Ball Don't Lie! Pistons Find the Answer Without Iverson

After weeks of stories by prognosticators, this writer included, discussing the demise of the Detroit Pistons, the team decided to answer these questions the only way they know how: on the court.

The questions were brutal, and the answer was resounding.

"We ain't dead yet!"

In two straight games, the Pistons were able to answer their critics by playing tough defense and moving the ball on offense.  Aside from that, the Pistons won each game in different ways but with one main constant: Rip Hamilton delivered.

In the Orlando game, the Pistons dominated the boards, especially on the offensive end but they did not shoot the deep ball particularly well, and they turned the ball over 15 times. 

In the Boston game, the Pistons handled the ball nearly flawlessly, notching 22 assists versus only six turnovers.  They also shot the ball extremely well from long range, but they were beat pretty well on the boards even without Boston's top big man, Kevin Garnett.

However, Hamilton showed his gratitude for his promotion back to the starting lineup, dropping 31 points and six assists versus Orlando, and notching 25 points and nine assists versus Boston.  He also held Ray Allen to 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting. 

A month ago, there was a dilemma in Detroit, and the Pistons needed to make a change.  The small lineup was not working, meaning that one of the Pistons two starting shooting guards needed to be moved to the bench. 

This writer suggested Iverson should be the one moved to the bench (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/100749-a-brewing-dilemma-in-motown-with-allen-iversons-arrival), but coach Michael Curry elected to choose Hamilton for the sixth man role.

It appears he has seen the error of his ways, and Iverson will be moved to the bench upon his return from a sore back.

Iverson fans will howl when they see this, and with good reason.  Why, they have asked, would a team bring in a future Hall of Famer and stick him on the bench? 

Additionally, they have asked, why doesn't Curry use Iverson the way he is meant to be used?

The answer to both of these questions are complicated, but linked.  The best way for Detroit to win, and for Iverson to find his niche on this team, is for "the Answer" to move to the bench.

With Iverson on the bench, the first unit can go back to what it does best: balanced offense with strong ball movement and a re-commitment to solid position defense. 

These players know how to play with one another, and they can fall back into their comfort zone, setting picks for Hamilton and allowing Rodney Stuckey and Antonio McDyess to work on their pick and roll routine. 

Additionally, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace will be allowed to play more in the post, and get away from standing around and watching either Iverson or Stuckey run around for 10 seconds and then launching an ill-advised shot.

However, Iverson is still very much needed, and this move will actually work out well for him. 

Throughout Iverson's career, he has played the same way.  He works best with the ball in his hands for long periods of time, allowing him to pick apart the defense and penetrate at will. 

Furthermore, the more time Iverson has with the ball in his hands, the more likely he is to find a groove.

The players that Iverson will be teamed up with are an even bigger part of the equation. 

Instead of being paired with players that similarly need the ball such as Stuckey and Prince, Iverson will be matched up with teammates that are known as secondary players and are able to run with him in the open court. 

Instead of having possessions in which the offense boils down to a series of one-on-one matchups, Iverson will be able to speed up the tempo, and players like Amir Johnson and Arron Afflalo will be all too eager to run with him. 

Furthermore, this allows Detroit to have a completely transcendent second unit.  Curry can bring in a whole new second unit, and give the keys to Iverson. 

In addition to Johnson, he can put in Walter Hermann, Jason Maxiell and Will Bynum.  Bynum has already shown an ability to put immediate pressure on the ball handler, making Stephon Marbury look foolish on two occasions on Sunday. 

With this second unit, Curry can employ a full court pressure defense, allowing Iverson to use his strengths as a defender: his quickness and knack for coming up with big steals. 

This will allow the quick big men like Johnson and Maxiell to play the passing lanes down low, and come up with fast break-starting steals.

With a new dedication to up-tempo offense spurred by full court pressure, Detroit will be able to mask the offensive deficiencies of these second unit players, and allow Iverson the opportunity to make easy layups to help with his offensive flow.

Imagine this scenario: the first unit plays the first eight minutes of the game and holds a solid lead of two points.  In comes the second unit, and they immediately cause a couple turnovers through full court pressure on backup players. 

This turns into easy fast-break opportunities, bringing the lead up to double digits.  When the first unit comes back in, their ability to play solid offensively without a lot of turnovers allows them to coast to a victory.

If you are a Pistons fan, this may sound familiar to you, and with good reason.  In 2004, the Pistons employed this technique with Lindsey Hunter and Mike James, and they held over a dozen straight opponents below 70 points and went into the playoffs with a ton of momentum...eventually leading to a title.

This season is similar to that one in the sense that the Pistons were an average team throughout the first half of the season and were impacted by a major trade for a superstar. 

Of course, the addition of the star that year helped to improve the Pistons, while this year's trade so far has been met with difficulties.

Now, this is not going to be pretty, and there are a lot of issues at hand.  However, for two consecutive games, the Pistons showed everyone that reports of their demise may have been over-exaggerated. 

They showed what they have been showing for years; just when you count this team out, they come out of nowhere and surprise you.

For two consecutive games, the Pistons reminded the league that they have gone to the conference finals for six straight years for a reason.  That was a big start.  They showed the league that they had a pulse.

Now the real challenge begins.  They will need to prove that there is enough magic left for one more run with this core of players, one last day in the sun.

At the very least, they are showing that they want to go out on their own terms and in their own way.

With the same guys that did it before.