What is the deal with our team not being able to win the 3rd qtr of basketball games. I'm willing to bet that 80% of our losses we end up losing because we're simply are unable to win the 3rd qtr and Q seems to be the last person to acknowledge what's going on and change his 3rd qtr rotation, last night against the Bulls he watched a 12 point lead completely disappear before he called a time out or made a substitution.
our problem is our starting rotation,REAL coaches make adjustments in the second half of games according to what has transpired in the first half. That in a nutshell is our downfall...Opposing coaches see what we're doing and take steps to eliminate it. Then our clueless wonder scratches his head like a genie is gonna pop out. He waits.....and waits....and wonders why his team is floppin around like a dying fish now that the opposing team has shut off the watering hole that was there in the first half. He seems reluctant or too stupid to make an adjustment until its too late, Im not sure if this is insanity(taking the same steps and expecting a different outcome) or if hes affraid to bruise an ego in his lineup by yanking a player that is throwin up bricks, or gettin abused defensively.
it is...pistons has 2-3 gears but opponents have 5-6. in short, pistons may play their best but opponents always have some shifts left. And stinking SGs(Rip, BG) and PG(s)(WB and to lesser extent, Stuckey) make it only worse. @copper - you sound like there are solutions sitting on the bench - but it is hard to call struggling players to solutions. Or players like Chris Wilcox are only for limited usage.
Q must have read too many Phil Jax books. Jackson tends to let his players work through bad stretches when they're "bringing the suck". ...thing is, Phil only coaches 'ship caliber teams so that method doesn't work with our guys.
According to the NBA stats; NBA.com - 2010-2011 Division Standings - Ahead And Behind The Pistons have led at the half in 19 of their 37 games and blown that lead 10 times. Thats the worst of any team that has had that many halftime leads. The Clippers were having that same third qtr issue issue to start the season but lately have been successful and are now on the positive side winning 11 of their 19 when leading at the half. Their issues were not really defensive, but just a lot of rookie mistakes with Eric Bledsoe running the team and a lot of guys trying figure out Vinny's system. With B-daddy now running the show and setting up Blake, they have won 7 of their last 10 and now attracting the Laker celebs to Clipper games It will still take awhile for the Clipa, but things seem more promising than the Piston out look. As others have said, Q does not seem to know how to adjust at halftime or midway through the third....why do you have to play the starters the first 8 minutes of the third w/o subbing is beyond me?? How many halftime leads have we seen disappear within the first 5 mins and Q brings in the same personnel after a timeout, no matter how bad it is getting.
So frustrating to watch Kuester's innaction. Told my housemate last night prior to the third against Chicago that we'd let that lead go and sure enough we did. The thing I keep watching for this season is the progression of the younger guys like Daye and Monroe and was excited to see Daye lighting it up with 5 from 5 including two 3s. Instead of keeping him on in the third to continue his hot hand, bringing him in with under two minutes was always going to bring about about inconsistency in his shot in those two minutes and then again after the break in the fourth. The comment before about needing to recognise what has happened in the first half and make adjustments in the second seems to be lost on Kuester
I'm of the "let them play through it" mentality. If guys aren't capable of performing well, then don't put them out there in the first place. It's too easy to make a change every time something negative happens and feel like you are controlling the situation.
well in that cse we dont need a coach, just a timer on the chair to let the players know when they go in.
The Bulls came back on the Pistons because they are a better team period. There was no adjustment to make unless Q wanted to start T-Mac in place of Stuckey in the 3rd. That may have gotten some flow to the 1st unit that the 2nd group had. Was Kuester supposed to play the McGrady, Rip, Daye, Monroe and Wilcox lineup the entire 2nd half? Who can say that Q didn't address the starters and their shortcomings in locker room at the half and they didn't heed his advice? You were going to yank guys 2 minutes into the half? The Bulls might as well have been taking bong hits during the 1st half, that's how much they were worried about the Pistons. How many times did Rose blow by the Pistons perimeter D and then go directly in between CCG and Monroe who never reacted, let alone jumped, before shooting a layup? You could splice together a low-light reel from this game to the Benny Hill theme music and not bat an eye watching it.
there were adjustments to be made, and hell yeah if there needed to be sub 2 minutes into the second half? hell yeah make the substitution. These guys arent entitled to any regulated minutes...if they are bein abused and/or they are a liability on offense or defense...hell yeah yank em. egos take a back seat. what about a time out? break up the rally....rose is driving to the hole? pull cv and put max in there to protect the rim a little bit. pull the offense together and work for a good shot, instead of the 1 man isolation that makes the defense stand still for 20 seconds and then force a shot....be a coach...a coaches job is to prepare his team and put them in the best possible position to be competative and or win games. that means in games and not just practices.
CJ, I think our mentoring program is working very well. You are almost ready to go out on your own. Keep pushing yourself, son.
I really think Monroe steadies these guys out there. solid rebounding and flashes through the paint and pops well as release valve for the team. when he went out and cv came in the griz ripped us bad. now hes back in and theyre makin waves...that and BG having someone send his game over from chicago
