Sunday Bloody Sunday

Last night, both the Red Wings and Pistons suffered disturbing losses. The Wings were shut out for the 4th time in 15 games, while the Pistons were dispatched by the Lakers after about ten minutes of competitive hoops.

The Red Wings I can forgive. Without Zetterberg, they lack their best scorer and best defender. They just can't be expected to do much with the make-shift lineup. They're still clinging to the final spot in the playoffs, so that should be considered a minor accomplishment. The Blackhawk goalie tried to still shower the Wings with respect by saying, "They still have Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Datsyuk." Yes, that's true. Three players. After that, who's left? Helm? Leino? Bertuzzi? The Wings still have too many holes. As fans, we shouldn't expect much with a shocking 8 key players out with injuries - Zetterberg, Franzen, Filppula, Williams, Ericsson, Cleary, Kronwall, and Lilja.

As for the Pistons, they showed no signs of life against the Lakers. I was worried that loss to the Hornets would send them into a tailspin. Since that crushing loss to Chris Paul and David West, the Pistons were manhandled by a moderately talented Oklahoma City and throttled by the Lakers at home. There was absolutely nothing positive to take from that game. Kuester called out Stuckey after the OkC loss, saying Stuckey needed to be a leader. Kuester did not elaborate, but my guess is that he wants more from Stuckey than just points. He wants Stuckey to improve at engaging his teammates on the offensive end. He's still too single-minded. Well, one day after getting called out, Stuckey played one of his worst games of the season. He sat out most of the first half thanks to foul trouble, and he tallied most of his points (16) during garbage time.

It was ugly. I suppose I could forgive the lopsided loss since they were playing the best team in the league, but I honestly feel the Pistons would've lost to Boulan Park Middle School last night. Like the Wings, injuries aren't helping. Charlie Villanueva played sporadically, and he's now fighting plantar fasciitis. Bynum tweaked his ankle again last night, and Gordon, Hamilton, and Prince remain out indefinitely. The onus is on Stuckey to lead this team. Stuckey may feel that he's improved dramatically this season, and he'd be correct. Yet, that doesn't free him from responsibility. Kuester challenged the young guard, and great players rise to the challenge.