If I wanted to be clear referring only to starters then in the 2nd last sentence I would have written The game was lost due to lack of defensive effort by the starters. That is why I got confused because I would not assume that my statement in the first sentence would be understood to apply for the the whole post. Just a difference in style.
Knowing Flip, we won't see that line-up that closed the 4th ever again. This was the second straight game where it was Amir's spot to sub but DET was down double figures and Flip let him rot. The good news is that while the rout was on Flip was almost able to finish his book Coaching Scared - 13 Years of Playoff Flops (And I still got a job!)
Afflalo is already a better perimeter defender than everyone on our team outside of LH. What Amir lacks in fundamentals, he makes up for in shot-blocking and quickness. Do you see how quick he's able to double-team/trap and then race back to his man? Our rotations are beautiful when he's in. Sheed also helps cover up any mistakes he might make, and i think Sheed likes him playing with him. He looks more energized. Most games where Afflalo gets PT, our defense looks better, then he inexplicably gets very little PT, and we are getting lit up by players again. They're energetic, they hustle, and they play hard. Defense is mostly about effort anyway. I'm not saying they are a cure-all, but it's pretty obvious they help considerably.
Very true but they have not been tested yet. They also are not going to get the same calls a vet would in the post-season, thats just a fact of the NBA. Besides I am not sure going into the post-season with 2 rookies and Amir is going to be enough experience in the reserve unit.
I think the last two games might be Flip experimenting with making Tayshaun take a higher % of the shots...this could pay dividends in the future. It's february, guys! Just chill! Stuckey and AJ are in the regular rotation and that won't change, we're not making any trades, we need this kind of experimentation. That said I hated watching this game and it was ugly as sin. Haha.
It seems to me that if Flipper were to start AJ from now on by the time the playoffs get here he will get some respect and if he doesn't then just bring in Dyess off of the bench. Will he get more fouls called on him as a starter like Maxey did? We won't know until it happens. Flipper has repeatedly said that he will give AJ all that he can handle. So we shall see if Flipper starts to think that AJ can handle more. He could have put Dyess or Maxey in during the 4th at crunch time but he chose to leave AJ in and we almost pulled it out. Another small step forward for AJ and the Pistons.
I'll say it again, Sheed needs a garbage man. Amir + Sheed is an awesome combo. Amir with space in the paint is a monster. Sheed is obviously not going in there this year, so why not just permanantly pair him up with the new JYD? And the bench needs a tough vet like Dyess. And Dyess needs a little less minutes than the starters. It's pretty obvious at this point that Flip doesn't need to find time for AJ to develop him... He needs to play him because he dramatically increases our odds of winning basketball games. I'm considering this game a positive because it further highlights that fact to Flip. One little nit. That D that Afflalo was putting on Redd was awesome. Not sure why Flip didn't want to see more of that.
It seems to me that Sheed really likes playing with AJ. Not that he doesn't like playing with the other guys, but Sheed is mentoring AJ, so it is like a teacher playing on the court with his student and each one helping the other.
And, where is Hermann? Why not experiment with him in the games to see if he's more consistent/productive than Hayes?
I guess you're a bigger fan of the bench than Flip. Reading this forum... it doesn't seem like you are alone.
Hermann is a bum. I've watched this guy, he's just like Hayes, Mo Evans, etc. There is no magical upside. You get the feeling that he's only as good as he is because he is experienced, not because he has incredible physical gifts or latent talent.
yah i'm not high on herrmann at all either. he's slow. i went out last night so i only saw the start of the game, but how can you call this a coaching loss? it's very very obvious that our starters came back from break but are still on vacation. lazy offense, TERRIBLE defense. there's no effort. i'm not really worried about that. we could probably lose every game the rest of the year and make the playoffs. what i'm worried about is developing the bench, letting them play through mistakes, and giving them crunch time minutes. stuckey struggled last night against a team i thought he'd be great against. big deal, he got time. amir was trusted down the stretch and flip kept him in the game, and he played well AND got praise from his teammates for it. i think flip will look at the stats and see the + numbers for AJ and give him more time. i'll watch the 4th quarter tonight, but yeah. the only big improvement i could see the team making is a hayes/herrmann/murray/brezec for miller/artest deal, where he could take the backup 2/3 minutes. as much as i like afflalo's defense, i don't think he's ready yet and his offense isn't there.
Anyone think it is too much to ask why none of the DET writers can ask Flip why he waited so long to bring Amir into the game? What was his rational for altering his rotation(?) the last 2 games to exclude this guy? Why, if as Flip says there is no one on the second unit who can carry the group by itself, does he seem to go out his way to only play them together? Why doesn't the league do something to maintain the integrity of the game when coaches are obviously tanking by calling plays out of timeouts that lead to baskets instead of shot clock violations and/or air balls? Ernie is getting angry!!! It is an absolute shame if DET can pilfer the dregs of the L to shore up their squad. It has nothing to do with these 2 losses, but I think this is a H-U-G-E mistake. Happy profits, I guess.
