dknights411
11-19-2006, 11:39 PM
This is from PistonsTalk, but I think thought we might want to talk about this.
Nazr Mohammed is not a trouble-maker. He's a quiet, low-key kind of guy whose demeanor fits in well with this Detroit Pistons team.
But there is something very wrong right now, something that could easily blow up in Detroit's face if it's not corrected.
Detroit wants to keep on winning.
Mohammed wants to play more.
Both sides are trying to find a happy medium between the two, with inconsistent results on both fronts.
After winning two of its first three games, Detroit went on to lose four of its next five only to bounce back with a pair of wins.
Meanwhile, Mohammed's playing time is like flipping a coin -- some nights he heads to the court often, others his tail is nailed to the bench.
Consider this:
He played 29 minutes in Detroit's season-opening loss to Milwaukee. Mohammed didn't have a great game, but eight points, 12 rebounds and a blocked shot isn't too shabby, either.
Since then, his minutes have ranged from a low of 12 (vs. Golden State), to no more than 27 (vs. New Orleans/Oklahoma City).
You look around the NBA, and you'll be hard-pressed to find another starter whose minutes fluctuate as much.
I give Nazr a lot of credit.
He's saying all the right things now, talking about how Pistons coach Flip Saunders is still trying to find different combinations to play, and how Saunders and the rest of the players, are still learning what he can and can not do.
But the more you watch this team, the more you get the sense that Mohammed is going to have a lot more of those 14-minute games like the one he had on Saturday against Houston.
And his frustration when Saunders took him out in the third quarter with four fouls - and never went back to him - told the story.
He picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, and Saunders had ideas of taking him out then.
But Saunders let him play for a couple more minutes, and it worked out well. During that time, Nazr grabbed four offensive rebounds and was clearly outhustling a huffin' and puffin' Yao Ming.
It was a breakout moment for Nazr, which more than anything else, is why he was so upset when he got yanked. He understood why Saunders made the decision.
That doesn't mean he has to like it, which obviously, he didn't.
Again, it's not a major problem now. But based on Mohammed's tone following Saturday's victory, you have to wonder how much longer is he going to put up with having his minutes yanked around like a yo-yo?
And if that wasn't enough...
DUD OF THE WEEK
(Includes games played 11/12-11/18)
Rasho Nesterovic, Toronto. He may very well be the worst center with more than one start this season. The Raptors lost all four games during their West coast trip this week. Nesterovic started the first two games, going scoreless in both while missing all five of his field goal attempts. He was better in the last two as a reserve, but he's still Rasho, a slow-footed, defensively-challenged, offensively-limited center who somehow continues to find work in the NBA.
What do you guys think?
Nazr Mohammed is not a trouble-maker. He's a quiet, low-key kind of guy whose demeanor fits in well with this Detroit Pistons team.
But there is something very wrong right now, something that could easily blow up in Detroit's face if it's not corrected.
Detroit wants to keep on winning.
Mohammed wants to play more.
Both sides are trying to find a happy medium between the two, with inconsistent results on both fronts.
After winning two of its first three games, Detroit went on to lose four of its next five only to bounce back with a pair of wins.
Meanwhile, Mohammed's playing time is like flipping a coin -- some nights he heads to the court often, others his tail is nailed to the bench.
Consider this:
He played 29 minutes in Detroit's season-opening loss to Milwaukee. Mohammed didn't have a great game, but eight points, 12 rebounds and a blocked shot isn't too shabby, either.
Since then, his minutes have ranged from a low of 12 (vs. Golden State), to no more than 27 (vs. New Orleans/Oklahoma City).
You look around the NBA, and you'll be hard-pressed to find another starter whose minutes fluctuate as much.
I give Nazr a lot of credit.
He's saying all the right things now, talking about how Pistons coach Flip Saunders is still trying to find different combinations to play, and how Saunders and the rest of the players, are still learning what he can and can not do.
But the more you watch this team, the more you get the sense that Mohammed is going to have a lot more of those 14-minute games like the one he had on Saturday against Houston.
And his frustration when Saunders took him out in the third quarter with four fouls - and never went back to him - told the story.
He picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, and Saunders had ideas of taking him out then.
But Saunders let him play for a couple more minutes, and it worked out well. During that time, Nazr grabbed four offensive rebounds and was clearly outhustling a huffin' and puffin' Yao Ming.
It was a breakout moment for Nazr, which more than anything else, is why he was so upset when he got yanked. He understood why Saunders made the decision.
That doesn't mean he has to like it, which obviously, he didn't.
Again, it's not a major problem now. But based on Mohammed's tone following Saturday's victory, you have to wonder how much longer is he going to put up with having his minutes yanked around like a yo-yo?
And if that wasn't enough...
DUD OF THE WEEK
(Includes games played 11/12-11/18)
Rasho Nesterovic, Toronto. He may very well be the worst center with more than one start this season. The Raptors lost all four games during their West coast trip this week. Nesterovic started the first two games, going scoreless in both while missing all five of his field goal attempts. He was better in the last two as a reserve, but he's still Rasho, a slow-footed, defensively-challenged, offensively-limited center who somehow continues to find work in the NBA.
What do you guys think?