PistonsNationBlog.com - Detroit Pistons News & Views

For the second straight season PistonsNation.com has caught up with Sam Smith for a little Q&A session. Sam is a well known columnist who covers the Bulls and the NBA for the Chicago Tribune as well as contributes to many various media outlets. We pitched Sam some questions with a Pistons’ twist and he candidly batted them back to us with a Bulls twist.



[PN] Give us your Central Division Champ and Eastern Conference Champ.

[SS] Chicago.

[PN] What was the prevailing attitude towards the Ben Wallace signing after the Bulls/Pistons 2nd round series?

[SS] That it still was the right thing to do. The Bulls kids weren’t quite ready, as it turned out, but they should be now and Ben will help even as his production falls. The Pistons needed to start moving on, and probably still do. They’re being passed now by the Bulls. The Bulls players will play better with Ben this season. Looking at Ben, you can be intimidated and believe he is a leader. He is not. He’s quiet and not particularly assertive. They spent a lot of time last season deferring to him; they won’t anymore and it will be a better fit. It was a four-year deal, not one.

[PN] If the Bulls had gotten past the Pistons do you believe they would have gotten any past the Cavs?

[SS] Yes. The Pistons blew that series and should know it. They played, once again, too arrogantly. They assumed they’d win and when it finally occurred to them they might lose, they turned it up and played a great game, but LeBron played the game of his life and stole it from them. If you concentrate on Cleveland, you beat them. They play selfishly and are badly coached. But the Pistons again got too caught up in exhorting their petty feuds with the coach and practicing their general indifference.

[PN] Who do you think the Bulls and their fans get up for more; the Pistons or the Heat?

[SS] Probably the Pistons since it remains something of a rivalry and, after all, they swept the Heat last year. The Bulls believe they’re better than Detroit, but they didn’t beat them and that’s all that matters. It’s not quite the rivalry it once was because Detroit has been getting knocked off before the finals and probably isn’t a championship contender anymore. But it’s still a good series and will make for a good playoff matchup again if the teams get there. The Bulls remain hungry against Detroit; i don’t think the Pistons respect them enough and that will be the difference this season.

[PN] Who will score more points this season, Ben Wallace or Joakim Noah?

[SS] Noah by far. He can score and could be a little surprising. I remain amazed still after all these years at how badly Wallace shoots the ball. It seems impossible to go to practice as often as he does and shoot like that.

[PN] You wrote that Kobe should sit out the season, any vested Bulls interests here?

[SS] No. Just taking a position on Kobe. The Bulls probably could make a deal now, but at what price. That’s the issue. After all, Kobe is about 30 with bad knees. What if he breaks down and you are on the verge as the Bulls are. They may not be good enough to win a title, but is Kobe worth the risk? I’m not sure. More from Sam on the subject of Kobe & the Bulls.

[PN] What fall out do you expect from the Donaghy scandal?

[SS] Little. It was one bad guy. All businesses–and most governments–have them.

[PN] Who’s you’re all-time favorite Piston turn Bull?

[SS] Crash Mengelt

We’d like again thank Mr. Smith for lending us a moment of his time. Check out some of Sam’s most recent columns. If you’d like to check out last year’s interview click here

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.