From ABC News:

The Pistons' new coach, Flip Saunders, says the 20-year-old Milicic's playing time should increase as the long season wears on.
Saunders feels he inherited a young player who was better than he had thought. Such tall players who can shoot, pass, defend and block shots, as Milicic can, are not abundant.
The new coach also understands why his predecessor was reluctant to give Milicic much playing time.
"One thing you never do as a coach — when you have a team that has a chance to win a championship”


Hmm, sounds like Flip's contradicting himself?

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With politicians the future lies ahead

I read in one of the Detroit Papers that McDyess is still trying to get used to this offense. And to be honest, I don't really think he's looked that comfortable. I can't find the article now, there's so much reduntant writing in there. But the gist of it was that Dyess had grown used to creating his shot, moving away from the basket, under LB. And Flip wants the players to create their shots more for themselves.

Dyess has been having problems creating his own shot facing the basket. Honestly he's not the most nimble with the ball in his hands, unless he pops up the 17 footer.

And the article went on to say that Flip has been giving Dyess extra minutes so that he can gain some confidence in his game under this new system, so he'll be ready come playoff time.

So the result of that, as the paper said, was that the players at PF and C on the bench haven't been getting as much PT. Which means Darko has to wait for Antonio to get his groove back.

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Is this what the LBHOF club has left to hang on to? Flip may not be playing Darko as much as I'd like, but he is playing the kid, and playing him in meaningful minutes. So far Darko has not shown he's ready for a lot of PT, he doesnt see the court well, and is making mistakes (I can say the same about MO, I think he's getting too much PT). But, I bet as the season progresses, Darko learns how to play in real time situations, his PT will get longer. Something that would never have happened under LB.

If LB had coached last night, we'd have lost, our starters would have played 45 min apiece, the only sub would have been Darvin and Dice. Darko would have been put in for the last 30 seconds, and LB would have spent the entire next day complaining about Darko's lack of effort and immaturity.

I don't think so. I think it's just a matter of match ups, game-in game-out. I think, when the matchup is there for Darko, then Flip will play him. And then there's going to be games, against smaller teams, where Darko probably won't see very much, if any, floor time.

Now he'll probably play tonight. Not only because Portland will be a better matchup for him, but also to give our bigs a rest, seeings how it's the second leg of a back to back.

The following is from one of Blakely's articles today;

"With tonight being a back-to-back for Detroit, Pistons coach Flip Saunders anticipates playing Darko Milicic who did not play (coaches decision) on Thursday.

Saunders has talked with Milicic, as well as Carlos Delfino, about not playing as much as they would like to. The talks have centered around letting them know that even though their minutes have been limited, they still have considerable value to the team and the organization.

"It's tough," said Saunders, referring to young players not seeing a lot of playing time. "All players want to play. The main thing is what I try to do, myself and the assistants, is not avoid (talking about) it. A lot of people try and avoid it and not talk about it. I think it's best to confront them and talk about it and let them know where you're at, and let them know that there is an open door policy to talk about it."

Saunders added, "there's going to be times that you might play, and times you might not. That doesn't mean we've lost confidence in you."
Delfino played seven minutes on Thursday, and responded with four points and a rebound."

If you're a 2nd tier sub on a championship team that's 5-0, it may be a WAG, but it's entirely normal that your PT may be a tad limited.

Darko & Delfino do indeed need more PT, but not when it doesn't make sense. I think the biggest problem is not if they will get the PT they need, but will they get the PT that they think they deserve.

I was a little bothered by the fact that Flip has to explain to them why their time has been limited. I understand all players want to play, but they should also be knowledgable enough to recognize basketball situations.

Selfish motives aren't new, but on a team like this one, it could limit your career if the demands get out of hand. That being said, I see nothing but good things coming from more PT for both Darko and Delfino(I really love his game). .

That makes a lot of sense. I really think we will need him tonight and it's a great time to truly give him a shot.

You better watch it or you're going to get a reputation as a layer, yourself.

i agree with Zoso. maybe its just because we have played a lot of small, fast teams so far. and being the 4th big on the team, means he just hasn't got the minutes.

i don't know. he might get some time against portland today. flip probably rode the starters a lot the past two games to get those W's. i'm sure darko can help us, but matchups might exclude him from playing sometimes.

i forgot to tell you guys, but flip was on 1130 again this thursday and he was asked why darko wasn't playing much along with some of the other bench players, and he said that since our starters are on fire right now he doesn't want to take him out, then he said that the starters won't be making shots like this every night, and that the bench will be used more then. hope that answers your question, and sorry for not giving you guys a heads up about the interview.

I hate to come down on you like this, but, "irregardlessly" is not a word. Nor is any form of irregardless. As architect of the "irregardless revolutionm," I would be remisce to let it slip.

Don't let it happen again.

-Webster (you know, like the dictionary)