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Ben Gordon dribbling past Orlando's Dwight Howard may be the hope for the future, because January was unkind to the Pistons. They managed to earn a "D” for “Disastrous”, as they finished the month with a 15-31 overall record and have a greater chance of competing in the 2010 draft lottery than in the NBA playoffs.
In mid-January, you could have argued that the “D” stood for “Day to Day.” The injuries were so persistent, the Palace of Auburn Hills could have made some money by selling a poster labeled “walking wounded” with a picture of at least five of your favorite Pistons.
However, a better “D” that describes the Pistons is “Dysfunctional”. The Pistons may be getting healthy, but they seem out of sync on the basketball court. A good example is the game against Miami last Friday night. Coach John Kuester started his player rotation late in the 1st quarter and then watched the Heat race off to a 47-36 halftime lead with Dwyane Wade resting on the bench.
Coming out of the halftime break, you’d assume the Pistons would rally to make the game interesting. Apparently, they left another “D” (for Defense) in the locker room. Wade and his teammates scored 24 points and allowed just 12 as Miami entered the 4th quarter leading Detroit, 71-48.
And it’s not just the team that is struggling. Eight weeks into the season I wrote “Rodney Stuckey has been the model of consistency in scoring, averaging 24.5 points per game at home and on the road.” Unfortunately, Stuckey has had to battle through injuries and his productivity has suffered.
He’s slid down to #81 among the top 100 fantasy basketball players in ESPN.com’s “Player Rater” with a 18.3 points and 4.5 assists per game average. But to his credit, Stuckey had three double-doubles in January.
The only other Piston in the top 100 is Charlie Villanueva, who is listed as #97. Now listed as “day to day” due to an injury, Villanueva had played in every Piston game until Sunday night (a major feat on this team), averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Why are the Pistons a “D” team right now? The remaining members of the Pistons roster have a combined negative rating of -2.53 in Player Rater with Ben Wallace at the top of the list with a +2.00 and Kwame Brown at the bottom with -6.59.
So without further ado, here’s the Pistons’ report card for this season.
Now it’s time for some predictions about Detroit players.
“Piston to Watch”: Ben Gordon returned to the lineup Friday night and scored 10 points in 13 minutes of play against the Miami Heat. As he gets healthier and his minutes increase, he should return to the form that made him a top 50 fantasy basketball player in the opening weeks of the season.
“Rock Solid Piston”: Rodney Stuckey had an incredible 11 assists against Memphis and he’s regained his scoring touch. He should be averaging 20 points and 5 assists a game for the remainder of the season. He along with Villanueva and Ben Wallace are the most consistent set of players on the Pistons.
“Put this Piston on the Pine”: Kwame Brown is the direct opposite of Villanueva. All of his numbers are down and he’s been sitting on the bench lately.
For Detroit fantasy owners with players on other teams, here’s some predictions.
“I wish I had him”: Going with three players on a roll
• LeBron James, Cleveland – Chris Paul may have been the most dominant guard in January, but James was the dominant forward. He’s currently making a personal best of 50% of his shots from the floor.
• Dwyane Wade, Miami – “30” is his number, which is a reference to the number of points per game he was averaging in January. Wade’s turnovers have also been up lately, but he offsets that issue with increases in assists and steals.
• Chris Paul, New Orleans – Paul was on this list when I started compiling information for this article. I know he suffered a serious injury over the weekend, but he was electrifying in January. His scoring and assist numbers were climbing and he’s a delight to watch playing basketball. And who knows, he might return to play this season. In the interim, Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas is a solid alternative.
“Surprise Stars”: Here are three players who just might be worth adding to your team if you have some room on your roster.
• Channing Frye, Phoenix – Frye is a former starter who is trying to show his coach and teammates that he should be in the game more. The Suns’ forward has shown an ability to drill a large number of 3-pointers and in one game played more minutes than current starter Robin Lopez.
• Roy Hibbert, Indiana – Indiana’s coach may prefer a smaller lineup with three guards, but Hibbert has been coming off the bench and providing the team with a big scoring lift. He scored 21 points in 28 minutes against the Lakers recently.
• Boris Diaw, Charlotte – Diaw had a great January. He’s had some double-doubles and solidified the Bobcats front line.
“Expect a Downturn”: Here are three NBA players in or headed for a slump
• Devin Harris, New Jersey – Harris seems to end up on this list, because he’s been fighting injuries and still hasn’t regained his shooting touch. Earlier this season it was a groin injury and now it’s his wrist. His performance has dropped in practically every single category this year.
• Shaquille O’Neal, Cleveland – He’s probably the most likable player in the NBA, but he’s averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Shaq is also blocking just one shot a game now. If you take O’Neal’s career numbers and divide them in half, you’ll have a pretty accurate picture of how much his game has declined.
• Vince Carter, Orlando – Carter is playing despite a shoulder injury and it’s definitely affected his game. Though Orlando recently beat Boston, Carter was 2 for 13 from the floor. Hopefully, his shoulder will improve in time for the playoffs.
What do you think? Here’s your opportunity to share your opinions and expertise with me and other fantasy sports enthusiasts. You can submit your comments by choosing to “Comment” on this story or email me at deni-martin@att.net.
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