they added a PF or C. Okafor can play either, but Diaw is best at SF, or coming off the bench. They also need a bench wingman.

Chicago Bulls:
Just looking at the Bulls roster, they have one of the largest collections of starting caliber players of any team. They are of course missing a legitimated big man. Noah has not proven that he can play center. Other than that, there is no reason why they shouldn't be winning games, other than Vinny Del Negro

Cleveland Cavaliers:
I don't see this team making a trade before the deadline, but they could really help themselves out if they did. I think they could definetly upgrade at the SG position. Sasha Pavlovic plays defense, but a threat at that position would make them very dangerous. However, Delonte West will be back shortly

Detroit Pistons:
The Pistons sadly have many needs. First and foremost, a big man. They need somebody who will bang in the low post and grab double digit rebounds every night. If not that, then we need a distributor, a point guard that is not shoot first. Also, we could use a back up point guard.

Indiana Pacers:
Like almost every other team, the Pacers need a good big man. It could be a a PF or a C, because they have complementary big men, Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy who are capable of starting, but are not good scoring options. A first rate shooter would also help this team out.

Miami Heat:
Even with this team's vast improvement, they still have two big holes. One is a good starting point guard. Not necessarily a distributor, but a good ball handler. Chalmers can start, but if they are serious, they need a better point. Even more of a concern, they need a center. They do not have one decent center. Udonis Haslem can't do it all by himself.

Milwaukee Bucks:
Well this looked like a playoff team, but I don't see them getting there without Michael Redd. I think they would be best off at just trying to get younger and athletic. They should not view themselves as contenders. A young SG or C would be nice

New Jersey Nets:
This team could make a playoff push. But they are not even closer to serious contenders with the current forwards they have. I don't think they should try to build a good team at the deadline right now either because they are more than a few pieces away. Their whole bench is pretty underwhelming too.

New York Knicks:
I think this can be a legitimate playoff team...next year. Mike D'Antoni is starting to work his magic, but they need to get some playoff experience before they can make some serious noise. If they don't trade Lee, I think he is okay at C. I would like him to play PF, but with him there, they are quick. However, they really need a SG. This would allow them to put Q-Rich at SF and Jared Jeffries to the bench.

Orlando Magic:
This team is playing well beyond their expectations. I don't think I would mess with that. I would just hope that Jameer Nelson's return is the boost they need for a playoff push. A backup big man would help for the playoffs too.

Philadelphia 76ers:
The Elton Brand experiment did not work this season. I think I just throw out this season and hope that next is better. However, I think they should consider trading for a SF. Iguodala should be a SG, and Willie Green should be benched

Toronto Raptors:
Well, so much for my prediction about the Raptors going to the Finals. Jermaine O'Neal has been a huge, huge disappointment. If they can get a SG or SF for him, than I would pull the trigger. They need to set up an inside-outside threat, somebody that can slash. A backup PG and PF are needed as well

Washington Wizards:
The Wizards are in a really weird situation. They think they have the current team to compete in the East, but Agent Zero keeps screwing them over. They really need a center, but who doesnt? I think they should consider any trade sent there way, because they need a breath of fresh air into the team.

For a different perpective, Hoopsworld also did this.

Dyess might be a starter

According to the Detroit News, Michael Curry has been contemplating moving Antonio McDyess from the bench to the starting lineup. Basically, right now is he a starter. He is getting 30 minutes a night compared to Amir's 13 minutes per game. I think it is better to leave McDyess coming off the bench for now. I don't want to see him get burned out before the playoffs. In fact, if we didn't need him as much, I think he should be playing less minutes. However, his rebounding is too valuable to us right now. I would like to see us acquire a guy before the deadline that could backup Sheed and Amir and lighten Dyess' role, but it probably won't happen

Heat-Loss

If you live in Michigan, you know it is d*** cold outside right now. There is no Heat. The Heat apparently did not show up at the Palace last night either. They managed only 39% shooting on the night, while allowing the Pistons to shoot 49%, which is ridiculous for us. Somehow, they were still in the game until the very end, where Rodney Stuckey ended up killing them softly. He had the mid-range pull up jumper working, and he and Sheed finished with 18. Sheed was also instrumental in the final minutes, icing the game with a 3-ball to put us up 5. It was a stupid shot, but it fell. He got lucky. We won 93-90

Dwyane Wade, accomplished something unusual. He had a very dissapointing 29 points. Yeah that sounds weird. Why was it dissapointing. Well, he was 10-31 from the field. My predicted big night for the Matrix never materialized after he wound up with a scratched retina. He had 16 points. Perhaps he needs a visit with the Oracle.

Tayshaun was back last night. He scored 16 points and had 8 rebounds. We need this every game. Iverson was underwhelming, but the bench did well. By the bench, I mean Rip and Dyess. Rip had 12 points and 7 dimes, while Dyess was beastly, grabbing 17 rebounds. That's right, not even Joel Anthony could stop him. The turnover margin was interesting. Usually turning over the ball 16 times means absolute defeat, but it didn't. Somehow, the Heat had only 5 turnovers.

The difference in the game was the rebounding. We won the battle, 45-35. Our 8-14 3-point shooting didn't hurt either.

On an unpositive note, the consecutive sellout streak ended last night at 259 games. I blame the team, but the team blames the economy.

Also, my other things of note will be devoted to the latest tidbits from around the League.

Other things of note:

• LeBron outdid Kobe in scoring 52 at the Garden, while also tallying 11 assists and 10 rebounds. I really hate LeBron. However, this just goes to show that Mo Williams does not deserve the hype. He had 9 points last night. Essentially, he just lives in LeBron's fantasy world, where his stats depend on the King's decision of how many points he wants to collect on any particular night. Last night was a statement, so there was no time for Mo


• Without Andrew Bynum, the Lakers have become an Army of Two. Last night they beat the Raptors with Kobe and Pau combining for 67 points


• Stephen Jackson also had a triple double last night


• With our win, we are now back in the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference


• To quote famous thespian, Terrell Owens "Getcha popcorn ready." TNT has a delicious double header. First up, Lakers versus Celtics. I got the Celtics in that one. After that, the Jazz meet the Mavs. The Mavs will continue their roll again tonight.


• Blockbuster alert: A swap of Keith Bogans for Tyronn Lue is currently in the works

Game 47 Preview

PG: Actually, Stuckey will be matched up against Wade, his idol. This matchup will show what Stuckey is really made of. Wade will have a big night

Advantage: Heat

SG: Iverson will be defending NCAA champion Mario Chalmers. Chalmers is a threat, and is solid defensively, but Iverson has no reason not to shoot well tonight

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This is the key matchup, obviously. The Matrix can do it all. Tonight he will have to. Tayshaun has been in a mini-slump lately. He needs to break out of it for us to win

Advantage: Draw

PF: Haslem is a good rebounder. Amir is not right now. Haslem is gonna be workin him down low all night. Well, that sounds kinda weird

Advantage: Heat

C: The Heat are running low on options at center. If they keeping winning at a steady pace, I wouldn't be surprised if they traded for a center. Until then, they are stuck with Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: We just played the two top contenders in the East and held our own. Now we play the team that is directly above us in the standings. I have a feeling that we get the W tonight, but Marion is gonna have a big game. I like us to win by 12

H-O-R-S-E!

Yes, TNT has added H-O-R-S-E to the All-Star festivities. No participants have been announced at the moment. The news is on Ball Don't Lie, where he is lobbying for Rasheed Wallace. Click on Sheed's name on the page, and you will be able to watch the youtube video of Sheed's trick shot magic. This could turn out very well, or very, very bad.

Statistical Analysis via 82games

82games.com does an awesome job with analyzing the numerical data from the NBA. They have a section that ranks team outputs by positions. Below are some of the highlights, but the full set of data can be found here

Good:

• Detroit PG, SG, SF positions all rank in top 10 (out of the 30 teams) in points
• For FG%, Detroit SG ranked at 4, Detroit PF ranked at 6
• SG and SF both ranked at 4 in assists
• SF, PF, and C all ranked in top 10 in T/O
• SG and SF ranked in top 10 in PER Difference

Bad:

• PF ranked at 29 in points
• PG ranked at 27 in FG%
• No position listed in top 14 in rebounding. Only team with equally consistent bad rebounding is Golden State
• SG ranked at 29 in T/O
• PF and C ranked at 24 and 27, respectively, in FTA

A Distraction

Well the basketball in Detroit is bad right now. However it is not quite as bad as the football. A new trade idea just hit me. How about we trade Allen Iverson to the Lions for Calvin Johnson. Sounds like a plan to me. Iverson has to be better at passing the football than a basketball. Look below, he's tackling Randy Foye (who probably deserved it.) The Lions could use a hyrbid QB/CB. Plus, with his leaping ability, you know Calvin Johnson can ball. He probably took a few lessons from Javaris Crittenton and Thad Young when they were all at Georgia Tech

Here, watch Allen play!

Have you heard about this?

I read a tiny blip about it in ESPN Magazine, then I looked it up on the web. Two people embezzled over 1.8 million dollars from the Palace of Auburn Hills. Here are the details

Another 4th Quarter Collapse

Check the box score of this game. It will make you ill. The Pistons beat the Cavs in all of the first 3 quarters, but managed to lose the 4th (and the game) 32-14. The Cavs beat us by 10, 90-80. We managed to shut down the Big Z, but it didnt' matter. Mo Williams had 22 and LeBron had 33 and we just blew it. Iverson scored 22 points, but you get the feeling that he could be scoring 40 each night and it wouldn't matter.

With this loss, we move to 25-21. Yahoo had a pretty interesting fact in their game recap. This is the first time losing 4 home games in a row since 2001. We are playing like one of the worst teams in basketball. The Pistons are not playing good defense. They should have watched and learned from the Cavaliers last night.

There really isn't a whole lot more to say about this. Right now, we suck. Iverson commented on the dreadful play "Our whole thing is, it better be figured out by the time we get to the playoffs." He should stop worrying about then, and start winning some ball games, because at the pace we're at, we might miss the playoffs. We are currently 6th in the East, and 13.5 games behind Boston. The current 9th seed is New York, who is 17.5 games behind Boston. We don't have much of a cushion. We must get our act together, and quick

Other things of note:

• The Cavaliers beat us in rebounds and assists. Every Cavs starter grabbed at least 4 rebounds. Why can't we do that?
• Stuckey and Sheed combined for 15 points. Way to show up guys, shooting 6-20
• Rip had 16 points in 26 minutes
• Amir had a good game, statistically anyways. He had 10 points and 9 rebounds
  

Game 46 Preview

PG: Everybody is saying Mo Williams got snubbed. No, LeBron just makes him look better than he is. Tonight we see how good he really is. Stuckey has done a good job lately of driving the lane

Advantage: Draw

SG: Well, the Cavaliers apparently find it very important to maintain a solid bench. AI should torch Sasha

Advantage: Pistons

SF: I don't know if you've heard, but this LeBron guy is pretty good

Advantage: Cavaliers

PF: Big Ben is back, baby. There's some alliteration for ya. Anyways, Ben can still rebound, but so can Amir. Amir is offensively more advanced

Advantage: Draw

C: Big Z may be a goofy looking man, but he can ball. He plays similar style to Rasheed, but he does it better, and more consistently

Advantage: Cavaliers

Overall: We played well even though we lost to the Celtics. Tonight is a different story. We need to make sure The Big Z is contained in the post. That is the key. I think we are capable of winning tonight if we play like we did against the Celtics. The Cavaliers, however are a top defensive team. I think we play hard, but we lose by 6 tonight.

We need a bench quick!

After realizing that our team usually only plays 3 guys off the bench each night, I had an epiphany. This is going to screw us over later in the season. Right now, we usually only have Maxiell, Rip, and and McDyess come off the bench in games. Occasionally we will see Kwame, Afflalo, or Bynum get some good minutes, but we don't blow anyone out anymore, so this is barely happening. What we need is to rest our guys so we can do something in the post season. I don't see Joe D. making a big move at the deadline. But I think we may see him bolster the bench. The Pistons do not have a good backup PG or SF. We need to make a deal. There are plenty of teams willing to trade PG's right now (Hello, Earl Watson.) SF's are a bit more difficult, and that isn't as big of a need, because Tayshaun is younger and capable of going with less rest. However, the question remains, who would we have to trade? If we are not going to play Afflalo or Hermann, I think they should be sent elsewhere. We could package them together and get a decent PG, and that would create room for us to give a shot to Alex Acker or Walter Sharpe. If you have ideas, send me a link to the ESPN trade machine

Good Stuff

If you need a laugh, check out the new comic at Garbage Time All Stars (Well, technically go there, then follow the link to Ball Don't Lie.) It really has nothing to do with the Pistons, but is still funny.

Good News and Bad News

The bad news is that we lost. We went 6-9 for the month of January The good news is that we only lost to the defending champs by 8 points. We played a tough game and finally showed up defensively. The even worse news is that we have to take positives out of losing games because it happens so often now.

We actually gave the Celtics a game. Their last 7 wins have all come by double digits, so I guess that is sort of a small victory for us, right? I expected the game to have more points, but the gap between the teams was as I expected. The Celtics don't blow us away. They lull us into thinking that we are close enough to come back at any time and we never do. They never stop defending, never. Marc Jackson pointed out that when the game finished, the Pistons were attempting just to score before the horn, even though it didn't matter at all. The Celtics shut them down. Not many teams do that.

The Celtics didn't do anything exceptional on the offensive end. We actually played pretty solid defense and held them to 45% shooting. The Boston 3 Party combined for 56 points, which is about average for them. Rondo had 12 assists, but we managed to keep Kendrick Perkins in check. He was getting so frustrated that he headlocked Maxiell and threw him down, so he was ejected. We stuck to one of my keys to success, not shooting more than 10 3-pointers. We shot 8, but only made 1. Overall, we shot only 40% from the floor. The Celtics defense just squeezed the life out of us.

Other things of note:

• The Celtics were able to score on us because of excellent ball movement. They had 25 assists, and were seemingly always able to find someone for an open jumper
• Iverson and Stuckey each had 19 points, but they combined for only 5 assists
• Tayshaun had a bad night, going 1-7 for 4 points. Paul Pierces defense is underrated
• Rip was instant offense off the bench. He had 14 points
• McDyess had 14 rebounds
• AI passed Charles Barkley for 16th on the all-time scoring list'
• In case you haven't heard, the Celtics have now won 10 in a row

Game 45 Preview

PG: Hey, Rajon Rondo has been putting up pretty decent numbers. However, his jump shot is still ugly. Some people are calling him an All-Star snub. No way. Stuckey isn't as good at distributing, but he is the superior scorer

Advantage: Draw

SG: I wouldn't count on us holding Ray Allen under 10 points. No one has done that this year. However, it is not every night that he has to defend someone as quick as The Answer. This should be interesting

Advantage: Draw

SF: Most people either love or hate Paul Pierce. I don't really fall in either category. I think he is very good, but I don't think he is a Top 10 player like he thinks he is. Prince will be all over him tonight

Advantage: Draw

PF: Regardless of whether he is at PF or C, Sheed will be on Garnett and vice versa. Sheed was hot against the Wolves, but tonight is the man Al Jefferson got traded for. Garnett could go off tonight.

Advantage: Celtics

C: I have a feeling we will see Kwame in the starting lineup. He weighs 60 pounds more than Amir, but still gives up 10 pounds to Kendrick Perkins. Perkins is kinda streaky. He is either devastating or non-existent. We will see tonight

Advantage: Celtics

Overall: The Celtics just methodically wear you down. I went to Game 6 against them last year. We never really seemed down that far, but we never got close. They are a defensive machine. But all the Pistons have heard lately is that things are falling apart. Even Yahoo Sports thinks so. The Pistons are angry and ready for a battle. Meanwhile, the Celtics have been coasting. They are going down tonight. I think we beat them by 8 in a surprisingly high scoring game.

The One We Call Amir

The blog on MLive just posted something quite interesting. After some quantitative analysis, they found that the Pistons are a much better rebounding team when Amir gets more minutes. This is news to me. Besides McDyess and Sheed when he is motivated, Amir is the best rebounder, but I think I would still rather see more Dyess. However, the numbers don't lie...always

Boom!

Even Luis Scola is pumped!

I don't like to brag, but I was pretty close to nailing the Rookie-Soph teams. Granted I just picked these teams like two and a half weeks ago, and I picked 12 man rosters, but I was close. My two errors were leaving Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden off the Soph team. Who cares. I thought we abandoned basketball in the Pacific Northwest? But seriously, Oden has been coming on lately. In his last 5 games, he has averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds. He could be the next Chris Kaman. Wait, is that good or bad? As for Rudy Fernandez, I stick by my exclusion of him. He is more style than substance. I would take my boy, LRMaM anyday.

If you dont know what I am talking about, here are the old posts

Sophs Picks

Rookie Picks

Thanks for making me look stupid

One day after I post on how poorly Rasheed has been playing as of late, he decides he wants to score 25 points and grab 10 rebounds, against Big Al Jefferson to boot. Yes, I am impressed. He was even scoring on the low post, with his sneaky turnaround jumper. However, I want to see this sustained through at least a couple of games. Blaha and Kelser complemented Sheed's defense, which was good near the end of the game. I would like to see it at the beginning though too. Allowing Al Jefferson and Kevin Love 41 point and 16 rebounds isn't exactly exceptional.

As for the game itself, we won 98-89 over the hottest team in the NBA. Yeah I know the Wolves stink, or at least they should. However, I feel like this is a big win for us. We always seem to doze off on opponents like the Wolves. Sheed knew he would have to perform and he did. Hopefully, we can use the momentum to beat Boston and Cleveland.

The other man I considered tradeable, The Answer, did not impress me last night. He once again did not shoot all that well, going 5 for 15. He had 19 points, but he needs to start cutting when Sheed or any other post guy has the ball. He needs to make stuff happen. Stuckey had another solid game and McDyess was once again beastly off the bench, scoring 14 points with 10 rebounds.

Other things of note:

• We only attempted 8 3-pointers. I think was a key to victory. We have to realize we are not shooters
• We only had 7 turnovers
• Rasheed had 5 steals!

Game 44 Preview

PG: Sebastian Telfair was supposed to be big. Not so much

Advantage: Pistons

SG: Isn't Randy Foye a PG? AI should get his groove back tonight. If not, than something is seriously wrong

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This isn't close. Prince will dominate shooting tonight

Advantage: Pistons

PF: Craig Smith is underrated. I think he is a decent low post guy and a good rebounder. Amir will have his hands full

Advantage: Timberwolves

C: Big Al is pretty close to dominant right now. Sheed needs to take notes

Advantage: Timberwolves

Overall: These teams are polar opposites. One is a good team that is playing almost as poorly as it can play. The other is a bad team that is play about as perfect as it can play. The Wolves have won 10 of 12 games in January. We didn't play awful against the Rockets, we just ran into them at the wrong time. We should win this game by 10 points. But right now, who knows.

Change we can believe in?

You know how when we traded for Allen Iverson things were supposed to change. He was supposed to be the missing scorer that would finally unlock our offensive potential and combine with our stellar defense to create a team that would dominate the universe. Yeah, that didn't work out so well. Well Iverson really isn't a premier scorer in the NBA. Oh yeah, that Chauncey guy we traded, he was pretty good. Especially defensively and in clutch situations. Well, stop your whining. Both I and Baron Davis know it is too late to call backsies. But what should we do know. We have lost 7 of the last 9 games, generally leaving us fans feeling like the feline below.

What should be done. I believe if a team is going to play together, they will at least show signs through their first 25 games. We really have not. I don't see us winning a playoff series, but as always, we are one piece away. I believe that piece is a defending center, just like Ben Wallace used to be. A center is not obtained easily though. So who should be the trade fodder. Let us go through the starting lineup...

Rodney Stuckey-He was one of the main reasons we traded Chauncey. He has lived up to his potential so far and trading him is out of the question.

Allen Iverson-If Stuckey has filled part of Chauncey's shoes, then AI has left the other part unfilled. He can still score 15-20 per night, but he creates bad matchups when he has to defend a 2, and he doesn't play that hard defensively. In my mind, he should be traded. So what if we just got him. The Hawks did the same thing when they traded for Rasheed. The question is who would want him

Tayshaun Prince- No, he will not be traded. He is the current face of the franchise

Rasheed Wallace- He is the second part of the problem. He has become indifferent to going for rebounds, and doesn't post up much anymore. He is very capable of doing this, he just doesn't think he should. He can be traded

Amir Johnson-He has still has not reached his full potential, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense to trade him right now. If he was requested in a reasonable trade offer though, I don't think the Pistons could refuse, especially because we have Jason Maxiell

Here are some of my potential trade ideas. If you have a better one, send me a link on the comments:

• Rasheed Wallace for Sam Dalembert and Jason Smith

• Pistons get: Andris Biedrins, Marcus Williams, Hamed Haddadi

Warriors get: Hakim Warrick, Marc Gasol, and Kyle Lowry

Grizzlies get: Rasheed Wallace

• Allen Iverson and Will Bynum for David Lee and Stephon Marbury

So what do you think?

How did we give up 39 points in one quarter?

Yes, that is not a lie. The Mighty Mighty Pisstones defense allowed 39 points in the first quarter. Isn't the first quarter where we usually play out of our minds, then our play slowly declines as the game goes on tonight. Not tonight!

How was this scoring possible? Excellent question. First of all are not designed to be a jump shooting team. Without Yao, they were forced to be last night. Oddly, they were just hitting everything they threw up. They ended the game shooting near 53%. We just played lazy defense. No one really stayed down in the post, hence Luis Scola's 9-11 shooting for 21 points. In fact, every Rockets starter scored in double digits, even lowly Rafer Alston

One good thing coming out of this game was our shooting percentage though. We actually shot better than the Rockets, shooting 56%. I think if Yao had played that number would be much lower, but it still is ridiculous. Rip led the team with 27 points, while Sheed had 22 and 11 boards. Tayshaun was locked up all night by a combination of Ron Artest and Shane Battier.

Speaking of Ron Artest, I wasn't surprised when the boos rained upon him. It was kinda funny watching him sink the free throws that won the game. I really don't have a problem with the guy. He was just chillin on the scorers table when somebody hurled a beer at his face. I can't blame him for getting angry. Anyways, he and McGrady both looked good coming off of injuries. McGrady had 15, 4, and 4, while Artest had 24 points and 9 rebounds

Other things of note:

• We started Kwame Brown? I guess we were expecting Dikembe to start because Kwame only played 6 minutes
• The Rockets hit 12, yes 12 3-pointers
• Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds. The Pistons should have won this battle though because the Rockets didn't play an actual center at all. To start the game, Sheed tipped off against McGrady
• Stuckey had a quiet but decent game, scoring 14 points, with 8 assists and 5 rebounds
• Iverson had 17 points and 8 assists

Game 43 Preview

PG: As long as Rafer doesn't break Stuckey's ankles we should be good here. We should hope that Rafer takes a lot of shots tonight. That is how the Rockets lose

Advantage: Pistons

SG: McGrady could be back for the game, but he probably still wouldn't be able to hang with Iverson. Wafer is fun to watch and has been hot lately, but he's no Iverson

Advantage: Pistons

SF: I think Shane Battier must be Tayshaun's hero. They both have similar games, except Tayshaun is a better scorer and Battier takes a ton of charges'

Advantage: Draw

PF: Amir got torched by Dirk. Things won't get much better here. Scola is very underrated and is really crafty in the low post.

Advantage: Rockets

C: Yao may start in this game, depending on how his knee is feeling. On the off chance, that he does, I think this will be a very close matchup. Mutombo isn't gonna like having to follow Sheed outside though. We probably wil see more Chuck Hayes if Sheed decides he wants to shoot.

Advantage: Draw

Overall: Even with the injuries, this looks to be an excellent game between my two favorite teams. Luckily, I will be going to this game. I think the Rockets will somehow escape with the win, but only by a basket.

Torched by the Mavs, 112-91

See the picture above? This is what the Pistons knew was coming, yet could not stop in any way...at all. Amir Johnson summed up the fiasco

"I tried to stop Dirk, but when a 7-footer is shooting that fade, it is tough to do anything against him "

Our defense was terrible last night. The Mavs shot 55% last night compared to our 42%. It was just bad. They made us play out of tempo the whole game, and everybody struggled. Nobody was shooting all that well from the field. For instance, our 5 starters combined for 44 points. Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki scored 48 points. Rip led the team in scoring with 17, but it didn't make much of a difference. There was just sloppy defense all night long, especially in the post. Amir was outmatched all night long, and it killed us. Luckily, the next game will be against the Rockets, who lost to the Pacers because Yao went down. For those of you keeping track at home. There big 3 is now a big 0.

Other things of note:

• Jason Kidd had a double-double
• Brandon Bass looked impressive scoring 18 points and 6 rebounds
• Will Bynum is starting to get more minutes because of the starting lineup change. He played 21 mins last night and had 10 points and 4 assists
• Although Tayshaun scored 12 points, he only hit 1 field goal. He was 10-10 from the line
  

WTF! Who is voting for Iverson?

In case you haven't already heard, Allen Iverson is not only an All-Star, but he is a starter. The NBA really needs a new system to figure this all out. Apparently, we the fans cannot be trusted. But seriously, who is voting for this guy? The fans of Detroit really can't be all that impressed with him. Are the Denver and Philadelphia voting in droves for this guy. Is it China. These questions all may never be answered. Honestly, I don't think Iverson should even be an All-Star, let alone a starter. If Devin Harris or Danny Granger get snubbed, heads will roll. Not really, but I will just be kinda mad. Anyways here are the complete All-Star starting lineups

East:
G: Allen Iverson
G: Dwayne Wade
F: LeBron James
F: Kevin Garnett

C: Dwight Howard

West:

G: Chris Paul

G: Kobe Bryant

F: Tim Duncan

F: Amare Stoudamire

C: Yao Ming

Game 42 Preview

PG: Two very different styles at the point guard matchup. Stuckey is now a better scorer, but Kidd is the better player all-around. I don't Stuckey can defend him

Advantage: Mavericks

SG: Both these guys are in places they shouldn't be. Wright should not be a starter, Iverson should not be an All-Star

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This is a matchup of good versus evil. Both are good defenders and scorers

Advantage: Draw

PF: Yeah, Dirk is way better. Hopefully we can see him get swatted a few times, either by Amir or Maxiell, cause it makes me laugh

Advantage: Mavericks

C: Dampier is a scrub. Sheed will dominate

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: I think this game is going to be very close. Unlike against the Raptors, I see the bench playing a very big role in tonights game. Rip should score a bunch off the bench. I like us to win the game, by 4 points

Guess Who?

Pistons 95, Raptors 76

As expected, good things happened when Michael Curry made the decision to adjust the starting lineup. Yes, Rip was moved to the bench. The biggest impact this trade caused was that Tayshaun was able to move back to his natural position, and guess what? He took over. As you can see above, it doesn't matter who is attempting to cover, be it "The Other" aka gimpy Jermaine O'Neal, or globe-trotting Jamario Moon. Tayshaun finished the game with 25 points on 11-16 shooting.





The guards played well tonight too, even if they weren't huge in the stat columns ( Iverson 11 pts, 4 rebs, 6 ast- Stuckey 17 pts and 7 asts) Howeva, our bigs were out of sync (well at least the starters) were out of sync. Rasheed was 1-6 with 3 points and 2 rebounds. Amir had 2 points and 5 rebounds. Not to worry though





UNLEASH THE BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hide the women and children!!!!!!!!!

The Baby Eater went off last night in 25 mins of gametime. He scored 16 points, grabbed 11 boards, and had 2 blocks.

Anyways, the game did not look good from the get go. We headed into the second quarter down by the five, but completely dominated the second and third quarters. In fact, Curry didn't really want to mess things up by subbing out the starters, so Rip only got 21 minutes

Other things of note:

• Antonio McDyess continued his rebounding his strong play, with 10 points and 8 rebounds
• I did not expect Jermaine O'Neal to play. He did, but not for very long, and he didn't make that much of an impact. Jose Calderon was also out for the Raptors
• This was the Pistons first double-digit win since Dec. 27th over the Bucks
• Everyone got a brief glimpse of Nathan Jawai, the only basketball player ever to be chased by a kangaroo

Game 41 Preview

PG: We will be in trouble if Jose Calderon decides he is healthy enough to play. He is currently day to day. Parker, however, should not be overlooked. This will be a tough matchup for Stuckey

Advantage: Draw

SG: This isn't even close

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This is another fun matchup to watch. Moon is very athletic, but he has occasional mental lapses. Prince is too savy for Moon to get the best of him

Advantage: Pistons

PF: This also isn't close

Advantage: Raptors

C: Here are two totally opposite guys that play an oddly similar style of game. Sheed is a much better rebounder though

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: We should win this game if the Raptors lineup stays as is. If they have Calderon and O'Neal play, I don't see us winning. I don't think they both will, so I like us by 10

The News I've Been Waiting For

The Detroit Free Press has reported that Rip Hamilton will now be moved to the bench. I have been clamoring for this to happen ever since we got on that freaking losing streak. I don't hate Rip. He is one of Detroit's best basketball players of all time. But I think Allen Iverson needs to be given a chance to work with a normal lineup. Some people wanted Stuckey out of the lineup, but I think we traded Chauncey so we could see what we could do, and he has proved that he can be an All-Star caliber player in this League. The only thing I am worried about is that Rip will become angry over time about sitting on the bench. For now he doesn't seem to be upset saying

That’s how I look at it: Just a sacrifice sometimes you got to make in order to
win games.
Bottom line, I want to try to get back to the promised land.

Now teams will have to deal with another threat coming off the bench, instead of just Antonio McDyess, who has turned into a rebound machine lately. Michael Curry made a wise choice, so in my mind, his approval rating has just gone up.

Every day should be MLK day

Finally, we have brought the streak of futility to an end. If we could play the Grizzlies, every game, then boy we would be good. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Anyways, we didn't win by a lot like we should have, but we did do something encouraging, we actually played well in the fourth quarter. That's right Pistons, there is actually a fourth quarter. You don't just stay on the court for a cool-down session, the game is still going. This is not hockey. We headed into the fourth quarter down by 2. Don't ask me how, just listen to what I am saying. We then held the Grizzlies to 10 points in the fourth and won by 8 87-79. Iverson was the man last night, or evening really, scoring 27 points on 11-18 shooting. Plus....new kicks!!!!!

We finally were able to shoot last night, which is always good. We shot 48%, while the Grizzzzz were at about 41%. This seems good, until you think that the Grizzlies best on ball defender is probably Quinton Ross. Tayshaun stunk last night, going 2-12 and only grabbing 3 rebounds. In fact everyone pretty much took the night off rebounding and left the job to McDyess, who had 16 rebounds. All in all, I don't think we should be too excited with this win, but hopefully we can take something out of this game

Other things of note:

• Stuckey bounced back well. He was 7-12 with 14 points
• Sheed somehow managed 3 steals
• Marc Gasol is developing into a double-double machine, not like his girly brother

Up Next: Wednesday vs. Toronto

Game 40 Preview

PG: Rodney Stuckey should not struggle at all tonight. Lowry is not a very good player.

Advantage: Pistons

SG: Iverson goes against the premier scoring rookie in the League. However, Mayo is not the premier rookie defender in the League

Advantage: Pistons

SF: This is another weird matchup. I think once Arthur trots out onto the court, they will look at him standing next to Rip, and maybe we will see some Darius Miles action, much to the chagrin of the Portland Trail Blazers

Advantage: Pistons

PF: Two guys playing here that should be SF's. Gay is a pretty good slasher. We will see how Prince handles it

Advantage: Draw

C: Hopefully, Sheed doesn't underestimate the younger Gasol brother. He needs to stay inside, instead of jacking up 3's

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: Tonight is the night. We could be on a 20 game losing streak and not lose to the Grizzlies. They have the worst roster in the League, without question. I think we win by 15 and put an end to the freakin streak.

Guess What? We lost again

Hornets 91, Pistons 85

We really need to put an end to small ball. This is just getting bad. We are now 22-17 in the mediocre East Conference (yeah the East still isn't as deep as the West). We should have at least 30 wins with the team we have, but there is no team chemistry. Things are coming apart right now, and I kind of feel like Joe Dumars is starting to think about changes.

The 5 game losing streak continued last night at home against New Orleans. The game never really got away from us, we just didn't play all that well. Chris Paul hurt us, with 23 points and 14 assists, but he does that to every team he plays against. With small ball, we should be sacrificing rebounds and post play for putting better shooters on the floor. This is not happening. We shot 42%, while the Hornets shot close to 49%. We did somehow manage to outrebound the Hornets, but that was mainly McDyess, who grabbed 12. All of our starters were in double figures, with Rip leading the way, scoring 19, but something was still missing. We need a new Mr. Big Shot. We don't have a person who wants the ball in the fourth quarter. Somebody needs to step up.

Other things of note:

• Both teams were terrible shooting threes. We went 6-19, they were 2-14. Sheed shot 8 3- pointers, while Peja took 6
• The Hornets made 19 of 20 free throws. We made 7 of 13.
• Besides Paul, the most impressive player on the floor was definitely David West. He has great range. He scored 20 points and had 7 rebounds
• Maxiell had 11 points and 8 rebounds off the bench
  

An Analysis Of Centers

What we really need right now is a good center. We do not have one on our team. The problem is that most teams also have the same dilemna. I have been mulling over several trades in my head and it is very difficult to find a quality starting center that a team would even consider trading at all. I am not ripping on Sheed. I just don't think he is a center, or a great post player. To begin, here are centers I would like to have starting for the Pistons, or players who think could develop into good starting centers. There are several borderline players that are hybrid 4-5's, and I don't consider them all centers. For instance, Nene Hilario is a center, but Emeka Okafor is not. Anyways...

Kendrick Perkins

Nene Hilario

Andris Biedrins

Yao Ming

Marcus Camby

Chris Kaman

DeAndre Jordan

Pau Gasol

Andrew Bynum

Marc Gasol

Brook Lopez

Tyson Chandler

Dwight Howard

Sam Dalembert

Shaquille O'Neal

Robin Lopez

Greg Oden

Spencer Hawes

Brad Miller

Kosta Koufos

Javale McGee

Now we need to start putting these guys into categories. First, we have the untouchables, or guys viewed as franchise players. You call a G.M. and mention that you want to trade for them, you will get hung up on.

Yao Ming

Dwight

Next are the guys on good teams that aren't in trading mode right now

Kendrick Perkins

Nene Hilario

Pau Gasol

Andrew Bynum

Tyson Chandler

Shaquille O'Neal

Then there are the guys who teams won't trade because they just got drafted or are young cornerstones

Andrew Bynum

Marc Gasol

Brook Lopez

Robin Lopez

Greg Oden
Spencer Hawes

Javale McGee

Who does that leave us with:

Andris Biedrins

Marcus Camby

Chris Kaman

DeAndre Jordan

Sam Dalembert

Brad Miller
Kosta Koufos

I would love Camby, Dalembert, or Biedrins, but I really don't think they are very available either. I think we should start bugging Clippers about Chris Kaman. He would provide an interior presence we haven't had since Ben Wallace left. Miller could also be a good player, but only for a few more years, and he isn't that great in the post. Jordan and Koufos are two guys who I think have good futures in the NBA.

Game 39 Preview

PG: Chris Paul used to have problems with Chauncey Billups, too bad he's gone now

Advantage: Hornets

SG: It was funny listening to Jeff Van Gundy talk about how good of a shooter Butler is. Then the other announcer said that he was going to regret that comment, and JVG shut up. Iverson better score tonight, or we lose

Advantage: Pistons

SF: Another awkward matchup for Rip. Rip doesn't like standing still, but Peja kind of just sits behind the arc. This will be interesting

Advantage: Hornets

PF: As long as West doesn't stay in the post all night, Prince shouldn't have a problem. West is good, but Prince is better

Advantage: Pistons

C: Tyson is gonna have a big night on the boards. I don't know who has the muscle to stop him down low

Advantage: Draw

Overall: Hopefully, the loss to the Cavaliers destroyed the Hornets confidence. Otherwise we have no chance. What we need is Iverson to start playing good basketball. If that happens tonight, we win. If he has another 4-13 shooting night we are screwed. I sadly don't think we will win this game.

The collapse is official

We have now lost 4 in a row. In this streak we have been beat by Charlotte, Indiana, and last night, Oklahoma City. I think we have to forget small ball. If Rip doesn't want to come off the bench, then screw him. Trade him for a center. Change needs to come.

Last night, we played the one of the worst teams in the League, the Thunder, and lost by 10 points. Even with Tayshaun playing defense on him for most of the game, Durant somehow still scored 32 points. We actually shot a higher percentage as a team than the Thunder, but small ball is the reason why we lost. We got outrebounded 52-35. Perennial All-Stars Desmond Mason, Jeff Green, and Chris Wilcox combined for 36 rebounds. If we had a real center, maybe Sheed, Prince, and Rip could all play there natural positions, but we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, so we continue to lose.

Other things of note:

• As pictured above, I now consider Russell Westbrook second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He only shot 2-10, but he leaves an impact in so many different ways
• Rodney Stuckey killed us last night, shooting 1-10, for 3 points
• Tayshaun Prince played well as usual. Seing as how he is the only Piston consistently playing well, I think he should have top choice of what position he wants to play. He is not a PF
• Rip scored 18 points on 9-19 shooting
• If you were paying attention you noticed that I was wrong with my starters in the prediction for this game. Nick Collison did not play, so Nenad Krstic took his place.

Game 38 Preview

PG: Stuckey has played well, but we keep losing. Westbrook plays good D. This will be close

Advantage: Pistons

SG: AI is tiny compared to Mason, but all Mason can do is dunk. Sorry Thunder

Advantage: Pistons

SF: Hopefully this isn't the actual matchup tonight. If we don't slide Prince over to d-up, this could be disastrous. I don't know who Rip is going to defend

Advantage: Thunder

PF: Prince definitely will be able to score on Green, without question. But if he has to follow the Durantula around all night, that might wear him down.

Advantage: Pistons

C: Rasheed just better lay off the 3 pointers. He took way too many against Indiana.

Advantage: Pistons

Overall: There are very few teams that look better than us on paper. But that is it. We don't play with intensity, and we aren't upset about this losing streak. We need to get fired up to play tonight. If we don't come out with energy in the first half, they will beat us, like they just beat the Jazz. I don't see us winning tonight, but I hope they prove me wrong again.