Glenn
01-18-2008, 10:26 AM
:mccosky:
Reality check
I got a letter from an alleged fan (I am not going to publish his name) that started out with this sentence: Why don't you write about the most obvious reasons why the Pistons aren't a legit title team? The letter was written, obviously, in the wake of the debacle in New York, so most of the points I just ignored -- about how the Pistons are a lazy team and can't give 100 percent effort every night, stuff like that. Garbage.
But I couldn't let his fifth point go by without comment. "Prince is a horrible player."
Tayshaun Prince has been up and down this year, no doubt. He hasn't played up to his own standards, for sure. He'd be the first to tell you that. But on no level is Prince a terrible player. On no level is he an impediment to the Pistons' winning another title. I don't care what his numbers are. There are very few players in the league, if any, who can contribute in all the varying ways Prince does. Not only does he typically guard the other team's best perimeter scorer nightly, not only has he improved his rebounding totals this season, not only does he create a mismatch on the offensive end most nights (regardless if his shot is falling, defenses still have to react to his presence) but he is also an invaluable tool against presses and traps because of his ability to bring the ball upcourt and initiate the offense. To say he is a terrible player is ignorant -- plain and simple. If he's so terrible, why is just about every team trying to find small forwards who possess a skill set even close to Prince's?
Look, I don't know what people expected. But from what I am hearing both on my radio segments (WDFN, Monday mornings at 7:35 with Jamie Samuelson and with Stoney and Wojo Friday nights at 5:35 -- shameless plug), and from the emails, people expected Prince to average 18 points a game or something. It's not going to happen, especially not in a year where they added a fifth scorer to the starting unit (Antonio McDyess). He's still the fourth scoring option most of the time. Prince is usually on the weak side of most offensive sets, meaning he isn't getting the ball until options are exhausted for Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace.
Now, that said, nobody is letting Prince off the hook for his inconsistencies this season. He has to be better, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs. And there's no reason to doubt that he will. Flip Saunders is doing a better job keeping his minutes down and Prince worked hard on improving his stamina in the off season. (Please don't use his playing for Team USA as an excuse. He didn't play enough to have any lingering impact.) Let's let the Pistons get through this grinding month without coming to any damning conclusions. February will be a lot less taxing. Prince and the rest of them should be able to recharge for a strong finish.
Reality check
I got a letter from an alleged fan (I am not going to publish his name) that started out with this sentence: Why don't you write about the most obvious reasons why the Pistons aren't a legit title team? The letter was written, obviously, in the wake of the debacle in New York, so most of the points I just ignored -- about how the Pistons are a lazy team and can't give 100 percent effort every night, stuff like that. Garbage.
But I couldn't let his fifth point go by without comment. "Prince is a horrible player."
Tayshaun Prince has been up and down this year, no doubt. He hasn't played up to his own standards, for sure. He'd be the first to tell you that. But on no level is Prince a terrible player. On no level is he an impediment to the Pistons' winning another title. I don't care what his numbers are. There are very few players in the league, if any, who can contribute in all the varying ways Prince does. Not only does he typically guard the other team's best perimeter scorer nightly, not only has he improved his rebounding totals this season, not only does he create a mismatch on the offensive end most nights (regardless if his shot is falling, defenses still have to react to his presence) but he is also an invaluable tool against presses and traps because of his ability to bring the ball upcourt and initiate the offense. To say he is a terrible player is ignorant -- plain and simple. If he's so terrible, why is just about every team trying to find small forwards who possess a skill set even close to Prince's?
Look, I don't know what people expected. But from what I am hearing both on my radio segments (WDFN, Monday mornings at 7:35 with Jamie Samuelson and with Stoney and Wojo Friday nights at 5:35 -- shameless plug), and from the emails, people expected Prince to average 18 points a game or something. It's not going to happen, especially not in a year where they added a fifth scorer to the starting unit (Antonio McDyess). He's still the fourth scoring option most of the time. Prince is usually on the weak side of most offensive sets, meaning he isn't getting the ball until options are exhausted for Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace.
Now, that said, nobody is letting Prince off the hook for his inconsistencies this season. He has to be better, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs. And there's no reason to doubt that he will. Flip Saunders is doing a better job keeping his minutes down and Prince worked hard on improving his stamina in the off season. (Please don't use his playing for Team USA as an excuse. He didn't play enough to have any lingering impact.) Let's let the Pistons get through this grinding month without coming to any damning conclusions. February will be a lot less taxing. Prince and the rest of them should be able to recharge for a strong finish.