Amir Johnson - Detroit Piston Tracker - Page 53 - Detroit Pistons Fan Community

mikhail1973 · #**521** (**permalink**) 01-25-2008, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddahfan

I was surprised a bit that he didn't come in for Sheed, instead of Maxey but at this point its no big deal.

Howard is a still a bit too big for AJ to handle.

But Dyess ended up playing almost 37 minutes and he wasn't all that effective on Howard either.

NYPistonFan729 · #**522** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddahfan

I was surprised a bit that he didn't come in for Sheed, instead of Maxey but at this point its no big deal.

Howard is a still a bit too big for AJ to handle.

Because flip is not a good coach....he always lets the 3rd quarter go by before subbing. Amir should have come in at the 3 minutes mark of the 3rd quarter. Flip panicks in the 4th quarter. So when the lead fluctuated between 10 and 14 points, he did not want to put amir back in. Flip panicks too much that is why joe is forcing him to play the bench more.

buddahfan · #**523** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYPistonFan729

Because flip is not a good coach....he always lets the 3rd quarter go by before subbing. Amir should have come in at the 3 minutes mark of the 3rd quarter. Flip panicks in the 4th quarter. So when the lead fluctuated between 10 and 14 points, he did not want to put amir back in. Flip panicks too much that is why joe is forcing him to play the bench more.

Quote:

PISTONS CORNER: Amir Johnson to keep getting minutes

January 26, 2008
BY KRISTA JAHNKE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Pistons coach Flip Saunders said Friday he's committed to playing Amir Johnson for the time being even if the matchups aren't favorable.

But he also wants bench players to start earning their minutes through defense and energy.

With Orlando in town Friday, Saunders found Johnson nine minutes despite a few matchup problems -- namely, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. Saunders said after the game that he would have liked to find more time in the second half for Johnson, too.
"But we wanted to keep 'Sheed on the floor," Saunders said. "To not give him a chance to follow up on his performance, that was probably the thing that was most disappointing."

But Saunders said the days of force-feeding anyone are over. From now on, what will keep bench players on the floor will be their play -- namely, the energy they bring and their ability to stay within the parameters of the defensive schemes.

That goes for guys like forward Jarvis Hayes and guard Arron Afflalo.
"Arron's been so good for us defensively," Saunders said. "We thought we needed his energy and defense. I told our guys last week, 'You play defense, that's how you're going to stay on the floor a lot.' Arron earned minutes because of that."

Funny thing about that. Its all about defense if you want the minutes. Maybe that is why Hayes only got 3 of them last night. Its kind of interesting that Joe D. signed Hayes given that no one with the Wiz plays any defense.

PISTONS CORNER: Amir Johnson to keep getting minutes

NYPistonFan729 · #**524** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 12:33 PM

That means jarvis will be on the bench if he misses his first couple of shots because defense is not his forte.

16 Mile · #**525** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddahfan

Funny thing about that. Its all about defense if you want the minutes. Maybe that is why Hayes only got 3 of them last night. Its kind of interesting that Joe D. signed Hayes given that no one with the Wiz plays any defense.

PISTONS CORNER: Amir Johnson to keep getting minutes

I wonder if Flip believes the things he says. He didn't play Delfino because CD wasn't a big enough spark on O. We signed Jarvis because he was instant O. He played JMax because he was so aggressive on O. He gave Stuckey immediate PT because of his O. And now Flip is complaining about the bench needing to play D for PT?

If Flip is telling the truth, then look for JMax, Stuckey, and Hayes minutes to drop; and for AJ's, Fabio's, and Afflalo's to go up.

mikhail1973 · #**526** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 16 Mile

I wonder if Flip believes the things he says. He didn't play Delfino because CD wasn't a big enough spark on O. We signed Jarvis because he was instant O. He played JMax because he was so aggressive on O. He gave Stuckey immediate PT because of his O. And now Flip is complaining about the bench needing to play D for PT?

If Flip is telling the truth, then look for JMax, Stuckey, and Hayes minutes to drop; and for AJ's, Fabio's, and Afflalo's to go up.

Can you really believe anything he says anymore? He's the king of inconsistency himself so how can he expect consistency from the players if he changes the rules multiple times within the game itself?

buddahfan · #**527** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail1973

Can you really believe anything he says anymore? He's the king of inconsistency himself so how can he expect consistency from the players if he changes the rules multiple times within the game itself?

I don't know how much it is Flipper voluntarily changing the rules vs being forced to make changes by Joe D.

It seems to me that Flipper's personality is too rigid to just go and change what he says and does unless he is instructed to and like a good soldier tries to follow his commander's orders.

mikhail1973 · #**528** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddahfan

I don't know how much it is Flipper voluntarily changing the rules vs being forced to make changes by Joe D.

It seems to me that Flipper's personality is too rigid to just go and change what he says and does unless he is instructed to and like a good soldier tries to follow his commander's orders.

I believe we are on the same page on this one. It really doesn't look like Flip is susceptible to a change unless it is forced upon him.

mikhail1973 · #**529** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 05:58 PM

Some basketball people tend to think that Amir is going to stay in the rotation. I sure hope they are correct.

Quote:

Going forward, it also helps that the Pistons will be home more often than not for the next few weeks. After playing nine of their last 12 on the road, they'll be at the Palace for seven of their next nine.

That should help some of the veterans catch up on a bit of rest, while also providing more practice time for some of the young players, including Amir Johnson, who appears to have finally cracked the rotation after a solid 15-minute performance in Philadelphia.

Johnson contributed five points, five rebounds (including four on the offensive glass) and two blocks in his time on the floor, and his relentless energy going after loose balls kept more than a few possessions alive for the Pistons. Jason Maxiell had been the designated energy player as the first big man off the bench, but he's struggled the last few weeks as teams have adjusted to him. Johnson certainly won't replace Maxiell as the team's sixth-man, but he will take at least some of the pressure off him as a change-of-pace from the bench.

HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information

buddahfan · #**530** (**permalink**) 01-26-2008, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail1973

Some basketball people tend to think that Amir is going to stay in the rotation. I sure hope they are correct.

HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information

If AJ can add another 10 pounds of muscle by this May it appears to me that it is possible by the playoffs that AJ could replace Maxey as our 1st big off of the bench. It appears to me that AJ has a lot more talent than Maxey and may even be a harder worker.

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