Ben Gordon & Charlie Villanueva – Update

If you are reading blogs on WordPress and you were looking for something on Ben Gordon and/or Charlie Villanueva, chances are pretty high that you stumbled on this post from July ‘09: Ben Gordon & Charlie Villanueva. It is time for an update, I guess.

Charlie Villanueva missed most of the preseason with an injury and still kinda doesn’t look like he knows where he has to be on defense at all times. He missed some rotations in the first games of the season, but it didn’t hurt as that much – especially because this problem will take care of itself by playing together for longer stretches. The situation got worse, because Rip got injured and a little while later Tayshaun also didn’t play because of some back problems. Being new on a squad and than pretty much half of the starting 5 getting injured doesn’t help.

If you would put a gun to my head and ask me if he played up to the expectations we had, the answer would be no. It is way too early to judge someone after only 5 games, but right now he just isn’t getting it done. 11 points and 5.4 boards in 26 minutes per game just ain’t worth the money Detroit spent on him. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, tho, because his shooting percentages are way off his career average. Right now, he is hitting 0,05% less from the field and his free throw percentage fell by 0,1%. This maybe doesn’t sound like much, but it is huge (0,450 FG-% is way better than 0,400 FG-%). By finding the spots on the court he likes and starting to feel more comfortable out there, the percentages will rise and the rest of his game will improve accordingly.

CV-31 & BG-7

Ben Gordon is pretty much the opposite of everything you read above. Funny thing is, I thought that Charlie Villanueva would be the one that would look more impressive in the beginning, but obviously I was wrong. Ben Gordon looks like he played on this team for years – no transition period whatsoever. To be honest with you, I didn’t respect Ben Gordon so much, because I always thought he was one of those so-called ’streaky shooters’ and I was afraid that we overpaid him because of the Boston – Chicago series in the last playoffs. I was so wrong. This guy deserves every penny (so far) he got signed for.

• He never said a word about coming off the bench.
• He can play with either Stuckey or Bynum on the court.
• He can create his own shot or kick it out to an open teammate.
• He can take it to the rim and finish like a bad, bad man.
• He gives us the scoring we need off the bench or takes over Rip’s spot while he is injured – no problem for BG

This guy is ridiculous. So far, he dropped 25 points per game and dished out 3 assists while also having enough time to grab 3.6 boards per game. Looking at his current stats, he is on a pretty nice way to career highs in points, rebounds, steals and field goal percentage while also having the lowest turnover-rate of his career even tho he has more ballhandling duties than ever before. Is there anything more we can ask for?

So, Ben Gordon is doing his thing better than ever and if Villanueva steps his game up in the next few games, there won’t be a question about if Joe Dumars signed the right guys to complete the Detroit Pistons core.

BTW: Funny stat I stumbled upon: Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva have the same career high in ‘points scored in a single game’. 48 points – plus, both did it in a game against Milwaukee.

How the Pistons are doing so far (2009/11/05)

Well, you could say that the Pistons are 2-3 right now and leave it at that, but that would be like saying that the movie “The men who stare at goats” will be awesome…you’d be right, but you kinda wouldn’t help anybody with that. We’ll try to tell you about the things you probably didn’t know…it’s not as easy as 2-3 with the Pistons.

Who did we beat?

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic. How? We beat the Grizzlies by 22 points by holding them to 36% shooting from the field. We got outrebounded pretty bad (yeah, we got a pretty small frontcourt), but we took better care of the ball and our guards were pretty much scoring at will. I was really surprised by Ben Gordon. Everybody knows that he is one of the best shooters out there, but this guy knows how to attack the rim and by the time we got to the Orlando game he also showed an awesome floater that we’ll see pretty often this year, I guess.

Shooter? Scorer!

I know what you are asking yourself: Yeah, we beat the Grizzlies (which was no gimmie, btw), but Orlando? Orlando? Superman, the artist formerly known as Vinsanity and Co.? They had an off-night and we took advantage of that. I’m not trying to take anything away from the Pistons, it is hard to outplay a good team even on one of their weaker outings, but them shooting 36% from the field and 28% from three? Believe me, you won’t see that again tonight in the 2nd game against Orlando this season.

Who beat us?

The Thunder, the Bucks and the Raptors. Yeah, I know what you are thinking…not exactly the elite teams this year, but we ain’t in the that group ourselves anymore. On one hand it is kinda sad that all of those games were winnable and we lost them, but on the other hand: hey, we could have won!

So, are we lucky to be 2-3?

To be honest, I expected to see worse before the season began and so I’m actually surprised how good our squad looks on the floor. We move the ball, we attack the rim, we play pretty beautiful basketball most of the time and we look like we are able to win every game during some point of it. I didn’t really expect that. I was expecting to see more of a struggle, especially in the beginning…think about it:

• Two new guys (starting PF and 6th man – actually, starting at SG since Rip got injured a while ago)
• A coach that fell off the Cavaliers bandwagon, because there simply wasn’t enough space anymore

The Cavaliers Bandwagon

•  Our starters in the frontcourt during the preseason where Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown…both are great defenders (or at least one is great, the other is decent), but it ain’t exactly Sheed and McDyess on the other end of the court
• More on Ben Wallace in another post – the guy is playing better than anyone could have thought
• Same goes for our backcourt – those guys deserve their own post

Well, I expected to win against the Grizzlies and the Bucks and loss to the Raptors and Magic. The game against the Thunder was a toss-up to me. I didn’t know what to think about it, because the squad they build around Kevin Durant is pretty good – they’ll surprise some teams this year. So, being 2-3 is about right even tho we could be better, but getting Rip and Tay back will definitely help.

Rodney Stuckey – One Of A Kind

With all the articles and writers doubting Rodney Stuckey and people trying to convince everybody that Bynum would start if Stuckey hadn’t been a 1st round pick and what not, it is hard to just open your eyes and watch a game without having somebody else’s opinion in the back of your head. We love us some Bynumite too, but our coaching staff already found the perfect role for him – coming off the bench he can wreak havoc on the court and give us the energy spark we need without giving up too much on defense.

True, Rodney Stuckey had a tough time in the 2nd half of the previous season, but many rookies hit a wall (and that was kinda his 1st season with the injury he suffered the year he got drafted). Sometimes you have to wait for players to play up to their potential. What makes Stuckey special is his unique combination of ball-handling, size, quickness and incredible mid-air body control. It’s easier to understand what I’m talking about when you see it than when you read it. Either click here or watch this video at 1:01:

Crazy, right? The moves he put together, the way he got to the rim and how he finished the and-1 layup. How many other players in the NBA can do that? Uhm…how about none? Zero?

Most guards lack the size and strength they’d need to take the contact in the air without getting their balance messed up while most forwards simply aren’t able to handle the ball like this.

This was a Stuckey move…unique…one of a kind. This is what he does.

NBA International League Pass Review

WOW. There isn’t more to say than…wow. The International League Pass is way too much to handle for a basketball junkie like myself.

It is pretty much the same as the “normal” League Pass Broadband – the main difference is that we (international customers) are only able to watch the game up to two days after the live stream. Especially considering that most of us buy the ILP because we don’t want to stay up all night to watch live streams. Still, two days is enough, so it’s not really a big problem.

The video quality is pretty good (most of the time) and I can only recommend to buy the HD version – you will notice a difference, believe me. Being able to use the DVR-function and jump back and forth while watching a game is really neat too. Especially if you watch an archived game and don’t feel like watching all the commercial breaks.

It isn’t flawless, tho. There are two things that they need to change as soon as possible:

• The video quality isn’t the same for all the streams. Some games look awesome, perfect frame rate and everything while some…well…some remind me of flip books to be honest with you.

...awesome frame rate...

 I guess it’s nothing the ILP guys themselve can change, because they get the files from the channels that show the games on TV. Most games that aren’t on national TV look way better than those from TNT and ESPN which is bad for us if we consider that they show the best games – I couldn’t watch the season opener at all and I was really looking forward to that game – Celtics vs Cavaliers. The resolution was messed up and the frame rate was really low, it was like watching strangly shaped pictures of a game…not so much fun. The Mavericks game was in awesome quality, tho. The national TV stations should step up their game a bit.

• The most annoying thing about the ILP archive is that they write the results of the game right underneath the link so you have a really tough time trying to cover a part of the screen with your hand while searching for the link without ruining the game for yourself by finding out who won…what is the purpose of an archive? Telling me who won? A link is enough. If I want to know who won, I’ll check out the NBA homepage. The early games start at 2 A.M. in Europe so many NBA fans over here prefer to watch the replay…we don’t want to know who won before we watch the game!

I put more emphasis on the bad parts in my review, but the ILP is a wonderful product and really worth paying the price. It’s not that expensive and you get pretty much all the games (we don’t have too many local black outs). Every game, every team, no matter who you root for you can watch your favorite team…like they say in their commercials…it’s amazing.

[UPDATE]

They changed one of the two most annoying things today – now you can click on a button to see the score if you want to, but they don’t shove it down your throat anymore. Very nice!

Hooper tricks Cavaliers fan

Good times!

Chris Wilcox – Welcome to Detroit

According to ESPN.com Chris Wilcox agreed to a two-year deal worth $ 6 mil with the Detroit Pistons. If you are reading this blog frequently, I don’t have to tell you that we were rooting for Wilcox all along since the rumors spread that Wilcox, Nesterovic, ‘Big Baby’ Davis and Not-So-Big Ben Wallace where on the Pistons wishlist.

To quote myself: “I really like what Wilcox brings to the table. He is an energy guy that can dunk and block big time, a guy that gets the crowd into the game and is always ready to give you 110%. I’m not sure how good a help defender he is, but with his athletic ability and presence he will definitely alter some shots. He gives you 9 points and 5 boards per 20 minutes which isn’t too good, but if you look at the seasons he got about 30 minutes per game he delivered about 14 points and 8 rebounds – acceptable.” At age 26 there is plenty to like about the big fella – just ask the Raptors:

Do you need some more proof? Yeah? Here you go:

If you need somebody to bring energy off the bench, go for putbacks on offense and block shots on the other end – this is your guy.

Detroit – what’s next?

The Summer League was nothing short of spectacular to this point. I didn’t expect that pretty much every draft pick would amaze me, but you know…it is what it is. DaJuan Summers is a beast, a man among boys if you will, and he looks NBA-ready to me – at least more NBA-ready than ~ 99% of the other Summer League guys. Can’t wait to see him in a real NBA game.

Austin Daye has so much upside/potential – if he gets to 50% of what he is able to be, he will be a starter in this league. At 6-11 he can do so many things – shoot, handle the rock, initiate pick-and-rolls…can you imagine what a good coach can do with a guy like Daye on the field? Amazing…

Deron Washington was drafted last year, but still…he is a freak of nature – there aren’t many as athletic guys in this league.  Jonas Jerebko is the only guy I really can’t say much about.

But what is up next for Motown? A big guy. We need a big body, because Kwame being your starting center is a guaranteed 50 loss season…if everything else is nearly perfect – otherwise we’ll lose even more games. Detroit is looking at Chris Wilcox, Rasho Nesterovic, Drew Gooden and Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis according to most rumor pages on the web. There is some chatter about signing Ben Wallace, but I don’t see it – unless he is willing to play for free.

I really like what Wilcox brings to the table. He is an energy guy that can dunk and block big time, a guy that gets the crowd into the game and is always ready to give you 110%. I’m not sure how good a help defender he is, but with his athletic ability and presence he will definitely alter some shots. He gives you 9 points and 5 boards per 20 minutes which isn’t too good, but if you look at the seasons he got about 30 minutes per game he delivered about 14 points and 8 rebounds – acceptable.

Rasho Nesterovic – gives you about the same numbers, but he is a totally different kind of player. He prefers to shoot mid-range jumpers although he got some skills around the hoop. Anyway, I’m tired of post-players that prefer to shoot jumpers (got it?), give me somebody who can finish with authority.

Glen Davis won’t happen, because he is a restricted free agent and Boston will probably match.

Drew Gooden? Well, Drew is giving you the same numbers. He got more minutes and played more, but if you reduce his minutes he gives you about the same. Drew is the most skilled guy out of all these players (but Big Baby – too bad he is a restricted free agent) and he wouldn’t be a bad choice. To me he looks like a good locker room guy as well.

If I was Joe D, who would I go after? 1st choice: Chris Wilcox. 2nd choice: Drew Gooden.

Godspeed2Sheed

He is gone. I would feel better if he wasn’t headed to Boston, but if there is no sudden change of heart (see: Turkoglu, Hedo), Sheed will suit up in a green jersey next season.

The funny thing about Sheed is that he actually is the Detroit Pistons of the last few years in a way. Falling asleep on the court from time to time, struggles to find motivation day in and day out, thinks he can switch it on at any time and, too bad but it is true, he often just disappears when we need him the most. Still, he is unique – there is nobody with his set of skills out there and he is hilarious – a joy to watch and to listen to so you better look forward to that, Boston fans (I heard your bandwagon got bigger since KG arrived so there should be enough room for some of Sheed’s fanbase – not me, tho).

It’s always hard to see one of “your” guys leave for a rival team, but this is a business after all – I would take the best offer too, so I can’t blame Sheed. We took him for granted and didn’t give him the feeling that we want him here (because we don’t – rebuilding ‘n’ stuff), but it is only human to go where people want you to be around. The Celtics know why they send their big 3 over to woo Sheed – it worked. I wouldn’t want to work somewhere where people doubt me and I don’t feel appreciated.

Sheed, I know you won’t read this, but anyway: thanks for the memories (and one title – yeah, what up!) and I wish you only the best in Boston.

Ben Gordon & Charlie Villanueva

First, here are the facts:

Ben Gordon agreed to a deal that is worth about $ 58 mil/5 years and Charlie Villanueva agreed to a deal that will pay him $ 40 mil/5 years. That is about $100 mil in the next 5 years for the Detroit Pistons so Gordon and Villanueva better bring their A game.

I’m not sure if I like this or not. Throwing big money at Ben Gordon when we could probably got him for less doesn’t bother me too much, but are those two guys really worth an investment like this? Will they turn our team around and get us through the 1st round of the playoffs? I don’t see it. We desperately need a big man who can put the ball in the basket and Charlie Villanueva could fill that hole. He won’t score 20 a night, but he is a threat around the hoop at least.

But what is up with Joe D and his new found love for undersized volume shooters? Is a guy who is taking 25 shots a game while only scoring on 40% of them really worth $11-12 mil a year? Did his 1st round performance against the Celtics really put him that much over the top? I think Joe is still riding this “we need somebody to trade baskets with the other teams superstar in the final minutes“-wave (he got that after LeBron destroyed us in the game that shall not be named a few years back – scoring like the last 25 points for the Cavs – you know what I’m talking about). We used to be a team that didn’t need anyone to step up in the final seconds, because we took care of business early and cruised to victory. Once upon a time, when we did need somebody to step up, there was this guy called “Mr. Big Shot” – they didn’t give him that nickname for nothing.

Can't wait for the next Pistons - Bulls game

Now, times have changed. Ben Gordon will be our starting shooting guard (yeah, I know he is saying he will come off the bench, be our 6th man ‘n’ stuff – but just wait til we hit our first 3 games losing streak)…so…what will happen with Rip? Rip has a big contract and those are hard to get rid off nowadays. Will they move him to small forward and trade Tayshaun? Well, looking at the draft and the Tayshaun-clone we drafted in the 1st round – could be. Would I like that? Hell no. Would I prefer a Rip trade? No, I’d like to have both guys around, but that won’t happen. We still need a big man and now we are limited to trading, because we threw our cap space away in a single day. Joe D could have at least pretended to be taking a look at David Lee and let the Knicks match the offer or whatever, but you know what they say in NY…it is what it is.

How about Elton Brand, Detroit?

According to various pages on the web (I’m looking at you ESPN, Hoopshype and the other usual suspects) Elton Brand is definitely on the trading block. Well, I never was shy to say that I don’t like Carlos Boozer – I don’t think he fits the Pistons style and, way worse, he is evil – yeah, evil. Just look at that guy and what he has done so far (see: Cleveland). Just a bad character and we should keep those guys out of town, don’t you think so?

Of course there is a difference in going after a free agent and trading for somebody, but it’s still a no-brainer to me. Contract-wise, it would be pretty much the same. Brand has a long contract worth $ 13.7 mil/year. Do you think Boozer would sign for less? Yeah, it’s a bad economy and stuff, but we ain’t talking about Darko Milicic here (who is earning $ 7 mil/year, btw). Both can put up 20/10 any given night, but the big difference is this one right here:

Elton Brand has something to proof! That is exactly the mentality the Pistons need and the way of thinking I’m missing in the last few years. Our championship squad back in the day had something to proof. Guys who were traded often (see: Chauncey Billups), guys who were overlooked for several reasons (see: Tayshaun Prince) and so on and so on. After winning and cruising through the next season our guys took everything for granted – but it’s not. Brand had a great career, but he couldn’t live up to what was expected of him in Philly (injuries, bad rotation, didn’t fit the style – choose one or several of those reasons) – and now he is on the block after signing a big contract.

This guy has to have a mindset of destroying everybody around him and proving every doubter wrong. That’s the guy I want to have on my team!