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As we find ourselves at the All-Star break, we’ve seen quite a topsy-turvy performance by the men in red, white and blue from Detroit. Hard to get a real grip on where we’re headed right? Well, we asked a few questions to get a read on how our writers are feeling, this time asking them to fill in the blanks.
1. Coming into the All-Star break the Pistons season so far makes me ______.
Jordan Bellant: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me feel like becoming a fan of hockey. I'm joking, nothing could make me watch hockey.
Justin Lambregtse: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me want to rip my hair out.
Jacob Kuyvenhoven: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me kinda bored. The style of play isn't super entertaining and players haven't really been showing new wrinkles to their games.
Ken Wallace (revken): Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me "Cry Like A Baby" (1968 hit song by the Box Tops).
Ben Gulker: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me want to watch other teams that are actually good.
Steve Hinson: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me question the team's foundation. The supporting parts seem fine, so if the support is solid, doesn't that suggest the core might be faulty?
David Fernandez: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me realize how little I truly know about the NBA. I thought there was no way possible Detroit would not be a top-5 team. I'm shocked they are currently in the playoff picture.
Jamie Delaney: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me consider the benefits of Lasik surgery, except the opposite, so that I can be blind and no longer submit myself to watching this torture.
Ryan Pravato: Coming into the All-Star break, the Pistons season so far makes me feel quite optimistic, in fact. There's got to be something better on the horizon for this team, right? RIGHT!!??!
2. If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be _____.
Jordan Bellant: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be the defense playing like it did through the first 20 games. If we see the team playing top-10 defense again, then there's still a realistic chance that we're a playoff team.
Justin Lambregtse: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be having this team start to play defense again.
Jacob Kuyvenhoven: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be that we win all the rest of our games. If we want to keep it realistic I'll go Boban squeezing Baynes out of the rotation.
Ken Wallace (revken): If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be that Reggie Jackson starts playing like he did last season.
Ben Gulker: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be the starting point guard.
Steve Hinson: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be for the Pistons to go from sixth in the league in post up frequency (and 25th in effectiveness) to toward the bottom of the league in post up frequency. They're bad at it and they do it way too much.
David Fernandez: 2. If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be to run Harris in the starting lineup, leading to more consistency for the rest of the line-ups thereafter.
Jamie Delaney: If there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be that I could have courtside seats for every remaining home game, so that I can recruit opposing players to Detroit with my fire af in-game chirps.
Ryan Pravato: f there were one thing I could change about the way things go after the All-Star break it would be that Stanley Johnson and Andre Drummond show their true value and prove that indeed they are the guys Detroit should build around going forward. It's tough being positive all the time about this season (about this team), but if this happens then this season's suckiness is well worth it in my eyes.
3. _______ on this team makes them push into contention for a top four position come playoff time.
Jordan Bellant: A trade involving Aron Baynes for a wing makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time.
Justin Lambregtse: A top-five player on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time.
Jacob Kuyvenhoven: A return to form from Reggie Jackson on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time.
Ken Wallace (revken): The starters playing defense like they did at the beginning of the season on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time.
Ben Gulker: Nothing on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time. They would need something not currently on the team to do that.
Steve Hinson: 3. Commitment to defense on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time. Since November 16, the Pistons are 25th in the league in effective field goal percentage allowed. For the first 11 games of the season, they were third in the league. That figure seems to do a good job demonstrating how much energy they're playing with defensively and the difference between them being a bad defensive team versus a good one.
David Fernandez: 3. A PG we would not be able to acquire on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time. A Kyle Lowry or Kemba Walker type. I don't think Bledsoe or Holiday make this team 10 wins better.
Jamie Delaney: A serviceable, veteran, backup SG (Jamal Crawford?) on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time.
Ryan Pravato: A miracle on this team makes them push into contention for a top-four position come playoff time. But seriously, if the Wizards can do what they're doing, then I think miracles are possible.
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What say you DBB? Please copy paste and fill in the blanks for yourself in the comments below. We know you’re bored enough an big enough fan to do this. The next game isn’t until Thursday, we have to keep ourselves entertained somehow.