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Can we put this myth to bed? This is arguably the best 4-5 combination in the league and they're both playing extremely well. And they're doing this with literally nothing else around them. We also need to put the "small ball or die" myth to bed as Dre and Blake are routinely punishing teams inside and are still able to stay on the floor defensively when other teams are small.

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That whole notion was laughable to begin with. It was concocted by the same people who do nothing but say how terrible this roster is every single post.

The blake from 2 years ago was taking under 2 3's per game and shooting a mediocre percentage. Current blake is taking 6 a game at a 40% clip. Blake deserves a ton of credit for transforming his game and making this work.

It only works because Blake shoots lots of 3s.

Give Casey a lot of credit also. It didn't look close to this effective with SVG.

vic wrote:It only works because Blake shoots lots of 3s.

Umm...isn’t that the point? Having one big guy who can play true center and another who can (hopefully) stretch the floor? I don’t think anyone expects it to work too well if both guys stay in the post the whole time.


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Griffin has always been an ideal fit. Actually, I think Griffin is the perfect PF in today's NBA. He is an absolute force in the paint but can now knock down 3s and drive from the 3 point line. What more could you ask for? I swear people just make things up when things aren't going well. It's like when Griffin is in a shooting slump someone comes out and says he has bad shooting form or has a hitch or something which is not true at all.

If Blake continues to be a threat outside like this, then yes, they're a good fit, or at least a decent enough one.

If he reverts back to last years' shooting then no, they're not a good fit. For now I'm happy to give it the benefit of the doubt since it's working at the moment.

Real concern here is our perimeter play. We're a .500 team or a touch below it by the end of the season if that doesn't improve. Worse if the injury bug gets us.

DetroitSho wrote:Can we put this myth to bed? This is arguably the best 4-5 combination in the league and they're both playing extremely well. And they're doing this with literally nothing else around them. We also need to put the "small ball or die" myth to bed as Dre and Blake are routinely punishing teams inside and are still able to stay on the floor defensively when other teams are small.

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I still think small ball is the way of the present and future.

A 9-7 record for the Pistons thus far doesn't negate the last several years for the NBA as a whole, and it doesn't prove building around 2 bigs is viable in terms of building an honest to goodness winner. Blake and Drummond have certainly played very well but the resources invested in them will make it harder to build the perimeter we need. There's a reason they "virtually have nothing around them", and it's because of resource and asset allocation. We'd need to do a lot better for a lot longer to put that "myth" to bed.

Manocad wrote:

vic wrote:It only works because Blake shoots lots of 3s.

Umm...isn’t that the point? Having one big guy who can play true center and another who can (hopefully) stretch the floor? I don’t think anyone expects it to work too well if both guys stay in the post the whole time.


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Yes that is the point... but execution is everything. Blake has changed his game so he gets most of the credit.

My only hope is that Blake and Drummond continue to bring it on the defensive side of the court.

DetroitPistons wrote:Griffin has always been an ideal fit. Actually, I think Griffin is the perfect PF in today's NBA. He is an absolute force in the paint but can now knock down 3s and drive from the 3 point line. What more could you ask for? I swear people just make things up when things aren't going well. It's like when Griffin is in a shooting slump someone comes out and says he has bad shooting form or has a hitch or something which is not true at all.

In all his NBA years prior to the trade, he never had a season where he made more than 0.6 3's per game. Most of the seasons were 0.1 or 0.2. His highest 3 point shooting season, he made a total of 38 all season. He's already up to that in the first couple games here.

He's radically transformed his game in 2 off seasons. He deserves a ton of credit for not only adding that to his game, but turning it into an absolute weapon. It really is quite an accomplishment for a guy who had near MVP seasons playing a completely different style.

Snakebites wrote:

DetroitSho wrote:Can we put this myth to bed? This is arguably the best 4-5 combination in the league and they're both playing extremely well. And they're doing this with literally nothing else around them. We also need to put the "small ball or die" myth to bed as Dre and Blake are routinely punishing teams inside and are still able to stay on the floor defensively when other teams are small.

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I still think small ball is the way of the present and future.

A 9-7 record for the Pistons thus far doesn't negate the last several years for the NBA as a whole, and it doesn't prove building around 2 bigs is viable in terms of building an honest to goodness winner. Blake and Drummond have certainly played very well but the resources invested in them will make it harder to build the perimeter we need. There's a reason they "virtually have nothing around them", and it's because of resource and asset allocation. We'd need to do a lot better for a lot longer to put that "myth" to bed.

No, being able to switch on defense 1 to 5 and not be severely mismatched is the way of the present and future. The only thing is teams think putting a 6-6 guy out there as the defacto PF is there best way to accomplish that. This has led to the thinking over the years that Jared Dudley is a small 4 or Markieff Morris is some small ball 5. How much winning basketball can seriously come of lineups with these particular players in those roles? Does Jon Leuer at the 5 ring a bell?

Basically the Pistons, with their traditional starting 4 and 5 can do a decent enough job switching most nights and not completely be outmatched in small ball situations. But RIP to the opposing team down on the defensive block and defensive boards.

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One or the other has been our leading scorer each game. 9 games for Griffin, 7 for Drummond.

vic wrote:

Manocad wrote:

vic wrote:It only works because Blake shoots lots of 3s.

Umm...isn’t that the point? Having one big guy who can play true center and another who can (hopefully) stretch the floor? I don’t think anyone expects it to work too well if both guys stay in the post the whole time.


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Yes that is the point... but execution is everything. Blake has changed his game so he gets most of the credit.

Of course. My point is that Blake hitting or not hitting 3’s is not a “fit” issue relative to playing with Dre. If your point guard keeps passing to the opposing team it’s not a fit issue either. It’s a “He can’t play well” issue.


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