hova- wrote:Merry Christmas, Bro. Hope you can continue this one strong in 2013
Mark. wrote:Ho Ho Ho. Look forward to this coming back
Lamrock wrote:Have a good holiday, man. I'll try to hold down the fort while you're gone.
Updated: February 12, 2013
Trying To End The Motown Blues
Pistons duo Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight are an odd couple working hard to save a suffering Pistons franchise and fan base
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By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Writer
The Pistons have struggled this season with injuries and the only constant has been their starting backcourt. The strong play of the Stuckey-Knight partnership has kept the Pistons in play for a playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Will the production of the pair continue and help the team make the playoffs and inspire an ailing fan base?
Rodney Stuckey has spent his entire NBA career with the Detroit Pistons. He was drafted in 2007 as the number 15 overall draft pick. He then stuck with the franchise through thick and thin; subsequently being rewarded with quite a lucrative new contract in 2011. Brandon Knight was drafted in 2011 as the number 8 overall draft pick. He drew the faith of Coach Lawrence Frank and started 60 of 66 games in the lockout shortened season - averaging a shade less than 13 points and 4 assists per contest in his rookie season.
The question at the start of this season was whether the two combo-guards could coexist in the same backcourt with Coach Frank giving more freedom to Knight with the ball in his hands. With the Pistons just 6 games below .500 at 24-30 and both players playing great basketball; the answer so far would seem to be yes.
Stuckey has emerged this season as a dependable catch and shoot scorer whilst Knight has shown immense improvement in the playmaking category. The pair have inspired their injury-riddled team to a respectable record and begun to really make their fans believe in their playoff potential. “Stuckey and Knight are playing like they have played together for years,” Coach Frank recently said after an impressive and surprising win against the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat. He added, “Both of them have become more mature, accepted their roles, and played their asses off.”
Stuckey, a fan favourite, has attributed his consistent performances to the fact that he is more focussed this season. He stated that he wants to win games because of the loyalty that the franchise and fans have shown him. He also stated that he has been inspired by the leadership that the franchise’s executive team has provided. The franchise recently slashed prices of admission to Pistons games to encourage the community to attend games again.
“The people and this city have been struggling for a while and when the bosses don’t worry about profits and let everyone into the Palace – well, that’s a really nice thing,” Stuckey said. He stated that it made him want to work harder to make his paycheque worth its tag.
Knight, the tweener told he was neither an NBA 2-guard nor a 1-guard, spent the Summer working on his point guard skills and memorising the Pistons playbook. The hard work has paid off with more confident leadership and a team-first mindset arising in the young one-time Kentucky Wildcat. Knight has impressed everyone in the league with his new-found ability to find his teammates good looks at the rim. The second year player has used his shooting ability and athleticism to give him room to create opportunities for others.
Greg Monroe has been one of the beneficiaries of Knight’s improved play, “Brandon’s work ethic is amazing. Last season, I think he was just trying to get used to the pace of the NBA. And all he worried about was doing one thing at a time. Now he is the one controlling the pace of the game and he is able to make split second decisions. The difference between him now and his rookie season is like night and day.”
The fans have begun to embrace Knight even more this season. His popularity has been rising as he has turned in some big performances over the season. Knight stated that he has feels most comfortable in Detroit mainly thanks to the fans.
Brandon Knight does admit though that he didn’t think that he and Rodney Stuckey could coexist in Detroit. “He (Stuckey) always had the ball in his hands before I came. When I came in and Coach (Frank) moved him in an off-guard role, I didn’t know what to expect,” he frankly discusses with me, “I’m actually happy with our progress. We’ve figured how to play with each other.”
When Coach Frank decided to go with the Stuckey-Knight combo, he envisioned two capable ball handlers terrorising defences with their all-around abilities. The duo has evolved slowly and become an effective tag team. The question now is whether they are enough to propel the Pistons back to the NBA playoffs.
Both players have made sacrifices to their games and that is due to the one shared goal: to help the Pistons return to a winning state and to reward their fans for their continued loyalty and support. As Knight told me at the end of our interview, “We want to win for this city to show everyone that there is always hope. The Pistons have been through good times and tough times.”
Stuckey added, “It’s the least that we can do.”
hova- wrote:Nice Woody Hannes to get back things rolling. 24-30 is not too shabby for this team and could be enough to make the postseason in the East.
Mark. wrote:Nice article man. Great writing. I have always been dubious about how Stuckey fits on that team, but they seem to be firing nicely as you have it set up!
mrmoves20 wrote:Glad to see you back, Sit. Nice article on Stuckey BTW.
Mark. wrote:Sit, All good man, I think you might have already. Yeah when I played the Pistons Maggette was tough to stop. Think i defended him poorly though.
Valor wrote:A writer as reputable as Woody Hannes has no business analyzing the Pistons, it undermines his credibility
The X wrote:Valor wrote:A writer as reputable as Woody Hannes has no business analyzing the Pistons, it undermines his credibility
True that. Then again, that's why Woody is elite. No job too big or small for the Wood.
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