After the 104-94 loss to the Sixers at the Palace, where the Pistons were down by 29 at one point, you have to wonder what exactly is happening.

• Yes all the injuries happened, but when the Pistons were down Rip, Tay, and Gordon we managed to put together a nice winning streak.
• How do you go from being totally in 2 games with elite teams like Dallas and the Spurs and then get blown out by the Sixers?
• Where do we place the blame? Can we point fingers?

Photo/Getty Images

• This is not Michael Curry madness, but at times you have to wonder how Kuester is handling things.  Is he having a hard time getting things straight with most of his lineup back?  I would say that’s a big part.
• Would we be calling for Curry’s head if he coached this team into their worst losing streak since the early 90’s?  I think we would have after about 6 losses.
• Will Bynum hasn’t played in a while, resting his sore ankles.  Tayshaun Prince, played only 10 first quarter minutes because of left knee soreness, and Rodney Stuckey also failed to make it out of the first half, bothered by right knee soreness.  That’s never good, but even without those three, the Pistons still had the talent to at least win one of the last 12.
• Why aren’t they gelling?
• They keep digging themselves in a hole in the first quarter, that’s got to tell you something about the starting lineup right?
• Rotation, rotation, it’s all about rotation and it looks like Kuester’s is in turmoil.
• Ben Wallace can’t be the only one who can anchor the defense and it clearly looks like he is.  So if they have no D, they have to be an offensive juggernaut….and they clearly are not that either.
• Is it point guard issues?  That’s part of it.
• They clearly have stopped playing as a team, it seems that everyone is trying to unsuccessfully take over games by themselves. I don’t even think I need mention name here, because most of the players have been guilty of it.
• We can go on and on, we can come up with all the trade scenarios that we want, but a trade at this point isn’t going to fix a team that should be winning to win.
• They have to fix it now before they can move forward.
• As always, I would like to know what you think.  So leave what you will in the comments.

Something little to make some of you smile…

As I sat in my seat before tip off of the Sixers game Mason announced on the PA system that Allen Iverson was injured and didn’t travel with his team.  And even though he wasn’t in the building, the Palace crowd let him have it.  I was part of the boos and that’s probably the only thing I smiled about all night.

Don’t forget to vote for the Pistoneees!

Key Points:

• After twenty one games without Mr. Hamilton, Pistons fans can thank Mrs. Hamilton for his return. In Rip’s post-game interview he credits his wife TJ for convincing him to get back on court.

“I talked to my wife and the one thing she told me pretty much was ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Go out there and give it a try,’” said Hamilton, who played 37 minutes. “I hadn’t practiced, I hadn’t run or done any sprints but when I lay down for my nap I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to make up my mind right now and go ahead and play.’”

“I was just happy to be out there on the floor,” he said. “I didn’t care what anything felt like. I just felt joy, being able to play something that you love. … I knew I was going to be rusty. I knew from not playing, I was not going to have a rhythm, the timing’s going to be off and things like that. But I just felt if I can get out there and run and my wind is cool, I’ll figure it out.” via NBA.com

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• Rip took his starting position last night for Detroit and didn’t disappoint. Hamilton scored 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting with 3 steals, 2 boards and an assist. Despite not playing in quite some time and at Rips’ admission, with no real conditioning or practicing, he played quite well. He even set a milestone as a Piston, surpassing the 10,000 point mark in red, blue and white. Good to have him back.
• 22 turnovers for Detroit, really? I thought we were getting that number under control. Consider it a gift to win this one when the Warriors were making the best of the Pistons mishaps.
• No Ben Gordon, no Will Bynum and still no Tayshaun Prince in this one, but they were all on the bench cheering on their team.
• Jason Maxiell looked sharp last night doing the little things that make him what we know him to be. Jason scored 10, with 8 boards and a steal in 22 minutes. He’s almost the Maxi we know he can be, he’s just not quite there yet this season.
• Chucky Atkins contributing big time for Detroit. You would really never know it unless you are watching these games, but Chucky is making key plays and helping the flow of the offense when he’s out there. Atkins with 9 points, 6 assists, 1 board and 3 turnovers in 33 minutes.
• Rodney Stuckey with the hot hand, leading all scorers with a 29 point season high on 10-for-18 shooting, with 7 assists. He was making some tough baskets and getting to the stripe all night. I hate to bring it up on a big night for Stuck, but 7 turnovers! Got to do better there Rodney.

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• DaJuan Summers with .07 seconds on the court and another DNP for Chris Wilcox. I’m just stunned that my prediction about Chris has been so off, maybe it has to do with Ben Wallace tearing things up or maybe it’s just because Wilcox is underachieving.
• Austin Daye with 11 minutes on court with 2 points and 2 boards. I will say this, the kid isn’t scared to take the big shot and thankfully he’s making them when he does.
• Detroit looked like they were going to get this one out of the way early, but the Warriors and Monta Ellis didn’t cooperate. Golden State led by as much as 13 until the Pistons went on their run in the second and clawed their way back. This one was tied 6 times with 6 lead changes, and was quite enjoyable to watch.
• Whether things are going for them or not, this team puts 100% effort on the floor every night. You have to love that from a fan’s perspective.
• Jonas Jerebko with 6 points, 5 boards and 2 assists in 26 minutes. Gotta love JJ for doing whatever it takes on the offense or the defense. He’s had some tough defensive assignments and from the looks of it he’s getting better and better each game.
• The no look pass from Chucky Atkins to Jonas Jerebko for the dunk.

• I would have liked to see Bynum and Gordon play against the Warriors’ quick, no defense style of play.
• Kuester: So this is what a coach can do! As we all try to forget the nightmare that was last season.
• Ben Wallace with 9 boards, 2 points, 2 blocked shots and 2 steals in 27 minutes. I never thought it would be this great to hear that familiar gong again at the Palace.
• Charlie Villanueva with a big game again for Detroit, 24 points in 33 minutes off the Pistons bench. The man was 1 board (9) away from a double-double, adding 2 steals and an assist, while going 6-for-6 from the line. Play of the night would have to be the the alley-oop from Chucky to CV31 for the jam. Will have to get that one on a highlight reel for you soon.

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• Give a ton of credit for these wins to the Pistons rebounding dominance, Detroit is second in the league at grabbing boards. The Pistons won Saturday’s war against the Warriors 39-25.
• Add some more credit to Kuester who’s makeshift lineups and rotations are working.
• Highlights of the Game via NBA.com

• Post Game Recap and Rip Hamilton interview via Pistons.com

• Next up a Tuesday night game in Houston against the Rockets.

Key Points:

• Career highs for the rookies Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko, who each started in place of the Pistons injured starters Ben Gordon and Tayshuan Prince.  The first time two rookies started for the Pistons since Allan Houston and Lindsey Hunter.
• We lost the broadcast feed of the game in the fourth quarter and had to watch the remainder of the game from the Palace Vision feed.  Our good friend Tim Bryant, who keeps us in the know about all FSN broadcasting changes, confirmed the cause of the problem. ” The cause of the technical problems during the 4th quarter of Friday’s Pistons telecast were due to an overheated circuit board in the production truck which forced the loss of transmission (and the truck had to be evacuated as a safety precaution). Our crew hustled as best they could to patch in the Palace Vision video for the final few minutes of the game” Glad nobody was hurt.
• The Chris Kaman to Detroit rumors will once again gain some momentum after his performance last night at the Palace. Chris scored 26 on 11-for-13 shooting with 7 boards and a blocked shot. Want him more now Pistons fans? He’s not only a native of Michigan, but he’s currently leading all Centers in the NBA in scoring.
• Jonas has a fan club! If you saw the broadcast you know what I’m talking about. Got to get a screen cap of the two Swedes cheering Jonas on all game. Maybe that was the reason for his career game.
• Sweeeeeeeede led the Pistons with 22 points, 5 boards and an assist in 33 minutes of play. He’s got the hard work ethic that we like in Motown. He was on the bad end of a few foul calls, but he made the most of every minute he was out there.

Photo/Getty Images

• If one day you come to the site and it has changed over to Need4Swede…you’ll know why.
• Injuries aside, this team is getting eaten alive when we play a team with quality front court players.
• I thought maybe Joe Dumars was going to have a Black Friday sale of his own after that game.
• Late fourth quarter bad decisions from the guards didn’t allow the Pistons to get it very close when they needed to.
• Rodney Stuckey scored 21 points on 10-for-24 shooting with 7 assists and two turnovers. He’s doing what he can for the team while the lineup is depleted.
• I still find it shocking that we are winning the board wars night in and night out, but we can’t pull out a win. The Pistons with 43 rebounds and the Clippers with 35.
• Seriously, what the heck has Arnie Kandor done with Ben Wallace, and can he please do it with BG, RH and TP? Ben with 16 boards on the night adding 5 points, while playing 37 minutes. I thought he would be a nice addition when the Pistons got him for the veterans minimum, but really who could have expected this? I know plenty of Pistons fans were happy, but did you really think the 2003-2006 version of Ben Wallace was returning…Fro or not?

Photo/Getty Images

• Will Bynum, 4-for-17 shooting for 14 points. That’s two non Will like games for the Pistons new spark-plug.  He did add 9 assists and a steal, and we have to remember he’s a little banged up too.
• Austin Day started the game strong for Detroit stroking jump shots like he was unfazed that he was starting his first NBA game. He finished with 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting, with 5 boards and an assist.
• Calling Jason Maxiell!  Please stand up….please.
• No blocked shots for Detroit, while Marcus Camby had 6 of his own for the Clippers.
• Did anyone notice when Ben Wallace came out of the game all of our defense went with it?
• 46 points in the paint for the Clippers. If that stat doesn’t tell you we need defense down low I don’t know what does.

Highlights of the game via NBA.com

• The Clippers’ last win against the Pistons was a 74-72 victory at Staples Center on Nov. 3, 2002.
• I know we aren’t winning, but I am surprised that people are complaining about Kuester. Do you remember Michael Curry? I think he’s doing a heck of a job with his three best players out.
• I thought Charlie Villanueva would have stepped up more with his team on the mend.  He finished the game with 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting with 5 boards.  We knew he was not a defensive player when he came here, but he’s got to score when we need him to.
• Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox need to do a lot more than they are doing, period.  DNP for Wilcox against the Clippers.
• Since the last few minutes of the game were brought to us from the Palace Vision feed it was weird to see the ridiculous way the crowd acts on my TV screen at home.  I never could understand what happens to people when they have a camera pointed at them.  Is it time to make a total fool out of yourself for everyone to see, or do most people think it’s cool?  I get a similar feeling when they give away free pizza at the Palace, people cheer more for a slice of free pizza then they do for their team, I just don’t get it.
• Sunday afternoon game against the hot Atlanta Hawks, spells disaster with none of the injured likely to return.

We even have a new Sponsor for the program so make sure that you visit our new sponsor “Dwight Howard’s 17 Minute Chicken Shack”

Don’t forget please leave Bennie and Jeff your thoughts in the comments. They are waiting to hear what Team Need4Sheed has to say and “get your flava with Villanueva.”

Team Need4Sheed Podcast – Breaking down the New Pistons

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I know, I know….I’m horrible.

Details forthcoming! Michael Curry relieved of his duties.

Is it wrong that I just danced a jig?

UPDATE: Via MLive

“AUBURN HILLS – The never-ending carousel of coaches for the Detroit Pistons continues with the announcement that head coach Michael Curry has been fired.

“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations. “I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change.”

UPDATE: Chris McCosky The Detroit News

“As for the next coach, Dumars could choose from a very short list: Doug Collins, former Bulls, Pistons and Wizards coach; Avery Johnson, former Mavericks coach; and John Kuester, former Pistons and current Cavaliers assistant coach.

“My family and I have an understanding and they know I want to do it (coach) one more time,” Collins said during a phone interview from his home in Arizona. “It has to be the right situation, but everybody knows I have a great affection for Detroit and the Pistons organization. They are committed to winning.”

Johnson, reached in Texas, had not heard from the Pistons and didn’t want to comment.

“I have not heard from them yet,” Johnson said. “It’s unfortunate what happened to Michael, but of course I am always in listening mode.” “

UPDATE: Pistons.com Keith Langlois – Who’s Next?

“The names that have floated to the top of the list are Avery Johnson, Doug Collins and John Kuester – and all make sense, if for varying reasons.

Johnson has the most recent track record of success in the NBA. His strength is implementing a structured system. There were whispers in Dallas that his style eventually became overbearing, but the type of discipline the Pistons seemed to lack last year was never an issue in Dallas under Johnson.

Collins is universally recognized as a brilliant basketball mind – his TNT telecasts are mini-clinics, in much the way Hubie Brown’s once were – who, like Johnson, also comes with a reputation for burning through relationships within a few seasons. Pistons fans will recall how Collins milked more wins than seemed possible out of his teams here in the ’90s. When he considered the Bulls job last summer, Collins reflected on those days and said he’d learned to pull back.

Kuester was a highly respected piece of Larry Brown’s staff here previously and was seen as the counterbalance to Brown’s mercurial mood swings with the mettle to voice dissent. He doesn’t have the head coaching track record of Collins and Johnson – though he did run his own college basketball programs before leaping to the NBA – but he was credited by Cleveland coach Mike Brown for making the Cavs a much more efficient offensive team the past two years while Brown focused on defense, his specialty.

That Curry’s firing comes on the eve of free agency is nothing but coincidental. As Dumars said upon announcing the decision this afternoon, it was not one easily reached. It’s fair to assume it’s something he’s considered since the season ended, based on the dysfunction he perceived as the Pistons finished the season in a tailspin and put up little resistance during Cleveland’s four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

Changes come with no guarantees, of course. Acknowledging a problem doesn’t ensure its resolution. But it’s a necessary first step that many in positions of power avoid for the reflection it casts on them. As the tough decision to fire Michael Curry one season into the job proves, the path of least resistance is one Joe Dumars steadfastly avoids.”

]]> http://need4sheed.com/2009/06/michael-curry-fired.html/feed 63 http://need4sheed.com/2009/06/around-the-way-116.html http://need4sheed.com/2009/06/around-the-way-116.html#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:14:16 +0000 Natalie Sitto http://need4sheed.com/?p=4611

• Michael Curry and Rip Hamilton beef.
• Resigning Antonio McDyess may be difficult. Personally I would like Dyess to go to a contender and get his Ice. If he’s not a stand up guy who gave his all to do what he had to do to win, I don’t know who is.
• George Blaha on the Pistons retooling.
• Free Press Draft Grades.
• The Magic among the many that want Sheed.
• Daye care.
• Former Pistons playground up for auction.
• Need4Sheed Mock GM league at PASPN ready for players…and as always I’m giving away a T-Shirt to the winner.
• Daye may help but more depth is needed.
• 18 to 20 million in cap room could help Dumars land a quality FA.
• Austin Daye YoTube Videos and some from the Pistons second round pick Jonas Jerebko.
• If you still aren’t following me via Twitter, you should be…I’m pretty quick on the Tweet.

Team Need4Sheed member Richie Halas turned his thoughts about this season into video.

“We all know that the moves made this year were poor short term decisions, and may or may not be wise long term decisions. This year we’ve blamed Chauncey, Joe D, Iverson, Curry, Lebron, the officials and whatever else we could think of. Perhaps it’s time that we blame ourselves for coveting platinum while spitting on the gold we had. We might as well blame it on the rain.”

While Richie wants to move on, The Fresh Prince of The Blog shows how he (and many other Pistons fans) feels about Cavs fans being invited to the Palace in his video rant.

There are a handfull of teams vying for Sheed and McDyess’s services next season and Joe Dumars is probably on the phone as you are reading this trying to secure some kingd of deal. Its going to be an eventful summer Pistons fans, you may not like change but it’s coming regardless.

“It was an up-and-down season for him,” Dumars said, “and an up-and-down season for us.”The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been. During the season, I said to myself, ‘What effect is this having on him as a first-year coach?’ I tried to put myself in his shoes.” Via The Detroit Free Press

While Curry has to be held accountable for the Pistons woes this past season, he was thrown a considerable curve ball with the Billups trade. Free pass? No.  But think about it, why would Dumars bring in a big ticket coach in what will likely be another season of “transition” for the Pistons. Curry rides it out until he gets better or the roster is set and Detroit can contend for a title.

I would like to hear your thoughts and concerns in the comments, but I’m curious to know if you thought Dumars was going to Fire Curry after this season.

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.