Pistons Progressively Plugging Away

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

When I attended the Detroit Pistons road game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 4, 2013, it was neat talking to Rick Mahorn and Greg Kelser. I was asking them if Detroit's coaching change from Lawrence Frank to Maurice Cheeks was an upgrade.

They both seemed pleased with the early returns.

There appears to be a sense of calmness under the new coaching staff which includes former Piston Rasheed Wallace, who works with Detroit's big men and Henry Bibby who has always been a great basketball mind.

One thing that looked obvious especially in the locker room after the game is there seems to be a tremendous amount of respect towards Cheeks.

But then again, we're talking about a guy like Cheeks, who on April 25, 2003, aided 13-year old Natalie Gilbert in Portland when she forgot the words of the Star Spangled Banner and he Rescued her from major humiliation and total embarrassment by sharing the microphone to get her through the ordeal. The Trail Blazers fans, who sang along at The Rose Garden, gave both a standing ovation in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

If the Tigers had a closer like Cheeks in the bullpen then perhaps they would have won this years World Series.

During this two day stretch, Detroit defeated the Miami Heat 107-97 on December 3 in South Florida then took care of the Bucks 105-98 in Wisconsin in guard Brandon Jennings return to Milwaukee. Jennings had 17 points and 11 assists to haunt his old team at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Back-to-back road wins starting in the South and ending in the North.

The Pistons win over the Bucks gave them a 5-1 record in their last six meetings.

Milwaukee's record as of today is 6-23.

Are the Pistons (14-17) a playoff team? It's too early to tell.

But as of today, they would be seeded seventh in the weak Eastern Conference.

As of today, here are the standings in the Atlantic Division.
1. Toronto 12-15
2. Boston 12-17
3. Brooklyn 10-19
4. New York 9-20
5. Philadelphia 8-20.

Toronto and Boston would actually make the playoffs as the fourth and eighth seeds respectively. A great accomplishment for new Celtics Coach Brad Stevens, who was hired away from Butler University.

Amazingly, 4 1/2 games separate the first and last place teams, Toronto and Philadelphia.

The Brooklyn Nets had high expectations going into the season hiring Jason Kidd as their new head coach then trading for Celtics championship veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Kidd hired Frank as his top assistant. By the end of November Kidd demoted Frank to the video room and banned him from practices and games. Frank's lack of communication skills got him banished from Detroit in two years and he wasted no time alienating his new boss.

As the Pistons approach the 2014 portion of their schedule, they definitely have a good core of young players with Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Singler to compliment Jennings and free agent Josh Smith.

I'll be curious to see how Chauncey Billups fits into the equation, but his veteran presence with the younger players especially the guards as a mentor is priceless.

As I look at the Nets situation and their Billionaire Owner Mikhail Prokhorov and Detroit's Billionaire Owner Tom Gores, it will be interesting to see which one wins an NBA Title first.

I wonder if Prokhorov regrets firing Nets interim Coach P. J. Carlesimo, who replaced Avery Johnson on December 27, 2012. All Carlesimo did was compile a 34-19 record in 54 games with a .648 winning percentage. Although Carlesimo's Nets lost a first round 4-3 series in last years playoffs, he still has a chance to see them often enough as a road analyst for the Boston Celtics this season.

For Joe Dumars sake, if he wants to save his job, Detroit needs significant improvement and that post-season appearance.

After the game, Smith said he was impressed with Dumars championship pedigree and that was his major reason for coming to Detroit.

"So far it's been a great experience being here," Smith said. We're getting better each and every day, coming together as a team each and every day. It's great coming to a traditional winning organization whose main focus is to win championships, which is a big eye opener as a free agent."

Jennings said there is one major difference between the Pistons and the Bucks.

"They're both great organizations, but Joe Dumars told me from the beginning that the Pistons strive to win championships," Jennings said. "We don't care about who makes All-Star Games."

How did Jennings feel about his return to Milwaukee?

"I was real nervous," he added. "I mean to be honest, I was real nervous in the beginning because I'm not used to being on this side. It was a lot of emotions going on, but once the second half started, I was able to settle down and play basketball."

Cheeks said he was impressed with the character his team showed winning these back-to-back road games.

"It feels really good," he said. I think we are playing good basketball. We are getting a lot of good performances out of a lot of people. The first half was a little sluggish. Actually, it seemed like both teams were a little bit sluggish and a little slow from the travel and the whole day. The second half we picked up and our defense got going. We got out on the court and made plays."

The front-line trio of Smith, Monroe and Drummond remind me of another young trio that plays for the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Ezekiel Ansah, who are beasts on the Lions defense. Unfortunately for these three guys, they were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday in a 23-20 OT loss to the New York Giants.

I'll be curious to see how Smith, Monroe and Drummond turn out on both the offensive and defensive boards, monitoring their rebounding totals every night.

It remains to be seen what the Pistons identity will be as the season progresses.

But one thing is for certain. If the players do their research on their coach, Cheeks doesn't lack credibility.

The 15-year point guard was a four-time NBA All-Star, made three NBA Finals Appearances in four years, 1980, 1982 and 1983. His one championship occurred in 1983.

Cheeks has been a head and assistant coach since 1994.

When the Pistons were winning there three titles, they did it with defense.

Cheeks built his game around excellent defensive skills. He was named to four straight NBA All Defensive Squads from 1983-86 and one second team in 1987.

This should give Pistons fans some indication as to what they should see more of for the remainder of the 2014 campaign.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Things I'd Like To See Happen

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It is very rare that I have the opportunity to mix and match different sports but when you get numerous ideas, it's nice to blend them together to hopefully create future discussion so they pick-up steam and eventually happen.

Here are my Top 10 things that I'd like to see happen.

1) If Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 jersey is retired by all NHL teams, the No.9 worn by Gordie Howe should be as well. If it weren't for "Mr. Hockey" there wouldn't be "The Great One." Although Gretzky has shattered many of Howe's scoring records, there are a few that even Wayne would admit are untouchable. Gretzky wasn't a 23-time NHL All-Star because he played in the league 20 years. Howe has played in the most NHL games with 1,767, is the oldest player to play in an NHL game at 52 and the only player to play in the NHL after age 50. Even Gretzky wouldn't have a problem with Howe's number being universally retired because it's his idol. Howe's No.9 jersey is retired by the Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, and the AHL's Houston Aeros, who have the same name of the once WHA's franchise. It is also kept out of circulation by the Carolina Hurricanes, who relocated from Hartford.

2) I'm still waiting to see when the Detroit Tigers are finally going to retire former players Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker's numbers. Trammell played 20 years with Detroit while Whitaker performed in 19 seasons. These two are known as the longest running "double play" combination in major league history. My advice to Tigers Owner Mike Illitch, you handle everything else with class, it's about time for the No. 3 and No. 1 become visual reminders that these two guys deserved to be recognized with Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and company. ASAP!

3) If the greater New York/New Jersey area can land the Super Bowl, then if the Nets want to make their own headlines, I wouldn't be surprised if new owner Mikhail Prokhorov makes a serious run at LA Lakers Coach Phil Jackson. If Jerry Buss wants to cut Jackson's $12 million salary per year, Prokhorov seems like the type of guy who would give Jackson $24 million. This Russian billionaire figures that 10 NBA titles is worth a lot of coin especially with a forthcoming move to Brooklyn. Since Prokhorov has a bank account estimated at an excess of $13 billion, this would be a great way to make a splash in the NBA and let owners realize this franchise is headed in the right direction plus it will get an excellent player with the No.3 overall pick in this years draft.

4) Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki continue his career in another city. The 7-0, 245 pounder deserves a chance to win a championship ring somewhere else. I'm sick and tired of his owner Mark Cuban for disrespecting other franchises for ugly defensive play that wins titles. Cuban has taken jabs at the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, whom have combined to win seven titles. Cuban has no titles but has spent a lot of money in fines because he can't keep his mouth shut when it comes to officiating and now tampering with upcoming Cleveland Cavaliers free agent LeBron James.

5) Even though ABC/ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy could get some offers because of the numerous NBA vacancies, I'd still like to see him remain behind the microphone. Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Mike Breen do an outstanding job together. But it's inevitable that Jackson will one day become an NBA head coach because he his so knowledgeable. My lasting image of Van Gundy is when the his New York Knicks faced the Miami Heat, there was a fight and he was on the bottom of the pile in the middle of the melee.

6) Los Angeles Dodgers 82-year old broadcasting legend Vin Scully still calling games into his 90's and actually doing games nationally. There is no reason why Fox or TBS couldn't use him during the post-season. These great broadcasters are passing before our eyes especially with the recent death of Tigers legend, Uncle Ernie Harwell.

7) Please ESPN, get the NHL back. I'd be pleased to see the games on ESPN 2. You've have every other major sport, why not retain this property? I'd still like to know how many people see Versus. Having Gary Thorne, Steve Levy, Barry Melrose and Matthew Barnaby would be a great lineup of on air talent for the fans. Since TNT and ESPN share NBA rights, there is no reason why ESPN and Versus can't work together.

8) The Las Vegas and Kansas City markets get NHL teams so the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets can move to the Eastern Conference. These teams travel has to be brutal continuously changing time zones. Las Vegas would be a natural rival for Phoenix and Los Angeles, while Kansas City and St. Louis would be a great Missouri match up.

9) President Barack Obama to focus on the economy and not picking NCAA basketball tournament brackets or lobbying for James to sign with the Chicago Bulls. If he doesn't make strides with this economy by the end of his term in office, then his home state of Illinois may be the only place that votes for him during the next election.

10) The next NBA labor agreement should have a two-year and out rule. I'm tired of all of these college players going to school for one year then jumping into the pros. It should be either two years or just allow the players to join the league out of high school. This one and done rule is stupid. Eliminating this one and done rule could minimize recruiting problems like we saw at USC when OJ Mayo and Memphis' Derrick Rose left their schools under NCAA investigations due to illegal payoffs and scandals.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.