Key Points:

• Losing aside, it was nice to get Ben, Rip and Tayshaun back.  Because of the suspensions to Daye and Jerebko on opening night, this was actually the first game all season long at full strength.
• Pistons started this one strong in the first few minutes of the game, but Toronto slowly pulled away leading by as much as 20.
• Fantastic third quarter where the Pistons outscored the Raps 28-13 to give them a chance in the second half.
• The Pistons still winning the board wars (40-36), and still not winning games.
• Huge game from Chris Bosh a 16 rebound 25 point double-double in 38 minutes.
• Chucky Atkins deactivated and the box score listed DaJuan Summers with a strained left knee.
• The thing that the Pistons have been hanging their hat on has seemed to disappeared in the past few games. It’s not just the pick and roll defense that’s suffering either.
• After being out 8 weeks with a back injury, Tayshaun Prince looked pretty good.  Prince scored 9 on 4-for-8 shooting with 3 boards and  3 assists in 26 minutes.

Photo/Getty Images

• Gordon looked a bit rusty to start, but caught his groove in the second half finishing with 15 on 4-for-15 shooting with 5 boards.  I’m guessing he’s back to his usual self by Tuesday.

“We had our chances tonight,” Gordon said. “With all the injuries and guys coming back, I still thought we had a chance to win the game. We just didn’t convert on plays that we needed to.” Via The Detroit News

• Five Pistons in double figures.
• A decent 40% shooting percentage compared to the twenty something they put up last time against Toronto. However the thing that may have done the Pistons in was it’s 33% shooting in the third quarter while allowing the Raps to shoot 62%.
• With BG, Tay and Rip back and “The Swede” starting at PF I was surprised the Pistons didn’t rest Charlie Villanueva.   Charlie scored 8 on 2-for-7 shooting with 2 boards, a blocked shot and 4 turnovers.
• The Raptors really have the Pistons number this season.  This may be one of the best Raptors teams I can remember in quite some time.
• The Pistons seem to have trouble getting to the line lately they were 23-for-33, while Toronto was 32-for44.
• Rodney Stuckey’s high…..high glasser had to be the shot of the night, this thing bounced off the top of the backboard and fell right in.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons

• Rodney scored 13 on 5-for14 shooting with 8 boards, 5 assists and a steal. Solid all around game for Rodney.
• Detroit trailed 74-69 after three thanks to a (as Blaha said) a “man sized third quarter” from Jonas Jerebko. Prince got the Pistons to within 85-84 on a turnaround jumper with 5:47 left in the fourth, but that’s as close as it got.
• Just 9 turnovers for Detroit.
• A Bynumite ankle breaker.
  
• Will Bynum finished with just 4 points, 2 boards and an assist in just 14 minutes on the floor.
• Clearly Jonas Jerebko was the player of the game, enormous hustle all game long and dunks and consecutive three pointers in the third to get the Pistons back in the game.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons

• Need4Swede, despite the return of Prince in the starting lineup, started the game at PF. Jonas finished the game with 14 points with 7 boards, 2 steals and a block shot before fouling out on a bogus call in the fourth quarter. I hate to say it, but had Jonas not been called for that last shot, thing may have ended just a bit different.
• Rip, Ben and Tay back but Jonas was the difference maker.
• Happy to see Chris Wilcox being the guy I thought he was going to be when he got to Detroit. Six quick points in 12 minutes with 2 boards and a blocked shot. That’s nice production in short minutes.
• Highlights of the game via NBA.com
  
• Can they get things together for their next game at home against the Knicks? My guess it that the losing streak ends Tuesday.
• Apologizing it was a long time coming, but Mr. Atkins is not tooned.  I also have a bit of a surprise with a couple new additions to the header of the site.

The 11-17 Pistons are hosting the 13-17 Toronto Raptors for the second game of a back to back. One thing that is on the Pistons side is that they have won 11 straight home meetings against the Raptors. Things not on Detroit’s side…injuries.

Injury Repot

” Ben Gordon has been put on the active list for tonight’s game with Charlotte! If he’s really good to go, that’s huge.”  Via @DetPistons

Well that was last night…lets hope hes good to play tonight!

• No official word on the status of Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince at the moment.

The Scouting Report via Pistons.com

Be on the lookout for our good friend Amir Johnson who’s been dubbed as Mr. Hustle in Toronto and has quickly become a fan favorite.

Tip is at 7:30 pm EST and will be televised on Fox Sports Plus (click here for you local channel numbers). For the radio broadcast tune in to 950 AM , or follow the action over at NBA.com.

I’m heading to the game with our West Coast Pistons fan and guest writer Rashid Umar, so if you follow me on Twitter you may get a few inside tweets from the Palace of Auburn Hills.

NEED4SHEED GAME CHAT

Photo/Getty Images

I’ll let George and Greg tell the tale:

Video Courtesy of the NBA and The Detroit Pistons

Side note: Gerald Wallace was a killer, love his game, but we really don’t need to see his mouth piece the whole game. It’s for the inside of your mouth Gerald…ok?

I’ll leave it at that, because the now five game losing streak is weighing on the team and their fans. We will get a chance to get things going again when the Pistons face the Raptors tomorrow night at the Palace.  Hey, we may even get one of the injured back tomorrow if Santa is nice to us.  If anything, it will be nice to see Amir back at the Palace, even though he’s not in red, white and blue.

Key Points:

• Another start for Jonas Jerebko and his first NBA points.  Hustle from Jerebko and defensive effort turned into 2 blocks, 3 boards and 8 points.
• Though not a 20 point night, Rodney Stuckey put up a solid double-double with 10 boards, 13 points and 4 assists.
• We have to face facts, it’s clear that Detroit desperately needs front court help.  They can’t count on the guards to do all the scoring.
• I’m getting Ben Wallace DeJa vu.  He’s as closer to the Ben that left to go to Chicago than I could have ever imagined.  Now Kuester needs to limit his time a bit more so this lasts all season.  Wallace finished with 9 boards and 6 points.
• Toronto became the first team this season to score more than 100 points against Detroit. Does that mean the “D” is officially back?  Probably not, but it’s a refreshing surprise.
• Another heroic effort from Will Bynum, who did his best in the fourth to get the Pistons back in it. He tied the game up with this drive and finished the game with16 points, 6 assists and a steal in 33 minutes. I know he prefers “The Thrill” but I can’t help screaming Bynumite, when he does something spectacular like this…

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Austin Day looks a lot like Tayshaun on court, especially when he’s blocking people with those long arms. Daye logged 16 minutes, blocking 2 shots, with 3 boards and 5 points.
• Jason Maxiell got 10 minutes of floor time and added a bit of a spark. A nice putback with 3 boards with 4 points.
• By the way….how many “trade rumor” stories did you read after the Orlando game?
• 20 trips to the line for Bosh, that’s big.
• How much do you enjoy watching Ben Gordon? I’m sure I’ll be writing this again but… Ben Gordon put up a career high in a Pistons uniform while leading the team with 30 points. He’s truly putting this team on his back with Rip and Tay out. Oh and I’m enjoying the fact the Bulls fans are sick about it.

Photo/Getty Images

• First official NBA time for DaJuan Summers who saw 40 seconds.
• Pistons shot well, shooting 45% for the game, but needed to get some stops down the stretch and couldn’t.
• Charlie Villanueva played his best game as a Piston against the team that drafted him. A pretty good stat line in all departments with 16 points, 7 boards a steal and a block. He’s looking better in red, white and blue every night.
• Tough to play a back to back shorthanded, especially after the battle against Orlando. You could clearly see the effort, but they just fell flat mid fourth quarter.
• A little more Ben

• Good to see Amir Johnson get some time on court.  He really helped Toronto when the Pistons started making a run in the third.
• A day of rest and a tough rematch in Orlando Friday night. I hope someone bring some more Kryptonite.
• My good friend Ryan over at HoopsAddict got the inside scoop in the Pistons locker room last night.  I’ll quote him, and then send you over for the audio. “Tonight the Pistons locker room was pure jokes, hence Rip Hamilton free styling before the game about “pimpin’ ain’t easy fo’ sheezy” Pre and post game audio over at Hoopsaddict.com

Bounce back quickly from last night’s victory is what the Pistons plan to do tonight in Toronto as the e 2-2 Pistons are set to take on the 1-2 Raptors at the Air Canada center.  The Pistons will again be without Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton for tonight’s game against the Raps.

Who to look out for?

• Andrea Bargnani who’s putting up career numbers.
• Chris Bosh who’s always a weapon.
• Hedo Turkoglu who can shoot the lights out on a given night.

Me…. I’m hoping for a some playing time for our old friend Amir Johnson, especially after I found out he shouted me out on RaptorsTV.

Tip off is at 7:00 PM and will be locally broadcast on FSN.  You can also listen to the game on 97.1 The Ticket or follow the game on NBA.com.

After last night’s battle, I’m hoping for an easier time from our shorthanded and injured (Will) squad.

Last Year’s Record: 39-43

Key Losses: Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Chauncey Billups (does that still count), head coach Michael Curry (a good loss) and possibly the best loss in Pistons history, the end of Allen Iverson in red, white and blue.

Key Additions: Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers, Jonas Jerebko and Ben Wallace.

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

The Pistons haven’t had a significant change to a start of the season since Joe Dumars took over as GM. Dumars started cleaning house well before the season started by trading away the Pistons cherished point guard Chauncey Billups for the expiring contract of Allen Iverson. The Iverson experience was a train wreck and by the end of the season it was obvious that big changes were coming.

Dumars started in late June with the firing of head coach Michael Curry. He traded Amir Johnson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Fabricio Oberto who was later waived. With the 15th pick in the NBA Draft Detroit selected Austin Daye of Gonzaga University and later took DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko in the second round.

Dumars then shipped out Arron Afflao for more cap space to secure the free agents he was coveting. Dumars wasted no time in bringing Ben Gordan and Charlie Villanueva to Detroit. On July 1, 2009, the Pistons reached an agreement with the former Bulls guard on a 5 year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with Charlie Villanueva on a 5 year contract worth $35 million.

They picked up plenty, but they also lost two of their key players in Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. On July 5, 2009 the Pistons Sheed to free agency. Wallace signed a two year, $5.58 million contract with the Boston Celtics. Following the departure of Wallace, former Antonio McDyess signed a one year contract with the San Antonio Spurs for the mid-level exception. Though Pistons fans were probably ready to see Rasheed say goodbye, McDess heart and desire will be missed at The Palace.

In dire need of big man, Dumars picked up Knicks power forward Chris Wilcox to do some damage down low. And a surprise that Pistons fans were hoping for, the return of Ben Wallace to Detroit. Wallace, who was waived by the Phoenix Suns signed for the veterans minimum to play for the Pistons this season.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

This current configuration of Pistons should have no problem putting the ball in the basket. With Ben Gordon coming off the bench and Charlie Villanueva added to the starting lineup Detroit will be able to put up points.

They also got younger and faster this season with rookies Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers. Put them in the lineup with Stuckey or Will Bynum at the point and this team will get out and run, something we rarely saw from the Pistons half court style of play.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

DEFENSE!

The most glaring and obvious weakness for Detroit is the “D”. Always known for defense first, the Pistons now have an offensive mined squad and a lack of established big men.
The Pistons new addition down low, Charlie Villanueva has a reputation to be allergic to rebounds and has been called “soft.” Look for Jason Maxiell, Chirs Wilcox and Kwame Brown to do most of the dirty work for the Pistons this season.

4.What are the goals for this team?

Better than 39 wins will be just fine for this Pistons team. If Detroit can pull off a winning season, than what happened last year can be somewhat forgiven.
If new coach John Kuester can get this team together they have the talent to do much better than expected.
Will they make the playoffs? Probably.
Will they go far? Unlikely.

5. Will the roster likely stay the way it is?
You can bet that Joe Dumars is working on trying to make a few more moves. The most valuable and likely to go is Rip Hamilton. He’s got value on the market and with Ben Gordon on the team, his offense wouldn’t be missed that much putting Ben in the starting lineup to replace him. If there is a move to make Dumars will do it, we saw it last year with Billups, don’t count anything out at this point.

One thing is sure, they may not be slotted to make the ECF like they used to, but this Pistons team is going to be fun to watch.

Projected Finish: 46-36

“The Pistons have traded power forward Amir Johnson to Milwaukee for center Fabricio Oberto, who was acquired by the Bucks from the Spurs earlier today, according to a person familiar with the trade negotiations.

Oberto averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 54 games for San Antonio last season, although it appears he will never suit up for the Pistons. Yahoo! Sports reports that the Pistons are expected to buy out the remaining year on Oberto’s deal.

Thus, it appears the Pistons can add the $3.6 million Johnson was scheduled to make next year to the roughly $20 million of salary-cap room they already had to spend when they can start negotiating with free agents July 1.” Via The Detroit Free Press

A Sherrod Blakley has a little different take then the Free Press. Detroit will waive Oberto…

“The Pistons are putting the finishing touches on a three-way trade involving San Antonio and Milwaukee that will send Johnson, a former second-round pick by Detroit, to San Antonio and then on to Milwaukee.

The key principles in the trade are Bucks guard/forward Richard Jefferson, who will be sent to San Antonio in exchange for Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas.

Meanwhile, the Pistons will send Johnson and cash to San Antonio in exchange for Fabricio Oberto who is expected to be waived by Detroit.

By waiving Oberto, that gives Detroit a little more salary cap flexibility this summer to go out and sign a pair of impact players.” Via MLive

Good Luck to Amir, let’s hope the potiential we know he has can flourish for a different team.  We will all remember him for his first two NBA points

And personally I will always remember him for this.

Thanks to all of you quick on the Email, text massage and the special phone call to make sure we got the news quickly. Too bad I was enjoying my dinner when it all broke…Thank goodness for Twitterberry. If you’re not following me on Twitter…you should be.

I’m sure we will be talking about this more, plus what happens leading up to Thursday’s Draft…which I will be live blogging at the Pistons Draft Party.  Stay Tuned!

“Aran Smith of NBADraft.net is reporting that the Detroit Pistons have made a promise to B.J. Mullens to select him with the 15th pick if he is still there when Detroit selects.

When rumors that the Pistons gave Rodney Stuckey a promise to draft him at #15 two years ago surfaced, The Pistons denied the rumor. Keith Langlois even wrote that the promise was not true, although he did pick Stuckey as the Pistons draft choice.” Read more at MLive.

This one has been floating around for more than a week now… Amir Johnson to Oklahoma to move up in the draft.

With the draft coming up on Thursday and all the rumors floating around, I think things might start coming together as to what kind of team Dumars is going to put on the floor come November.

I’m not claiming it’s over, but it’s hard to stay positive when you have watched this team go through the motions all season long. When you look back at the ‘08-’09 Season can you think of one positve thing about it?

Let’s see…..

• We lost our leader to Denver
• We in turn received a Superstar that said all the right things when he got here, but didn’t make good on a single one.
• We had a season with a new coach that was clearly over his head, especially after Joe D’s “BIG” trade
• Dyess shipped and thankfully returned
• A non existent rotation.
• Sixth man beef!
• Small ball
• Defense disappearance
• Offensive difficulties
• Rodney Stuckey wall
• Kwame Brown
• Arron Afflalo, despite decent play getting buried.
• Cap space
• Hooper doing something….
• A losing season
• An end to a Sellout Streak
• The disappearance of Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell
• Barley making it to the post season
• Chuck Daly’s fight with Cancer
• The loss of a Great Man, Pistons owner Bill Davidson.

Should I go on?

The only bright spot I can think of right now is guy like Will Bynum making a name for himself after a long road to try to live his dream in the NBA. And helping Detroit along the way.

The Pistons compiled a video with a few bright spots, but does it take away the negative?

Now it’s your turn, vent in the comments.