The 23-35 #Pistons are Houston to take on the 39-19 Rockets Saturday night. The Rockets are on a roll, having won 10 of their last 12 games and have won seven straight against the Pistons on their home court.
The good: You can see that this team is playing much better lately, they just need to learn to finish off games.
The bad: The last time these two teams met Dwight Howard had a monster game putting up 35 points with 19 boards. Remember the days when Sheed played Howard so well he was barley noticeable on the floor?
The unknown: Can Andre Drummond show that he’s improved since the last time he met Howard? Will Detroit’s defense be able to hold off Houston, who are averaging 114 points per game while shooting lights out from behind the arc?
Pistons: Chauncey Billups (left knee surgery) is out.
Rockets: Greg Smith is out.
James Harden is probable.
Stat: The Pistons are 4-17 against Western Conference opponents.
Tip off is at 8:00 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.
If there was ever a year where tanking was imperative, THIS would be that year.
I’m not one for tanking but I totally agree.
#freegigi
These real humiliations come against teams with good paint presence and perimeter play. the pistons can’t defend against the style of play they really should be designed to play themselves.
Very bad paint defence. Inexperienced like no other.
I say Big Ben needs to come in and compliment Sheed.
Offensively – Smith’s fit to the team isn’t there. when you have Moose and a good PG you don’t need anyone else ‘holding’ the ball on offence. The ball should go through them. Josh should be moving himself around the floor more and touch the ball less.
I can imagine Mo Cheeks smiling…
Guys, on the tanking thing, I’m really not so sure. They should have been tanking for each of the last five years, but at this point since they sat on their hands at the deadline, how can we actually expect to get better next season? Ten mil in cap space and a mid lottery pick? Is that going to be enough to make the pick we surrender to Charlotte painless? If they’d been sellers at the deadline, I’d be all about tanking and coming back strong next year. As it stands, I don’t think it’s even possible to come back strong. And if things continue going the way they have been, the situation will only deteriorate.
If at any point someone was going to come in and actually develop a multi-year plan, it might include surrendering the pick this year and tanking like they mean it next year. Then they’ll have a nice lottery pick and more flexibility to do maybe something with guys like Jennings (on an expiring contract) and Smith (with only two years remaining). I mean, there is no future anymore. It’s all just bad choices we’ve been left with. I’m just not so sure keeping the pick is this slam dunk great idea anymore. It would make next year more bearable to endure, but when that season is over we’ve still got to pay the piper at some point. If the situation festers, this team could fall even further off a cliff and hand over an even better pick. God that Ben Gordon trade was awful.