Maggette is getting a lot of attention after the 'half-court huddle' after the Phoenix game. I was happy we traded for him despite the negative vibe from internet-land. i got caught up in the negativity about him but I think its been very positive overall. While English can establish a mature and responsible peer group, Maggette has taken on the mentor for the young Drummond and Andre is responding to it. There is a lot of value in the mentor tier. But he isn't just a guy to take people under his wing and out to dinner and show new players where all the discreet escort services are. He's been good on the floor. Not super good but after he shook off the rust, he's been valuable off the bench. He brings what we need. An assertive bench scrorer who mixes an inside/outside game. A black hole? Its better than passing up the shot or pump faking into a worse shot.
Please. Maggette is GARBAGE!!! There are a number of times he has boggled the balled, failed to hustle, bullied to the basket (only to get an offensive charge). I don't like what he's giving us.
I have way more confidence in charlies jumper. Maggette is taking english's minutes for sure and he's probably not as effective. Vet getting minutes out of respect for his former self.
He's a SF never know for his defense (look at the NY game) being asked to guard 2/3. Sure, he (on paper) brings things to the table were looking for. But, in most cases, it appears to me he's being looked at as a stabilizer with the second unit. And I just don't see him as that. I'd rather see KE on the floor (said to be a better defender) with the second unit. Maggette and Stuckey give you dribble-drive (offensive fouls) when we need dribble-penetration (possible pass). Take last game (Dallas). I would have rather seen Will and Rodney (who is said to be a good defender against 2Guards) on the floor. But there seems to be an inability on the coaches part to mix the line up on the fly with guy that are hungry and ready to go. You thing JJ wouldn't have given you all he had. He's trying to get his job back. They're not there to only play garbage minutes, they're there to help win games. Kaman was abusing Monroe and coach never even tried Kravtsov. And then............. Sorry. This was about Maggette.
For me, the best thing about Corey Maggette is his contract. $10 mil expiring deals in the NBA are good to have in your back pocket. Maggette might be the most talented Piston on the current roster but if I had it my way, he wouldn't play another minute this year. This is a young team and Corey is an old guy. The Pistons youth movement needs to grow together. I feel the same way about Tay (...& I think Maggette is better than Tay). When we going to the ECFs every year and "contending" for championships, I was all for playing the best players and trying to maximize our performance every single game. Back then, the most deserving guys were the guys who should have got minutes. Now, we have absolutely nothing to play for except the future. I'd rather see dudes like English and Middleton out there until they prove beyond doubt that they don't belong in the league. Knight, English, Singler, Drummond, Monroe, Middleton and The Russian Guy have a chance to be the future. Tay, Maggette, JMax, Bynum, Daye, BoT are absolutely without question the past. ...Stuckey & Jerebko are somewhere in between as long as their contracts are reasonable.
He was like a bull in a china shop the first few games back but has settled down a little and adds some vet experience to a very young team. The same could be said for Tay but he's too quiet. I don't mind Maggette in the minutes (14 average) he's playing. Gotta admit, I've sorta checked-out of Piston basketball for the last few years with the team idling and going nowhere. This season has renewed my interest. For a group this young and talented there is a lot of potential. Yeah...they lay a few turds, but Piston basketball is fun to watch again. Couple things: 1) Was not happy with Frank's hiring...to me, Laimbeer was the obvious choice. That said, Frank is doing a pretty decent job with the kids. 2) Never thought I'd say it...Maxiell is playing his ass off. Whether it is spurred by Drummond joining the frontcourt and/or his contract year, he is shockingly better than all of his past seasons.
Maggette's next contract will be at around $1m a year. He ain't getting paid again. I'd be happy to keep him at that kind of money, although he is getting pretty old. Surprisingly, I was. I quite like Lawrence Frank, despite some of the questionable calls that he has made. Not sure how long he will last, but if he creates a good defensive team, regardless of offense, I am all to happy to keep him. Everyone should know this by now, but I am excited by good defense. Crowding the posts, fast hands, rotations and close outs are some of my favourite things to watch.
Frank still has room to grow. If he understands that, he'll do ok. I like the schemes. Its a lot more palatable than Flips jump shot side show.
The title of this thread should be, Rodney Stuckey. As noted earlier Maggs is only playing about 15mpg, Stuck plays damn near 30 to suck and collide more than Maggette.
In tonight's game against Cleveland, I noticed just how much athleticism Maggette has lost.......it's actually pretty sad to watch, even worse than T-Mac!
Mags seems to be the mentor vet that Prince was supposed to be. We might be better off if we shipped away Prince and resigned Mags to a veterans minimum next year as our token old mentor guy. Oh btw, I think Pistons fans don't like Maggette on a subconscious level because he opens a window into the future and we see what Stuckey will become on the wrong side of 30.
I'm ready for Corey to sit in favor of someone else. JJ is my prime candidate to return to the rotation as SF.
