Pistons: 3-0..

[ClipperLuva]

Who could the Rockets have signed for that $2M? Jermaine ONeal?

Jeff ing Ayers.. that's who.

[GuerillaBlack]

Even signing some scrub from the D-League would have been better than bringing in The Cancer.

So you got nobody...

[StrengthAndHonor]

how did they go all in? they got him for nothing

That nothing is costing the Rockets everything they worked for.

[spurraider21]

So you got nobody...

it appears as though "nobody" would have been a better choice than smith. its like Evan Turner for last year's pacers tbh

[Legacy]

This is better than Linsanity!

[ElNono]

This is a very low risk, high reward move.

I would argue it's a high risk, low reward move.

You guys were already set with DHo and DMo, you're not gaining much from a 'big' that likes to take long 2s and 3s, and that defensively is only interested in the showboat block.

He's gonna cost you games, and once the honeymoon is over, he's gonna pout.

[GuerillaBlack]

it appears as though "nobody" would have been a better choice than smith. its like Evan Turner for last year's pacers tbh

He has looked fine coming off the bench. Will have to live with a couple of bad shots a game (had 2 against the Cavs), but a nice low risk move with him off the bench imo. Rockets needed more depth there badly.

[GuerillaBlack]

I would argue it's a high risk, low reward move.

You guys were already set with DHo and DMo, you're not gaining much from a 'big' that likes to take long 2s and 3s, and that defensively is only interested in the showboat block.

He's gonna cost you games, and once the honeymoon is over, he's gonna pout.

Behind those two was Dorsey and Black. Smith is an upgrade over those two. Plus, the timetable on Jones' return was uncertain. They even played Smith a little at the 5 tonight. Rockets had some bad front court depth. There is a reason why other Western conference contenders asked about Smith once he was released. The Rockets weren't the only interested team.

[ElNono]

Behind those two was Dorsey and Black. Smith is an upgrade over those two. Plus, the timetable on Jones' return was uncertain. They even played Smith a little at the 5 tonight. Rockets had some bad front court depth. There is a reason why other Western conference contenders asked about Smith once he was released. The Rockets weren't the only interested team.

He's been a terrible, cancerous player way before you guys picked him up. It's only a matter of time with him. I don't really care how many other teams inquired, I'm certainly glad the Spurs weren't the ones to pick him up (doubt they had interest).

I actually thought you guys improved picking up Ariza over the summer, but this is a big step back, especially if McHale plans to play him for any extended amount of minutes.

[Robz4000]

Behind those two was Dorsey and Black. Smith is an upgrade over those two. Plus, the timetable on Jones' return was uncertain. They even played Smith a little at the 5 tonight. Rockets had some bad front court depth. There is a reason why other Western conference contenders asked about Smith once he was released. The Rockets weren't the only interested team.

Wait, is there news on Jones' injury?

[TDMVPDPOY]

so whats the rockets record with smith since gettin him?

[benefactor]

I can't believe there are Rocket fans still trying to defend this signing.

[JamStone]

It's pretty unbelievable. I'm not quite sure how this has happened or that Josh Smith was so damaging to the team. I defended the acquisition when it happened because the Pistons at the time had so little talent and lacked athleticism at the forward positions. And I even liked a lot of what Josh Smith did for the Pistons outside of his shot selection on offense. Boy how wrong, how wrong I was.

Turns out there is some decent to even pretty good talent on the roster. But even beyond that, the way the team is playing so much more together and unselfish at both ends of the court is pretty astounding. Against the Spurs, Andre Drummond and Anthony Tolliver played the bulk of the minutes in the 4th quarter at the big positions to close out the game. Last night in Dallas, it was Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko. And all indications suggested by comments by Van Gundy are that no one on the team has issues with playing time or who gets the shots. They're just concerned about winning. Last night Van Gundy said late in the game he was ready to bring in Jennings and Drummond back into the game and they both told him no because the guys on the court were playing so well. Seems like it's been a drastic team wide cultural change as much as anything that's made a huge difference.

Now having said that, winning games obviously helps. So we'll see if players continue to have that unselfish team mindset when they lose a few games and guys want more minutes or touches. And Brandon Jennings is a wildcard because he still does have a tendency to take a few bad shots or try to do too much and has at least a perceived personality that could go the other way when things go bad.

But so far, it's been a revelation to say the least.

so whats the rockets record with smith since gettin him?

I believe the Rockets are now 4-4 since he joined them in games he played.

[Killakobe81]

It's pretty unbelievable. I'm not quite sure how this has happened or that Josh Smith was so damaging to the team. I defended the acquisition when it happened because the Pistons at the time had so little talent and lacked athleticism at the forward positions. And I even liked a lot of what Josh Smith did for the Pistons outside of his shot selection on offense. Boy how wrong, how wrong I was.

Turns out there is some decent to even pretty good talent on the roster. But even beyond that, the way the team is playing so much more together and unselfish at both ends of the court is pretty astounding. Against the Spurs, Andre Drummond and Anthony Tolliver played the bulk of the minutes in the 4th quarter at the big positions to close out the game. Last night in Dallas, it was Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko. And all indications suggested by comments by Van Gundy are that no one on the team has issues with playing time or who gets the shots. They're just concerned about winning. Last night Van Gundy said late in the game he was ready to bring in Jennings and Drummond back into the game and they both told him no because the guys on the court were playing so well. Seems like it's been a drastic team wide cultural change as much as anything that's made a huge difference.

Now having said that, winning games obviously helps. So we'll see if players continue to have that unselfish team mindset when they lose a few games and guys want more minutes or touches. And Brandon Jennings is a wildcard because he still does have a tendency to take a few bad shots or try to do too much and has at least a perceived personality that could go the other way when things go bad.

But so far, it's been a revelation to say the least.





I believe the Rockets are now 4-4 since he joined them in games he played.

You guys have talent and a top 5 coach. you should absolutely make the playoffs in the LEAST. DJ augustin was murdering the Mavs last night before and after JJB's flop. DJ was strong for the Bulls late in games. Meeks was much improved for the Lakers last year and now is healthy. Unfair to pin ALL of this on Josh but to watch Monroe Jerebko Meeks DJ and even tuff Juice (all non starters at times last year) contribute heavily to beating a very good Mavs team was quite impressive. Not only are Pistons a legit 8th seed in the playoffs (because if Jennings does get wild you can play DJ) I really that Pope kid. I only have seen the Pistons play maybe a 10 times the past two seasons but I like what he brings ...

As a Pistons fan, tell Jam am I wrong about the kid?

[JamStone]

You guys have talent and a top 5 coach. you should absolutely make the playoffs in the LEAST. DJ augustin was murdering the Mavs last night before and after JJB's flop. DJ was strong for the Bulls late in games. Meeks was much improved for the Lakers last year and now is healthy. Unfair to pin ALL of this on Josh but to watch Monroe Jerebko Meeks DJ and even tuff Juice (all non starters at times last year) contribute heavily to beating a very good Mavs team was quite impressive. Not only are Pistons a legit 8th seed in the playoffs (because if Jennings does get wild you can play DJ) I really that Pope kid. I only have seen the Pistons play maybe a 10 times the past two seasons but I like what he brings ...

As a Pistons fan, tell Jam am I wrong about the kid?

Not all on Josh Smith, but I'd say A LOT on Josh Smith. It's not like they traded him and brought someone else in to take most of his minutes put up great numbers and that's been the difference. The team is essentially the same except for losing Smith and picking up Anthony Tolliver--who is getting some minutes but isn't exactly giving the type of production that signals he's the difference. It's more so that the players who were already playing are just playing better. Jennings went on a little tear for a few games, seemingly now with a great sense of freedom without having to give Smith the ball every other possession. Monroe has been scoring the ball with greater efficiency without getting significant more minutes than before. There are more minutes to go around in the front court so a guy like Jerebko is able to contribute more, who plays hard and doesn't have to look over his head when he makes a mistake. And he does take much better shots and is a significantly better outside shooter (hard not to be) than Smith. Jerebko hits open jumpers at an acceptable, but perhaps more importantly the shots he takes are generally good, open looks and when he isn't hitting he doesn't keep shooting.

It did help getting Meeks back to help open up the spacing with his threat of shooting. And DJ has also started to play much better. But from what I've watched, it's just a whole team thing. Different players stepping up from game to game. Not ALL on Smith but it's hard to ignore the notion that it had a lot to do with him, how he disabled the flow of offense, and perhaps more to the point how his at ude negatively affected the performance of the team.

I wasn't a big fan of Pope. Still not much of a fan. He is probably the team's best perimeter defender and he does hustle. But outside of his defense, I haven't been that impressed with him yet the year plus he's been with the team. He has had a few games where he has gotten hot, but few and far between. He's not shy about shooting, which is okay. But he needs to get much better offensively. He'd be fine if the Pistons had a dynamic scorer at SF. They don't. That's where the Pistons need a serious upgrade. The SF position is a huge, glaring hole right now at both ends of the floor.

[Killakobe81]

Not all on Josh Smith, but I'd say A LOT on Josh Smith. It's not like they traded him and brought someone else in to take most of his minutes put up great numbers and that's been the difference. The team is essentially the same except for losing Smith and picking up Anthony Tolliver--who is getting some minutes but isn't exactly giving the type of production that signals he's the difference. It's more so that the players who were already playing are just playing better. Jennings went on a little tear for a few games, seemingly now with a great sense of freedom without having to give Smith the ball every other possession. Monroe has been scoring the ball with greater efficiency without getting significant more minutes than before. There are more minutes to go around in the front court so a guy like Jerebko is able to contribute more, who plays hard and doesn't have to look over his head when he makes a mistake. And he does take much better shots and is a significantly better outside shooter (hard not to be) than Smith. Jerebko hits open jumpers at an acceptable, but perhaps more importantly the shots he takes are generally good, open looks and when he isn't hitting he doesn't keep shooting.

It did help getting Meeks back to help open up the spacing with his threat of shooting. And DJ has also started to play much better. But from what I've watched, it's just a whole team thing. Different players stepping up from game to game. Not ALL on Smith but it's hard to ignore the notion that it had a lot to do with him, how he disabled the flow of offense, and perhaps more to the point how his at ude negatively affected the performance of the team.

I wasn't a big fan of Pope. Still not much of a fan. He is probably the team's best perimeter defender and he does hustle. But outside of his defense, I haven't been that impressed with him yet the year plus he's been with the team. He has had a few games where he has gotten hot, but few and far between. He's not shy about shooting, which is okay. But he needs to get much better offensively. He'd be fine if the Pistons had a dynamic scorer at SF. They don't. That's where the Pistons need a serious upgrade. The SF position is a huge, glaring hole right now at both ends of the floor.

Thanks for the analysis. That is why I asked because against us even if he didnt shoot well he seemed to have the tools needed. But sometimes, we as fans get caught up in the way they play against us while a level headed fan of the respective player's team can have a more balanced view.

[Malik Hairston]

Pistons are still extremely short on talent, tbh..people shouldn't start overrating their talent because of this winning streak..

It wasn't all on Smith, as JamStone said, the Jodie Meeks addition has been essential..we all questioned Van Gundy for signing him to a big deal, but his presence on the floor is yet another example of the importance of spacing in today's game, especially when you have Drummond and Monroe in the frontcourt..

Monroe is still pretty overrated, too, his defense is awful IMO..

The biggest concern with the Pistons is Jennings' shooting, it seems very unlikely that he's going to continue tearing it up..this is literally the greatest shooting streak he has ever had since entering the NBA, and I find it hard to believe that SVG is the reason for it, as good of a coach as he is..Jennings has been one of the 2 most important players during this streak IMO, but fortunately for the Pistons, SVG won't hesitate to sit him when he's struggling..

They will be much more dangerous next year IMO..they really need to fill the SF hole, Singler is really bad, and the alternatives seem even worse..

[Killakobe81]

Pistons are still extremely short on talent, tbh..people shouldn't start overrating their talent because of this winning streak..

It wasn't all on Smith, as JamStone said, the Jodie Meeks addition has been essential..we all questioned Van Gundy for signing him to a big deal, but his presence on the floor is yet another example of the importance of spacing in today's game, especially when you have Drummond and Monroe in the frontcourt..

Monroe is still pretty overrated, too, his defense is awful IMO..

The biggest concern with the Pistons is Jennings' shooting, it seems very unlikely that he's going to continue tearing it up..this is literally the greatest shooting streak he has ever had since entering the NBA, and I find it hard to believe that SVG is the reason for it, as good of a coach as he is..Jennings has been one of the 2 most important players during this streak IMO, but fortunately for the Pistons, SVG won't hesitate to sit him when he's struggling..

They will be much more dangerous next year IMO..they really need to fill the SF hole, Singler is really bad, and the alternatives seem even worse..

Im the one said not all on Josh Smith, Jam agreed but said A LOT was on Josh smith for the record ... is Singler THAT bad. I get they need a legit starter and he is nothing what his college hype suggests but I remember in college he and Hayward at Butler were two of the next great white hypes. Is he that horrid? Becaus ethough overpaid and overrated Hayward at least has had some moments including a game winner over Lebron ...

I also agree on spacing which is why I am not sure why the Cavs traded for Mozgof ...yes they need defense and Smith (along with Love) provides spacing but he is so irratic I dont know if I were a smart, good defensive team like the Bulls or Hawks would I consider chasing JR at the 3 to leave the paint open for Lebron or Kyrie to attack the paint.

Spacing is critical and as I said when SVG signed him Meeks had improved in his contract year (of course) and became a decent off the dribble guy and finisher in the lane ...when before only Past his prime Fisher was worse at those things on recent Laker teams. I would have rather kept Meeks over Nick young but I get why we chose Swaggy.

[spurraider21]

Mozghov to Cleveland made sense on paper, but I don't get why they're pushing all in with a team that clearly isn't a contender

[DMC]

Mozghov to Cleveland made sense on paper, but I don't get why they're pushing all in with a team that clearly isn't a contender

What choice do they have? Lebron is goners in 2 years (1.5 years now). Love is goners next year. They've played the multiple 1st overall picks game and sucked at it. Even if they let another team draft their talent they cannot develop it, they just can't. They need give fans the impression that they are trying to win a ring when we know they are just trying to win fans. They aren't now nor have they ever been serious about contending for a le. Same with the large majority of NBA teams.

[Franklin]

or maybe they're doing all these to win Lebron's loyalty (which they can't get either), just like the signings of Ben, Shaq etc... but at least Mozghov is relatively young compared to those washed up has-beens.

[DMC]

or maybe they're doing all these to win Lebron's loyalty (which they can't get either), just like the signings of Ben, Shaq etc... but at least Mozghov is relatively young compared to those washed up has-beens.

What a ty state of affairs for the post game in the NBA that Timofey ing Mozghov is a desired center.

[DMC]

So one loss and they are right back at it. A fluke team would lay it down after that loss "we had a good run" they'd say. I'd like to see Detroit make the Playoffs.

[lefty]

[Holden_Caulfield]

damn they might get home court