i am going to hope for the same thing i hope for every year...that some guy off the bench will lift this team 1 game in 1 series when we need it. Maxiell did some damage one games and then really wasn't seen again. I'd like to see AJ get in there but honestly, i'll expect to see Ratliff.

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I don't like the options really. They don't "Guarantee" us a long playoff run. And they aren't our make or break guys. But, I do think the Pistons are a better team with them getting on the floor for that change of pace. They can be difference makers.

It matters not if Afflalo is inexperienced, what his faults are, etc. It matters whether he is the best we have. He is. Compared to the streak shooting, no defense playing (not capable though he tries), Dixon, Afflalo is far and away the better player. But Dixon will get the minutes to backup Rip. Worse yet, he will get minutes to backup Billups, despite having never been used as a point guard until this year, and being totally inept at it.

Dixon will play just because he is a vet. It does matter how bad he is. Flip does not care, and has already decided that Dixon gets to lose us games in the payoffs.

Of course, then you have Hunter. Worst shooter in the history of the NBA playoffs. Not capable of playing any kind of regular minutes. With backups like Hunter and Dixon, you know Rip and Billups are slated to play 44 minutes plus per game. They will have no in-game rest, and be at a major disadvantage each 4th quarter.

Of course, with Tay playing 48 minutes, expect zilch from him in 4th quarters.

Then you have Amir and JMAX not playing, the two guys who can help stop the other team from waltzing down the middle all game long, since they are very active defenders who can get over and stop someone. So we have three old slow guys. Expect the other team to go inside on us every time pretty much. This will be one very ugly series where Detroit does not even compete.

I think Amir could have been a factor this season the way that Tay sparked the team his rookie year during the playoffs. Both he and Afflalo have not gotton the minutes necessary to go out and be effective during the playoffs.

Play them, fool, it couldn't be worse. ( I say Flip )
The last two post seasons they played had made me sicked.

That's far more important than who comes off the bench. Remember who the MVP of the Finals was against the Lakers? If CB can produce at the level he needs to reach--which he didn't do in the playoff losses the last two years--then the Pistons will be in good shape in the playoffs. If not, they won't.

As for AA and Amir, I'd like them to play when they can, but I also think there's a pretty clear difference between the two vets who have come in and cut back on their minutes so far. Dixon is pretty bad and probably shouldn't be taking anyone else's minutes, but Ratliff has done a really nice job. Against the Spurs, Ratliff produced more off the bench by himself in 13 minutes than the entire Pistons bench combined produced in the most recent loss at Boston! So while I understand the frustration when a non-producer like Dixon comes in and takes minutes away from a young guy who's shown some signs of being a decent contributor, it also seems to me that everyone's 3-year-long crush on Amir (and don't get me wrong, I really like him too) is resulting in some too-quick dismissal of what Ratliff is doing.

And just to tie the AJ/AA thing together with what I said about CB: since I believe that CB's productivity level in the playoffs will be the most important thing from the starters, I'd argue that Stuckey's ability to contribute is clearly more important than whatever minutes AA or AJ might get. So while we're gnashing and wailing about Flip not getting enough minutes for the young players, let's not forget that Stuckey really has gotten the minutes he needs to develop, and that CB's MPG this season has been a full two minutes less than in any of the last 4 years. Not that I'm saying Stuckey is guaranteed to light it up in the playoffs--I'm still concerned that he might end up being in over his head--but if he doesn't get it done, I don't see how anyone will be able to blame Flip for not having played him enough in the regular season.

Sure. I remember that it should have been Ben Wallace. But I also remember Billups taking advantage of Gary Payton's slowness and Shaq's refusal to play defense. Good series for him. One of very, very few. Overall, Billups has not shown himself to be a reliable playoff performer.

I don't have any problem with Theo Ratliff playing. Matter of fact, I'd prefer him to McDyess in most situations.

As for Stuckey, if Flip actually does play him in the playoffs, I strongly suspect he'll quickly put up a few duds like Beno Udrih in the '05 Finals and get sent to the bench for the remainer of our season.

Pistons' Hunter ready to emerge from hibernation

OK, forget AA and AJ. Lindsey is going to save the day!

He is such a valuable part of the team that we couldn't risk losing him to injury during the regular season. But now the time is right. He's been running and staying in shape! (flash to training montage). He's our X factor. Our defensive stopper.

I know what you're thinking. You're probably saying, but he was our worst player in the playoffs last year. His production was 2.6 and the man that he was defending had 19.6, the worst differential of any player in the playoffs. The team was outscored 211 to 251 with him on the floor! Why will this year be different? Lee is probably thinking, "how many times do I have to point out that he has the worst fg% in playoff history?"
Detroit Pistons NBA stats and data from 82games.com

What you guys are failing to appreciate is that this year will be different because Lindsey is so well rested compared to last year. The 141 minutes of playing time this season has barely worn him out at all. Last year, Flip inexplicably overextended LH for 745 minutes (what was he thinking?). Also, Lindsey has been jogging 5 miles per day lately, so he's going to be in really good shape.

I'm not expecting anyone else to be with me, but I'm really excited by this development.

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"Will was rolling, wasn't he? I roll with the guy that's hot." MC

But to be fair, we're talking about a different sort of role for Lindsey this time. If he plays 10-15 minutes as the primary backup ball-handler, then yes, it's very bad news, as those numbers show. His offensive production in that role is just terrible.

On the other hand, with someone else (Stuckey) filling that role, bringing Lindsey in for a few minutes here and there with CB is potentially a different story. It's basically a question of whether you want Lindsey or AA to play those minutes.

Would it maybe have been worth trying this strategy out earlier in the season to see if it worked?

11 steals, 7 turnovers, and 22 fouls with 29% shooting so far. Is there really a role for this kind of player?

Last year in the Playoffs, Lindsey had 6 steals and 22 fouls to go along with 23 points. 1 point scored for every foul delivered? He's a gambler on defense and it doesn't pay off.

I'm 90% sure that Affalo can fill this role better.