Pistons’ Backcourt Developing Cohesion

Pistons’ Backcourt Developing Cohesion
By Steve St-Pierre | @Steve_Courtside

Now passed the halfway mark of the 2011-12 NBA season, the Pistons’ chemistry is growing amongst their building blocks for the future, particularly the backcourt of veteran Rodney Stuckey and rookie Brandon Knight.

Until this season, Detroit had always hoped Stuckey would establish himself as the team’s starting point guard. He spent his rookie season learning under the guidance of former Pistons guard Chauncey Billups. Once Billups was traded, Stuckey was given the responsibility of running the team’s offense.

Whether he was playing alongside former teammate Rip Hamilton or current Piston Ben Gordon, Stuckey never appeared comfortable being a point guard. Last summer, the Pistons had been targeting a big man in the 2011 NBA Draft before Knight surprisingly slipped to them at No. 8. Detroit couldn’t pass on the opportunity to acquire a more-complete point guard that high in the draft.

Stuckey was a restricted free agent coming into this season, but the Pistons convinced him to return. At first, it appeared Lawrence Frank, Pistons Head Coach, was going to keep Stuckey at point guard and bring Knight off the bench. However, early-season injuries to both Stuckey and Gordon allowed Knight to solidify the starting point guard position.

For the last several weeks, Knight and Stuckey have been starting together in the backcourt, with Stuckey at shooting guard. Gordon has been coming off the bench in a reserve role, allowing the Pistons to utilize a three-guard rotation. This has allowed each guard to get comfortable in their spots, which in turn has allowed center Greg Monroe to emerge as one of the NBA’s top players at his position.

“When Brandon is playing north-to-south and attacking the rim, it is vital for us,” Frank says. “When he and Rodney are both doing that, it means Greg is going to get rebounds and he’s going to get some easy shots.”

“We’re a different team when (Stuckey’s) attacking – that’s point blank,” adds Monroe. “When he’s attacking the goal with that intensity and that consistently throughout the game, we’re a different team. That’s something we have to ask him to do every night and just impose his will over the whole game.”

Of course, having such a young and inexperienced backcourt has periodically led the Pistons to more turnovers and less assists. The team knows that its rookie point guard will struggle at times with ball-handling but anticipates improvement in that department.

“It’s one thing to get in the lane; it’s another to find solutions,” Frank says. “It will be an ongoing thing. Brandon is a very, very quick study.”

“There’s no excuse to just throw the ball away and be as careless as we are at times,” adds Gordon. “I don’t think it’s an offensive thing. I think it’s just a matter of us focusing and concentrating better.”

The Pistons anticipated growing pains with this type of roster, which is why they decided to re-sign veteran Tayshaun Prince. Detroit’s starting small forward, Prince has tried to help Knight and Stuckey with moving the ball on offense and showing them the ropes.

“It’s meant a lot just to know that (Prince has) been in a place where I’m trying to get as far as the type of player that he is,” Knight says. “He wants the best for the team. Just to have your veterans talk to you and try to lead you in the right direction shows that our team is trying to get better.”

Though they aren’t likely to make the playoffs this season, the Pistons are hoping to improve during the second half of the year and finish on a high note. More importantly, they need to assure themselves they have their backcourt of the future in place so that they can concentrate on adding another big man to place alongside Monroe this summer.

As of now, that plan appears to be coming to fruition.

PISTONS SEEKING NATIONAL ANTHEM SINGERS

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons are looking for talented, devoted, and open-minded performers who would feel comfortable singing the Star Spangled Banner at the team’s home games. The pre-game anthem is a part of the entire game day entertainment package that carries important responsibilities and a pride of accomplishment.
Interested applicants must submit their headshot along with a DVD, CD or link of them singing the National Anthem to the attention of Game Operations, National Anthem at 6 Championship Dr. Auburn Hills, MI 48326 or by e-mail at nationalanthem@palacenet.com.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

PISTONS' CHARLIE VILLANUEVA INJURY UPDATE

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons announced today the following injury update regarding forward Charlie Villanueva.

Following repeated imaging studies as well as multiple consultations from foot and ankle orthopedic surgeons, it has been determined that Charlie Villanueva’s right ankle soreness can be attributed to a resolving posterior tibial tenosynovitis with small talotibal spurs.

A few weeks of partial ankle immobilization have been recommended in an attempt to alleviate the soreness and discomfort.

He will be re-evaluated after that period.

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Pistons Experiencing Growing Pains

Pistons Experiencing Growing Pains
By Steve St-Pierre | @Steve_Courtside

It’s hard to pinpoint one specific reason for the Pistons’ misfortunes during this condensed 2011-12 NBA season. A glaring cause for concern, though, has been the inconsistent play from the majority of their young players.

Surely, injuries and a general lack of depth have plagued the Pistons early this season. They’ve been without veteran reserves Charlie Villanueva and Will Bynum most of the year, and they’ve had to shuffle their backcourt rotation due to various injuries to guards Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey.

The lack of health to the team has caused the Pistons to rely heavily on rookie Brandon Knight, who has been thrust into the starting point guard position after beginning the season as a backup to Gordon and Stuckey. Additionally, the team – along with the rest of the league – must endure the responsibility of playing a compressed schedule.

“I’m fine,” Knight says. “Just trying to make sure I rest myself, get a lot of sleep and just working with Arnie (Kander, Pistons Strength and Conditioning Coach) and our strength staff.”

“You just focus it one game at a time, and it’s a mental-toughness test,” adds Lawrence Frank, Pistons Head Coach. “A lot of games, short amount of time. The NBA is a no-sympathy league. You line ‘em up, and you’ve better come out and give your best effort and compete.”

Even with the low expectations they had coming into the season, the Pistons have disappointed fans by not only losing but being blown out most nights by their opponents.

“Losing sucks,” Frank says. “It’s misery. To me, it’s how you win and how you lose.”

“We just can’t afford to pick our spots,” adds Gordon. “We’re just not that good of a team yet. I think we’ve just got to do a better job of playing a complete game with the same intensity level. We know we’re gonna make mistakes, but the key thing is playing with a maximum-level of effort and energy at all times.”

“We have to continue to put more into the game in order to have a chance to win,” Frank says. “Look, the other team, they want to win too.”

The Pistons, as a result of their struggles, have yet to commit to a set rotation. It remains to be seen who will start in the backcourt once Knight, Gordon and Stuckey are all healthy. Lately, it’s been Knight and Stuckey starting with Gordon out with two shoulder injuries.

“It’s kind of nagging, so I’m just trying to find a way to help the team and play through it…” Gordon says. “…We need as much help as we can get.”

Frank has also failed to pick a consistent starter at power forward. Jonas Jerebko began the season as the starter, but he struggled early on with foul trouble. Detroit has since been opening games with veteran Ben Wallace in the starting lineup, though he is no longer capable of handling significant minutes during games. It’s possible reserve Jason Maxiell could wind up challenging for more playing time, and Villanueva could even earn the starting spot whenever he returns from a sore ankle.

The bright side to a season like this is that it allows a team like the Pistons to give its young players plenty of minutes on the floor. While center Greg Monroe has emerged as the team’s best and most consistent player, Jerebko and forward Austin Daye have both battled through stretches of inconsistent play. Even Knight, as a rookie point guard, is experiencing the ups and downs of running an NBA franchise.

“It’s still a very big learning process as to when to attack and when not to, how to position yourself when you’re driving,” Knight says. “As a rookie, it’s tough to get calls at certain times of the games. You’ve got to get completely killed to get a call sometimes. I’m just trying to be aggressive and stay positive no matter what the situation is – continue to attack, continue to try to lift your teammates, continue to provide intensity, provide positive spirit for everybody.”

“He’s learning,” adds Frank. “This is a process. The step for most players, when they come from college to the NBA, is how to play pick-and-roll basketball. At Kentucky, they ran some pick and roll, but it was more dribble handoffs. Now you’re going against the best.”

The Pistons aren’t kidding themselves. They know they aren’t going to be a playoff team this year. They also know that nobody feels sorry for an organization that was once an annual staple atop the Eastern Conference elite.

“We are what we are right now,” Gordon says. “We can’t just change our record because we think we’re better than we are.”

“We can tell that we’ve been getting better,” Knight optimistically adds. “We’ve been competing a lot more. We’ve been trying to put it out on the court a lot more, but it’s just a matter of us doing it for an entire game versus just stretches.”

Many believe the Pistons’ best bet is to continue losing games in order to increase their chances of landing a top selection in the upcoming NBA Draft. The players on this team, however, are only concerned right now with improving and turning the season around.

“Until we prove otherwise, we just need to continue each and every night to try to find a way to muster the effort that it takes to win an NBA game,” Gordon says. “We haven’t been doing that.”

Pistons Re-Sign Russell Jr.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

To compensate for various injuries to their backcourt, the Pistons have re-signed Walker Russell Jr., who attended training camp with the Pistons before being released and joining the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League.

Russell Jr. averaged 16 points and a league-high 9.9 assists per game in the D-League in 16 games this season with the Mad Ants. The son of former Piston Walker D. Russell, Russell Jr. should continue to see spot minutes behind rookie Brandon Knight and veterans Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey.

Enthusiasm Mixed As Pistons Begin Season

Enthusiasm Mixed As Pistons Begin Season
By Steve St-Pierre

With a new owner and head coach at the helm, the Pistons were expected to be a team on the brink of starting over with a fresh crop of new players to wash the losing stench that has plagued the franchise the last few seasons. Yet, the roster remains mostly intact, and this team is going to be a tough sell for fans in the Motor City.

In an extended offseason, the Pistons brought in Tom Gores, Pistons Owner, who in turn hired Lawrence Frank, Pistons Head Coach. Gores also assisted Joe Dumars, Pistons President, in drafting point guard Brandon Knight out of Kentucky. Then, before the start of preseason, the front office negotiated a buyout of longtime off-guard Rip Hamilton, whose frustration with the franchise had rubbed off on many – if not all – of his Pistons teammates.

When the organization drafted Knight last June, it appeared the Pistons were declaring the need for a new playmaker to run the offense and spread the floor. Along with promising frontcourt players Greg Monroe, Austin Daye and a re-signed Jonas Jerebko, a foundation was put in place to market to Pistons fans as part of the new era in franchise history.

This entire outlook has changed, though, since the Pistons re-signed small forward Tayshaun Prince. Like Hamilton, Prince had appeared to be done in Detroit. It was widely assumed that he would leave in free agency and sign with a title contender. The Pistons already had two players in Daye and Jerebko who were ready to battle for the starting small forward spot.

Prince decided to stay with the Pistons. Whether it was for more money, to reestablish his legacy within the franchise or to simply be a part of turning the organization around, Prince signed a four-year contract to remain in Motown. As a result, the team keeps a versatile forward who helped guide it to a championship in 2004, but the young players take a back seat.

The Pistons also re-signed guard Rodney Stuckey this preseason. After drafting Knight, the team appeared set on moving Stuckey to shooting guard, his natural position in the NBA. As of this moment, however, Frank is starting Stuckey at the point and Ben Gordon at shooting guard. Knight and reserve point guard Will Bynum are sharing minutes with the second unit.

Furthermore, the team has elected to not use its amnesty clause this season, meaning that they are giving players like Gordon and Charlie Villanueva one more chance to prove their long-term value to the organization. Ben Wallace, the only other holdover from the 2004 championship team, is also back for one more season but will likely see spot minutes off the bench. He will see time at center behind Monroe and at power forward behind Jerebko and Villanueva.

Overall, this just does not seem like a team ready for a new regime. The Pistons have an opportunity to develop their young talent and sell their fans on a desire to change the culture while ridding themselves of players who provided little in the ways of winning games or bringing leadership to the locker room. Yet, their young assets continue to get pushed to the side in favor of other players who, despite possessing talent and skill, have been unable to gel and produce wins.

Pistons fans know this, and they are not going to support this product. This is a city with the perennial contending Red Wings, the promising Tigers and the up-and-coming Lions who have just clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 1999. Most fans are not going to miss out on any of that to follow a Pistons team that continues to lose games and remain without an identity.

It is painfully obvious that this current Pistons group is not a championship contender or even a playoff threat at this point. Most fans will not follow the team until they get back to winning. If the team wants to keep any of its remaining diehard fans, though, they will need to utilize their young assets if they are truly selling the concept of change.

Pistons Set To Waive Hamilton; Invite Others To Camp

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

The Pistons continue to make several moves to their roster. A day after re-signing forwards Tayshaun Prince and Jonas Jerebko, the team has decided to part ways with longtime shooting guard Rip Hamilton.

Detroit has also invited several free agents to training camp. Those players include Damien Wilkins, Walker Russell, Jake Voskuhl, Kareem Rush and Brian Hamilton. Wilkins has a good shot of sticking with the team to back up Ben Gordon, who is now penciled in as the starting shooting guard to replace Rip Hamilton.

Since the Pistons are buying out Rip's contract, they will still have their amnesty clause available to use on another player if/when they choose to do so. Rip was owed roughly $20 million, but the buyout is reportedly worth about half of that. He is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls.