:mccosky:


Pre-game Toronto
Strange shoot-around this morning. The Pistons booted everybody -- coaches, ballboys, equipment guys and even the media relations man Cletus Lewis -- out of the locker room and had a players only meeting. They rarely do that, especially when things are running smoothly, as they are right now.

Part of the meeting was conducted by Arnie Kander, the Pistons strength and conditioning guru. He, apparently, just got on the players about maintaining all the pre- and post-game (and practice) stretching and weight room work. With the playoffs on the horizon, this is not the time to slack off.

A second part of the meeting, from what I gathered from talking to the guys afterward, was just about clearing their minds and getting focused on the task ahead. As Tayshaun Prince said, "Just gearing up for these last 12 games, just to kind of finish off the right way and not go into the playoffs playing up and down. It's something I've been mentioning all year long. Just try to stay on an even keel and stay consistent."

Chauncey Billups put it this way: "Just a little family meeting. It's cool. There was nothing that wasn't positive about it. It's good."

Neither Rip Hamilton (hip) nor Juan Dixon (calf) participated in shootaround. Both worked with Kander. Flip Saunders said they were doubtful, but knowing Hamilton's success against the Raptors, I wouldn't rule him out.

The Raptors are the current playoff matchup for us BTW.

Not sure how it can be a "players-only meeting" with Arnie running it, but whatever.

You don't tell Arnie Kander what meetings he can and cannot go to. He tells you.

Clearly, 2 injured Pistons angered him. He isn't going to let that shit happen on his watch.

Kstat made me laugh.

I don't think that has happened since you posted those "GM chat logs" a few years ago.

That was good stuff.

http://www.mlive.com/images/pistons/gal_080312-sherrod-blakely.jpg


Update on Rip Hamilton and Juan Dixon

by A. Sherrod Blakely
Wednesday March 26, 2008, 12:19 PM

TORONTO -- Both Rip Hamilton (left hip) and Juan Dixon (left calf) were at the team's shoot-around this morning, but spent most of the time on the sidelines working with Arnie Kander, the team's strength and conditioning coach.

Flip Saunders said that both are doubtful for tonight's game, which means rookie Arron Afflalo will once again get the starting nod.

Far more interesting was the players-only meeting the Pistons had prior to walking on to the court. Players were relatively mum on the meeting's specifics, but there were two general themes that seemed to be points of discussion.

1) Conditioning -- lately, the Pistons have been bothered by a few nagging injuries, in part because the players don't necessarily follow through as well as they should on the pre-game and shoot-around conditioning drills led by Kander. There was a noticeable improvement in their focus during those drills this morning, which may very well be tied into the team meeting.

2) Playoff preparation -- A couple different players mentioned how it's time for them to start to not just think about the playoffs, but start developing the kind of habits needed to ensure they don't suffer yet another early playoff exit.

"It's a different story in the playoffs," said Pistons forward Antonio McDyess. "We still haven't won it (an NBA title) in the last three years, so we got to gather ourselves, talk to each other and know what we need to do to get to that point."

"Said Rasheed Wallace: "We're just trying to gear ourselves up, through execution, and get ready for the playoffs. We got 3, three and a half weeks left. We got to hold down home court and try to go undefeated at home over these last few games."

Will Stuckey get a career high tonight?

Glenn should add an option to the poll even though most of my alpacas are on oustanding bets.

If he even does the bets... What a slacker.

jks

Will Stuckey get a career high tonight?



Will Sheed get a Tech tonight?

A win tonight and a cavs loss clinches the division.

We're obviously gonba lose because Toronto is better than cleveland.


j/k

Blowout on the horizon tonight. Unless Delfino scores 40.

Welcome to another exciting night of NBA basketball

"Carlos almost dunked"

Put it on his gravestone.

pathetic 2nd Q, and we're still up 2, if we face the Raps i put 100 bucks on a sweep.

I'm listening to Mark Champion streeming from NBA.com.

BTW, Champion was calling all the games in DC for the NCAA tourney on the radio. He was about 1,000 times better than the other chumps on there from the other regions.

Boooooooooooooh!

It appears we're being thumped, majorly. Oh well. Maybe the players-only meeting featured a decision to lose on purpose tonight?

i want my time back i wasted to watch this crap

Stuckey isn't giving up.

We'll make a run here at some point

And then they were down by 9.

I was writing my post just when Delfino it that 3.

God damn I love stuckey's game.

Stuck with another drive. You know he's gettin the hoop or some harm....or both most times he drives.

down 5, 2 FTs and 2 wide open three pointers later, down 13 again :(

80-75. We were close.

Come on, Rasho. Choke!!

Sounds like Stuckey is still the victim of the rookie whistle.

Calderon Genobli'd the refs.

That foul was on CBill.

Ha! Can this game be considered a "blowout"?

guess the 'players only meeting' was just so the guys could get a chance to review their NCAA brackets.

If Rip plays, we win. Bring on Miami.

Stuckey + Amir = Scoring Runs

Flip + Basketball teams = Failure.

If Rip plays, we win.
For once I agree with Kstat Part 2.

That mini guard combo was killing us, Rip woulda been solid to post up on calederon or ford and get plenty open shots. .

guess the 'players only meeting' was just so the guys could get a chance to review their NCAA brackets.
Actually a lack of Rip and too much zone killed us tonight. when we made that last run we shoulda went to man and took a chance on stuckey staying in front of tj ford. .

true. but with all due respect to toronto, we still should have been able to beat them without rip. this was a very poor loss IMO.

it's losses like this that make me wish we had sat all the starters and just let all the young kids loose. it was a wasted effort IMO.

the cavs lost as well though. so the magic number is 1 for the division.

true. but with all due respect to toronto, we still should have been able to beat them without rip. this was a very poor loss IMO.

it's losses like this that make me wish we had sat all the starters and just let all the young kids loose. it was a wasted effort IMO.

the cavs lost as well though. so the magic number is 1 for the division.

LOL at the Cavs.

true. but with all due respect to toronto, we still should have been able to beat them without rip. this was a very poor loss IMO.
I'm sorry but we got beat at one specific matchup, It was the two PG combo that did us in. We needed Rip because we have no SG like him on our roster(juan dixon is garbage unfortunately even he was available). Again that set up isnt as available with a 6ft 7in shooting guard running off screens.

I think you're being kinda choosy on this one. Not to say we couldnt have won, but i personally think it was good to get stuckey's confidence up and overall i think this is one of the few losses that doesnt bother me.

I didn't even realize TJ Ford was back from his injury until I started watching the game. The parts I saw looked like garbage. Afflalo had a nice turnaround J towards the beginning of the game.

All tonight showed was how easy we are to defend without Rip.

I was actually pleased with the effort. The execution just wasn't there.

All tonight showed was how easy we are to defend without Rip.

I was actually pleased with the effort. The execution just wasn't there.

It's Flip's offense, not a lack of Rip. We've got plenty of options even without him. Flip is just clueless beyond "We missed shots" (his actual post game comments). It's like he has no idea that jumpshots off of one on one basketball are less likely to go in than shots off of ball/player movement and attacking the rim.

Notice he will never blame a loss on poor offensive gameplan. It's always "we missed shots". Even in the playoffs when it happens over and over, it's the same thing. At some point you'd think he would notice a pattern. HIS SHIT IS BROKE.

I know, it's Flip's fault. It's always Flip's fault. The players never lose a game, it's always Flip. If it rains outside, that's Flip's fault too.

Grow up, or at least come up with some new material.

If his shit is broke, your shit is old.

It's Flip's offense, not a lack of Rip. We've got plenty of options even without him. Flip is just clueless beyond "We missed shots" (his actual post game comments). It's like he has no idea that jumpshots off of one on one basketball are less likely to go in than shots off of ball/player movement and attacking the rim.

Notice he will never blame a loss on poor offensive gameplan. It's always "we missed shots". Even in the playoffs when it happens over and over, it's the same thing. At some point you'd think he would notice a pattern. HIS SHIT IS BROKE.

Flip, more than any coach we've had, has begged for ball movement and swinging from side-to-side. At some point that's on the guys after Chauncey makes the first pass.

Sometimes I really don't like our team.

I thought Amir played pretty well, though.

Some nice D on Bosh down the stretch.

All tonight showed was how easy we are to defend without Rip.

I was actually pleased with the effort. The execution just wasn't there.
1st part is the coaches fault imo. At the end of the day we are too far in the season for you not to have adjustments on hand to get the most out of the rest of your guys. Teams may try to take Rip out(as they have on many ocasions) in the playoffs, gotta be ready to make adjustments if not for that, for the sake of getting more out of the minutes he sits on the bench.

I actually agree with your second statement. Even with some fault being on coaching the execution was not top notch at all, though the effort by some was solid.

Flip Saunders is amazing.

It's always his fault, yet at the same time it's never his fault!

I actually do remember some comments after the last game we lost where Flip was calling out the players on ball movement, saying that they seem to get stuck in one-on-one instead of moving the ball from side to side like they're supposed to. They do shoot too many jump shots, but I doubt Flip draws up plays where one person stands on one side of the court and just dribbles around while everyone else stands around not getting open. I think Flip is just an average coach, I make it well known, but some of this is definitely on the players.

Flip Saunders is amazing.

It's always and never his fault at the same time!
Yea alot of people seem stuck in absolute.

I don't even like the guy that much, but I think sometimes we need to take into consideration the fact that the players dog it sometimes against teams like Toronto.

I don't even like the guy that much, but I think sometimes we need to take into consideration the fact that the players dog it sometimes against teams like Toronto.

I'm sure that's Flip's fault.

Oh yeah, the Pistons also have more cold shooting streaks on the road than any other team I've seen.

I'm sure that's Flip's fault.

He didn't have them prepared?

THAT STILL DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING, MICHIGAN FANS!!!

We lost because of the third quarter.

Just saying.

if we gave the effort, we just didnt execute, then how is that not coaching?

the reason people get angry at flip is his offense relies on a variable that is somewhat beyond anyones control.

you cant say "you have to hit those shots". all players go on cold streaks, and the playoffs wear guys down, which leads to bad shooting. good coaches design systems that have contingency plans to get higher percentage shots. flip, by and large, does not.

the worst part is that our entire game, not just offense, relies on hitting those jumpers.

troof^

I've been saying the same.

We have no fallback plan if the jumpers aren't falling.

"Just take more of them" is not a plan.

troof^

I've been saying the same.

We have no fallback plan if the jumpers aren't falling.

"Just take more of them" is not a plan.

The problem is this though -- if your jumpers aren't falling, what can you do? If the defense recognizes cold shooting, they can pack the paint and make it hard to attack the basket. At that point, shooting less-contested jumpers becomes a higher percentage act than taking it the hoop for a contested layup or dunk attempt.

IMO, the key is balance. When we do one thing and struggle mightily, we typically lose. But when we keep an even keel, leaving the defense guessing, this team is at its best.

It's basketball. If you don't shoot well, you lose. Golden State, the Celtics, the Raptors, the Spurs. Some shots are close, some are far.

how is that not coaching?

They're on a pace to win about the same number of games they did last year and every year for now seven in a row...with three different coaches.

I'm not going to come out and only blame Flip but I keep seeing things that bother me. When the jumpers aren't falling, why does he not yell at his players to take the ball inside? When we were gaining momentum at the end of the game cutting the lead to six with a couple of minutes left, why did we keep firing threes? We lost the momentum and the game yet Flip wasn't yelling at his players nor dod he even seem to care. LB (as much as I dislike him) would have had us pound it down low which would have greatly increased our chances to win. Your thoughts???

Because the players are men, not boys.

He talks to them in the huddles and tells them what's up, I'm assuming. He'll say something to them as they run by. He doesn't have to scream across the court at them like he's coaching 8th graders.

It's basketball. If you don't shoot well, you lose. Golden State, the Celtics, the Raptors, the Spurs. Some shots are close, some are far.
It is easy to shoot from the post than it is anywhere on the floor.
I used to remember a team that shot poorly from the floor, but did everything else well. They rebounded well, they played great hustle defense, they got to the line, and they frequently posted up. They controlled the tempo and played the right way.

That team plays in San Antonio.
There is a rumor the Pistons used to play that way too.

So we have the Cavs again next, it appears.

edit: Oops the Heat are up tonight, I didn't even know that.

I don't even like the guy that much, but I think sometimes we need to take into consideration the fact that the players dog it sometimes against teams like Toronto.
Definitely happens.

The truth is Flip is still an average to mediocre coach(can be above average with his staffs help at times) and the players are too lazy when it comes to keeping consistent execution. Even under Larry Brown's reign they were severely guilty of that. Under the LB regime they got it together in the playoffs, they have yet to do that since then. In other words this loss w/o Rip is not a big deal and we probably dont get any real answers until the playoffs. I hope we've built a strong enough foundation to depend on the bench and have our starters step up w/o tired legs. But we'll have to wait and see on that.

The problem is this though -- if your jumpers aren't falling, what can you do? If the defense recognizes cold shooting, they can pack the paint and make it hard to attack the basket. At that point, shooting less-contested jumpers becomes a higher percentage act than taking it the hoop for a contested layup or dunk attempt.

IMO, the key is balance. When we do one thing and struggle mightily, we typically lose. But when we keep an even keel, leaving the defense guessing, this team is at its best.

when you attack the basket, you become a 3-D offense and force the defense to adjust to you. the pistons, for the most part, have a 2-D offense that invites the defense to play them very aggressively.

its true that when your shots arent hitting the defense can pack it in. thats why you hear the saying 'inside out' all the time. jumpstart the offense by getting the ball inside, force the teams to commit, and then those jumpers seem to fall more regularly.

They're on a pace to win about the same number of games they did last year and every year for now seven in a row...with three different coaches.

so? also three different teams. and as the saying goes, its not in the destination, its in the journey.

LB saw the regular season as 82 games of training camp. he never let guys get too comfortable, he was always pushing, testing, and experimenting. i personally think he wanted us to struggle through the regular season.

flip comes along and we win 64 games and we think we're the best team of all time. not so fast. we were not at all prepared for the playoffs, mostly because our team in may was no better than our team in november.

b-diddy is very :cogent: in this thread

He talks to them in the huddles and tells them what's up, I'm assuming. He'll say something to them as they run by. He doesn't have to scream across the court at them like he's coaching 8th graders.

The problem is that the Pistons frequently look like a bunch of 8th graders. Billups jacking up bad shots and Sheed playing whereever the hell he wants to. This guy is our C/PF and has a total of 6.....YES SIX rebounds in our last two losses. I hpe this shit stops before the playoffs but they look a lot like last years team.

Even under Larry Brown's reign they were severely guilty of that. Under the LB regime they got it together in the playoffs, they have yet to do that since then.
Yep.

Bingo.

Right on.

:cogent:.

The problem is that the Pistons frequently look like a bunch of 8th graders.

If you were to poll GMs asking which team takes care of business without direction, what percentage do you think would not have the Pistons in their top 3? My guess is 0.

when you attack the basket, you become a 3-D offense and force the defense to adjust to you. the pistons, for the most part, have a 2-D offense that invites the defense to play them very aggressively.

its true that when your shots arent hitting the defense can pack it in. thats why you hear the saying 'inside out' all the time. jumpstart the offense by getting the ball inside, force the teams to commit, and then those jumpers seem to fall more regularly.

I agree completely. My point is that a team can't live by attacking the basket and taking it inside all the time, just like a team can't live on jumpers alone.

Forgive my anti-cogentness.