What do Detroit’s teams and players need for Christmas this year? Let’s look under the tree and find out...
An operational right hand for Brandon Jennings
To be fair, the new point guard has been very good of late and has given the Pistons a true weapon at that position for the first time since Mr. Big Shot was unceremoniously traded away. But he sure is reliant on his dominant hand. Even when Jennings uses a screen to get to the right side of the floor, he still does everything in his power to get the ball back to the more comfortable left. Manu Ginobili has made a Hall of Fame career out of this one-dimensionality, but it would serve Jennings well to forge his own path. Part of what made Steve Nash so effective during his prime was the ability to dribble or shoot with either hand.
If Jennings is ever able to get to the point where he’s as dangerous (or close to it) going right as he is left, there’d be no stopping him. And we’re talking about a guy that’s already scoring close to 18 points per game.
A home victory for the Red Wings
For whatever reason, the typically stingy-at-home Red Wings have found wins at The Joe extremely tough to come by. Try and figure this one out. The Wings have won 11 times in 17 games on the road this season. Yet, when able to sleep in their own beds and have a cheering crowd on their side, they have triumphed in just 6 of 22! (Which includes 15 L’s in the last 18). Fortunately for Mike Babcock’s crew, they now take shelter in the league’s Eastern Conference, which has played much softer than the West this year. They rest comfortably in the East’s 5th slot currently; this same point total (43) would have them gasping for air in 10th in the more unforgiving West. The Wings ought to leave a nice batch of Entenmann’s Soft Baked Cookies out for Santa this year -- more home wins are a must-have gift as they enter the season’s second half.
A rare bowl victory for the Wolverines
If the “Last 10 Games” slot in the newspaper’s standings were for bowl games only, Michigan would have a nasty 3-7 next to their name. It doesn’t get any easier on Saturday night. Opposing Michigan in this year’s prestigious Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will be the Wildcats of Kansas State. And while both squads finished with identical 7-5 marks, they ended the season going in completely opposite directions. Michigan wheezed its way to the checkered flag, winning just twice in their final seven; K-State took the opposite approach, getting out of the gate slowly, but grabbing wins in five of their last six.
Bill Snyder’s club employs a two-quarterback system, the classic double-utilization of a pocket passer and a shifty scrambler to keep defenses on their toes. It must be working -- they’ve averaged almost 37 points a contest during the aforementioned slew of victories. Brady Hoke’s bunch was very shaky on the road throughout the season, which does not bode well for this neutral-site affair. Also, if you plan on taking in the full four quarters, you may want to grab a mid-afternoon nap before this one gets started. Kickoff is set for 10:15 PM, meaning the final play will probably be run sometime in the 1:30-45 AM region. Thanks, ESPN...that’s real normal.
A Cupcake Feast for the Pistons
The Pistons have already been on a grueling western swing. They’ve played the champion Heat twice. Same goes for the league-leading Pacers. Now things are about to get a lot easier. The Pistons face just one plus-.500 team over the next ten, including three with the perennially-putrid Wizards. The Magic, the Knicks, the Raptors, the gawdawful 76ers...they’re all mixed in. The absolute dregs of the NBA all opposing the Pistons over this next slate of ten. The only legitimate matchup in the whole lot will be a home affair with the surprising Phoenix Suns (17-10), but even that is a game that should be taken care of at home. Moose Monroe, Goose Drummond, and the rest of the boys have been treading water thus far, hovering right around the break-even mark for most of the year. They’ve only had one winning streak of longer than two games. If this team is going to be a real threat in the East this year, that must change now with the schedule softening up like a fresh sponge cake.
A bigger trophy case for Adreian Payne
The senior for Michigan State has become a true multitalented force in his final year under Tom Izzo. Early in his MSU career, Payne played the grinder role, a space-eater trying to earn time with rugged play around the basket. Shooting was an afterthought -- he was under 50% from the line as a freshman. Things have changed quite a bit since then.
Now Payne is the best player on a top-10 team, putting in almost 20 points a game and rippling the nets with regularity. He has turned himself into an 83% foul shooter and knocks down threes as well as any two-guard. Payne’s last outing was his best; a sterling 33-point, 9-rebound effort in a double digit triumph on the road at Texas. If form holds, Payne could become the first ever Spartan big man to capture Big Ten Player of the Year honors. With that award and an extended march through March, Payne will likely be looking at 1st-round status in next year’s NBA Draft. Like I said, he better clear some space for the hardware to come.
