Dallas was indeed hitting some incredible shots last night, but this is the NBA. If you play lousy defense in the first quarter and let a really good team get comfortable, they'll still be making shots in the fourth when you're draped all over them. So that excuse doesn't wash with me.

For four years the Pistons have emphasized "setting a tone," but lately they've gone tone-deaf. It's the trend I'm talking about, not just the most recent game. Our backcourt hasn't looked at all good against more athletic guards from Dallas and Boston. I know we complained about this last year, too, but it's more of an issue now with Lindsey out. Some time in the near future we'll need to augment our long versatile guys with hellishly quick ballhawks ... the kind other teams are going to start using to pressure Chauncey all game long, like the Mavericks did.

Easy fella, you make it sound like I slept with your mom or something. Its nothing personal, just my opinion.

Our bench has sucked. That is where we miss Hunter. Our starting 5 is the one that has been putting up the 100 point games and winning us 8 games to start the season (all against teams we should beat), not our bench. So that point is moot.

Name me 1 game that our bench has won for us. Or 1 game so far this season that our bench has outperformed the opponents.

8-1 is nice, as was 8-0. I'm not complaining about the record, I'm just saying that the team is better, deeper and more experienced with Hunter on it.

Hunter is the defensive specialist, but we still need an experienced, legitimate scorer off the bench.

Potential is nice, but production is what matters (just ask the Lions).

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I agree that these are areas where we "could" be concerned, but I still think it's not early enough where we "should" be concerned...at least we shouldn't panic (not that anyone is).

I hafta agree with bballJay that the bench hasn't been given an opportunity to show their stuff yet. Also, yes...we could be 6-3...we also could be world champions after last year. But we are not. We ARE 8-1. I think the weaknesses can and will be addressed.

I'm not saying that it won't turn out that you are absolutely correct. But I just won't let one loss bother me any more than I will let an isolated great Lions victory excite me.

Dallas looked like world beaters last night. They are a very good team and the Pistons were flat and tired. If it were a 7 game series I'd bet on Detroit.

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"Quite simply captain, I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only logical action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at." -- Spock

our defense has not got worse let me get that straight. the pistons just sucked last night, but besides that its been great. truly do you guys think the pistons were playing there hardest, they were on a back to back and they probably thinking of going back home. now that this win streak is done the bench will get more experienced with more pt, and maybe some of the bench players mainly dice will start to do good. the starters will have more rest and they will have more energy to play their hard-nosed defense something they didn't have energy to do last night. we'll have to see this team do that bad consitantly for us to get worried at least that is what i have to see. oh and lindsay was a big part of the defense and when he comes back this "worse" defense will gat better.

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"That's the end, man." Rasheed Wallace

I do think their D has gotten worse, but that isn't to say that it won't get better. It might just be a case of them focusing on the offence right now, because its a new system.

I don't base it just on last night's game, its been all 9 games. I haven't seen much of the "lights out" D as Sheed calls it. Too much dribble penetration, too many easy buckets, too many offensive rebounds, not enough contested shots, too much zone D!

I'm hardly losing sleep over it, but the D and bench could definately be better.

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our bench has not sucked. mcdyess has sucked but the rest of the players on the bench simply have not sucked. they have kept or even increased all leads they have been handed. arroyo has regained his shooting touch. delfino is shooting well and so is darko. maurice evans is hitting from the 3. the second unit will not be a defensive stopper second unit so stop trying to make it one. simple as that we don't have that type of players on our bench. use them to thier strengths.

our bench simply hasn't had the chance to play so of course the starters have been winning the games. we have lost a game so look forward to the bench starting to contribute more. i will say that the bench has won us some games because of the rest factor. arroyo filled in nicely when chauncey was in foul trouble. our bench is good it's just that are starters are great.

i'm just saying that lindsey has run his course. he's a spot defensive specialist at this point in his career. that doesn't mean he isn't useful it just means that he shouldn't be on the floor much. it's time to start letting our young guys get some floor time and get experience and gain chemistry.

what production does lindsey bring?? lindsey is anti production both teams stop scoring when he is in the game. mcdyess isn't producing either. it's time to start looking at the potential instead of remembering when our vets were producing.

Alright Wave, going along with your concerns, lets say the big guy has a similar uneasy feeling.

When looking at the Stones and what moves might be contemplated you better carefully consider the history of the man doing the contemplation. So far his signature moves have each carried a single theme, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY, PLAYOFF LATELY THAT IS”. The list isn’t long but it includes those we once believed to be key to future success. Uncle Cliffy, Jon Barry, Corliss, Stack, Chuck Chuck…..

I believe the management decision most influential to Joe Ds executive upbringing occurred just prior to his first ship. THE TEACHER out and MARK AGUIRRE in. How come ??? Dantly was just as good a scorer as Mark, but other qualities were cited. Mark offered a wider variety of weapons they said. But most of all Aguirre didn’t need to dominate the ball to be effective. Does Rip for Stack make sense now? AD needed the ball for 8-10 seconds per possession to do his thing, making us more easily defended. As a matter of fact I recall Tommy Heinson referring to AD in Celtic vernacular as “a pounder”, one who dribbles the air out of the ball. I think Joe faces the same conundrum with Carlos Arroyo. I’m not criticizing CA or anything like that. What I am saying is look at things from the BIG CHAIR.

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Bye Ben...................sigh ................HELLO MAX !!!!!

You may be on to something here.

When Joe was on WDFN 1130 a few days ago, he was asked what bench players he thought would help the team in the playoffs. He mentioned Davis and Delfino. He did NOT mention Arroyo. I really think we are going to trade Arroyo and ______ for a better backup PG and another player.

On the bright side, at least they didn't lose to the Toronto Raptors...like....Miami!
The most troubling thing to me is how well the opposing big men do against us. Mark BLount....c'mon. Eric Dampier...the guy was sucking until last night. I'm all for targeted D but the pistons have been off the mark in the first half. There has to be some lockdown early.

I'm all for Darko getting a good chunk of dyess' minutes. Even with PT, Darko will be inconsistent. Dyess will have opportunities to get those back again.

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Great post. Btw, you are a regular rotation player now.

I'm not looking for a trade although that could be one answer. I think LanierFan has a great point about the changes in rosters league wide. Our athleticism was at one time an edge. Now most teams have increased their athleticism. The next step is speed. We don't have any raw burners on this squad. Arroyo certainly is not the most fleet of foot. Hunter is fast but strictly a specialist.

Wins/Losses aside, some changes might be in order. This Pistons squad seems to be having trouble with their defensive identity. I get concerned anytime a coach says that the players know what they are doing. Great coaches impose their will on their teams. Popovich does it. Brown did it. Jackson does it. The only way around that is to have leadership like Zeke and Laimbeer who would personally take matters into their own hands.

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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."