EasssssssssSiiiiiiiiiiide.

Fox is a player I never gave enough respect because I live in LA and despised the Shaq-era Lakers but he was actually a good player.

I guess you could say that about a bunch of guys, but it would be nice if he fit this mold, and everything I’ve heard so far about him seems to fit this description of player.

Unlike people who were … I dunno … paying money to see NBA stars, I really enjoyed seeing the bench get some PT. It was nice to see the Pistons running - I hope there’s still some D in the D though.

Maxiell makes me happier and happier every time I see him. That fadeway from the foul line will be a great spacemaker if he can hit it regularly.

About all the speculation I want about Rip is how his free agent audition affects his play this year. Game on!

SAMB: after hearing talk of how green he is, I was really impressed by him:
-his spot up jumper is very consistent, with a good high release a la Sheed
-his shot blocking is very good: great timing and leaping ability, beyond his two blocks there were a couple shots he almost blocked coming from the weak side
-his movements, while a bit awkward, are fairly smooth; he seems to mostly know what he’s doing on the court, setting picks and circulating through the offense
-the negatives I saw were soft hands: he didn’t seem ready for a couple passes; some defenseive lapses: he stays with his own assignment well but was a bit slow on switches; and, of course, his physique (or lack thereof)
Overall, though, Samb seems to have a lot of potential. By bulking up and getting more comfortable with the fundamentals of the game, he could definitely be viable center someday.

STUCKEY: didn’t seem as explosive as I’d heard he was but played solidly, getting the start
-his passing was pretty solid, four turnovers is a lot but he also logged far more minutes than anyone
-he definitely seems comfortable with the ball in his hands

AFFLALO: can definitely hit the jumper; will be a good specialist off the bench

MEJIA: though his statline looks none too impressive, he would be my pick for the last spot over Dupree:
-in his limited minutes, showed a lot of energy and confidence, especially for a rookie
-good looking shooting stroke and exhibited some solid rebounding skills
-even though he’ll only get Darko minutes, he’s got a lot of potential for the future

MURRAY: no one frustrates me more than Flip Murray:
-his offensive instincts are ghastly
-he forces shots and misses open teammates
-his shoot-first attitude has no place on this team
-my friend refuses to call him by his actual name, instead referring to him as “Future second-round pick with cash considerations”
-I can only hope he’s getting minutes as a way of showcasing him for trade possiblities down the road

MAXIELL: is a monster

He needs to really develop his three point shot to replace the free-throw attempts he is going to lose as he ages. He has had two consecutive seasons above his career average in that arena, which is encouraging, but he needs to integrate it into his game.

If he gets an absurd offer, the Pistons will have to let him go. For some reason, 2-guards who put points on the board seem to get way too much money (see: Houston, Allan). The Pistons will be fair, but if he is seen as the free agent prize, he could be looking at something near the max by another team looking to become the new Milwaukee Bucks.

On the Dupree/Mejia front: Dupree looks like a smooth and steady 12th man veteran. Mejia would make way more mistakes while he’s in the game BUT how many important minutes will he have to play this season? Afflalo basically plays the same roles and positions as Mejia. He probably will have little/no impact on the Piston’s season record this year. One question: Won’t Mejia’s second round contract be more freindly to the club in the future compared to Dupree’s veteran contract?

“Cheikh’s still light in the chops,” Wallace said. “But all that is is leverage. He’s still standing straight up. Once he gets down more like a squat like he’s taking a dump, he’ll be all right. It’s just a matter of foot control. But he’s got a soft touch for a big man to be 7 feet, 7-1.”

My god. I love Rasheed.

I hope that doesn’t happen since I like Rip and hate the Cavs but I see it as a big possibility.

I’ve been thinking about Hamilton’s value because of A) he’s the most valuable trade chip, signed for a good value contract, young and healthy, B) the Pistons have lots of young SG talent, C) teams rarely stay as stable as Detroit in terms of personnel for so many years and D) it’s easy to see the team being a little old AND a little green in the frontcourt in ‘07-08. I started out thinking it might be worth packaging Rip (because he’s got value and the depth at G in Detroit, not because I don’t like him) in any trade the Pistons make this year and I’ve ended up thinking he should be part of the core group of Pistons for another decade.

Any thoughts on the state of Rip Hamilton in Detroit and in the NBA?

And the Mejia/Dupree thing I think Mejia stays. We know what Dupree can do and if he can improve its not going to be through practicing with the pistons. Dupree can’t go to the d-league so Mejia has that advantage and I’m 95% sure that Dupree will be waived.

Now that was what I been wanting to see from the bench. All that I listed looked good. Samb was more impressive than his score looked.

It looks like it’s between Mejia or Dupree getting the waived contract. Even though Mejia scored 2 points less than Dupree and with more minutes I still think with more playing time Mejia would turn out the better choice. Mejia also looked better than his score showed. Dupree fouls to often and they are usually dumb fouls plus most of the shots he did make were off fast breaks.