Tayshaun Prince Questionable for game against Memphis

Reports are in that Tayshaun Prince is questionable for tonights game against the Memphis Grizzles.  Price strained his groin in the Pistons loss to the Hornets on Saturday.  Tayshaun is currently holds most consecutive games played in the NBA , and if he doesn’t play tonight he will lose that title.

What does this mean for the Pistons? 

• They will no longer have him on the floor being a constant problem for opposing defenders.  The Pistons do have players that can take his spot, but if he is not active they will lose that much needed depth that the Pistons have been a custom for having over the years. 
• His 40 plus minutes per game will dissapear and someone else will have to take his spot.  Since Rip went down with his groin injury Tayshaun Prince has been playing in overdrive, Rip has sense returned, putting up 40 plus minutes a night. 
• With Rudy Gay starting opposite of Prince, the Pistons will have a handful to deal with if prince is unable to play.  Gay has been putting up just over 18 points per game and grabs 6 rebounds per game.

Look for a great game to be on our hands tonight, and don’t worry it will be a good one.  Enjoy the day people.

Small Ball hosts Bobcats in Detroit

The rumors have been flying around Mo-town these past couple of days about who should start for the Piston: Richard Hamilton, or recently aquired Allen Iverson.

What did Michael Curry decide to do? He kept both in the starting lineup.

His starting lineup was as follows:

• Rodney Stuckey PG
• Allen Iverson SG
• Richard Hamilton SF
• Tayshaun Prince PF
• Rasheed Wallace C

Here is a quote from the Detroit Free Press direct from Michael Curry:

“When we looked at everything with the team, we really liked the way we start the first and third quarter, ’cause in the past it had been a problem with this small lineup,” Curry said. “What we have to do is try to find a way for about 32 minutes of the game to have two bigs out on the court. … Regardless of what group starts and plays throughout the game, we’ve got to continue to get better defensively. And I think everyone understands that.”

Curry said he expects to keep the same small lineup for the Pistons next game, today, against Indiana. His reasoning is that the Pistons are going to be faced with smaller, quicker lineups and he wants to post a roster that fits those needs.

In last nights game Rasheed Wallace tagged another Technical Foul onto his already impressive list. He now sits with 13, and Michael Curry said that Sheed needs to emphasize more self-control into his play.

“He’s got to have more self-restraint,” Curry said. “That’s on him. He knows what we demand as a team, and he owes it to us as a team to show better restraint.”

The Pistons did not score for over the last two minutes of regulation and gave up the go ahead basket with .7 seconds left on the clock. They fell to the Bobcats 80-78 last night in the Palace.

Allen Iverson had a few words to say about last nights game, quote from the Detroit Free Press:

“We need to start playing better than this. It’s as simple as that,” said Pistons guard Allen Iverson, who finished with 13 points after his 24-footer clanked off the rim at the buzzer. “We had a 78-71 lead and couldn’t get it done. That’s unacceptable. They did what they had to do on both ends of the floor.”

Iverson also went on to say that this game felt reminiscent of the last meeting between these two teams, except this time the Pistons couldn’t close out the game. In the last meeting the Pistons almost blew a 29 point lead, but hung on to win.

Tonight the Pistons will take on the Indiana Pacers in hopes of stopping this two game skid they are currently on.

Defense (stomp stomp), Defense (stomp stomp), Michael Curry geared towards more defensive Pistons team.

Rip Hamilton was reported taking part in mondays practice with the rest of his Pistons teammates*.  This is the first time that he has participated in practice since his injury 8 games ago. 

With Rip now back in the lineup Michael Curry has a few choices to make about his starting lineup.  Questions, Questions? 

He was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying:

“We’ve seen just from the data in our games that we know defensively … it’s no secret when we got two bigs and (Tayshaun Prince) at the three-spot we’re our best defensively, and at the end of the day that’s normally what’s going to drive most of our decisions,” Curry said.

It’s no secret though that one of the two All-Star SG is going to have to sit (he reforenced it in his quote of two bigs and Tayshaun Prince).  That only leaves two spots open, and the way that Rodney Stuckey has been playing I don’t think that he will be pulled out of the lineup.

I asked the question yesterday Who should start: AI or Rip?

Rip Or AI, Who Would You Choose?

Some Pistons fans would want to see Allen Iverson start for the remainder of the season because they believe that he is the better player of the two. Others want to see Rip Hamilton start because they haven’t seen anyone else play the spot since he became a Piston.

People are contemplating both sides of the spectrum, but what do you think?

Personally, I believe this is a good problem to have. Why? Well think about it, this means that we have two exceptionally well players at the SG position, and that means that the Pistons will have depth whether AI starts or Rip Starts.

I don’t know about any of you but that sounds like a pretty good deal.

If they were to split time on the court, they would be a dominate force. Two of the NBA’s best on one team would drive the opposing SG insane.

Most teams only have one SG that can play with the rest in the NBA, the Pistons have two. With that one, two punch combo the Pistons should be in for some rather easy match ups because opposing SG are going to have to keep up with two always fresh players.

They will eventually begin to run circles around them, and down the stretch of the fourth quarter they should be able to take over and dominate.

Leave your thoughts in the comments section.  I’m interested to know what everyone thinks.

Another Long Run For An Injured Pistons Team

Their Western Conference Road Trip is now over and what do the Pistons have to look forward to, another long string of games. Five games in seven days to be exact.

For a Pistons team that has been banged up over the past couple of weeks, this could be a crazy, unpredictable week.

First off, Rip Hamilton is still being bothered with a slight tear in his groin and is listed as day to day, not to mention when he comes back he may have to come off the bench which he is none to happy about. Rodney Stuckey is battling back spasms, he had to leave the game against Utah before half in order to get them checked out. Antonio McDyess is suffering from a multitude of injuries ranging from sore ribs, to a bruised thigh.

Well, you get the point. The Pistons are banged up, but fortunately the first part of their schedule is going to give them time to recover:

Tuesday 1/13 Charlotte

Wednesday 1/14 @ Indiana

Friday 1/16 @ Oklahoma City

The first two games on their schedule (Charlotte and Indiana) should give them time to play the bench players for some of the game, which will give the Pistons time to rest their starters in hopes of a full recovery from their injuries.

Oklahoma is going to be an unpredictable game though as to what they are going to do in terms of rest for the starters. If anyone can recall last time the Pistons played Oklahoma City, it came down to the wire, with Allen Iverson making a little 9 foot jumper in the lane to win it. We will have to see how the game goes, they may not have to play more than 15 minutes on the floor, or they may have to play the whole game.

The only reason I am saying that the first part of their 5 games in 7 day streak will be the easiest is because they have New Orleans, and Chris Paul, who have been dominate all year and Memphis after that. Memphis is encluded in the harder part of the schedule because against New Orleans the Pistons will do a lot of running up and down the court, and with Memphis 2 days after they will be all out of energy.

Tuesday the Charlotte Bobcats come to the Palace in hopes of an upset against the Pistons, lets hope the Pistons can start another 8 game win streak starting with downing the Cats.

Hamilton Causing Drama In Mo-Town?

Rip Hamilton, before the Pistons road game against the Jazz, told when asked by reporters what he thought about coming off the bench once he was fully healthy again that starting was his only option.

“That’s the only option,” he said.

When he was reminded that Curry thought about going back to the bigger more traditional lineup and he may have to sit the bench he was not to fond of that idea.

“That ain’t happening.”

Hamilton has now been sidelined for 8 consecutive games, but on the lighter side of things his return date is beginning to become a little more focused. It appears that Hamilton will be ready to go on Tuesday when the Pistons have their first home game after they went 2-2 on their Western Conference road trip.

“We’ve decided that Rip was going to try and get some work in the next couple of days, rest on Sunday, return to practice Monday and be ready to go Tuesday,” coach Michael Curry said.

With Hamilton having said that he is nothing more than a starter, what could possibly happen if he is told that his role is to come off the bench?

Well it could turn out like the Stephon Marbury situation in New York and he could be told not to return to the Pistons organization, well maybe that is taking it a little far, but it is a possibly. That would be one of the most extreme cases for the Pistons.

On the flip side, he could be perfectly fine with it. He could end up being like a smaller Antonio McDyess, fully content on coming off the bench. Let’s pray that it is this option.

All I know is that Hamiltons comments before the Utah game were very uncalled for and disrespectful to his team mates and the organization as a whole.

Should the Pistons take action against him and suspend him from a game, or fine him? No, that is not a necessary punishment, but I do believe that they need to sit this guy down and explain to him that there is no “I” in team before it is too late.

Hamilton is a very great player, and whether or not he comes off the bench would make no difference to me. It would be a little different at first, but so was AI playing on the Pistons team. Let’s just hope that these comments don’t ruin the chemistry that the Pistons have appeared to just have found on the court.

Pistons Lose Eighth In a Row to The Utah Jazz

What can you say about streaks like these? Well thank goodness that the Pistons don’t have a streak like this against every team in the NBA.

Saturday night, the minutes that every player had been putting up ,due to the loss of Rip and Sheed (Sheed played Saturday), finally showed through. They looked slow, and did not have an answer for former Pistons Mehmet Okur.

Okur had a huge first quarter. He scored 15 of his eventual 22 in the first. He was guarded by Amir Johnson who didn’t seem to be able to stop him. Amir would eventually foul out without a single rebound.

“They just kicked our (expletive) tonight. That’s it,” Detroit guard Allen Iverson said.

Rasheed made his first appearance in four games last night. He was given 23min and helped the Pistons with 8 points and 4 rebounds.

“They go hard,” said Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, who returned to the Pistons’ lineup after missing the previous four games with a sore right foot. “They’re relentless. That’s one of the things I like playing against them. I know they’re not a cupcake team out there. I always look forward to playing against them.”

Rip Hamilton was still inactive last night and has now missed 8 games in a row.

The Pistons have now lost their 8^th straight against the Utah Jazz, but this game was one of the few blowouts of the series. The Pistons eventually lost by the score of 99-82. The 17 point loss is much larger than the usual 6.4.

The Pistons will face the Charolatte Bobcats on Tuesday at home in hopes of a victory.

Mile High Nuggets Brought to a Mile Low

Chauncey Billups, the current shining star in Denver, brought the Pistons to their knees in the first half of the Pistons Nuggets game on Friday night as he put on a scoring clinic as he scored 20 points. The Nuggets would enter half time with a 48-38 lead over the Pistons.

He took Rodney Stuckey to school, blowing by him for two easy lay-ups and scoring a total of 9 points against him in the first quarter. Rodney Stuckey would leave late in the Second quarter due to muscle spasms that he suffered in an earlier loss to the Portland Trailblazers.

“It’s fun when you get to hook up with your buddies and compete,” he said. “At some point of the game you try to win.”

As was expected at the start of the game AI was given a standing ovation as he was back in Denver for the first time. Why? He helped the Nuggets to their first 50 win season since the Reagan administration. That is reason enough even though he doesn’t play for them any longer.

AI may have been cheered for, but there was no love for fellow teammate Antonio McDyess as he was booed after everything he did. Every time he touched the ball, scored or fouled a Nuggets player he was jeered at. Why? Back on Nov 3, the infamous blockbuster trade, he was traded back to Denver for the second time in his career, but once there he let the Nuggets know he wasn’t about to play for them and was bought out. 30 days later he signed with the Pistons again.

Much of the Pistons success came from the man of the night himself, Allen Iverson. He may not have made a lot of his field goal attempts, but he was solid from the line as he scored 9 of his 23 from the free-throw line.

One big contributor to the Pistons winning effort was Pistons backup SG Arron Afflalo. He shot 4-9 from the field, 1-5 from behind the arc and shot a perfect 8-8 from the line. In all he totaled out to 17 points in 21 minutes of floor time.

Friday nights game came down to the wire and with 20 seconds left Tayshaun Prince hit a moving jumper from 9 feet to give the Pistons the lead and the eventual win.

He (Prince) led the Pistons on the defensive end of the court in the fourth quarter only allowing the red hot Chauncey Billups to 4 points.

“We had to give him a different look because he was terrorizing us throughout the game,” Prince said. “There’s nobody else on the court that knows Chauncey’s game like me.”

The Pistons only shot 37% in the first half last night, but their defense, which they are not most known for this year, was able to keep the game at a reasonable deficit until they rebounded in the fourth.

A couple of other game notes:

• Rip missed his seventh straight game with a groin injury.
• Rasheed Wallace was also out with a sore foot for the fourth straight game.

Chauncey Thinks Nov. 3 Trade Was A Good Thing

On November 3, 2008 it was announced that Chancey Billups, would be heading to Denver to play for the Nuggets and in turn the Detroit Pistons would receive Allen Iverson.

Just today Chauncey Billups was interviewed on local radio station WDFN by the Stoney and Wojo Show. Chauncey said he now understand why the Pistons traded him for Allen Iverson, it had nothing to do with either Veteran Player but that Rodney Stuckey could develop into a great point guard faster without Billups in front of him in the lineup.

Billups said there are no hard feelings between him and the Pistons.

“I do (understand), he says on WDFN’s Stoney and Wojo Show. “Time heals all (wounds). And it gives you a chance to sit back and recollect. And I do think it was a good trade for both teams. I knew there was going to be an adjustment period for them playing with (Iverson). He’s just a different dynamic of a player than I am. We’re just different. Both really good in our own right, but just different…But you look at what they’re going to be able to do in the years to come with the cap – it was a good trade for both teams.”

The Pistons will square off with the Nuggets for the first time since the trade tonight.

All-Star game on approach and AI is starting*

Every NBA fan waits for this weekend every year, the NBA all start weekend every February. This All-star weekend will be no different.

It is still compromised of all of the same events:

• The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
• The Footlocker Three Point Shootout
• The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam
• The Playstation Skills Challenge
• The Haler Shooting Stars
• The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
• The D-League All-Star Game

And Last but Not Least the All-Star Game itself presented as the last horah of the weekend. In 2005 Allen Iverson was picked to go to the All-Star weekend and ended up winning MVP honors with his magnificent display of 15 points and 10 assists.

With the way things are shaping up in the Eastern Conference voting right now AI currently sits second on the list of Guards to be elected to play. The only man to currently be ahead of him in the voting is Miami’s Dwayne Wade with an impressive 1,818,717 votes.

Allen Iverson, as my own personal opinion, has no problem securing the second place spot as Vince Carter, currently in 3^rd only has 856,498 votes and the voting ends 10 days from now. That is a lot of ground to make up to get passed. So congratulations AI on making the All-Star team.

*Starting as of right now, he is in second place in the voting for guards and the first two will start the game.