Great minds..

I am not blaming a poor effort on the coach. What I am saying is, when Amir makes a mistake, you can call it a rookie mistake, veteran mistake, or just plain mistake, he knows it will result in a rebuke, yanking and/or less PT in the future.

As others have noted, why can`t he play through these mistakes which will increase his confidence, perhaps, resulting in more focused productive play.

That seems to be the least Flip could do for a youngster that is supposed to be a serious contributor to this orginization in the future.

Stuckey will surely benefit from playing through his miscues, I don`t understand why AJ can`t get the same treatment.

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"We are going to be really good offensively and definsively, we are going to be a team that can beat you 120-110, or beat you 80-70" Coach Michael Curry on the 2008-2009 Pistons.

I'm not sure they are rookie mistakes if Dyess and Sheed are also making them. All of our defenders were getting burned yesterday. I think Haywood dunking on Stuckey is a good indicator that things were just whack. Playing defense with 70% commitment can lead to some really easy buckets for a good offensive team like Washington.

Looking on the bright side, we had a much better day than Dallas did.

I don't think Amir got pulled because of mistakes. I just think Saunders only had him penciled in for 6 minutes. Adding Ratliff certainly hasn't helped Amir's playing time. Whether Theo can help in the playoffs, that remains to be seen.

I disagree.

If AJ would have pulled down a few boards, played excellent D, IMO he would have played more. He did have that one steal and converted on it, other than that he didn`t do much.

After reading through these posts I feel like ripping up my tickets for tonight and picketing the Palace.

amir got a good 6 minutes in before he was pulled, and i don't think it was because of making a mistake. he actually didn't look bad out there - sure he got owned with a putback because he didn't box out (he'll have to make a conscious effort like maxiell did to improve this part of his game), but he hung in there for that steal and also followed his own shot when he knew it was going to miss (how often do you see a piston do that??).

it seems like some of you have a problem with stuckey's game, but i think he'll be adequate for the playoffs. he's actually started hitting the jumper lately when he's been open, which is encouraging because teams have always left him open and before he couldn't hit them. yes it will take time for opponents to respect his shot just as it will take time for him to become more consistent, and when he does he'll be extremely dangerous. for now he does well enough backing up chauncey and he's looked better going to the basket and drawing fouls.

washington can beat us in the regular season when we play games like this, lazy defense and trying to win on talent alone. but come playoff time i couldn't see them taking a game, or any more than 1.

Why?


This is one of the best regular season teams in the league.

Its during the playoffs that they fall short of their goal and the fans goal in disappointing fashion.
I for one am tired of seeing the same old patterns that leads to the same old results, losing to a team that shouldn't beat them in the playoffs. Year. After year. After year.

And what prize does this get the Pistons over a lottery team?

Amir is completely dependant on offensive rebounds (or steals) to put up offensive numbers. He is a designated pick setter on offense. When the other team boxes out or when they pay attention to him, it will make it really hard for him to get involved. It was interesting to see him in there with our starters and Washington's starters. He didn't look as effective, but I'd like to see a little more before coming to a conclusion.

Unfortunately he does not get the immediate opportunity (second half) to make the adjustment and get the taste out of his mouth.

He gets to go home and dwell on it until the next game (maybe) and put the added pressure on himself to play PERFECT basketball to keep getting minutes.