There's been talk about the Pistons going 10 or 11 deep on a regular basis this year. How is Michael Curry going to juggle that rotation? By being sure to utilize a guy's talents when the situation calls for it. From A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive.com:
"I've told our players this summer when I've talked to them, we have a very talented team; not just our starting five," Curry said. "Sometimes you're going to come out of the game not because you're tired or because you made mistakes, but because it's time for other guys to get a chance to get out on the court and play and perform as well."
[...] Curry spent 11 seasons in the NBA as a player, with the bulk of his career as a backup, who saw action primarily because of his defensive play.
That experience allows Curry to understand better than many coaches the frustration that reserves sometimes feel when not given an opportunity to play when the team appears to be in need of what they do best.
"If someone who is supposed to be a defensive guy and that position is being scorched, if he's a defensive guy, he expects to be in the game," Curry said. "And if we sold him on playing that role, than we have to put him in the game at that time."
It's interesting that he mentioned "if we sold him on playing that role" -- unless I'm reading too much into it, I'd imagine he's referring to Walter Herrmann and Kwame Brown, a couple of free agents the Pistons signed who may or may not have turned down more money elsewhere.
Herrmann, frequently ignored by the old regime last year, is a great big ball of long limbs and long hair on defense, and what he lacks in technique he makes up for in frantic energy. The much-maligned Brown, meanwhile, is a talented interior defender capable of banging with some of the league's bigger post players.
So what does this actually mean? One of the biggest complaints fans had about Flip Saunders was his slow in-game adjustments, but if Curry is serious about throwing a different look at a guy who's getting hot, it's possible that won't be as much of a problem. Some NBA starters might not appreciate a rookie coach keeping them on a short list, but if Joe Dumars accomplished anything this summer it was sending the message that nobody is entitled to anything and everybody will be held accountable.