Trying to look for a silver lining for Ben leaving. Spur fans have watched Mohammad. Do you think he can/will improve? And do you think he'll do better with the Piston players than Spur players?
"Do you think he can/will improve? "
At his age, with so many college/pro years, he's still missing so many big man fundamentals. So, no.
And that's without even mentioning his useless hands.
Nice guy, no at ude problems, but he can't play basketball.
In a more wide-open offense he can be pretty effective. He's had games (not at SA) where he's scored 20 and games where he's taken in tons of rebounds; I'm sure he has a 20 rebound game or two on the books.
Detroit will look to be more mobile, more offensive minded, use Flip's zone more. In all these things Nazr will be fine. He seems pretty durable, too. One thing that helps, as I've said in another thread, is that with the players the Pistons have, he won't need to catch so many close-range dump-off passes. Hamilton has his mid-range and only sometimes goes all the way under; Prince can finish himself during his drives; most everyone else is a jumpshooter primarily. What hurt the Spurs was that both Ginobili and Parker regularly go to the basket. Sometimes they found themselves in trouble and tried to dump it down, which he almost always failed to collect.
As excited as I'm not with the Pistons having acquired Nazr, I take him over the prospects of Antonio McDyess playing 30+ minutes and re-injuring his knee or starting Dale Davis and him playing significant minutes. Unlike Tim Duncan and the Spurs this past season, the Pistons do not have many alternatives that appear better than acquiring Nazr for the MLE and him playing the bulk of the center minutes.
Pistons will not make the play-offs next season...I guaren-Sheed it....
Who's going to take Detroit's spot? At least 4-5 teams need to make up ground to do that.
Boston? Philadelphia? Atlanta? Charlotte? Toronto? Orlando?
There are still so many terrible teams in the conference.
Losing Ben Wallace was a huge blow to the Pistons. But, not even make the playoffs next year? That's an extreme notion to say the least.
I think he was just kidding. Next year I see Tayshaun taking over games and becoming a top SF. Right now we're not in the greatest position, but it will allow us to see what the youngsters got. By midseason Joe D. can make a move if it's available and if he has to. We definantly won't be favorites, but if Joe makes some moves we can be back on the best stage.
What's worse Detroit fans?
Drafting Darko, passing on Wade, Bosh, Melo, even Hinrich.
Losing Darko for Cato to save cap to re-sign Wallace.
Losing Wallace for nothing.
North Korea having nuclear missile capability.
Drafting Darko, passing on Wade, Bosh, Melo, even Hinrich
we still have the magic's pick next year that we got for Darko so lets just see.
That Magic pick might be nice. There's no guarantee Orlando's in the playoffs. At this point a lottery shot at Greg Oden is gold. The consolations ain't that bad, either.
It's top 5 protected.
That's a pretty lame joke.. but I can't guaran-SHEED(or whatever that is) that the Pistons can't get a playoff spot next year - if Hamilton suddenly becomes Jordan(haha)Pistons will not make the play-offs next season...I guaren-Sheed it....
Nazr? No offense but, he can't replace Ben. No one can.
They will make the playoffs. Flip is a master of getting there. But he just don't get champions game. I'll say they are no match to Toronto at this point.
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Rasho vs. Nazr in the ECF next year.
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
^^Yeah that's true those of us who have League Pass can watch Nazr and Rasho battle it out head to head 4 times in the EC next year. That will be weird. The winner will be officially crowned the 11th best center in the Eastern Conference.
Last edited by Quadzilla99; 07-05-2006 at 04:10 PM.
Nazr Mohammad = Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)
I never thought the Pistons would be a Dynasty but who knew that they would come unraveled this soon...1st Larry Brown, then Big Ben....I bet even Mason will bolt for Chicago....
He'll be the same.
But appreciated.
I never thought the Pistons would be a Dynasty but who knew that they would come unraveled this soon...1st Larry Brown, then Big Ben....I bet even Mason will bolt for Chicago....
"Unraveled" is a strong way of putting it. Ben Wallace was a HUGE part of who the Detroit Pistons were the last four years. But, he wasn't the entire team. Pistons will definitely not be as good. But, this isn't a Shaquille O'Neal leaving "unravelling." He was one very important piece, but not the entire franchise.
When Shaq left the Lakers, they didn't make the playoffs the following year. I'm pretty sure the Pistons have a very good chance at making the playoffs next year still. And, while nowhere nearly as strong, I still think the Pistons can be contenders in the Eastern Conference. Not the best team in the EC anymore. Arguably not a top 3 team in the EC anymore. But, still a contender.
"But appreciated."
Ben was one of the most appreciated and beloved Detroit athletes in a looooooong time. The city adored him. The Pistons franchise built their team and marketing around him. Joe Dumars gave him a $36 million contract when no one else in the NBA knew anything about him.
I hope you're talking about Mason the announcer, because saying he wasn't appreciated in Detroit or by the Detroit Pistons is ridiculous.
Correction.
Dumars adored him. Pistons fans only started adoring him when he began playing good. You think they were happy to trade Grant Hill for some scrub nobody had ever heard of?
My point was about Nazr, btw. That he will be appreciated in Detroit.
I see no reason Pistons miss playoffs next year. In fact, Chicago may have done Detroit a huge favor. Big Ben, in the last quarter of the season and in the playoffs, just didn't look like the Big Ben of earlier days.
I still say Chicago rues the day they handed him a huge contract. And I still say the Pistons make the playoffs next year. I don't see a whole lot of the celler dwellers in the East making up that much ground.
Dumars admits he didnt think Wallace was going to be anything more than a rotation player when he traded for him.
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