Ok folks this regular season is almost over. The Pistons have the second seed just about locked up. We have a coach who seems clueless at times, and a bench that is very inconsistent.

Afflalo and Amir are two promising young players who at times have shown flashes of brilliance and great promise for the future. Their development will ensure Piston winning basketball going forward.

However, some seem to think that AA and AJ will somehow play a determining factor in Detroit going deep into the playoffs, perhaps winning it all.

I believe AA, AJ, J-Max and Stuckey are the future of the franchise and will help this year and in the future, but to say our post season hopes are dependant on the playing time of a rookie and a raw 22 year old is a stretch.

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"I haven`t really seen anyone defend KG, but Sheed". Chauncey Billups discussing Sheed`s underated defense, in his opinion.

I don't know what it will do to have them in there, but I do know all too well what happened in the last two post seasons without them...

I don't think the Pistons can get by the Celtics even IF they did have a coach who wasn't clueless.

So I think having them in there helps somewhat, but it won't be enough anyhow.

Off hand I would say no. Going back to Dumars original vision for this season. It was to develop a bench so the starters can be fresh for the post-season. So when the post season starts guess what? The starters are going to play more mins and whoever is the top 3 or 4 reserve guys at the last game of the season will spot them. At least thats the way I interperated it. They can help but the Pistons fate rests on the starters.

Onto the guys. In the future I see Afflalo as nothing more than another Eric Snow type of player. Solid D but offensivly challenged at times. He will be a solid bench addition to any contending team and can double as a starter on teams who are guard challenged.

Amir I see great things for but at 6'9" he is not our answer at the Center spot. His future job on this team is going to be McDyess's starting PF spot. Right now is Amir better than Dyess? Is he going to help up more than McDyess right now?

I don't think that AJ and AA specifically will be the difference. But I think that the bench as a whole will, but more indirectly than directly.

I think they'll provide (and have provided) energy off the bench, but more importantly, REST for the starters. I think THAT will make the difference.

I really believe that this last month of the season will play a huge role in our playoff chances.

I think Afflalo and Amir are both top 5 defenders on the current Pistons team and defense wins championships. Maybe they won't be effective against starters in the playoffs because of their inexperience on offense, but they will be huge against the other team's benches.

#1= Sheed (he can shut down the best bigs- Howard, Duncan, etc).
#2= Afflalo (he's Bowen-light, but doesn't get the respect from the refs)
#3= Tayshaun (can bother the very best players in the league)
#4= Amir (best help defender on the team now than Ben is gone)
#5= Billups/Hamilton/Dyess (these guys are all good at certain things)
#8= Herrmann/ Ratliff/ Lindsey

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Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter.

i said it won't make a difference. our playoff success still depends on our starters, with the bench providing energy and enough of a breather for the starters. remember increased playoff minutes are also partially offset with no back-to-backs and longer tv timeouts. when chauncey is rested he shoots at a much higher % (as seen this year with the best % numbers of his career) and makes better decisions.

Exactly. We have more than enough proof that the starters aren't anywhere near good enough to win a championship, and the increased playing time for Johnson and the others is all we've got to hang our hopes on.

These two claims don't really mesh. Chauncey's offensive game is usually considerably worse in the playoffs than the regular season.

perfectly stated

I like AA a lot, but Amir often looks a little unexperienced (collects fouls quickly, etc.), so it is good to have Ratliff ready to jump in, if necessary...however 3 spot looks most criticall to me; if Tay plays 40 min every game and becomes tired, I don't like Pistons chances to come out of ECF.
Hayes can not be a factor in playoffs for numerous reasons, already mentioned many times on this forum, so not giving Herrmann a chance seems the ugliest Flips sinn to me - since I know WH game (and attitude!) from inside and outside NBA quite good.