Early observationis about this year's Pistons:
1. Going 6-4 in the first 10 games wasn't bad,
considering eight were on the road and two of their
starters missed time on the West Coast trip. But
losing the last two while getting outplayed in the
second half by mediocre teams (Lakers, Kings) siphoned
away most of the juice from their quick start. They've
got to be able to finish games, whether or not they're
shorthanded.
2. Rasheed Wallace has been their best player,
probably the only one playing at an All-Star level.
He's showing no signs of decline at this stage of his
career. When he's got the energy and the desire, he's
still one of the league's best interior defenders. And
no one can stop him one-on-one in the low post when he
sets up shop there.
3. Jason Maxiell is perfectly suited for a major bench
role but it's hard to see him ever becoming a viable
starter in the league. That point was reinforced the
past few games with Antonio McDyess out. He's just too
foul prone to stay on the court for long stretches.
4. Richard Hamilton was the team's best player during
the first half of last season but he hasn't found his
shooting groove yet and he's still getting frustrated
too often by clutching-and-grabbing tactics.
5. Cheick Samb can actually contribute. He really
wasn't supposed to play at all but Flip Saunders got
desperate with McDyess out. Samb showed he wasn't
afraid to mix it up and he can block a lot of shots. I
still think he needs significant time in the NBDL this
season to develop his game.
6. It will interesting to see what happens to Flip
Murray when Rodney Stuckey comes back from his injury.
Murray has been pretty solid as Chauncey's backup and
he's really best at his best going to the basket,
something he didn't do enough last season. Stuckey's
game is predicated on frequent trips to the basket, so
if Murray slides to shooting guard, he'll have to
become more of a jump shooter, which makes him less
effective.