Glenn
09-25-2009, 11:18 AM
:langlois:
Built for speed, expect these Pistons to play faster
by Keith Langlois
Yes, it was just a pre-training camp scrimmage. No, the coaches weren’t there to impose structure. But if Pistons fans had wandered into The Palace’s practice facility Thursday and caught a glimpse of the full-court run that included 12 players, they probably would’ve wondered what team they were watching.
The Pistons have played deliberate, half-court, execution-heavy basketball going back to the Rick Carlisle era. That was partly because of coaching philosophy, of course, but mostly about personnel.
Chauncey Billups was and remains a point guard built for half-court basketball. Rip Hamilton makes a living running defenders ragged around screens and knocking down open 18-footers. Tayshaun Prince sizes up defenses and picks his spots to attack, and the back-you-down post move has become his bread and butter. The Pistons have had a series of veteran big men who thrived by probing for soft spots and playing within the framework of an offense as opposed to going one-on-one consistently.
This year’s roster is built more for improvisation and fast breaking. The opportunities are still going to be there for Hamilton and Prince to do their thing – even running teams get off most of their shots out of half-court sets – but this roster will be able to exploit teams that are slow to regroup defensively to a greater degree than any Pistons team in a long while.
That was evident, even given the lax atmosphere expected of a September scrimmage and even without three projected starters – Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva – taking part in Thursday’s activity. Most players have been in and out for the last week or two – everyone but Hamilton, who always shows up just before camp opens and always is in remarkable condition – but this was the first appearance for Prince and Jason Maxiell and the best-attended informal session yet.
Ben Gordon pushed his team up the court and Will Bynum pushed his, but more to the point is they had willing participants filling lanes. Jason Maxiell, who’ll again come to camp looking considerably lighter than he finished last season, won’t be the only big man running the wing this season.
Chris Wilcox was getting up and down, as well. Jonas Jerebko is going to be really good in transition, especially if he’s playing at power forward, and DaJuan Summers likewise. Austin Daye continued to show what he flashed in Las Vegas – not only is he going to be dangerous on the wing, where his length will carry him to the rim in a hurry and his 3-point ability will make him a weapon on the secondary break, but he can handle the ball in the middle on the break, too.
Among the other impressions:
Will Bynum, true to his reputation, must have worked extremely hard over the summer. He looks like he’s in terrific shape, still naturally stocky but a little leaner through the chest and mid-section. He also had his pull-up jumper going Thursday, and if he can make that shot consistently the threat of his penetration will be even greater.
Joe D seemed pretty enthused about what he’s seen so far from Wilcox. He made some really nice catches in traffic and he finishes at – and above – the rim. Wilcox has never played with the number of talented offensive players he’ll have around him this season. It should give him more room to operate than he’s ever enjoyed. Wilcox could become a force crashing to the basket on pick-and-roll plays.
Gordon’s a dynamic offensive player. He’s clearly their best shooter, but he made some breathtaking plays off the dribble to get inside the defense and then finished with terrific passes to cutting teammates – passes they could handle and led them to easy finishes. Any combination of Gordon, Stuckey and Bynum playing together is going to put defenses on their heels.
It’s being reported that Chucky Atkins will come to camp as the No. 3 point guard. There’s nothing official coming from the Pistons on that, but it certainly is a possibility. Joe D said he expects another point guard to be added to the camp roster, but it’s going to be on a fully non-guaranteed deal. If it’s Atkins, though, it would less of a surprise if he were to stick around as the 15th man on a minimum deal than it would have been had Curtis Jerrells come to camp, as was anticipated before San Antonio came up with some guaranteed money for him. It’s still probably more likely they stick at 14, but Atkins would be a tempting luxury given his shot-making ability and experience.
The Sporting News has named Dumars the NBA’s executive of the decade, a testament to the six straight conference finals, 2004 championship and seven straight 50-win seasons after inheriting a roster when he took the job in June 2000 that was a long way from contention. Kobe Bryant was player of the decade, joined on the first team by Steve Nash, LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal.
Dumars will deliver a pretty simple message to Pistons players, coaches and staff regarding Twitter, which three players – Charlie Villanueva, Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers – use extensively. It’s just a reminder to be as mindful in using Twitter as they would be when speaking before TV cameras, microphones or tape recorders. Players are expected to understand they represent the organization when they deal with the media or the public, and those rules extend to their use of Twitter.
Built for speed, expect these Pistons to play faster
by Keith Langlois
Yes, it was just a pre-training camp scrimmage. No, the coaches weren’t there to impose structure. But if Pistons fans had wandered into The Palace’s practice facility Thursday and caught a glimpse of the full-court run that included 12 players, they probably would’ve wondered what team they were watching.
The Pistons have played deliberate, half-court, execution-heavy basketball going back to the Rick Carlisle era. That was partly because of coaching philosophy, of course, but mostly about personnel.
Chauncey Billups was and remains a point guard built for half-court basketball. Rip Hamilton makes a living running defenders ragged around screens and knocking down open 18-footers. Tayshaun Prince sizes up defenses and picks his spots to attack, and the back-you-down post move has become his bread and butter. The Pistons have had a series of veteran big men who thrived by probing for soft spots and playing within the framework of an offense as opposed to going one-on-one consistently.
This year’s roster is built more for improvisation and fast breaking. The opportunities are still going to be there for Hamilton and Prince to do their thing – even running teams get off most of their shots out of half-court sets – but this roster will be able to exploit teams that are slow to regroup defensively to a greater degree than any Pistons team in a long while.
That was evident, even given the lax atmosphere expected of a September scrimmage and even without three projected starters – Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva – taking part in Thursday’s activity. Most players have been in and out for the last week or two – everyone but Hamilton, who always shows up just before camp opens and always is in remarkable condition – but this was the first appearance for Prince and Jason Maxiell and the best-attended informal session yet.
Ben Gordon pushed his team up the court and Will Bynum pushed his, but more to the point is they had willing participants filling lanes. Jason Maxiell, who’ll again come to camp looking considerably lighter than he finished last season, won’t be the only big man running the wing this season.
Chris Wilcox was getting up and down, as well. Jonas Jerebko is going to be really good in transition, especially if he’s playing at power forward, and DaJuan Summers likewise. Austin Daye continued to show what he flashed in Las Vegas – not only is he going to be dangerous on the wing, where his length will carry him to the rim in a hurry and his 3-point ability will make him a weapon on the secondary break, but he can handle the ball in the middle on the break, too.
Among the other impressions:
Will Bynum, true to his reputation, must have worked extremely hard over the summer. He looks like he’s in terrific shape, still naturally stocky but a little leaner through the chest and mid-section. He also had his pull-up jumper going Thursday, and if he can make that shot consistently the threat of his penetration will be even greater.
Joe D seemed pretty enthused about what he’s seen so far from Wilcox. He made some really nice catches in traffic and he finishes at – and above – the rim. Wilcox has never played with the number of talented offensive players he’ll have around him this season. It should give him more room to operate than he’s ever enjoyed. Wilcox could become a force crashing to the basket on pick-and-roll plays.
Gordon’s a dynamic offensive player. He’s clearly their best shooter, but he made some breathtaking plays off the dribble to get inside the defense and then finished with terrific passes to cutting teammates – passes they could handle and led them to easy finishes. Any combination of Gordon, Stuckey and Bynum playing together is going to put defenses on their heels.
It’s being reported that Chucky Atkins will come to camp as the No. 3 point guard. There’s nothing official coming from the Pistons on that, but it certainly is a possibility. Joe D said he expects another point guard to be added to the camp roster, but it’s going to be on a fully non-guaranteed deal. If it’s Atkins, though, it would less of a surprise if he were to stick around as the 15th man on a minimum deal than it would have been had Curtis Jerrells come to camp, as was anticipated before San Antonio came up with some guaranteed money for him. It’s still probably more likely they stick at 14, but Atkins would be a tempting luxury given his shot-making ability and experience.
The Sporting News has named Dumars the NBA’s executive of the decade, a testament to the six straight conference finals, 2004 championship and seven straight 50-win seasons after inheriting a roster when he took the job in June 2000 that was a long way from contention. Kobe Bryant was player of the decade, joined on the first team by Steve Nash, LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal.
Dumars will deliver a pretty simple message to Pistons players, coaches and staff regarding Twitter, which three players – Charlie Villanueva, Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers – use extensively. It’s just a reminder to be as mindful in using Twitter as they would be when speaking before TV cameras, microphones or tape recorders. Players are expected to understand they represent the organization when they deal with the media or the public, and those rules extend to their use of Twitter.