It sometimes takes time for #Pistons fans to catch up when their team is on a West coast trip. It’s difficult to stay awake when games start at 10:30 EST and most of us in Michigan have a life that starts before the sun rises.
If you missed the Pistons game Wednesday night altogether, or had to wait and watch it on DVR like I did you’d know that Rodney Stuckey had a great night. A night in which he stepped up when the team was shorthanded, scoring 22 points with five assists.
Great right?
Too little too late for this Pistons fan thank you very much.
Stuckey has disappointed most of the Pistons fan base since he was (probably unfairly) anointed the savior when Joe Dumars traded Chauncy Billups.
Photo Getty Images/Editing Need4Sheed.com
- Is it his talent? It’s very clear that Stuckey has talent, but when and if he uses it is another story.
- Is it his coach? Well he’s had multiple coaches, so if that’s the case he’ll never be productive in professional spots.
- Is it his role? Maybe, but when he was called upon to be the man he didn’t deliver and now reserved to coming off the bench (even though I don’t believe for a minute that it was his choice) he still hasn’t delivered.
- Is it the system? It could be, but he’s had just about every roll he can play in Detroit.
- Is it his attitude? It sure looks that that’s a problem. I can count multiple instances where we didn’t see Stuckey in the lineup for “issues” whether it be personal, coaching or mysterious health issues.
- Is he giving 100%? No freaking way.
- Is he unhappy? It sure looks that way.
My good friends on press row reminded me even more about Rodney Stuckey’s effort. I dare you to go look at Rodney’s production and contributions the game before the All Star break each and every season he’s been in the NBA and if that doesn’t prove to you that this guy doesn’t care I don’t know what will.
Rodney has serious issues to deal with. I can’t tell you if they are on or off the court, or on, but I can tell you from a fans perspective I’d rather see Brandon Knight give it all he’s got and fall flat on his back trying to block a 7 footer’s dunk than watch Rodney Stuckey play one more minute as a Detroit Piston. I’m the biggest Dumars fan, but I’ll never understand what he saw in Rodney to believe in him, let alone extend his miserable contract.
For this fan, the departures of any one on the Pistons that doesn’t want contribute or doesn’t want to be here is a blessing.
We could use a blessing in Detroit right now.
I can definately understand the frustration with Rodney even though I’ve defended him on a few occasions. I felt the past three years he’s been pretty solid for this team, and I think it’s because he was supposed to be the heir apparent to Billups that people have been a bit too hard on him. That was then though, this year he has pretty much completely flopped, playing the worst ball of his career. It’s like he hit his cieling early on, and while we were all waiting for him to fully develope he already started to decline. If Joe can move him out it could’nt be too soon…
Maybe we thought he should have been more than he was, but honestly he’s turned out to be quite the disappointment. It will be a miracle if Joe can move him and his contract.
I wonder if Jordan needs help in Charlotte?
Wow Natalie. I feel like this site is never negative enough to be relatable… until today! There’s a lot wrong with this team, and literally all of it is Joe Dumars’ doing, including (especially?) betting the house on Stuckey.
The problem with Stuckey is simple, and It’s not Stuckey’s fault that he is what he is. He just doesn’t really have a position, and the only thing he does particularly well is get to the rim and miss the layup. But this was more than clear before Joe gave him that silly contract. We could have traded him when he was on his rookie contract and gotten something nice. Instead, this.
I have to put a ton of the blame on him. He was supposed to be a 2 guard. He had a chance to be the point, and he had a chance to play the two and was inconsistent at both.
And yes…Dumars was insane to give him that contract.
I don’t think Dumars was insane to signRodney Stuckey to the contract that he did.
At the time, the Pistons had just come out of their moratorium on taking on salary, just bought out Rip Hamilton and were bereft of starting caliber talent at the two guard. Stuckey was consistently inconsistent but strung together some stretches of pretty good play. Of the available options on the free agent market that year, he was the one they were most familiar and still projected to have a decent ceiling.
As Stuckey was 24 at the time, I think Dumars made the risk/reward analysis of signing Stuckey to a 3 year contract with a partially guaranteed third season and decided that the risk were much less than the potential reward.
If Stuckey matured and found a measure of consisency that had eluded him throughout his career, then it would be a pretty good signing. If he didn’t then the Pistons could be rid of him (an his contract) in the summer of 2013, when several other contracts would be coming off of the books. They could try to trade him or simply buy him out. Either way, Stuckey could be converted into an asset.
Whether or not he will be an asset of value is contingent in large part on what Dumars is able to accomplish this off-seaon.
I was the biggest fan of Stuck you could have, and last year at the end of the season he was playing gangbusters,
tues 2/14 8-12, 67% 7-10 from the stripe, 1 turnover 23 points in 37 minutes
wed 2/15, 7-16 44% 11-12 from the stripe, 1 turnover and 25 points in 37 minutes
fri 2/17 vs sac 12-20 free throw 60% hit 1-1 from the 3, 11-11 from the stripe, 1 turnover, 36 points in 40 minutes
Stuck was gold for about a two month period, Feb, and Mar 2012.
Now Nat, I know you want to blame this on Stuck, but I don’t think that’s fair.
Remember how Stuck went to a psychologist last year it wasn’t to screw his head on straight, he just wanted the ball to go in the hoop. Then he had the miserable start to this year, I dunno what was it, 1 for 21 or something? He had an innner ear infection and played through it, hurting the team rather than helping.
Stuck wants to play good, I think it’s clear he’s frustrated, he hates being relegated to the bench the only person angrier on this team is Jerebko who fell into a bottomless pit for almost the entire year, though Jerebko’s minutes are up, so maybe Stuckey is the angriest man on the bench for this piston’s team.
Do you think Stuck wanted to miss the ball 20 times in a row? Do you think he enjoys botching a layup, getting fouled hard and not getting that call to bail him out (because while he is the discount version of Dwayne Wade, he is definitely NOT a superstar like Wade is).
Things you can key on when a player is lacking effort
1) the ball will still go into the hoop — nobody likes missing a shot
2) they will play matador defense
3) no rebounds
I don’t think Stuckey lacks effort, what you see is body language for someone who is unable to get the ball to go into the hoop. He can’t shoot and because of it, he’s not worth keeping in the rotation.
Sucks to be Stuckey, brother can’t shoot.
Pistons needs shooters.
By the way, on a team with someone like Lebron James, you want your big men to be able to step out from the paint, to clear it up, because Lebron can score at will inside, and if there are two big men in there he has no room.
But the CONVERSE is also true. If you have a team with two big men who are unable to shoot well from mid range, this means you must get rid of your aggressive drivers like bynum and stuckey, because the big men can’t take it when the defense sags off the drivers and makes it impossible for them to operate.
For Moose + Penguin we need Knight, Calderon and Singler all with very good range and outside shooting.
Stuckey has no place on this team. But he has game and on the right team . . . he’s gonna do fine. He needs a team that demands a more physical guard that is required to drive to the paint, with a stretch 4 or 5 that can clear out and take jumpers.
That’s not the future of the pistons.
Also, as well as Stuck played in March and Feb last year, I’m afraid his mojo has left him, he might never play that well again, and I don’t think he knows how to fix it.
A change of scenery would do us both good.
I think Joe could move him when he had a good value, maybe sign and trade, but now I don’t think anyone need him for his money.
But that’s not the first mistake of Joe D, he signed Charlie and Ben Gordon too.