Venting and more…

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

Team Need4Sheed Podcast – West Coast Road Trip Woes

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Key Points:

• That was not a fun road trip for Detroit who are now on their way home to face the Cavs on Wednesday… on a 5 game losing streak.
• 13 in the first half for Charlie Villanueva and nothing in the second.  He was 5-for13 on the night with 8 boards and a blocked shot.
• Nash is still doing his thing.
• Just 3-for-11  for Gordon, 1-for-6 from downtown.
• The Suns played well and took advantage of every opportunity the Pistons gave them. Can’t let anyone shoot 57% from the floor.
• Yeah…..it was that bad coach Q.

Photo Getty/Images

• Great quote from Will Bynum, who scored 11 in 26 minutes with 4 assists 2 steals, 4 boards and three turnovers.  When asked in the locker room how the ankle was…
  

  “I don’t make any excuses for anything, if I’m out there on court playing then I’m 100%”

• Looks like DaJuan Summers has pushed himself ahead of Austin Daye in the rotation.  Summers played well, knocking down threes as if they were nothing.  He went 5-for-11 for 13 points in 22 minutes on the floor.  He’s fast and he’s doing dirty work… I like.
• Though the Pistons kept it close in the first half, you could see the gas running out.  Nothing much in the second, especially when Phoenix got blazing hot.
• Longest winless road trip since going 0-5 from Feb. 24-March 2, 2003.
• I know many Pistons fans were in Phoenix….sorry your only game of the year ended like that.  If you were there, by all means leave ‘em in the comments and tell us how it was.
• Sweeeeeeede!  His hustle every night is evident to us all.  Jerebko scored 9 with 6 boards, an assist and 2 blocked shots.

• Rodney Stuckey 4-for-15 on the night for 8 points, 5 assists, and 2 boards.
• What’s up with Kwame Brown? DNP today and little play on the road trip altogether. It doesn’t help that Chris Wilcox shamed the Pistons by getting blocked by a pony-tailed dude.

Highlights via NBA.com

• Comment away, go ahead get it out before the Pistons take on the Cavs Wednesday.

The 5-8 Pistons are in Phoenix to play the 10-3 Suns. Detroit has had plenty of success playing in Phoenix, so lets hope they can avoid a 5 game skid with a win over Steve Nash and the Suns.

I’m expecting to see a ton of Pistons fans in the house, as there usually are in sunny Phoenix,  I’m just hoping the fans get to see a victory.  It’s certainly not going to be easy the way the Suns are playing right now.

The Scouting Report via Pistons.com

Tip is at 8:00 pm EST and will be televised on Fox Sports Detroit and NBATV. For the radio broadcast tune into 97.1 The Ticket or follow the action on NBA.com.

For those of you who missed the chat room, it’s back! You can again talk Pistons during the games.

NEED4SHEED GAME CHAT

“While there’s no deal imminent, the Pistons are going to explore the possibility of bringing one of the franchise’s greatest defenders, back to Detroit.

Detroit has about $3.5 million to use towards free agents, but would probably not use all of that to sign Wallace.

Boston’s Glen Davis remains an option, but the Pistons are reluctant to make him an offer because he’s a restricted free agent. And the Celtics have said repeatedly that any reasonable offer Davis receives – and Detroit’s offer would fall under that category – they would match.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I will forever be a fan of Ben Wallace.  I will celebrate that he brought this team back from obscurity with his work ethic and determination but……….

I just don’t think he’s got what it takes to play the game the way he used to.  His glory days are behind him and contrary to popular belief Arnie Kandor is a magician, but he doesn’t possess the fountain of youth serum in his bag of tricks.

We truly have started to rebuild so tell me how bringing Ben Wallace back makes any sense.  I’m putting it to a vote for you, but you know how I already feel.

UPDATE: Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says the Pistons have no interest in Wallace.

“a person with knowledge of the situation said today that the Pistons are not looking at Wallace, 34, because his career appears to be on the decline.”

It usually doesn’t turn out well for the Pistons or their fans on Monday mornings when Detroit plays on Sunday. Detroit added to their Sunday loss total last night after their 107-97 loss to the Suns at The Palace, despite great play by Allen Iverson and Rip Hamilton, who have been the talk of the team since Rip took on his new role as sixth man.

Key Points:

• Steve Nash had more assists (21) than the Detroit Pistons had as a team (19).
• Seems as though plenty of Pistons fans were vocal at the Palace last night.  They made sure they let Amare know they wanted to see him in a Pistons uniform.
• Amare on possibly playing in Detroit: “It would be phenomenal. I think the fans here have been probably the top fans in the world since I’ve been in the NBA. They’re always cheering their team on and every time we come here, their always loud and rowdy, so it would be fun to play here.” Via MLive
• Don Shane talks to Amare (Video)
• This team has become a turnover machine.  Remember when Chauncey was in charge?  The Pistons had 14 turnovers last night, with most leading to easy Phoenix buckets.
• Kwame Brown started the game to take some heat off Rasheed by guarding Shaq.  He even had a sweet putback dunk in the opening minute. Eight boards and 4 points in 18 minutes isn’t bad but the 3 turnovers killed his stat line.
• AI scored 25 in 41 minutes on the floor going 8-for-22.  That’s the AI of old, he scores a ton but usually needs a lot of shots to do it in. I’m fine with it as long as the Pistons win. He added 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 boards. And a pretty sweet floater over Shaq.

Photo/Getty Images

• Rodney Stuckey seems out of place since Rip started to heat up. He played 29 minutes and scored 8 with an assist, 3 boards and a blocked shot.
• This is NOT a typo……The Suns scored 66 points in the Paint! I will say no more. Oh I lied, one more thing… 31 fast break points!!
• NBA.com Highlights of the Game.
• Now I thought it was just me who noticed the bias during the ESPN broadcast, but it seems I’m not the only one who took note of it. This little snippet from the ESPN crew took shots at the Pistons players, the fans (spoiled), the city and then had the nerve throw the Lions in there. Kick a city when they’re down why don’t you?

• Oh and every shot the Pistons missed was wayyyyyyyyyy off, as explained to us by the ESPN crew after every Piston miss.
• Double-double for Rasheed Wallace with 16 points and 10 boards, who added 4 steals and a blocked shot.  He’s looking good lately, but how long he will be able to keep this up with the time he’s getting on court is another thing.
• Antonio McDyess is the hardest working Piston period. Double digit rebounds night in and night out. Ice 4 Dyess is truly an understatement.
• This is one of the most ridiculous assists I have seen in a long time.  Allen Iverson cross court bounce pass through the legs of Grant Hill to Rip for the layup.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and ESPN

• The Pistons went on a 21-9 run and were within four, 76-72. The wheels fell off the bus soon after. It seems like it happens all too often anymore. Detroit has a chance to win and then they crumble. The game was tied 9 times and the lead changed hands 13 times.
• The Pistons are now 1-9 on Sundays.
• Quiet night for Tayshaun who scored 11 points with 4 assists and just one board.
• Herrmann sighting…he played 24 seconds late in the game for his three point shooting.
• Richard Hamilton led the Pistons off the bench with 27 points in 31 minutes on the floor. Rip looks comfortable and seems to be playing his best basketball alongside Allen Iverson.

Photo/Getty Images

• Amir and Maxiell didn’t see much time during Sunday’s loss.
• Board war won 45-41.
• Arron Afflalo 0-for-6.
• I know many of you are frustrated right now but they really have a chance to pull things together. It’s not like they don’t have the talent to do it.
• Adding to the Trade Rumors – Tayshaun in Phoenix? “The fast-sinking Raptors are looking to shake things up and have talked to the Suns about trading Amare Stoudemire. But unless they decide to part with Chris Bosh, chances are slim that Raptors president Bryan Colangelo will get the All-Star power forward he drafted out of high school in 2002 when he was Phoenix’s top basketball executive. Bosh has missed the last two games with a sprained knee and his future in Toronto, beyond 2010 – when he becomes a free agent – is up in the air. So Toronto might be forced to get something for him. Detroit has been linked to Bosh in 2010, so it’s entirely possible that the Pistons will try to make it a three-way deal. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince is being mentioned as one of the primary players who would end up with the Suns.” Via New York Daily News
• Back to back games on Tuesday and Wednesday before the All Star break with Chicago and Atlanta.
• Mocking Anderson Varejao is just what we need today.

The Pistons are not in an ideal situation today.  No NBA player likes to play the second day of a back-to-back, but the fact that Detroit played a hard-fought overtime game against the Bucks that ended just before midnight and then they had to travel back to Detroit in the early morning hours to play tonight’s game against the Suns at The Palace.  Oh yeah….and it’s Sunday.

With the rumors surrounding Detroit and Phoenix in the Amare sweepstakes, the Pistons have to be all business to pull out a win against The Suns.

Each team currently has the same 27-21 record going into tonight’s game.

Good News/Bad News/and More

• Look for Shaq to take a cheap hard foul on one of The Pistons’ smaller players.  He’s good at that. He took out Rodney Stuckey with a hard foul that got him ejected in the Suns last meeting with the Pistons and leveled Amir Johnson last season.
• Detroit is seeking a third straight victory for the first time since its season-high seven-game winning streak from Dec. 23-Jan. 4.
• Again, it’s Sunday.
• The Pistons had lost 10 of their previous 14 games before winning their last two.
• Amare has pledged to elevate his game.

Tip off is at 8:00 P.M. and will be Nationally televised on ESPN. If you can’t watch the broadcast, tune into 1130 AM WDFN The Fan.  Can’t do either? Follow the game on NBA.com.

Comments and  Chat.

Biggest news on the night was Shaq’s early exit on a nasty flagrant 2 on Rodney Stuckey. The fall itself makes me want to cringe every time I watch it. Here is the FSN HL recap of the game complete with the Shaq foul.

What we do know after a game like this where Phoenix scored 52 points in the paint and our big (what we have of them) got into early foul trouble is that we sorely miss Antonio McDyess.

With a win tonight The Pistons could make this a perfect road trip. The 7-3 Phoenix Suns are standing in Detroit’s way and former Pistons assistant and now head coach of the Suns Terry Porter knows the old Detroit team.

“That’s a totally different Detroit team right now, nothing like they used to be. Chauncey Billups was the glue to everything they ran before. But, come on, they still have a lot of pieces and they added a Hall-of-Fame player. I think they are going to be all right.” Via The Detroit News

Porter has been changing things around if Phoenix, they play defense.

If you like stats, you will enjoy this one. The Suns have lost three straight and 8 of 10 to Pistons.

You can expect a ton of Detroit fans in Phoenix rooting for a Piston win.

Tip off is at 8:00 PM and will be broadcast locally on FSN and NBA.TV. As always you can catch it on the radio at WDFN 1130 AM The Fan or stream it live at NBA.com.

Leave them in the comments or enjoy the Chat Room during the game.