0-for-the-weekend

The Pistons went 0-2, the Wings went 0-1, and Curtis Granderson had a tear in his eye as he said farewell. Folks, check out this video below and try to convince yourself that the trade was a good idea. Curtis showed he was much more than a ballplayer, and individuals like that come around once a lifetime. That's all I'll say.



The winter of our discontent continues...

With the way the Pistons have played this year, I'm not terribly surprised. Even though they were embarrassed by the Pacers on Friday, they've rarely rebounded well from bad losses. They tend to stay stuck in the mire. To their credit, they rallied from a massive first half deficit (yet again) and actually kept it close in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, Portland's superior talent and coaching triumphed. It was another game where the opposition had little difficulty shooting over 50%. There's little doubt the key to success for this squad is in improving defense. Interestingly, the Pistons were linked this morning with one of the worst defensive players in the league - Amare Stoudamire.

Despite Amare's defensive deficiencies, I'd hope the Pistons mortgage the future to acquire this dude. He's had major injury problems throughout his young career, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a massive talent. And a player like Stoudamire is the exact complement that Stuckey needs to shine. He's got no big man to augment the inside-outside game. Stuckey is no Steve Nash, but he'll at least have a competent big man to dish to, as he drives the lane.

Unfortunately, the Pistons do not have much to offer. Phoenix may be interested in Tayshaun Prince and his expiring contract, but it's doubtful they'll be interested in anything else, other than Stuckey. Joe D would likely part with a draft pick before he'd part with Stuckey, so the best the Pistons could offer would be something like Tayshaun, Kwame, and a first round pick (likely #5 or #6). Kwame would be the throw-in to make the salaries work.

My guess is that Phoenix will find a much more attractive offer elsewhere. Memphis, for instance, may offer up Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph. Randolph has a dreadful contract, but it comes off the books in two seasons. Gay is a borderline All-star that might flourish in Phoenix. With that said, Prince may be more appealing. It wasn't long ago that he was an Olympian. Phoenix, for all their success, might covet a "glue" role-player like Tayshaun. And he's cheaper. We shall see.

Red Wings
There are still over 30 games to go, but we might need to accept that the Wings are just not good this season. For the third time in four games, the Wings lost their 3rd period lead by giving up two late goals. That's not the mark of a championship, let alone playoff team.

It's very depressing. It's still too early to panic, but it's not too early to worry.