You can really see how much better this team is without Rip Hamilton. They play as a team and part of that is because they don't have to run a play for Rip for about 30 minutes a night when he's out there. Some fans believe that it wouldn't matter who is benched, weather it's Stuckey, Rip, or Gordon. I personally think those fans are in denial and still holding onto the past way to much. Maybe those are the fans that were chanting "We want Rip" "We want Rip" the other night. Before us fans didn't wanna see Rip on the court, now we don't even wanna see Rip on the bench. I love what the guy did for this team but let's face the facts his 24 million due over the next 2 years is just to much. The Pistons may be winning as of late but Rip being on this team is causing drama, and eventually will hurt the morale of the team if they can't move Rip soon. Him and Kuester are now taking blows at one another in the media and it's actually quite entertaining, but sickening at the same time. The funny part is, there is a good possibility neither one are part of this team next year.
In the middle of everything, fans went from talking about the lotto to the playoffs. T-Mac has been well more than what most expected and it's coming from the point guard position. Tayshaun is playing some of his best basketball of his career. Then Greg Monroe has improved dramatically since the start of the season giving us all a little hope for a bright future. The Pistons now have 17 wins closing in on the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. The next 3 games isn't where the Pistons are gonna make up a lot of ground when they play Denver in Detroit, and both the Knicks and Heat on the road. But after that Knicks game on Sunday the Pistons got a nice easy stretch of games where they can climb into the 8th seed and even possibly the 7th seed. The next 16 games after Sunday the Pistons play 11 teams who have losing records and only 5 teams with winning records. Those 5 teams with winning records are all at home. Which team are we gonna see, the one that played Boston tough on the road and the one that beat Orlando on the road? Or are we gonna see the team that played the way they did against the Nets on the road? They can decide there future, and decide it in a nice easy stretch.
But is playoffs what the fans want? Do fans wanna see a lotto pick washed away and settle for 7th or 8th seed and a 1st round sweep to Boston or Miami? Some fans believe playoffs will only make the younger guys better and grow more mature. But then there is another group of fans that believe making the playoffs and getting beat in the 1st round and losing out on a lotto pick is putting the future in trouble. I was one of those fans that wanted the pick. But after watching the last couple weeks this team and young players keep growing and gaining chemistry. A taste of the playoffs and the scene will only make guys like Monroe, Daye, and Jerebko more hungry. If this draft was loaded with can't miss prospects, I'd be all for the pick. But thats not the case with this draft. It's not as bad as people think because it's deeper. You may get a more talented player at pick 15 then pick 5. So my advice to Pistons fans that want the lotto pick, sit back and enjoy the wins when they come. Stay excited for the draft. I will keep you all updated on some mid first round picks who I think will be stars in the NBA. Playoffs will only make these young players grow as a team. If this team is sold to Tom Gores before the deadline, Dumars will give us all something to look forward to this year and the future. Go Pistons!
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