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Avery Johnson appears to be the front runner to replace Michael Curry, even if Joe isn’t saying so.   I don’t have a problem with The “Little General” being our coach…now.  I don’t think it would have worked with the veteran team we’ve had in years past, but this group — or at least the ones still here on opening night — is a better fit for Avery’s style.

AJ’s fiery, preaches D, talks funny, and is a proven winner (in the regular season).

As for Bill Laimbeer, I think it’d have to be head coach or bust.  At least here in Motown.  There’s fans that’d like to see Lambs at least on the staff but I’d say that that’s not such a good idea.  Bill is the fans choice and it wouldn’t be fair to Avery, or any other head coach, for Bill to be coach-in-the-waiting.  That head coach would have to deal with calls for Lambs to replace him after every loss.  There’s too little job security as the Pistons head man as it is.

I’m encourage that even though Joe wants a coach in place by the time the team leaves for the Las Vegas summer league next week he looks as if he’s trying to find the best available coach for the Pistons.  Much unlike what he did last season.

Also see: 

• Doug Collins says ‘been there, done that’. [Detroit News]
• Rodney Stuckey: Pistons players weren’t pushing for ouster of Michael Curry [mLive]

We got to open one present a day early!

Curry is safe?  Joe D., you sly devil.  Michael Curry’s on-the-job training has been mercifully squashed, for today he is fired.  Unlike the Lions, the Pistons did not chose to go “lalalala I can’t hear you” to their nation of fans.

“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations. “I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change.” -Mlive

Nothing against Curry as a man, it was just wrong coach at the wrong time.  He’ll get on somewhere.

I guess it might also be time to park this domain.

Let the “We want Laimbeer” chants begin.

Whether it be Lambs or someones else Joe knows he needs a coach that big time free agents are going to want to play for.  Someone who has a vision that doesn’t include game-by-game lineup changes or visions of small ball grandeur.

Joe Dumars held his end-of-season presser this afternoon where he said Michael Curry’s job was never in question:

“The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been,” Dumars said. “During the season I said to myself, ‘What affect is this having on him as a first-year coach.’ I tried to put myself in his shoes.”

I’m kind of spent to put together exactly how I feel about this.  I’m not the biggest Curry supporter but giving him the benefit of the doubt after a turbulent season isn’t the worst move this team could make.  If he can’t hack it this season I’m sure this petition will get a couple more names on it.

• WATCH the Dumars presser
• A. Sherrod Blakely -Joe Dumars: This team didn’t battle every night
• Vince Ellis – Pistons stick with Curry; Dumars says ‘all the options are open’ with roster

mlive:

“Kwame is doing a great job,” Curry said. “He’s getting rebounds, which is good. But he also takes up a lot of space that’s allowing other guys to come in and get rebounds.”

[...]“One thing in this league, you can’t substitute size,” Curry said. “Kwame’s size is big for us. It’s important, especially on the defensive boards.”

As far as Wallace coming off the bench, Curry said “We’ll see. I like Sheed coming off the bench (Tuesday at Cleveland). I think it helps that unit, especially when we’re small with Will (Bynum) and Allen (Iverson).

“When you have those two out there and you’re small in the backcourt, you need someone like Sheed, possibly Max (Jason Maxiell) with his activity out there, with him.”

First thought upon reading this: “Cut it out Curry“.  Kwame has been adequate, but let’s not get silly.

Second thought: “hell, what could it hurt“?  I agree with Rasheed being a good look when paired with some of the second unit combinations.

It’s usually not a good sign to being rationalizing lineup changes with 7 games left before the post season, but does it really matter?  Is there a team we’d beat in a seven game series?  Not with all the dysfunction still present.  The Pistons will back into the playoffs but the season is now a sacrificial lamb.

This will also give us a chance to see how committed Rasheed still is to this franchise with his free agency pending.  Despite his uncanny skillset he’s never wanted to be the man so this should play right into that.

But in my honest opinion this is just the final act in the Rasheed goes to Detroit story.  He’ll field a decent offer from a contender looking bolster their lineup.

He’s at it again folks.  When Michael Curry said he might experiment and start Dyess in the last 20 games what he meant to say was that he was desperate and he’ll try anything starting tonight against the Bucks at the Palace.

 “As I talked about going into the break, I’m going to start him instead of Amir,” Curry said of McDyess. “Hopefully Amir will play better with some second line guys. Hopefully we can be more solid defensively, especially when we have the help with ‘Dyess in there and also to stay consistent.

Look out for that bus you’re being thrown under Amir!

Despite Antonio’s preference, productivity and the fact that Dyess is playing starter’s minutes already Curry is again flip flopping on lineups.  Shocking right?

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press:

After the workout, Pistons coach Michael Curry said that he might consider starting backup power forward Antonio McDyess for the last 20 games of the season and into the postseason.

But he’s only considering it as a way to bulk up the starting lineup and try to avoid early foul trouble for either Rasheed Wallace or McDyess.

Why?  Why is it taking so long to settle on a rotation?  Are we supposed to wait to game #70 or so to really evaluate this team?  C’mon!  Could anyone else see this coming when Dice was killing it on the glass last night?

Dyess prefers to come off the bench.  Bring him off the bench. It’s where he’s most comfortable and productive.  Besides that he’s already getting a starter’s share of the minutes.

Wasn’t it just a couple days ago that we were reading how Amir is going to be the full time starter?  If Dice is starting how far is Curry going to bury Amir in the rotation?  Or will it just lead to more odd DNP’s for Maxiell?

The only consistency with Curry is inconsistency.  You can understand if guys are losing confidence in him.  This is getting comical.

I’m a day late on this one, but here you have it:

Pistons coach Michael Curry announced today that Richard Hamilton will lose his place in the starting lineup as the team tries to overcome its recent struggles.

Power forward Amir Johnson will replace him in the starting lineup most nights. Center Kwame Brown will start against especially big teams.

[…] “I feel we are better defensively and rebounding” with three forwards, Curry said. “We have struggled sometimes being able to score at the beginning of the second and fourth quarters. We think, by featuring Rip during those times, we can (change) that.”

Curry said Hamilton will average about 30 minutes of playing time per game off the bench. He will decide his late-game substitution pattern on the fly. - Free Press

It’s no secret, I thought it should be AI, but I’m willing to give this a chance to see how it goes.  Winning is winning, no matter who’s playing and when.

From mlive:

“I’d like to run. If we get stops, we can,” Curry said prior to Friday night’s game. “That’s the whole key with that group; getting stops and rebounding the ball.

“If you get stops and rebound, you can get out and run and try and take advantage of your quickness. That’s the big key, being able to get stops and get the rebound.”

So, he wants to play three guards plus be undersized at the other two positions and while still being able to defend and rebound?  Since when do small ball teams play lock down D and hit the glass? The small ball teams I’ve watched over the years looked to race it up and down the court and defense happened by accident.  They run up possession totals, not shot clock minutes.

M.C. wants the cake, and he wants to eat it too.  It’s one or the other.  That’s why this team has no identity or chemistry if that’s what they’re calling it.  You can’t defend like the Pistons of old and also run like the Phoenix Suns of a couple years back.  Honestly I don’t think we’ve got the pieces to excel either way.  Their needs to be some sort of median.  Stop trying to fit them into some sort of custom shell and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the team you actually do have.  Is he so myopic to think that a small ball group is going to be scoring over 110 points per while holding the opposition under 75?  C’mon Mike, get it together.

After the Pistons most recent face plant Coach Curry is talking up change of attitude:

“The most disturbing thing is we’re 0-5 on Sundays and how we allow things to bother us at times,” Curry said. “During this next 20 games, we’re looking to leave the refs alone more, not let good or bad runs affect us and continue to improve and adapt to the changes.” – Detroit Free Press

Rip and Sheed have always been our technical twins.  They’ve always been in the ears of the refs.  We didn’t lose to sub .500 teams in back-to-back-to-back fashion because of technical fouls.

There’s three main reasons this team is struggling the way I see it.

1. The trade:  The orchestra has lost it’s maestro.  Allen isn’t and never will be a point guard.  Start him at the one if you like, but that doesn’t mean he’s capable of running the show.  That’s not his game.  Moving Stuckey to the front line was a good move if you’re not just sliding Rip and Iverson over.

Chauncey and Rip worked because they weren’t getting in each other’s way.  Chauncey would lace the track and Rip locked the flow.  That’s not the case with Rip and AI.  Take you pick Curry, they don’t work as a tandem.

2. Rotations:  This one is all on Curry.  This team doesn’t have to play small ball, he chooses to with those ineffective three guard line ups.  He’s being out coached on a consistent basis because he’s trying to coach down to the opponent.  If you’re having to adjust your lineup and rotations game by game your just admitting that you don’t have an established game plan.  I can see doing some in game tweaks but Curry is just trying to over think the games.  Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell, and Amir Johnson not even coming off the bench against Washington was down right stupid.  The Wizards are the worst team in the East and you’re not going to play guys who were supposed to be part of the regular attack because they are down a few big bodies?

He’s letting his point system override his better judgement.  Flip Saunders rode the starters, but he knew how to win basketball games.  I don’t think Curry does.

3. Defense:  Wasn’t that the theme of training camp?  Didn’t Rodney Stuckey say we’re going to play Bad Boys defense? I thought they were going to establish themselves down low and pick up ball handlers full court?  Where is it?  Opponents scoring and field goal percentage are both up.  Didn’t Michael Curry earn his NBA pay check by playing defence?

The post-trade gelling is taking longer than expected.  But, in the mean time Curry and the Pistons need to work on defense and getting a regular rotation going.

Because you’re next contestant on Make it Right!

WASHINGTON D.C. — Pistons coach Michael Curry announced after today’s morning practice that second-year point guard Rodney Stuckey will be in the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards.

Center Kwame Brown will now come off the bench, and the other four starters will each shift up one spot. Allen Iverson will play shooting guard, Richard Hamilton will play small forward, Tayshaun Prince will play power forward and Rasheed Wallace center. – Free Press

Not what I would have done, but I’ve never been mistaken for an NBA coach.  We’ll see how it goes but I still don’t think Rip and Iverson is a good look for the starting line up.

After another embarrassing Sunday loss Michael Curry is talking about switching the style up and if they hate then let ‘em hate and watch the losses pile up:

“As a group, we started the game once again … we didn’t play with the level of effort and focus and intensity to start games with,” Curry said. “I’m going to do something with that lineup.”

Curry said he hasn’t made any concrete decisions on what that change will involve, but it likely will mean second-year guard Rodney Stuckey will be in the starting lineup, where he’ll be joined by Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince (sliding from small forward to power forward) and Rasheed Wallace (playing center of power forward). – mlive

I hope that’s not what he’s thinking.  Small ball sucks, and since when was Kwame the problem?  He’s done what has been asked of him.  Where’s the bench scoring going to come from?  McDyess is effective, but more in a complimentary sense.

Start Stuckey but either Allen Iverson or Rip Hamilton needs to go to the bench.  They don’t compliment each other at all.  I’m sure it’d be tough for either of those two to accept.  I personally would want Iverson coming off the pine.  He could play his game better with a hustle group.  Have Afflalo and Herrmann out there for a perimeter touch when the double and triple teams come.  Meanwhile Rip and co. could get back to running the Ripster off screens.  Besides that Rip just signed a 3 year extension, where I’d be willing to bet it’s a one and done for AI.

For those thinking it was ridiculous for a team to hold a Thanksgiving practice, Coach Hammer on WDFN explaining that Turkey Day practices are the norm in the league.

Link attributive: mLive

WDFN (via DBB):

Michael Curry tells WDFN’s Stoney and Wojo that Kwame Brown will start tonight to play alongside Rasheed Wallace.  Curry says he is trying to figure out the best way to get his bigs going and recognizes that Kwame and Maxiell have not played well together.

Not that big a move in my opinion.  The obvious difference is there’s more size in the starting line up with Kwame and more athleticism with Amir off the bench.

Making this move highlights how much the team misses McDyess’ contributions however.

As BDD posted this morning, it’s not going to take training camp to determine that Antonio McDyess won’t be the starting power forward for the Pistons this season.  Dice will help anchor the second unit which he’s made no secret is where he’s more comfortable and productive.

Among the other subjects he touched on, he confirmed what we’ve been suggesting for the past month – that Antonio McDyess will go back to the bench to give more scoring punch to the second unit and better utilize McDyess’ talents. – via: True Blue Pistons

Even though I believe Antonio was the best option for the starting PF slot it was pretty much by default.  I’m also big on “comfort zones” and if Dice believes he’s a better utilized as a 6th man then that’s what he should be.

It’ll be addition by subtraction.  Dice is a greater addition to the second unit then he is a loss to the starting five.  Antonio and Stuck will make a very formidable second wave tandem.

So who will be starting at the four?  Well, if you checked out the Detroit News this morning Chris McCosky is saying the Amir Johnson era is getting a push:

He (Curry) hopes to use a five-man frontcourt rotation. Amir Johnson, it appears, is going to get every opportunity to win the starting spot alongside Wallace. McDyess will be the first big man off the bench, with Brown and Jason Maxiell getting regular minutes — Brown getting more minutes against bigger teams and Maxiell against smaller, more athletic teams.

Like Matt over at DBB I’m figuring if it’s not Dice, It’s Maxiell.  Nope.  Looks like Amir is going to be baptized.  So it makes even more sense when Curry says for the team’s sake Sheed needs to be in shape and on the blocks.  If he’s going to roam it’s going to leave Amir exposed down low.



That’s a pretty intriguing second unit of Stuckey & Afflalo in the backcourt, Maxy and Dice up front and Kwame in the middle.  Not bad.

Even though Michael Curry is a rookie coach he already has all the right answers.  In this Q&A he did with a Traverse City paper (via Need4Sheed) he says what all Pistons’ fans want to hear:

Do you see an expanded role for second-year pro Rodney Stuckey?

We look at Rodney Stuckey as a sixth starter. He’s capable of starting for most teams in this league. We have to find a way to get him 30 minutes a game. We expect a lot out him. He expects a lot out of himself.

I also  like the approach he’s taking with these Pistons:

I’ll explain that 20 years ago, during the Bad Boys era, this team was really good. But the Bad Boys era didn’t carry over to the team that won the championship in 2004. There was a distance in between. I want them to understand there’s also a distance between 2004 and now. This is a new era. We no longer have meaningless regular season games. Regular season games mean something to us

I like that.  It’s hard to make the vets forget that they already have a ring, but they probably need to.  That’s what we all want, this team to show the hunger they had back when they had something to prove.  Easier said than done, but I like what I’m hearing.

It’s a pretty interesting interview.  ‘Stonz fans should definitely take time out to read it in its entirety.