AI vs Practice

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

Well, considering they are an un-Piston like 5-5 since the Iverson trade, I can see why Curry probably feels that taking advantage of a morning to practice would do the team some good.

Iverson himself mentioned how the team finally practicing helped him understand the offense and defense better.

He doesn't want to win a championship? Because playing .500 ball for that team isn't championship caliber.

I can also imagine why players would want to take advantage of a day to be w/family. I've never celebrated the holidays. But those were the times when relatives had time off from work & we got together. Millionaire players are no different. It's frikkin' November. No title is won or lost in November. Money time is April. One day of missed practice isn't going to impact your run for a championship.

Curry was stupid. He drove an unnecessary wedge between he & the team.

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

Perhaps the fact that they'd be in the midst of a 3 game losing streak if they hadn't played the NDBL Knicks last night has something to do with the fact that Curry thinks a practice is in order today

Seriously, i'm stunned anyone can justify this kind of nonsense... AI, Starbury, whatever happened to team

Why don't the four teams playing tonight just decide not to show up ? I mean come on, it's a holiday, who needs to "work" on a holiday

Its one day of PRACTICE. I'm stunned how you think one day of PRACTICE on a holiday is a necessity equal to gameday.

[Cebby]

Re: AI vs Practice

Well, considering they are an un-Piston like 5-5 since the Iverson trade

They're 8-5 since the trade. They're only 6-5 since AI started playing, but of those 11 games, 5 have been against the 4 best teams in the league.

They played a rough part of the schedule. Looking onward, from December 7th to Jan 19th, they play 22 games, with only 4 games against real playoff contenders (Utah X2, NO, and Orlando). They'll be okay.

[mgoblue]

Re: AI vs Practice

Its one day of PRACTICE. I'm stunned how you think one day of PRACTICE on a holiday is a necessity equal to gameday.

I didn't realize AI was a OS user.

Also, athletes work on holidays, they're used to it. They work on Christmas all the time, it's part of the job. The months of free time they get the rest of the year make up for it...

Yeah, it sucks working on holidays, I know. I got called in to work today because of a crazy client...yeah, I was pissed, but you just suck it up and be a man.

[Court_vision]

Re: AI vs Practice

Pay me $16million a year and i'll work EVERY holiday!

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

I didn't realize AI was a OS user.

Also, athletes work on holidays, they're used to it. They work on Christmas all the time, it's part of the job. The months of free time they get the rest of the year make up for it...

Yeah, it sucks working on holidays, I know. I got called in to work today because of a crazy client...yeah, I was pissed, but you just suck it up and be a man.

I never said he should skip work. I'm saying he never should have been made to work.

No one can tell me that practice yesterday morning was crucial to the success of the Piston franchise. Instead, its now got the potential to backfire. A green coach, who has to build the confidence of a ring-wearing veteran team in his ability to lead, shouldn't have made that decision. That was stupid. If this team regresses, they are going to be in Dumars' office ready to mutiny.

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

Pay me $16million a year and i'll work EVERY holiday!

People that don't make that kind of $ always say that. But somehow when people do become millionaires & supervisors, they manage to make it home for the holidays. Somehow, the more important they are, the less necessary it is for them to punch the clock on holidays.

[Court_vision]

Re: AI vs Practice

People that don't make that kind of $ always say that. But somehow when people do become millionaires & supervisors, they manage to make it home for the holidays. Somehow, the more important they are, the less necessary it is for them to punch the clock on holidays.

Yeah, but a holiday = a day you're not required at work.

I love AI...but he was scheduled to work.

Given his record...it's amazing he didn't turn up.

I've been an AI fan forever...but his talk nowadays just sounds like rhetoric.

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

Yeah, but a holiday = a day you're not required at work.

What point are you trying to make?

[HMcCoy]

Re: AI vs Practice

I can also imagine why players would want to take advantage of a day to be w/family. I've never celebrated the holidays. But those were the times when relatives had time off from work & we got together. Millionaire players are no different. It's frikkin' November. No title is won or lost in November. Money time is April. One day of missed practice isn't going to impact your run for a championship.

Curry was stupid. He drove an unnecessary wedge between he & the team.

Nah..everyone else showed up.

Everyone else realized that a couple hours on Thanksgiving morning with their professional "family" is a very, VERY small price to pay to help establish the cohesion a team with title aspirations needs to avoid getting beatdown at home by mediocre clubs like...the mighty T'Wolves.

If thats so tough, he could always give up the harsh life of a pro athlete and go work at a Walmart. Doh! They had to work too...for a lot less.

Seriously, the fact that a roster of battle-tested vets all showed up, ready to work, is *why* the Pistons are one of the most successful franchises in sports over the last decade, reguardless of coach. Thats probably lost on poor A.I.

[Court_vision]

Re: AI vs Practice

Nah..everyone else showed up.

Everyone else realized that a couple hours on Thanksgiving morning with their professional "family" is a very, VERY small price to pay to help establish the cohesion a team with title aspirations needs to avoid getting beatdown at home by mediocre clubs like...the mighty T'Wolves.

If thats so tough, he could always give up the harsh life of a pro athlete and go work at a Walmart. Doh! They had to work too...for a lot less.

Seriously, the fact that a roster of battle-tested vets all showed up, ready to work, is *why* the Pistons are one of the most successful franchises in sports over the last decade, reguardless of coach. Thats probably lost on poor A.I.

Great post Macca.

The thing that bothers me is that guys with rings showed up...Rip, Sheed, Prince...

But AI didn't...

And something like this hints at a much deeper problem. It's the whole idea that he obviously felt it wasn't significant/important enough to bother...

When you're trying to win over new team mates / get their trust...it's amazing he'd not turn up.

Every guy who was there would have been saying "hey, is this guy not serious? Why'd we bring him in?"

[grunt]

Re: AI vs Practice

Why couldn't Curry schedule parctice on Friday morning? AI is a millionaire but not his whole family. Working folks use Thanksgiving as a family day. AI should have called in sick.

[av7]

Re: AI vs Practice

I dunno, AI could've had shown up and had the remaining afternoon/evening to have Thanksgiving with the family. If I was in the tailend of my career and had the chance to win a championship on a new team, theres no time to waste- I'm showing up for every practice. Practice was probably at 8am? I dont know too many people who start Thanksgiving off that early, atleast eating.. just my .02

[J0nnD0ugh]

Re: AI vs Practice

Nah..everyone else showed up.

Everyone else realized that a couple hours on Thanksgiving morning with their professional "family" is a very, VERY small price to pay to help establish the cohesion a team with title aspirations needs to avoid getting beatdown at home by mediocre clubs like...the mighty T'Wolves.

If thats so tough, he could always give up the harsh life of a pro athlete and go work at a Walmart. Doh! They had to work too...for a lot less.

Seriously, the fact that a roster of battle-tested vets all showed up, ready to work, is *why* the Pistons are one of the most successful franchises in sports over the last decade, reguardless of coach. Thats probably lost on poor A.I.

Dumb post. Just because they showed up doesn't mean they agreed w/it & thought it was necessary. In fact, reports were that a number of Piston players were upset about it.

Not one person could convince me or any NBA player that one missed practice would be the difference in the Pistons winning€ the title. An absolutely absurd notion. You guys need to stop letting talk radio do your thinking for you.

[CMH]

Re: AI vs Practice

Who said talk radio had anything to do with this?

A practice does have a lot to do with winning a championship. There isn't a lot of time during the season to schedule a practice.

Curry saw an opportunity to schedule an important practice to get his team together and build some cohesion on the court before they continued playing .500 ball the rest of the way.

To say that championships aren't won in November is ludicrous. If the Pistons continue playing the way they've played since Iverson stepped on the court, they'll find themselves a low seed in the East and then they'll have to beat a top East team on their home court in the playoffs.

Every game matters and Curry realizes this.

Also, just because every player wasn't happy about it is not the point of the thread. It actually doesn't matter. The idea that people are understanding here is that Curry is the coach and he is putting team first (in the morning. Who eats Thanksgiving dinner at 10 am anyway?). The players that attended could have sulked but guess what, they went because they understand that while they may not be happy about the situation, coach is right.

Iverson is the only player on that team that decided not to attend. When one man makes a stand against something, and that one man is new to the family, then there is an issue already. Curry isn't doing anything to break this team apart. Iverson is.