http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_091129.htmlPistons vs. Hawks
The PRE Report
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Ben Gordon is doubtful for Sunday’s game, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that rookie Austin Daye will get his second start against the Hawks. Daye had 13 points (4-11 FGs) and five rebounds against the Clippers Friday. “Austin did a nice job,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “What’s going to happen as time goes on, and if the team stays as present – if we don’t get anybody healthy – is it might be more matchups than anything. So we’ll make adjustments from there.” The Hawks offer a lot for Kuester’s staff to take into account, starting with All-Star Joe Johnson (21.7 ppg) and Mike Bibby (10.6) in the backcourt. Both players had big games against Detroit last season. In fact, the Hawks had a different leading scorer and a different leading rebounder in each of their three wins over the Pistons last season, and all of those players are back. It was the Hawks’ first season sweep of Detroit in 15 years. “They’ve got a number of weapons, 1 through 5 can be weapons at anytime,” Kuester said. All five starters, plus sixth man Jamal Crawford (see key matchup), average at least 10.0 points. The Hawks average 103.3 points per game. “This is a very talented Atlanta team so we need to make sure we do a great job of getting back in transition.”
After watching the Clippers’ Baron Davis attack the Pistons defense and come away with 25 points (11-for-11 at the free-throw line) and 10 assists, Kuester will want to put pressure on stopping the ball, and whether that lineup includes Daye remains to be seen. Daye’s starting debut was overshadowed by fellow rookie Jonas Jerebko, who led a valiant fourth-quarter effort by the Pistons. The NBA’s first Swedish player scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 4-for-4 beyond the arc. “To see him get a little bit of success last night, the way he shot the ball, was healthy for him because he needed that,” Kuester said. “The ball had been close and it hadn’t been going in. But he did a real nice job yesterday.” Jerebko, whose season high before Friday was just 10 points, said he doesn’t feel pressure to provide an encore performance Sunday. “I just got some (set plays) on offense I hadn’t got before and my first two shots dropped so I got more confidence on offense and went on after that,” he said. “I don’t feel pressure at all. Just come out and play my game. We’ll see what happens.”
While Jerebko could be matched up against fellow small forward Marvin Williams, don’t be surprised if the 6-foot-10 forward – who has drawn Kobe and LeBron as defensive assignments in the past – tries to slow down 6-foot-9 Josh Smith, who is averaging 15.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Smith, who is also the NBA’s No. 2 shot blocker (2.6 bpg), is far more explosive than Williams and could require Jerebko’s persistent defensive attention, which continues to receive rave reviews. Williams, the former No. 1 overall pick, at times seems gets lost in the Hawks’ high-flying attack. He’s averaging 10.0 points but has scored fewer than eight points in half of Atlanta’s 16 games. Although Clippers center Chris Kaman was nearly flawless Friday – making 11 of 13 shots for a game-high 26 points, Kuester's not holding it against Ben Wallace. “He’s a warrior. And it’s interesting, we rely so heavily on him for so many things, his effort is always there, and I think one of the things I take for granted a lot of times is that whoever he is guarding, I don’t think will score,” Kuester said. “I thought Kaman had some amazing tough shots, but Ben is always going to compete.” Wallace, who tied his season high with 16 rebounds Friday, will be charged with stopping Al Horford, who made everything look easy against the Pistons last season. He averaged 14.7 points on 57.6% shooting and 10.0 rebounds.
