When do you think, if ever, Rodney Stuckey will be our starting PG? Will it be because Chauncey gets traded? Will Stuckey's play get so good to a point where Michael Curry (yeah, i said it) will have a PG controversy? Or will Stuckey never have a chance because he'll be shipped out of town?

i can't say, unless i know what deal we might get in trading billups. because unless we get a very attractive deal, we're not trading billups.

that being said, stuckey is probably the only untradeable player on the roster at this stage. he WILL NOT be traded at this point so that last option is NOT an option.

if i had to guess, i would say he will play starters minutes if billups is back (30-35 mins.) and probably will be on the floor in crucial situations at the end of games. maybe WITH billups if he's still here.

whether he officially starts or not is almost insignificant. he is potentially our best player and IMO it won't be long before he reaches that status. whether he starts or not he'll play a huge role for us.

I'd love to pick the first one but I think JoeD really likes CBill.

I have no timetable, nor do i think to. Its whenever its needed. If Joe feels he's ready i'll roll with that. If Glenn thinks he'll play SG, Gleen is truly lost.

that being said, stuckey is probably the only untradeable player on the roster at this stage. he WILL NOT be traded at this point so that last option is NOT an option.

if i had to guess, i would say he will play starters minutes if billups is back (30-35 mins.) and probably will be on the floor in crucial situations at the end of games. maybe WITH billups if he's still here.


I agree on both points. Stuckey is untouchable and will play big minutes whether its off the bench or not.

At this point I believe the three guard rotation is the pistons best asset and shouldn't be broken up. Everyone else is expendable but that's the core you build around.

DREW SHARP
Everyone but Stuckey is on the block; Rip likely has the most value

By DREW SHARP • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • June 8, 2008

Rip Hamilton isn't an untouchable.

The only "sacred cow," as Joe Dumars phrased it last week, who isn't on the trading block is rookie Rodney Stuckey.

Hamilton will draw more in the open market than anybody else on that roster. He's 30 and a three-time All-Star, and it's always easier finding another scorer.

The idea of Chauncey Billups being more expendable than Hamilton because there's already a replacement point guard in Stuckey is gravely flawed, because when Dumars drafted Stuckey with the 15th overall selection, he envisioned a future backcourt of two big hybrid guards, both capable of running the point or working for shots off the ball.

Opposing playoff teams aggressively trap Billups at mid-court, forcing him to give up the ball before he can get the team into his half-court offensive sets. They do this knowing that Hamilton is incapable of setting up the offense. His strength is strictly away from the ball, running his defender through endless screens.

A backcourt of Billups and Stuckey effectively negates that strategy.

Not bad points by Sharp...

That bit of analysis by Sharp was one of the most intelligent things I've read by a Pistons beat reporter in many, many years.

As much as I would welcome a change, you know Chauncey will be running the point next year...

I'll believe otherwise, when I see it...

I really see Stuckey as more of a shoting guard. He takes care of the ball well enough but still has that aggresive shot first attitude. We need more of a pass first guy IMO. Stuckey could develop but I don't see him as a starting PG.....yet.

That bit of analysis by Sharp was one of the most intelligent things I've read by a Pistons beat reporter in many, many years.


Drew only writes a few quality articles a year, this one should go up on the fridge.

This not seeing Stuckey at PG thing is a continuous moot point because that's where he's going to be.

and i don't get how people are seeing him as a 'shoot first' PG. yes, he's been asked to be that way in instances. when you're coming off the bench and we need an offensive punch, sure. and when there are opportunities for you to be aggressive, you take them. (and it served us very well let's not forget)

but it's funny how people have either not noticed or purposely overlooked the way stuckey ran our offense on many occasions. he's shown me he's MORE than capable of being a PG even if he's also got a very good scoring ability.

in addition to running the offense solidly, he made a few dozen passes this year that most 2nd and 3rd year PGs won't make. not necessarily 'highlight material' but the type of high-IQ, smart and unselfish basketball passes that make an old school guy like me smile a mile wide. he knows how to play the game and will do whatever is needed of him.

is he john stockton? no. but nobody today is as the game and PG position has changed a bit. plus he would be hurting the team if he tried to be.

he has VERY good floor vision and is a very unselfish player. he can do and DOES what we've needed from him. and he'll only get better as the playoffs showed. imagine him with 30+ minutes a night!?

i don't get how anyone could see anything different from what i've said but i guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. oh well...

I think he could play either position. I'm hoping he gets a full season at PG to see if he can become a good decision maker there. I also think Billups and RIP will be back and we'll have that 3 guard rotation. I would like to see Billups and/or Sheed moved for a better big man though. I just doubt it will happen.

I really see Stuckey as more of a shoting guard. He takes care of the ball well enough but still has that aggresive shot first attitude. We need more of a pass first guy IMO. Stuckey could develop but I don't see him as a starting PG.....yet.

Yep.

And Codename V, "Gleen"?


This not seeing Stuckey at PG thing is a continuous moot point because that's where he's going to be.

This organization has had a lot of luck forcing players to play positions that they want them to play, skill set be damned. [/green]

This organization has had a lot of luck forcing players to play positions that they want them to play, skill set be damned.

that's why I think he'll remain as the backup 1/2 and let him develop into either.

that's why I think he'll remain as the backup 1/2 and let him develop into either.

That's probably the best approach. He can surely handle a 12 minutes a game at PG, (even if he'll dominate the ball too much during those 12 minutes). The rest of the time he can create for himself at SG.

(was Drew Sharp's comments that got snipped in quote)

In other words, Joe Dumars fixed what Flip couldn't, ie come up with a way to adjust to the other team trapping and pressing on Billups.

This organization has had a lot of luck forcing players to play positions that they want them to play, skill set be damned. [/green]
Sure name a guy we drafted to play out of position thus dooming him to a shitty career. If you say Darko I lose any capacity to take you seriously on this. nevertheless again I reiterate you're harping moot points to your grave. He'll play PG for us unless he gets traded.

Actually, Darko wasn't really forced to play out of position. They just tried to change his offensive game. He could have played center still and played more like Dirk offensively (if he was good at it). Darko rebounded and blocked shots at the center position (his recognition was bad, but the effort was there defensively). That was more forcing a role than forcing a position.

I'm going to go ahead and predict that Stuckey will be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year next season.

I'm going to go ahead and predict that Stuckey will be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year next season.

Certainly a possibility, especially if one of starters is replaced with a less offensive-oriented player (ie Wallace for less of a jump shooter).

I tend to agree with the consensus here that all three of our guards will be back this year (or at least Billups or Hamilton will be replaced by another starter in trade). I don't think Stuckey is ready to start, but if the Pistons decide to run more three guard line-ups, he could basically backup three positions.

I think if we could unload Billups for a guy with a 2 yr contract, for instance, we might see Stuckey as the starter when that contract is up.

He'll play PG for us unless he gets traded.

Ah, it's the old "you're wrong because I say you're wrong" tactic.

If the Pistons have the same mentality that you have with that quote, Gutz, then they deserve whatever they get.

Putting a talented, versatile player into a predetermined role before you really know what they can do is just stupid, IMO.

I don't think Stuckey is ready to start

I think he'd be ready to start by the playoffs if you made him the starter from day 1. I think the team is ready (read as: can handle) him as the starter for regular season games right now.

Sure name a guy we drafted to play out of position

Is Carlos Delfino a SF?

Is Memo a C?

Was Alex Acker a PG?

Was Mateen Cleaves an NBA player?

Was Rodney White a bust? wait...

Is Carlos Delfino a SF?

Is Memo a C?

Was Alex Acker a PG?

Was Mateen Cleaves an NBA player?

Was Rodney White a bust? wait...
Memo still plays center and PF as he did here. WTF???lol

everyone else is complete waste disposal garbage so this is pretty weak.

Ah, it's the old "you're wrong because I say you're wrong" tactic.

If the Pistons have the same mentality that you have with that quote, Gutz, then they deserve whatever they get.

Putting a talented, versatile player into a predetermined role before you really know what they can do is just stupid, IMO.

Ah, it's the old "you're wrong because I say you're wrong" tactic.
No, its the known plan, but perception can reality for you. its an intricate plot to make him SG by deflecting us with talk of him playing pg for us by Joe D...that slick bastard..


If the Pistons have the same mentality that you have with that quote, Gutz, then they deserve whatever they get.
the mentality that they already made their decision and trust it? I'm going to guess that they think like that quite often.



Putting a talented, versatile player into a predetermined role before you really know what they can do is just stupid, IMO
Like what you've been doing these past couple months for stuckey at SG? So its stupid when a guy with more knowledge and footage of stuckey's game from college to now makes the decision on what he's playing for us? SELECTIVE.

OT...Gutz don't know where to put this, so i'm putting it here. Out of all the name changes on WTF, your name change to CNV just isn't sticking. Its a cool new name, but I see you called GG more than CNV.

Like what you've been doing these past couple months for stuckey at SG? So its stupid when a guy with more knowledge and footage of stuckey's game from college to now makes the decision on what he's playing for us? SELECTIVE.

Read post #17

You lost me with most of the rest of your post.

i really don't know if Stuckey is ready to start, i think CB,RIP and Stuckey is by far the best backcourt rotation in the league, if we gonna trade Chauncey (+ Maxiell) i want a dominant frontcourt player back, like E.Brand...

I wonder how Langlois is doing with his campaign to get Stuckey elible for Rookie of the Year?

He's obviously got MVP and MIP already wrapped up, so this would be an unprecendented triple crown.

I think winning MIP and ROY would cause the universe to implode on itself, since that's technically impossible.

Is Langolis a terrorist?

Read thread #143080
http://www.mlive.com/forums/pistons/

I'm not any of those guys, btw, lol.