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Will the Detroit Pistons run an up-tempo offense when Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince return?
By Justin Rogers | MLive.com
November 10, 2009, 2:45PM
Will head coach John Kuester allow point guards Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey to push the ball more when Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince get healthy?
While meeting with the media on Monday, Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester said, "When you're down in numbers, you have to make sure the pace is where you need it depending on the game situation.
"I feel very strongly that if we got into a rat race with our group right now, it wouldn't be to our advantage."
Apparently, the pace John Kuester feels the Pistons need to be is slow -- very slow.
Through seven games this season, the Pistons are dead last in the NBA in pace, a formula used to calculate the number of possessions per 48 minutes.
According to an item in a Vince Ellis' notebook, the Pistons expect to utilize a more up-tempo offense once Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton return to action.
I wonder if that's true. The Pistons weren't exactly up-tempo to start the season. In fact, Detroit averaged fewer possessions the first three games of the season, with their lowest total of the season coming in the season-opening win over Memphis.
With such a small sample size it's tough to judge, but we can look back at Kuester's work as an offensive assistant.
In 2009, where Kuester was the unofficial offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cavs finished in the bottom five of the league in pace, averaging just 91 possessions per game.
Of course, you can probably count out any team running an up-tempo offense when Zydrunas Ilgauskas is playing nearly 30 minutes a night.
My concern is that the Pistons will continue to rely heavily on a half-court offense even when Prince and Hamilton return to the court. If that's the case, the Pistons could miss out on maximizing their offensive potential. Here's a few reasons I think the Pistons should run a more up-tempo offense:
The Pistons point guards have proven to be unreliable distributors, but both Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey are dynamic off the dribble. By pushing the ball up court, the opposing front court will struggle to get back to defend the post allowing the two Pistons guards to have more open space in the lane to finish.
After seeing Austin Daye do it a couple times last week, it seems the Pistons now have two small forwards capable of leading a fast break.
By moving the ball quickly, up court additional spacing should be created for open perimeter jump shots for Hamilton, Gordon and even Daye.
Ben Wallace is not hardly an option in a half-court set, but Wallace has shown that he's an above average passer. Pushing the pace will help utilize that weapon.
From Freep.com:
Posted: Nov. 10, 2009
Injuries put Pistons' up-tempo offense on hold
By VINCE ELLIS
Coming into this season, it was expected that the Pistons would be a running team that would threaten to score 100 points on a nightly basis.
But after seven games the Pistons have only cracked the 100-point barrier one time and are averaging 91.3 points -- 25th in the league after Sunday's games.
Plans to bring showtime to the Palace were put on hold with major injuries to veterans Rip Hamilton (severely sprained right ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (ruptured disk).
In compiling their 3-4 record, the Pistons are stressing patience, good shots and running at opportune times.
"When you're down in numbers you have to make sure the pace is where you need it depending on the game situation," coach John Kuester said Monday. "I feel very strong that if we got into a rat race right now with our group right here, it wouldn't be to our advantage."
Neither Hamilton nor Prince is close to returning, so the offensive explosion has to wait.
