^^ vs. Dallas our bench was matched up against their starters for a good amount of time, and held their own.

Amir Johnson won't go to the Minors. Joe has already said that. He is just a kid, and there's something to be said for keeping an eye on your players. Especially when they're 18 and haven't been away from their families before. Make sure they're making good decisions off the court. Joe also said he didn't know what the living circumstances were going to be like in the D-League. They did mention that he may go down for stints when the team is on long road trips.

That said, I think if Joe has to let someone go, it'll probably be Dupree. Out of Delfino, Evans, Acker, and Dupree, Dupree is the only one that we really know what to expect from. And out of those 4, Acker is probably the best prospect for the back-up SG spot, it certainly isn't Dupree.

Rumor has it that Acker can also play the PG, which could be some insurance if Lindsey can't keep the health.

Dupree brings hustle, and desire. Which on some teams would be enough to keep him around. But this Pistons squad seems to have pleanty of hustle and desire.

And as we saw in the playoffs last year, this squad really needs some scorers. I think Delfino, Evans, and Acker fit that bill better than Dupree.

I would like to see the kid do well, but I do wonder how much playing time he'd get if he satyed. So maybe for his sake it would be better if he could find a team that needed him.

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I'm so on the fence on this subject that I change my mind every few minutes, man I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth like I got a brother named Herb and I grew up in NY.

Acker really didn't impress me at the pt last night in Milw, however he didn't dissappoint me either. The same statement can be said for Dupree. Man I wish we could trade both of them for a 19/20 year old kid. Neither of these 2 will play very much, although with Dupree's experience he probably is more likely to contribute from time to time. While Ack would get garbage mins if he dresses, Dupree could actually be put into the game and deliver energy.

Since neither player is likely to get much burn, there are several advantages to keeping Acker over Dupree. Acker needs to play and is eligible to go to the NBDL where he's likely to get some serious run, Dupree isn't egible for the NBDL. If you cut or trade him he can get his $$$ and sign for another deal with another team where he can get some run, shine and possibly make some $$$ for himself.

Man do I hear dat!... that's exactly what I'm thinkin'... it might change 5 more times before I hit the sack tonight.lol

But what really matters is what Joe is thinking... if he says he wants to keep both of them... we gotta believe that's the plan... when he was asked about Lindsey, he said "we're exploring all our options"... not yeah he'll be on the roster.

IMO Acker has a week to show that he can stay in front of quick PG's... if he can do that nearly as well as Hunter (big IF) then LH is the odd man out. Acker already has Hunter beat in every other aspect of the game (except the clubhouse)....
I was wrong about there not being any teams interested in our late 2nd round pick (Joe's commenting that least 4 other teams are interested)... Looks like Joe ain't ready to let the bird (in hand) fly free... cause he might find greener pastures and come back to bite us.

Yes, releasing Hunter is a risky deal... especially around playoff time.
Which raises the question... could we release him and sign him back later?... that's an option if no team claimed him off waivers... or if he retired and unretired.
Why would we do this when we still would have to clear a roster spot to bring LH back?... because it would buy Joe some time to make another move and further monitor Ackers progress.
So "D" up young man and the job is yours.

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With politicians the future lies ahead

I'm calling a bird warehouse right now to see if we can buy some crow in bulk. Because we all gonna be eatin' some IF Lee hit this one correctly!

Yeah, especially if A.J. stays on the team (instead of NBADL)... but then again Lee didn't think the NBADL was gonna happen this year.

Food for thought:
You have GM's like Joe and Isiah saying they might not send their players down to the NBADL.... they're concerned about their guys not getting enough PT and not learning the home teams "culture"... Isiah flat out saying he's not sending his kids down to Fayateville.
The NBADL would not have to pay for these salaries at all... they would be very motivated to get this prime talent on their roster for free (not to mention more fan interest).
Is this just a ploy from the NBA teams to ensure that their guys get starter type minutes?... Wouldn't this lead to some under the table deals... like play my guy and run some Piston plays and I'll think about sending you a player or two.
This new affiliation has several flaws, that won't be resolved until each team has their own dedicated affiliate team (two years away at least).
Personally I'll be dissapointed if A.J. spends the whole year on our bench (they did say he could go down during long road trips).

I so want Acker to come up big on defense ... then we can use him as an offense for defense rotation with Arroyo... otherwise he's stuck to the pines (if he makes the squad) with A.J. ...Darko's laughing to himself right now.

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With politicians the future lies ahead

I agree. Each NBA team needs their own DL team and the players on that team shouldn't count against the roster spots for the parent team unless they are called up.

That would allow for each NBA team to hire their own coaches and control every aspect of their team, from playing time to strategies.

I would vote for Acker. Based on what I saw last game Acker could be that 3rd guard we have been looking for.

Plus he can shoot. Dumars thinks he can be another Alan Houston type of 3-pt shooter. Thats just what we need from the bench. Plus Acker can pass ( had 9 assists ) and is solid enough to learn how to play defense.

I would not be surprised if Acker overtakes Arroyo sometime mid-season.

I agree too. The whole thing stinks of politics.

I don't think the NBA would allow teams to stockpile players though. I think that's why they limit the rosters at 15.

They referred to the "uncertain" status of Hunter. Hey, Dupree might not play if we keep him and Hunter retires. But then again nothing wrong with depth, especially if its already paid for. Also important is that if we carry Dupree until trade deadline time he is one more tradeable contract.