Huh-wha?!

One game after I so vociferously state "Monroe stakes a claim" on the starting spot, Coach Q benches him, and the Pistons play one of their best games of the year.

During this four game home stand, the Pistons:

• Blew a 25 point 3rd quarter lead to the lowly Raptors (10-18)
• Destroyed the playoff-bound Hawks (17-12)
• Laid an egg in a blowout loss to the historically pathetic Clippers (7-21)
• Won in overtime against the Hornets (16-11), despite missing two starters

They are a strange team and difficult to gauge. The previous four games prove - at least to me - that they do possess some talent. Unlike the Marinelli Lions, I'll never say the cupboard is bare. Ben Gordon, Charlie V, Prince, and McGrady are capable of exhilarating offensive displays. They've got skills. So, why oh why can this team not bring it every night?

We've dissected this issue ad nauseum over the past two years. The problem at the very least starts with Joe D. He compiled this team with too many guards. Then he chose a rudderless leader in John Kuester. There's zero consistency with minutes, which leads to zero consistency in performance.

Last night, Kuester announced yet another overhaul of the starting lineup. Out were Hamilton, Stuckey, and Monroe. Stuckey has a legit foot injury, but Hamilton's demotion was more nebulous. Was his "stomach illness" a result of questionable salmon or questionable jump shots? The old guard of Hamilton, Stuckey, Wallace, and Prince seemed entrenched as starters. Perhaps Kuester decided that the blowout loss to the Clippers was the last straw. Their clear lack of energy in both the 1st and 3rd quarters (after the Piston subs fought back in the 2nd) may have forced his hand. Who could blame Kuester if he did bench Rip? The dude's playing the worst ball of his career, his body language shows his disinterest, and he's found a way to get himself ejected on three separate occasions. Kuester showed some backbone by benching Stuckey earlier in the year. Did he actually have the cojones to bench three-time All star Rip? As for Monroe, my guess is that it's more a case of rewarding his replacement. Monroe's played well, but Charlie V is having the best season of his career.

In place of Stuckey and Hamilton, Kuester opted for Tracy McGrady and Ben Gordon. McGrady responded by tweeking his hamstring and missing the entire second half. Gordon responded by missing his first seven shots. Go Pistons!

To their credit, they did not quit. With Tayshaun Prince playing perhaps the best ball of his career, the Pistons stayed within shouting distance of the Hornets. Gordon found his shooting stroke in the 2nd half, and, with the team down 3 with 21 seconds remaining, Gordon didn't hesitate. He took the inbounds pass and calmly drained the long ball to tie the game. On the ensuing possession, Chris Paul ran down the clock and drove to the hoop for the potential game winner. Paul swerved by Will Bynum but found Tayshaun Prince waiting. Prince sent Paul's shot into the 3rd row with his most timely swat since... well... this one:

During overtime, the Pistons jumped out of a five point lead, but the Hornets clawed back. They continued to push the ball to David West, who, just a few games ago, punished the Pistons with 25 points on 10-14 shooting. Tonight was different. Jason Maxiell, who was benched due to that poor defensive performance on West, was given a shot at redemption. Maxiell didn't enter the game until late in the 3rd quarter, but he made his mark. He harassed David West, and, especially in overtime, forced him into difficult shots. After Bynumite put the Pistons ahead by a point with 7 seconds remaining, Maxiell made the play of the game:

This is the same guy who was averaging a measly 4 points and 2 boards for the month of December?

It is.

I said last week that Maxiell is good in spurts. Last night was the perfect example of a Maxiell spurt. You just can't rely on him to deliver that consistently.Ben Gordon, though, is a different story. For the sake of the team, the fans, and BG, the dude needs to start. Give the guy a defined role. Last night, he knew his role - score - and he delivered. Will Bynum knew his role - find the hot hand - and, despite massive rust, eventually showed solid playmaking abilities. Tayshaun Prince knew his role - lead - and he finished with an astonishing 28 points, 12 boards, 8 assists, and 3 blocks.

As a fan, it's difficult to know what to make of Prince. He's playing so well, but he's also the only player who'd likely command something of value in return. Besides an expiring contract, he's still relatively young and has massive respect around the league. My guess is that the Pistons would likely still not get equal value, but they may have no other option since Prince will likely sign elsewhere this summer. Stuckey is in an equally tricky situation. He's developed into a NBA-caliber scorer. He's a capable defender, and, in general, a good dude. Yet, he's shown no tangible ability to make those around him better. His best role seems to be that of the 2-guard. If the Pistons deal him this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him flourish. He's got talent. But he and Rip are clearly holding this team back. The Pistons simply play better with BG at the 2, and McGrady or Bynum at the 1.

The Pistons next three games are against Toronto, Chicago, and Charlotte. If they play like they did against New Orleans, they should win all three. Yet, we now know to expect the unexpected.

Mad Max

Something happened to Jason Maxiell.

This guy is back.

The past four games, Maxiell is averaging 10pts (on 62% shooting) and 8 boards in just 25 minutes per night. The dude, in a word, was dominant. Despite giving up seven inches on Andrew Bogut, Maxiell skied over the dude to pull down 6 offensive boards last night. And he was the hero in the clutch against New Jersey. His clunky jumper actually fell at an impressive clip. This is a guy who barely averaged over 5 pts per game coming into February. He was a forgotten man.

Not anymore. Against the Bucks, Maxiell posted an astonishing +21 rating. The night didn't go nearly as well for players facing their old teams. Villanueva scored a total of 0 points in 19 minutes for a -7 rating. Carlos Delfino - a reborn man since landing in Milwaukee - scored 9 on 3/11 shooting for a -15 rating.

As for Stuckey, he was a star last night - 1 turnover, 7 assists, 18 points, 5 boards. But the stats don't tell the whole story. He hit some star-worthy shots, including a clutch jumper with Charlie Bell draped all over him. The Pistons were in control much of the game, but the Bucks did take a 4 point lead late in the 3rd. The Pistons then turned up the pressure, ultimately holding the Bucks to 36% shooting. With Ben Gordon, Max, and Stuckey carrying the offense, the Pistons went on a late 17-6 run to pummel the Bucks into submission. Honestly, it was a win reminiscent of the Billups Era. Save for a few offensive bursts from the Bucks, the Pistons were in control, and, during crunch time, they played their best.

Despite my optimism, I know that type of performance was an abberation. They're still an 18-32 team, but it was great to see for just one night. And it was also great to see Ben Gordon playing like the All-star I know he can be. It's taken a few games, but he's back.

Now that I've spent the past few paragraphs praising the Pistons, I fully expect them to lay an egg tonight against Sac town.

Wings
I wish the news were as positive for the Wings. They lost yet another one last night in overtime. I honestly don't know why they even participate after regulation. When the final horn blows, Babcock and Company should hop on the plane and beat the traffic. Why risk injury? They're absolutely dreadful in overtime. In fact, that's the only thing this team has in common with last year's Wings.

I will, however, give the Wings credit for mounting a 2-goal comeback. Despite falling behind 3-1, the Wings rallied for the tie. They pounded home three of the ugliest goals in the history of man, showing a bit of heart. The Blues, though, were the better team throughout. That's quite a sad statement, considering the Blues are a handful of points behind the Wings. The playoffs continue to elude this team as their opponents seem fresher, hungrier, and, honestly, better.

Other than the overachieving Howard, I count five current Wings playing to their potential right now - Lidstrom, Rafalski, Bertuzzi, Helm, and Draper. Despite their age, Lidstrom and Rafalski continue to be the best Red Wing blue liners. They're not dominant, but they remain the absolute best at puck-possession hockey. Bertuzzi, despite coughing up the puck to Kariya on the Blues' 2nd goal, is on pace for 21 goals. He's already got 15, which is 5 more than I expected. And Helm and Draper... well, they sorely miss Eaves... but they're still the Wings' best line.

The rest of the team suffers from maddening inconsistency. Last night, the Blues turned it over to Dats deep in their own end (multiple times), but Pav did not take advantage. In one stretch, they literally passed the puck right to Datsyuk's stick. He tried to deke a defenseman and lost the puck. I had to rewind to make sure that I was watching the 2009's best hockey player in the world.

And what about Zetterberg? Cleary? Filppula? Stuart? They've had flashes of brilliance, but rarely at the same time. The team just doesn't have "it". They need a heart-to-heart, like that scene from Rocky III when Adrian confronts Rocky at the beach:

(Wish I had the specific scene, but this was the best I could find... skip forward to 4:10)


Where's Adrian when you need her?

Pistons Give Great Effort, Lose

In a sign of just how far things have fallen, the Pistons played one of their better games last night. They hustled. They swarmed on defense. They crashed the glass. Yet, they still did just enough to lose to a mediocre team, at home. Yawn.

It was a strange game. The Pistons shot 58% from the field in the first half but somehow found themselves down by six points. The Grizzlies maintained a comfortable 6-10 point cushion throughout most of the second half until Jason Maxiell took over the game. On both ends of the court, Maxiell dominated. Stuckey's 15-ft jumper with 2:56 to go in the game put the Pistons up 93-91, and the Pistons seemed in control. Unfortunately, it was the last points they would score.

The Pistons missed their final eight shots - many uncontested and/or layups. They also missed 4 of their final 6 free throws. Marc Gasol did not miss any free throws, as he scored Memphis final eight points. Just a few years ago, this game would've been a comfortable win by the Stones, even on an off-night. Yet, this incarnation is like Nate Robertson. They try hard, tease you with good innings, then end up blowing it at the worst times. They're GETL - Good Enough To Lose.

Were there bright spots? Sure. Stuckey and Rip both had double-digit assists. Unfortunately, Stuckey still can't finish at the rim. I've rarely seen an NBA guard who has as much trouble putting away layups. I realize he's often off-balance and swarmed by 6'10 behemoths, but Stuckey is supposed to an NBA-calibre scorer. Put the ball in the hoop already. Jason Maxiell and Ben Wallace were pretty awesome, but where was Austin Daye?

Dear Coach Kuester, last I checked your team was 14 games below .500. You're a lottery team. Why not play the rookie? Is Tayshaun Price that insistent on minutes?

The Pistons continue their dreadful home stand against the Heat on Friday. Can't wait.

End of an Era
Coming off one of the worst losses of their season, the Red Wings put up zero fight in a 5-2 loss at Minnesota. The loss knocked the Wings out of the final playoff spot and moved Minnesota within 3 points. The Wings have now lost three in a row, and are 3 games below .500 for the season.

Chris Osgood let three goals in on the first six shots. If he doesn't step it up soon, Holland should consider calling up Daniel Larsson from Grand Rapids. Jimmy Howard is playing well in net, but he can't shoulder the entire burden. The Wings need a backup to spell him on back-to-backs. And that 2nd string goalie should not guarantee a win for the opposition. Is that too much to ask?

Suffice it to say, the Wings are in trouble. Gone are the days of dominant puck possession and beautiful tic-tac-toe goals. No more suffocating defense that limits the opponents to under 20 shots. This is a team fighting for the final spot in the playoffs. They're a middle-of-the-road NHL squad with below average scoring. Folks in town seem to believe their fortunes will turn around when the injured players return. I tend to disagree. The team is what it is. They've been playing poorly all season, regardless of who's on the ice. Hoping for a massive turnaround is akin to hoping Magglio, Guillen, and Robertson will return to form. It's a hope based on no tangible evidence. Their glory days are long gone. The recent evidence reveals a team that can't string together three wins in a row. They're mediocre. A non-threat.

But all is not lost. They have talent in the farm system. 18-year old Thomas Tater gives us hope at Grand Rapids. Click here for an update. The article says Tater is five years away from contributing. What can they do in the meantime? My thinking is that they would benefit greatly from a two-way center. When Filppula returned, the Wings puck possession increased dramatically. Now Filppula is no world-beater, but he sees the ice well and is an above-average puck handler and skater. If the Wings could pick up one more Filppula (or better) talent, I think they'd see a world of difference in their ability to control the game.

Those that saw my recent +/- stats may have noticed that the top line players (Datsyuk and Zetterberg) despite their sub-par seasons still have the best ratings. The 4th liners (Abdelkader, Leino) have the worst. One key acquisition could change all that. But, how could they attain one more player? I say they consider trading Jonathan Ericsson or Brad Stuart. Both players will be in high demand come the trade deadline. Most playoff teams want to shore up their defense with rugged blue-liners who can contribute on the power play. Nobody is going to want Meech or Lebda. But they will want Ericsson or Stuart. My guess is that a team like Colorado or Chicago would be willing to part with a young center (like Ryan O'Reilly).

The Red Wings' system is predicated on puck control, as the Versus announcers repeated ad nauseum on Monday. As a result, they're more reliant upon centerman than defensemen - unlike, say, Anaheim or New Jersey. The Wings do have a wealth of talent on the blue-line, even with the potential departure of Nick Lidstrom in a few years (gulp). A core of Kronwall, Rafalski, and one of Ericsson/Stuart should suffice, if they have defensive-minded forwards. I imagine most fans would gasp at the prospect of trading away Ericsson, but he's the exact chip piece that could lead to a true talent. The Wings are built from the forwards on down, while most teams are built from the goalie on up. Shop Ericsson and see who bites. And if Anaheim will consider parting with Getzlaf, throw in Datsyuk for good measure.