The 16-23 #Pistons are in Washington to take on the 19-19 Wizards Saturday Night. Detroit will look to bounce back after a blowout loss on their home court Friday night in Auburn Hills in their fourth and final meeting against a the Wizards this season.
The good: Detroit hasn’t lost a regular season againt the Wizards since before Chauncey Billups was traded. Greg Monroe is averaging 20ppg against Washington this season.
The bad: Pistons basketball at home. Detroit is awful on second games of back-to-backs.
The unknown: Can Brandon Jennings stop John Wall, who’s been having his way with this Detroit team all season? Will Pistons fan be pulling what’s left of their hair out after Saturday night’s game?
Injuries: Pistons – None
Wizards: Al Harrington – Out
Stat: Detroit is 1-2 against the Washington Wizards this season.
Stat: John Wall is averaging 23.0 points against the Pistons this season.
Stat: Brandon Jennings tied franchise records previously held by Isiah Thomas for most assists in a quarter (11) and most assists in a half (16) vs. Phoenix (1/11)
Tip off is at 7:00 pm and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit . If you can’t catch the game on TV, catch it on the radio over at 97.1 The Ticket.
really difficult game to watch, some horrible basketball in a win. Thanks stuckey without him there’s no way we win this one.
Even though they were down by 8 at the half, the Pistons did not quit. Smith was the leading scorer. KCP lead in minutes played and played great defensively. Stuckey (MVP) and Singler good off the bench. Cheeks went with only an 8 man rotation this game. Siva and Billups were scratched. Chauncey has been a non factor for the Pistons this year even though he was a starter for the first few games of the season. I do not see him coming back next year as a player although he would be a great addition to the coaching staff
That makes 3 victories in the last 4 games for Detroit. They need to keep it up to get that last playoff spot.
JD will have some interesting choices to make this off season. Here are the players that may not be back next year.
CV31 (UFA) -gone and the sooner the better
Billups (TO) – team will not pick up option
JJ (PO)- player will not pick up option or will he?
Stuckey (UFA)- likely gone
Moose (RFA)- doubt he will return but Pistons get compensation
Unfortunately the free agent market is weak for 2014 which may mean a trade instead.
here’s what I see when i peer into my crystal ball. Joe D rides this horse into the playoffs, stuckey will eventually walk for nothing. He’s our best trade asset right now and he’s going into free agency. Josh and Jennings are here for at least two more years. Coach Mo has 1 more year before he gets on the merry-go-round that is the piston’s head coach. Charlie is there for ballast in any trade deal.
The major trade after we exit in the 1st round of the playoffs is Greg Monroe + Jerebko for Evan Turner. Billups has no reason to retire, he still has a few minutes left, I think he might play a season or two more, if nothing else heat might take him on a minimum contract for his 3 point shooting.
It’s good that Joe D doesn’t have money he’s like a sailor on leave when he has any, you think he thought long and hard about picking up Ben Gordon, Charlie V Josh Smith? Nope he had money in his pocket and he had to spend it now! Then he woke up the next morning wondering what happened.
Joe D is pretty good at trades, drafting, I know Brandon Knight was not a good point guard but the next pick Kemba Walker is not real good either, tho now we know he is a slightly better player. And with Trey Burke we now know that he seems to be headed for a great point guard career, but KCP is not a poor pick he is a beast on defense, the problem is he doesn’t have any offensive tools.
The worst thing that could happen to this team is have any money in free agency, Joe D would spend it immediately he loses his damn mind. Anyone could have told you that the Josh Smith experiment was a poor choice, we have a team with three bigs that need minutes, so someone has to go, either Josh or Greg. Greg is the one that will get moved because he’s a more attractive trade piece to other teams.
the only question is . . . will Joe D make any moves before the trade deadline? I hope so. But I don’t think he is actively seeking a trade, I sense that the only trades he will enter into are ones where he can get a sucker deal for someone with a team that is exiting the playoffs and needs to unload (so he can move Charlie for a decent piece). I don’t see him moving stuckey to a playoff team because Joe D needs the good stuckey for the playoffs.
Of course in a perfect world we would move Josh Smith, Charlie V, Stuckey for a great small forward, unclog the paint, move stuckey while he has great value, get something for charlie’s expiring contract and undo the “experiment”.