I think you may find the sample size of Rip with small ball pretty "small". I think that is why so many people are calling for RIp to be sent to the bench and blaming his play of late. I think we forget he is playing out of position on most nights.
check out latest mailbag from Langlois. His answers help to clear some air here: 1. Dumars won't trade Rip for Camby/Boozer. Period 2. to our "fab 5 " was given a chance to prove that they can play as a team. No mystery there such as " SB - weak coach, ball -less egos" and so on. No, Langlois isn't saying that SB will be totally abandoned but even he admits that it has not worked as hoped. And Langlios observation is correct that during Flip era in crucial moments ball was at Billups hands and players got accustomed to that. Now VETS have to learn(for Stuckey learning process anyway) how it is to make decision...its tough for them.
This is one of the many parts of all this I just don't get. Why does this lineup have to be set in stone? Why can't it change? Why can't, oh, I don't know, maybe match-ups have something to do with it? Now I get that when you've been the same starting lineup for the past 105 years you kind of get used to it, but still...
you sure your talking about the 3 quarter.... where we gave up 30 points and were beat by 6 by the lowely grizz's? i really not sure how this makes a good case for rip
I liked how AI said, "I never thought Webber was always there anyway". - Hey Skoo, do that for this years Tigs. WS baby.
That's very short-sighted. HOU should probably trade T-Mac since Von Wafer has come in and played well and they won games. The arguments are ridiculous all right. I'm talking about the 3rd quarter of the NO's game, and the 2 games prior to AI being traded here. That can't be taken into account b/c it doesn't make AI look good. On a side note, it's amazing to me how Rip going to the bench is completely glossed over. When Rip says something negative in terms of it, we get a 432947 post thread. When he says he'll do it, we get about 4 posts. Now that he's actually doing it ::crickets:::. Definately don't want a guy like this on the team.
the Problem LP is.... he didn't change how he felt in the last week, he's just saying words right now that most of us don't give him any credit for. He is saying what Joe told him to say. We know he didn't want to come off the bench, we know AI didn't want to come off the bench. One understands how to talk in puplic one didn't. What was rip going to do today? say no he wasn't coming off the bench, when the starting 5 get sent out to start the game walk out with them? he had no choice... but do what he's told. Reading the Mailbag on the pistons site today I had a question answered too, he didn't sign his contract till 2 weeks after the trade even though he had agreed to it before hand. And sorry missed which game you were referring to, couldn't figure out how you were trying to make a point with the last game. Makes much mroe sence now.
Thank you for the clear and civil response. I understand the way you think, but i disagree. I have another question though. I've been behind on Pistons news lately and i read they had a team meeting about this and that the players wanted Rip to start. Wonder what effect that will have and what that says about team chemistry. I'll try to find some links to it as i was just reading about it on another board. I could see Rip being the type that feels obligated to keep his word. To be honest i feel like Rip's "discontentment" with the team is in large part fiction.
I kept bringing this up. How his contract extension wasn't showing on the league transaction wire. It was really weird. Good job with the mail bag. Although I guess in the age of political correctness, we really should be calling it the person bag.
Where is the report of the team meeting and the players wanting Rip to start? I haven't seen that one yet.
I read it on RealGM on the Pistons board. I'm sorting through the post trying to find the actual article. These people have 45 pg posts for everything. I did read that it was reported by David Aldridge.
The players wanted Rip to start?...is that a fictional account? If you find the link lpgrl that would be great...I've been reading the RealGM forum today too.
this team has suffered long enough under pla...um starting5 friendly politics. It is time to let coach to be coach and shut up ( yeah, Sheed, it was for you)
no quotes... but it was aldridge that was the sideline reporter last night and said the team would have a meeting about it on the flight home, not sure I took that to mean the team was going to vote on it.... I'm all for the team having there say, but they shouldn't have any "vote" on it..
