Prior to tip off of the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns game, all the hoopla surrounded Shaq, and how he said that this was the best team he has ever played on. Well, I hope he does not plan to use Sunday’s performance as a reference point.
The Pistons beat the the Suns 116 to 86. For those of you with rusty math skills, that is a 30 point difference. With Shaq in the middle, these Suns looked nothing like the run and gun experts from the West that NBA fans are so used to seeing. Yes it was only one game, however, it does not take a biblical prophet to see that the acquisiiton of the Diesel could cause problems. Even in an undersized NBA, the center position is crucial to a teams success. It is certainly no secret that Shaq is well, slow, really slow, Chris Webber slow in fact. For the Phoenix Suns to think they could maintain a lightning quick style of play, and have Shaq be a vocal point in the offense, is foolish. When the team traded Shawn Marion for Shaquile Oneal, they also acquired a halfcourt offense, like it or not. This is not to say Phoenix cannot run at all, but Steve Nash must learn to slow things down significantly. With the lack of shooters on the Sun’s roster, a slower tempo could be an issue. However, this is a risk the team had to take. The payoff? Improved rebounding, defense, and hopefully, a reinvigorated Shaquile Oneal leading them to the NBA Finals. Also, now Amare Stoudamire can finally play power forward, his natural position. Their are risks involved, however Steve Nash certainly has the ability to change the tempo enough to take advantage of a much improved front line. Shaq’s best team?
We will see come June.
I have nothing to say about tonights Piston game. I bet Kid Rock was there, and I bet he was drunk, which was probably WAY more exciting then the actual game. With that said, let’s talk about something not related to the Pistons being throttled by a certain team in Florida shall we?
The last few weeks have been great for NBA fans. Pau Gasol was traded to the Lakers, Shaq and Shawn Marion swapped uniforms, Mike Bibby goes to the Hawks, and now, Jason Kidd goes back to the team that drafted him. No matter what you think about the moves (Bad in the long term for the Suns, Great for the Lakers, significantly better for Atlanta, and only slightly better for the Mav’s in case you were wondering,) this kind of off court action is what makes pro sports so fun. If the games begin to bore you, just like Michigan weather, wait five minutes and some player somnewhere will change addresses. Free agency, and the trade market in the NBA and other pro sports, humor those of us who are in a constant state of discontent. It is the kind of entertainment tailor made for a genration of people who only have to wait 30 seconds for their dinner to be done. Still not satisfied with the current make up in the NBA? The trade deadline ends next week. Expect more players to be moved before then.
Gotta go my T.V dinner is ready
Rodney Stuckey is really beginning to show why the Piston’s drafting him was a VERY wise decision. In Tuesday night’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, Stuckey scored 12 points in 19 minutes. During that time, he was the go to guy on offense, fearlessly attacking, and more importantly, finishing around the basket. Over the last five games Stuckey has averaged more then 10 ppg, including a 13 and 12 point performance over his last two games. Just as coach Flip Saunders had hoped, as Stuckey’s minutes have increased, so has his productivity. Not only has his consistency proved crucial while on the floor, it has also helped the play of Chauncey Billups. Tuesday’s win is a perfect example. Billups started the game missing his first eight shots from the field. After given a 19 minute breather however, Chauncey had fresh legs going into the fourth quarter. Fresh legs meant Billups scoring 12 of the Pistons final 15 points in crunch time to seal the 94 to 90 win.
If Tuesday night is a sign of things to come, Billups and Stuckey may turn into one of the most feared point guard tandem’s in the NBA. Maybe Joe D can draft after all.
