The Detroit Pistons found themselves in an all too familiar position Wednesday night – trailing by 20 points headed into the 4th quarter in Portland.Just the previous night, the Pistons found themselves in a 25 point deficit to start the fourth, only to cut the lead to 6 late in the quarter and force the Lakers to bring back their starters to hold off a furious Pistons rally.
Employing an aggressive full court trapping defense (for the first time this year), the Pistons caught the Blazers off guard, missing 11 out of 14 shots and turning it over 5 times to allow the Pistons to cut the lead to one point, 78-77 with just over a minute remaining in the game.On the ensuing possession, Blake missed a three pointer, but rebounded his own miss and drained a second three point attempt to ice the game with 25 seconds remaining.
So the Pistons lost their third straight game (and second on the 4 game west coast trip) but there were some good things to take away from this game…
Resiliency:This team just doesn’t give up, regardless of the score, and you have to appreciate that if you’re a Piston fan.Now, it’d be awfully nice if they started this games off a bit better and didn’t put themselves in huge holes early, but the fighting spirit is a nice change here.The old Pistons core, while a much better team, would have mailed it in on nights like this and lost the game by 20+ points.
A New Lineup? Kuester used a lineup in the 4th quarter that we had not seen this year, going away from the traditional 3 guard lineup of Gordon, Stuckey, Bynum alongside Villanueva and Ben Wallace/Kwame Brown.Kuester went away from that last night, going with a Big Ball lineup of Stuckey, Daye, JJ/Summer, Charlie Villanueva, Ben Wallace… a lineup that produced a 27-8 run, holding Portland to just 3 field goals in that stretch, as they cut a 20 point lead into just a 1 point deficit with 1:05 remaining.Stuckey was the biggest contributor in that 4th quarter comeback, scoring 12 points and dishing out 4 dimes.The strong finish somewhat offsets the awful shooting night (6 for 21).It’ll be interesting to see if Kuester goes to this lineup (or another big lineup) more often in games.I, for one, am not a huge fan of the 3 guard lineup.Our offense just becomes too predictable with the 3 guards running isolations and side pick and rolls; not enough body movement as the ball tends to stick on one side of the floor.
Full Court Press: I loved the chaos the full court press and trapping created last night.We’ve seen this used in spurts this year, but the Pistons used the full court trap nearly the entire 4th quarter and it really confused the Blazers and caused them to play timidly, turning the ball over 5 times during that stretch.The Pistons were behind by a lot and had to use the trap to generate more possessions, but I’d like to see them employ the aggressive tactic more often. This team is young and athletic enough to use it a lot.The full court and half court traps was a big staple in the 2004 Pistons historically dominant defense.It’d be nice to see it used more often this season.
Season Outlook: The Denver Nuggets had a franchise season last year, tying a franchise high with 54 wins and capturing the number two seed in the western conference. The Nuggets continued their magical run into the playoffs, making the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years, losing to the eventual champion Lakers.
The Nuggets did not do a lot in the free agency race during the summer, feeling that their nucleus of players is good enough to contend for a championship. They resigned Chris “The Birdman” Anderson, a fan favorite, and veteran point guard Anthony Carter (who will backup Billups and Lawson). The Nuggets did lose two contributors from last year’s team (Linas Kleiza and Dahntay Jones), but they did not go un-replaced.The Nuggets drafted Ty Lawson (who figures to take over for Billups a few years down the road) andtraded for Pistons guard Arron Afflalo, a defensive standout that will replace Dahntay Jones’ role on the team. The Nuggets then traded Walter Sharpe (included in the Afflalo trade) and traded him for 6’10” Malik Allen to bolster their front court.
The Nuggets biggest strength is their starting 5, which can match up with any team offensively and defensively.The question is their bench… can guys like Allen and Afflalo be big contributors off the bench?Can Chris Anderson duplicate the type of season he had last year?
If all of the above happens, this team will be challenging for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
2009-10 Prediction: 56-26 (1st in Northwest, 3rd in West)
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Last year’s Record: 54-28 (2nd in Northwest, 4th in West)
Offensive Rating (last year): 113.9 (1st)
Defensive Rating (last year): 107.8 (13th)
Key Acquisitions: Andre Miller
Key Losses: N/A
Projected Lineup:
Position
Starter
Bench
PG
Andre Miller
Steve Blake
SG
Brandon Roy
Rudy Fernandez
SF
Nick Batum
Travis Outlaw
PF
LaMarcus Aldridge
Jeff Pendergraph
C
Greg Oden
Joel Przybilla
Season Outlook: The Portland Trail Blazers made a huge leap in their development last season, winning 54 games and tying for the division lead (losing the tiebreaker).
The Blazers were involved in talks with Hedo Turkoglu (a sign and trade) and Paul Millsap, but landed neither. Kevin Pritchard was persistent though, signing free agent point guard Andre Miller to a three year contract. I like this signing a lot; the one thing that Portland has lacked in recent years was a good point guard to distribute the ball to Portland’s scorers. Miller’s stats, I believe, were actually hurt playing in Philly, where they lacked outside shooting to space the floor and were really a one dimensional team in the half court. He should also take some of the burden off of star Brandon Roy, leaving him fresher to close out games.
The Blazers did not add a ton to their team, but they don’t feel like they need to. They are banking on the improvement of Greg Oden, who has been a massive disappointment so far. I think he will improve, but can he stay healthy? That remains to be seen.
Look for Portland to win a similar amount of games as they did last season, but they will make progress in the playoffs, winning their first series.
2009-10 Prediction: 54-28 (2nd in Northwest, 4th in West)
Team:Utah Jazz
Last year’s Record: 48-34 (3rd in Northwest, 8th in West)
Offensive Rating (last year): 110.1 (8th)
Defensive Rating (last year): 107.3 (10th)
Key Acquisitions: Eric Maynor
Key Losses: N/A
Projected Lineup:
Position
Starter
Bench
PG
Deron Williams
Eric Maynor
SG
Ronnie Brewer
Kyle Korver
SF
Andrei Kirilenko
C.J. Miles
PF
Carlos Boozer
Paul Millsap
C
Mehmet Okur
Kosta Koufos
Season Outlook: The Utah Jazz took a step back last year, failing to win 50 games for the first time in 3 years and losing quickly in 5 games to the Lakers in the first round.A lot of their struggles can be attributed to injuries, however, as their 5 starters missed a combined 80 games.
The Jazz, while not bringing in any new players, did have a busy offseason in regards to keeping Boozer (who decided not to opt out of the last year of his contract) and resigning Paul Millsap, who filled in admirably for Boozer last year.Carlos Boozer should put up monster numbers this year, as he’ll be looking for a big payday next summer.
IF this team can stay healthy, they are legitimate threat to anyone in the conference outside of LA and San Antonio.They have one of the two best point guards in the league (Williams), solid play at the small forward position (Kirilenko, C.J. Miles) and their front court is deep (Boozer, Okur, Millsap).They still lack size up front, but they are one of the best (if not the best) scoring front courts in the NBA.The only thing the Jazz are really missing is a star shooting guard to pair up with Deron Williams. They could get that at the trade deadline, but for now, I have them winning around 50 games.In the east, that’d get them a top 4 seed… but out west, that gets you a date with LA or SA and a quick playoff exit.
2009-10 Prediction: 50-32 (3rd in Northwest, 7th in West)
Team:Minnesota Timberwolves
Last year’s Record: 24-58 (4th in Northwest, 12th in West)
Offensive Rating (last year): 106.1 (24th)
Defensive Rating (last year): 111.4 (25th)
Key Acquisitions: Johnny Flynn, Wayne Ellington
Key Losses: Mike Miller
Projected Lineup:
Position
Starter
Bench
PG
Johnny Flynn
Chucky Atkins
SG
Damien Wilkins
Wayne Ellington
SF
Ryan Gomes
Corey Brewer
PF
Kevin Love
Darius Songaila
C
Al Jefferson
Mark Blount
Season Outlook: The Timberwolves had a 2009 season not unlike many others in the franchise’s dreadful history, winning only 24 games, again finishing near the bottom of the western conference.Bottoming out wasn’t all bad, though, as it allowed the Timberwolves to snatch up two top 10 picks to fill their need at point guard.They drafted Johnny Flynn out of Syracuse as well as Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio.Forget about Rubio (he won’t play in the NBA for at least two more years)… Flynn is the franchise’s point guard of the future.
The Timberwolves won’t win many games this year, but they’ve got a decent nucleus of young talent (Flynn, Love, Jefferson) and they’ve got some contracts coming off the books that will free up a lot of cap space. Don’t expect a huge increase in wins this year (if at all) but their appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for this dormant franchise.
2009-10 Prediction: 23-59 (5th in Northwest, 14th in West)
Team:Oklahoma City Thunder
Last year’s Record: 23-59 (5th in Northwest, 13th in West)
Offensive Rating (last year): 102.9 (29th)
Defensive Rating (last year): 109.4 (20th)
Key Acquisitions: James Harden, Kevin Ollie, B.J .Mullens, Etan Thomas
Key Losses: Desmond Mason, Damien Wilkens
Projected Lineup:
Position
Starter
Bench
PG
Russell Westbrook
Shaun Livingston
SG
James Harden
Kevin Ollie
SF
Kevin Durant
Thabo Sefolosha
PF
Jeff Green
Nick Collison
C
Nenad Krstic
Etan Thomas
Season Outlook: The Thunder had a less than memorable inaugural season in Oklahoma City, winning only 23 games. OKC has built their team around the young nucleus of Durant, Green and Westbrook. Durant has emerged as a bonafide scoring machine that can score efficiently (shot 48% from the field, 42% from 3 and 86% at the line).Ranking 5th in scoring last year (25 ppg) in just his second season, Durant will be a threat for the scoring crown for many years to come. But can he develop the other parts of his game (passing, defense) that are lacking right now.It’ll be interesting to watch, because he is THE future of this franchise.
It isn’t just a one man show in Oklahoma City, however, as Durant has a good back court mate (Westbrook) and scorer up front (Jeff Green).If the Thunder can get the kind of production from Nenad Krstic that he displayed in 2006-early 2007, they may challenge the .500 mark. That’s a big if, however, as Krstic has missed a combined 129 games to injury the past 3 years.
Oklahoma City will be a team that can score with the best of them. They could be a lethal offensive team.But defense will be their undoing… and until they get the kind of mindset that defense is what ultimately wins championships, I don’t see them getting to the playoffs.They aren’t that far away though.
2009-10 Prediction: 33-49 (4th in Northwest, 11th in West)
