The Rumoured "Jarvis Hayes is No Longer a Piston" Post

1. I think Afflalo can handle smaller SFs and Hermann can handle the bigger ones.

2. No.

Delfino is just as undersized at the SF as Afflalo is but not as good a player. I don’t know much about CJ Miles but he’s only 6’6".

Posey will resign with Boston and get fat again like he did with Miami.

Available:
1) C.J. Miles, Utah – great D, only 21, still younger than Tay was as a rookie but he has 3 years in the league
2) Josh Childress, Atlanta – wickedly effective offensive player, 2nd in TS% in NBA in ’07-08

Trade:
3) Chuck Hayes, Houston – at 6’6" he’s really an undersized PF, would fit nicely at SF with ’Sheed on the perimeter

Blockbuster:
Tayshaun Prince is the last player I’d trade. I’m hoping he shakes the last bit of passivity out of his game in Beijing when he’s getting crunch time minutes for Team USA. Scottie Pippen really started his rise to HOF caliber during the 1992 Dream team and ended up being an MVP-type player when Jordan left. I think some Olympic success away from his Piston running mates will do Prince a world of good.

Tayshaun is the solution to our backup SF, SG (and PG?) problems. We should do a blockbuster trading a big (we have 5 or 6 roster-worthy bigs) for a SF, and make Tayshaun a “super sub.”

Examples of SFs we could get by trading at least one one of our bigs, and who could turn Tayshaun into a super sub:

Josh Smith (sign and trade)
Hedo Turkoglu
Gerald Wallace
Ron Artest
Lamar Odom
Andre Iguodala
Shawn Marion

A-ro… while crazy, that actually makes a lot of sense. I say crazy for turning a multi-year starter into a backup since it’s not that common, tho it certainly has worked out for that Argentinian down in San Antonio. So if Tay:Pistons::Inge:Tigers, I’m cool with it.

No way you trade Tayshaun Prince! Keep him and get Josh Smith – playing as PF ! Then we would have a very versatile and athletic squad! :)

1. CJ Miles. Can also play a bit of 2. Keep Hermann

2. Somehow pry Nocioni from Chicago. I think he has that balls out take no prisoners the Pistons sometimes lack.

3. Trade Tay + a piece to the Bucks for Jefferson. Regardless of public posturing, Jefferson isn’t happy to be in Milwaukee.

4. Sign a deal for Childress before the clips offer a boat load to JR Smith leaving the hawks with money to bring back Childress. Make the hawks make a decision.

%. DON’T trade for RonRon or Odom. UGH!!

Shame on the Pistons and especially Saunders for not playing Hayes more. He was great as a Wizard before he came to Detroit. I hope Hayes finds a place where he can really explode as a player. I think this year Joe D has better step up and get involves more because three straight years of failure is unacceptable.

1. I think that with 20+ mpg off the bench, Hermann is a Sixth Man of the Year type player. His stats from the end of his last season in Charlotte are undeniable. He didn’t show that with D-town last season, but he was getting what, 5-10 minutes a game maybe? I’m completely sold on the Argentine’s at this point— Ginobli, Scola, Oberto, etc. You give them PT, they work their ASSES off.

2. Josh Smith. If we could somehow keep Tayshaun AND get Smith, we would be the best defensive team in the league, hands down. Not likely though.

Josh Childress could EASILY be 6MotY of we somehow keep Tay around.

Tracy McGrady. If we can somehow keep him healthy (and keep Rip out of the package that lands him), we would have far and away the best backcourt/wings in the league. With Stuckey slashing and T-Mac being a facilitator (who takes over when he needs to), can you imagine the wide open jump shots for Rip? All we have to do is somehow keep Old Man McGrady healthy (back issues are a bitch— personal experience), and I think we’re a lock coming out of the East (depending on how much we have to give up to get him).

Lastly— and I don’t really know how this would work for our roster but I just f**king love the guy’s game and future potential— if we could swoop in and somehow steal Andre Igoudala from the Sixers, that would be the second coming of Stottie Pippen. Sign and trade maybe? I don’t know what we give up though, ‘cause the guy can’t shoot, so we have to keep Rip. Maybe Tay + Max? AI’s younger, more athletic, hasn’t come CLOSE to his potential (though he’s already All-star level), and defends at least as well as Prince (he LOCKS DOWN Kobe— who else does that? Well, Posey…). Then we unload C-Bill for Beidrins + filler? We’d have a lineup that looked like this:

Stuckey/D-league standout/filler from GS
Rip/Afflalo/filler from GS
AI/Hermann/Sharpe
Sheed/Amir/McDyess
Beidrins/McDyess/Samb

Hellified athletic, rebounding out the ass, defensively dominant, runs the open floor, grinds it out (Stuckey/AI slash, Rip pops, Sheed 3’s/Post)— we’re basically unstoppable.

I have NO idea if the salaries work though. Too lazy to do the trade machine.

1.) Miles would be a great pickup. Would fit right in as a backup to tay (or someone else), sharing time with afflalo.

2.) I say yes, go with the blockbuster route and get Josh Smith. Losing Tay would be horrible, but to add Smith would drastically change this team. Since he has been in the league he has averaged almost 3 blocks a game, and can rebound and score on the inside. We would have to give up a lot for him (Tay + someone else and probably a draft pick), but it would be worth it. Plus Atlanta is in dire need for veteran leadership to go with Joe Johnson. J smooth can do more than Tay already, and has the potential to be a superstar. Josh Smith is in the mold of a piston player, now Joe has to make it happen.

OT: This can only be good news if it happens, right?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/COL10/807110399&GID=cCytU8iQJkbaCGJwgwaald/oSOU95c3cJYMj7m0L4JE%3D

I don’t have any brilliant ideas for trades or acquisitions, but I will say that I have been saying for the past several years that one of Detroit’s biggest weaknesses was having no backup for Tayshaun — really, ever since Corliss left. I’m sad that it didn’t work out for Hayes, but he was streaky at best, and disappeared in the playoffs.

Weirdly, Detroit’s championship teams always had a SF who played offense primarily in the post, maybe more in the post than most/all of their “bigs”: Aguirre (and pre-championship, Dantley), and then Corliss.

I STILL say if Detroit had had a SF like Corliss in his prime coming off the bench, Detroit would have gotten past the Cavs last year and maybe even the Celts this year.

I don’t think Walter H. or Aaron A. would quite be that guy, but my guess is Detroit will at least start the season trying one or the other or both.

Chip,

The beauty of trading for Josh Smith is that they wouldn’t want Tayshaun in return; they already have Marvin Williams and Josh Childress to play the 3. They would probably rather have some of our bigs. How much more balanced would Atlanta’s roster be if they had McDyess and Maxiell instead of 3 starter-calliber small forwards?

Tayshaun could still play 30+ minutes at the SF and SG off the bench.

Someone mentioned Nocioni. That would be a bad idea. He has a bad contract, is too slow for SF, and is not a good defender.

I was thinking about trades. It seems to me that Chauncey and Rasheed are the ones most guilty of believing in the dreaded “switch.” The problem is that I’m not sure that the Pistons could get fair value for Rasheed. Also, I believe that Rip’s game would suffer without Chauncey. Rip needs someone to run the offense and deliver good passes. Stuckey isn’t that guy.

So, maybe it makes the most sense to trade Rip and hope the shake-up would change the mentalities of the other players. I am skeptical.

LMFAO @ QD: “Posey will resign with Boston and get fat again like he did with Miami.”

Truer words have never been spoken. Naturally, I hate Posey.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s a recap of our summer leagues squad scrimmage yesterday. When it was our starters vs. the Sixer starters we lead 28-13 after 10 minutes.

http://truebluepistons.blogspot.com/

Stuckey for Las Vegas Summer League MVP?

If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s a recap of our summer league squads scrimmage against the Sixers. After 10 minutes of our starters vs. there’s, we lead 28-13.

http://truebluepistons.blogspot.com/

Stuckey for summer league MVP?

Birddman – you’re right. I forgot amount that monsterous contract.

Scenarios I’d like to see (in no particular order):

a) Herrmann is actually given a chance and proves he can play.
b) Somehow we get T-Mac.
c) Somehow we get Josh Smith.
d) Somehow we get Josh Childress.
e) We never, ever get James Posey.

Hey guys, scoot over so I can get a seat on the anti-Posey bandwagon.

I know it won’t be popular, but I really don’t think we need a blockbuster move, and if we did, I would trade Rip or Chauncey, not Tayshaun. Tayshaun is the perfect third or fourth option on a contending team- he has a great all-around game, doesn’t demand the ball but is not afraid to take the big shot.

Personally I like the idea of Delfino coming back to Detroit, but I wouldn’t do it because it would take minutes away from Afflalo, who is clearly going to be a better all around player. The kid has game and can lock his man down, but probably doesn’t shoot well enough to play the two spot yet. I would like to see Afflalo get all of Hayes’ minutes next year, with Herrman re-signed to fill the extra time and guard larger forwards.

As for players that are out there, no one who is realistically available is that appealing. Miles has talent, but he needs to go somewhere that he will play, not sit on the bench as he will in Detroit. However, I do like Childress a lot, we need a someone who can score without overly relying on his jump shot like the rest of our players. Childress would quickly be the second man off the bench behing Stuckey and plus, he has the fro.

I don’t think giving up two of our core for T-Mac is an improvement.

separately

Posey is a tough competitor that has won two championships lately. He’d is a solid backup and tough defender. If we could get him without handcuffing ourselves for four years, I can’t see anything wrong with it.

Miles is interesting. I’ve seen him play a few times, and he has

If some other team makes a big play for Josh Smith that Atlanta matches, they may not be able to keep Childress. If he’s available then, he’d be a great consolation prize. Not a great shooter or creator, but he’s insanely efficient and hits the offensive boards.

Depending on the deal, I think two starters for McGrady could be an improvement. A lot of the issues with his decline the last few years have been with back problems (Kander) and being forced into creating plays or shots every time down the court because no one else could. That usually forced him into having to bail out the team with desperation shots, which killed his percentages. On a team like Detroit, where most of its core can create, that wouldn’t be as big of an issue. He also demands a lot of defensive attention, which would make it a lot easier on everyone else.

Er, Miles has real talent. But I don’t know what Utah wants to do with him.

Don’t want Posey. He played a somewhat critical role this year and I beleive a little less in 06 with Miami. I don’t want to pay a guy 20+M/4yrs to play 10-15 minutes a nite backing up Tay. That’s insane. Hell, even boston doesn’t think he’s worth that much.

Reminds me of the guy who got the MVP when Tampa played the Raiders several years ago. Turned one game and MVP into the lottery. Yeah, I don’t remember his name either.

Birdman: hurry up, seats are going fast.

you guys are crazy if you think that Posey wouldn’t be the best fallback option if he were to hold off on signing until the other bigger name guys are gone…

he’s not the type of guy you like, he’s the guy that you want on your team. you don’t have to love the guys on your team, just love that they are part of putting another ring on your finger and another banner in your gym.

I don’t want Posey on my team because he makes the entire bench turn into a towel waving cheerleader section… I don’t want to see Rodney Stuckey down there on the bench yelling in an opposing 3 point shooter’s ear or clapping his hands above the shooter’s head to distract him like Posey and Eddie House did…

all other intangibles, I’d take it. Full MLE for 2 years

MarkButter -

Dexter Jackson – Tampa Bay to Oakland to couple other teams back to Tampa over the course of what, 3 years? 4 years?

you also forgot to mention Larry Brown from the Cowboys to the Raiders that year the Boys beat the Steelers… he picked 2 passes and was named MVP and bolted for the Raiders too

Good luck in Jersey Jarvis. I was really questioning his talent in the beginning of the season but he really turned out to be a great role player. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the rotation during the playoffs and never was really heard from again. Damn you Flip! :)

This is the third year in a row we’ve failed to re-sign our backup SF. At a certain point, we’re going to have to decide what we want out of this spot.

“In an ideal world, what three available small forwards in the league would you love to backup Tayshaun Prince? (by free agent signing or small-scale trade)”

1. Childress, though I question the degree to which he counts as “available”.

2. CJ Miles. Our plan should be to improve this season with an eye toward potential starters in the future. Miles fits the plan perfectly, but the Jazz have already let one free agent walk.

3. Herrmann. If the above options don’t work, I think the Pistons should make an effort to resign him and see what he can do with consistent minutes. As a late acquisition, he was an odd man out last year, but he has shown enough to merit a contract and a roster spot.
 
“Should Detroit go the blockbuster route, is Tayshaun your first option as a trade piece?”

Yes. It’s all about what you can get in return. Prince may have the highest value of any of our players, and the Rip/Prince tandem on the wings produces a lot of redundancy on offense. The problem is that we don’t have anyone who can start in his place.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Posey’s game. I just question whether he’ll stay motivated. He was great for Miami during the championship run. And then got benched for being out of shape the next year.

He played his best basketball this year in the playoffs, but he was playing for a contract. I doubt we’ll see the same determined defense from him in the years to come. Especially when he gets the fat contract he’s going for.

I say we let someone else give him five years at the MLE.

Boney: Thanks. My hopeful point was someone who had a great game (series or tourney run) and then gets over-paid while becoming bloated.

As for Posey, he’s 31 I believe so a 5 year or 4 year is going to take him to 35 minimum dependinig on his birthday and he doesn’t seem like the athlete who is going to keep himself performing at that age. I’d like Hermann.

Some one mentioned him guarding Kobe, which I believe he did a bit and did a decent job. But if you look at Kobe’s last 9 games in the finals (bos & Det) he’s shooting under 40% I believe. Does he tense up, worn down, or ??? Don’t know but I think it has to do more with team defense than any one individual. I realize this is a “duh!” statement when playing D on Kobe, but my point is that it is not just one individual. And he doesn’t strike me as a guy who in 3 years after signing a 4 year deal is going to go quietly into the night or become a Lindsay Hunter type bench guy.

Hermann seems just pesky enough to piss people off and I think Affalo can guard some of the smaller 3’s. I think we are forgetting he was an All-American his junior year before he came out and has a get in your face attitude when he plays D. I just don’t want us to lock our MLE on one guy for so many years. I think even 3 is a bit too long. If Posey performs, in 2 years he’ll have no problem signing with someone. Of course, in the summer of 2010, I don’t think he’ll want to be a free agent given the FA crop that year.

What are people’s thoughts on Najera?

Summer League starts today! Looking at the rosters of the teams the Pistons will face, the Clippers look like the best test:

PG – Mike Taylor (1st D-League Player drafted)
SG – Eric Gordon
SF – Al Thornton
PF – Nick Fazekas
C – DeAndre Jordan

Check the status alert in red:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3437

Apparently Rod Thorn isn’t gonna take it anymore. He isn’t going to take Kidd’s crap (or declining skills) and he isn’t going to stand for missing the playoffs either. Including the Kidd trade, here’s what Thorn has essentially done since February in terms of moves that still hold: Out go Kidd, Antoine Wright & Malik Allen, and in come Devin Harris, Trenton Hassell, Mo Ager and KVH’s (now) Expired Contract and the #21 pick in the 2008 draft (Ryan Anderson), and an unprotected first rounder in 2010 (a year that suddenly doesn’t look so good for Dallas).

In comes Kiki Vanderweghe under Thorn as GM (who’s a really good guy to grab in my view if you have consistent playoff aspirations but aren’t worried about winning it all). Out goes Richard Jefferson, and in comes Yi Jianlian (sells tickets to Chinese-Americans at least) & Bobby Simmons. Besides Anderson, they draft Lopez at 10 (so far so good in the Orlando Summer League) and Chris Douglas Roberts at pick 40 (outrageous value and solid showing so far in the summer league). Then you’ve got them swiping Hayes and Najera (I’m a fan of Najera) for modest free agent contracts.

NINE new players in less than 5 months who could see serious minutes next season. I’m not saying this team is the mecca, but I for one, like their future chances this season to break into the playoffs and then possibly in the years to come win in the first round or more.

Son just called from home and said ESPN is reporting Pistons inquired about T-Mac. According to the 17 yr old, Rip is definitely in, and either CB or Sheed. He got 2100 on his SAT, but sometimes simplicity escapes him. FWIW

Brooklyn has some nice pieces to put around Lebron: Devon Harris, Sean Williams, whoever turns out to be the better of Anderson/Boone/Lopez, and if he can put on some bulk… Jianlian.

The Celtics signed Patrick O’Bryant to a one-year contract satisfying their quota of players with Irish names.

LB,

I think NJ is going to try to move Carter and Krstic. I don’t think they want to win this year.

From Need4Sheed which is taking it from A. Sherrod’s blog:

A report out of Detroit indicated the Pistons were close to getting a deal done that would land them Houston’s Tracy McGrady.

Sources I spoke with this morning confirmed that the story is not true. In fact, the two teams haven’t had any type of talks with each other in quite some time. Last I checked, telepathic deals aren’t allowed in the NBA.

Maybe this rumor was planted to get both sides talking again."

Kevin S: I like Krystic. If his knee is OK, I’d like to make a qualifying offer to him. I think he’s restricted but with Lopez, boone, etc., they don’t have room for him in the future.

Q Darshan: Thanks for the laugh…that’s funny!! Not to mention he’s an Irish black dude….(I mean no offense anyone).

Depending on the package for T-Mac, I actually kind of like it (as far as possible trades we could make). I’d be sad to see the Ripster go. I have to (hope? maybe I’m over-valuing our guys) imagine that we’d be getting a 1st round pick or 2 along with T-Mac if we’re giving up Rip and Rasheed. I’m kind of lukewarm on making a deal after watching what happened in the Finals. I think we were the 2nd best team, and I think Chauncey was at about 75% and we were still right there. That collapse in the 4th quarter of Game 6 is unforgivable, but T-Mac fits in nicely with Billups/Stuckey/Prince. He’s a significantly worse 3 point shooter than Rasheed, and I don’t know how we replace his post defense with this deal. I don’t really believe in addition by subtraction, so whatever deal we make we better f-ing get good value for Rasheed.

Anybody watching the Summer League game? I saw that after 5 minutes, Sharpe had 7 points on 2-3 from the floor and 3-3 from the line. The box score is broken for me (working off my old computer right now). Any updates?

Sharpe looks like he can handle the ball ok… not a big fan of guys who try the “killer crossover”, but he pulled it off… not bad

Samb was a little shot happy, but I liked the kid’s swagger. He played physical too. His offensive game seems more refined than Amir’s and he still excites me more as a prospect.

I also liked Plaisted who I think will have a career in the NBA (probably as the fifth big man in a four big man rotation).

Sharpe really got in the passing lanes a lot. Came up with a lot of steals. Boney’s right about his handle. Not a great shooter. Some good post moves (although it looked like he kept using the same one). I’d like to see him put on the weight he lost (in muscle). Probably a year away from being a steady contributor.

Stuckey dominated of course. Afflalo was relentless in slowing PGs trying to get the ball passed half court. Amir jumped around and committed fouls. Gransberry should get signed by somebody looking for a Big Baby like presence. Deron Washington is a longshot for the NBA.

I thought the refs were extremely whistle happy in this game…

Pistons played some chippy defense as a whole. I really liked their intensity. It looks like Stuckey has done exactly what MC has asked of him in getting the team ready.

Bynum didn’t look too bad. Amir got called for a lot of touch fouls but did a good job for the most part and had a few dunks.

Stuckey will dominate this entire summer league and then do the same come next season. It seemed to me like he pretty much just took his guy off the dribble whenever he wanted to.

Washington looks like nothing more than a big jumper and he didn’t even really get a chance to show off his leaping ability. Not really that impressed with him at this point.

I really like Sharpe overall and I thought that Amir and Cheikh both did a good job but at the same time I thought they all could have played better. Its days like this that I know I am nothing but a Pistons fan…

Amir only 16 minutes!?!?

I’m walking away from that game a little disappointed. Stuckey looked incredible, but I didn’t think anybody else on our team looked all that great. It didn’t seem to me that Samb or Amir has made much progress since last year.

Yes, the refs were whistle happy. Bad calls are a part of the summer league… but 8 fouls for Amir? The announcer barely had gotten the words “and that’s Amir’s 7th foul” before he got his 8th. And Curry did the right thing. Yank his ass, sit him next to you on the bench for the rest of the game, and tell him why that’s unacceptable.

Stuckey: Looked freakin’ amazing. He dominated the game. He mixed up driving, dishing, and shooting perfectly.

Afflalo: Was active and got some chippy fouls on him. His pattented defense didn’t seem to show up, and offensively he couldn’t get in a groove.

Sharpe: Held his own. Didn’t blow me away, but didn’t look terrrible. The verdict is still out, but I can see the potential everyone talks about with him.

Amir: He looks quicker and faster than any other 6’11" guy I’ve ever seen, but maybe my expectations have grown out of control. He still looks thin and he really didn’t dominate offensively, defensively, or the glass. That’s not even mentioning the 9 fouls he got in 17 minutes.

Samb: He didn’t shoot very well. That happens, but I was disapointed with his defense. 5 feet from the basket a guard drove past him and made an uncontested layup. He should have been met at the rim.

the other draft picks looked… well… like second round draft picks. Unless something changes, I doubt either will make it in the NBA.

I’m hoping that alot of this is rust or gelling. Maybe Amir and Samb can’t take the next step unless they play against better players.

Here’s another person’s PoV:

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2008/07/pistons_vs_lakers_las_vegas_su.html

i’m disappointed in mike payne that there isn’t a separate summer league thread for last night’s game. -1.

although watson wouldn’t have one until tuesday either. -2

(i kid. i kid. +1)

without looking at the box score purposely, here’s what jumped out at me, in no particular order:
-stuckey was an absolute man among boys. as he should be. no one could stay with him. he honestly doesn’t need to be mentioned for the rest of the summer league. he’s ready.
-for my first walter sharpe experience, i thought he was impressive. he just seems like a natural player. a lot of effortless moves, smart passes, great length. i give it up to joe again. perfect 2nd round pick. (until cdr becomes an all-star in nj)
-amir, samb, afflalo: i expect more from these 3. amir may have had 100 fouls last night. yes, the officials were ticky-tacky (they always are in summer league) and some weren’t his fault, but come on. figure it out. figure out when it’s a smart time to take a swipe at the ball 90 feet from the opposing basket. (99% of the time it’s not. end of lesson.) he did bulk up though. i just wish he showed us a shot other than a baby hook and a dunk. he’s going to need to develop his arsenal to really ascend to the pedestal we put him on. afflalo i think hit maybe one outside jumper. that’s what we need him to do. hit open jumpers. and then his defense was certainly not outstanding. so he’s hand-checking future d-leaguers and missing jumpers. he should be better than that. as far as samb, wonder if he sees the difference between hitting 18 footers in the gym and hitting 18 footers in a real game. he must of missed 10 of those shots. and did he have a single block? people were constantly sneaking layups by him. he was kind of frustrating to watch.
-plaisted didn’t validate my theory that he’s destined for a fine career in europe. nor did he discount either. that one move he has (that he unfortunately got called for a travel on) is pretty and he showed me something leaking on the one break from stuckey where he caught a great pass and didn’t f up an easy dunk. maybe my prejudice against 6-11 white dudes from byu is coming through. i would hope i’m better than that, but maybe not. deron washington same thing. (not the white dude from byu part.) you see a lot of athleticism in how he goes after rebounds and lobs, but he disappeared on the court otherwise. go to italy, boys. enjoy yourself. work on your game. get an italian girlfriend. we’ll see you next year.
-i don’t know what to think abut will bynum. i think i’d rather have will blalock.

I wasn’t able to watch the game last night, is there any where I can watch highlights?

Looks like we might have interest in Biedrins…

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2008/07/oakland_tribune_detroit_piston.html

re: Chauncey for Biedrins

This is why I hope Joe D. is patient this summer. This is a lopsided trade in Golden State’s favor, and they are still trying to pawn off lesser goods (Harrington? Seriously?).

Teams know we are high on Stuckey. They know we are looking to make a move. And they want to capitalize.

The best way to evaluate summer league is to look at who struggled consistently. If a player can’t get it together throughout, it’s a good bet they won’t pan out for the team. The same does not hold true for those who dominate the league.

I say keep the Olympian and trade Sheed.

Some of you crack me up…your upset that the young guys haven’t made huge strides since last year? Last year ended 6 weeks ago! What did you expect? THe seasons months away…they’ll make strides.

We have 5 guys starting who will PLAY this year in Detroit against 4 starters for LA who likely won’t make the team…and Coby Karl

I hope Amir can get it together, because I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all want him to succeed and be the player we think he can be. That being said, it sounds like he’s still doing the same things that bothered me throughout the season: no go-to offensive move, jumps for pump fakes, commits lots of fouls. Summer League is a good place to get some confidence and shake some rust off, so hopefully he can have a few good games and get the ball rolling from there.

Not falling for pump fakes is a game experience thing. I think it’s a little early to discern whether he has a go-to offensive move.

Although there’s been some chatter about last night’s summer league game, I don’t think the box score has been posted yet, so here it is:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520800003

We won by 11 despite being outshot 53% to 42%. They had a ton more TOs (28 to 15) and we also had a rebounding edge (36 to 29). I didn’t catch the game, but upthread folks are saying Stuckey played really well, but he shot only 6 for 15 from the field (though 9 for 10 from the line, which warms my heart).

@JackDutch:
“i’m disappointed in mike payne that there isn’t a separate summer league thread for last night’s game. -1.

(i kid. i kid. +1)"

I’m disappointed too! Turns out I had a wedding rehearsal dinner last night and couldn’t even watch the summer league game… I was white-knuckling it last night, trying to come up with an illness that I could fake so I could watch the game on my laptop. No dice. its waiting on my DVR at home for me though, I’m excited to watch the Stuckey show…

I’ll be back at home tomorrow afternoon, and if Matt isn’t back yet, I’ll have a game thread up and ready. Rest assured, my friends.

Re: Biedrins, I’ve been rooting for him for months now, but I admit I sure don’t like that suggested price tag…

MP: You LOVE Biedrins more than anyone I know. If they tack on one (or two if we drive a hard bargain) future first-round picks, this is a no-brainer if you’re right about Biedrins (I’m admittedly not qualified to judge). Stuckey is a G. Chauncey is expensive and expendable and we could do without his “I’m still the man I was between 2003-2005 but my performances prove otherwise” shenanigans.

I’m stunned to find out Stuck went 6-15. But as the greater DBB world has been clamoring for, 10 attempts at the line. He hit 9 of ’em. He goes to the whole.

Here comes the volcanic eruption of backlash, but just keep in mind that it was QD that said this to me during the game last night (even though I’m guilty of agreeing 100%). “I’m more excited right now about Samb’s potential than Amir’s.”

*hole … Dang I’m tired.

A couple posters mentioned that Afflalo’s defense was poor in yesterday’s game. Really?

It seemed like the whole game he was picking up the other team’s PG full court and making him use most of the 8 seconds to get the ball across half court. It seemed like the Lakers (a poor team even by Summer League standards) were starting their offense with 14 seconds on the clock every time.

Plus, he forced a lot of travels and plays where people dribbled it off their foot.

Oh, and no one’s game analysis mentions Michael Curry.

He sat down the whole game. I wonder if he’ll be a sit down coach during the regular season a la Phil Jackson? Probably not.

He seemed to have some sort of full court ball pressure the whole game. Sometimes a full court press, but at the very least, having Afflalo slow down the PG.

The big men always seemed to quickly jump over the screen on pick-and-roll defense and then race back to recover. This is probably because Plaisted, Samb and Amir are pretty mobile.

Obviously, can’t tell anything about what a coach he’ll be like from a summer league game but it looks like he’s preparing the young players to be part of a high energy, in your face, second unit.

I can get onboard this Biedrins bandwagon, I think the guy is pretty cool. I don’t know if I’m abnormal or something, but I’d rather do something crazy (like Billups for Biedrins/pick) and potentially be worse, but have people playing with outrageous heart and effort.

I remember I didn’t watch too many Pistons games after G. Hill was gone until 2002-03 and 2003-04, because that was when everyone just worked like it was the last game of their life on this team. Every game was amazing, now they are just annoying to behold. I’ve turned into a “big-games-and-box-score” fan and it’s a shame.

Btw, you guys are great. I love reading the Vegas analysis since I’m too lame to have NBATV.

Kevin S:

“Not falling for pump fakes is a game experience thing. I think it’s a little early to discern whether he has a go-to offensive move.”

It’s been 3 years though……. I’m just saying.

One thing I found hilarious about last night and about the box score posted above is apparently no one can figure out what position each starter plays. Last night they had the starters listed as the following:

Cheikh Samb – C
Walter Sharpe – PF
Amir Johnson – SF
Aaron Afflalo – SG
Rodney Stuckey – PG

On the box score they have the following:

Cheikh Samb – C
Walter Sharpe – G
Aaron Afflalo – G
Rodney Stuckey – F
Amir Johnson – F

I think Curry coached well, but like someone already said, not much can be extrapolated from a summer league game for a rookie coach. He seemed like he kept the pedal down the entire game and made sure his team stayed active and motivated. I think he’s coached these younger players almost perfectly with the way he put the burden of responsibility on Stuckey to get these guys ready for summer league which he did. I’m looking forward to seeing them play against a summer league team that actually has some competitive match-ups.

I noticed they only took two threes yesterday which is a great sign of them getting to the basket and getting in the interior. They didn’t settle for a lot of long jumpers…although there isn’t anyone on that team that is known for their 3 pt shooting.

qd-i said i thought his defense was not outstanding. considering how schlubby that lakers squad was and how good at d we’ve seen him be, i expected more. he’s only going to be on the floor this season to hit open js and make guys work for shots. that jumper should be down by now and he should be wearing any opposing guard’s jersey on that lakers squad. that was a horrible, horrible team…

seriously, was the highest pick on that team #58? wasn’t coby karl undrafted? lakers not putting a lot of effort into their summer league team. hence, kupchak’s quarter plus interview during the game. no reason to pay attention to a team where you’ll be forgeting their first names in 2 weeks. i assume there’s more talent in vegas than what the lakers showed.

i’m becoming a little worried about amir’s development. i don’t know who’s been tasering him for taking shots outside of 5 feet, but they should knock that s*** off.

JD and James B., looks like the Clippers will be the only legit measuring stick. From the little I saw of their game, they looked sharp. And all five of their starters will be on their team (Taylor, Gordon, Thornton, Fazekas, Jordan).

The rest of the teams the Pistons play look pretty weak.

Hoopshype.com’s take on the game:

In a game primarily dominated by his superior Pistons squad, Rodney Stuckey came to take over the game. Stuckey finished the game with 21 points, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds and was relatively efficient, shooting 6-17 and going 9-10 from the field. Lakers’ second-round pick Joe Craford seemed to struggle with the rhythm of a higher-paced game, leading to 4 turnovers, but he did finish with 9 points on 2-4 shooting. Pat Calathes, a standout wing player from St. Joseph’s, did not play for the Lakers

Studs: Joe Dumars couldn’t have asked for anything more from Amir Johnson, who only played for just under 17 minutes but was flat-out productive, finishing with 12 points on 5-5 shooting as well as grabbing 4 boards and notching 2 steals. Rookie Trent Plaisted also was solid for the Pistons in the low block, consistently boxing out his opponents under the rim and playing very good post defense. He finished with 10 points (4-5 shooting), and 5 rebounds. Lastly, Arron Afflalo had a nice game as well, shooting 6-14 from the field for his 15 points; he also had 2 steals and 3 rebounds. Coby Karl led the Lakers with 14 points, knocking down two of his four three-pointers, and had 4 rebounds as well as three assists and a steal.

Duds: Cheikh Samb, who Dumars really likes because of the work he has put in the gym since being drafted two years ago, didn’t perform well offensively on the block. Considering most of his shots were near the basket, his 3-12 shooting performance shows a need to improve offensively. He isn’t going to get many opportunities on offense in any case, so he must convert the chances he gets.

The fact that Amir didn’t get one blocked shot when he once blocked seven in an actual game tells me the refs simply were calling fouls everywhere. I suspect this is the way the coaches want it, so they can see what their guys can do rather than have the seven footers swat everything away.

Totally OT:

So on GearCrave, my website, I ran a giveaway last week with this Portland-based wallet company called DB Clay. Their wallets are f48king sweet, enough so that even our own Matt Watson commented on them.

So the guy that was my contact at DB Clay, Benjamin Diggles, whom I worked out the giveaway with? He’s a great guy, type of guy you want to buy a beer. So he was telling me about the “messed up day” he had, that he videotaped one of his buddies getting Lasik surgery on his eyes.

Turns out, his buddy is none other than Portland Trailblazer Channing Frye.

http://www.mrdiggles.com/2008/07/10/channing-frye-lasik-eye-surgery/

Enjoy, but only if you’ve got a thick stomach… I suggest you stop watching after 3:30…

Oh, and a side note— apparently Channing is a very friendly guy, super nerdy, as is noted by his fanhood of the Never Ending Story and The Labarinth.

The Labyrinth is a weird, weird movie.

Looks like the Nets picked up Eduardo Najera also (4yrs/$12 mil). I think he would have fit nice with the Pistons.

Joe D should make a nice offer to Ryan Gomes. The T-Wolves have the cap space, but too many players, and may not match our offer.

“You remind me of the babe /(What babe?) / The babe with the power /
(What power?) / The power of voodoo / (Who do?) / You do / (Do what?) /
Remind me of the babe”

Best Bowie song ever.

Rob G:

That iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssss correct! (a la Chris Farley in Billy Madison)

Labyrinth is an awesome movie with a fantastic soundtrack. And The Never Ending Story rocks as well (as does Part II). Channing Frye is now my favorite basketball ever. What can we do to trade for him:

-Billups
-Prince
-Rip

For

-Channing Frye
-Labyrinth on Special Edition HD-DVD (screw blu-ray HD-DVD FTW!)

Speaking of nerds, I remember reading an article a while back about Josh Childress. He’s into techie stuff, and is a hardcore internet nerd. Let’s bring in Frye and Childress and then have a Labyrinth marathon sprinkled with a bit of Transformers: The Movie. We could bring them off the bench and call them “The n00bs”.

Also, even better than the fact that Channing Frye’s buddy filmed him having lasik surgery is the fact that the guy’s name is MR. DIGGLES.

MR. DIGGLES.

Labyrinth: Ah… the young Jennifer Connelly. There was never a time she wasn’t beautiful (I was told it was okay to admire her beauty in this movie and in “Once Upon a Time in America” because I was young then too so it’s not creepy).

“screw blu-ray, HD-DVD FTW!”

lmao, I hope you’re kidding…

Diablo,

HD-DVD because Blu-Ray will be made obsolete by digital distribution in 5-10 years as it is, so HD-DVD will have the nostalgic/antique value of being the first HD disc source to become obsolete – hence a higher value than Blu-Ray.

so, anybody got a link to DL any pistons summer league games?

Hey, can someone wake me up when we start talking basketball again. I have no earthly idea what the hell the last 20 posts have been talking about. Enjoy, just wake me up when there’s some Piston news to discuss. Thanks guys.

OT as I know nothing about “Labyrinth”/DVD’s HD formats: To think that Birdman tried to tell me that Eric Gordon is a bust in waiting. Eric Gordon is not going to be a bust (barring injury troubles), thank you very much. Everything Hughes (Clips’ summer league coach) says in this article is on the money:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/egordon_feature_20080712.html

Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon replaced Mobley as the starting shooting guard by season’s end. And on a summer league note, if Gordon doesn’t play tonight (which would leave me bummed), the Clippers no longer pose a competitive threat.

I certainly hope Gordon plays, since the Clippers are the best summer league competition.

However, I should say that two (summer league, no less) games aren’t much of a sample to prove or disprove bust status. Gordon’s ability to get fouled is an important skill, but I would think it would be skewed in the summer league by the sheer number of fouls called. As for his shooting, he’s currently 9/28 (32.1%) from the field and 16/21 (76.2%) from the line.

On an unrelated note, what do you guys think of another 80’s Muppetish movie, The Dark Crystal? That soundtrack is amazing.

Birdman: The guy shot approximately 84% from the line on 8.7 attempts/game in his lone season at Indiana University. That’s good for 7th in attempts for all of Division I (Hansbrough was the only guy ahead of him I’ve even heard of), good enough for 1st among ALL freshmen in D-1 as well, coming in slightly ahead of Beasley, and also leading more comfortably over: Jerryd Bayless (who was strangely followed immediately by Trent Plaisted who was good enough for 15th in all of D-1), Brook Lopez and Kevin Love, all of whom finished in the Top 30.

The 32% and 76% are what is (negatively) skewed by the summer league. He shot 44.5% from the field (36% from 3) last season. This guy isn’t just good, his abilities are truly remarkable. He’s special, and fans will know. QD and I were watching him take it to the rack and a player on Dallas fouled him solidly on the arm in the air and Gordon didn’t even flinch, just went right through the contact, hit the layup and finished the and 1. There is no doubt in my mind that if Dunleavy gives him as much of a chance to prove himself as he gave Thornton last year, Gordon will put up big numbers, make the All-Rookie First Team and maybe even win Rookie of the Year if Dunleavy quickly inserts him into the starting lineup for Mobley. No chance that he is a bust if he gets to see the floor consistently. None.

Gordon is out for the rest of summer league.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-33-46/Update-on-Gordon——-and-Oden.html

1. Kelenna Azubuike. I’m not sure why no one has been talking about him, but this is the guy we should be going after right now. He’s atheltic, he has the potential to be solid on both ends of the court, and he’s a great three point shooter.

Childress would be great too, but he would come at a higher price, and honestly I don’t think we have a chance of getting him anyway. Herrmann is an alright option as well, but Azubuike has a lot more upside.

2. Yes.

James B.

If you are going for potential rarity in your DVD collection then I guess you are heading down the right path. But as far as next-gen DVDs are concerned, Blue-Rays are the future and 5-10 years of Blue-Rays is a pretty long time.