A seventh game out of 8 where we had a 20 point plus lead. Pretty impressive. We won this one by slaughtering them in the fast break department. Billups with 25 points and 14 assists got player of the game. Rip just could not miss in the first half. The pair had about 40 points by half-time. Meanwhile JMAX shot 7 for 8 in this one, including one made outside shot. JMAX continues to be about our only offensive rebound attack.


Prince managed 19 points, but on very poor shooting. He just can't hit an outside shot, although I think he did hit one of about 6 outside shots tonight.


Sheed ended up gettng 30 minutes even though he came off the bench. Sheed could not hit a longrange shot, with everything coming up well short, but he did hit some key shots in closer. Both Maxiell and Dyess were in foul trouble. Mohammed played to end the 2nd half, and extensively in the 2nd half.


Dyess did very little in this one.


Hayes barely did a thing.


Amir, despite Sheed almost sitting this one out, despite foul trouble to both Maxiell and Dyess, did not play, coaches decision. Basically making a liar out of Dumars who said this kind of thing would not happen. I would sure like it if Dumars stepped in, tonight, and restated his policy about Amir playing. Remember, according to Dumars, Dyess is starting because he has Amir and JMAX to provide a spark off the bench. Well Mr. Dumars, it ain't happening. If you care to know why so few fans show up for the games, look no further than the disappointment so many fans feel about the youngs not getting time.


A bit about the other team. Two guys barely scored for Memphis in this one, and never played a bit of D between the two, yet they start. Lowry, Warrick, and Navarro did very well, but none of them get to start. This team is a definite case of a coach holding his team back. So at least its not just the Pistons, and at least for us its just looming failure in the playoffs. At least we are winning these meaningless regular season games, and will be in the playoffs.


Lowry is not that bad a defender, but he got owned by Billups, and the Pistons needed that scoring to stay ahead in this one.
Darko came out great, but he was very limited by an ankle injury and never did score after his 12 in the first 8 minutes of the game.

Mohammed played, committed fouls, did not score, and got a few rebounds. A nice outlet pass from him is about all we got positive from him.


Afflalo looked awesome in the 1st half, twice getting to the basket very well for scores. And yet, with another game tomorro night to play, Rip was put back into the game for Afflalo with 6 minutes still to go in the 2nd quarter. Atrocious coaching. Meaningless, pointless coaching. Hey, this is not just my opinion. Its what I hear from other fans. Sure we won the game, but did we get any more prepared for the playoffs? Did we get ourselves prepared to play Houston tomorro night? Flip ain't even looking forward one day, let alone to the playoffs.

^

It's baffling how clueless Flip is. Afflalo was a +11 and we were doing fantastic with him in there. Three thing i noticed; he has great hanldles; he attacks the basket; and he rebounds. I saw him sky for 2 he never should have gotten. It's exactly what we need and it's not coincendental that we look so good with him in.

Warrick was owning us. A long, athletic, shot-blocker with a few nice post moves; Hmm . . . ? I could've sworn we had one of those. Nazr continues to suck.

The starters played big minutes on the 1st night of a back-to-back. Sheed played 30 even though he looked sick as hell. Almost everything he threw up was short.

I'm sick of yelling at the TV about stupid sub patterns.

Afflalo did look pretty good tonight. Very surprised that he couldn't get back out there.

Overall, one of the most boring games of the year I thought. Mainly because we got off to such a big lead and then toyed with them the whole time with the starters playing most of the game... needlessly.

Nazr and Lindsey are so unproductive it is amazing.

What could possibly be going on in that morning shoot around that would cause Sheed to be well enough to play but not able to start? Flipper is just hard to figure out sometimes.

We will all get to see them be unproductive for the rest of the year. Count on it.

And you call yourself a Piston fan. In chat we all knew that as awesome as AA played their was no way the kid was geting back in the game. I'll be shocked if he plays tomarrow.

See you mere mortals are totally incapable of understanding the coaching genius of Flip Saunders. Flip already knows through visions that his secret assistant coach (Madam Cleo) has, what Amir and AA are going to do on the floor when he puts them out there. Madam Cleo had a vision of AA turning the ball over 17 straight times in the 2nd half so Flip kept him on the bench and secured a win for us. Madam Cleo has also told Flip of the vision she had where Amir turns both his ankles while dunking the ball in the wrong basket. See Flip and Madam Cleo have all this figured out. Be patient.......The return of Rufus Henry is on the horizon.

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Play hard, Play smart, Play together, share the ball, have fun....Play the right way!!!!!!

Seems like a blowout but the Pistons did all their damage in the 1st quarter and it was pretty even after that. Memphis won the 2nd and 4th quarters.

41 mins for Rip and 38 for Billups is too much on the 1st of a back to back.

Looks like the sub patterns are starting to settle on Hunter and Mohammed being a part. They both played around 20 mins combined. Hunter made the only shot between them and Modamed had 3 boards and a block. Both had 1 steal a piece.

Heck of a game by Billups. It was fun watching him out there with Rip hitting every shot. Just probably did not need to see them so much. Maxiel had a great game.

I honestly can't believe that Flip could be this incompetent. Afflalo was a beast out there in limited minutes. Sparking the D, the fastbreak, and even grabbing a couple big defensive boards. Yet he doesn't even get a glance in the 2nd half. Instead, Rip plays 42 minutes in a game that was separated by 15-20 most of the time.

And I know the Lindsey backers out there (the few remaining) talk up his D, but his D is pretty bad outside of about 1 steal a week. He's a foul machine who can't shoot, and can't run an offense or the fast break. Why does he play? Flip Murray doesn't look too bad at the moment. At least he'd go on a scoring binge once a week or so.

And Nazr.... oh Nazr. How he manages to get 10 minutes of playing time almost every game boggles my mind. Tonight he got most of his minutes with Sheed while the Grizzlies had Gasol and Warrick on the floor. Yes, Warrick. You know, 6 foot 9", 215 pound super-athletic power forward. Sounds like someone I know on our team, but I can't remember his name, because he doesn't play!. Yea, and the mismatch of having unathletic vets on him resulted in 17/6 in 17 minutes. Brilliant.

It's so frustrating that this team has so much promise, yet nothing will come of it because of a coach, and complacent management.

This is a litmus test game...another one that Flip Sr. failed. If you aren't going to play Amir and give Afflalo more burn against the Griz...when are you going to play them? I mean it's Memphis for crying out loud. Flip coaches these games like every one is a playoff game and he's already coaching scared.

I got home from an appointment in the middle of the second quarter and was aghast to see no Amir. And more Lindsay and Nazr. It's just infuriating. And boring basketball as well, in spite of the numbers that were put up by The Best BackCourt in the NBA. I think that Flip Sr. thinks he is honoring his promise to Joe to play the younguns by playing Maxiell (who really is the only thing making this team interesting anymore). I've watched every game and will continue to. But I almost think Amir should be sent back down to the D-League (can he be). He's in purgatory on our bench. Yes I remember that it was said that they wanted to bring him along slowly, but come on this is Memphis we played tonight. NO AMIR?!

I'm so tired of watching the Best Starting Four play together. We need our bench to get minutes. Our Best Starting Four can not win a championship this year. It's going to take our bench to be confident and ready at playoff time. All of them.

P.S. And Sheed even had the flu? Good Lord. I mean so what if we lose a few games because Amir isn't quite ready. If that's the worst that happens, we still go to the playoffs with an Amir that can help us. It seems so obvious.

P.S. And Sheed even had the flu? Good Lord. I mean so what if we lose a few games because Amir isn't quite ready. If that's the worst that happens, we still go to the playoffs with an Amir that can help us. It seems so obvious.[/quote]

Well, this forum seems to know "a recipe of a sucessful development". If depeloping youngs seems to be so easy, why, oh why coaches are not using this formula? Every coach woud obviously like fast-developed rooks.

Why there are so many struggling teams and so few contenders? Because nobody actually knows a certain "development recipe". In a many rebuilding teams noobs get more burn, but results are varied and usually they du not "bring it" during their firs 2-3 years.

And this "hurried development" is plain wishful thinking here.