Insult to Injury

Every team in every sport has (except the 2008 Detroit Lions) a signature win. Perhaps Sunday the Pistons signed their John Hancock all over Atlanta. Shorthanded, John Kuester had to shuffle his lineup a bit, inserting Jason Maxiell and more importantly Chucky Atkins into starting roles. The moves paid off as Rodney Stuckey was free to roam offensively and wasn't "burdened" by having to play point guard. The moves paid off today, but what do they do the rest of the season? Shuffling your lineup is a good way to manufacture a win here and there, but to do it effectively all season you need to have the depth to fill those positions and effectively matchup with the opponent. Maybe they'll surprise us.

What's with the word "humble" all of a sudden. It's like the most used word in the sports world these days, and the most misused. Michael Crabtree of the San Francisco 49ers recently described his FIFTEEN MILLION dollar contract signing as "humbling". What? LOSING fifteen million dollars might be humbling. Getting pancaked by Adrian Wilson going over the middle might be humbling. Need more examples Mike?

Josh Smith's most recent visit to the Palace should be a harsh reminder for what the Pistons lineup could have looked like. The problem is that I'm not sure if Pistons fans yet know the budding superstar's name to actually be upset about not having him. For those unfamiliar with his game, imagine Kobe Bryant, playing in Ben Wallace's body. He can do it all and is leading the league in blocked shots. Josh Smith is 23 years old. He plays power forward but could probably play every position on the court, most naturally, small forward. What's in the past is in the past but this is the type of explosive post (or any other spot on the floor) presence the Pistons and any other team with championship aspirations needs.

To make matters worse, the players who are supposed to be performing at the caliber of a Josh Smith are not even on the floor. $20+ million a year not even on the bench, but in the training room getting treatment for injuries that don't seem to be getting any better. I'm not sure they could help this team even if they were healthy, but I know that it could be too late by the time they are.