'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 58

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http://www.freep.com/article/20091130/S ... direction-

Starter Chucky Atkins points Pistons in right direction
When the Pistons signed Chucky Atkins to a non-guaranteed contract just before the start of training camp, not even Atkins thought he would be anywhere near the starting lineup. But when a team is going through a seven-game losing streak, plans go out the window. Pistons coach John Kuester shook up the lineup before Sunday's home contest against the Atlanta Hawks by giving Atkins his first start since April 2007 with the Memphis Grizzlies.

And while Atkins only went 1-for-7 for two points and one assist, his presence was a calming influence in the Pistons' 94-88 victory. And Atkins was just glad to contribute after only appearing in four of the team's first 16 games. "I've been in this league for a long time, and situations can change rather quickly," Atkins said. "I didn't expect to be starting on this team at all this year -- any games. "For me to be thrown in the starting lineup this early in the season -- one, it was a surprise when you haven't been playing as much."

Atkins only played 19 minutes, but he did free Rodney Stuckey from point guard duties for part of the game. Stuckey responded with 23 points and tied a season-high with eight assists. Will Bynum picked up the rest of the slack at point with 19 points and four assists off the bench. Kuester said that Stuckey's days as point guard weren't over. "It wasn't by design to say we're taking Stuckey off the ball," Kuester said. "Stuckey will be on the ball and he's comfortable in both positions."

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http://www.freep.com/article/20091130/S ... direction-

ANOTHER BAD BREAK: Charlie Villanueva was replaced in the starting lineup and had a solid game with 13 points in 18 minutes before his name was added to the list of injured Pistons when he suffered a broken nose with 9:30 left.

He left the game with a bleeding nose and never returned.

He will have his nose set and the Pistons will have more on his availability for Wednesday night's game at Chicago today.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20091130/S ... osing-skid

Pistons' new lineup helps snap 7-game losing skid
Pistons coach John Kuester probably didn't think a drastic lineup change would enable his team to almost double-up the Hawks in rebounding margin. But that's what happened when the Pistons clobbered the Hawks by a margin of 53-27 in Sunday afternoon's 94-88 victory, which snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Pistons (6-11).

Chucky Atkins and Jason Maxiell were surprise starters with Atkins running the point and Maxiell playing power forward. Rodney Stuckey moved over to the shooting guard, and Charlie Villanueva moved to the bench after starting the first 16 games of the season. The starting frontcourt of Ben Wallace (10 points, 18 rebounds), Jonas Jerebko (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Maxiell (seven points, six rebounds) dominated as the Pistons scored 60 points in the paint and 30 second-chance points.

But Wallace pointed to offensive execution as the main reason for the rebounding domination. Good offense led to good floor balance and good rebounding position. "I think the biggest thing was we got into the offense, we executed, we took shots we were supposed to take, and it allowed us to get to the boards," Wallace said. "If we take good shots and give us the opportunity to work down there, good things are going to happen for us."

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http://www.freep.com/article/20091130/S ... osing-skid

Coming of age?
Injuries and losing have forced Pistons coach John Kuester to shake up the starting lineup. Here's how the average age of the past three lineups compare:
Wednesday
CLE 98, DET 88
26.2
Friday
LAC 104, DET 96
25.2
Sunday
DET 94, ATL 88
28.2

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http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... emini.html

Interview: Chucky Atkins reminisces about his days in the Flint City Pro-Am
With the absences of Ben Gordon (left ankle sprain), Richard Hamilton (right ankle sprain) and Tayshaun Prince (small ruptured disc-lower back), the Detroit Pistons have been forced to make some changes in their lineup. When they squared off against the Atlanta Hawks yesterday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, coach John Kuester decided to place veteran point guard Chucky Atkins in a starting role for the depleted team. Prior to his first start of this season, I caught up with Atkins as he signed a few autographs for fans to reflect on when he competed in the Pro-Am league in Flint during his first Pistons tenure.

I remember when you came down to the Pro-Am in Flint when I was a kid man ...: Yeah bro!
Do you still do stuff like that in the summer time?: I ball out as much as I can. Every chance that I get, that’s what I do.
I remember one time you walked in the gym late and turned the gym out. You were pulling three’s from half court.: You know what? I like to go places where people love basketball and display my God-given ability. I mean, a lot of times the people in Flint don’t get to come down here and watch us play in person so obviously Mateen (Cleaves) was a teammate of mine at the time and a very good friend and still is to this day and he invited me to come down and once I came down there and seen how the people enjoyed the game and seen how packed the gym is I made it a thing to try to come down there as much as I possibly can because I loved it.

Who was your toughest competition there?: I mean everybody was tough. The Torbert boys was tough and I can’t think of my other boy's name, he got game. He should’ve actually been in the pros.
You talking about Cory Hightower?: Cory Hightower! Yeah … you understand. Them boys got it in, they played hard basketball. So I think it’s a lot of talent down there in Flint, I think it’s just about somebody instilling stuff in them you know what I mean?
Do you think you would ever come back and play in the Pro Am?: If they have it there this summer I will be there. Without a doubt.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... oes_s.html

Charlie Villanueva undergoes surgery, is questionable for game against Bulls
Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva had surgery today to repair a nasal fracture and to realign his septum after having his nose broken Sunday in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Dr. Gene Rontal performed the surgery at the DMC Berry Surgery Center in Farmington Hills, according to the Pistons. Villanueva is being fitted for a mask and is questionable for the Pistons' game Wednesday night in Chicago.

Ben Gordon is also listed as questionable for that game, while Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton are listed as out.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... ckeys.html

A second look: Rodney Stuckey's decision making on dribble penetration
Trying to drive to the basket against Josh Smith, the NBA's leading shot blocker, is probably not the best decision.Going into Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, Rodney Stuckey was shooting 39.2 percent from the floor, down nearly five percent from last year.

Stuckey's assist numbers were also down heading into the contest. His 3.9 assists per game were a full assist lower than last year's rate and 1.6 assists lower than the league average of point guards playing more than 25 minutes a game. One of the bigger critiques of Stuckey's game this year has been his shot selection. Stuckey's primary offensive weapon is his ability to penetrate the paint off the dribble, but his decision making in the paint hasn't been the best.

The Atlanta game ended up being an interesting choice to analyze since Stuckey didn't play point guard most of the night, but there were enough cases of dribble penetration to properly gauge his decision making. Below is a detailed description of each of Rodney Stuckey's drives into the lane and the result.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... ckeys.html

First Quarter:
8:38: The post was clear as the Pistons brought the ball up the court so Stuckey chose to drive left past Mike Bibby from the right wing. Josh Smith met Stuckey at the free throw line, but Stuckey drew contact as Smith impeded Stuckey's path to the basket with his forearm. Stuckey was able to bank home an impressive runner after the contact. Verdict: Good decision

6:30: While being guarded by Joe Johnson at the top of the key, Stuckey dribbles around a Ben Wallace ball screen to his left. As Josh Smith switches to defend, Stuckey immediately crosses over and blows past Smith in the open lane for an easy layup. Verdict: Good decision

4:38: Dribbling down the court after a defensive stop, Stuckey accelerated at center court and blew past Joe Johnson. Jamal Crawford came to help sliding across the lane moving left to right and Stuckey jump-stopped six feet from the basket, switched hands and laid it in with the left hand away from Crawford. Verdict: Good decision

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Second Quarter:
8:58: Stuckey received the ball in open space, thanks to an excellent Kwame Brown baseline screen, just inside the three-point line on the left wing. He immediately started with his right hand toward the basket, but as Stuckey's defender tried to recover and Brown's defender came to help, Rodney hooked a sharp pass to Brown on the baseline. The pass was a little too hot for Brown to handle which allowed the Hawks to recover and get a defensive stop. Stuckey's idea was good, but if he had waited another half a second he could have dropped the ball in softer to an even-more-wide-open Brown. Verdict: Good decision
8:33: Stuckey dribbled left around a Charlie Villanueva screen on the right wing. Stuckey got free in space and opted to take a eight-foot runner in the lane. It was an open shot, but not necessarily an easy one. Stuckey had Villanueva open on the perimeter behind him after he popped out of the screen, but Stuckey never looked that way. In his direct line of vision, Austin Daye was open in the left corner and Kwame Brown was streaking down the opposite side of the lane for what looked like a potentially easy bucket. Brown did end up getting the basket after tipping in Stuckey's miss, but it shouldn't have been necessary on this particular play. Verdict: Bad decision

7:38: Stuckey tried to take Maurice Evans one-on-one off the dribble. He started at the top of the key and went to his right. He ended taking an out-of-control running attempt on the right side of the basket. There was contact on the play, but not enough to justify a whistle. The only open man on the perimeter was Will Bynum at the right wing, but there was a defender in the passing lane making a kickout difficult. Verdict: Bad decision
6:40: While on the right wing, Stuckey received a screen from Ben Wallace and dribbled to his right around it. Al Horford stepped out to slow Stuckey, but stayed close enough to prevent Stuckey from pulling up for a jump shot. In a great example of waiting for the play to open up, Stuckey slowed his dribble on the perimeter and as Johnson finally got around the screen and Horford to a step toward returning to his man, Stuckey blew by the still out-of-place Johnson for an uncontested layup. Verdict: Good decision

:25: Stuckey ended up in isolation being guarded by Josh Smith on the left wing after dribbling around a Charlie Villanueva screen. Stuckey tried to take Smith baseline, but committed an offensive foul after he put a shoulder into Smith's chest. The replays confirmed that the officials made the right call. Verdict: Bad decision
1:58: After missing a 20-foot jumper at the top of the key, Stuckey retrieved the basketball after Jerebko tapped the rebound back out. Stuckey immediately drove down the center of the lane, went up like he was going to attempt to lay it in over two Atlanta defenders, but dumped it off to Ben Wallace on the baseline who was fouled as he attempted to dunk the ball. Wallace made one of the two free throw attempts. Verdict: Good decision
1:27: Stuckey was between the right wing and corner as Charlie Villanueva came to set a screen to Stuckey's left. Stuckey faked left, but drove right down the wide open baseline. Marvin Williams left Villanueva and fouled Stuckey hard to stop the easy basket. Verdict: Good decision

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... ckeys.html

Third Quarter:
9:45: Stuckey broke away from his defender and received a pass on the right wing from Chucky Atkins. Ben Wallace, already in the area, set an additional screen for Stuckey who dribbled to his right toward the basket. Al Horford switched off Wallace to defend the penetration and forced Stuckey into taking a wild over-the-backboard running shot. The circus shot (video below) somehow managed to fall. Verdict: Inconclusive

6:29: Stuckey blew by Joe Johnson moving left at the top of the key after a nice crossover move. He dribbled through traffic, around a flat-footed Al Horford at the free throw line and went up for a layup. At the last moment Josh Smith left Ben Wallace alone under the basket, came across the baseline and altered Stuckey's shot, forcing him to miss. Despite limited space, there was a window for Stuckey to dump the ball off to Wallace for an easy dunk. Both the shot and pass had their risks, but Stuckey probably should have attempted the dump off in this situation. Verdict: Inconclusive

Video in the link above^.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... ckeys.html

Fourth Quarter:
4:50: After coming around a ball screen going left at the top of the key, Stuckey was fronted by Al Horford, who had left Ben Wallace. As Stuckey's defender, Mike Bibby, recovered and Jamal Crawford inched closer to the ball from the left, Stuckey opted to take it into the triple team for an ill-advised, leaning six-foot shot. During the play, Stuckey had Wallace cut right down the middle of the lane without a man within three feet. Also, once Crawford joined the fray, Will Bynum was left alone in the left corner. Even though he's not known for his three-point shot, you would rather see Bynum get the open look instead of Stuckey forcing a shot in a crowd. Verdict: Bad decision

3:19: Stuckey dribbled left around a screen on the left wing and was picked up by Josh Smith. Smith forced Stuckey under the basket where he picked up his dribble. Instead of looking to kick back out of trouble, Stuckey tried to force it up against Smith, one of the best shot blockers in the NBA, and had the shot easily rejected. Verdict: Bad decision
2:03: Stuckey caught a Will Bynum baseline inbounds pass a the top of the key and continues down the lane in one motion. He dribbled left and tries a left-handed scoop off the window, but it was too hard. Stuckey passed up a potentially better option, choosing not to dump the ball to an open Jason Maxiell on the baseline for the open five-foot jump shot. Verdict: Bad decision

1:09: Stuckey dribbled around a Ben Wallace screen on the right wing dribbling to his left and immediately blew past Josh Smith as he came over to help. Two more defenders collapsed toward the basket, but Stuckey went up strong through the traffic only to be rejected from behind by Smith. Despite the heavy traffic it was a good, controlled attempt by Stuckey that was negated by an impressive defensive play be Smith. Stuckey's only other option on the play was to attempt a dump pass to Jason Maxiell under the basket, but Al Horford was in the passing lane and probably would have picked off the pass. Verdict: Good decision

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... ckeys.html

Conclusion:
Overall Stuckey had a nice game. He finished with 23 points, eight assists and only two turnovers, but his decision making on dribble penetration could still use some work.

By my estimation, Stuckey made the right decision on eight of his 16 drives. His major issue continues to be sharing the basketball off the drive. He only passed the ball twice in 16 trips to the lane.

Stuckey must improve in this area. Passing on dribble penetration leads to easy baskets, both in the lane and on the perimeter. Also, if opposing teams are forced to honor his ability to pass in the lane, Stuckey will see less resistance from defenses when he chooses to take it to the rim on his own.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

About last afternoon: Vintage Ben Wallace and Rodney Stuckey, defensive stopper
Will I use a Jonas Jerebko picture in two straight About Last Night Afternoon columns? You bet I will.Jerebko followed up his career high scoring night on Friday (he had 22) with a career-high rebounding game against Atlanta, getting 11. He also scored 10 points. None of them were very pretty, but they were punishing.

The Jerebko sequence that everyone will remember is his defensive play late in the fourth quarter. The Hawks were down six, had a two-on-one break, Jamal Crawford waited just a tad to long to give the ball up, Jerebko (the only one back on defense) got a hand on it and then corralled it before it went out of bounds. The Pistons scored at the other end. Four-point swing and ballgame. But he's been a pretty polished and active defensive player from the get. Offensively is where he's been at his most awkward, so I have another signature play that I remember most from the game.Jerebko took it inside and went up for a two-handed dunk that NBA leading shot-blocker Josh Smith easily rejected. Jerebko grabbed the loose ball and wildly threw up a falling away half-layup/half-short jumper attempted that hit the backboard and didn't get any iron. Jerebko again collected the loose ball and flicked a little half-hook that went in just as the shot-clock expired.

Was there anything aesthetically pleasing about the entire sequence? Quite the opposite. But ugliness aside, it points out something about Jerebko that keeps him on the court while fellow rookie small forwards Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers are yanked in and out: he's extremely confident, almost to a fault. A commonality among rookies, particularly less heralded ones like the Pistons have, is for them to become timid when they make a mistake or two offensively. Jerebko does the exact opposite: he seems to become more motivated and active after he makes a bad play. He fights to get the ball back and doesn't stop trying to make things happen. Sometimes it results in poor possessions or mistakes or ugly basketball. But one thing it doesn't result in is allowing the opposing defender to rest against him. If a player becomes timid on offense or doesn't want the ball, it's quite easy for the other team to ignore him. Jerebko's made a lot of mistakes, but his ability to compete keeps him on the court consistently and is turning him into a very important player.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

Rodney Stuckey, defensive stopper: Other than to say Stuckey had another all-around terrific game (23 points, 8 assists, just two turnovers), I'll refrain from too much offensive analysis. Justin's post goes more in-depth on that, so I'll let you direct your insults to him in the comments.

But Stuckey, who guarded Joe Johnson most of the game (although Jerebko did a nice job in limited stretches, particularly on a switch in the last minute of the game), held Johnson to 5-for-19 shooting, including 0-for-5 on threes. Add him to the list of some others Stuckey has had nice defensive nights against: Mo Williams (5-for-13), Deron Williams (5-for-12), Gilbert Arenas (7-for-18), Raymond Felton (4-for-11), Jose Calderon (4-for-11), Jameer Nelson (3-for-11) and Russell Westbrook (2-for-11). Not a bad list.

With Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton out, Stuckey has frequently been drawing the opposing team's best offensive perimeter player, a first for him in his career, which is perhaps a factor in his lower shooting percentage, although he's been at about his career average over the past three games.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

The new starting lineup: Since it resulted in a win, obviously everyone is going to consider it a keeper. I can't say I disagree with moving Villanueva to the bench. I love his offense on the second unit, and streaky players like him typically make better bench players than starters. He was having a good game until he had to come out with a broken nose.

Jason Maxiell has clearly moved into the third big role after starting the season as perhaps the fourth or fifth. He's been the first post player off the bench the last week or so and got the starting nod today. His numbers are down overall from his career marks, but the knock on him has always been consistency. In limited minutes this year, he's giving a fairly consistent effort. He's definitely been better than Kwame Brown and he's been much, much better than Chris Wilcox.

Chucky Atkins is obviously a stop-gap measure until Gordon or Hamilton returns. He didn't shoot well (1-for-7) and didn't do much of note in his 19 minutes, but he helped run the offense semi-competently and allowed the Pistons to continue to bring Will Bynum off the bench, where they seem to like him the best. I don't think it would hurt to continue to start Daye rather than Atkins. If he's going to develop, he has to play. If he plays early and doesn't have it, he can be replaced. If he gets it going offensively, they can stay with him. Similar strategy to the one Michael Curry planned to use with Amir Johnson last year that he stuck with for all of seven games. It's probably moot anyway, as Gordon should be back soon.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

Ben Wallace the point-forward: There were some ha-has directed at Justin when he wrote about Ben Wallace's ability as a passer. Well, it was on display against Atlanta with two nice passes to cutting Atkins and Jerebko inside.

Much was also made about Wallace's signing for the potential impact on Pistons' young players. I think it's obvious the impact he's had on Jerebko. The two are frequently talking on the court, and Jerebko's hustling style, graceful defense and hard-nosed play are at least a little reminiscent of Big Ben. They seem to be kindred spirits, although Ben's jumper will never be confused with Jerebko's.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

Just a bit on the rebounding: The 53-27 rebounding advantage was obviously the most glaring reason for the win. It was simply effort. Not much needs to be said, other than pointing out that the Hawks, coming in, were a top five team in the league in boards. Just an impressive all-around win against a very good team by an extremely short-handed Pistons squad.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

What the blogs are saying:
Motown String Music: "The major story though was the Pistons endless hustle and absolute domination on the glass. The Pistons nearly doubled the Hawks total rebound total, 53-27, and quadrupled them on the offensive glass, 24-6. Who said the Pistons would have problems on the glass this year?"

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

Detroit4lyfe: "After the timeout, a dazed Villanueva came onto the floor with a huge wad of gauze shoved into his left nostril and knocked down two free throws like it ain't no thang. He immediately was replaced by Jason Maxiell and went to the locker room for further reparations to his schnoz. It looked like his nose was puffy, he had a cut on the bridge, and his eye was swollen."

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... rnoon.html

Life on Dumars: "Ben Wallace looks like Ben Wallace of old. His 11 offensive rebound effort today was a joy to watch. Heck, he had his hands on the rock so much today I would have guessed he had 20 offensive boards. Yeah I know I’m not the first to say Ben Wallace is doin mad work, and certainly won’t be the last, but his presence is probably a huge reason this team has even cracked the two or three win total so far this season."