What do you guys think the rotation will look like when Sheed comes back?

I'd roll with:

C: Nazr (22) Dale (16) Sheed (10)
PF: Sheed (20) Dice (18) Maxiell (10)
SF: Tayshaun (36) Delfino (12*)
SG: Rip (32) Delfino (8) Flip (8)
PG: Chauncey (32) Flip (8) Blalock (8)

*I'd even consider slipping Amir or Dupree in there in place of Delfino, since I still think we are short a SF backup for Tay. Delfino is a SG playing out of position IMO.

Lindsey has no place in my rotation until the last week or so of the regular season, just to get him ready for spot duty in the playoffs.

That being said, who knows what Flip Sr. will do?

I'd like for MM to get rewarded for his play with a few more minutes. Maybe some of DD's mins.

Flip with 16 mins? More than I would want, but no real sub for him.

DD has really played well, he earned his minutes too...its wishful thinking, once Sheed is back Max will see some DNP again

Give Sheed and maybe even Dice in small ball situations a bit of Nazr's minutes and give a few more to Max at the 4. Just wishful thinking.

I wish Sheed was still capable of playing some SF, he could spell Tay for 8 mins or so per game and would allow us to have a long ass lineup like no other.

It would also help us take advantage of our new-found frontcourt depth.

But, that ain't reality anymore.

I wish Sheed was still capable of playing some SF, he could spell Tay for 8 mins or so per game and would allow us to have a long ass lineup like no other.

It would also help us take advantage of our new-found frontcourt depth.

But, that ain't reality anymore.
It'd help to see Maxiell at SF against some other tweener "power" SFs. I think he could do it for a few minutes (not for a long stretch, though).

I can see that against guys like Artest, Josh Smith, Jamison, etc.

the way nazr is going he won't even get 22 minutes per. so give 2-4 of those to j-max. take 2-4 from davis, and we're looking at 15-18 minutes for j-max. that's about right.

i personaly would prefer never to see flip murray at the point ever again. i would rather live throguh rookie mistakes with blalock than suffer through 'rookie' mistakes, poor ball handling/shot selection with flip murray.

and yeah- i think the odd game here or there we should activate and play amir 6-10 minutes. sometimes we need that sort of athleticism and he can bring it as well as a ton of energy.

Murray doesn't need to be at point to dribble to the left baseline and shoot a 12 footer.

Murray doesn't need to be a point to sit his ass on the bench and watch Blaylock and Delfino give us a better performance, which i would much prefer.

Well, you've got the politics of signing a free agent to factor in there with Murray.

He was probably promised some playing time to get him to sign "below market value".

There's always that fear that other future FA's will not look kindly on that, which might be BS.

They avoided the same situation with Dale Davis by overpaying him, lol.

They avoided the same situation with Dale Davis by overpaying him, lol.


You know, as this season develops I get more and more pissed off about that. The contributions they're getting from DD right now they could have had last year. No reason he had to collect dust for a season. He's a veteran, they knew exactly what he could do and it can't possibly be a surprise this year. It just begs the question--why?

If Flip was anything of a coach, he'd bench Nazr like the Poppovich did when he got outplayed by softy Rasho.

You know, as this season develops I get more and more pissed off about that. The contributions they're getting from DD right now they could have had last year. No reason he had to collect dust for a season. He's a veteran, they knew exactly what he could do and it can't possibly be a surprise this year. It just begs the question--why?
Because Ben's ego was showing no signs of getting tired even when Ben was.

and I think they were still running with the plan to use him like they did with Elden. Just put him in there in there against Shaq but have no real intention of using him otherwise unless absolutely necessary.

If I were coach?

PG: Billups (34) | Blalock (14)
SG: Rip (34) | Murray (10) | Delfino(4)
SF: Prince (34) | Delfino (14)
PF: Sheed (18) | Maxiell (22) | Dice (8)
C: Nazr (20) | Sheed (14) | Davis (14)

Maxiell should eat most of Dice's minutes (or babies in this case) untill Dice earns them back. If Flip had a backbone he wouldn't allow "core" players to bypass the "Players who produce, play" rule that he loves to pound into the ground, but only actually use it against players 24 years old or younger. Flip has managed the last 2 games as well as he possibly could, but I won't believe he has changed untill he does it with Sheed (and Lindsey) back.

*I'd even consider slipping Amir or Dupree in there in place of Delfino, since I still think we are short a SF backup for Tay. Delfino is a SG playing out of position IMO.


Pistons coach Flip Saunders said he was concerned about Flip Murray's struggles, but he wasn't ready to pull the plug on him. "That's way premature right now," Saunders said. "He's talked about accepting a role and being part of a team that has a chance to win a championship. He's talked about being a guy that can be creative (offensively) off the bench. We're going to give him that opportunity,and hopefully we will get that from him."

Here's the Catch-22 that Murray is in: He is a player who needs long stretches of playing time to find his rhythm. But those stretches are going to be hard to come by playing behind all-stars Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. "It's going to be tough for him to get the consistent minutes he needs at that position," Saunders said. "He's had games where he's played well. He's going to continue to get opportunities. He has to take advantage of them when they come." ...

If Murray's production continues to wane, Saunders could use Carlos Delfino more at shooting guard and slide Ronald Dupree in to back up Tayshaun Prince.


Hot damn.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/SPORTS03/612190381/1051/rss16




PISTONS CORNER: Maxiell, Davis bid for more minutes

December 19, 2006

:lathamjahnke:
BY KRISTA JAHNKE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

If anything was gained from Rasheed Wallace's two-game absence because of ankle soreness, it was the upgrade of Jason Maxiell from question mark to rotation candidate.

But when Wallace returns, most likely Thursday at Cleveland, how can one more worthy rotation candidate find playing time?

"He's not going to play 32 minutes," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said of Maxiell, "but he's going to play."

Add Dale Davis' sudden resurgence, and the Pistons have an enviable problem: too much of a good thing. Davis, 37, was in vintage form last weekend, grabbing nine rebounds Saturday against New Jersey and 13 Sunday against Seattle.

When paired, Davis and Maxiell -- the Good Squad or the Bruise Brothers, they're calling themselves -- wreak havoc in the lane.

"There's no question that when those guys are on the floor, the identity of our team changes," Saunders said. "We become a much more grind-it-out, physical, go-after-you (team), both offensively and defensively." (He actually sounds mad about that, doesn't he? -Glenn)

All five of the Pistons' bigs have arguably earned playing time, but there aren't enough minutes to go around.

If anyone has yet to make a case, it's Antonio McDyess, a notoriously slow starter who has hit just 39% of his shots.

Saunders has said he assumes McDyess will return to his usual sixth-man form sometime around the All-Star break. But he also said he would let performances on the court dictate playing time.

"We have to ride it out and see," Saunders said. "As I've always said, I don't determine who plays. Guys who play well will play."

As for Wallace, the team won't rush him back, nor will it keep him down just because Maxiell and Davis have come on strong. When team strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander gives him the all clear, Saunders will activate Wallace. Period.

"Now, I might cut minutes," Saunders said. "But that's because of how these other guys are playing. 'Sheed's always been a guy who can still get you big numbers in lower minutes. Even if he plays 28, 29 minutes, he might get you the same stats he'd get you in 35."

Maxiell understands his playing time will likely shrink when Wallace returns.

" 'Sheed's an All-Star," Maxiell said. "That's what he does, and he's going to carry our team back to a championship. ... It's all about the passion of the game, helping my team out however I can. If I'm not on the court, I'll be off the court, cheering." I love it. Hear that Darko?

BLALOCK, PART 2: Rookie point guard Will Blalock got into his second NBA game Sunday. He didn't score in 12 minutes and had one turnover and one assist. But he played better than those numbers indicate. "He had a couple of stints where it got a little bit crazy," Saunders said. "But that's not just being a young player. It's the first time he's playing in a back-to-back situation. I thought, overall, he did OK."

:mccosky:


Maxiell, Davis emerging at opportune time

Duo likely to help cut down on Wallace's workload, buy time for McDyess to find form.

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- This is what Joe Dumars was talking about when he said the Pistons, to be successful, would need some growth from within.

The recent emergence of Jason Maxiell and Dale Davis -- two non-rotation players last season -- have infused the Pistons with some of the grit and nastiness Ben Wallace took with him to Chicago.

"You can see it," Chauncey Billups said. "Those guys bring a different edge to our team."

If the evidence of the past two games can be trusted, this isn't just a temporary fill-in situation for Maxiell and Davis. They sparked the Pistons' victories over the Nets and Sonics, combining for 36 points and 39 rebounds.

"Maxey is not going to play 32 minutes a night, but he's going to play," coach Flip Saunders said. "He's earned that. He comes to practice every day and plays hard."

Same for Davis.

He was the best player in camp before suffering a strained left hamstring. He has returned strong, but he's 37, and his role will have to remain somewhat limited.

Here's what Saunders is facing:

Rasheed Wallace has been out (pain in both ankles), but is expected to return Thursday in Cleveland.

Antonio McDyess is mired in his annual early season slump. In the past four games, two of which he started, he has averaged three points and 4.5 rebounds.

Nazr Mohammed has not found his groove, averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in what has amounted to a part-time role (19 minutes per game).

"We have a lot of quality bigs, man," Billups said. "On nights like this (Sunday, in a victory over Seattle), playing the second of a back-to-back, we need those guys to come in and provide that energy. Those guys are hungry."

Saunders would prefer not to alter the starting lineup. Rasheed Wallace is, and will remain, the dominant big man. But, with the emergence of Maxiell, Saunders has the opportunity to reduce Wallace's minutes -- something Wallace (35.3 minutes) would welcome.

Davis and Mohammed likely will share the center spot, almost 50-50, the rest of the season. Maxiell also will buy time for McDyess to work himself out of his funk. Maxiell might, in fact, spur him on and hasten the process.

Because of multiple knee injuries, McDyess does not condition during the offseason. It typically takes him a couple of months to find his form.

"He's got a great attitude, and he's utilized whatever minutes he's been given," Saunders said. "He's a high-energy guy who plays with reckless abandon. As a coach, you love to watch the guy play. And I am sure the 22,000 people that were (at The Palace) loved to watch him play. It's fun to watch guys play with that kind of intensity."

The next level of growth for Maxiell is now. He's not going to sneak up on teams anymore.

"It's all mental," Maxiell said. "I am only a second-year player. I still have to sit back and learn as much as I can. Rasheed teaches me a lot. I just have to keep working."

I don't get this "Flip Murray creative offense" shit.

Jacking up bad shots after digging yourself a hole isn't creative!

Did anyone else forget Supa-Dupe was even on the team? Has he even played a minute all year?

yeah he's played a few minutes. i remember one game where he literally played a few seconds at the end of the first half or something like that! poor kid.

C: Nazr 18/Davis 14/Sheed 16
F: Sheed 14/Dice 18/Maxiell 16

The rest is obvious