October 16th
6:00pm @ the Palace
TV: FSN Detroit --
Radio: WDFN-AM 1130
ESPN Gamecast (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/gamecast?gameId=251016008)

Injuries

Timberwolves:
Jaric, ankle... day to day
Garnett, knee day to day
Wally Sczcerbiak

Pistons:
Hunter Ankle surgery.... indefinate

Probable Starters

Timberwolves:
C- Michael Olowokandi
PF- Niloz Tskitishvili
SG- McCants
SF- Trenton Hassell
PG- Troy Hudson

Pistons:
C- Ben Wallace
PF- Rasheed Wallace
SF- Tayshaun Prince
SG- Rip Hamilton
PG- Chauncey Billups

Wally & KG sat out the last game against the Pacers
Flip commented that the Wolves probably know our plays better than we do... no surprises here.
Tayshaun should have a good game going against 6' 4" McCants or 6' 5" Hassell
Skita is starting to come on in his 4th year (Darko path?)
Dupree will see extended PT after siting out the last game

Comments on this game?

Detroit 91, Minnesota 80

LanierFan Recap (http://www.pistonsforum.com/showthread.php?t=368#post6112)
Post #26 of this thread

ESPN Play-by-Play (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=251016008&period=1)
ESPN BoxScore (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=251016008)

ESPN Recap (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251016008)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Rasheed Wallace scored 15 points to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 91-80 in a preseason game Sunday night.
http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/MIRW10110162341.jpg

Minnesota Timberwolves' Lionel Chalmers, left, drives against Detroit Pistons' Darko Milicic during the first half of a preseason game at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Rob Widdis)

I really can't see the Pistons losing it. I think the MINNY GUYS will want to play harder against FLIP than any other preseason team, but it won't be enough.

I would like to see more of the rookies and youngins in this game. I want to see 15+ minutes o JMAX and more of Acker. Amir I figure (has great potential) but will spend the year in Fayetteville.

I want to see Delfino playing all out. I want to see Darko post up Olowakandi. I have last season's preseason game vs Minny on DVD and I just re-watched it a couple weeks back, both Delfino and Darko looked pretty good in that one. I want to see Darko against a BIG CENTER. I want to see JMAX try to shoot over bigger guys and see how he does. I want to see Acker do more than just bring the ball upcourt a few times. I want to see him out there at least 10 minutes. I want to see Mo Evans (he's getting alot of hype) actually hit a JUMPSHOT (other than a random 3). Evans is a great athlete but his mid-range jumper hasn't been very good yet.

I expect Flip to have a little more desire to WIN this game because it was HIS FORMER TEAM.

Detroit will get a test as far as defending quicker PG's. Troy Hudson is lightning quick and can penetrate at will.

Will KG play? He is listed as DAY-2-DAY and I don't expect him to play. Wallyworld sat out the last game as well.

I expect to see a very good and competitive game with alot of transition scoring.

With KG out they don't have a chance especially since they're coming to the palace.
I was hoping for a harder challenge than our last 2 games. At least we face them again in Minnesota and Garnett might not be injured that time.

i'll be attending the games tuesday and thursday so i'll report my findings after i get home. tonight will be the first time in our new seats for the year which are much closer to the center, so i'm excited :)

i'll be attending the games tuesday and thursday so i'll report my findings after i get home. tonight will be the first time in our new seats for the year which are much closer to the center, so i'm excited :)

Do you have season tickets too?

With KG out they don't have a chance especially since they're coming to the palace.
I was hoping for a harder challenge than our last 2 games. At least we face them again in Minnesota and Garnett might not be injured that time.

It's possible KG might play... a recent article said he was expected to play against the Pacers... they're prolly just being cautious.

I'm with you on this... much rather see a challanging game in the Preseason... We do have another game against Minny before the season starts.

We'll be showcasing our guys for the big KG trade:P (let it go Merc)

It's possible KG might play... a recent article said he was expected to play against the Pacers... they're prolly just being cautious.

I'm with you on this... much rather see a challanging game in the Preseason... We do have another game against Minny before the season starts.

We'll be showcasing our guys for the big KG trade:P (let it go Merc)

I really do want KG to play. I want this to be a tougher came than the last 2 so we can see if our bench is as good as we think.

yup 20-game plan A in section 111. do you have a package?

Alright, give us some love guys! Zoso is telling me on MSN that Dupree and Delfino are all over the place, kicking butt and taking names.

UPDATES PLEASE!

yes an update would be great. audio league pass is not working for some reason.

the starters have played most of the third quarter. more important than the score, the extended preseason PT seems to be helping them find an offensive groove.

Rip to Ben alley-oop has been working well. WallaceX2 has 23 pts 11 rebs combined.

67-59 to start the 4th.

2nd unit is starting the quarter.

Dupree and Delfino have shown lots of energy. Delfino is driving to the basket with confidence and results. Dupree has shown energy finding easy buckets and had a nice turn-around J.

I like how Flip isn't trying to play ALL of the guys in every game. The rookies sat out one game. Dupree sat out an entire game. It looks like Evans has tonight off. You need extended minutes to take a good look at a guy.

Darko has 9 blocks in 3 preseason games...

Darko's attacked the rim twice and he's shot at least 9 FT's tonight. gotta love that aggression!

Darko's attacked the rim twice and he's shot at least 9 FT's tonight. gotta love that aggression!

for dunks, i mean.

Dupree and Delfino have shown lots of energy. Delfino is driving to the basket with confidence and results. Dupree has shown energy finding easy buckets and had a nice turn-around J.

Fighting for playing time clearly.

5 min left

Darko's 5th block followed by a Dupree dunk! Dupree's got at least 10

the bench is playing with much more energy and excitement than the last two seasons. i don't know if they are loose because LB isnt' there anymore, but guys are just making plays.

Delfino is making awesome dribble penetration to the basket.

Darko's got a new lease on life.

Dupree is making the SF battle an even tougher decision.

Dice is finding is jump shot groove.

unfortunately, Arroyo has been playing mediocre. maybe it's because the other reserves are playing so well, i'm not sure. but with our depth at SF and our backup PG playing so-so, it makes me wonder if Arroyo's expendable in JoeD's mind.

DARKO with 6 blocks!!!!

a vicious block on a dunk attempt

10 of 12 from the stripe, too. Maybe he could give Ben some pointers. Nice to see Darko playing well. His confidence has to be building with each swat.

Ben was used slicing to the hoop. He is actually an offensive force used this way creating havoc for their defense. Sheed was used beautifully today, just beautifully. Defino needs to have the ball in his hands (I was wrong about this guy and will gladly eat crow). Rip is deliberately not scoring. Interesting, I believe Flip is proving to the starters that they can be an offensive force even without Rip.

Joe pulled no punches calling last year's offense "stagnant." He said that we need to open it up and used the term "offensive philosophy" in an underhand reference to Larry. He said that we need to "put pressure" on people. I think we now know what went on in those talks after the playoffs.

FINAL: Detroit 91, Minnesota 80.

First off, Minnesota is Kevin Garnett and a bunch of chuckers. When he was in (guess about 20 minutes), they had an inside presence and a force on the boards. Otherwise, nothing. Trenton Hassell shot well and McCants could repeat Ben Gordon's feat last year, but the rest of the team really doesn't like going into the lane. Heck Richie Frahm played like one of their toughest guys.

This turned out to be good, because the game was more of a struggle than the score indicates.

The Piston starters started slow, seeming to fight Flip's offensive and defensive schemes more in this game than in the first couple ... lots of missed defensive assignments and some half-hearted matchup zones from the looks of it, and Minnesota applied backcourt pressure with some success. It was 10-6 Wolves at the first TO and the Pistons were down as much as 10, but Sheed really came on hard (fired up by, you guessed it, a dramatic technical foul after being called for an illegal screen on ... well, nobody) and sparked the team to a closing 9-0 run at the end of the first while Garnett sat on the bench resting his knee.

Prince, who again missed some makeables, came out for Delfino, who actually made a couple of nice defensive plays (a steal and deflection) to get the break started. Dupree came in as well and played like a house afire ... fighting for his own offensive boards, dunking, even popping the J. Then Delfino scored on a spectacular double-clutching scoop from that big paw of his as the quarter ended, and the Pistons had stolen the lead in a subpar quarter, 25 to 23.

Dupree (4 out of 5, 8 pts by halftime) and Delfino continued to star in the second with Arroyo, Dice and Darko rounding out the mix. Delfino was super aggressive, driving hard to the hoop and picking up fouls. He's good in this offense because he likes to drive the middle of the lane, which opens up space on the wings. Dice was better integrated in the offense this game, popping jumpers off a couple of nice flairs with Arroyo, who seems to have his best chemistry with Antonio. Carlos cito shot well in the quarter but again insisted on making some easy passes into the extra crispy variety, too hot to handle for anyone but the first row patrons. Still the overall defense was pretty good for the unit.

Darko was the poorest player in the second, looking disinterested and losing some rebounds out of play. He lofted two really bad looking jumpers that would have put him on Devil's Island under Larry. A highlight was a brief chance to defend Garnett, and he did pretty well. On the first exchange KG got to the middle and banked in a six footer under good pressure from Darko; on the second, Darko poked the ball away from KG when he held it overhead on the left wing, breaking the play up and forcing a later jumper that missed. Darko's only real highlights came when he blocked Eddie Griffin's deep jumper on a great closeout, plus a couple more blocks against Madsen and some other stiff that forced a 24-sec violation.

Both teams were in the low 40s just before the half, when I gave in to my wife and went to dinner. (The rogon josh was very good.)

In the third, Detroit pulled ahead to a 67-59 lead. Chauncey really played pretty blah, jacking up some ill advised long shots before the team had gotten set. Rip Hamilton continued to carry out his game-long mission of making every pass an alley-oop to Ben, no matter how many guys Ben had to jump over even to touch the ball. It worked two or three times, giving Ben a pretty good offensive game when added to a nice mid-lane jumper and a very nice fallaway earlier in the first.

Anyway, the Pistons had more interest in rebounding and defense than the Wolves, leading to a 16-5 run or so marked by some effective full court pressure.

The fourth quarter was ... THE DARKO SHOW! Maybe somebody lit into him about his crappy play earlier, or maybe they simply decided to emphasize the low block more, but Darko scored all 10 of his points in the fourth and I think they all came on free throws. He started taking the ball to the hole, spinning way faster than Eddie Griffin was prepared to move without a personal firearm, and also grabbing some offensive boards with considerable zest. Soon the T-Wolves were in the penalty and Darko kept marching to the line, where I believe he was 10 of 11 or 12. Meanwhile he was swatting shots -- another from Eddie Griffin (who returned the favor later), and yet another in a very heady sequence where he put a block and a steal back to back. His line for the evening: 10 points, 6 rebounds, five blocks.

Meanwhile Delfino was seriously balling ... a spin move for a layup, a feather-light bounce for a Dice basket. Dupree was still bouncing around like a pogo stick on speed, and Arroyo took advantage of his defenders with regularity. Minnesota, in contrast, just kept taking longer and longer jumpers while falling further and further behind.

Eventually, with 2:45 left, four new Human Victory Cigars were lit in the form of Maxiell, Acker, Johnson and Glynidiakis. Maxiell scored on his first shot, a Dice-like wing jumper and added a free throw. AJ and Glyni both got rebounds. (Andreas really isn't that bad a mover, though it looks awful. He plays with some aggression and seems to get frustrated with himself, sort of like Memo did.)

Near the visitors bench, Kevin McHale shuffled around with his weird shoulders and thickened body, looking strangely like Andre the Giant in an Old Navy cable knit pullover. He appeared wan and tired, probably because his team is even more of a soft-centered donut than they were last year. McCants looks awfully quick and dangerous anywhere on the court, but this team really needs inside players in the worst way. Which is the kind they currently have.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/photos?photoId=897003&gameId=251016008

great summary, LanierFan!

Great summary of the game! I feel like I watched it now.

DARKO with 6 blocks!!!!

a vicious block on a dunk attempt

Yeah, Darko really went up aggressively when Bracey Wright saw an open lane and went for the posterizer. He didn't get a lot of it, but he sure jousted after it hard.

The most productive players in this game overall were Sheed, Delfino and Dupree. Looks like the bench could be a real strength this year because it's so deep. We'll probably give Davis only spot duty, but Minnie could use him as a starter.

Great summary of the game! I feel like I watched it now.
I think LanierFan missed his calling! :)

Nah, I already write for money but it's in advertising. Better pay, easier hours.

Near the visitors bench, Kevin McHale shuffled around with his weird shoulders and thickened body, looking strangely like Andre the Giant in an Old Navy cable knit pullover.

ROFLMAO

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

another good shot http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/photos?photoId=896997&gameId=251016008

just got back from the game, nothing really to add to lanierfan's excellent report. delfino, dupree, and sheed looked spectacular, and so did darko in the 4th. he altered a lot of shots that he didn't block. he still has trouble hanging on to rebounds but no biggie. it was good to see him aggressive even with 3 fouls carried over from the 2nd quarter and not pick up any more on this way to 6 blocks.

nothing more to add. :)

I watched the game and you called it right. Delfino who looked kind of out of it in the last game, but really showed me something tonight and if he can keep this up, he is definitely a keeper. His overall ball handling and ability to drive to the basket without fear is one dimension we definitely need this year. :thumb:

As far Dupree goes he impressed me too, but he still has limitations of "just around the basket offense" with either a dunk or high percentage layup. He did hit one outside jumper and fought for a couple of boards so I will give him some props and maybe Flip and Joe will keep him on the roster. :rockon:

Nice job LanierFan. The recap is appreciated by many.

Looks like Darko is shaping up to be an important part of the bench. I like that he is playing with passion on defense. It's the way to establish a "Piston" identity.

First a quick question. Sheed sounds offly dangerous this year which is good, but where is he getting his points? Off the block hard or is he still doing his little post fadeaway? Also, the way delfino and dupree are producing, I see Joe putting Acker on the DLeaugue for awhile and rotating in Delfino as the extra PG when necesary. The dude can carry the rock about as good as anyone, and having a driving point would be a very welcomed addition. Anyone agree?

the bench is playing with much more energy and excitement than the last two seasons. i don't know if they are loose because LB isnt' there anymore, but guys are just making plays.

Delfino is making awesome dribble penetration to the basket.

Darko's got a new lease on life.

Dupree is making the SF battle an even tougher decision.

Dice is finding is jump shot groove.

unfortunately, Arroyo has been playing mediocre. maybe it's because the other reserves are playing so well, i'm not sure. but with our depth at SF and our backup PG playing so-so, it makes me wonder if Arroyo's expendable in JoeD's mind.

Let me first say that I din't get to see the game. I don't know what your expectations of CA, but according to the boxscore he made 8 pts (2-5, 4-4), 4 assists and 2 TO in 21 min. I don't know about you but this aren't bad numbers for a reserve, specially one that is suposse to pass the ball and not been one of the primary Offensive options. I want to know from you guys how many of his passes were indeed converted into points. I bet some of those Dice's J came from pases made by Arroyo. How many times he left his defender watching the back of his shirt and went to the inside the defensive area.

Seems to me that many of you guys just have your notebook open to pinpoint every meaningless "mistake" CA does, but how about this: after the last game a lot of you were saying he only scored and didn't pass. Now he put the same number of points PLUS 4 assists and he played "mediocre". What are you guys expecting 24 pts 7 assists and 4 rebs, like he did against Team USA in the Olympics? If he was asked to score, I don't doubt he could put some numbers. Keep in mind, though, that in this team he's not one of the primary scoring options and he still put some decent numbers. OK, enough for now. I'm sure you guys will have something to say, but I'll wait to read that in the morning. Good nite.

Another round of kudos, LanierFan. I am lucky to live in mid-Michiggan where I can get everygame, at least before we leave for the winter. I like that you are very even and fair in your info.

The more I see the second unit as a separate unit, the more I feel that they can make a huge impact this year and will be able to be trusted in the playoffs, as well.

I like using a second unit because you can completely change the look of the team, rather than substituting one player at a time. The second unit can. and seems to be well into, creating a chemistry of their own.

They have been more than holding their own when they are in there. I think Dupree should be kept rather than keeping all of the three rookies. They could possibly rotate down to the insturctional team. I would muich rather be playing a rotation of 12 or so rather than everybody. You know the starters would not want to play only 25 minutes a game and should not be limited because they need enough to keep themselves really sharp.

I wonder how Darko felt tonight not playing garbage time. From his tone now, I think he would not feel it so much an insult now as he is getting time in the more important times of the game as well.

Delfino, Arroyo, Dupree, Darko and of course, Dyce, played so well tonight that I did not even miss Evans. They are all going to contribute this year, big time, especially if kept as a unit.

I wonder if, because we have so many players contributing, whether if it keeps up, if Flip will do some of this giving a player a night off once in a while rather than shortening everyone's minutes each game.

Let me first say that I din't get to see the game.

Seems to me that many of you guys just have your notebook open to pinpoint every meaningless "mistake" CA does...

Unfortunately, I didn't see the game either. But I do read the recaps and it seems to me that they are usually pretty consistent regardless of who writes them.

I don't know of anyone in here who wants Arroyo to fail or why they would choose to judge him harder than they judge others. I think most people here want him to succeed because he is our best option to back up Billups at pg and they would be very happy to report his successes. But if people both within the forum and from the outside are reporting consistently that he is struggling in some areas or experiencing difficulties, I would take a look at what they are reporting rather than assuming they are looking for negative things.

I like Arroyo too and I'm disappointed that he isn't receiving some of the positive reports the other players are receiving. But it's not the messengers fault. I believe they are reporting what they see and neither looking for negatives nor ignoring them.

Let me first say that I din't get to see the game. I don't know what your expectations of CA, but according to the boxscore he made 8 pts (2-5, 4-4), 4 assists and 2 TO in 21 min. I don't know about you but this aren't bad numbers for a reserve, specially one that is suposse to pass the ball and not been one of the primary Offensive options. I want to know from you guys how many of his passes were indeed converted into points. I bet some of those Dice's J came from pases made by Arroyo. How many times he left his defender watching the back of his shirt and went to the inside the defensive area.

Seems to me that many of you guys just have your notebook open to pinpoint every meaningless "mistake" CA does, but how about this: after the last game a lot of you were saying he only scored and didn't pass. Now he put the same number of points PLUS 4 assists and he played "mediocre". What are you guys expecting 24 pts 7 assists and 4 rebs, like he did against Team USA in the Olympics? If he was asked to score, I don't doubt he could put some numbers. Keep in mind, though, that in this team he's not one of the primary scoring options and he still put some decent numbers. OK, enough for now. I'm sure you guys will have something to say, but I'll wait to read that in the morning. Good nite.

ok, it's obvious you have an affinity for Arroyo. let me start off by saying i like him too. want him to succeed here, because i think he's got tons of heart and he's exciting to watch. when he's playing to his potential, he's going to be a HUGE asset off the bench.

that said, he still looks lost out there on offense. he still holds the ball too long, looking for the assist, instead of looking for the pass that leads to the assist. he's still getting beat by his man off the dribble.

it's not that i think Arroyo sucks. i just think he can play better. i think he needs to stop looking to make the spectacular pass and work on moving the ball around.

But it's not the messengers fault. I believe they are reporting what they see and neither looking for negatives nor ignoring them.

exactly. Arroyo's part of this team right now. everyone wants this team to succeed and, of course, that'll depend on Arroyo playing well. he's especially important, IMO, because he's the PG of the 2nd squad. he's going to be the one setting up Delfino, Evans, Dice, and Darko. he's going to be handling the ball and running the plays.

i just don't like it when Arroyo keeps dribbling at the top of the key, sometimes wasting time until there's little left on the shot clock. then he's forced to take a fall away jumper. sure, he's been hitting them the last two games, but he's MUCH more valuable setting the other bench players up than us depending on his scoring.

it's not that i think Arroyo sucks. i just think he can play better. i think he needs to stop looking to make the spectacular pass and work on moving the ball around.

i'm gonna have to throw my hat in the ring and agree with this. i think arroyo doesn't realize that just because he passes the ball early in the shot clock that he'll get it back so he can make a play. with him i see less ball movement, and sometimes it rubs off on the other players (dupree held the ball for like 10 seconds on one possession).

he also still gets beat sometimes on guys driving around him to the basket (happened once today).

on the flipside, he still makes some sweet plays, and runs the pick n' roll with mcdyess to perfection. he's a competent PG but there are still aspects of his game he will have to work on.

as for someone's other comment ... i could actually see flip resting players for entire games (maybe on back-to-backs, especially since we have so many) and giving players more minutes in individual games to develop a rhythm. i mean thinking about today, davis and evans didn't even play yet you didn't even notice their absence. the depth of our lineup may help us win some back-to-backs in our quest for home court advantage.

I think Arroyo has loads of potential, but he does have some areas of his game that still need improvement.

That's to be expected. He is still fairly young and still hasn't found his comfort level on the team.

Playing under LB can really stunt a young guy's growth in the short term. Especially for a PG. It didn't make things any easier coming over mid season like CA did either.

I agree with the recent posters that it isn't a personal attack on CA, just observations from us very picky Piston fans :eyebrows: .

I hope, and believe, that CA will really flourish under Flip this season.

Nobody is picking on Arroyo. He is shooting well and plays a nice two-man game with McDyess. But he has a lot to learn about this system. He makes some simple scoring opportunities into turnovers because he wants to be fancy. And his defense is barely adequate by the standards of this team. Simple facts.

Maybe it seems we're too harsh with Arroyo because we analyze everything Darko does so closely and magnify even the smallest thing as cause for optimism. Well, he's a unique case. Believe me, we'd probably be roasting Lindsey Hunter alive in here if he was playing. :)

FINAL: Detroit 91, Minnesota 80.

First off, Minnesota is Kevin Garnett and a bunch of chuckers. When he was in (guess about 20 minutes), they had an inside presence and a force on the boards. Otherwise, nothing. Trenton Hassell shot well and McCants could repeat Ben Gordon's feat last year, but the rest of the team really doesn't like going into the lane. Heck Richie Frahm played like one of their toughest guys.

This turned out to be good, because the game was more of a struggle than the score indicates.

The Piston starters started slow, seeming to fight Flip's offensive and defensive schemes more in this game than in the first couple ... lots of missed defensive assignments and some half-hearted matchup zones from the looks of it, and Minnesota applied backcourt pressure with some success. It was 10-6 Wolves at the first TO and the Pistons were down as much as 10, but Sheed really came on hard (fired up by, you guessed it, a dramatic technical foul after being called for an illegal screen on ... well, nobody) and sparked the team to a closing 9-0 run at the end of the first while Garnett sat on the bench resting his knee.

Prince, who again missed some makeables, came out for Delfino, who actually made a couple of nice defensive plays (a steal and deflection) to get the break started. Dupree came in as well and played like a house afire ... fighting for his own offensive boards, dunking, even popping the J. Then Delfino scored on a spectacular double-clutching scoop from that big paw of his as the quarter ended, and the Pistons had stolen the lead in a subpar quarter, 25 to 23.

Dupree (4 out of 5, 8 pts by halftime) and Delfino continued to star in the second with Arroyo, Dice and Darko rounding out the mix. Delfino was super aggressive, driving hard to the hoop and picking up fouls. He's good in this offense because he likes to drive the middle of the lane, which opens up space on the wings. Dice was better integrated in the offense this game, popping jumpers off a couple of nice flairs with Arroyo, who seems to have his best chemistry with Antonio. Carlos cito shot well in the quarter but again insisted on making some easy passes into the extra crispy variety, too hot to handle for anyone but the first row patrons. Still the overall defense was pretty good for the unit.

Darko was the poorest player in the second, looking disinterested and losing some rebounds out of play. He lofted two really bad looking jumpers that would have put him on Devil's Island under Larry. A highlight was a brief chance to defend Garnett, and he did pretty well. On the first exchange KG got to the middle and banked in a six footer under good pressure from Darko; on the second, Darko poked the ball away from KG when he held it overhead on the left wing, breaking the play up and forcing a later jumper that missed. Darko's only real highlights came when he blocked Eddie Griffin's deep jumper on a great closeout, plus a couple more blocks against Madsen and some other stiff that forced a 24-sec violation.

Both teams were in the low 40s just before the half, when I gave in to my wife and went to dinner. (The rogon josh was very good.)

In the third, Detroit pulled ahead to a 67-59 lead. Chauncey really played pretty blah, jacking up some ill advised long shots before the team had gotten set. Rip Hamilton continued to carry out his game-long mission of making every pass an alley-oop to Ben, no matter how many guys Ben had to jump over even to touch the ball. It worked two or three times, giving Ben a pretty good offensive game when added to a nice mid-lane jumper and a very nice fallaway earlier in the first.

Anyway, the Pistons had more interest in rebounding and defense than the Wolves, leading to a 16-5 run or so marked by some effective full court pressure.

The fourth quarter was ... THE DARKO SHOW! Maybe somebody lit into him about his crappy play earlier, or maybe they simply decided to emphasize the low block more, but Darko scored all 10 of his points in the fourth and I think they all came on free throws. He started taking the ball to the hole, spinning way faster than Eddie Griffin was prepared to move without a personal firearm, and also grabbing some offensive boards with considerable zest. Soon the T-Wolves were in the penalty and Darko kept marching to the line, where I believe he was 10 of 11 or 12. Meanwhile he was swatting shots -- another from Eddie Griffin (who returned the favor later), and yet another in a very heady sequence where he put a block and a steal back to back. His line for the evening: 10 points, 6 rebounds, five blocks.

Meanwhile Delfino was seriously balling ... a spin move for a layup, a feather-light bounce for a Dice basket. Dupree was still bouncing around like a pogo stick on speed, and Arroyo took advantage of his defenders with regularity. Minnesota, in contrast, just kept taking longer and longer jumpers while falling further and further behind.

Eventually, with 2:45 left, four new Human Victory Cigars were lit in the form of Maxiell, Acker, Johnson and Glynidiakis. Maxiell scored on his first shot, a Dice-like wing jumper and added a free throw. AJ and Glyni both got rebounds. (Andreas really isn't that bad a mover, though it looks awful. He plays with some aggression and seems to get frustrated with himself, sort of like Memo did.)

Near the visitors bench, Kevin McHale shuffled around with his weird shoulders and thickened body, looking strangely like Andre the Giant in an Old Navy cable knit pullover. He appeared wan and tired, probably because his team is even more of a soft-centered donut than they were last year. McCants looks awfully quick and dangerous anywhere on the court, but this team really needs inside players in the worst way. Which is the kind they currently have.

Okay, what gives...dude you are the bomb! You have to have some experience writing somewhere. That play by play was ridiculous and you are just getting better.

You can't see me, but you are getting a standing ovation right now.

GREAT JOB! :thumb:

...okay, I didn't read everything.

Looks like you are a proffesional writer Lanierfan. It shows. :)

Now on to my thoughts about the game...

These initial reports have me very amped for the bench play this season. This will be HUGE for us come playoff time. I think this will also make a difference in the "W" column during the regular season. The Pistons have been pretty lucky regarding the injury bug the past couple of seasons and a revamped, effective bench will leave us prepared with a strong plan B, C and D should we run into health problems. Being a Ron Dupree fan, I'm extremely happy with how he stepped up his game last night when he needed to. Joe has to find a way to keep this guy. What does this guy have to do to make the squad? This is a great problem for the Pistons to have. Go DARKO!

I told y'all, DO NOT COUNT DUPREE OUT!!!!! This dude is a a PIston and deserves to be so. Everytime you count him out and say he can't or won't, HE DOES!!!!! If it's me Acker is bye-bye. We have 2 bonafied PG's, Lindsey and Delfino is more than capable of handling the PG as well as Tayshaun, and don't forget about RUFUS 'Slick Rick the Rula' HENRY.

On Arroyo......I only saw the first half of the game and Arroyo disappointed me. He just holds the ball too long on too many possessions. I wish he would start the offense and not dictate the offense. I do have confidence that this will get worked out because the coaching staff is well aware of this issue, and the kid can play the game, he just needs to learn and execute this system.

This doesn't work in the real life game situation.
So far the other teams, in pre-season, has also played their second string at the same time as we have. I am as excited about the play of the reserves as the next Piston Fan but they yet have been tested against a top 8 line-up of an opponent. Most teams play with a rotatation of ten players unless you are the Pistons of last year where 7 maybe 8 players had significant playing time.

The separate second unit is a concept that has worked in the past, I think. We did it and I am sure others have, as well.

The reason is that all teams have to play players other than their starters, so our second unit would essentially playing against their non-starters, as well. And if they bring some starters back, there is nothing to say we cannot. I think that with Dyce having more experience and the other second unit players improving quite a lot by playing, our second unit would be capable of holding their own even when some of the starters from the other team were in.

That is because I believe that some of our second unit could be starting for other teams. And when our guys play together, the chemistry the develop will make them even tougher.

I think it is worth a shot.

:) hello guys ~~~ nice to be here may i ask a question? If i have the preseason (bt) seed , it must be great. So may i ask fans in usa, do u have seed (i mean the .torrent file) i'll be appriciate u . thanks

If you are looking for torrents, I suggest you use a torrent search engine.

We don't distribute torrents here. Sorry.

Seems to me that many of you guys just have your notebook open to pinpoint every meaningless "mistake" CA does, but how about this: after the last game a lot of you were saying he only scored and didn't pass. Now he put the same number of points PLUS 4 assists and he played "mediocre".

Please don't think I'm picking on him, but he has not played consistently. He CAN handle the ball. He CAN score. He CAN pass. He just doesn't look to me like he follows the playbook and/or directs the floor, often holding the ball far too long in the possession. He can be fun to watch, but sometimes looks to me like he's unaware of his teammates. Maybe he still suffers from LB's memory. Given more playing time, I'm sure he can improve and contribute to the team.

I hope you get the opportunity to view the coming games.

Great job LanierFan for the objective Recap of the game last night, absolutely loved it. I really like your colorful analogy's, makes me feel as though I was courtside.

You've very welcome. Thanks to everyone for the kind words -- now stop it. All this praise makes me uneasy.

What are torrents, anyway?

Seems to me that many of you guys just have your notebook open to pinpoint every meaningless "mistake" CA does, but how about this: after the last game a lot of you were saying he only scored and didn't pass. Now he put the same number of points PLUS 4 assists and he played "mediocre". What are you guys expecting 24 pts 7 assists and 4 rebs, like he did against Team USA in the Olympics? If he was asked to score, I don't doubt he could put some numbers. Keep in mind, though, that in this team he's not one of the primary scoring options and he still put some decent numbers. OK, enough for now. I'm sure you guys will have something to say, but I'll wait to read that in the morning. Good nite.

relax. you ack like folks are picking on Arroyo. No need to get defensive. Gimme ya address so I can mail you a hug. :eyebrows:

You've very welcome. Thanks to everyone for the kind words -- now stop it. All this praise makes me uneasy.

What are torrents, anyway?

Oh, you know you love the praise. lol

I wanted to ask what "torrents" were too , but I didn't want Roscoe yelling at me for getting off topic again. If I go past my allotment of 3 times per week I hear about it!!!! :bolt:

Bit Torrent is a P2P network for distributing files, media, anything.

"torrents" (file_name.torrent) as they are popularly called are files you download which give you the information necessary to join a peer group and begin downloading.

If members want to swap tapes or something, I recommend they do it via PM or email. There's that nasty "property of the NBA and it's affiliates mess". It's content distribution I would rather not get into here. We're a community, but can't afford to be one that turns a blind eye or allows (which would be interpreted as condoning) anything outside the boundaries.

My problem with torrents is that while they are a great tool for distributing files (like Linux distributions), they have the stigma of being used primarily for illegal use (which is true in 99% of cases).

I feel it is in our best interest to attract as little attention to PF.com from "the fuzz" as possible. With our search engine initiatives, almost everything is going out to the world. Google is slow to recognize us as usual, but MSN and Yahoo like PF.com a lot.

In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "these are not the droids you are looking for".

Bit Torrent is a P2P network for distributing files, media, anything.

"torrents" (file_name.torrent) as they are popularly called are files you download which give you the information necessary to join a peer group and begin downloading.

If members want to swap tapes or something, I recommend they do it via PM or email. There's that nasty "property of the NBA and it's affiliates mess". It's content distribution I would rather not get into here. We're a community, but can't afford to be one that turns a blind eye or allows (which would be interpreted as condoning) anything outside the boundaries.

My problem with torrents is that while they are a great tool for distributing files (like Linux distributions), they have the stigma of being used primarily for illegal use (which is true in 99% of cases).

I feel it is in our best interest to attract as little attention to PF.com from "the fuzz" as possible. With our search engine initiatives, almost everything is going out to the world. Google is slow to recognize us as usual, but MSN and Yahoo like PF.com a lot.

In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "these are not the droids you are looking for".

Uhmmm, ok. Does that answer your question LanierFan, because I still have no idea what a "torrent" is! :doh: (well, I kinda get the gist of it, actually, lol)

:smash: <---- (Darth) the computer illiterate

Uhmmm, ok. Does that answer your question LanierFan, because I still have no idea what a "torrent" is! :doh: (well, I kinda get the gist of it, actually, lol)

Remember that scene in the Three Stooges where somebody says something to Larry, only he's totally zoned out and there are birds twittering in his head?

That's me during the past five minutes.

Nyuk Nyuk... Moe... Larry... Cheese!

Dude add me to the heaping on the props brigade... best part was you weren't affraid to be critical of forum favs (Chauncey & Darko)... real anaylsis is what serves the masses best... not personal favorite agendas.

As for C.A.... I'm gonna take a different perspective... I've been very impresed with his ability to hit the open shot... we already know the kid can di%%%% (see if that passes the cuss checker...lol).

last year Carlos was threading the needle with amazing accuracy... the main concern was ... will he take & make the J?
I don't think he'll over dribble if there's a quick opportunity.

Let's see how the bench does in a hostile environment before we hand over the top bench trophy... these are some very young impressionable kids (minus Dice)... who's gonna hit that open shot when there's 20,000 nasties in their ear?

One thing I like about this system for our bench is all of the movement gives them less time to think ... just react when you get your turn (ie. Darko's coming across the baseline for the open look).

I want to see that nasty pressing game from a couple years ago.... this would be perfect for Darko's mobility and length.

SupaDup!

Let's see how the bench does in a hostile environment before we hand over the top bench trophy... these are some very young impressionable kids (minus Dice)... who's gonna hit that open shot when there's 20,000 nasties in their ear?


Good point. They have yet to play a game on the road. It will be very interesting to see which guys, if any, are affected when the show goes on the road.

Bit Torrent is a P2P network for distributing files, media, anything.

"torrents" (file_name.torrent) as they are popularly called are files you download which give you the information necessary to join a peer group and begin downloading.

If members want to swap tapes or something, I recommend they do it via PM or email. There's that nasty "property of the NBA and it's affiliates mess". It's content distribution I would rather not get into here. We're a community, but can't afford to be one that turns a blind eye or allows (which would be interpreted as condoning) anything outside the boundaries.

My problem with torrents is that while they are a great tool for distributing files (like Linux distributions), they have the stigma of being used primarily for illegal use (which is true in 99% of cases).

I feel it is in our best interest to attract as little attention to PF.com from "the fuzz" as possible. With our search engine initiatives, almost everything is going out to the world. Google is slow to recognize us as usual, but MSN and Yahoo like PF.com a lot.

In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "these are not the droids you are looking for".

Micro's explanation is a good one.

The short version is that it is the underlying framework used for "file sharing" systems like KAZAAA, Napster, etc...

Micro's explanation is a good one.

The short version is that it is the underlying framework used for "file sharing" systems like KAZAAA, Napster, etc...

Well, I knew THAT! Your explanation is a good one too. What I don't know is...What da hell is a torrent??? :confused: You would be better off explaining it to my parakeets. :laugh:

Well, I knew THAT! Your explanation is a good one too. What I don't know is...What da hell is a torrent??? :confused: You would be better off explaining it to my parakeets. :laugh:

lmao! alright...alright...

The torrent tells you things like the site where the file is being hosted, the size of the file, the bit rate, format, etc....