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Monday, May 5, 2008
David (Modesto, Calif.): Is it possible that Hayes sits out this series and they use a combination of Walter Herrmann and Arron Afflalo to rest Tayshaun Prince and use Juan Dixon for instant offense off the bench?
Langlois: Dixon wasn’t active in Game 1 and hasn’t been active yet in the playoffs. I don’t think Hayes is going to be deactivated. Orlando used zone defenses against Toronto and might break them out against the Pistons. If so, my guess is the Pistons are going to want Hayes available. But it looks like Afflalo is going to have a more defined role in this series because he matches up well with Orlando’s wing players – Keith Bogans and Mo Evans, primarily, and he can also guard Keyon Dooling off the bench.
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Tyler (Houston): In this game, no person is safe from getting canned. But do you think the one person is safe is Joe Dumars?
Langlois: You know the phrase “never say never.” Well, in this case, you can say never.
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David (Detroit): Will the Pistons win the NBA championship this year and if not, how long before a championship is out of reach for them?
Langlois: You would take “field” over any particular team left standing, David. So I can’t tell you the Pistons will win. But put it this way: There’s not a team that they can’t beat in a seven-game series. As for when their window closes, Joe Dumars would tell you he doesn’t and can’t think that way. He sees it as his job to keep finding ways to have the Pistons in the championship hunt every year.
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Darren (Greensboro, N.C.): Who do you think Detroit has a better chance of beating in the Eastern Conference finals and in how many games?
Langlois: Despite Boston’s struggles with Atlanta in the opening round, the Celtics are a more complete and dangerous opponent than Cleveland. I expect that series, though, to be pretty tightly contested. The Cavs will do their best to make it a physical, grinding series, hoping to keep it close so that LeBron James can win it for them in the final five minutes. The Pistons are the best bet to make it to the conference finals, but whoever they draw when they get there will be a tough team.
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Jody (Canton): In the playoffs, I’ve noticed that our losses usually happen after a slow start. With Maxiell starting since McDyess broke his nose, the energy Maxiell is supposed to bring off the bench is better used to get us started on the right foot. I don’t know if Maxiell should get more minutes than McDyess, but Jason should be first in line at the dinner table.
Langlois: They’re essentially job sharing, Jody. Right now it’s working with Maxiell as the starter and McDyess coming off the bench, so there’s little likelihood that anything will change until they stop winning with that combination. Flip Saunders likes the intensity Maxiell brings to the starting unit and the increased scorer’s mentality McDyess seems to have coming off the bench.
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Joe (Charleston, Ill.): What’s the plan for our bigs? It seems anybody not guarded by Howard would go right to the post. McDyess spent more time down there than he ever has and Maxiell was a beast, but Rasheed mostly hung on the perimeter. Was this by design?
Langlois: McDyess and Maxiell did most of their scoring from 15 feet. Howard started the game guarding Maxiell with Rasheed matched up against Rashard Lewis. Logic says you make Howard guard farther from the basket. I don’t think Wallace spent an inordinate amount of time floating in Game 1. But the Pistons get themselves in trouble when they deviate too much from what they do best in the interest of trying to exploit a perceived matchup advantage. So, by and large, they’re going to do what they do no matter what the other guy does. That means you’re going to see Rasheed Wallace picking and popping to the 3-point line, because his perimeter shooting is a valuable weapon.
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Danny (Wharton, N.J.): Would you agree that Chauncey and Rip form the best backcourt in the NBA? Billups is an amazing point guard and has great leadership skills. And Rip is one of the top shooters in the NBA and can shoot from anywhere.
Langlois: There’s a reason they’ve both been to three straight All-Star games, Danny. No other NBA backcourt has a streak of one going. So that’s a pretty easy call.
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Rob (Troy, Mich.): Are the Pistons expecting to receive the second-round pick they are owed from Minnesota this year?
Langlois: No. Minnesota has until June 1 to let them know, but the Pistons expect the Timberwolves to keep the pick this year, which means they will have to give it to them next year. If it happens that way, the Pistons would go into the season with three second-round picks this year – their own, Minnesota’s and Toronto’s from the Carlos Delfino trade. The Pistons don’t expect to hear from Minnesota until the last day or two, but they’re banking on Minnesota keeping the pick because it will be so high in the second round in a year of a pretty deep draft.
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Adam (East Lansing): Maxiell was a beast on Saturday. One writer compared him to Barkley after the game. Do you think Maxiell could use Barkley as a model and try to improve his ballhandling, passing and jumper in the off-season.
Langlois: It’s a comparison that was made extensively earlier in Maxiell’s career, when he first revealed one or two traits similar to Barkley – they’re both undersized power players with explosive strength. But Flip Saunders rightly downplayed the comparison. Barkley came to the NBA with a pretty diverse skill set and it became quickly apparent he was a future Hall of Famer. Maxiell has a bright future as a member of the rotation, and he’ll leave no stone unturned to make himself as complete a player as he can, but it’s not very likely he’ll ever approach Barkley’s ball skills.
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T.J. (Rochester Hills): Please tell me the Pistons have already called the league to complain about that technical on Rasheed in Game 1. That has to be rescinded. It was McDyess who had words with Turkoglu. Rasheed said one thing to Turkoglu in a calm manner and was given a tech.
Langlois: Joe Dumars more than likely made the phone call, but it’s even more likely he won’t get any satisfaction. Technicals aren’t rescinded very often and Monty McCutchen made the call pretty emphatically. I didn’t see Rasheed do anything to warrant the technical, but I can’t tell you for sure what he said, either.
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Jasper (Manila, Philippines): We can Tayshaun Prince can score, but I don’t see plays that are created just for him. All I see are isolations when he has a smaller defender. Do you think they should create more plays for him? Do you think Joe Dumars will try to keep Prince in Detroit or at some point will he let him go?
Langlois: He’s under contract through 2011 at a reasonable salary, Jasper, so he’s not going to be let go, that’s for sure. Is it possible he could be used in trade? Anything’s possible. Joe D has made it clear that he’ll consider every possibility to improve the roster. Flip Saunders talked with Prince before the playoffs began about being more assertive offensively. The Pistons call plays that create the opportunity for more than one player to score. They’re predicated on ball and player movement that create openings for scorers based on how the defense reacts. So within a game, assuming the Pistons are executing properly, they all will get plenty of opportunities to score. It’s up to them to make quick and good decisions after that.
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Rollins (Detroit): Why doesn’t Amir play in the playoffs? He can jump out of the gym, has proven he can block shots and rebounds. At the very least he can give up a foul or two. Do we live and die with our starters even when they aren’t producing? It’s called a team and we should change something that is not working.
Langlois: But what exactly isn’t working, Rollins? The Pistons have won four in a row and been more than a little impressive in doing so. Against Orlando and Dwight Howard, the Pistons like Theo Ratliff’s savvy and strength a little more than they like Amir’s youth and athleticism. That’s no knock on Amir – who just turned 21 last week, by the way. If they hadn’t signed Ratliff late in the season, they’d be OK with Amir as their No. 4 big man. And they remain as high on his future as ever. When he got chances this season, he was highly productive. The Pistons picked up Ratliff with a few players in mind for the playoffs – Howard, Kevin Garnett and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, foremost. Based on what Ratliff gave them in Game 1, it looks like a great signing.
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Josh (Mount Pleasant, Mich.): Charles Barkley said after we finished the first round that the Pistons are going to have to double Dwight Howard. But Rasheed owned Howard this season. They beat us with their perimeter guys. After Rasheed’s domination, please say we are not doubling him often?
Langlois: Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after Game 1 the Pistons double Howard less than any other NBA team. They can get away with it because they are deep in very good or better one-on-one frontcourt defenders – Wallace, McDyess and Ratliff can all hold their own and the surprise of Game 1 was the Pistons entrusting Maxiell to guard Howard from the start. The key, as Flip Saunders sees it, is giving Howard different looks – keeping him guessing if a double team is coming, and from where – and keeping fresh bodies on him. It will be interesting in Game 2 to see what adjustments Orlando makes – Van Gundy said after Game 1 it was on him to figure out ways to put his scorers in position to score.
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Denise (Pontiac, Mich.): Can the roster be changed for the next round? There were some valuable players not playing in the Philadelphia series. Dixon’s offense was needed more than Hunter’s defense.
Langlois: Just like in the regular season, the 12-man active roster is culled from the 15-man roster on a game-by-game basis. So Walter Herrmann was activated for Game 1 and Lindsey Hunter deactivated, but that could be changed at any point in the series.
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Joe (Wyandotte, Mich.): What were those black stripes on the Pistons’ jerseys?
Langlois: Armbands in memory of Will Robinson, the longtime Pistons scout and legendary Detroit high school coach – who became the first Division I college basketball African-American head coach – who died last week at 96.
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Joe (Birmingham): Why doesn’t Flip Saunders use Lindsey Hunter, a proven veteran who has shown he can make a valuable contribution to the team. I think he has made a mistake by going with the rookies.
Langlois: It’s not a black-and-white call, it’s a tough one. But Arron Afflalo is not only a terrific defensive player, as Hunter is, but a more versatile one because of his size. And in this series, Afflalo’s size is a perfect counter to Orlando’s Keith Bogans and Mo Evans. Bogans was 12 of 14 from the 3-point line against the Pistons during the regular season. When Orlando goes to their bench, they often feature a lineup with both of those players on the floor at the same time. I’m not sure where Hunter’s minutes would come from in this series. You know Billups and Hamilton are going to play at least 70 minutes, probably closer to 80. And Stuckey is going to get 15 or so. That doesn’t leave much room for Hunter, especially with Afflalo having a clearer role.
