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Pistons not panicking over 0-3 start

The Pistons are 0-3 for the third season in a row, but the Pistons aren't hitting the panic button quite yet. As the team gets ready to go for their first win Tuesday night against the similarly winless Denver Nuggets, here's a Morning Shootaround to get your game right.

By Packey
Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

It's Tuesday, November 6, 2012 and it's a very important day in America. The Pistons are in Colorado to play the Denver Nuggets and both teams are searching for their first win. It is our blog's civic duty to prepare for this accordingly.

The Pistons are 0-3 and have provided the first wins to three straight teams, so who's to say that Tuesday night will be any different. It's the third straight year the Pistons have started 0-3, and the previous two, for the most part, turned out to be utterly unwatchable disasters.

But it is just three games, a mere 3.7 percent of the season. Even if they were to start 0-8, as it seems they very well could, they will still have just about 90-percent of their season left to play. This team is younger and seems to have much more potential than, say, the 2010-2011 team that staged a mutiny, reportedly. So it makes perfect sense that the Pistons are not freaking out about their start, yet, according to The Detroit News:

The 0-3 start isn't cause for alarm but "concern" should be the more apropos term.

"No, there's no wash," Frank said "A wash is middle of the year, four games in five nights, long travel, just the schedule. Not now."

Frank isn't pressing any panic button, at least not yet and surely not with 79 games remaining in the season.

In the team's collective mind, the first two losses were winnable games and Sunday, they simply went against a buzz saw.

• The Pistons are young, but Sunday night was more than just a young team losing to a desperate team playing up to its expectations:

• Lawrence Frank says lineup juggling (Monroe + Drummond???) will happen in time:

"I think it will happen in time, once it's earned and once it's based on merit," he said. "Look, a lot of things can change. Every day, there's moves that are made. We'll continue to look at it." [...] "Once the emotion wears off and we assess the game, we'll figure out where we move forward from here," Frank said. "But I'm not, still, contrary to what you may want, I'm not willing to Armageddon the team."

• Make sure to read Sean's post on what the Pistons should do with Rodney Stuckey. A 1-for-23 start is historically bad and is reasonably raising eyebrows, but again, it's just three games. I'm with Brgulker in thinking Stuckey just needs to play through it.

• Who would've thought that Kim English likes to read:

• The Pistons visited owner Tom Gores' Platinum Equity digs in LA and Greg Monroe came away digging Gores' ostrich-skin Pistons hats:

The visit lasted a bit more than an hour Saturday evening. There was food aplenty, football games to watch on television, and a custom-made gift for each player: Ostrich-skin Pistons caps.

"I love that hat," Greg Monroe said. "It's a really nice hat. It's unique. It's definitely a great thing to have."

• Gladys Knight and Bobby Brown are among the entertainers to perform at The Palace this season.

• Piston Powered points out that Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer have both been recruited to run for political office.

Shootaround the NBA:

• With the Sacramento Kings hanging on to beat the Golden State Warriors Monday night, the Pistons are one of just three remaining winless teams in the NBA with the Washington Wizards and Nuggets. It'll be just two after Tuesday night.

* Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters combined to score 52 points for the Cleveland Cavs Monday night to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. That led Dan Gilbert to do some subtle trolling on Twitter.

* Whoop 'em Mavericks style

• J.J. Barea and Donald Sloan have received flopping warnings from the NBA.

• Rasheed Wallace enjoys his Brian Scalabrine role. Rasheed Wallace never disappoints, except when he doesn't try.

• SB Nation's Wizards' site teamed up with the Washington Wizards. This is cool.

Now, your thoughts.

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