Hard to come up with new arguments when this team has so few problems. But one that pops out to me is Flip and the bench. He doesnt know this team, he knows he has 5 great starters and Dice, but who else? He seems to be sticking with Mo and Arroyo. Arroyo is proving himself, but Mo seems to have a lot of buts around him. He has a lot of pro's, but his ball handling is suspicious at best.

And then there is Darko. He aint been givin a lot of burn yet, Flip stickin with the Wallaces. Which I can understand, the man wants to win, he's in a new place, but at some point, he's got to start running D&D, and (sacrilege to the WNC) give up a few games, and find out who's better, Delfino or MO, Darko or Dice.

BTW, LB is in heaven, he doesn't have to win now. He can sacrifice wins to get his team the way he wants it. And to be honest, they'll be better because of it. Seeing the Knicks on the 30th in the Garden, need good sign ideas, thinking of "Knicks D & LB-The Leak Stops Here"

Well, at 10-2 it's really hard to find something to gripe about. But that doesn't mean there is no room for improvement.

From what I have seen of these Pistons, as much as the improvement on offense and the defense being "still there", it basically still is an adjustment period for the Pistons and Flip.

The balance isn't there yet. Sometimes, the Defense rescues the O, and in some games, the Offense just carries the D.

It has been disguised with the record because the team has always found a way to win. It caught up to us with Washington. Dallas was just one of those games.

The Bench is gonna be the issue for a starting five that's well established. Arroyo is doing ok, IMO, Mo has the hustle and gives it his all every time. I've well since been a Delfino critic and he has yet to show something to change my mind. But he shows great potential as well. Darko Darko Darko, he is doing well too and as I see it, if he gets the time he can produce the scoring numbers we want so much to see. And those rebounds as well.

So enjoy the record guys. The bench will come along. Let's just get to the finals again.

I said it before and I'll say it again, the bench keys around Arroyo. If he's not playing well the entire bench will look horrid. He has yet to have a good game on the road in 7 tries. As we all know, he holds the ball way too much, which leads to bad shots at the end of the shotclock. Which leads to the bench not scoring. Which leads to the bench giving up a lead (or digging a hole) Which leads to the bench not playing. Notice how the only time the bench ever plays well is when they are causing turnovers? It's because Arroyo can't run a halfcourt set to save his life. I can't blame Flip. He is doing what it takes to win games.

the bench is hard to describe- Dyess ain't the needed leader, nor is Arroyo or Mo.
They're good players, but they don't seem to be the ones who can provide a spark of the bench. And sometimes, such a spark is damn needed.
For me, Arroyo has been pretty good this far- though the points of criticism are right; I think the holding the ball for too long thing will improve.
Let's hope Darko gets some offensive burn and some boards, if not, it's time to think about the truth behind his praised high skills.

Why must it be one or the other. Over the long wouldn't you want to see them function effectively as a unit. As a WNC member, I do.

my sentiments exactly.

Dyce has found his way in the new offence and Arroyo is doing pretty darned well, consistently, and really well, at times. Delfino has been effective at times but needs more burn to get into the system. When I see Evans so hot at times, it makes me disappointed when he comes in and does not seem to do much, but there again, he just needs the burn. And for Darko, he can change a game, like he did last night, and could have changed the games with Dallas and Washington in the same way. When he is in there, they can just shut the lane down and when they do, it seems to me that the other team does not go back to as much of the driving to the basket as they did before he came in. (That might just be my opinion) With more burn, he will be more help on "O".

I like adding the subs one or two at a time, and also like to see that second unit when it is all in, stay all in for some good minutes. I think that generally, they don't lose leads, and when Darko, for instance, plays, they do not lose, either. And I think that with Washington, had he played 10-15 minutes, Sheed would not have had to play so much and might have pulled that game out. But that is just me.

You won't have to hear as much from me in the future as this is the last game I will see for a while, at least into the middle of December. You guys just have to keep me, and the rest of us, informed.

But I have to say this before I leave. If they build up the bench time gradually, they will not lose games and they will be ready for the playoffs and still have very good position, probably number one seed at least through the east. And if they are number two in the east, they will have a better positioned team, one through 12, for the finals, both east and NBA.

I could be wrong there, but I don't think so .

Yes, they need to have production from all of the bench reserves, everyone needs to bring some game.

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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."

As I see it, we can have both the wins and find out who works better in different situations. If you put a player in, you can see in a few moments whether or not he is bringing it that day. You can get him out before he does much damage and get him back in later to try again.

And if they play well, leave them in longer. Make them aware that they stay in when they are contributing. They should make more of an impact if they know their minutes depend upon it. The coaches can also make the players aware of the type of contribution they are looking for.

Some posters, for instance, (and I am not putting them down) criticize DMC for low numbers of rebounds although he blocks shots. If the coaches want him to concentrate more on boards than blocks, tell him. Otherwise, he will be going for what he knows he can do better. If you block a shot, you cannot always be in the best position to recover the balll, but you can set up boards for your teammates. If the coaches would rather have the rebounds, just tell the players. (That is just one example; there are plenty more).

I believe that players at the pro level can point their activities to achieve different goals. But the coaches must tell them what they want. I am sure that they do of they would not be coaches. Players have to know where they fit in. Sometimes though, I think the players do not know just what they need to do to get more playing time. Maybe that is not made clear.

What about starting Darko and bringing Sheed off the bench? sheed would still get his minutes (30+) and darko his (10 ish). Right off the bat you get shot blocking. Darko gets consistency. He might be getting more PT but its inconsistent PT. The second unit gets a grade A defensive and scoring presence. Plus if Darko only plays the first 5 minutes you don't take away from the original starting 5 too much.

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