First the bad news.
Or, to some, it's good news. The Pistons continued their losing ways this weekend. The current streak is up to eight straight. Their 23-50 record place them 5th worst in the league. Ask any person who's seen this team play recently, and they'd have to admit they should be dead last. They can't compete. Literally. They're down by 20 at halftime every game. It's the Varsity vs the JV. And it's a painful display of what the season would be like without Ben Wallace. The 35 year old retread singlehandedly made the team watchable for long stretches this year.
Justin Rogers pointed out on MLive that the Bulls two trade deadline acquisitions - Flip Murray (yes, the ex-Piston who apparently wasn't good enough) and Hakim Warrick - combined for 37 points on 70% shooting. The Pistons two offseason acquisitions - Charlie V and BG - combined for 3.
There's truly no end in sight for this disaster. The Pistons are stuck with these two disappointments. The goal in the offseason will be to find a way to work with them, not against them. Watch some tapes from Gordon's days with the Bulls and figure out how to get him involved. He's a $55 million player rotting away on the bench. Joe dug this hole. Now it's up to him to dig his way out of it.
The lone bright spot on the team is that the continued losses increase their chances to land John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, or Derrick Favors.
As for the Wings, they forced overtime with Nashville without scoring a single goal. Both teams had their chances, but Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard blocked everything. The game went to a shootout. By the 12th round, the Red Wings finally broke free as Kronwall scored. Howard blocked the Pred's ensuing chance, and the Wings leapt to 6th in the standings. The OT loss earned the Pred's a point, keeping them barely above the Wings in 5th place. With seven games to go, the Wings are 6 points clear of 9th place Calgary. Yet, the way they're playing there's no reason to not chase Chicago for the top of the Central. Chicago has 99 points, 8 clear of Detroit. It's unlikely but possible.
This amazing run (and the awesome performance against the Preds) earned Jimmy Howard some national acclaim. He's an obvious candidate for the the Calder (Rookie of the Year), but there are even murmurs of a Vezina and Hart nomination. An MVP of the league may be pushing things a bit, but Howard is certainly the MVP of the Wings.
Or, to some, it's good news. The Pistons continued their losing ways this weekend. The current streak is up to eight straight. Their 23-50 record place them 5th worst in the league. Ask any person who's seen this team play recently, and they'd have to admit they should be dead last. They can't compete. Literally. They're down by 20 at halftime every game. It's the Varsity vs the JV. And it's a painful display of what the season would be like without Ben Wallace. The 35 year old retread singlehandedly made the team watchable for long stretches this year.
Justin Rogers pointed out on MLive that the Bulls two trade deadline acquisitions - Flip Murray (yes, the ex-Piston who apparently wasn't good enough) and Hakim Warrick - combined for 37 points on 70% shooting. The Pistons two offseason acquisitions - Charlie V and BG - combined for 3.
There's truly no end in sight for this disaster. The Pistons are stuck with these two disappointments. The goal in the offseason will be to find a way to work with them, not against them. Watch some tapes from Gordon's days with the Bulls and figure out how to get him involved. He's a $55 million player rotting away on the bench. Joe dug this hole. Now it's up to him to dig his way out of it.
The lone bright spot on the team is that the continued losses increase their chances to land John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, or Derrick Favors.
As for the Wings, they forced overtime with Nashville without scoring a single goal. Both teams had their chances, but Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard blocked everything. The game went to a shootout. By the 12th round, the Red Wings finally broke free as Kronwall scored. Howard blocked the Pred's ensuing chance, and the Wings leapt to 6th in the standings. The OT loss earned the Pred's a point, keeping them barely above the Wings in 5th place. With seven games to go, the Wings are 6 points clear of 9th place Calgary. Yet, the way they're playing there's no reason to not chase Chicago for the top of the Central. Chicago has 99 points, 8 clear of Detroit. It's unlikely but possible.
This amazing run (and the awesome performance against the Preds) earned Jimmy Howard some national acclaim. He's an obvious candidate for the the Calder (Rookie of the Year), but there are even murmurs of a Vezina and Hart nomination. An MVP of the league may be pushing things a bit, but Howard is certainly the MVP of the Wings.
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