Stuckey the East’s Player of the Week

Deron Williams’ Eastern Conference counterpart, if only for a week? I’ll take that. Stuckey has been on a tear and it’s fantastic to witness.

Haters beware. Stuckey ain’t scared, and he’s here to make you all look foolish.

“like I said… I’m never scared.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5amjXL-7nQ

I’m glad he’s proving a bunch of us wrong. I admit to being doubtful at the start of the season, but he’s made me into a believer. The scary thing is that he’s still pretty raw and has a lot of rough edges to polish. Once that happens, he could be all-star material.

Michael Curry was a very bad coach. He stifled Stuckey’s growth with his bad play calling and terrible substitution patterns.

Get that jump shot improved, keep working on the ol’ court vision and Stuck is a world-beater… Joe D could look like a genius yet

@Yahtzee: I agree. If he ends up with even 5 assists a game average, i’ll be extremely happy. He needs to shoot at a higher percentage. 41% or whatever for a big, driving guard is horrendous. But, I think that will come when everybody comes back for us.

Also, I really wish we didn’t draft Darko. lol

@Cody

Darko = Stuckey = Carmelo

We passed on Melo to take Darko, then flipped Darko + Arroyo for the pick that would become Stuckey. Not a bad consolation prize, especially if he gets the midrange game down and adds a little more offensive awareness/vision. All-Star level? Easily. I’d argue that he’s currently already at All-Star level— he’s been the best player (no offense to Big Ben) on the team that is currently the 7th seed in East, averaging 20/5/5 to boot. If we keep on with our winning ways and Stuck keeps around the same numbers while improving his FG%, I think he probably gets an All-Star nod this season. Opposing coaches know what’s up.

i have been skeptical of stuckey up until recently, after this stretch i will be less quick to be critical of him if he hits another rough patch. he’s having a nigh-allstar season so far.

@Joel, well, and everyone:
All-Star level? Easily.

We pretty much have three all-star caliber players right now. Stuckey’s 23/6/4, Wallace’s league-leading offensive rebounding, CV’s decade-top-5 post offense as a PF… If fans weren’t involved and the statistics were making the picks, those three are all-star caliber without a doubt.

Oh, and Ben Gordon could be a 4th 10 games into a return from his ankle injuries.

(and Jerebko better start at SF for the rookie/sophomore game)

@Joel: Oh, I didn’t know that we got a pick from Darko. Nevermind then. I’d take a Championship and Stuckey over ’Melo anyday.

Also, Damn the 2003 draft was one of the best ever.

Lebron, ’Melo, Wade, Bosh, Kaman (he seems way older to me for some reason), David West, Boris Diaw, Josh Howard, and Mo Williams. Damn.

I wanna read Mike Payne’s post on Chunky Charlie, dammit.

I have been defending Stuckey from various fronts since the start of the season so I’m happy he has finally gotten it together. I want to wait at least another month before I can tell myself that this is a sure thing, but I’m happy he is finally getting his due.

If Stuckey ends up the season with averages between 16-18 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, low turnovers, efficient shooting and solid defense I will be satisfied with his play as he would have met my expectations.

@PS:
You and me both, dammit!! I’m waiting on Roland Beech from 82games to update his damn stats and reply to all of my emails. Dude hasn’t updated in a week, and I’ve got the whole damn thing written— but without objective data, it’s useless!!

Seriously, I’m getting pissed. I don’t want to wait on this one.

@Kriz:
I have been defending Stuckey from various fronts since the start of the season so I’m happy he has finally gotten it together.

You and me both, man. I even ended up suggesting trying to bring Sessions in just to help spell Stuckey as our primary PG. While Stuck has done brilliant with his time at the 2, I think he can still manage this team at the point— not to mention that very, VERY few championship teams ever have “true” point guards.

While I’m thrilled Stuckey is living up to his role, especially at its most needed moment, I’m even more thrilled by what Villainy has done lately. I’m waiting on Roland Beech to finish a pretty well-exposing article on Charlie, and can’t wait to publish it.

But my perspective remains true. While Stuckey is important, he’ll be one of four stud guards in our backcourt when they are all healthy. Even if he sucks six nights out of seven, the three other guards can carry the heap (of course, I never expect that to happen to Stuckey, especially after his recent rush). But Charlie, we only have one of him. Thank god he’s playing like he is, because when we’re healthy our season may well rest on his shoulders.

I think Darko was the worst player to come out of that draft. How could Joe Dumars fail so badly? That was like the ultimate fail.

It’s been discussed. We won a title the year after. Everybody here hated that pick , with 20/20 hindsight.

iverson gets crossed over by chauncy and stuckey… haha nice compilation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0WflOAFrt4

chauncey*

I’ve never have had a good feel for Rodney Stuckey as a player. I think he got overrated from his solid play when Billups got hurt in the playoffs, then underrated from his supporting performance in Michael Curry’s AI Telenovela. The only thing that was ever clear to me is Stuckey needed to finish at a better % on his drives and pass better out of penetration. The rest of his game has always been very solid. Now he’s improving on the main flaws in his game. I’m happy to have my doubts proven wrong but I want to see it for more than a week or so.

I, like everyone else here, am very glad to see Stuckey play well. I’m not sure that he is going to be able to maintain this though for the entire year. Like Garrett pointed out above, he still has some rough spots in his game that he needs to tighten up. I would still like to see some better decision making. He still (at times) shoots when he should pass (contributing to a low FG%) and passes when he should shoot.

I like the growth I see night in and night out though. I definitely think he’s a keeper. I still don’t think we’ll see his full potential until year 5. That’s when C-Bill started to shine.

Just read the mailbag, and while I don’t think Keith is the best of writers, he brought up the possibility of starting JJ at the 4 when Tay comes back. Stuck, Rip, Tay, JJ, and Big Ben starting. Think of this second unit: MFWB, BG, Daye, Villanueva, Max (or Kwame). Talk about offensive firepower off the bench. The shooting of BG, the drive of Will, the sweet J of Daye, CV’s amazing post ability and all-around talent, and Maxy’s energy off the bench. Woah. As for the starters, every starter would be considered above average in size for their position, aside from Big Ben.

Cody…It’ll be interesting to see if JJ does start at the 4 once Prince is healthy. He’s got the height and length, but does he have the bulk to play there against opposing teams starters? When you think about it though, how many 4’s in the league do we really have to worry about over powering him? There just aren’t many low post 4’s left in the league anymore. I can’t see him being a worse defender at defending the PF position then Charlie.

I think it’s worth a shot because I like Charlie V coming off the bench. Let JJ harrass the starting 4’s and waste some fouls if necessary then bring in Charlie V to concentrate on offense. Startng JJ would also allow us to always have a 4 on the court capable of spacing the floor. Max has played better lately, so he may continue to start. However, if we start Maxiel then JJ is basically out of the rotation.

Regarding Stuckey’s FG%:

Yes, the 41% he’s currently at is pretty low, but remember he was shooing like low 30’s most of the season until the last two weeks— he’s shooting right around 49-50% on average for the last 9 games. If he ends the season in the ~45% range, I think we’re probably the 5-6 seed in the East.

Also I love the idea of JJ starting at the 4. Killanueva clearly is more effective off the bench because he picks up fouls too quickly on starting 4’s, and JJ and Big Ben clearly have a defensive chemistry out there. They might be the best offensive rebounding tandem in the league.

I would abso-freaking-lutely love to start JJ. I’m getting excited to see our rotation when we’re healthy.

lmao: “We’re Back”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3EjdcaY5dk&feature=related

I looked at Hollinger’s playoff predictor and it has Detroit at 64% chance of making the playoffs (7th best, above Miami and below Milwaukee). The Bulls were 2nd worst at 1.5%, lower the Philly.

JJ is a better rebounder and a better scorer (in terms of ppg and fg%) at the 4. Problem is, he fouls a lot more at PF— like 13.4 fouls per game in 48 minutes. Comparatively, Amir Johnson put up 9 fouls per 48 at the PF last season.

I don’t doubt that he can work through that though. While Jerebko is all hustle and energy, he’s a lot smarter of a player than Amir— not to mention he appears to have much more body control. The sample thus far is quite small (he’s logged more minutes at the 2 than the 4, for example), so I think the foul issues will come down in no time.

I’d still rather start Jonas at the 3 over Tay, and I like what Maxiell has given us at the 4 to start, but that lineup seems okay to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVhJ9zeoykA

I’d like to see this starting lineup: Stuckey, Rip, Tay, CV, Ben. As well as Maxiell has been playing letely, I’d like to see Jerebko be a backup “Stretch Four” behind CV. With the three guard rotation (and a little Daye action) to spell Tay at the 3.

Jonas’s range and ability to put the ball on the floor will cause some problems if he’s playing the four. And I’m not confident in saying that Maxiell is absolutely a better rebounder/defender than Jonas at the 4 spot either.

Gotta second MP. The only reason I would be leery of starting JJ, is because I want to see if Max can continue to improve. Two years ago he was looking light he was about to break out. It would be great if he could get back to that point.

“he appears to have much more body control.”

Except for that hook shot.

That’s a nice little piece on the rookie. He has been such a pleasant surprise.

Ideally I would love to see Jerebko become a steady 4, but he has to be solid on both sides of the ball. He has the height for it, but he still needs some body strength. If eventually he could play the 4 for this team he would keep that long ball scoring threat when Mr. Doom is on the bench.

Seriously, the kid could end up being a match up problem, but he has to get stronger and make his scoring down low more solid. He has some post like moves, but he looks extremely raw and tentative.

@MP:
That Jonas vid was awesome. Got me all hyped. Can’t wait to watch the game tonight on my laptop.

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/david_aldridge/12/14/morning.tip/index.html

Stuck again being mentioned amongst the cream of young point guards.

God, I hope that Jonas locks up Budinger so we don’t have to hear everyone complain about how Jod is the worst GM ever.

If JJ starts at the 4 once we are fully healthy he’s foul troubles shouldn’t be too big of an issue since he’ll be playing 15-20 minutes max on most nights.

*his foul trouble

I still like CV coming off the bench for 30mpg. Our starters should be good offensively with Stuck, Rip, and Tay out there (and JJ occasionally spreading the floor), and our second unit would be ELITE with MFWB, BG, and CV playing against other teams’ scrubs. Defensively teams would never be able to take a possession off.

Also, I had no idea that Utah has the Knick’s unprotected 1st round pick this year. How many of those things did they give away. Jesus.

Remember before the season when we were so worried about playing MFWB and BG together because of their size. Now we’re just focused on how that combo will light MF’ers up. Fits with our new, take no prisoners attitude. I like it.

@Colin: If Utah wins the lottery with that pick, holy crap. IF they do what that article says, and trade Wall along with Boozer, think of the return on that.

It’s great to see Stuck getting some national attention for his solid play. But TBH, I’m much more excited about the 5-game win streak — which is largely due to Stuckey’s improved play. If Rodney keeps playing this well, we’ll not only climb into the Playoffs, we would have a realistic shot at the 5-6 seed.

The next 3 games should be interesting in that regard, because Rodney has shot the ball so poorly on the road this season (46% compared to 36% http://bit.ly/5PHmb7) and the next 3 are on the road, and he’ll be going against quality guards.

I really do think this to be true: As goes Rodney Stuckey, so go this year’s Pistons. When he plays poorly, as he did over the first 15ish games, we’re not very good. When he plays up to his potential, we’re a Playoff team that could surprise someone in the first round. As much as the kid frustrated me in the first half of this still young season, I’m thrilled to see him righting the ship.

@Cody: No kidding

@Brgulker: I agree that his play is important, but given the injuries, the first 15 games don’t exactly prove your point. I think if we have all our guards back, it won’t be a huge deal if he plays poorly.

Let me clarify: For us to be a 5 seed, Stuckey does have to play well, which after reading your post again was really your point. However, he could play great, but if Charlie doesn’t continue to play well we’ll be a bubble team. So, I sort of agree.

I will have to agree with a comment previously made by MP. On any given night any of our guards can be off and the Pistons can still pull the win because there are at least 3 guys who can pick up the play from that one guard. However, Villanueva performing badly can be more costly because there is no one who can make up for his production down low. It is important for this team that Charlie continues to go to the post and that the team keeps looking for him.

It is also important the continuance of the rebounding and defensive effort of Ben Wallace, helped by Max, Jerebko and Charlie (he has been rebounding much better lately, while filling up the stat sheet with either steals, blocks or assists).

It’s good to see “upper level” teams cry about schedules that we started the year with. I don’t recall anyone from our organization whining about it though.
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/12/14/adelman.schedule.ap/index.html

But I also agree that we need Stuckey to play good, particularly on his point guard chores. Not great, just good.

@Brgulker: I agree that his play is important, but given the injuries, the first 15 games don’t exactly prove your point. I think if we have all our guards back, it won’t be a huge deal if he plays poorly.

The first 15 alone don’t prove my point, I agree, but that wasn’t my argument. I also referenced the 6 of our last 7 games, all of which we have won, and all of which Rodney has played well.

Of course you’re right — we all have to take the first 15 with a grain of salt, and frankly, we’re going to have to take the next 20 with a grain of salt because all our injured guys haven’t played together nor healthy.

So in that sense, I’m definitely hypothesizing and predicting based on what tentative evidence is available and my own sensibilities.

I think we know what we’re going to get from Rip, Tay, Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, Ben Wallace, JJ (in the short-term), Kwame, and Max. CV is becoming more consistent of late, but he’s still a little bit of a wildcard. But for the most part, we know what our key rotation players are going to give us. That group of guys gives us a middling team that will scrap its way into the Playoffs (assuming an average to below average Rodney).

But thus far, the biggest wildcard has been Rodney Stuckey. When he plays well, he’s good enough to make us 5-7 seed team. If he plays poorly, we’ll have to fight for a playoff spot. For the most part, I think that has been true thus far and will continue to be true even with all our guys being healthy.

scntfc, I was thinking the same thing when I read that. It seems like have of Detroit’s home games have come on the back end of a back-to-back. It defeats the purpose of having home court advantage when you have to fly back the night before.

*half of

I just remembered that Ariza is suspended for tonight’s game, so hopefully we can make it 6 in a row and climb back to .500. Honestly, none of the teams on this road trip scare me right now— NO is banged up and OKC is going to get the revenge treatment methinks. Don’t want to jinx it but we could have the Lake Show rolling into town on Sunday trying to stop our 8-game win streak.

The Wifey and I will be at the game tonight. We’ve lost the last two years at the Toyota Center so here’s hoping for a “Night of Magic”.

That Jonas video was awesome. Thanks, MP!

And I say bring Tay back slowly and start JJ. At least that sets the tone defensively with JJ and Big Ben.

re: Jerebko’s hook shot.

Being one of the few remaining experts in the revitalized skyhook that Jerebko has been using (my father taught it to me at the age of 7 after learning it from his father at a young age…some say the Burns hookshot is one of the greatest to ever make it’s way onto the hardwood), I can tell you that his only issue with that shot right now is that 1) he’s not looking at the basket before he begins his release and 2) he’s getting pushed back away from the basket in most instances where he goes up with that shot.

I would say that issue #2 is what really is causing the airballs and poor shots when he goes up for a hook because anyone shooting that shot has PRACTICED that shot plenty of times or else they’d never even consider it. It’s not a shot that you just say to yourself, “I think I’ll shoot a hookshot” because it is a completely different mechanic than just about any other set or jump shot in the game.

Defenders are simply getting him further from the basket in the time it takes him to get the shot off. He either needs to get the shot off quicker or learn to expect the contact. Either way, I think it’s a shot that will start falling for him.

I think once Tay is back and has shown he can play near 100%, JJ will start at PF. Like it or not, he has earned minutes and that will be the only option left for him to get them (assumming CV continues to come off the bench).

I think he will also be given plently of rope to prove he can be effective at PF, especially if the team keeps winning. It is really going to come down to a two-man race between him and Max for minutes. While I’m not convinced he will be as effective at PF, I’d like to see him get a shot. I’m growing tired of waiting for Max to take the next step.

Hey Guys, I hope I’m not getting too ahead of myself here, but what if Stuckey became Dwayne Wade? Now before you laugh me off the blog, consider this…Dwayne Wade showed some promise his first year or two but no one was predicting he would be a league MVP type player. Then about year 3 (I think) he really took a major step forward and then there’s the Shack trade, championship, MVP type status and the rest is history. But really, can you imagine if Stuckey continues to improve and grows into the next Dwayne Wade over the next year or two. Too bad we’re stocked at guard because if we weren’t and we could let him dominate the backcourt minutes, ball and shots, man, his improvement would probably be even more rapid with increased opportunities and unlimited green light. I hope he keeps it up. Stuck, JJ, Austin Daye, the future is bright…..me thinks gentlemen!!! Not to mention Ben Gordon and CV31 ready to show they’re damn good players also. Although last year sucked, we still made the playoffs (with a losing record). We’ll make it this year, so basically Joe D. completely rebuilt this team for Bad Boys III and we may have never stopped being a playoff team. Most franchises have to flop for a few years to get back on top (see Lakers and Celtics). So to the JD haters……. he’s up there with RC Buford in San Antonio as tops in my book. And yes he missed on Darko and I still love him.

Shaq trade was before D-Wade’s second year, and he’s been playing at a superstar level ever since that point. Don’t forget that he single-handedly won a playoff series as a rookie too. He was pretty much money from the get-go. Stuckey’s frame/game resemble Wade’s, but Wade already had a better jumper, a bank shot from side, and much better finishing ability at this point. Not to mention deep playoff experience. When they won the title, it was all D-Wade and only D-Wade that won it for them. So I think maybe D-Wade’s timeline isn’t the best reference for Stuck.

Ok. Fine Joel, piss on my parade. I just hope the guy continues to blossom. Can I say that? LOL. :-)

Yeah, Wade was a star from his second year on. People were talking about him being better than Lebron and Melo about half way through that first season with Shaq. I like Stuck, but he’ll never be Wade.

Tonight is going to be a real test, even without Ariza. The Rockets are probably the toughest team (both physically and mentally) in the league.

Honestly…I don’t want Stuckey to even try to become Wade. I want him to be Stuckey…longer, stronger, and the floor general that we know and want to lead this team to multiple championships.

@brgulker:
I really do think this to be true: As goes Rodney Stuckey, so go this year’s Pistons.

Repeating and repeating something doesn’t make it true. I’ll repeat what I said earlier and Kriz echoed above:

While Stuckey is important, he’ll be one of four stud guards in our backcourt when they are all healthy. Even if he sucks six nights out of seven, the three other guards can carry the heap (of course, I never expect that to happen to Stuckey, especially after his recent rush). But Charlie, we only have one of him. Thank god he’s playing like he is, because when we’re healthy our season may well rest on his shoulders.

In the stretch that we went without Rip Hamilton, Stuckey became more important. Once Gordon went down, he became a lot more important. Then when we lost MFWB, he became without-a-doubt our most important player. When we’re back at full strength, however, Stuckey will be able to have off nights and the other three can carry our backcourt.

So "as goes Rodney Stuckey, so goes this year’s Pistons when our team is riddled with injuries". I agree with that statement completely.

Now if we were to lose Ben Wallace and/or Charlie V, we’ll be at a much greater disadvantage than if we lost any one of our backcourt players– including Rodney Stuckey.

/and no, Pistons fans, I’m not knocking Stuck, I love that MFer.

My ’03 draft class heirarchy:

1. LeBron/D-Wade (although I firmly believe LeBron will have a much longer career)
2. Melo
3. Bosh

Also OT:

I was always a big fan of Jordan the player. He was just fun to watch. His game was the prettiest we’ve ever seen and it was fun to watch him subtly change it as dictated by physical limitations when he got older. Now Kobe and D-Wade are currently the two biggest Jordan-ites in the league— they both clearly modeled their respective games after Jordan. But I’ve noticed that D-Wade, up to this point, reminds me very much of the explosive ‘89-’93 Jordan, while Kobe, even in his younger days, seems like he modeled his game much more after the “fade-away happy” Jordan of the ‘94-98 era. Both are incredibly fun to watch. It reminds me of the way artists rip eachother off. For example, Queen owes their entire sound to Bowie’s early “proto-metal” period (Man Who Sold the World), while Prince, equally a Bowie-phile, grabbed most of his inspiration from the more electronic late 70’s ear (Heroes/Scary Monsters). That parallel is specifically why basketball is my favorite sport to watch (and in general)— everybody has an original style, but they all have their influences, and the close-up nature of the game makes it possible to figure out who and what they’re ripping off, which makes it that much easier to appreciate. I guess it’s the sport closest to art, in that respect, in that you can see people’s influences and also trace their influences after they’re gone (CP3 has Hardaway’s crossover; D-Wade has Iverson’s fall-away; Chauncey took Reggie’s leg-kick, and so-on).

brilliant analogy Joel!

I agree with Mike Payne about Stuckey vs. CV and Big Ben. But that is basically the theme of DBB and Pistons-fandom this year. So many comments come down to variations on the observation that we have a lot of good guards, what looks like a decent number of SFs (oh, where were they ‘05-’08?), but very little depth in our bigs, and only one big who is a consistent scoring threat.

Joel: Great post. IMO, visually, Wade attacking the baseline is definitely the closest I have seen to Jordan. Kobe reminds of Jordan more in the “crazy competitiveness and broad range of skills” way. But Wade’s killer instinct when he’s driving baseline from either side of the hoop is (to me) more specifically “jordan-esque,” if that makes any sense.

QD:

I think we can match their energy though, especially with the size advantage we have at the PG and C positions. Chuck Hayes is a nice energy player, but he’s no Ben Wallace. And there’s really no way you can expect Brooks to contain Stuckey. The only way Stuckey has a bad night is if he tries to force the issue too much, there’s no one on that team that slow him down (with Ariza out).

Just look at what Deron Williams did to them, 38 points and 13 assists. Also, if anything, I think that’s a better comparison to Stuckey than Wade, him or Tony Parker when he first came into the league. The key differences are that Dwill can stroke the 3 and Parker can basically finish on any shot within 5 feet of the basket. As I said before, Wade is considered freakish even by the NBA, that’s just unfair to Stuckey to expect that out of him. But just think of how good this team could be if Stuckey can become even 90% as good as Williams, give him another decent scoring big man and you have a perennial contender.

How excited is everyone else for this Pistons-Rockets game? They’re like the Western Conference version of us! Insane hustle, not quitting despite lacking key players, stealing other teams’ leftovers, undersized center, etc. I’m pumped for a Dumars-Morey face-off.

Interesting matchup tonight should be Stuckey vs. Brooks. I don’t think either guy can guard the other, which is kind of a weird situation. Stuck is way too big for Brooks to handle, and Brooks is way too quick for Stuck to guard(which makes me think they put Atkins on him, or MFWB if he’s back). I’m also curious to see how Stuckey does against Kyle Lowry, who is one of the better defenders at the point guard spot.

Informal poll: has anyone on this blog won an Arch Card or the small curly fry? If so, what’s it like to win? I’ve never achieved those lofty heights.

T Mac activated for tonight’s game.

@ Thom,
It’s days like this, that I check DBB every 15 minutes. I am super psyched about the game. It’s always good to play a quality team and use that game as a measuring stick. Win or lose I believe this game will serve as a good indication for where we are.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/15/nba-agrees-with-van-gundy-over-hard-foul-against-howard/

awesome. If a coach whines enough he’ll eventually get his way. Fuck the Van Gundy’s.

Awww, go easy on SVG. I kind of like him, and I don’t think he’s done anything before this (which is dumb, I agree) to make me hate him. Jeff, on the other hand… I mean, just watch the Pistons-Heat game last year where Dwyane Wade “beat” us by fouling Stuckey and clearly stepping out of bounds to “save” the ball. Breen and Jackson weren’t happy with that (which never happens), and Van Gundy just went: “That wasn’t a foul.” He complained about the Pistons supposedly getting calls the entire night, too, even though they couldn’t stand within 2 feet of Wade without getting called for a foul in the 4th. Or, during the playoffs against Cleveland last year where he lauded the Cavs for playing “unselfish D.” You couldn’t make that shit up. Ugh. I hate JVG.

@Thom: Yeah, I was mostly speaking of Jeff, but Steve comes off as a whiny 8 year old to me.

I liked Stan but I’, pretty annoyed with him. He complains nearly after every game about Dwight getting fouled, even though the kid gets a lot of soft calls his way.

Last night he went on a rant over the officials in regards to Dwight after the kid had 22 fts and only got 2 fouls against him.

Interesting to note that the Rockets are starting Chase Budinger at SG.