I think the ket word here is rest. You get three starters some rest and the rest of the team gets some pt.
The issue is threefold, getting some R & R for the so called weary starters. Getting valuable PT for the guys who will be called on for role parts in the playoffs. They can do that without sacrificing a victory. As Max indicated yes we want to be ready for the ECF, but it would be nice to also have that HC in the finals. Players who ride the pine most of the year want to play...and not just in garbage time. They are use to contibuting to a win that starters set up for them or a loss that they couldn't hold on to themselves. Yesterdays win was probably more exciting for the youngsters than any other win during the season because they fought back and won it on their on merits. I don't think any of us would have complained if they had lost this game.
Rip, CB and Sheed rested. We have to hope that Dice gets a blow too in the next couple of games. However because of Tay's iron man inprocess streak, he gets no rest??? Tay has 348 straight starts in a row. Do the Pistons put him out there for 5 mins and sit him for the rest of the game just to keep the streak in tact? After all if Tay never gets a nother ring or appears in an allstar game can he say that he started x number of games in a row?? AC Green played 1192 games in a row for the all time.record ...Tay is up to 403 straight games or so right now..heck he played in the summer games last year too...this guy may be worned out by second round...
I agree that Tay and Dyess need a blow. Maybe have tay play 15 minutes in a game - pull him halfway through the 1st and then halfway through the 3rd. Dyess has been more effective with his minutes cut.
Rest assured, now that the starters have had a full season together to click, it's time for the rest of the team to get some minutes. It will be important for the kids to have some experience, especially if we make it to the finals. Many of the Rest Coast teams have very athletic benches.
Give it some time. Once the rest of the league wises up I am pretty sure we will start seeing entire starting lines comprised of Piston 2nd round draft picks.
Flip has a chance to make some history of his own. Throughout his career he has been known for to wear his teams out. With a little luck this year, he might be able to kill all momentum and continuity by sitting some players for long periods of time and wear some guys down by not sitting them. That being said, I think what he is doing now is the way to go. You got to play the youngsters these last few weeks to have them ready to go in the playoffs. The NBA season is notoriously short. It would have been stupid to give these guys time in November. The games are too important and really, I'd take the chances of a player improving over a 2 week span versus 6 months any day.
