Pistons Links: Huge homestand ahead, Kemba Walker vs. Reggie Jackson, plus more

Pistons hope to capitalize on longest homestand in 35 years -- NBA.com

This is the longest homestand for any NBA team this season, although it's not that unusual. The Los Angeles Clippers played nine straight home games last season, according to STATS.

And Stan Van Gundy is still irritated, and rightly so, by Monday's performance...

"Our starts of games were pretty consistent the last three games. We weren't ready to play at the beginning of any of them," Van Gundy said. "We're coming with no focus, just throwing the ball around. What we've done at the beginning of the last three games has been very unprofessional."

BDL's Most Interesting Power Rankings -- Ball Don't Lie

The rankings were written Monday morning, prior to the Wizards-Pistons scrimmage, of course.

NOTE: Kemba Walker is having kind of a big season and is slowly but surely becoming kind of a big deal with the currently sixth-seeded Charlotte Hornets.

Walker's one of just six players this season averaging better than 21 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal per game; the other five (Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Kyle Lowry, James Harden) will likely dominate the MVP leaderboard and All-NBA rosters. He's been even better since the All-Star break, averaging 25.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from deep on a decidedly unbashful 7.5 triple tries per contest.

Walker has been a top-five point-producer in "clutch" situations, behind the likes of Curry, James, Kevin Durant and the Detroit Pistons' Reggie Jackson. ESPN's Real Plus-Minus ranks his contributions as more valuable than those of Damian Lillard this year; Basketball-Reference.com's Value Over Replacement Player metric pegs Walker as a top-15 player this season. He's been "Cardiac Kemba" for years, but now, Walker truly has proven himself to be the heart and soul of a Hornets team playing dynamite basketball.

QUESTION: Would the Pistons be in a better situation now, and in the future, with Kemba rocking the point guard position instead of Reggie?

Reggie Jackson's Slow Burn To Stardom -- RealGM

Credit goes to 1986Badboy for posting this in the fanshots a few days ago.

Here's one of many pertinent blurbs:

With Jackson manning the point, Caldwell-Pope has shown growth as a shooter in his third year in the association. Caldwell Pope's numbers near the basket might not be as glamorous, but in his wheelhouse, Jackson is certainly making life a lot easier for the 23-year-old two-guard.

On his mid-range attempts, Caldwell-Pope is shooting a solid 45.1 percent, compared to 40.4 percent when Jackson's sitting. Jackson has a similar effect on the scoring area that'll fuel Caldwell-Pope's NBA longevity. From 20-24 feet, Caldwell-Pope is shooting 35.7 percent, an uptick in efficiency with Jackson on floor compared to when he is absent (30.8 percent).

Schedule seemingly breaks Bulls way at opportune moment -- Chicago Tribune

Bold emphasis mine..

Wednesday's road game against the Wizards marks the first of seven straight against teams with sub-.500 records. Four come at home.

This is no small stretch for a team just one game above .500 that has more road games remaining (nine) than the seventh-place Pacers, who have five, and the tied-for-eighth-place Pistons, who have four and begin a nine-game homestand Wednesday. The 10th-place Wizards also have nine road games left.

Pistons have revolutionized the way you'll use the restroom at games -- CBS Sports

Wanting to improve their fan experience, the Pistons have partnered with WaitTime, which is exactly what it sounds like. Through screens in the arena and the official Pistons mobile app, fans attending games at The Palace can check to see where the shortest restroom and concession lines are.

Check out WaitTime's website here.

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I'm feeling the Pistons will have one of their best all around performances of the season against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night. Send SVG and the fans home in a jolly mood, Pistons!