the team is in a free fall. this game is officially a big game.

all i ask is that the intensity be high. no 30 point defecits. no blown out quarters. this is curry’s job whatever the lineup.

MC’s next starting linup? Tay, Sheed, Amir, Max, and Dyess.

And Darko ended up with 5 fouls in 10 minutes of work. Can’t blame him for being frustrated. I just wish he would have done that when he had that goofy frosted tips look.

I agree with every word in that Dana Gauruder piece. And now Michael Curry is talking about giving Bynum more minutes? I have to believe that Curry just gives unnecessarily expansive answers to the media when they ask him questions because otherwise he’s either dishonest or can’t do math. Tayshaun and Rasheed both are playing more minutes than last year. Rip is playing same number of minutes. AI is playing more minutes than Chauncey played last year. And yet Curry goes on and on about the opportunities he’s providing for the young players, Herrmann and Kwame. Enough already. I’m sick of hearing about minutes from Curry. It’s all been nonsense to this point.

Keith Langlois has a new article up on pistons site about Dice being back and Stuckey in starting line-up. It’s a good read, but one of his main claims is Dice will help because he gives Detroit a 2nd “scoring” big, and he says Pistons have struggled offensively when Sheed’s off the court. I have no clue how this has become conventional wisdom, if you go to 82games.com and look at Sheed’s individual numbers, this season the team has been way worse offensively with him on the court! So far, Sheed and all his “scoring” has hurt our offense this year. How us “struggling” with him off the court (when we’ve actually been better) is being used to explain why Dice will save us is just weird.

And, why is it assumed Dice (and Sheed) are great fits next to AI? Last year Denver won 50 games with AI, and the teams big men were Camby and K-Mart- definitely not jump shooting big men like Dice and Sheed. It seems like if AI’s mentality is to attack defenses then a better fit next to him are big men who will clean up the glass, get put-backs, etc.. Yes he will produce some open jumpers for Dice and Sheed, but I don’t think other teams are gonna shed any tears if our offense starts to revolve around our big men getting open 20 footers.

I can’t make it to the game tonight, but I wanted to let those that are going to the game know that I will be thinking of them and I hope that you have a great time.

In March, I will be attending and I am thinking of making a sign… something about nurseries and massacres…

@andyfrombrooklyn:
We’re not in free fall unless we lose tonight. If we lose tonight, we’re in free fall. I’ve been patient thus far, but a loss tonight would put me in the “freaking pissed” camp.

Until then, I’ve got my pen in hand waiting, ready to write off the last few games and start building a streak.

Also, Bynum FTW. Strange that he and Afflalo are my favorite Pistons this season.

I think this lineup is tried for a few games and then AI is moved to the second team to provide “scoring” punch along with Dyess. The 1st unit: Stuck, Rip, Tay, Kwame/Amir & Sheed. 2nd: Dyess, AI, Max, AA & Amir/Kwame.

You could bring in Will & Hermann as needed. I could even see Rip to the second unit rather than AI as I believe Stuck is 6’5" and he could guard 2’s.

I hate to say this, but I don’t think Curry has a plan right now and he’s fishing for answers. Some of that isn’t his fault not knowing 4 games in he’d have AI, but he’s paid to make adjustments to talent and so far it doesn’t appear he’s doing a very good job. But I do like the idea of either AI/Rip with the second unit along with Dyess for scoring.

In short spurts with Dyess and Sheed on the floor at the same time, this would definitely open the middle up for AI & Stuck to drive. But we need to settle on a lineup and a consistent substitution pattern so we can get some chemistry going.

Fire Curry.

Avery Johnston or Bill Lambier.

groan

Admittedly, watching these line-up changes is certainly Curry “fishing for answers.” Honestly though, I can’t remember the last time we watched a Pistons team fishing for answers during the regular season, let alone 20 games into the season. So this is all unfamiliar, scary territory for fans that was going to come sometime.

I’m not going to sit around listening to this all day, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUA0ai0XxRU
However, if the season ends in umitigated disaster, we should adopt this as a ‘08-’09 Pistons theme.

I don’t care. I gonna stand there in the Pistons’ corner like Rocky refusing to throw in the towel for Apollo, if I have to.

1. Langlois is a company man. He will write whatever is politically correct.

2. Iverson plays no defense. At under 6’ he couldn’t guard Barkeley’s grandmother.

3. Curry is feeling the stress big time and therefore has been changing the lineup like people change their underwear, well almost as frequently. LOL.

4. Curry going small ball is going back to what he played in the NBA. This is what he is most comfortable with.

5. When Amir started the Pistons were never outscored in the 1st or 3rd quarters.

5. The Pistons need to trade Amir. He deserves a real opportunity to play in the NBA. He would be a fool to resign with the Pistons come the summer of 2009. He will be 22 and at a critical point in his career. He deserves the opportunity to go with a team that will take advantage of his skills on offense and not limit him to being a garbage man setting picks and screens and trying to scramble for offensive rebounds.

It is a fact that in Amir’s first start in the NBA against Boston in 2007 he made 2 out 3 three point field goal attempts. He has only taken 3 since.

Trade Amir now.

Correction:

That should be summer of 2010

"I’m just excited to be back on the court," McDyess said at the Verizon Center. "It was a long month — a great month, though."

“What happened to my team? Since when did we start sucking?” McDyess did not necessarily add.

"What happened to my team? Since when did we start sucking?" McDyess did not necessarily add.

I think that may have been what he meant by “a great month, though.” The rest of December will officially be McDyess Appreciation Month.

Remember when Dyess almost single-handedly pulled our heads out of our asses and our hearts back in the game last year in the playoffs? Let’s hope his heart makes an instant contribution this week.

I here Darko can do amazing things with a Phone Book…