Game 8 - Trail Blazers - Pistons 11.9.10

[2tough]

I was thinking to myself.. why the hell is Stuckey still in the game, and what do you know he got hurt.
Who knows if it's serious, but god I hate Kuester.

Do you know what I also find amazing? Somehow Rip Hamilton still played more minutes than Ben Gordon, only 1 more minute, but with the way he was playing, that's just absolutely ridiculous.

They say he twisted his ankle, but if he did, he must have done it on the way down.

All I saw was him get kicked near the, um, man region.

[Spider156]

The only person that can fix this team is Dumars. I'm still waiting. When will Illitch buy this team already? Hurry up!!

[princeofpalace]

I don't like Kuester that much but I think its wrong to place the blame on him when the problem is all about this BS roster

Kuester has two SGs- Rip and Gordon. Both played the same mins tonight, he can't ignore Rip as a coach half his job is to manage egos and well all know that Rip has a a big one. Its not like Rip played all game, he just played half. He was bad out there but what can Kuester do? He has two starting caliber SGs. Neither of them can really excel as long as the other one is there. Whose fault is that?

When the Pistons are getting killed and need some defense what can Kuester do? What defensive lineup can he send out there to right the ship? The Charlie V and Austin Daye tandem PF situation is so atrocious defensively its not funny. But who else can he play? Maxiel and thats it until Jonas returns. Ben Wallace is 36 years old and doesn't have much left in the tank, he cant anchor the defense.

Yeah, Kuester is a questionable coach at best. But he is working with one of the most imbalanced rosters in basketball. Pistons can't compete without defense, unless they have an elite offense and they don't have that. Thats not all on Kuester.

[qm22]

FREE FOOD FOR PORTLAND!!!

This game defines our problems. I'm very glad we got destroyed. Stuckey is playing like last season. He didn't pass at all in this game. Kuesuck needs to get fired. Rip needs to go and is getting too many minutes. Gayshawn needs to be traded.

I do not blame Stuckey for not passing. Noted he did have a few drives in the 3rd quarter where he could have passed; however he made some of those and the amount of times was small, so I do not think it was a big factor. Other than that, Stuckey was usually passing it at the beginning of the clock and not being involved much afterward. So he was passing, it was probably the play Q called for him to dump it off like usual. When that and other disasters are happening he is not going to be setting many people up.

[qm22]

I don't like Kuester that much but I think its wrong to place the blame on him when the problem is all about this BS roster

Kuester has two SGs- Rip and Gordon. Both played the same mins tonight, he can't ignore Rip as a coach half his job is to manage egos and well all know that Rip has a a big one. Its not like Rip played all game, he just played half. He was bad out there but what can Kuester do? He has two starting caliber SGs. Neither of them can really excel as long as the other one is there. Whose fault is that?

It is the fault of Rip and Kuester. Rip because he could play better than he does. Kuester because he does not do anything to keep Rip from making the same mistakes over and over. Rip was particularly atrocious in the 3rd. Why does Kuester do nothing about it? And not just that, why does he continually run plays through Rip? Rip keeps getting the ball and is a terrible decision maker and passer, and he is not creating for himself.

[dVs33]

This is about this game its about the season.

CV is a piss poor defender, always has been, always will be. Maxiel is not. Max is a better defender. Pistons already have too many offensive oriented players. Losing Jonas really hurts this because Pistons replaced his defensive production with offensive only production in Daye and CV. These guys are redundant, two offensively oriented jumpshooting PFs. There are simply too many redundancies on this roster.

Stuck/Gordon/Daye/CV/Monroe IMo is a train wreck waiting to happen, no defense at all. Pistons need defensive players out there. A team that is primarily offensive oriented will never win anything.

We can talk about crappy rotations all we want, but at the end of the day defense is what wins games and Pistons don't haeve it

And what happened with Prince and Wallace on the court??

I realize Max is a better defender than CV, no argument there, but why isn't he playing?? If he was going to make that much of an impact, he'd play. Monroe and CV are the ones getting minutes because they can make an impact.
CV has been much improved this season. He won't be a good defender, but he's shown that's he's changed his attitude, and really that's the only thing you can ask. Attitude and effort are the reason guys like Jonas play i this league. (Not comparing CV to Jonas, just saying his effort and attitude have picked up)
I realize you don't like CV and You probably realize I like the guy - We'll always have to agree to disagree.


As for the young line up- I'd rather see our young guys try their hearts out rather than see the vets overhandle the ball and try to be "the man". The results are the same, we're not winning.

Also Daye had a good line, but he could produced more at the SF.
He didn't get a chance, and it's a shame. He got those numbers on Aldridge and camby, he would have gone nuts on Batum. At least he's getting minutes I guess.

[Seven11]

BG is leading the team in scoring, shooting over 50%, and getting paid over $10-million a year. How do you play him less than a half? Especially when your team is struggling to score. BG and CV had the best +/- in todays game and they are the teams best scorers, but they both played under 24 minutes. This team is a joke. Enough said!

[princeofpalace]

The team is a joke. Tell it to Joe D though.

[dVs33]

BG is leading the team in scoring, shooting over 50%, and getting paid over $10-million a year. How do you play him less than a half? Especially when your team is struggling to score. BG and CV had the best +/- in todays game and they are the teams best scorers, but they both played under 24 minutes. This team is a joke. Enough said!

And Rip beat everyone with a -25. Thats 10 worse than everyone else.

[Spider156]

Wowwwww, did you guys see the Pacers highlights? I thought we were bad at defense. DAMN! The Nuggets are done.

[Todd3]

I don't like Kuester that much but I think its wrong to place the blame on him when the problem is all about this BS roster

Kuester has two SGs- Rip and Gordon. Both played the same mins tonight, he can't ignore Rip as a coach half his job is to manage egos and well all know that Rip has a a big one. Its not like Rip played all game, he just played half. He was bad out there but what can Kuester do? He has two starting caliber SGs. Neither of them can really excel as long as the other one is there. Whose fault is that?

It is the fault of Rip and Kuester. Rip because he could play better than he does. Kuester because he does not do anything to keep Rip from making the same mistakes over and over. Rip was particularly atrocious in the 3rd. Why does Kuester do nothing about it? And not just that, why does he continually run plays through Rip? Rip keeps getting the ball and is a terrible decision maker and passer, and he is not creating for himself.

EXACTLY!

Kuester just lets Rip do whatever he wants and there is no consequences ever. I remember the first week Kuester was hired, he attended Rip's wedding. I'm starting to think Kuester was the bride that day, because Rip plays him like his little biotch!

[princeofpalace]

If you don't play your SG that makes 12.5 mil for the next 3 years it kills his trade value. Pistons cannot afford to Eddy Curry Rip Hamilton if they really intend to move him. It sucks, but it is what it is. Rip had a crappy game tonight, so did everyone though. I would rather player BG but as long as Rip is here the pair will split minutes

[Seven11]

Wowwwww, did you guys see the Pacers highlights? I thought we were bad at defense. DAMN! The Nuggets are done.

The Nuggets have been playing surprisingly well this season despite the Melo dispute. Every team has its let-ups, but that was a stomping.

[ComboGuardCity]

Rip has to play or we're stuck with him for 2.5 more years. We're not going anywhere. Why not give him minutes until another team comes knocking.

[Todd3]

Knowing when to sit a player who is playing bad is probably the best thing you could do if you're in fact trying to showcase him. Showing him suck on display to the whole league is only hurting his value.

Kuester just doesn't have the guts to stand up to him. Either that or he doesn't have the brains to notice when one of his plays is playing bad.

After all that attention his last comments created, I don't think he's going to do anything to discipline anyone again. He's even more afraid now to cause the same stir again..

[Spider156]

Rip has to play or we're stuck with him for 2.5 more years. We're not going anywhere. Why not give him minutes until another team comes knocking.

If this is the case then people need to stop complaining about Gordon not getting enough minutes.

So you guys want Rip to get minutes to trade and then complain because Gordon doesn't get enough.

[Seven11]

Face it. No matter how much you try to showcase Rip, he isn't getting traded. Nobody wants him for that horrible contract. Only a team in win-now mode will take him. Therefore, let me take that back. There actually is a team that fits that bill that is interested in his services, the Chicago Bulls, but they will only take on his contract to get rid of their own horrible contract in Luol Deng. Not to mention that they would want Austin Daye along with the exchange. With that being said, Rip isn't going anywhere. As a Ben Gordon fan, I hope y'all just trade BG. He's a whole lot easier to trade. How dare the Pistons sign BG to a big contract, and then give him sparse minutes, and then complain about him not putting up the same production he did in Chicago? Newsflash, even when he came off of the bench in Chicago he still got starter minutes...and by every season's end in Chicago he was starting when they made a playoff run.

TRADE BG!!!

[Todd3]

Kuester manages to hold back every players minutes juuust enough so that none of them will ever really get hot and win a game for you. Its like he neutralizes his own players, and they all cancel each other out.

[Seven11]

Kuester manages to hold back every players minutes juuust enough so that none of them will ever really get hot and win a game for you. Its like he neutralizes his own players, and they all cancel each other out.

Pretty much

[Todd3]

Bynum never gets Monroe when he is open and rolling to the basket.

Yep. I'm glad someone else notices that too. I see so many times during the games where Monroe slips to the basket wide open, waving his hands calling for the ball. You can then tell Bynum see's him, but then turns his head away and dribbles the other direction.

I said yesterday Bynum has something against Monroe and/or going inside.

I dislike Bynum very much. I can't stand selfish, me-first guards, and Bynum epitomizes that type of player. I don't care how many assists he gets, its only the plays to make him look better, never the winning plays.

Stuckey ignores Monroe too, but not as much since they don't play much together, but Stuckey does a lot of the same things.

As I expected, the law of averages brought Stuckey back to reality tonight and showed the inconsistent PG he really is.