I didn't want to give anyone the idea that I had some info that Delf would start or anything. Its just a question that I had after reading the game threads.

Should the pistons start Delfino? I really like this idea because it breaks the glass wall separating the starting five from the rest. IMO Delfino is giving Tay a run for his money. Delfino will bring defense and rebounding and we pray for some opportunistic points.
We have a lot of weapons in the starting five and very little in the bench. We could turn Dyess and Tay into 1st options on offense while playing with the bench unit. The minutes wouldn't change so much i.e. Tay would play roughly the same minutes or slightly less.

Thinking back on some of the other games, the team struggled with Tay + bench and did ok with Rip + bench. So maybe that switch wouldn't be tht great....but something to think about.

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Delfino brings hustle energy. Most games.

Tay has been really low energy, low confidence lately. The thing he is missing is a high motor.

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Nov 13 LW Milan Lucic had an active night. He scored his first goal in eight games since his Oct. 25 hat trick and also pounded Michael Komisarek in a third-period fight. Lucic cut his hand in a fight with Michael Komisarek. "I'll be fine," he said. "(X-rays are) negative, but there's so many broken bones in there from before you can't really tell."

GREAT IDEA but Flip would never do it. I think he has a hard enough time putting Delfino in for the 10-15 minutes he is getting (even though the complexion of the game changes when he is in). Here are some thoughts I had this morning on a different forum:

Does anybody else get the feeling that Delfino is just playing to stay in the line-up rather than be an offensive impact player? He is consistently high in the hustle stats (rebounds and steals) each game.

My opinion is that he is afraid to take shots he should be taking for fear of being pulled from the rotation. In most games he playing like a point guard at the small forward position. Taking 1 shot every 2 minutes o playing time is no way to get any confidence. I think he feels like he is in a catch-22. If he tries to shoot himself into a rhythm and comfort zone and misses a few in a row he will be pulled not to return; yet we all want him to be an offensive threat when Tay is out.

Half of his shots are late in the shot clock under pressure. I don't think they run plays for him AT ALL. This is one area of the bench development that needs to be corrected.
Someone mentioned (fbrougham) that "by his age you can either shoot or you can't."

I heard an interesting tid bit in the SA game before the break that puts things in perspective. Delfino is 5 years younger than Ginobili. That means he came in the league a year younger then Manu did. I think Fino is going to be a Manu-type player. If you look back at his stats he ave. 21 minutes a game his 1st year with SA and then jumped to almost 30 a game the next 2 years. Delfino ave. 15 mins. in half a season due to injury his 1st year and only 11 his next year. If you look at the minutes played those first 2 years; Manu played 3700 minutes while Fino played 1185.

His development is a one key to the Stons future. He is an impact player when on the court. He is always around the ball for steals and rebounds. His shot will come but the staff needs to allow him to miss without being worried about losing his spot in the rotation.

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Damn Right I DID!!!!
Whatcha gonna say now????

Prince has looked flat this month. I was hoping that the All Star break would give him some rest and that he would come back with more energy. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. Perhaps he's in a mid-season/post-Webber funk and just needs to play he way out of it.

Delfino, on the other hand, has been improving all season. His rebounding and defense have been valuable this year, since the team doesn't have a lot of energy guys. Last nights game against Orlando was a good example, when the Pistons seemed to be struggling on the glass, Delfino was able to make an impact on the boards. He still can't shoot and makes mistakes, but at least he's aggressive

It would be an interesting change of pace to have Tay come off the bench and maybe reduce his minutes. However, the team seems to be playing well, and Delfino is still carving out his role with the team. Hopefully, Tay can get it together by the time playoffs roll around.

Honestly, with the addition of Webber, I just think Tay is the odd man out. Like I've always said. Having 5 20 pt scorers on the floor isn't always going to work out the way you think it will.

A) There's only one basketball

B) It's an insanely naieve perspective to believe that all 5 guys will be on their 20 pt game every game.

C) Through the routine of team basketball. Someone almost always is going to be left out of the equation as the rhytm and repetition of called plays often results in certain players getting a higher percentage of the total shots on a regular basis. Right now, Tay is the 9th and 10th option among 5 guys that get their number called twice each play.

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I'm just glad that Delfino is part of the rotation and he's finally showing why he belongs. Tay has a starter's mentality now and would consider coming off the bench as a demotion. Delfino is one of those rare players that doesn't need to shoot the ball much to be happy, and that would be refreshing in a starting line-up where everyone else needs to be shooting the rock. I don't think Flip is anywhere near tinkering with his starting-lineup just not in his genetic makeup to shake things up when they are going pretty good. It would make more sense to have Rip come off the bench and start shooting the lights-out (ala Ben Gordon) and have Delfino be a playmaker SG. Though I do like the defensive energy of Delfino, Davis and Hunter all on the floor together. Put Maxey in the mix and what a different second unit though they would be hard pressed to score any points, so let Rip stay with them. It's a nice problem to have though isn't it? Carlos needs to work on his outside shot more, he has really nice form and he could become our Bruce Bowen but with better slashing moves on the offensive end.

That doesn't explain 8-28 shooting (29%) over his last three games, or 2 rebounds in 63 minutes.

How about 9-36 in the last 4? Averaging 6.5 points (less than half his average) since the Spurs game.

If the 5th guy doesn't get good scoring opportunities, perhaps an energy guy who hustles, rebounds and turns up steals may be the guy to play.

Delf is averaging 2 steals and 6.25 rebounds in 17.25 minutes over the last four games.

Tay? 2.75 boards and 0.75 steals in 32.75 minutes.

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Nov 13 LW Milan Lucic had an active night. He scored his first goal in eight games since his Oct. 25 hat trick and also pounded Michael Komisarek in a third-period fight. Lucic cut his hand in a fight with Michael Komisarek. "I'll be fine," he said. "(X-rays are) negative, but there's so many broken bones in there from before you can't really tell."

tay seems to go through some of this every year, and then he takes over a few games in the playoffs and we all remember why he's here. that said, the addition of webber does change the dynamic of our offense, and having tay be the main option with the bench unit is an intriguing (and potentially very successful) proposition.

i wouldn't start delfino though, i'd just bring him in a little sooner with the starters and let tay be the 1st and 2nd option off the bench with mcdyess.

Now that's hilarious! I'd love to see Fino start- one problem is that he ain't no SF- he's more a 2 or even a 1. And I wonder if he could keep up against most starting SF's in this league.

Great point, Ralphi. Tay is much better guarding the 3s. Length. Although I don't think sitting him temporarily is a bad idea. Sends a message.