Growing up, I was hooked into sports by two things: The Fab Five at Michigan and Barry Bonds. Of course, we all know how that worked out. The Fab Five apparently never existed, and Barry ... well, you know his story.

You'd think then, that I'd be a cynical, bitter curmudgeon who can't enjoy sports without a critical eye. But as Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy would say: “That’s not true!”

In fact, I’m a regular Pollyanna when it comes to my sports teams. Every year I think Michigan football is going to win a national title, the Pistons are going to win an NBA championship and the Oakland A's are actually going to hold onto their talented, young players. I even foolishly think each winter that this will be the year the Michigan hoops team finally makes it back to the NCAA Tournament. I know, I know. It’s pitiful.

Continue reading "Pistons, Wolverines, A's: Welcome to My Blog"

If you're a Pistons fan, it's hard not to have a soft spot for Rasheed Wallace. The way The Palace fans bellow out his name -- "Sheeeeeeed!"-- when he's on the low block. The way he talks: "We ain't afraid of them cats, man." The way he gets booed on the road, only to silence the crowd with the stroke of a dagger 3.

His physical abilities (6-11, strong, athletic, quick) and basketball skills (world-class turnaround J, excellent shot-blocker, high hoops IQ) are duly noted. But so is his short temper and his notoriety for picking up T's. In the past, Piston teammates have said those situations get both Rasheed and the rest of the team fired up. It's usually a good thing when he gets mad, they'd say, because that means he's about to take over the game, if only for a handful of key possessions.

Continue reading "Should 'Sheed Stay or Should 'Sheed Go? (Part 1)"

Of his three seasons in Detroit, I think Flip Saunders did his best coaching job this year. He developed the young players and showed he wasn't afraid to let them battle through mistakes. And as a result, he kept the starters' minutes down. I thought he pushed all the right buttons in the Orlando Magic series, too.

That being said, I feel he failed to take advantage of a vulnerable Celtics team that had no semblance of consistent point guard play. Eddie "No Handles" House, Sam "Washed Up" Cassell and Rajon "Let Me Try To Force This Pass Through Two Defenders" Rondo are clearly not the makings of a championship backcourt. (Though, the Big 3 may be just good enough to beat the Lakers.)

In the first two games of the series, Saunders would wisely insert Lindsey Hunter into the game whenever House was running the point, and the savvy veteran would pressure the ball like crazy. But why stop there? Why not give Lindsey some minutes on Cassell and Rondo, too? Why not try to trap the hell out of the backcourt at every opportunity? Don't give Rondo the chance to find the open man.

Continue reading "Was firing Flip Saunders the right decision?"