http://smokingpistons.com/2010/03/22/wh ... alls-down/When It All Falls Down
The 2009-2010 season has officially fallen apart for the Pistons. After being swept in the season series by the Cavaliers, a series the Pistons used to dominate, it’s officially time to start looking at who’s going to be available in the NBA Lottery this summer. Detroit took on the surging Cavaliers on Sunday to close out the season series. The Cavs waxed the Pistons 104-79, making it 5 losses in a row for the struggling Pistons team. Jason Maxiell led the way for the Pistons with 16 points and 9 rebounds and he continues to build on each successive start. While filling in for Wallace, he’s averaging 11.3 points and 10.4 rebounds in his 10 starts. For the Cavs 6 players scored in double digits, including Lebron James with 15, Delonte West with 15, and Leon Powe led all scorers with 16 off the bench. The Pistons struggled to keep up with the Cavaliers, and in the 3rd quarter Lebron and Co. pulled away, outscoring the Pistons 21-10 to take a commanding lead and essentially win the game. This resembled their last bout with the Cavs last week when Lebron put it together in the 2nd half to win the game, only this time Lebron wasn’t nearly as involved. The loss puts Detroit at 23-47 and puts their losing streak at 5 in a row. Detroit is 2-9 in March, and 2-8 in their last 10 games.
Where do you begin if you’re a Pistons fan? This type of season is new territory to a franchise that has enjoyed lots of success this millenium. The first question that should come to mind is why? Why has the Pistons season been such an abomination? There’s a few areas to point to. First the team is for sale. This doesn’t necessarily translate into wins and losses, but rather front office decision making. Is it worth trading for players to try to turn this season around or is it better to play it safe and let the young guys get some work? The answer is obvious. Secondly, almost each player has had injury issues of varying severity. Not one player has played in all 70 games this season. Rip has been limited to 43 games, and Tayshaun 38. The Iron Men for the Pistons have been Jonas Jerebko and Jason Maxiell with 68, followed by Charlie V at 67 and Rodney Stuckey at 64. When your starters can’t give you more games than your bench, you’re in for a long season. Lastly, the team has no identity. Each game they play seems to have the same issues: poor defense and poor shooting. This team has played insanely efficient basketball as far as Assists to Turnovers, and yet they still lose by 15. They’re shooting 44.3% from the floor, and 71.9% from the line. This is good for 27th and 30th in the league respectively. This poor shooting has led to a league leading 924 Offensive Rebounds, the lone bright spot for the Pistons this season.
Fortunately for the Pistons their misfortunes can be turned around quickly. Their talent is young and experienced, and they’re poised to add more this summer. Looking at the roster from last season, it’s pretty obvious why they’re struggling. They’ve had a ton of turnover. Comparing last year’s roster to this year’s shows that the youth revolution started before the season did. Without Rasheed, McDyess, Billups, and Iverson, this team is just plain young. Even their bench bench, the 9-14 guys on the roster are relatively young. Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox are both veterans but both are under 30, and at the opposite end of the spectrum there’s Austin Daye at 21, DaJuan Summers at 22, Charlie V at 25, Ben Gordon at 26, Mad Max and Will Bynum are both 27. This helps put in perspective why the Pistons have had their struggles this season. In an injury-less season, the Pistons would probably be playing much differently. Having their key players like Rip, Tayshaun, and Stuckey available for every game at a high level would certainly change their fortunes in the East. Although their younger players wouldn’t have this opportunity to grow and learn if they hadn’t been injured.
