Pistons assistant coach Dave Cowens had the quote of the day. Talking to a group of sponsors at the DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, he described Amir Johnson this way: "Amir does a lot of things you can’t coach and he can’t do a lot of things you can coach.">>

I got one question:

What was Saunders doing these last three years with Amir?

When the Lakers drafted Bynum they hired Kareem as Bynum’s personal coach when Bynum was a rookie. The comparison in development with regard to fundamentals between Amir and Bynum is obvious.

So Amir had 3 wasted years under Saunders.

However, I blame this one on Joe D. and Mr. D. They should have made more of an effort to coach Amir in fundamentals from the day that we drafted him.

Now 3 + years later and Cowens is saying Amir still needs a lot of coaching. This is not only ridiculous but a tragedy. Probably the Pistons biggest screwup since Joe D. became VP except for the hiring of Saunders and drafting of Darko.

Well, even in Amir’s first year I don’t think the Pistons had any big plans for him. It wasn’t til after his first year the Pistons started to hype up the guy’s stock because of his performance in the D-League and he grew like 2-3 inches and was no longer considered a SF.

Flip is not a big, so it would really be up to him to work with the young big men. Cowens was there though and has the resume. I’m sure he has been working with Amir. Maybe Amir isn’t learning.

I don’t make that comment to denigrate Amir, but to point out that Cowens knows and has worked with Amir. He’s making a pointed dig to motivate him.

I don’t see what exactly Amir is incapable of doing that is coachable. Is he literally unable to slow down and use some post moves on offense? Or maybe I just need to lighten up…

I think Amir came in so raw that even now he is still learning “simple” ideas and concepts about what he needs to do.

Hopefully Sheed is working with him too.

Mike, you shouldn’t compare a #10 pick and a #56 pick. Bynum was expected to be a corner stone, Amir was expected to fight for a roster spot. Perspective. Until I see anything from him, he’s no better then Don Reid.

Having Amir here the last 3 years was like having his draft rights for 2008 Draft when he might have been NBA ready.

He took a paid apprenticeship with the Pistons instead of a college scholarship.

This is his year. Curry is his coach.

It is worth remembering that Amir was one of our most productive players last year.

I alluded to this on a previous post, but I am worried that Curry will be a doghouse coach. A player might do splendidly, and then fail to go after a loose ball, or commit a dumb foul, and be taken out of action for 10 games. Curry seems like the type of coach who might do just that.

Welcome to the Amir help line, caller. Tell me about your fascination?
  -“Well..ahem…he’s young and, with the limited minutes he’s played, has put up good numbers on the intangible stat lines. He was drafted out of H.S. so he’s raw and can be taught to play the game. He grew a couple inches (thats huge in a game of body type) and his attitude, work ethic, and energy are outstanding. He’s a lock as an all-star within 4 years. Who the hell is this Craig cat comparing him to Don Reid or Bill Curley or whoever.”

-OK, all good points. What I notice is, since he was drafted, in his 3 years in the NBA, he hasn’t beaten out a 34yr old Antonio Mcdyess, a Rasheed Wallace who’s having an ever difficult time stomaching the hypocracy of the NBA, a 6 foot 7 inch Jason Maxiell, and a not-so-young Theo. Shouldn’t our real life expectations change? Proceed, but do so without blaming people who want him to succeed.

Emergency phone call from your sister-
Sampson, it’s Sheila, mamma fell!-

I’m not blaming people for wanting Amir to be free, but I think expectations should be kept realistic until he has something to support them. I don’t think his summer league play did anything to heighten expectations. And Bynum is looking at a max contract. Not trying to earn pt.

Well, Kevin, I guess Amir is going to play 48 minutes a game then and Sheed is going to play 0?

Mike, you shouldn’t compare a #10 pick and a #56 pick. Bynum was expected to be a corner stone, Amir was expected to fight for a roster spot. Perspective. Until I see anything from him, he’s no better then Don Reid.>>

Come on.

Amir was Mr. Basketball in CA of all states. It doesn’t take a basketball genius to figure out that someone who can run and jump like he can and was Mr. Basketball in CA in high school has a tremendous upside.

They should have assigned someone to work with him full time from beginning the day after they drafted him.

Yes he was smaller then but he was still 6’9" which meant he was going to wind up playing either the #3 or the #4 and most likely the #4 because I doubt that he just started growing again after we drafted him. I am sure that he had been growing all along so it would have been easy for them to project him to become 6’10" or 6’11", which he is now.

So you hire a former player to work one on one with him from the gitgo.

Pistons fans make out like Joe D. was taking a flyer with him and it wasn’t until he lit up the D-league that anyone in the Pistons organization realized he could be good.

Give me a break. He was the best high school player in all of CA in his senior year and no one knew he had potential?

What I really think is happening here is that Cowens was trying to be funny and while there are still thinks that Amir can be coached in its not like there are still a lot of these things. At least I hope not. I hope it is now mostly a matter of court time and some refinement from the coaches in how Amir is doing certain things but not teaching him these things for the first time at this point, especially “a lot of things”.

Mike, come on man. Seriously? I’m an admitted Amir slappy, but let’s be serious. When he was drafted we all went “oh, okay” and went along with our business. Then he made the team and then he got into a game and threw down a ridiculous dunk and then shot like 11/11 from the floor and we all went, “wait, what just happened?” And then some of us went “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”

Comparing him to Bynum isn’t fair. There’s a reason Amir went 56 and Bynum went 10. There’s a reason the Lakers refused to give up Bynum when Kobe wanted him traded for any number of players. That reason is that Amir was a bigger project than Bynum. There’s a reason whole lot of people that get paid a lot of money and spent their whole lives around the game passed on him 55 times.

I’m as big an Amir cheer leader you’ll find, but not even in my wildest dreams does he approach the potential that Bynum flashed last season before he got hurt.

Sorry, my post is a disaster. I wasn’t paying attention, I’m watching WVU destruct under the leadership of super friendly and hilariously unqualified Coach Stew. Anybody out there question the Rodriguez hire after watching this season’s WVU team?

Amir lead the league in blocks per 48 min last year.

I am a displaced Detroiter living in LA, and happened to see both Bynum and Amir play in high school prior to the draft. Believe it or not, Amir was a much more polished player. After the draft a coworker who also saw both play and is a rabid lakers fan, said the exact same thing. Bynum was/is bigger, and so he went before Amir in the draft. But Darko went before D Wade too, because he was/is bigger.