Pistons at Pacers Gameday
by Ryan Pretzer

TV: WDIV (HDTV) | Radio: WDFN 1130 AM - The Fan

Last Meeting: Detroit won 114-101 (December 28, 2007)

The skinny: The Pistons look for consecutive win No. 9 against the team they just took No. 8 from last night, this time in Indianapolis. Every dressed Pacer and Piston entered Friday’s blowout affair, and none played more than Chauncey Billups’ 33 minutes, so everyone should be relatively fresh, as far as home-and-home, back-to-backs go. Jermaine O’Neal had 25 points to lead the Pacers, but it was Rip Hamilton’s all-around night - 23 points, nine assists and four steals - that set the tone for a Pistons’ romp.

“I thought it was one of his better all-around games,” head coach Flip Saunders said. “When he was as active as he was defensively and he was in a mode to take what they gave him, he was more efficient shooting-wise. It kind of fuels everything.”

Hamilton was spelled by rookie Rodney Stuckey, who played a bit of both guard positions Friday. Stuckey finished with 10 points, three assists, three steals and three turnovers in 18 minutes.

What to watch: The Pistons did whatever they wanted in their offensive sets Friday - thus the 114 points. “I thought that we executed and we played well by moving the ball, getting easy shots,” Saunders said. Meanwhile, Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien made few tactical adjustments to disrupt them. Indiana is already the fifth-worst defensive team in the league, allowing upwards of 104 points per game. If the Pacers can’t give a better defensive effort, they could be in for another long night. Friday they shot a respectable percentage - 46.9 percent - and were the first Pistons opponent to top 100 points in eight games. Still, they lost handily. To be more competitive against the Central Division leaders, the Pacers will have to show there’s “D” in Indiana.

Whats the bad blood between Tay and Dunleavy? First I heard of it.

The announcers said something about Prince wanting to play especially well against Dunleavy because Prince was drafted below him the same year. I don't know of any conflict beyond that.

Thx. Tay seems to be too layed back to get pissed about much of anything. Thats how he seems to me anyway.

mostly what I expected. Gotta have better defense, though.

What's the point of putting Stuckey in the game if you're not going to involve him in the offense?

It seems like he has a tendency to drive before working the play. ??? jmho Maybe coach said, dish it.

Stuckey's starting to catch his groove.

Good learning experience for Stuckey there. He needs to learn when his team is in the penalty and back off a little.

He looked pretty good moving the ball, though.

defense was pretty terrible that whole half. They need to lock it down in the next 24 minutes.

Flagrant on Dunleavy

Oooh, tight one.

Oooh, tight one.

Keep the porn comments to yourself... Oh, the game. gotcha, yes it is.

No, I'm watching porn.

Neverfeerstuckeeisheer

Why did 57% vote for the reds? Fuck those jerseys.

Stuckey is fearless, I'll give him that. Getting blocked doesn't phase him one bit.

I'm pretty sure he thought he was fouled.

Stuckey gettin some PT with the starters.

Pacers want this one.

Pacers want this one.

That could almost make that other thread about sports cliches

They're extremely focused in trying to win.

Ball game.

CBill got away with a carry

CBILL WTF WAS DAT?

the pacers just vant to vin

Stuckey got game!

WHO ALL SEEN THE JIM O'BRIEN, SAY YEAAAAAAAAAAAA!

It was fun to see a meaningful 4th for once.

This is when you know you're good: when blowout wins become tiresome to watch...

Ball game.

:cogent:

You know what??? FUCK STUCKEY!!!! I'm tired of people hanging from this guy's ball sack. He isn't the second coming of Joe Dumars yet plus he's taking playing time from Afflalo who is still a better (and far less selfish) player. Again, Stuckey looked more and more like Flip Murray thinking shoot first almost every time.

By the way, can you tell that I'm in a shitty mood!?!?!?!?

i havent seen stucky play yet, but you gotta give him time. wade is the model, and it took wade over 1/2 of his first year to get going.

stucky is the guy we need to develop. i like afflalo (now) but its clearly in our best interest to get the blue chipper as much pt as possible.

You know what??? FUCK STUCKEY!!!! I'm tired of people hanging from this guy's ball sack. He isn't the second coming of Joe Dumars yet plus he's taking playing time from Afflalo who is still a better (and far less selfish) player. Again, Stuckey looked more and more like Flip Murray thinking shoot first almost every time.

By the way, can you tell that I'm in a shitty mood!?!?!?!?

A guy who averaged 25 a game in college looking to shoot first? Surely you jest!

Newsflash: He's in there to score.

He hasn't had one practice this year, and has no grasp on how to run the plays. What did you expect?

Afflalo is a very nice role player and I'm happy to have him, but Stuckey is a stud. There is a difference.

When you have a young PG that can score like Stuckey can, you let him go and build his confidence, and then worry about the other stuff later.

And the Flip Murray comparison is laughable. Stuckey doesn't spend 20 seconds per possession pounding the oxygen out of the ball.

Jim O'Brien looks like Les Miles.

Also, I can't believe he got another NBA coaching jig, I'd like to know what he did at Ohio St or Boston that would suggest he was the best candidate to coach Indy...

Obie actually has a good record as a coach.

He's a COY candidate this year as well, IMO. Indiana was picked to finish near the bottom of the NBA by most people, and they're a playoff contender.

A guy who averaged 25 a game in college looking to shoot first? Surely you jest!

Newsflash: He's in there to score.

He hasn't had one practice this year, and has no grasp on how to run the plays. What did you expect?

Afflalo is a very nice role player and I'm happy to have him, but Stuckey is a stud. There is a difference.

When you have a young PG that can score like Stuckey can, you let him go and build his confidence, and then worry about the other stuff later.

And the Flip Murray comparison is laughable. Stuckey doesn't spend 20 seconds per possession pounding the oxygen out of the ball.

I've got to agree with Kstat here. I can understand the concern that worst case scenario Stuckey turning into the next Flip Murray. However, Stuckey's much more willing to give up the ball than Flip Murray.

Also, the comparisons of Afflalo and Stuckey are way off. Completely different roles and they shouldn't be taking time from each other. It's like saying Rip is taking minutes from Chauncey. Afflalo's responsibilities are to run the wings, play tough defense, and be the last option on offense. Stuckey is being groomed as our next PG, asked to handle the ball, call plays, and basically lead the team. Stuckey's learning curve will be much higher than Afflalo's. PG's a tough position to master in the NBA (how long did it take Chauncey?) and it's going to take Stuckey longer to learn it than Afflalo to learn the SG role.

I've got a feeling that the pressure for Stuckey to be an instant hit is going to be high among fans. Personally, I'm giving him at least another two months before I start forming opinions. I would appreciate Stuckey tying his shorts a little tighter and less ass shots with commentary...

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071227/capt.92e934a9c2244caf96e92e29f530ca00.pistons_nets _basketball___era103.jpg

A guy who averaged 25 a game in college looking to shoot first? Surely you jest!



yea, why would a guys role change just because he switched from a mid-level college program to an elite nba franchise?

I don't know. . . I'm liking what I see from Stuckey. He just needs to learn when to dump it off on drives and when to take it all the way to the hole. Flip Murray he is not! He made plenty of good passes, and is much more team-oriented.

I like Stuckey's size, at 6'5'' he should be able to post up most PG's in this league just like Chauncey does at 6'3''...

I can't wait til' next Saturday to see him post up/attack Eddie House...

Also, the comparisons of Afflalo and Stuckey are way off. Completely different roles and they shouldn't be taking time from each other. It's like saying Rip is taking minutes from Chauncey. Afflalo's responsibilities are to run the wings, play tough defense, and be the last option on offense.

Umm, Stuckey is and was put in at SG first so he is taking time away from Afflalo. You anaolgy is way off too. Stuckey is a combo guard. Rip is a SG and Billups never plays the two spot except in rare situations and when we really didn't have a good back up.

I also don't know why everyone sees Stuckey as this outstanding scorer. Didn't he play in a pretty weak division? Afflalo has shown that he can score and he did quite a bit of it at UCLA yet people have already reduced him to a "role player". I don't know if that's really fair.

It's called skills. The difference in offensive skill between Afflalo and Stuckey is pretty visible, and Stuckey is a rookie that hasn't had a practice in 2 months.

Who cares if he played in a weak division. So did the guy that drafted him.

Afflalo hasn't really shown that he can score consistently, he hasn't gotten the chance to take alot of shots. It seems clear that for this year at least, Afflalo's main contributions will come on defense...

Stuckey's got one of the quickest speed bursts you'll ever see on a 6'3" player. It's just a matter of him finishing better at the rim, and he's already decent at it with almost zero experience or practice.

He's blown right by his man repeatedly on screen and roll situations. That's going to be deadly as he matures.

I agree with Kstat. Stuckey is already one of the fastest guys in the league with the dribble. Just wait until he gets in better shape.

Umm, Stuckey is and was put in at SG first so he is taking time away from Afflalo. You anaolgy is way off too. Stuckey is a combo guard. Rip is a SG and Billups never plays the two spot except in rare situations and when we really didn't have a good back up.

I also don't know why everyone sees Stuckey as this outstanding scorer. Didn't he play in a pretty weak division? Afflalo has shown that he can score and he did quite a bit of it at UCLA yet people have already reduced him to a "role player". I don't know if that's really fair.

i don't think we can make conclusions about the final rotation with Stuckey for at least a month or two. i think Stuckey was brought in with Chauncey as a way to ease him into the offense, letting see first hand how Chauncey runs the offense.

i think the analogy is valid because Chauncey has been considered a combo guard. there have been plenty of times that Chauncey was essentially playing the SG role (e.g. posting up in isolation or coming off screens himself). there have been times when Tayshaun has brought the ball up and fed it to Chauncey in the post.

more than being an "outstanding scorer", i think Stuckey's greatest asset is that he brings a different "kind" of scoring to the table. we're a jump shooting team, but Stuckey is one of our few penetrating scorers. Chauncey, Rip, and Tay aren't very reliable driving to the hoop, IMO.

also, with Jarvis shooting very well lately, Flip Saunders has no choice but to find him more minutes. I see Jarvis taking more minutes from Afflalo, than Stuckey.

Kstat, Stuckey is 6'5'' not 6'3'' which makes it even more impressive.

hopefully jarvis takes more time from tay than AA.

unless you want stucky playing 10 minutes per game (in a competitive game), he is going to be taking some AA's minutes. unless flip wants to go real small... who knows. rip has played sf at times, and AA might be able to too.

but i pretty much expect spot minutes for AA unless its a blowout.

i want to see more Brezec-the-human-bowling-ball clearing benches.....

hopefully jarvis takes more time from tay than AA.

unless you want stucky playing 10 minutes per game (in a competitive game), he is going to be taking some AA's minutes. unless flip wants to go real small... who knows. rip has played sf at times, and AA might be able to too.

but i pretty much expect spot minutes for AA unless its a blowout.


Somebody's going to get the shaft on minutes in close games...and I agree with you, it's probably going to have to be Afflalo...

Jim O'Brien looks like Les Miles.

Also, I can't believe he got another NBA coaching jig, I'd like to know what he did at Ohio St or Boston that would suggest he was the best candidate to coach Indy...

Lollers, those are different Jim O'Briens.

I haven't bee able to watch in a while... so I can form no opinion on Stuckeybuns. Even then, I'd certainly give him more than a few games before I begin judging him.[smilie=blaha.gif]

Are they really different guys?? Damnit.

The one who currently coaches the Pacers coached the Celts, but the OSU coach... different guy. Don't know where he is now.

pwnt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_O%27Brien_%28basketball%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_O%27Brien_%28college_basketball%29

You know what??? FUCK STUCKEY!!!! I'm tired of people hanging from this guy's ball sack. He isn't the second coming of Joe Dumars yet plus he's taking playing time from Afflalo who is still a better (and far less selfish) player. Again, Stuckey looked more and more like Flip Murray thinking shoot first almost every time.
1.) you're being picky. dont know what your bias is, but If you dont think he's better than hunter and flip murray, you're a blind bat. Affalo will get his minutes, so get your very selective jock riding tears together. But dont let me ruiin your negative craziness. have at it.


By the way, can you tell that I'm in a shitty mood!?!?!?!?
Sounds personal since we won. Not really something to bring here maybe.

I don't know about the Stuckey argument that went on here but he has been playing PG since he got back and even today with Chauncey in, Chaunce was at the two running through down and back screens like Rip typically does. I actually liked the lineup (though I doubt it gets much run) as on one possession when Billups got the ball he set up Dyess for a post up and it was cool to have a PG in the SG spot who could set up the offense well on a secondary play like that.

1.) you're being picky. dont know what your bias is, but If you dont think he's better than hunter and flip murray, you're a blind bat. Affalo will get his minutes, so get your very selective jock riding tears together. But dont let me ruiin your negative craziness. have at it.


Sounds personal since we won. Not really something to bring here maybe.

1.) I'm not being picky, I'm just a little annoyed at how much everyone is talking about Stucky when he really hasn't done anything. I hope that he turns out to be a great player and he has shown glimpses of that but when a guy is this heavily discussed over very minor accomplishments while the rest of the team is virtually ignored, I see another Darko situation. I am not comparing them as players but moreso discussing the all of the hype that a player may not be able to live up to.

Oh yea, and where in the hell did I say that Stuckey wasn't better than Hunter or Flip? I don't recall saying anything of the sort. And I'm the blind one?? I also don't recall riding Afflalo's jock other than to say that he is a very capable player and that I feel that it's unfair that his PT gets cut to spot minutes when he has proven to be valuable on the floor for his hustle, defense, willingness to share the ball, and when allowed to, his scoring.

2) Whether my mood is good or bad, I was discussing basketball with what I consider a very valid point. My mood may have altered the harshness of my comments but it is still a valid topic of discussion and therefore appropriate to post. Thanks for playing though!

1.) I'm not being picky, I'm just a little annoyed at how much everyone is talking about Stucky when he really hasn't done anything. I hope that he turns out to be a great player and he has shown glimpses of that but when a guy is this heavily discussed over very minor accomplishments while the rest of the team is virtually ignored, I see another Darko situation. I am not comparing them as players but moreso discussing the all of the hype that a player may not be able to live up to.
What hype? a solid backup yo Billups? Yea hard hype to live up to. And you thought Matt's comparison was bad. Darko has lil' to nothing in common with Stuckey. And there isnt much thats needed from him. Saying he hasn't done "anything" is blind talk. Cop whatever attitude you choose. But its loony that anyone has to point out his contributions to you. Now if you dont think highly on his contributions so far, fair enough. But saying he hasnt done anything is blind. His 7 points in the 3rd quarter kept us from losing our lead and gave billups rest. Which is about what you'd want. As soon as you find somewhere where I or anyone else here called him the next coming of MJ, then you can bash this imaginary hype machine you seem to believe surrounds him. People are happy to see a back up PG who looks worth a damn so far, not really what you'd call hype.


Oh yea, and where in the hell did I say that Stuckey wasn't better than Hunter or Flip? I don't recall saying anything of the sort. And I'm the blind one?? I also don't recall riding Afflalo's jock other than to say that he is a very capable player and that I feel that it's unfair that his PT gets cut to spot minutes when he has proven to be valuable on the floor for his hustle, defense, willingness to share the ball, and when allowed to, his scoring.
No you balked at Stuckey's rep as a scorer in a smaller school vs the amazing UCLA Bruin Affalo. Selective way to look at the people you endorse, but whatever. Either way Affalo still is the first perimeter substitution off the bench and will still be in the rotation getting his minutes. Witch hunt chasing Stuckey or anyone else is a serious stretch. Stuckey takes minutes from Hunter and Flip Murray. And if you havent noticed the two PG set has been played here for awhile dating all the way back to the pit bull era. So I dont know where you got "rare" from. Whether Hunter Billups, Murray Billups, or Stuckey Billups we play that set atleast once a game to get billups more chances from a SG type role and switch up to PG on the fly. But maybe i'm blind, can anybody else weigh in on our two pg combo and how long we've been running it?


2) Whether my mood is good or bad, I was discussing basketball with what I consider a very valid point. My mood may have altered the harshness of my comments but it is still a valid topic of discussion and therefore appropriate to post. Thanks for playing though!
Playing what? Your mood is personal. That's all i said. Don't bring it here. Everybody has problems in some capacity with some worse than others. So no need to speak on your mood as if we are all peachy happy in this bitch. lol..

Nevertheless if your point is that stuckey is over hyped, then its not valid to me. No expects or craves anything more than a backup who can actually play ball better all around than hunter and flip murray. He looks to be very well turning into that. If your point is that he's screwing up affalo's minutes, again not valid. They both are going to get plenty of time and experience this year w/o much competition. In fact the only perimeter player trying to compete to keep his minutes is maybe jarvis hayes with Walter Herrman hoping to crack through the rotation.

Wow, imagine if we hadn't just won 8 in a row

I compared Stuckey's game to Flip Murray's and I like Flip Murray, so that's a compliment.

Stoking the fires is fun!

I compared Stuckey's game to Flip Murray's and I like Flip Murray, so that's a compliment.
No it isnt. Murray is the most hated guy on this team. He's selfish and goes iso whenever the starters arent on the floor telling him to pass the damn ball. naming your kids flip murray is an insult to them. So yea compliment is pushing it. [smilie=heatsmiley2:

Kstat, Stuckey is 6'5'' not 6'3'' which makes it even more impressive.
Actually, they may list him at 6'5" on game day, but when they measured him pre-draft he was only 6'3"ish, not even 6'4". Unless he's grown an inch since we drafted him.

I compared Stuckey's game to Flip Murray's and I like Flip Murray, so that's a compliment.

If you mean an unselfish Flip Murray, I'd actually agree with the comparison, sadly. He's a slasher combo-guard. That's exactly what Murray is. Only Murray over-dribbles and never passes.

Pacers' Tinsley To Sit At Least A Week

December 30, 2007 - 9:46 am
Indianapolis Star -

The Indiana Pacers will be without their best playmaker for at least a week.

After watching Jamaal Tinsley try to play through the pain in his left hamstring, the Pacers have decided to shut the point guard down for now.

"Unfortunately, I have allowed him to play at less than his best over the last five games," Pacers' Coach Jim O'Brien said. "To his credit, he wants to play, will play injured, but it's really hampering his ability to play at his best...If it takes seven-to-10 days to get that right, that's what we'll do."

Actually, they may list him at 6'5" on game day, but when they measured him pre-draft he was only 6'3"ish, not even 6'4". Unless he's grown an inch since we drafted him.

He was measured @ 6'4.5" in shoes before the draft. And virtually every player in the NBA is listed at least 1-2" above his actually height.

He is the EXACT same height as Dwyane Wade without shoes.

Sheed is already a Stuckey fan....McCosky still not a big fan of proper grammar.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071230/SPORTS0102/712300339/1127


The Pistons got a huge boost from rookie Rodney Stuckey. Playing shooting guard alongside Billups, he scored seven at the end of the third quarter to give the Pistons a six-point cushion.

"That was really good," Wallace said. "We had two ballhandlers in their, both of them can handle the point and both can knock down shots. They both created a mismatch. He had the advantage, and he took full advantage of it."

If you mean an unselfish Flip Murray, I'd actually agree with the comparison, sadly. He's a slasher combo-guard. That's exactly what Murray is. Only Murray over-dribbles and never passes.
Thats a more fair comparison.

If you mean an unselfish Flip Murray, I'd actually agree with the comparison, sadly. He's a slasher combo-guard. That's exactly what Murray is. Only Murray over-dribbles and never passes.

I mean, you can compare plenty of good to great players to Flip Murray. Wade, Arenas, Barbosa, Monta Ellis, etc. Just because they play a similar style doesn't mean they end up in the same stratosphere on the court.

A consistent version of Flip Murray at the top of his game, with a few extra inches of height, and a willingness to pass the ball would be a pretty damn good player. Flip Murray is what he is (occasionally very good, usually pretty bad) because of these reasons, not because he's a slashing combo guard.