Bleacher Report - Detroit Pistons

Bill Simmons' Signing

Busta Bucket — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:51:31 -0500

With nothing else to do last night, I decided to brave the traffic on highway 26 and head out to the Borders in Beaverton to experience the Bill Simmons book signing. Kudos to Borders for doing a great job of managing the event. It was difficult to estimate the number of people in attendance because everyone was so spread out, but it was a great turn out. I'd guess there was somewhere between 800 and 1,300 people.

Simmons came out before the signing to briefly address the crowd. He responded to some of the issues that he has heard recently from Blazer fans. A few of the things he addressed:

* He immediately acknowledged his mistake in predicting that the Blazers would go 41-41 this year. He said he had to decide between Portland and New Orleans as the team that might fall back a little this year and he chose wrong.
* He discussed his experience at the Blazers/Pistons game on Thursday (his first game at the Rose Garden), noting that we have what he believes to be the only arena in the league that doesn't play rap music during the intros.
* He questioned the three guard lineup and asked us if we liked it. I yelled, "No!" He said he's always been a "play your best five players" guy. I agree.
* He said he enjoyed the game, the atmosphere was good, it got tense when Steve Blake made "about 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter" before sinking the big three at the end.
* Someone yelled, "Drexler's Pistons!", bringing up the typo that was in his book. He said he thinks he had typed in Isiah Thomas' Pistons, wanted to change it to Drexler's Blazers and then he obviously failed to change the Pistons part.

He came off as very likeable. It was a fun event and he obliged when I asked him to write a special message in my book:

UPDATE: From Bill Simmons' twitter account following the signing:

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Game 13: Blazers 87, Pistons 81

Busta Bucket — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:07:40 -0500

Box Score

The Blazers nearly blew a 20-point advantage in the second half to a very mediocre Detroit Pistons team last night. The lead dwindled down to one before some clutch free throw shooting by Andre Miller and Steve Blake put the game away.

During the hideously played fourth quarter, a glaring Portland weakness was exposed by Piston's coach John Kuester. The comeback began as Kuester, recognizing that the man in charge of bringing the ball up the court was Steve Blake, implemented a full court press. With Blake leading the charge most of the way, the Blazers had a difficult time of handling the pressure, turning the ball over and missing hurried shots. It wasn't until Andre Miller-who earned a huge amount of respect from anyone watching the replays of him turning both of his ankles and continuing to play-hobbled back into the game to restore order.

I have always liked Steve Blake. He's a great guy and he works hard. But I'm also a realist and I understand that he just can't hack it against quality opponents or in pressure situations. He's a liability. Yes he had 17 points last night and he hit a huge three that gave Portland enough of a cushion to pull this win out, but he was the main reason the Blazers allowed a 20 point lead to get to one.

Even if it's an ugly win, you obviously take it. But frankly, the Blazers have looked ugly all year long. These grind-it-out, poor shooting games with Brandon taking a back seat have been hard to watch. Even after wins I find myself feeling rather bland. They are beating the teams they are supposed to beat but they are not looking all that great in the process. They have shown flashes of good play, but they have yet to put together a complete game. Add a few key injuries into the mix and it raises a bit of concern. Maybe they'll pull it together, but if this early chunk of games is any indication of what lies ahead, we can expect to wait another year to make it to the conference finals.

Unclutch freethrow shooting
Nearly blowing a 20-point lead
Blake's inability to run the team in crunch time
Martell continues terrible play

Another win
Andre Miller not letting two turned ankles bother him
20-points apiece from Brandon and LaMarcus
Rudy staying active

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Portland Trailblazers-Detroit Pistons: Brandon Roy Needs Help in the Fourth

Drew Barton — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:23:00 -0500

The excitement in the air was palpable. These Blazers were coming off a 4-1 road trip that included a road win over the Hornets. In some ways, that brought relief.

After all, the season got off to a rugged start with two home losses that both ended in heart-breaking fashion. Unlike last year when every close game was closed out by Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Joel Przybilla, and Steve Blake in victorious fashion, the losses to Atlanta and Denver felt like chokes.

That is not a word normally associated with Brandon Roy's Blazers and the murmuring had been getting loud.

This year's Blazer edition was expected to contend, not give away games. With Roy and Aldridge coming off major contract extensions, Greg Oden expected to be more like the player drafted than last year's surgery-slowed big man, and the return of Martell Webster from injury, all the pieces were in place.

The road trip went a long way towards leading the fan base to think that this was the team we thought we had. Time for the tip-off.

Suddenly, everything was clicking. Detroit was staying in the game, but once more we saw Aldridge asserting himself.

Detroit briefly took the lead, only to see Portland go on a 13-0 run. The fans settled back, ready to watch the Blazers take advantage of their superior skills and home court advantage to reel in a blowout victory.

There were fast breaks, some premier defense, and a heavy dose of Blazer Stars with Aldridge and Roy scoring with regularity.

By the end of the third quarter, it was a comfortable 20-point lead. Time to sit back and enjoy the show.

And there we find the difference between this year's team and last year's. This team has expectations. This team knows how good it is. The players know they are favorites to win almost every time out. Unless, of course, they stop working.

Suddenly the guards could not keep the ball. Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez took turns making turnovers that were highly uncharacteristic. Then Steve Blake went to work.

His four turnover fourth quarter was the antithesis of expectations. The book on Blake is "steady point guard, doesn't make mistakes". The reality, at least for this game, was he looked panic-stricken, out-matched, and incapable of holding on to the ball.

Then Andre Miller managed to miss four consecutive free throws as the Pistons inched ever closer. It left him feeling lonely.

By the time the Pistons got within one point with about a minute to go, Blazer fans were stunned and fearful. Were they about to see a third consecutive come-from-ahead home loss? What happened to this team that for two seasons thrived on pressure and tight games?

It did not help that when Blake clanked a rushed open jumper, there was a vast in-drawn breath from the entire stadium...only to see the ball bounce straight back to Blake who then drained a three that all but sealed it.

So what is happening with this Blazer team? Even with Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw out with injuries, this is a team even more talented than the 54-28 team we watched last year. How did a team that thrived under pressure degenerate into a turnover-making, free throw-bricking, error-prone bunch of vulnerabilities?

It starts in an unexpected place. Not with two-time All-Star Brandon Roy. Not with new starter Greg Oden. And, despite some murmurings about his "slow start", not with LaMarcus Aldridge.

It starts with Steve Blake.

Often maligned by Blazer fans for his Blake-fense deficiencies, his lack of ability to penetrate, and his modest assist totals, the more dedicated basketball fans understand what Blake brings to the team.

He relieves Roy of the tedious chore of bringing the ball up court. He gets the team into its offensive sets and keeps the team rhythm going. He gets out of the way when it is time for Roy to handle the ball. He hits key shots, stretches the defense with timely and efficient three point shooting, and does not turn the ball over.

Until crunch time.

For the first time in his career, Blake is a bigger liability on the offensive end. It is possible he is feeling the pressure of sharing time with Andre Miller. It is possible and indeed even probable he will get his groove back.

But it is also a fact that he is not performing the role we are used to seeing him perform.

Exacerbating this is the fact the Blazers' second best— and being second best is not by much— fourth quarter player for the last three years has been Travis Outlaw. Game after game he struggles for three quarters, then turns into Supertrout in the fourth. He scores at will. He makes huge defensive stops. He scores again. And again.

Except now he is on the shelf for the next few months. Aldridge has never been a big-time late game player, at least to this point. Oden is still trying to shake off two missed free throws that he (incorrectly) feels meant a Blazer defeat. Miller is a train wreck at late-game pressure shots.

That means the games rest on Roy's shoulders. It would be fine if he had that second guy the opponents had to key on such as he had with Outlaw last year. Without that, other teams can double and even triple team Roy, taking the ball out of his hands.

That puts it in the hands of Miller, whom teams foul expecting him to miss one free throw (and instead watch him miss both), or Blake, who seems to be trying to be Miller, driving into trouble, panicking, and passing it to the nearest fan.

It is easily correctable. First, the Blazers need to be ready to shoot when they get the ball. Fernandez provided a glimpse of that with his trey that extended the Hawk game to overtime. But outside of Roy and Fernandez, there is a noticeable reticence to shoot.

That must be corrected.

Until it is, Blazer fans will not need nail clippers...their teeth will be doing their fingernail grooming for the foreseeable future.

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Game 13: Blazers vs. Pistons, 7:00pm CSN

Busta Bucket — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:52:33 -0500

Detroit Pistons coverage at Need 4 Sheed .

Blazers

Analysis

Pistons

The Detroit Piston have a surprisingly good one-two punch at point guard. Rodney Stuckey (17ppg) and Will Bynum (14ppg) are both very capable of scoring but not especially good at distributing. We'll have to work hard to stop these guys offensively but I like Andre Miller in this game thanks to his veteran mentality. Bayless probably needs to get some run just for defensive purposes. I'm going with the Piston tandem.

With Rip Hamilton out, Ben Gordon gets full time duties at shooting guard (22.4ppg). He's very short for a shooting guard which bodes well for Portland's three guard starting line-up. Steve Blake has no chance of stopping him though. This could be a struggle. Will Bynum will also back-up Gordon, and as I said, he's a great scorer. I just hope Rudy and Steve can spread the floor and hit their shots to make these Pistons work hard defensively.

Brandon Roy had a relatively tough time in Atlanta on Monday. The Hawks focused in and held him under 20 points. Tonight they'll throw different guys at him but I see Roy being successful no matter what. The very lanky Austin Daye (Go Zags!) and much bigger Jonas Jarebko will try to defend our all-star. I just hope Martell will keep rounding into game shape, he hasn't looked quite right yet.

LaMarcus has been a bit inconsistent in his play this year; offensively he's hot and cold but the effort on the boards seems to be there. Tonight is a great opportunity for 20 and 10 at home. Charlie Villanueva is usually a machine in the scoring department (16.7ppg), so I expect him to score plenty. But the combination of LA and Howard should be enough tonight.

Greg Oden played well throughout the last 5-game road trip. He was confident and I think he'll finally bring that little bit of swagger back to Portland. With the aging Ben Wallace in the game, he'll be dealing with a tough defender but he should be able to rebound the heck out of the ball. I also like Przybilla to destroy the worst number one pick of all time in Kwame Brown. Blazers get this win at home!

Overall Winner:

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Growing Pains: Detroit Pistons Not Quite Ready for Showtime

Jay Wierenga — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:36:42 -0500

So far this season, the Detroit Pistons have been a hard team to figure out. Some nights they appear to be a fairly cohesive bunch, able to execute equally well with their bench and first unit.

Other nights, like Tuesday, they show how far they have left to go before they can reach elite status.

The Pistons began their first four-game trip out west with a 106-93 thumping by the Los Angeles Lakers.

For Detroit, this West Coast trip represents the first barometer for Detroit to measure itself against. Thus far this season, Detroit has played mainly second and third tier NBA teams with varying levels of success.

In order for the Pistons to become the best, they need to play the best, and there is arguably nobody better than the defending champion Lakers.

The result was not entirely unexpected for those that have been following this team.

However, teams tend to learn more about themselves from a defeat than they do from a victory, so let's explore what can be deciphered from this latest loss and why this game might be a microcosm of the Pistons' season.

Inconsistent Offense

The Pistons offense has been wildly inconsistent this season. When team president Joe Dumars put together this new cast of characters, it was understood that in order for Detroit to win games, they were going to have to put some serious numbers on the board.

For most people that examined their roster, that did not seem to be a problem.

However, through the first 11 games of the season, Detroit has only surpassed 100 points on two occasions, a loss at Orlando and a win in Washington.

Currently, this version of the Pistons is averaging 93.3 points per game, which ranks 26th in the league. That wouldn't be so bad if there were 100 teams in the league, but sadly there are only 30.

There are many reasons for the offensive struggles, not the least of which being injuries and the fact that many of the Pistons are not only playing together for the first time, but are playing NBA basketball for the first time.

First and foremost, the front court has essentially lived or died by Charlie Villanueva. When the season began, most people figured this would be the case as Detroit would likely be starting either Ben Wallace, Kwame Brown or Chris Wilcox next to Charlie at center, none of whom are exactly Hakeem Olajuwon in the post.

Villanueva is scoring a solid 15.4 points per game, however, the Pistons need to get at least that many from him in order to compete in this league. In the Pistons five wins this season, Villanueva has averaged 18 points, including games of 30 and 25.

In the Pistons six losses, that number drops down to 13, including a sad two points in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

If Detroit is going to win as presently constructed, Villanueva needs to step up every game and shoulder the load offensively.

But he's not the only reason for the offensive struggles.

Where Are The Dimes?

When Detroit traded star point guard Chauncey Billups last year, everyone knew that the assist numbers would go down. They were basically left with only one true point guard, Will Bynum, on the roster.

However, the drop has been precipitous. Actually, it has been a torrential downpour.

In the last full season Billups wore a Detroit jersey, they averaged 22.3 assists per game, which was 10th best in the league. Last year, that number dropped to 20.6, putting the Pistons in the middle of the league.

This year, that number has fallen to 15.7, which puts Detroit next to last in the league.

The biggest culprit is the fact that Detroit still only has one true point guard on the roster.

Too often, the Pistons have gone about their business on offense without proper penetration. When a perimeter player breaks down the defense, it usually leads to easy points for interior players.

Considering the offensive limitations of those interior players (save for Villanueva), that penetration is desperately needed. But so far, starting point guard Rodney Stuckey has been unable to get to the rim consistently.

This has not been due to a lack of trying, but rather because opposing teams do not yet respect his jump shot, allowing their guards to play off of him. Until Stuckey shows an ability to consistently knock down a 15 to 20 foot jumper, he will continue to be played this way.

However, Detroit does have another starting guard that can knock down shots from that distance and further.

Ben Gordon so far has lived up to his reputation as a scorer, checking in with 22 points per game and shooting a respectable 45 percent from the field.

However, too often he is the first and last stop on offense, a trend that will need to change somewhat if Detroit is going to get better ball movement.

Gordon has shown himself to be a much better ball handler than advertised. If he can learn to get his teammates more involved, especially by driving to the hoop, he could single-handedly improve a lot of what ails the Pistons offense.

Help On The Way?

Speaking of ailments, when will Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince return?

The Pistons have been without their two mainstays from their championship season in 2004 for most of the season.

All indications are that Hamilton is still several days away from returning. However, Prince may be gearing up for a return any day now, as evidenced by the fact that he traveled with the team for their four game road trip.

These two have been sorely missed by their mates, and have contributed mightily to the team's struggles.

Hamilton provides not only another scoring option, but he also tends to get his teammates involved by driving to the hoop, something that Gordon would be well-advised to mimic.

Prince will also help in this department as his ball handling ability, post play and unselfish nature will immediately this team.

Prince's return in particular will allow the Pistons to return forward Jonas Jerebko to the bench and back to a role better suited to him at this point in his career: energy player.

The Pistons have been forced to lean unfairly hard on Jerebko during Prince's absence. The Swedish import has done an admirable job, but he is just too limited offensively to help a unit that is in desperate need of firepower.

Defense, Anyone?

Times really must be changing with the Pistons. I have gone this far without mentioning the word "defense."

This is with good reason, as the Pistons have been pleasantly surprising on the defensive end, checking in at a respectable sixth in the league with only 91.5 points allowed.

This is due to several factors.

First, early reports of Ben Wallace's demise were, as it turns out, drastically mistaken. Not only has Wallace contributed much more than expected statistically (nine rebounds in 29 minutes a game), but he has strengthened the Pistons team defense by providing an intimidating inside presence.

Furthermore, he has shown a knack for mentoring, helping Villanueva to shake the label of "defensive liability" from his resume. The pride that Wallace takes in shutting down opponents is contagious, and Villanueva seems to have caught that bug.

And while Jerebko is unquestionably green on offense, the edge he plays with defensively is quite a pleasant contrast from the last European player Joe Dumars drafted (I know, it's a low blow to mention this and Billups in the same story, so I will just refer to him as D.M.).

But this isn't to say that everything has been ideal on defense. Kobe Bryant (as he always tends to do) discovered a major weakness with Detroit's defense on Tuesday night when he routinely posted up perimeter players.

Without Prince, you can be sure to see this on a much more regular basis as NBA coaches tend to pick up on weaknesses in a millisecond.

Look for Gordon, Stuckey and Bynum to get burned by this in the next few games, especially Wednesday night against Brandon Roy and the Trail Blazers.

It will be coach John Kuester's responsibility to combat this with new defensive wrinkles.

However, until Prince returns, the Pistons just don't have the personnel to avoid this technique.

Moving Forward

Brace yourselves folks, because the next few games could get ugly. This is easily the toughest stretch so far for the Pistons, and it doesn't figure to get easier for awhile.

Wednesday night they play in Portland against the surging Trail Blazers. Portland has been playing great and they will be extra motivated considering their recent winning streak was stopped by the red-hot Atlanta Hawks in overtime and they will be eager to get back on the winning track.

After that, Detroit travels to Utah where they haven't won since 2002 and then on to Phoenix to play the scorching hot Suns.

When the Pistons finally make it back home, they will be greeted by the Cleveland Cavs before finally getting a break by playing the Clippers at home.

When it is all said and done, they could be heading into that game on a six-game losing streak.

But these types of trials and tribulations tend to make a team stronger, and with the Pistons featuring such a young group, this figures to be the case.

So far, the Pistons have been an exciting team to watch, and that figures to continue, especially when Prince and Hamilton return.

The key will be for the fans to stick through the tough times, because something tells me that something may be brewing in Motown (more to come on that later).

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Detroit Pistons' Rodney Stuckey Under Fire Already

Will Dias — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:39:25 -0500

The Detroit Pistons are eight games into the season, and already some are questioning the progress of point guard Rodney Stuckey.

Stuckey came into the league relatively under-the-radar from Eastern Washington. He made a splash at the end of his first season with the Pistons in the playoffs when Chauncey Billups when down with a pulled groin.

That performance led Pistons President Joe Dumars to trade Billups for Allen Iverson and his expiring contract.

Since then, Pistons fans have had high expectations for the young guard, and rightly so. Stuckey seems to posses every physical tool to be a perennial All-Star, but has not yet reached that pinnacle.

Coach John Kuester recently made his feelings known about Stuckey, saying "(Stuckey) has a chance to be one of the best defensive guards I’ve ever been around because he’s so strong, he’s got size and he’s athletic."

The rest of this article can be read by clicking these words.

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