Miami October 8 7:30PM

The Pistons pre-season kicks off with a game at the Palace against the Miami Heat.

TV info will follow.

With Smush Parker in the lineup these guys will be tough to beat.

Our rejects usually come back to whoop us.

Everyone is chomping at the bit. It is still a month and a half until the pre-season begins.

There's just one week left now. Can't hardly wait.
:hoops:

Chat open for this game?

Free tickets were given out for Monday's game vs. Miami. (At the Oakland U. Pistons practice this past Thursday night). I have a few tickets to give away for anyone who might want to come to the game and sit with me. These ended up being row 7 in section 106. Not the greatest seats, but not half bad either. Anyone who wants to go to the game, send me a message. I got four tickets, but the people who were going with me ain't going to make it, so I got three extra tickets now for whoever might want to show up at the game.

Chat open for this game?
Yes. One of the staff or myself will open it for the game, please bump this thread a half hour before hand if it is not open already.

Thanks!

and so it begins...i'll be at this game so expect a report monday night! :)

Anybody know if this game is on NBA TV?

Are we going to have a chat going?

NBA.com: Audio League Pass (http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html)

By the way. NBA audio league pass is free this year.

At the end of 1 Pistons 32- heat 16. Pistons spent most of the quarter at the FT line. Mcdyess was in the starting lineup with the usual suspects.

Redwings are on NHL free pass too Channel 636 on Direct TV and lead 2-1 over the Oilers at the end of 1.

Indians threatening to blow it open in top of the 2nd inning with a 2-0 lead and the bases loaded with no outs. Things are looking good tonight

Hello to all from Italy Miami no Wade no Shake but Pistons 41 23 now and good shoot for Jayes

Hello to all from Italy Miami no Wade no Shake but Pistons 41 23 now and good shoot for Jayes
And no Zo.
;)

And no Zo.
;)Yes...:)

I thought we were scrimmaging Miami, I didn't know we were playing their D-League affiliate.

Who are these guys?

I thought we were scrimmaging Miami, I didn't know we were playing their D-League affiliate.

Who are these guys?


LOL, I only recognize Doleac .did the Shaq and Mo even show up or are they in street clothes??

62-40 haltime lead, no Sammy Meija sighting yet..and Dupree playing as if he wants to stay on the bench all season...

Good practice on free throws tonight.

Hayes has shown he can throw them up with the best of them. Not shy about shooting

:hoops:

Good practice on free throws tonight.

Hayes has shown he can throw them up with the best of them. Not shy about shooting

:hoops:

And that will continue when it counts.

He just may be the Pistons MVP this year!

I promise I won`t say I told you so!!

Easy match tonight but good news for Stuckey Afflalo and conferm for Maxiell ..many t.o.?

And that will continue when it counts.

He just may be the Pistons MVP this year!

I promise I won`t say I told you so!!

He said he can throw them up, not that he makes them :)

He said he can throw them up, not that he makes them :)

I will say right now that he will be the Pistons best 3 pt shooter and maybe in the top 5 in the league.

Slaughter looked pretty good tonight on offense. He is a San Diego St grad who played last year in Turkey.

He could get some serious minutes with the Heat this year.

:hoops:

Slaughter looked pretty good tonight on offense. He is a San Diego St grad who played last year in Turkey.

He could get some serious minutes with the Heat this year.

:hoops:
Ugh. He sure used to slaughter us every time SDSU came a-calling to BYU. It would still be cool to see him do well in the NBA, though.

Would have been nice to see this Piston victory on the tube, but with the Heat not showing their hand yet, this W was at best a show case to see which of our new guys were ready to contribute now. Stuckey looked good out there but the question is, is he playing the 1 or 2? He led the team in scoring but no assits in 19 min of play. Blaha and Mahorn said his penetration skills were good, which is a plus and he can knock down the FT when needed. (another plus). The other new guys Aflollo and Hayes looked (sounded good) and JMAX showed off what he was doing in the summer league with a double/double.

All the starters looked good. Tay and Sheed didn't get to the free throw line in their limited minutes. I am hoping that they play little more agressive around the hoop this season and average about 5+ trips to the line.

Will wait for Lee's official live in person Leecap..

At this point Hot Rod is more of a #2 with passing skills than he is a #1 with scoring skills.

He lost at least a couple of assists one on which the basket was made but he was called for charging prior to the pass and another on a JMax put back of a Nazr missed layup.

Nazr looked terrible on both offense and defense. Joe D. has to find a way to move him. Maybe we can send him to Turkey or someplace in Europe if no one in the NBA wants him.

:hoops:

I will say right now that he will be the Pistons best 3 pt shooter and maybe in the top 5 in the league.

What makes you say that? He has been in the league for 4 years and has never shot above 36.2% from 3-point range. And that's with consistent minutes. He has never played below 20mpg for a season before, which will surely go down in Detroit.

I'm just hoping he shoots at least 40% from the field overall and plays solid defense.

I thought we were scrimmaging Miami, I didn't know we were playing their D-League affiliate.

Who are these guys?

LOL, couldn't have said it any better!

I thought we were scrimmaging Miami, I didn't know we were playing their D-League affiliate.

Who are these guys?

The Heat is a lottery team. Only a full return by Wade to his pre-injury form will maybe get them into the playoffs.

:hoops:

At this point Hot Rod is more of a #2 with passing skills than he is a #1 with scoring skills.

He lost at least a couple of assists one on which the basket was made but he was called for charging prior to the pass and another on a JMax put back of a Nazr missed layup.

Nazr looked terrible on both offense and defense. Joe D. has to find a way to move him. Maybe we can send him to Turkey or someplace in Europe if no one in the NBA wants him.



How did you see this game? Was it on NBA TV?

How did you see this game? Was it on NBA TV?

When I have seen and listened to as many games basketball games as I have (probably over 7,500 at this point and counting) I can easily translate Blaha's play by play into a visual picture. He makes it pretty easy as all top of line radio play by play guys do.

Chick Hearn was the best play by play announcer and he did thousands of simulcasts, which meant that what you heard on TV is exactly what you heard on the radio, so after a number of years of watching and listening to the Lakers games on TV and radio it became pretty easy to visualize the action listening to him on the radio and that can be carried over to great radio play by play announcers like Blaha.

In addition, I use the box score to fill in some missing links.

The way you will be able to tell if I actually saw a game, is that in games that I have actually watched my comments will be much more detailed.

box score on the link

ESPN.com - NBA - Box Score - Heat at Pistons (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271008008)

:hoops:

I took my daughter and her boyfriend. The 4th seat was taken by one of the posters here. Glad he joined us as it gave me someone to talk to about the game.

Amir Johnson did dress. He did not participate in the pregame drills, but he did shoot the ball some. Good range.

The game was quite a disappointment as Miami was playing scrubs for the most part. Other than seeing some players contrasting vs. each other, you could not really tell that much about how a player would do in a actual NBA game, with 5 decent players playing against them. Still, here is what I saw.

First, the starters. Dyess should not be in that group. Pretty much useless having another outside shooter with the other 4 players already being good outside shots. And he was missing the few shots he took. Very unimpressive.

Tay was on fire, nailing his outside shots and scoring inside too, pretty much at will against this sorry group of opponents.

Billups could have scored all he cared to. Just no defense out there at all against a player with all his skills.

Rip seemed to concentrating on getting inside tonight. I like that. Some think he should stick to midrangers. Not me. He has some height and should be using it.

Sheed gathered the bounds, made a three, and gee, towered over the players Miami chose to play. Not much of a game anymore by the time our starters left in the first quarter.

JMAX. Awesome. But again, against who? Doleac? Still, compared to Dyess, the inside game of JMAX sure looks awesome. How any coach could ever play JMAX less minutes than Dyess, or dare to start Dyess over JMAX, ain't winning any points from me.

Stuckey. He actually made an outside shot or two. And did he ever look impressive going inside. Excellent body control to finish plays, and as usual, able to make his free throws.

Flip Murray. Flip played plenty and had some good moments. Like a steal upon entering the game which he converted into a three point play. One nice jumper off the dribble. A nice pass here and there. But he countered that with some silly shots and several ball handling sequences where he did not know what to do. He did not show very good D on a couple of occasions either. If you just look at the flashes, he looked good. Overall, so so.

Afflalo. This guy had a few very impressive drives to the hoop. The difference between him and Murray going inside? Height and length to finish the plays right over people. I will make a prediction right now, people are really going to like Afflalo, both for his D and his offense. Showed some good ball handling skill too.

Dupree. All I can say is why is he on the team.

Mejia. Did not get to play but 3 minutes. Mejia looks huge in comparison to Afflalo, who in turn has good size himself. (Mostly the wider shoulders.)Mejia got a steal and another near steal in his short minutes, missed a badly forced shot.

Samb hardly got to play.

Mohammed. Weak. Pushed around like a rag doll. And nobody worth a darn was playing against him.

Fitch just 3 minutes. Just camp fodder.

Hayes. Made a three. Made a jump hook from a good distance from the left on a post up move going toward the basket. Got some bounds. Defense? Just not enough to say right now. Got to have competition to judge him with. Maybe slow on one rotation. Hayes also took a shot off the dribble that maybe he should not have. (Not suppose to be his game.)

Amir did not play.

JMAX struggled shooting outside shots-free throws and a jumper or two. Hey, let him start and get lots of shots. He will not struggle with his shot if he gets to shoot more. (Evidenced by his showing in the summer league.) Forget this Dyess thing. Vet or not, Dyess can't play as well as JMAX. Not even close. GO PISTONS!!!!!

pretty fun night at the palace, watching the pistons vs. a d-league team in my new seats. it got a little nauseating at times simply because there were so many fouls called and so many free throws that it was difficult to get a good flow and look at the new players. but at the same time, it's encouraging how we attacked and got to the line.

not much to say about the starters - usual execution, tay's growing out his hair and shot well, sheed doesn't look noticeably different, etc., and dice seems comfortable starting. i guess i'll just talk about each player:

- maxiell - his usual beastly self. he was a little too aggressive at times going for blocks and got in foul trouble ... but he definitely welcomed a few guys to the NBA who decided to drive the lane :) he was also very aggressive going for defensive rebounds, but still needs to work on positioning. he did grab 6 though in 23 minutes, and was screwed out of 2 that he was in perfect position for but the ball bounced like 10 feet in the air off the rim. he and stuckey were the 1st two off the bench, and it looks like he's going to have an excellent year. you could definitely tell he lost weight.

- stuckey - looked great. he's bigger/taller than i thought. he was 5/7 from the floor...1/2 on jumpers, and 4/5 driving the lane. his ability to power into the lane and keep control of the ball is astounding, but what was even more astounding was that all 5 of his shots driving the lane made me say 'how the heck did he get an easy layup out of that??' it's like he disappears in a pile of guys and comes out the other end with an easy shot. we finally have someone who can finish in the lane. he also ran a half-court trap with maxiell for much of the game, and the 2 of them really bothered the heat guards and made them start with a short shot clock.

some people may point out that he had 0 assists, but he should've had 2 or 3. he got called for a bogus offensive foul after driving the lane and flipping it backwards to flip to pop a 3. it was a no-looker and made the crowd oooh-and-ahhh.

- murray - impressive game from flip. he got a little shot-happy in the 2nd half and got lost a couple times, but he can be an asset when not forcing his own offense. he had a few excellent passes, got his hand on several balls defensively, and added a couple steals to boot. looks like he's fighting to stay as rip's backup. as long as he doesn't get overzealous he could be useful.

- hayes - when he first checked into the game i was like, 'look! darvin ham!' he struggled early with his shot, but he called for the rock often and has the confidence to put it up. he definitely forced a couple shots while closely guarded and missed...but he made the shots when he was open. he's also pretty big and strong, and went after several boards. from what i've seen, he could serve as a competent backup to tay, but it's too early to tell.

- afflalo - i was most impressed by afflalo because i wasn't expecting much from him, but he delivered. he's a gamer, and plays hounding man-to-man defense. on one steal he just flat out took the ball away from his man as he was dribbling at the top of the key. he had a couple nice steals and assists, and even went down low to grab a couple boards. what impressed me most was his determination on the offensive end. he worked extremely hard to get open, made sharp cuts, and made 3-4 excellent moves in the post area to get off high percentage shots or get to the line. i never saw him take a play off, and was pleased with his performance. he was also quicker and more athletic than i expected. sidenote: mason is currently incapable of pronouncing his name correctly, or just doesn't see the 'L' in the middle.

- nazr - about the same as you saw last year. super slow on defense, but still managed to steal several balls and block a few shots. he's serviceable, but i can only see him on the bench or playing with the starters. he totally doesn't fit in with the 2nd unit.

- dupree - terrible. i expect him to be the odd man out on the roster.

- samb - looks like a 7'2" ben wallace - not in how they play...just saying when you look at him, that's what his face looks like. he's too raw and too slow, and was able to fight with some of the heat's bigs, but consider who their bigs were. every time you watch him, you're afraid he's going to collapse and trip over himself. needs a couple more years at least.

- mejia - very limited minutes but played good defense. has potential but will have to realize it in the D-league.

- fitch - who cares. looks average, won't make the roster.

i'm making it sound like the pistons pooped and gold came out, but i really don't have much bad to say about this game. the team was well-conditioned (although the rooks started hitting the front of the rim in the 4th quarter, which isn't unexpected) and out-executed the heat. we have a deep team of ballers. the most encouraging aspect was realizing that our new guys are intelligent players. stuckey was controlled and didn't force anything, and neither did afflalo. you didn't see rookie mistakes. there's really nothing that stood out as a clear negative.

now it's silly to base opinions off of one game against a bunch of scrubs, but i'm telling you guys how i saw it. the new guys played smart, they got to the line, they new how to run a fast break, they played great defense, fought for boards, shot a high percentage, and didn't turn it over like you would expect from the 1st game of the year.

and finally, i really want to see amir run with the 2nd unit. nazr just isn't suited for them, and amir fits in perfectly with their attitude and hustle. it's too bad about his ankle, but hopefully we'll see him on the court soon. that's the only thing that was missing tonight.

Yet another great write up mr. 356. You know I've read so many of these over the years, I can visualize the game. Sometimes, I think its biased but its always descriptive and detailed.
So having read the game, I'm thinking Stuckey ain't gonna learn the 1 by playing the 2. Dyess starting is like the rite of passage. You have to be able to take that starting job, maxy! Afflalo will take advantage of 3rd string players.. you go big guy throw down! Nazr will do nothing to help bolster my Nazr Fan Club. In fact, i can feel the low's hatred growing strong.
Exciting game despite the lopsidedness. Maybe its all the anticipation. I'm whooped but I'm going to re-read the post and see if i can find something else to talk about.

Again great job as usual. It's write ups like that that make the mainstream media seem like a really junk cliff note.

Double awesome Wart. Man you guys really bring the game home. Thanks for putting the effort into the write ups. You gotta wonder about nazmo. He's supposed to come in ready to roll but i guess that's all he's got? Maybe its cuz Murray is paying for the benjamins.

Thanks for the recap/review guys. Too bad the game wasn't on TV. There's just so much expectation in the air. Hopefully this good play by rooks and J-Max continues.

I went to the game tonight and our guys looked generally good (as in in-shape). Our starters did nothing out of the usual, except Prince looked much more aggressive early on. Let's hope that continues. Billups ran the point very well, IMO. He didn't score much but seemed to be looking to set guys up....successfully I might add.

And now for the bench: Nazr Once Sheed and Dyess hit the bench, Nazr was easily the best big man on the floor. Miami can only wish for a big man as good as Nazr; although Earl Barron exhibited a nice consistent jumper.

FlipM FlipM had a good first half but kind of reverted to his old self in sporatic PT in the second. First time he entered the game, he came up with a couple of steals and a knock-away resulting in a Heat turnover. Also scored a bit. It's clear he understands his role...to make an impact off the bench. He did that tonight.

J-Max Explosive! Looked quicker, more mobile, and just as strong. I see no reason he can't log some minutes at the 3 spot. My boy calls him our "young beast." VERY apt description.

Hays Has the look of a dependable scorer. Wasn't afraid to mix it up underneath once in a while. Looks more like a 3 than a 2. Also appeared to be tougher than I gave him credit for. Good size and strength.

Stuckey Outstanding slasher and defender who can finish at the hole and hit (all?) his foul shots. Strong, tough, fairly quick; good not great ball-handler. This cat is ready to play. His game reminds me of a more effective C-Bill (without the jumper) when going to the hole.

Afflalo Has the look of an outstanding defender. Has good size, strength, speed, and has a no-nonsense air about him. Great defensive instincts, very active, moves well without the ball and a solid scorer. Piston fans will love this guy, as he has the DNA and the skills.

Dupree Still has the hops and created confusion on the Heat offense. Couldn't seem to get untracked but that may be due to his minutes. No doubt he's a solid pro who belongs in the NBA.

Meija Only played garbage minutes but has potential. He looks like he CAN improve and if so...Joe got another keeper late in the draft. Will definitely challenge Dupree for a spot on the roster. His game reminds me of a poor man's Michael Cooper.

Samb Not much to speak of. Reminded me of a poor man's Manute Bol except no blocks tonight. Looked (understandably) lost on offense and defense and WAY too weak. I remember one play where Samb was running down court and ran into a Heat player from behind. He might as well have run into a wall. Stopped him cold. He needs a couple of years worth of meat and potatoes, Kander supervised weight training, and DL action before the words "Samb" and "ready" are spoken in the same sentence.

Fitch Who? Well...he seemed fairly quick, decent handles; but only saw action for a hot minute towards the end.
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I was lucky enough to view the game from a suite. Just about everybody in there felt that Joe outta get C-Webb signed; and quick. There was much love for Lindsey Hunter as well which was refreshing after lingering in here for a bit. Nice to watch the game with some folk who actually know what they are lookin at.

Sheed looked slimmer and (like the rest of the starters) didn't seem to be going all out. Not saying they didn't give 100% but they jumped out to a near 20 pt lead and seemed content to let our young pups whoop up on the hapless heat. Prolly because of the numberous BUMS that Riley put out on the court. Snaq and Wade are still vacationing and Zo is still contemplating. No shimmey-shake azz Walker either. The Heat roster is a shipwreck if ever there was one.

Doleac couldn't carry Nazr's jockstrap (imagine that). J-Will looked better but was CLEARLY outclassed by C-Bill and Stuckey. Seiman (what a name) showed some flashes and some no-name fella (Richardson? Slaughter?) did most of the scoring for the Heat it seems like. Haven't checked the boxscores yet.

Nazr ain't as bad as many folk in here make him out to be. He's a LOT better than most every other backup 5 in the league. He ain't Ben or C-Webb and is still on my "trade bait" list. But one would be hard pressed to present an "equal value" option. Good big men are STILL a premium in the NBA and I bet several teams would jump at the chance to grab him if Joe allowed them to fleece him.

Cool man. its good to have a different viewpoint on nazr. And great write up as well.

Very good reading here tonight in form of the Leecap, Hog Blog and the Mad Musings. You are our eyes and ears and its always good for some live perpective especially when the game is not televised...thanks for the overviews.

We could tell listening to Blahs and "Mr excitement" Rick Mahorn on the audio feed that the Pistons were playing some Miami high school team that Riles had assembled and brought up to the palace while his main guys stayed back at south beach still getting rehab in preparation for a long season.

Lets hope that Gerorge Karl shows up with the real Nuggets on Wednesday so at least the we can see how these newbies play against some real competition.

Mad you mentioned Hunter and no one else did. Was he dressed in a uniform or a suit? I don't recall him getting in the game. Just wonderig if his coaching career has started. Also how much input did Micheal Curry appear to give Flip?

NBA.com: Heat at Pistons Boxscore (http://www.nba.com/games/20071008/MIADET/boxscore.html)

Pistons won 103-86

Would have been nice to have watched this game. Looks like Afflalo played 1 more minute than Stucky. Maxiel and Sucky had great games. Sheed had 5 fouls in 20 mins as a starting Center.

Mad you mentioned Hunter and no one else did. Was he dressed in a uniform or a suit? I don't recall him getting in the game.

hunter was in uniform.

My thanks as well to Lee, Hog, and Hatter for their top-notch writeups!

Lee356, suppose Saunders decides to play McDyess and Maxiell each 20 minutes per game.

Wouldn't the Pistons be better off with McDyess as the starter and Maxiell coming off the bench? One of the biggest problems for Detroit the past couple of seasons has been lack of bench scoring. Bring Maxiell off the bench, along with Stuckey and Amir, they guys will not only bring excitement, but they will put up some impressive numbers.

When I have seen and listened to as many games basketball games as I have (probably over 7,500 at this point and counting) I can easily translate Blaha's play by play into a visual picture. He makes it pretty easy as all top of line radio play by play guys do.

Chick Hearn was the best play by play announcer and he did thousands of simulcasts, which meant that what you heard on TV is exactly what you heard on the radio, so after a number of years of watching and listening to the Lakers games on TV and radio it became pretty easy to visualize the action listening to him on the radio and that can be carried over to great radio play by play announcers like Blaha.

In addition, I use the box score to fill in some missing links.

The way you will be able to tell if I actually saw a game, is that in games that I have actually watched my comments will be much more detailed.

box score on the link

ESPN.com - NBA - Box Score - Heat at Pistons (http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271008008)

:hoops:

LOL. So, when you say someone "looked bad", you are really saying that you just "visualized it"? :pound:

I really liked Afflalo's line from the box score. Scored some points, got to the line and hit his throws, chipped in with a board here, assist and a steal there, and no turnovers. Solid all around.

And that will continue when it counts.

He (Jarvis Hayes) just may be the Pistons MVP this year!

I promise I won`t say I told you so!!


The change of scenery and good health are just what the doctor ordered for Hayes. Here is what he said after last night's game:


"I feel like a rookie again," Hayes said. "I can't stop smiling. I was a little anxious early, and I missed some shots, but it feels real good playing with these guys."

My thanks as well to Lee, Hog, and Hatter for their top-notch writeups!

Cosigned!

I wasn't able to watch the pre-season game, but these writeups provided such a good summary that I felt like I actually watched it on television. Thank ya...thank ya...thank ya!!!!

Stuckey. He actually made an outside shot or two. And did he ever look impressive going inside. Excellent body control to finish plays, and as usual, able to make his free throws.

Afflalo. This guy had a few very impressive drives to the hoop. The difference between him and Murray going inside? Height and length to finish the plays right over people. I will make a prediction right now, people are really going to like Afflalo, both for his D and his offense. Showed some good ball handling skill too.

Hayes. Made a three. Made a jump hook from a good distance from the left on a post up move going toward the basket. Got some bounds. Defense? Just not enough to say right now. Got to have competition to judge him with. Maybe slow on one rotation. Hayes also took a shot off the dribble that maybe he should not have. (Not suppose to be his game.)



Hot Rod - I am not sure how you developed such a negative attitude about Hot Rod's jump shot. I admit he needs to improve his range to get good with 3 point shots, but other than that his jump shooting is more than adequate.

I have researched Hot Rod on the net quite extensively and watched all five summer league games. I have found no indication from scouting reports or actual games that I have seen or listened to, that indicates that he is not a good jump shooter within his current range of 15 -20 feet.

AA - I agree 100%

Hayes - No mention made of his taking only 1 or 2 free throws despite all the shots he took. This indicates to me and also from listening to the game last night that he is still focusing almost solely on his outside shooting. This is a problem because if he is not willing or able to drive to the hoop then defenders can cheat and play up closer to him on defense thereby reducing the effectiveness of his outside shot.

If Hayes ever wants to earn more than $1 million a year or so he is going to need to go to the hoop and draw fouls and convert at high rate like Hot Rod. He is also going to have tighten up his defense like AA.

:hoops:

LOL. So, when you say someone "looked bad", you are really saying that you just "visualized it"? :pound:

If I watched the game I actually saw it.

I will use the expression either way.

Don't forget that I a 60s child so I learned about the benefits and pleasures of visualization over 45 years ago. LOL

There was some great art work created in the 60s. The creation of beautiful art work requires visualization and basketball is an art form when played by players at the NBA level, so a fan can get a lot out visualizing the on the court art form of most (LOL) NBA players.

:hoops:

Hayes - No mention made of his taking only 1 or 2 free throws despite all the shots he took. This indicates to me and also from listening to the game last night that he is still focusing almost solely on his outside shooting. This is a problem because if he is not willing or able to drive to the hoop then defenders can cheat and play up closer to him on defense thereby reducing the effectiveness of his outside shot.

If Hayes ever wants to earn more than $1 million a year or so he is going to need to go to the hoop and draw fouls and convert at high rate like Hot Rod. He is also going to have tighten up his defense like AA.

:hoops:
Someone mentioned that he did post up some and went inside to get boards. But I didn't watch the game, so it is hard to say whether he just didn't get calls or didn't get close enough to the basket enough times.

Hayes - No mention made of his taking only 1 or 2 free throws despite all the shots he took. This indicates to me and also from listening to the game last night that he is still focusing almost solely on his outside shooting. This is a problem because if he is not willing or able to drive to the hoop then defenders can cheat and play up closer to him on defense thereby reducing the effectiveness of his outside shot.

If Hayes ever wants to earn more than $1 million a year or so he is going to need to go to the hoop and draw fouls and convert at high rate like Hot Rod. He is also going to have tighten up his defense like AA.



Honestly, I really don't know Hayes' game yet. You don't have to be able to go to the hole in order to be an effective player, though. There are lots of guys making tons of money shooting just jump shots. Take Rasheed Wallace, for example. :pound:

Hot Rod - I am not sure how you developed such a negative attitude about Hot Rod's jump shot. I admit he needs to improve his range to get good with 3 point shots, but other than that his jump shooting is more than adequate.


:hoops:I think its the difference between serviceable and elite. We are expecting stuckey to at some point be the MAN here.

Hayes - No mention made of his taking only 1 or 2 free throws despite all the shots he took. This indicates to me and also from listening to the game last night that he is still focusing almost solely on his outside shooting. This is a problem because if he is not willing or able to drive to the hoop then defenders can cheat and play up closer to him on defense thereby reducing the effectiveness of his outside shot.

from what i remember he posted up twice, making one closer to the basket, and missing the other (but i think it was a mcdyess-style fadeaway outside the paint). i don't think it's his game, but he showed the capability of doing it.

most of his misses came from forcing shots when he wasn't open, but he wasn't afraid to try posting up down low or going down low for rebounds. he's definitely not someone who's going to drive to the basket, but he's not a mo-evans-stand-in-the-corner-and-wait-to-shoot-a-3 guy either.

I wasn't talking about posting up.

I was talking about taking it to the rack like Hot Rod, AA, JMax, AJ and Rip do.

I think Rasheed has a different game on offense now than when we signed him to the current contract. As I recall he did play down low on the box more back in 2003-04 then he does now.

This in one of the great qualities about Horford who I still think was the best big man in this last draft. The guy loves to bang and take it to the rack. He also plays tough low post defense.

I like him better than Oden because i don't think that we have seen the last of major injury issues with Oden. Horford reminds me of K. Malone except at this time he doesn't yet have the face up jumper and post up game that Malone did.

:hoops:

I wasn't talking about posting up.

I was talking about taking it to the rack like Hot Rod, AA, JMax, AJ and Rip do.

I think Rasheed has a different game on offense now than when we signed him to the current contract. As I recall he did play down low on the box more back in 2003-04 then he does now.

This in one of the great qualities about Horford who I still think was the best big man in this last draft. The guy loves to bang and take it to the rack. He also plays tough low post defense.

I like him better than Oden because i don't think that we have seen the last of major injury issues with Oden. Horford reminds me of K. Malone except at this time he doesn't yet have the face up jumper and post up game that Malone did.

:hoops:
In that sense - yeah, Hayes is not going to drive, that's not his strenth. But Pistons already knew that before they signed him.

Hayes' strengths according to the coach:

“He’s a good shooter and shooters are supposed to shoot,” Saunders said. “He’s got the ability to not only play outside, but also post up and rebound. He gives us a different dimension at that position with his strength.”

Mad you mentioned Hunter and no one else did. Was he dressed in a uniform or a suit?

Lindsey did not play. He was in warmups and on the bench. Looks like he will mostly be a coach this year; given the defense Afflalo looks like he's ready to deliver.

Also how much input did Micheal Curry appear to give Flip?

Not sure on this one. When I first saw Curry on the bench I thought it was Ron Harper. Until I got a better look. I didn't notice him in Flip's ear much but he was in the rooks ear quite a bit.

Lindsey did not play. He was in warmups and on the bench. Looks like he will mostly be a coach this year; given the defense Afflalo looks like he's ready to deliver.



Not sure on this one. When I first saw Curry on the bench I thought it was Ron Harper. Until I got a better look. I didn't notice him in Flip's ear much but he was in the rooks ear quite a bit.

Thanks, Mad...with Lindsey approaching middle age, no need to play him during the preseason as long as he can help the rooks. Just wondering if he should be sitting in Curry's seat in a regular suit and if he starts the seaosn with some phantom injury that allows someone else a playing spot. (Meija, samb)

Thanks, Mad...with Lindsey approaching middle age, no need to play him during the preseason as long as he can help the rooks. Just wondering if he should be sitting in Curry's seat in a regular suit and if he starts the seaosn with some phantom injury that allows someone else a playing spot. (Meija, samb)

Dre, you don't need phantom injuries anymore. You have 15 guys on your roster. You dress any 12 of them for each game.

I wasn't talking about posting up.

I was talking about taking it to the rack like Hot Rod, AA, JMax, AJ and Rip do.



:hoops:

Hot Rod and AA have yet to take it to the rack in a real NBA game yet, J-Max is supposed to take it to the rack, what else can he do on offense? AJ has not proven himself yet in a full NBA season.

Rip going to the hole is a tad out of control most of the time, at best.

Actually, we really don`t have anyone who can create and take the ball to the rack at will. So, to say Hayes needs to do that is kind of amusing! As someone mentioned, he wasn`t brought here to take it to the rack.