26 points?

I admit... I stopped watching the Pistons months ago. It became simply too painful. I never stopped following the team and checking the box scores, though.

Last night, the Raptors beat up the Pistons (yet again), shooting 60% from the field. Ex-Piston Amir Johnson shot 10-12 en route to 26 points. This was a young man who was deemed not good enough for the Pistons last year.

Amir is yet another ex-Piston to find renewed birth once he left Detroit. Carlos Delfino and Arron Afflalo are similarly enjoying career seasons. All three players will likely be in the playoffs while the Pistons were eliminated from contention weeks ago. How could the Pistons screw up so poorly in talent evaluation?

I'm going to do something absurd here... I'm going to defend Joe Dumars. Joe Dumars' main job is to acquire players via trade and draft. With the team assembled, the coach takes over. The coach establishes a style of play, harnesses the talent, and doles out minutes. The Pistons in effect missed on those three players by not correctly assessing their skills and putting them in a position to succeed. Flip Saunders rarely gave Delfino, Amir, or Afflalo consistent minutes. Curry was no better. So, while it's en vogue to bash Joe D nowadays, he's not to blame for the ex-Pistons finding success elsewhere.

P.S.

Toronto joins the latest parade of teams to shoot 60% or better against our beloved Stones. I remember a time when it was surprising for a team to shoot over 50% for just a quarter against this team. Seems like another life.