WTF is going on? (a thread about our shitty play as of late)

[WTFchris]

I agree with all your points yargs. I really can't understand why he does #3. Our bench has kept us in a lot of games (or gotten us into games that our starters come out flat). I can't understand why he won't use them more. Every damn year we hear about how he wants to get the bench involved more, yet every year he ingores them and overworks the starters. I just don't get it. They've been productive (basically Dice was the only one shooting poorly), play them.

[Higherwarrior]

yargs- good points all around. i wish i could make our substitutions because i could do a much better job than flip. i think my 6 year old nephew could!

the lakers game is an example of how stupid he's been since he got here. i was screaming for him to make some substitutions but apparently a 21 point lead wasn't enough. and like you said- forget that they had already logged heavy minutes and we had the 2nd end of a back-to-back the next night.

He wanted to see how tired he could make our guys i guess!

what a complete jackass. i think there is more wrong with this team than just him, as we need some more athletic guys who can do more off the dribble. and we need more guys who WANT IT as our guys have grown complacent.

but flip is the worst thing to happen to this team in YEARS.

[defrocked]

Really, I'm just astounded at his apparent lack of knowledge of our guys. It seems silly and arrogant for us to sit on here claiming we know the team so much better, but it really seems to be the case. There's experimenting with the line-up to see and gelling different chemistries of lineups and there's just bad coaching. I hate the idea of Maxiell, or anyone, as being undersized. Quit looking at the ideal size for a position and look at results. You know who else was undersized? Ben. And Barkley. And Brand. And. And. And. And.

Seriously, take a step back and put out the guys who work the hardest and produce and morale and chemistry follow.

[Higherwarrior]

many times i would prefer to see amir and blalock out there than mohammed and hunter.

yes they are very young players and inexperienced. but in short doses they could help us more than the other 2. the rest of the league is letting young players play and we're trying to give vets every minute possible- to the detriment of our team!

[Glenn]

Blakely

Pistons' leadership a problem

The Detroit Pistons have problems defensively, which we all expected when Ben Wallace left. But there's an even greater void that I'm not sure this team is up to filling -- his leadership.

The reason why Chauncey and Ben worked so well together as co-captains was because they each took a uniquely different path to asserting their leadership with the team.

Chauncey was the politically correct one, never one to call out a teammate or coach publicly. Ben, as we all know, made it known to any and all if he wasn't happy about something.

Rip and Tayshaun, who are both talented players, are too much like Chauncey when it comes to leadership. They'll say all the right things, put up good numbers but rarely will they put themselves - or their teammates - on Front Street.

You need a guy or two like Ben who, from time to time, has the courage to call out his teammates - and every now and then, his coach. It's not a coincidence that some of Detroit's most inspiring performances in recent years, came after Wallace called out his teammates. But you have to balance that with calling yourself out and acknowledging when you don't get the job done, which Ben didn't do as good a job at 'fessing up to in his last season than he should have. That's when tension starts, which was one of the factors in Detroit's postseason demise last season.

Yes, there is an adjustment period for this team defensively with Ben gone, and they're obviously in the midst of that now. But to put their struggles solely on that, and a lack of on-court communication, ignores the most noticeable intangible this team lacks with Ben gone, and that's his leadership.

[Fool]

I thought Ben's "tantrums" were negatives. Now they're the key to what made the team good?

[Glenn]

I thought Ben's "tantrums" were negatives. Now they're the key to what made the team good?

The image above has been resized. Click on it to see the full version.

[Fool]

It took me far to long to catch on to that. Well played Glenn.

[Higherwarrior]

the absence of wallace is not the cause of our problems. nor is it a solution. our problems are much greater than ben IMO.

[Glenn]

I just scanned the topics in the NBA forum's front page and I had to laugh.

You'd think we're the Knicks or something.

We're talking about:

--Chauncey leaving

--Tay's upset about small ball

--Nazr's unhappy because he's not playing

--Everyone wants Flip fired

--Dale Davis trades

--Our fans are getting banned from the arena for starting brawls