Thursday’s Layup Drill

by Matt W on Nov 6, 2008 1:58 PM CST Comment 26 comments

Time is short, but the list of links I've been meaning to share is long:

If Tay keeps playing like he did last night, maybe that All-Star bid isn't out of the question.
Shoals on Iverson:

In Detroit now, though, Allen Iverson is once again subject to reinterpretation. There are parallels with his time in Philly: Motown is the same kind of troubled metropolis as Philadelphia, perhaps on an even grander scale. And while Larry Brown may be a distant memory in Detroit, the Pistons are still considered avatars of unselfish, orderly team ball. The city will have to appreciate his toughness but will have to come to grips with his style of play—capable of involving others, but first and foremost about taking on the world in an attempt to get buckets.
The silver lining to not having Chauncey or Iverson available the last two games has been the emergence of Will Bynum, who's gone from a rarely-used third-stringer to a surprisingly effective backup. PistonsNation agrees:

As a fan of the game how can you not love Will’s game? Listed at a very generous 6′ Will is fearless. He uses to his quickness to blow by his defender and then attacks the rim like he’s 6′6″. And, it’s not just that he goes hard to the bucket either, he’s a very crafty and athletic finisher hitting on 62% of his shots in the two games. Will also understands how to set up teammates and is very adept at pick-and-roll offense. That’s on top of the ball hawking defense which he’s noted for. You can tell the time Will spent overseas gave him a good understanding of the point guard position.
DBB reader Zack finds out breaking up is hard to do.
The Pistons are embracing social media: they've launched their own YouTube channel and set up a Twitter account.
It seems a lot of fans have a love/hate relationship with ESPN's Jemele Hill. For what it's worth, I love her latest: Detroit could be the best thing to happen to Iverson.
Update: Hardwood Paroxysm's review of the FreeDarko book.

Last but not least, a funny/thoughtful exchange in the comments between three DBB readers the other day:

Other Matt: I’ll throw my 2 cents in. As I’ve posted here before, I’ve been living in DC the past several months. After Obama’s victory speech, I tossed on my Pistons hoodie and went over to the White House to check out the celebration. This city is absolutely insane right now. There is a completely ridiculous celebration going on. I did not support nor vote for Obama, however, it is hard to walk around this place tonight and not have a smile on my face. We are so very fortunate to live in a place where this type of celebration is possible. That we can gather on the front lawn of our President and mock him and celebrate his opposition party’s success. It is my sincere hope that all the people who are partaking in that celebration have profound respect and appreciation for that freedom. So, congratulations to Obama and his supporters. He is now my President too, and I hope he succeeds.

Lest you think this is not about the Pistons, my unofficial exit polling at the party in front of the White House was 100% (3 votes) in favor of the Iverson trade. Even during that celebration I got several comments for the Pistons. PISTONS 08-09!

Rob G: OM: I’ve been walking around in my Pistons hoodie in SE DC, and people keep hollerin’ "Iverson!"

Forty: Oh sh*t there was an election today? I just assumed all the people outside my apt in Boston chanting "yes we can" were trying to reassure themselves the C’s could still beat the Pistons with the Answer. Iverson-Johnson in ‘09 baby.

The moral: America is great and the Pistons are as relevant as ever.

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On a (slightly) related note:

“Proposal 1 wins 63% – 37%!

We’d like to express our enormous gratitude to all of our supporters across the state. Thanks to your commitment, seriously ill Michiganders who use medical marijuana with their doctors’ recommendation will no longer face the threat of arrest and jail.

The new law will go into effect on December 4, 2008, and the Department of Community Health will have an additional 120 days to issue regulations for a medical marijuana registry."

This plus Prop 2 (stem cell research) both passed on Tuesday, as I’m sure many of you know. Although I now live in Chicago, I still love my home state (Kzoo!) and have never been more proud of its voters.

by Joel on Nov 6, 2008 3:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Curry on WDFN:
I’ll try to keep up as he talks.

Curry’s loving him some Will Bynum.

Curry says it’s only surprising that Herrmann and Acker and Bynum are impressive in gametime is that nobody else gets to see them play. It’s all about being given a chance, he says.

Sure, it’s hard to break up the core group, but now all he can think about is how creative he can get, especially with double-teams. Loves his aggression, and fits in with all of the Pistons’ philosophies.

Can he handle AI?: I’m not going to try to “handle” another adult. It’s about communication, but he doesn’t see any foreseeable problems at all. He had a great practice today.

Every team he’s been on, he’s had to be on the court for the team to have a chance down the stretch. Not here. He wants low 30 mins. for everybody.

Lineups: AI and Rip start. Sometimes Stuckey, Allen, and Rip. And he wants a look at Stuckey, Tay at the 2(!) and Herrrmann at the 3 tomorrow night!
(Holy crap,plan your night around that one.)

How good could Walter be?: He wants big success in the NBA, and really likes Detroit. Curry thought he could have been bigger for us last year, and he wasn’t going to make that mistake again this year.
(Nice little blast directed at Flip).

Neat little interview.

by Keegan on Nov 6, 2008 3:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Now that I think about it, there’s no good reason Tey at the 2 wouldn’t work, and there aren’t many 2s who can guard him.

by Gogol on Nov 6, 2008 4:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

But he can absolutely handle any 2 thrown at him. Curry is caRAYzay!

Oh, just checked team stats on this very young season, and we’re still near the top in assist/turnover ratio as always. Here are some stats we’re not used to being near the top of:

rebound differential
shot attempts/makes
SCORING
block differential
average mpg per player
opponent 3pt fg%

And a bunch more. Basically, we’re like if the 05-06 Suns played good D and outrebounded everybody too. IN CRED IB BLE.

by Joel on Nov 6, 2008 4:14 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The only thing that is remotely “weak” on this team is the number of Free Throws we allow…

by DJ on Nov 6, 2008 4:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

…and allow made, DJ.

by Birdman on Nov 6, 2008 4:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Eh, that will fix itself in time. We’ve got a bunch of hyperactive kid-o’s playing D. What we really need is for people to stop hitting their freebies: our opponents are shooting like 90% from line so far.

by Joel on Nov 6, 2008 4:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Also, here’s a breakdown of the Darius Miles contract situation on TrueHoop.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-36-21/Math-With-Darius.html

The Pistons have a couple free roster spots now. Is Miles worth a 20 games, just to stick it to Portland? After all, if Joe D. is thinking 2010 free agency, it’d be best to eliminate a competitor when possible.

by Birdman on Nov 6, 2008 4:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

@ Birdman

The same thought went through my mind yesterday when thinking about the open roster spots. Except, suddenly we have too many small forwards…

by Restructer_It on Nov 6, 2008 4:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

…not if Tay can play the 2, though.

by Birdman on Nov 6, 2008 4:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Wow. What an awesomely dick move that would be. I’m for it.

by Joel on Nov 6, 2008 4:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I about orgasmed when Curry mentioned he wanted to try a backcourt of Stuck, Prince, and Herrmann to go along with the AI debut.

by Restructer_It on Nov 6, 2008 4:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

What’s wrong with Tey playing point, Amir picking and rolling to the basket, Sheed picking and rolling to the 3, and Rip and AI running around like chickens with their heads cut off? Makes perfect sense to me!! =)

by Brad on Nov 6, 2008 4:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Tomorrow night’s gonna be stupid-awesome. I can’t wait, call me slappy, whatever.

by Keegan on Nov 6, 2008 4:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

If Curry were smart, he’d play:

PG – Amir
SG – Amir
SF – Amir
PF – Amir
C – Amir

by Forty on Nov 6, 2008 5:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’m goin’ gets me one of the Heineken mini-kegs from the liquor store and watch basketball until I pass out

by Rob G on Nov 6, 2008 5:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I teach a class at George Mason U and I started it off today by saying:
“I don’t know about you, but I’m encouraged by the direction things are going in. We’ve made a major change, and I think that with this change, we increase our hope for a better day. We might have not done well in the past, but now we have a shot at greatness. I’m talking, of course, about Detroit getting Iverson.”

by Rob G on Nov 6, 2008 5:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Rob G: +1

by Forty on Nov 6, 2008 5:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. We’ve been cautioned that we can’t win a championship with AI at point guard, they tell us that the loss of Chauncey Billups was too much to overcome, they tell us that no free agent will even bother visiting Motown in 2010. We’ve been warned against offering the fans of this team against false hope. But in the unlikely story that is the Pistons, there has never been anything false…about hope.

Hope change hope change, etc.

And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the Pistons story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.

by Shinons on Nov 6, 2008 5:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

@Rob G:
“I’m goin’ gets me one of the Heineken mini-kegs from the liquor store and watch basketball until I pass out”

One? Lightweight!

by Mike Payne on Nov 6, 2008 7:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

“Lineups: AI and Rip start. Sometimes Stuckey, Allen, and Rip. And he wants a look at Stuckey, Tay at the 2(!) and Herrrmann at the 3 tomorrow night!”

MC is the man. I can’t wait to see those lineups.

by Jim on Nov 6, 2008 8:14 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

So, where is the best place in NoVA to watch non-national Pistons games? I’m jonesin something serious.

Friday, of course, but also Sunday Sunday Sunday.

by b23 on Nov 6, 2008 8:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

B23 – Crystal City Sports Pub is the shiznight. They always put the game on. The wife and I relied on that place for a whole year when we first moved here (until we did the math and realized League Pass is cheaper). They accommodated us every time. Any DCers/NoVa types want to go there sometime?

by Rob G on Nov 6, 2008 9:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

b23: I should mention that CCSP has League Pass – because you specifically asked about non-national games…

by Rob G on Nov 6, 2008 9:06 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, Rob. I’ll give that a shot.

And, uh, if you’ve got League Pass, I’ve got beer…

by b23 on Nov 6, 2008 9:14 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’d be up for a trip over to Crystal City Sports Pub. They have a great happy hour, too. Unfortunately, I’m moving home tomorrow. I’ll probably be back fairly often for work, though.

by Other Matt on Nov 6, 2008 9:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs