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Pistons vs. Grizzlies 2013: Rodney Stuckey to come off the bench

Rodney Stuckey will be the first guard off the bench for the Detroit Pistons tonight in Memphis, says Mo Cheeks.

Stuckey, if you're new to the bandwagon and just catching up, has been sidelined the last several weeks after undergoing surgery Oct. 11 to repair a fractured thumb he accidentally slammed in a car door. Stuckey played in just a single preseason game, scoring five points on 1-6 shooting.

It doesn't make sense for me that Cheeks might go to a 3-guard rotation at the expense of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who showed a lot of potential in the season opener. KCP shot only 4-12 against the Wizards, but he was pest defensively and should help space the floor once his 3-point shot starts to fall.

In any case, here's Cheeks (via the Detroit News) on Stuckey, and whether he should be considered a point guard or a shooting guard in Detroit's system:

“It is probably one of the things that can get players in trouble,” Cheeks said. “In the basketball era today I don’t think there are any more two (shooting) guards or one (point) guards. I don’t think you have to regulate or put a stamp on a guy that he is a one or a two. In many cases these guys are basketball players, and Rodney Stuckey fits into that category, that he is a basketball player. If we put a stamp on him that he is a point guard, then we are not going to utilize everything that he is capable of.”

Also, we'll have more on this later, but ...