Sorry I've been a little behind the times, guys. I'm on a business trip for the last 4 days, and it's probably going to keep going for a little longer.


Thursday, January 10, 2008
Ben (Arcata, Calif.): In the Boston game last Saturday, Flip Saunders went pretty much with an eight-man rotation. When games get tough, Saunders seems to throw out all game plans and just force things. Please explain how this postseason is not going to result in more of the same.

Langlois: Other fans say Saunders left his young players in too long in the first half and ceded the big lead back to Boston. How will this postseason be different? Because Saunders exudes much more confidence in his bench this year – much more confidence in this Jason Maxiell than last year’s Jason Maxiell, much more confidence in Jarvis Hayes than Carlos Delfino, much more confidence in Rodney Stuckey than Flip Murray, and all with good reason.
Jody (Canton): Two things concerned me in the Boston game. First, there was very little ball movement. Second, Stuckey seemed to look lost at times. I understand the development of young players, but do you think this was wise given it was such an important game?

Langlois: You’re right about the lack of ball movement. Boston did a good job keeping the Pistons from getting into their plays until the shot clock was under 15 and by then it was pretty tough to get to the second and third option, so they got locked into one-on-one matchups, which is not their strength. Because of the holidays and the schedule, Stuckey hardly had any significant practice time until the two days before their Texas trip this week. Yeah, I think getting Stuckey playing time and big-game experience is more critical than trying to milk an extra win or two out of January.
Allan: Would Joe Dumars consider trading for a big bruiser to handle Big Bay Davis or Tim Duncan? Eddy Curry could be available. He is a monster in the low post, don’t you agree?

Langlois: Big Baby Davis and Tim Duncan in the same sentence, huh? I don’t think Joe Dumars is losing any sleep over Davis. He had a nice game against the Pistons, but he scored most of his points when he wasn’t being guarded due to defensive rotations when the Pistons allowed dribble penetration. And Eddy Curry is the answer to nothing defensively.
Don: We seem to have several players who could be trade bait. I think we’d be looking for a big who can post up and bang a little. Who should we look at?

Langlois: A big who can post up and bang a little? You mean someone like Nazr Mohammed? Look, big men who could crack the Pistons’ rotation are not available – not now, for sure, and not ever, generally, unless you’re planning on trading something very significant in return. There were rumblings that Seattle was looking to deal Chris Wilcox. He’s a pretty good player, but as I’ve written before, I don’t see him as an upgrade over Jason Maxiell, so if you’re bringing him in as the No. 4 big guy, would you really trade a significant piece of the future away for him?
Nima (Windsor): Who would the Pistons have to trade to get Jason Kapono or Kyle Korver? And why did Lindsey Hunter not play against Boston? He was the reason they won in Boston. I know Stuckey needs to play to get experience, but they compromised an important game and it is not worth it.

Langlois: Utah just traded Gordan Giricek and a No. 1 pick for Korver, so that tells you what the market was for him. Would the Pistons trade, say, Flip Murray and a No. 1 pick for Korver or Kapono? I don’t think they would, because there wouldn’t be a clear role for them. Is Kapono an upgrade over Jarvis Hayes? A more consistent shooter, but not the all-around player Hayes is. Hunter made two huge baskets and two or three critical defensive plays in the win at Boston, but there’s not much question that Stuckey will have more impact on games at this point in their careers. A game like Saturday’s had a playoff feel to it – it’s important for Stuckey and Arron Afflalo to get a taste of that.
Travis (Chicago): If you’re Joe Dumars, do you make a trade involving Flip Murray? If so, should it involve draft picks on the receiving end? With Hayes, Brezec and Herrmann all free agents at the end of the season and Hunter retiring, it seems like adding talent with a late first to early second-round picks will keep us young and energetic.

Langlois: A trade involving Murray is the likeliest thing to happen with the Pistons by the trade deadline, Travis. He should be appealing to teams that can use a scoring guard who can handle both backcourt positions and he’s been squeezed out here by the rookies. Let me clear something up about the draft: I was told by members of the Pistons’ front office earlier this season that they would be getting Minnesota’s second-round pick in 2008, but now they have confirmed that, in fact, Minnesota has the right to defer passing on that pick – acquired when the Pistons sent Ronald Dupree to Minnesota after the 2005 season – until 2009. It’s likely Minnesota will hang on to the pick this summer, since it will almost certainly be picking first in the second round. That will give the Pistons three second-rounders in 2009 – Minnesota’s, their own and Toronto’s, the latter picked up in the Carlos Delfino trade that also sends a 2011 second-rounder to the Pistons.
Dave (Sterling Heights): I’m a little surprised Boston is able to compete with the Pistons when their Big Three come off the floor. The Pistons’ bench appears way more talented and deep. There were concerns Boston didn’t have enough talent around its three stars. Have those concerns disappeared?

Langlois: Danny Ainge made two nice veteran pickups in James Posey and Eddie House to give him shooting off his bench. Glen Davis has been OK, but don’t be fooled by the 20 points he scored against the Pistons the other night. In the first meeting, he picked up two fouls in about 10 seconds and looked overwhelmed. Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have had their moments. Tony Allen is a very good athlete. I think what’s happened is that those guys are given a comfort zone because so much defensive attention has to be paid to Garnett, Pierce and Allen that teams are willing to live with the chance that the role players could take advantage of openings. It’s a little like taking a struggling hitter who’s batting third or fourth in the lineup of a bad baseball team and putting him with a powerhouse where he can beat seventh or eighth and not be pitched around anymore. The Pistons have a significant bench edge over Boston, but that won’t always be apparent in a one-game setting. It should be a bigger factor come the playoffs.
Sam (St. Louis): How do you envision Jason Maxiell’s game in its maturity? A post player like Corliss, a shooter like Terry Mills or a hybrid such as Zach Randolph or Charles Barkley?

Langlois: More of what we’re seeing this year, Sam. Maxiell has developed some highly effective post moves and he’s become a very capable 15-foot jump shooter. Because he gets such incredible lift and releases his shot from high, he has little difficulty scoring over much bigger players. His quickness, strength and explosiveness inside means he’s going to get to the foul line frequently, so it’s important he shoots 70 percent or better to take advantage of that ability. It’s not very likely he’ll ever develop 3-point range, but he’s already a more versatile scorer than Corliss was and his superior lift should enable him to be effective deeper into his career. If Maxiell can develop the footwork and nuance Corliss had in the post, watch out.
Chris (Honolulu): I watched the Boston game via NBA League Pass and we got Boston’s announcers – who were horrible. But they said the Pistons were arguing among themselves late in the game. Are things not good between the guys?

Langlois: If the Boston announcers implied that it was anything more than teammates reacting emotionally to miscommunication, they overstated the case. There is absolutely nothing unusual about how the Pistons reacted to a few late-game defensive breakdowns. Happens all the time. This group is as unified as ever. Consider it the way you would sibling bickering. At the end of the day, they’re family.
Maria: I’m a big Pistons fan and have been for a very long time. This is the best team I’ve seen in years. Joe Dumars and Flip Saunders have done an awesome job. My husband and I traveled to Indiana to see them last week and I could hear even their fans talking about the Pistons as an elite team. It made me smile to go to another state and hear positive things about our team.

Langlois: Thanks for sharing, Maria. That’s a useful reminder that sometimes we don’t appreciate what’s right in front of our nose as much as should. I imagine Indiana fans, who’ve endured a few horrific years of bad headlines and bad basketball, truly would appreciate the unselfishness and effort the Pistons exhibit.
Navtez (New York): What was up with Chauncey Billups late in the Boston game? He missed 3 of 4 free throws and air-balled a 3. And why didn’t we use Maxiell down the stretch? Don’t you think he should start so McDyess can go back to being the sixth man?

Langlois: Happens to the best of them, Navtez. As for Maxiell and McDyess, I wouldn’t change a thing there. Two of the best developments of the season are Maxiell’s emergence as a dynamic frontcourt reserve and McDyess’ flourishing as a starter after three years of coming off the bench. It would make no sense to switch their roles at this point.
Ric (Porter Ranch, Calif.): The Pistons were up 10 or 12 and Flip Saunders went to his bench. The lead was less than five in a few minutes. Why didn’t he put his starters back in sooner? Where was the defense on Glen Davis?

Langlois: Saunders said afterward that he wanted to play Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo together for a few minutes – that’s when the lead started to slip. He was using that game to throw the kids into the fire so they’ll know what to expect when the playoffs roll around. Fans want it both ways. (Of course they do. That’s why they’re fans.) They want the young guys to get playing time, but they don’t like it when the results aren’t always pretty. As for the defense on Davis, it stemmed completely from allowing dribble penetration that forced the defense to rotate. That’s the great benefit to guys like Davis of playing alongside starts such as Garnett, Pierce and Allen.
Elliott (Marietta, Ga.): As a longtime fan dating the Dave Bing era, it concerns me that Amir Johnson doesn’t get much playing time. He could have helped against Big Baby with his knack for shot-blocking. This is the time to build up his confidence.

Langlois: Flip Saunders is picking his spots for Amir, Elliott. The potential you keep hearing about with him is real, but he’s not as NBA ready right now as the players ahead of him in the frontcourt rotation. Amir will make spectacular plays but also struggles with some aspects of the game, particularly in his man-to-man defense where he can sometimes be overpowered. Keep in mind that he’s two years younger than Arron Afflalo.
Preston: I really disagreed with the decision to play Antonio McDyess late in the Boston game instead of Jason Maxiell. Maxiell would have been a better matchup against Glen Davis.

Langlois: Except Davis didn’t score against McDyess – he scored while going unguarded. McDyess had to leave Davis to cut off Paul Pierce’s penetration. Credit Pierce for finding Davis and Davis for going to the basket and recognizing the situation. It’s hard to argue with going back to McDyess in that game. He’s been playing great basketball and he’d made a few shots in the fourth quarter after getting thrown out of rhythm by picking up the two quick fouls. He was also much fresher than Maxiell, who was dynamite in the first half but didn’t have the same impact in the second.
Prasad (Los Angeles): What has Cheikh Samb been doing the last few weeks while he recovers? Has he been working out – and by working out, I mean both developing his lower body strength and hitting the all-you-can-eat buffets?

Langlois: Samb got cleared to resume practicing a few weeks ago and he’s been going full tilt ever since. We expect he’ll be sent to Fort Wayne for more D-League play at some point. He does need to build core strength, but it’s not a Manute Bol-Chuck Nevitt situation. He’s got a pretty good frame and has come a long way in the two years since the Pistons drafted him.
Jeremy (Troy): As a hard-core Pistons fan, does ESPN hate on the Pistons. Every time I watch, they talk about Boston, the Lakers, San Antonio, Dallas and even Portland.

Langlois: I think every team this side of Boston probably feels a little shunned. The Celtics are this year’s sexy story, Jeremy, and it’s easy to understand. Given the franchise’s history and the headline-grabbing off-season moves on top of the sizzling start, the spotlight is clearly on the Celtics. That’s a good thing if you’re a Pistons fan – they love playing the underdog.
Arun (Detroit): It seems like all it takes to beat the Pistons is dribble penetration and somebody in a supporting role. Against Boston, Paul Pierce penetrated and assisted Glen Davis. In the playoffs last year, it was LeBron James and Daniel Gibson. How are the Pistons going to handle this problem?

Langlois: Study the tape, strategize, mix it up defensively. It’s easy to focus on a few defensive possessions that came at critical times, but the bigger issue for the Pistons in the loss to Boston was their own lack of offensive execution.
Corey (Bloomfield Hills): It seems that when the Pistons play teams like Miami, Cleveland, Chicago and now Boston, they keep the ball on the strong side of the court and force mismatches. Is it by their choice or do the opponents dictate that?

Langlois: When it’s their ball, they can go wherever they want with it. But good defensive teams decide where they don’t want you to attack and then make it as unappealing as possible, not forcing but coercing you into matchups more favorable to them. There’s no question Boston is playing superb defense this season and what it tells me is that Kevin Garnett should be the runaway MVP winner – because he’s the heart of that defense.
Nikolai: How good a shooter/scorer is Arron Afflalo and how much more is there potentially?

Langlois: I first saw Afflalo in person as a college sophomore at UCLA when the Bruins played at Michigan and again later that season at the Final Four. My first impression of him based on that game in Ann Arbor was that he had a terrific shooting stroke and that he played very hard. It was only after watching him a few more times that it struck me how good he was defensively. But there is plenty of potential for Afflalo to be a good offensive player. The surest thing about young players who care is that they’ll gradually but consistently improve their shooting range as they get older. And Afflalo really, really cares, and he’s really, really smart.