Little Transition Brings Pistons' Woes

The Detroit Pistons have struggled offensive lately. Point Guard Chauncey Billups says they’re underachieving, and Larry Brown says the transition game is suffering because of it.

"Our transition defense would improve more if our offensive execution were better. The other night (against Portland) we get 25 offensive rebounds and get just 12 points; that's a terrible stat. We were struggling defensively at the beginning, and we've kind of corrected that. Now we have to correct the other area."

Brown is right. The Pistons often get the rebounds, and then spend 10-15 seconds throwing the ball up and down, failing to score. They rush shots, and the ones that aren’t rushed are setup poorly.

It all comes down to shifting some of the defensive energy over to the offense. For starters, grabbing the offensive rebound, calming down for that split second, and putting the ball in the net would be nice. If the net isn’t open, then pass it back out to your small forward, or your point guard. If you can’t get it back out, draw a foul, and get the free throws.

"A lot of times we're getting good shots, but we're just not knocking them down," Billups said. "In order to shoot a good percentage, you have to get out in transition and get some lay-ups or some easy ones. When you're just shooting jumpers and not hitting a lot of them, you're going to shoot a low percentage. We haven't been getting fast-break baskets or transition baskets. We definitely feel like we've underachieved to this point."

Some of the transition problems I’ve noticed are Rasheed Wallace being to unselfish with the ball. Yes, I commend anyone in the NBA with this skill, but sometimes you have to take the ball in.

Rasheed is not only unselfish in transition; he’s often too unselfish on the first drive to the net. There are times when he has a mostly clear path to the basket, but chooses to pass the ball. I know Rasheed is a tough player, and he’s not afraid of anyone in the league, but it does make you think, why wouldn’t he challenge them?

Chauncey Billups is another problem that could easily be corrected. Billups needs to be more involved in getting the offensive to score. He often takes rushed shots, and fails to setup plays. At times his ball movement is to be applauded, and other times you just have to cringe.

I think it comes back to the point of bad shots, and underachieving. The team is obviously being too liberal in their shot selection, and it’s possible that guys like Rasheed and Chauncey are trying to curb this. They’re apparently aware of the situation, and given Brown’s history, he won’t stand for it much longer. Antonio McDyess is shooting over 50%, and I would expect him to become more of a presence on the court.

Pistons Fan Sues Pacers

The latest saga in “Pacers vs. Fans” has unfolded. Charles Haddad, who was last seen being pulled to the court by Jermaine O’Neal, has filed a lawsuit against O’Neal, Anthony Johnson, and the Pacers organization.

Haddad was clearing in the wrong being on the court, and will be dealt with by the Oakland County Prosecutor. Haddad, though, was beating several times after his altercation with Artest had ended, and, when being helped up, was punched again.

There has to be some repercussions for all of the November 19 brawl events. Players must realize they can’t go into the stands, Fans must realize they can’t throw things at the players, or step on the court.

We can only hope the suspensions hold up, the charges hold up, and the lawsuits are justified.

-Dan Joseph