PistonsNationBlog.com - Detroit Pistons News & Views

While most of us in Pistons Nation are letting out a big “yeah right” to the proposed trade (to Det: Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo / to Bos: Stuckey, Rip, Prince) Kelly Dwyer is playing a little Devil’s Advocate suggesting Joe missed the boat by him his underling giving Danny Ainge’s people the ‘ol we’re gonna just go ahead and pass on this one mmm’kay.

Here’s what Kelly wrote on Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie blog:

And, bless Joe Dumars, but what the hell is he thinking?
For 2009-10, yes, this could be a big deal for the Celtics. Hamilton could have a bounce-back year, same with Tayshaun Prince, and Rodney Stuckey should improve. Based on sheer depth, alone, Detroit could have handed the hated C’s another Eastern Conference championship. Not unlike the way the Celtics possibly handed Detroit the same thing five years ago.
Beyond that? They would have handed Boston an above-average offensive shooting guard with a three-year, $34 million dollar contract. A 29-year old defensive stalwart, already on the decline, who is owed about $21.5 million over the next two years. And Rodney Stuckey, a nice player, possibly a point guard (his assist ratio rivaled that of Shane Battier(notes) and Derek Fisher’s(notes) in 2008-09), and definitely a guy looking for a contract extension after next year.
What would Detroit have gotten? Sweet, sweet relief.

Sounds like Kelly Dwyer feels Dumars owes Boston for facilitating the ‘Sheed deal?  If you keep reading Dwyer goes on to suggest that Joe might be in denial about this team and what phase of rebuilding we’re actually in saying none of the three Detroit players mentioned are guys you can build around.

Myself, I don’t like the deal from a competitive standpoint.   I’d like to have a point like Rondo (with some sort of caveat that Rajon go through a Hazmat grade disinfectant process to get that Celtic taint off of him before he throws on the red, white and blue).  I wouldn’t mind seeing another package with Rondo in it, but I’d want no part of Ray Allen even with his big expiring contract.

How many moves can we make for cap space?  Unless Joe plans on suiting up Ben Franklin and the boys we’re eventaully going to need some players not just contract assets.

Our guy Stuck did us proud last night helping the Sophomore team comeback and beat the Rookies 122-116.  It was the Kevin Durant show, but Stuckey held his own out there and got pretty good love from the announcing crew.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  Congrats Stuck.

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey will take part in the Rookie Challenge on Feb. 13 as part of All-Star Game festivities in Phoenix.

Stuckey is on the sophomore team that will take on a team of NBA rookies in the game. The sophomores have won six straight in the series. -Freep

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET – NBA.com

While watching a pregame interview segment with Rodney Stuckey he said something that brought to mind another Detroit sports star from the past.  Rodney said that when he’s not playing basketball he’s not thinking about basketball, but rather relaxing.  That statement, and the calm low key tone it was said in, sounded like a Barry Sanders statement to me.  I started thinking of other parallels you can draw between the two.

Both guys are pretty mild mannered and well spoken off the playing field, but don’t be mistaken as both are definitely gamers on it.  Both having the ability to be game changers, real show stoppers.  But, you also get the feeling that outside of their profession they’d be as down to earth and unassuming as you or I.  If they invited you over for a little BBQ you’d not come to find that they’d commissioned a Sistine Chapel style mural of themselves at the bottom of their pool.

Personality wise I believe they share quite a few traits.  Both are classy guys.  Barry never danced in the end zone.  He’d simply flip the ball to the ref and go about his business.  Just like you never Rodney doing one of those primal screams and beating his chest after a big bucket.  They’re confident enough to not need the cockiness.  Their games do all the talking for them.   You never see them doing things that would embarrass themselves, their team, or their fans.  I think they both respect the sport too much to try and put themselves above it.

I remember watching Barry run for the Lions and truly enjoy every possession in which the ball was in his hands.  It was fun to root for him.  I get the same good vibes watching Rodney.  He makes things happen.

Both men have strong and compact builds allowing them to be durable performers.  Stuckey, like Sanders, is extremely agile and gets more out of a lot of plays than you’d expect.  Both are deceptively quick, although I will admit that most times Rodney’s approach on the court is a tad more direct than Barry’s was on the gridiron.

Barry is considered by many the greatest running back ever to play.  Rodney still has a way to go before he’s mentioned in any greatest ever conversations but I do have the feeling that no matter how much he ascends he’ll do it with great dignity just like #20.

Pistons.com:

Stuckey led the Pistons to a perfect 4-0 week despite the absence of Rip Hamilton in all of them and Rasheed Wallace in nearly three full games, averaging 23 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game.

It’s going to be hard to keep Stuck our little secret he keeps this stuff up.  If he’d been given the keys from the jump I think he’d be getting some all-star pub, but it’s kind of late in the game for that.

If so check out their Rodney Stuckey special tonight.

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.

Stuckey has been medically cleared to play but will sit out tomorrow night against the Warriors.  No need to rush really.  Make sure you’re right.  Unless Will Bynum keeps balling the way he has been.  Then we might have a controversy  on our hands.

Pistons backup guard Rodney Stuckey said that he will miss Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors at this morning’s practice.

He will take part in the Thursday morning shoot around to work on his conditioning after missing Tuesday’s win over Sacramento. Stuckey left Sunday’s loss to the Celtics, complaining of dizziness.

He said that the tests showed everything is alright and he is ready to go but wants to condition more before getting back on the court. -DFP

From all I’ve read Rodney is ok and they’re just covering all their bases.  But, what I was thinking while watching the game that if he’s taking himself out of a big game for dizziness it has to be something of a serious dizzy feeling.  Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be something serious.

Detroit Pistons’ guard Rodney Stuckey did not travel with the team to Sacramento today. He remained in Detroit for precautionary, follow-up testing after experiencing symptoms of light-headed and dizziness in Sunday night’s game versus Boston. He is listed as day-to-day - Detroit Free Press

In Chris McCosky’s recap he said Stuck was expected to travel with the team.

Hot Rod recently gave a short interview while in Flint, MI with the Pistons Tip-Off Tour in which he proclaimed the Pistons will be back to playing “Bad Boys” Defense: “I’ll tell you one thing, our defense and defensive standpoint, things are going to be a lot different. We’re gonna be picking up full court, trying to get back to our old ways of playing Bad Boys defense. That’s something to look forward to this coming year.”

Love Stuck.  Love the moxie.  I believe the Pistons will be better defensively under Mike Curry, but perhaps Stuckey might want to stay late in the film room and break out some old Bad Boys’ game tape.   That kind of defense is a thing of the past in today’s NBA.  Hard nose D is now rewarded with suspensions.  Besides that I really don’t think the Pistons have the personnel to play that physical D.

Guys like Stuckey and Afflalo should be able to put more pressure on ball handlers coming up the court which is something Curry has said he wants more of.  I’d also like to see the tough interior defense that we were known for just a few years ago make a come back.

Anyone else getting antsy for this thing to start?

(more…)

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.

Another one of the ‘Stonz picks up an accolade. Rodney Stuckey made the NBA’s All-Rookie Second team. Pretty good for only getting into 57 games.

Rodney is joined on the 2nd team by: Jamario Moon (Toronto), Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis), Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia) and Carl Landry (Houston).

From the Detroit News:

Voting was done by the league’s head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the First Team and five for the Second Team, regardless of position.

Rodney Stuckey via Krista Jahnke (Detroit Free Press):

Starting sometime soon — maybe next week, maybe, if it’s a blowout, even tonight — the Pistons will finally get to see Rodney Stuckey in real NBA action.

The Pistons announced that doctors cleared the rookie point guard on Thursday to begin full-contact practice as well as to play in games.

I’m going to have to hit up YouTube to remember what Stuck brings to the table. Seems like forever he’s been out. Once he gets re-acclimated to the team he’s going to make our attack even more dangerous and diverse. We really don’t have another guy on the roster who attacks the rack off the dribble like Rodney does, which is something that’s been missing. We’ll see better looks for the field as a result of collapsing defenses and a player like that is also able to get to the line a ton (like Stuckey’s idol Dwyane Wade).

And remember when Stuckey’s up to speed he’s the first guard off the bench, so we’re not just waiting for blowouts to see glimpses like with Amir Johnson.

Chris Webber via J.A. Adande (ESPN, finders fee – Nick):

Fourteen-year veteran Chris Webber is close to returning to the NBA, with the Pistons his likely destination, a source close to Webber told ESPN.com.

“Look for him to be back the first week of January,” the source said.

The Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers had also inquired about Webber’s services, with the Heat intensifying their efforts after backup center Alonzo Mourning suffered an apparent season-ending injury to his patellar tendon in a game at Atlanta Wednesday night. But for Webber, a Michigan native, his familiarity with the Pistons players and coach Flip Saunders’ system after playing there last season appears to make them the most desirable team.

Until he signs here or somewhere else the Webber talk will not die. Is it wrong that I wouldn’t mind having Webb back now that Boston has shown interest? Or is that by design from Webber’s camp to force Joe’s hand?

How would we open a spot for him? With Flip Murray falling out of the rotation in favor of Lindsey Hunter, Dumars could shop him for picks or package him with Walter Hermann?

Chris McCosky’s Adande rebuttal:

ESPN.com’s J.A. Adande, citing an unnamed source, is reporting that Chris Webber could return to the Pistons as early as January. President Joe Dumars told me tonight that was not true. In fact, Dumars has told Webber’s representatives this week that he is content with the roster as it is and has no immediate intentions of changing it.

The Pistons presently have five frontcourt players — Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson and Primoz Brezec (with rookie Cheikh Samb waiting in the wings). Dumars, as I have continuously reported, made it clear to Webber in August that he was not going to have four veteran big men on the roster this season barring injury, and that if a situation ever arose where the Pistons needed to bring Webber back, it would be only as the fourth or fifth big. Dumars is committed to using Maxiell as the first big off the bench, and he wants to continue to groom Johnson. Brezec was an unexpected addition who, frankly, might have more to offer in limited minutes than Webber. Webber was not all that pleased last season when he was starting and not the featured player in the offense. There is little chance he would be happy playing five to 10 minutes a night.

If Webber is going to be back in the league, it’s probably a safer bet that he will land in Miami. They have just lost Alonzo Mourning for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Webber to return to the Pistons.

From Chris McCosky:

Rodney Stuckey is not going to make it back in the original six-week time frame. He had his left hand re-examined Wednesday and was not cleared for contact.

“He will get another evaluation next Friday,” Saunders said. “So, two more weeks.” The Pistons were hoping Stuckey would be back by next Friday.

So he’s doesn’t possess Wolverine’s ability to heal with the super quickness, he’s human. It’s a no-brainer to say not to rush an injury. You want it completely healed so it doesn’t become a chronic nagging type thing. The new timetable for Rodney will be how long does it take for him to get re-acclimated into the lineup. How long before Flip will be confident enough to give him regular and consistent minutes behind Chauncey?

Oh, and I can already hear the casual Pistons observers around town “didn’t the Pistons draft another guard”?

Rodney Stuckey is the first up for SLAM ONLINE’s rookie bloggers. No material that’s going to show up on a ton of blogs, but then again that just doesn’t seem like Rodney’s personality. He basically talks about adjusting to life in the NBA and the injury. Here’s my favorite excerpt:

I think that one of the reasons why the Detroit Pistons as an organization is where they’re at right now is the atmosphere in the locker room is very good. We always have a positive mind throughout the locker room, and I think if you’re having a negative attitude in the locker rooms and all that stuff, that’s not really a good thing to vibe off. So all the enthusiasm and stuff coming from the players is all good. We’re all a family. We all hang out with each other, and we all treat each other with respect. If someone messes up, we get on each other, so it’s all about being a brotherhood.