OGT: Pistons at Knicks (3/7/08, MY20, 7:30) THEO TO START, SHEED TO SIT

[Glenn]

Pistons at Knicks Gameday


by Keith Langlois

TV: TV20 Detroit (HDTV) | Radio: WDFN 1130 AM - The Fan

Last Meeting: New York won 89-65 (January 13, 2008)

The skinny: The Knicks take an 18-43 record into tonight’s game, another disastrous season under the reign of GM-coach Isiah Thomas. They’ve lost four straight games, including one Wednesday night to Cleveland when LeBron James scored 50 and broke open a tight game with four 3-point baskets in the final four minutes. Thomas has had a revolving door to his starting lineup all season. Zach Randolph has missed the past three games with a bruised right foot and is listed as day to day. Nate Robinson and David Lee started against the Cavs along with Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford, who leads the Knicks in scoring at 20.8 points a game, though Crawford shoots just 41 percent. The Curry-Randolph experiment failed miserably with Curry’s stats (13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds) suffering more dramatically. Numerous reports suggested Thomas was aggressively shopping both of them at the trade deadline but found no takers. Richardson has had a lousy year, averaging 7.5 points and shooting 36 percent. Rookie Wilson Chandler is getting a late-season audition at Richardson’s small forward spot. The Stephon Marbury situation – Thomas apparently told him to stay home, but Marbury is showing up anyway – continues to hover over Madison Square Garden like a mushroom cloud. At least the Knicks haven’t traded away their lottery pick this season – the last two went to Chicago for Curry.

What to watch: The Pistons’ energy level will be telling coming off their tough loss at Boston. Working in their favor – they’ve already laid one stink bomb at MSG this season. The 89-65 loss to the Knicks in January was the Pistons’ worst performance of the year by a wide margin. Against a really lousy team, they shot 31 percent – Tayshaun Prince was 0 of 10 – and trailed by 31 at one point. That’s not the kind of impression any prideful team likes to leave in a building NBA players still widely view as basketball’s Mecca. It’s also their last tuneup before a stretch of meaningful games. First up is a five-game homestand against Chicago, against which the Pistons are 0-3 this season; Philadelphia, perhaps the likeliest first-round playoff opponent; defending NBA championship San Antonio; Western up-and-comer New Orleans on national TV; and Denver, clawing for the West’s final playoff berth. And then comes a trip to Cleveland. In other words, it’s the beginning of the home stretch, and that should grab everyone’s full attention.

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

Pistons going to the circus tonight!!!


Stephon Marbury is way underpaid.

[Timone]

Eddy Curry = 285 lbs
Zach Randolph = 260 lbs

Barely under 600 (545).

[Zekyl]

Shit, I thought they were over for sure. Randolph is only 260?!

[Glenn]

Those are their listed weights.

Did you guys really think that Don Reid used to get back spasms all the time?

[Glenn]

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

I heard Zachary isn't playing tonight.

[Timone]

Is Theo gonna play?

[Glenn]

Is Theo gonna play?

Supposively. (Sheed may not)

These fools kilt us last time, that was ugly.

[Glenn]

Theo to start

The last time Theo Ratliff started a game for the Pistons was early in the 1997-1998 season. That streak ended Friday. Ratliff started in place of Rasheed Wallace, who sat out with a sore left ankle.

"We're not going to rush (Wallace) back," coach Flip Saunders said. "We want to get him as pain-free as we can."

Saunders tabbed Ratliff, even though he hasn't had a single practice, over Jason Maxiell for a couple of reasons.

"We just feel, No. 1 that we needed to have his size out there against (Knicks' center) Eddy Curry," Saunders said. "Second, we are trying to facilitate his progress, and we didn't want to have Antonio McDyess guarding Curry and pick up a couple of early fouls. Then we would be even more depleted up front."

Saunders said he would have started Jason Maxiell if not for the sizeable presence of Curry, who is 6-11 and nearly 300 pounds.