AI vs Practice

[CMH]

Re: AI vs Practice

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.

Ok, one game over .500. They played a rough part of the schedule?

That's the excuse now for the Pistons? That should be an excuse for the Knicks. Curry is not going to let his team believe that just because they had a tough schedule it's ok that they are sitting 6-5 since Iverson stepped on the court.

It's obvious, watching that team on the court, that they needed more practice to work well together.

They won't be ok if they want to continue sliding while watching the Cavs, Magic, and Celtics continue to storm through the East.

[J0nnD0ugh]

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.

YP, you are overblowing the importance of that one practice big time. Once again, if you need that one morning, that 2 hrs, that session to get your team to play better, you have no business being a coach. That one practice is not going to be the difference in an extra home game in a playoff series.

And those players' families are not necessarily in Detroit. Some may have wanted to catch a flight back to their hometown.

Coach is not right. Coach is within his right. But just because you are allowed to do something, doesn't mean you should do it.

And I said before I don't necessarily think Iverson was right to not be there. Personally, if I was making the money he is, if I had previous plans, that fine would be well worth it. Cause family & your life is way more important than your job. People have priorities backwards. You don't center your life around your job. You fit your job around your life.

But even if AI attended, my point is Curry scheduling a practice then was an unnecessary risk. More goes to your team's state of mind than just timing on the pick & roll. Now he has to deal w/resentment from his team. It may well blow over. Or that practice could spill over. You can't tell me what was gained from those couple of hours was worth the risk.

[Cebby]

Re: AI vs Practice

They played a rough part of the schedule?

That's the excuse now for the Pistons?

That's an excuse for every team in basketball.

From January 22nd to February 22nd, the Celtics play 14 games. 10 or 11 are likely playoff teams and it ends with a 6 game road stretch of NO, Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, and Denver. They'll lose several games in that stretch.

Schedules have always been a big part of basketball. If you go back in the Portland thread last year, I predicted them to fall off because their run of creampuffs ended and they had to play the big boys.

When you play every other game against the top 4 teams in the NBA, you'll do worse. When you play some 18 non-playoff teams in 22 games, you'll do better. If Detroit is still losing at the end of January, then you can say I'm wrong. And when people are claiming "OMG Pistons win 17 of 20 games", I'll be the one saying they're not that good.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: AI vs Practice

Can't quote on my phone but I agree with everything JD said.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: AI vs Practice

Iverson was wrong, and the fine was the appropriate response.

Curry was within his right, but I think this is a day he could have taken off.

Right now is not a fair time to judge Detroit's record with Iverson, so that should be thrown out of the window. He wasn't going to learn their offense Thanksgiving morning, lol.

For everyone who says, "I would have stayed home too", just think about it from his teammates' perspective. He was the only one not there. That's the worst part of this. He'll apologize to Coach Curry and his teammates, but when you see Ivey playing at a different speed than his teammates, look at situations like this and you'll see why he's had a problem meshing his entire career. It's not just his game, but his inability to understand his teammates' needs to be brought into that game.

He is so great at scoring, penetrating and drawing fouls that he would have more chances at a championship if he really gave his teammates a chance to benefit from the breakdowns he causes. When you dominate the ball, you have to work extra hard to get on the same page as everyone else, and Iverson doesn't do that.

[Kruza]

Re: AI vs Practice

It's not only the Pistons offense that AI has to adjust to. It's also learning about the team's defensive system and priciples put into place that he has to get acclimated to, which is actually more important since Michael Curry calls on exclusively man-to-man schemes with tons of situational tweaks like Larry Brown.

Anyway, it's only one practice missed, so I can see where J0hnD0ugh is coming from. The biggest issue about this situation is that while several players on the team were not pleased about having to come to a Thanksgiving Day practice, they still showed up to be a part of it. AI was the only one who didn't.

Kruza

[WazzuRC]

Re: AI vs Practice

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.

Curry's practice was for one hour (10am-11am). You can't really build a whole lot of cohesion in an hour long practice, especially when I'm sure most of the player's were pretty pissed about it. I'm not saying AI should get a free pass, but the whole "team unity" and "cohesion" aspect of a hour long practice is kind of ridiculous.

[mgoblue]

Re: AI vs Practice

It's not only the Pistons offense that AI has to adjust to. It's also learning about the team's defensive system and priciples put into place that he has to get acclimated to, which is actually more important since Michael Curry calls on exclusively man-to-man schemes with tons of situational tweaks like Larry Brown.

Anyway, it's only one practice missed, so I can see where J0hnD0ugh is coming from. The biggest issue about this situation is that while several players on the team were not pleased about having to come to a Thanksgiving Day practice, they still showed up to be a part of it. AI was the only one who didn't.

Kruza

That's the big deal...Yeah, it sucks to go in on Thanksgiving, but it'd suck even more to show up and have your teammate not go and have no one care.

[Psyblast]

Re: AI vs Practice

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/11/blakely_on_1370_espn_everybody.html

[Muzyk23]

Re: AI vs Practice

AI with a great all-around game in just 27 minutes of action. 17pts. 5reb. 7a. 3stl. oh and he pulled exactly the same move like the one on Lue in the finals..sweet

[Dawz]

Re: AI vs Practice

What is absurd is this notion that deciding to skip a practice, that every other player showed up at, is not a slap in the face by AI to the rest of the team

I really don't care if some don't take issue with this and see the problem, but I will say this; this is sadly a comment on AI's lack of understanding what it takes to win a championship. Yes it's only one practice; and yes it probably accomplished very little tangible. But it's the message it sends more than anything

When AI was acquired, he said all the proper talking points; it's all about team, he will do what it takes because he wants to win a championship etc etc... Sadly those obviously where just that, talking points, not a reflection that AI truly gets it.

Let me preface this by saying I really have an irrational dislike for the Celtics; I would have given a few limbs to see anyone dispatch of them in the playoffs last year. But even that won't prevent me from admitting that on that team are three perennial all stars who absolutely got it. Anyone recall any practices last year that KG, Ray Ray or Pierce skipped ? Those three understood their legacies will be partially defined by what they did together and they got that entire team playing way above their heads because of that attitude.

AI does not get it

[Jukeman]

Re: AI vs Practice

^^ we only see wat the media reports...it's blown up becuz of who it was...who cares if KG skipped pratice, dat won't sell newspapers nor would it even be worth a thread....altho AI is still wrong here

[grunt]

Re: AI vs Practice

I wonder how many teams held practice on Thanksgiving day.

[J.R. Locke]

Re: AI vs Practice

All I can say is Denver is a far better team with Billups over Iverson. I was a big IVerson fan but more and more I just don't see him as a guy who understands how to win.

He is such and enigma and such an interesting personality and player. I would like to see him win it all.

[Dawz]

Re: AI vs Practice

I wonder how many teams held practice on Thanksgiving day.

Does it matter though ? Curry decided to hold one and AI decided to draw unnecessary attention to his team and skip it.

There's no denying AI's talent and he's a certain HOF'er, but he's not a champion and even though that's not in his control, he's also not playing the part of some one who is truly doing his all to be one by creating distractions like this.