George Blaha: Pistons Have Time to Turn Things Around

Whipsawed by injury and adjustment, Pistons still have time to turn it around
Perfect Storm
by George Blaha

The Pistons have experienced something of a perfect storm here in these past few weeks as they’ve lost eight in a row. What we saw first is all the players who’d fought so hard and played so well to keep this team in the thick of it in spite of all those injuries is many of those guys – playing through their own bumps and bruises and general fatigue from overwork – just finally hit the wall.

And then, when Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince finally got back from their injuries just a few days ago in Toronto, not only aren’t they quite yet at the top of their games, but the whole team has to readjust now and it’s in many respects just like starting training camp all over again. I heard Rip say that the other day and he’s right.

I also saw what Mike D’Antoni said after his Knicks beat the Pistons last night at The Palace: “You have to give them a break. They are just getting back and not in their rhythm and they will be a lot better in the next week or two. We just caught them at a good time tonight.”

And I agree with what Larry Brown said last week in Charlotte: This is still going to be a good thing, in the long run. The younger guys got a chance to play, other people had to learn how to step up and contribute and, until the recent losing streak, the Pistons had hung in there incredibly well. People like Jonas Jerebko have been given an opportunity to really grow into legitimate NBA players. There’s a lot of good that will come from this.

But surviving without three star-caliber players in the greatest league in the world is very difficult. The natural reaction for all of us, fans included, would be that when you get the guys back, you’re going to turn the page immediately and become the legitimate playoff team we all thought they were. It just doesn’t happen overnight. There’s not a question in my mind that, sooner or later, the Pistons will be in sync and a tough team for anybody to play – but don’t expect that until maybe after the tough Texas trip next week when the Pistons play a back-to-back at Dallas and San Antonio.

By the middle of January, though, look out for the Pistons. What you have to understand as well is that this roster, like any other, when everybody is available requires analysis by the coaching staff, definition of roles and experimentation. And you know what? The coaching staff hasn’t had that opportunity yet. There is still some growth that’s going to come from further defining roles on this team, defining rotations and all of the above.

Is this the greatest time to be a Pistons fan? If you expect Ws most every night, I guess it’s not. But what we have grown to expect over the years was solid defense and we didn’t see that against the Knicks. Granted, they’re a tough team to defend because they shoot so many threes, but that’s a good wakeup call for all of us. One thing you can do is defend and they know that and they’ll get that fixed. And then I think you’ll see the offense find its rhythm, too.

When you look at the Pistons, you can see some frustration is obvious and that’s to be expected. Actually, I think we’re looking at two kinds of frustration. The losses mounted when everybody else just finally wore out with the absence of Rip and Tayshaun and Ben Gordon. And now there’s the frustration of not winning with those guys back on the court. But let’s understand something: It’s only been two games and they could break out of it as soon as New Year’s eve afternoon.

But I still believe that if everybody stays reasonably healthy, you’ll see the real Pistons in early to mid-January and your only real concern then is making up a little ground, getting yourself back in the thick of the race and making a run. Because the effort has been excellent almost every night and there’s enough personnel on this team to be a legitimate playoff team and a team that would be a very, very difficult opponent in the postseason.