Sheed is a premier defender down low. Again, that was on display. We have to make sure he has help__whether it is Davis, Nazr or through a trade. Dyss is a jump shooter on offense and on defense he doesn't have enough movement or presence to fill that principle counter to Sheed.

It was a nice win. A Piston win. We are at least starting to run some plays but not as consistently as we should. The defense is still questionable much of the time. We were late adjusting to Yao.

But it looked a lot more like Piston baskeball. Good to see Murray getting that third pass in the set. I knew his shot would go in then as that seems to be his game.

They've been a lot better since halftime against the Hornets. The first half of that game was awful, but the second half was night and day by comparison. Then there was a bad second quarter against the Wiz, but they were good throughout the rest of that game. And last night, the Pistons went down big in the first few minutes of the second quarter, but they came back strong to cut it to 2 at halftime, leading into a solid third quarter and a dominant fourth. Whatever Flip told them at halftime of the Hornets game seems to have had an effect.

On the few ocassions that Flip has called a play for Delfino, he calls Rip's play for him, coming off of a curl for a catch and shoot. Even though Carlos has converted on this play zero times Flip would rather call this for him than to give him the ball and call pick and roll. It is not like we have so many playmakers that we couldn't use Delfino's skills.

Exactly; Flip is a weapon, not a point guard. Good coaching puts a player in a position to do what he does best.

Sheed was a-maz-ing at the end of this game. Let's hope he continues to play like that. They say he doesn't like to be the go to guy, but maybe Rip and Tayshaun's play will let him hide just enough so he doesn't feel like that guy.

TerryT,

I agree. A good coach gets their guys in the right position. This has not happened often enough in Flip's reign yet.

Crastinator,

That is a good idea (Sheed in Tay and Rip's shadow on offense) but will the coach understand it. If Sheed is the main defender down low (in the absence of Ben), then it is probably not realistic to expect him to be the go-to guy on offense.

Let Rip and Tay be the main scorers. Sheed off of Tay the other night was pure magic. Sheed produces best when he is not the main offensive threat. Then, you look up and he has 20 points anyway but in a different and more deadly context.

I keep waiting for the coach to figure out we need passes and plays to be a good offense. We do not have one on one players for the most part. The great playbook amounts to guys going one on one with whoever is hot.