Detroit Pistons: Re-Signing Rodney Stuckey Will Come Back To Haunt Joe Dumars

Re-signing Rodney Stuckey will be looked back as one of the biggest mistakes in Joe Dumars career as general manager career with the Detroit Pistons.

Is he really "the guy" for this Pistons team?

Right now I have my doubts about whether or not he should be a starter at point guard.

Stuckey is a player that had a ton of responsibility thrust onto his shoulders, being that he was supposed to be "the guy" to replace Detroit legend Chauncey Billups.

With career averages of 13.6 points, 4.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game it's not like he's been horrible, but those numbers plus the drafting of point guard Brandon Knight certainly didn't warrant a three-year, $25 million deal.

Stuckey struggles with his shot and is notorious for driving the lane instead of running the offense.

He's much more comfortable as a scorer than as a facilitator, but right now that's not what the Pistons need.

It's no secret they're in rebuilding mode, and Knight is the future point guard. How he's supposed to learn the position from Stuckey I don't know, but hopefully he's not taking notes.

I can see keeping him around until the trade deadline or until he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but a three-year deal?

This is going to come back to haunt Joe Dumars.

Welcome to the Motown Breakdown

Last Night: Pistons 85 Celtics 96

To be fair to the Pistons, I don't think anybody thought they could go into Boston and beat a Celtics team that was desperate for a win.

That being said, this was a rather unwatchable game if you're a Pistons fan. The Pistons shot 43 percent from the floor and an abysmal 18.8 from the three-point line. 

Greg Monroe was the lone bright spot for the team, going 9-of-12 for 22 points, and he actually resembled something of a post presence.

Detroit actually won the battle in the post, 38 to 32 points in the paint and 35 to 30 rebounding, but the Celtics were obviously just the better team.

Jermaine O'Neal had a renaissance game, scoring 19 points. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce added 17 and 12 respectively, and Brandon Bass came off the bench for 17.

Pistons Player of the Game: Greg Monroe: 22 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST

Like I said, Monroe was a steady post presence for the Pistons. He got good position down on the block more often than not, and for a while it looked like Detroit was playing inside-out basketball for the first time in a long time. If he continues to develop and play consistently Monroe could be huge for this team.

Piston Points

Off Knight: Brandon Knight had his worst game as a pro, which was expected and shouldn't be a huge worry. He still finished with 10 points, but went 3-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the line. Overall he looked rather uncomfortable, like the game was going too fast for him.

Daye Scores: Austin Daye finally got in the scoring column, and actually didn't look half bad. He scored 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He's got all the skills necessary to be a good player, but he's not consistent enough to keep himself on the floor.

Ben Gordon Off: It's common knowledge that Gordon is a streaky shooter. Tonight was apparently an off night. He finished the night 4-of-10 and 0-of-2 from behind the line for nine points. This team really struggles to score and they depend on Gordon to help that out in that department. If he doesn't score this team can't win.

Frank The Tank

Thoughts from coach Lawrence Frank via NBA.com

"

“The game’s played on both ends,” Frank said. “Your offense has to be a part of your defense. Our offense tonight made our defense a whole lot tougher job.”

"

Breakdown

The problem with Stuckey was rather evident against the Celtics, as he finished the night with just three points.

While he dish out seven assists, this is not the production that you expect from a guy you just gave a three-year $25 million deal to.

Unfortunately I think this is going to be a consistent problem for the Pistons.

With his inconsistencies shooting, all a defender has to do is sag off him and take away his driving lanes, and he's essentially rendered useless.

Meanwhile, he's stinting the progress of Knight at the point guard position, and Ben Gordon isn't able to get the ball in rhythm.

This was a horrible signing.

Looking Forward: Pacers vs. Pistons - Sat. Dec. 31 6 p.m.

To be honest, I'm not sure how many people are going to trek over to The Palace of Auburn Hills on New Years Eve to watch this Pistons team, especially going against the red-hot 3-0 Pacers.

These two teams met in the season opener and the Pacers came away with a 91-79 win.

The Pacers had five players in double figures, and Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough and David West all notched double-doubles.

The Pistons were absolutely dominated in the paint that game, and sadly I think it will be the same story this time around.

Look for the Pistons to try to establish Monroe in the paint early, and hopefully Knight can bounce back and try to replicate his first home appearance.