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LA Clippers will have hands full with Detroit Pistons -- LA Daily Times
Hopefully Detroit won't have its hands full with Austin Rivers. Though I'm afraid instead that it will be Jamal Crawford coming up huge by dropping 20+ points and making insanely difficult shots. And that guy named Blake Griffin is due for a strong showing after getting tossed last game against the Suns. He'll be smarter this time.
"We have not won any championship, we have not done anything of that sort, so who are we to sleep on anybody? At the end of the day, we've got to start putting something together. We got to put together two, three, four in a row, five in a row."
(Austin) Rivers wasn't done.
"When we are at home court, we should never lose at home court. Even when guys are out," he said.
Chances are the Clippers will again be missing starting guards Chris Paul (groin strain) and J.J. Redick (back spasms). Both sat out Thursday's 118-104 loss at Phoenix. A night earlier, in a 118-108 loss at Dallas, Redick missed the second half when his back issue began.
Redick is officially listed as out, Paul is doubtful.
**ALSO, please please please no one today (or ever) in the DBB threads spell J. J. Redick's name as Reddick (I've seen this way too many times). It's almost as bad as the fans who would often used to spell ex-Detroit Tiger Ryan Raburn's name as Rayburn. Come on, don't screw up like that.
Pistons-Clippers Preview: November Doldrums Once More -- Clips Nation
Oh. Yeah. Feel the incredible.
Matchup of the game: Reggie Bullock v. Josh Smith. Both looking for revenge (not necessarily on each other), both capable of better than they've been so far this season. Both having made fans on the opposing team cry in the past. This is the fulcrum on which the game will tip. This will be basketball at its finest.
Q&A: Andre Drummond on fast start -- ESPN
Scoop (Jackson): Can you go for three (POTWs) in a row?
Drummond: Who knows. My destiny now is to just win games.
Pistons' Andre Drummond Hits the Boards and Makes a Huge Leap -- New York Times
More stat nuggets dribble in:
-- He has 15 steals and 13 blocks this season, leading the team in both categories. Along with John Wall, he is the only player with a dozen or more of both.
-- Those steals and blocks contribute to Drummond's being a defensive force. Although he has never made an all-defensive team, Drummond ranks third in Dean Oliver's "defensive rating," which estimates a player's ability to make stops on defense.
Drummond has not shown improvement at the free-throw line. Last season, he shot only .389, the worst figure in the league, even worse than the notoriously bad free-throw shooter (and excellent rebounder) DeAndre Jordan (. 397). This season, Drummond is about the same, .393. Other star big men have struggled at the line in their careers, but Chamberlain had only one season under .400 and Shaquille O'Neal never had one.
Brandon Jennings takes next step in Achilles rehab -- MLive
Cutting laterally and backpedaling are the sort of things that will come along gradually.
"That's it, defensively, too, trying to move your feet and have the quickness to keep people in front of you, it's a little bit different," Van Gundy said.
Jennings played three-on-three drills after Friday's practice with himself, Joel Anthony and Reggie Bullock vs. Aron Baynes, Spencer Dinwiddie and Darrun Hilliard.
The Pistons did post-practice work both days here, largely because of Jennings.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ...
The Josh Smith Theory of Everything -- DBB
Josh Smith was admitting he was a failure and willing to give away the last of his self-respect to join the human race. That's when it happened: Somewhere between Supermarket Sweep on the Lifetime channel and a story of seven attention-starved strangers picked to live in a house on MTV, Josh saw his opportunity.
Can't wait to watch this game between these two motivated teams badly in need of a victory. Now to your thoughts and timely gifs below.