[外電] Pistons' best chance? Bring A.I. off …
Source: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902020347
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Pistons' best chance? Bring A.I. off bench
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG ‧ FREE PRESS COLUMNIST ‧ February 2, 2009
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The Cavaliers beat the Pistons on Sunday, and this was predictable -- not
just the what, but the how. The Cavs spread the floor and ran the
pick-and-roll with LeBron James.
"The tough thing about it is you know what's coming," Tayshaun Prince said,
"and you still can't do anything about it."
Let that sentence sit for a moment.
Now flip it around: When was the last time the Pistons were playing a good
team and their opponent knew what was coming but couldn't stop it? It rarely
happens anymore.
For years, you knew exactly how the Pistons were going to beat you. What is
their bread and butter now?
I don't know.
But I'll tell you what I think it should be: Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton and
Prince.
They should be starting and finishing games together. All the pieces should
fit around them. And to explain why, let's go back to the moment this season
changed, when they traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.
President Joe Dumars did it for two reasons. One -- which Dumars openly
acknowledged at the time, and most people around here understood -- was for
salary-cap space starting this summer. The other reason was to give the
Pistons a better chance this season, or at least a different chance. The plan
was never to give up on this season.
Dumars thought he had made his franchise better now and later. (For what it's
worth, so did I.)
Well, they have played more than half a season. And it seems clear to me that
Stuckey, Hamilton and Prince give the Pistons the best chance to win now and
later.
That is not a knock on Iverson, who is doing his best to win a championship,
in the only way he knows how. But the Pistons look disjointed offensively.
Iverson dominates the ball too much when he has other great players on the
court with him. He and Stuckey can be electrifying in the open court, but as
Prince said, "Whenever we play a team and their offense gets going, it shows
that our offense slows down. They get their defense set, and that's where we
struggle."
Iverson should not be starting instead of Hamilton. He should be a change of
pace, a lethal sixth man who destroys backup guards. He should be playing
with unselfish, athletic players like Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson, using
all his energy in 25 minutes a game and looking for his shot as much as he'd
like.
This would be a bitter pill for Iverson to swallow. He is starting the
All-Star Game -- how can he come off the bench for his own team? But it is
necessary.
Stuckey, who shot poorly Sunday but might be the Pistons' best player, should
have the ball when he is out there. Hamilton should play with Stuckey, the
only true point guard in the rotation.
If it works, the Pistons can salvage something from this season.
And if it doesn't work? Then Iverson and Rasheed Wallace leave via free
agency and the Pistons try to land a big man to play with Stuckey, Hamilton
and Prince. And then it would have made even more sense to build around them
anyway.
In the locker room Sunday, Iverson expressed hope. The Pistons are playing so
far below their potential that it is actually encouraging -- he knows they
can be better. But the contrast between Iverson and the longtime Pistons was
striking.
Iverson said, "I still feel confident in my squad and my coaching staff" and
"we just have some letdowns here and there."
When Prince was asked about the Pistons' confidence, he said "Low.
Frustrating. Whatever else falls into that category."
I asked Hamilton if he looks at the calendar, realizes it's February and
worries his team is running out of time.
"Oh, man," he said. "You don't want to lose, even though you're learning ...
it shouldn't be like this."
Yet Iverson remains confident. This makes sense, when you think about it.
Iverson is the only Piston who is used to playing with Allen Iverson. And he
is the only one who is used to floating around .500, hoping his team suddenly
starts to click.
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這一篇個人認為大多算中肯,AI+小史真的球不夠用,照之前前幾篇
有論說到,個人是支持AI+RIP先發,或硬要小史先發也行,小史+RIP也不錯,希望
AI有比較多的持球時間。
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Only the strong survive- Iverson ⊕ ═█┘
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● ●︵ ● ●)) 3╯
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/>⊕ >/ ⊕ ╲> >>
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