Detroit Pistons: Position-by-Position Breakdown, and Solutions to the Problems
Richard Hamilton was ejected from another game Tuesday night. He has now been ejected from three out of the 22 games that the Pistons have played so far in this young season.
On that note let’s get started!
If you have paid even just a little bit of attention to the Detroit Pistons this year, than you have probably noticed that there are not a whole lot of positive things to talk about so far. The team is 7-15 on the year, and have often times looked out-hustled, out-played and out-coached.
Playing time and player management have seemed to be an issue for second-year coach John Kuester, but how could you blame him? He has been put in a very tough situation by the organization, and has been forced to work with many similar, if not inadequate, basketball players.
Let’s take a look at this team position by position, and try to break down the problems, and perhaps find a solution.
Point Guard
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Rodney Stuckey is the starting point guard. This can be looked at as a good and bad problem to have. Stuckey is a very dynamic and strong player, and is very adept at creating his own shots. That is also the problem though. You have a natural scorer being forced into a position that is highly dependent on being able to pass the ball, and make shots for your teammates.
The Pistons have tried to sell us on the idea that Stuckey is a point, but who are they kidding? Next time you watch a game take a look at the offense when Stuckey is running it. There seems to be a lot of standing around that eventually leads to Stuckey dribbling to his right, driving the lane, and forcing up a power layup. Often times he is successful, but the overall flow of the offense is really hindered.
Stuckey only has 5.3 assists per game.
Backing Stuckey up at times has been Will “The Thrill” Bynum. Will is a flashy and explosive player, but if were going to be honest he would not play much of a role on a contending, or even a playoff team. Fans love him for his energy, and every now and then he will throw down a powerhouse dunk. He’s a good energy player, but in no way is a viable backup point guard.
Solution: John Kuester seemed to have caught on to this train of thought, and I applaud him for making the move. The solution here might sound crazy, but than again what do the Pistons have to lose?
Tuesday night against the Rockets, Kuester had Tracy McGrady run the point coming off of the bench. Now some might criticize McGrady for being old and washed up, but in my opinion he still has some left in the tank, and if anything he has a very strong veteran poise.
Tracy had 11 points in 22 minutes against the Rockets, but his greatest impact came when he was handling the ball. He only notched three assists in the game, but if you really watched, you could tell that the offense had a distinct fluidity when he was running it. He still has enough explosiveness to drive by a defender, and still has a great shot, so the other team has to respect his offensive game. Many times though McGrady used his vision and experience to move the ball around, and find an open teammate. I haven’t seen the Pistons move the ball so well since Chauncey was here.
Don’t get me wrong T-Mac is no Chauncey Billups, but he is a smart option to back up Stuckey.
Shooting Guard
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I’m going to make this plain and simple, and as quickly as possible. Richard Hamilton is an absolute mess this year. He is nearing cancerous levels, and his play on the court is nothing to write home about. He is averaging 26 minutes per game, which is 26 too many in my opinion, and a pedestrian 13.1 points per game. Like I said at the beginning of the article, he has already been ejected from three games this year. Can he make his frustration more apparent to the Pistons organization? I know that Joe Dumars is really hamstrung by the ownership situation, but can somebody please pull the plug on this guy!
Solution: Again, I will make this simple and sweet. Ben Gordon is obviously the better player at this stage of the game, and at the very least he won’t get tossed out of the arena! Have we forgotten that this is the same player that absolutely went off against Boston in the playoffs a couple years ago!? He is averaging 27 minutes a game primarily because he is splitting time with Rip. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Gordon is starter material, and should get the majority of minutes at the 2.
Small Forward
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Apparently the Pistons have a need to stockpile at the small forward position. There are at least three players on the active roster that are able to play the 3, and that’s not counting Jonas Jerebko on the IR. Tayshaun Prince is the obvious starter, and I would even go as far to say that he is the best player on this team right now.
Prince is averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. His greatest strength is his consistency though. This is a bi-polar team that seems to have forgotten their medication, so Prince’s quiet consistency is more vital than some would think.
The bench is clogged up with T-Mac and the hyped Austin Daye, aka Austin Prince. Daye’s biggest problem right now is his apparent feud with coach Kuester, and I would even say that he is hindered by his playing style; being that it is very similar to Tayshaun’s. With McGrady running some point it really opens up space for Daye to step in, but does he have the capability to be a big-time player?
Solution: Stick with Prince for now. He is the most consistent offensive player on the roster right now, and he brings a very valuable defensive presence. Giving Prince major minutes will ultimately help your team in the short term, and showcasing him will help with a future trade.
You have invested time and money into Austin Daye though, so it would be foolish to hide him on the bench. He needs the experience in big-game situations, so why not give him the opportunity in some crunch-time moments? What do you have to lose?
Power Forward
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Now we start getting into the part of the roster that many consider to be flawed the most, and I happen to agree.
Jason Maxiell is the starting power forward for the Detroit Pistons.
I think that sentence alone explains a lot about this season. Maxiell is a solid player, but let’s be honest he is no more than an energy player. Maxiell is best suited coming off the bench for 15-20 minutes a game. He will give you a few good rebounds, solid defense, and a couple energy-infused plays that can spark your team. As a starter he is nothing more than a liability though, and the fact that he is starting week after week really confuses me to be honest.
Solution: As much as it pains me to say this, I believe that Charlie Villanueva is your best option here. I’m not one of Charlie V’s biggest fans, but even I can’t argue the fact that he is a very good offensive player. Villanueva is averaging 13.2 points off the bench, and has stepped up in clutch moments with some very big shots.
That being said, I find it absolutely infuriating that once again we have a big man that refuses to get down low, and would much rather skip and dance around the three-point line. I would much rather have Villanueva starting at power forward over Maxiell though, if only for his offensive production. Chris Wilcox is always another decent option to give you a few minutes of energy play.
Center
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As much as we all love Ben Wallace here in Detroit, you have to be a complete idiot to see that the days of the “Big Ben Gong” are long gone. Wallace is an incredible energy player, and he is still a heck of a defensive player, but he is not a starting center in the NBA anymore. The fact that the Pistons are starting a 6’9’’ 36-year-old center really sums up a majority of their problems. Opponents do not have to “fear the fro” anymore, and they apparently don’t fear taking the ball down low either.
Solution: Start Greg Monroe. I don’t care that he is a rookie; I don’t care that he might not know the specifics of the NBA game just yet. How will he ever learn if he never plays? And, once again, what do you have to lose?
Let Greg Monroe start, let him play a majority of the minutes and let him learn! Let him fail, let him hurt, because eventually that’s how he will grow and mature as a basketball player. At times he has shown signs of why the Pistons took him in the first round, so why not give him more chances to shine?
He can rebound, and it is rather apparent that Detroit needs as much help as they can get in that department. Given time and experience he could even develop his offensive game! When was the last time that the Pistons had a viable low-post threat? If I were the Pistons I would explore this more.
Conclusion
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Obviously the Pistons are in the middle of a very rough patch right now, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost.
I truly believe that if John Kuester is able to become flexible with his lineups, and specifically play his younger players more, then we might be able to start finding some hope in this season. They might not make the playoffs, but at least we can start building for the future.
It might not look good right now, but I assure you that it can be bright.
