PISTONS: The PRE Report - October 31, 2009

Pistons at Bucks

The PRE Report - October 31, 2009

by Ryan Pretzer

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Key Matchup (2008-09 statistics)

Wallace

56
2.9
6.5
0.8
.445

Games
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%

36
11.7
10.3
2.0
.577

Bogut

The Bucks should have trouble scoring points in the paint this season. The starting forwards alongside Bogut Friday were Kurt Thomas and Luc Mbah a Moute, opportunistic scorers but no one you’d run a play for. The 15-year veteran Thomas had four points on two shots, while Mbah a Moute went scoreless, missing three shots. Both played fewer than 20 minutes.

Free-agent acquisition Hakim Warrick isn’t a back-to-the-basket type (he had nine points Friday) and Joe Alexander is out 8-12 weeks with a hamstring injury.

That puts the onus on Bogut, the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, to become an elite post scorer in this, his fifth NBA season. He averaged a career-high 14.3 points two years ago and a double-double last season (11.7 pts, 10.3 rebs) but was limited to just 32 games with back issues. He had eight points on 4-of-9 shooting against the Sixers.

If Ben Wallace has enough pep in his step to neutralize Bogut, the Bucks offense should be reduced to jump shots from Redd and Jennings, and any team would like its chances against a jump-shooting team.

The question is how Wallace will recover after playing 32 minutes, which is at the high end of anyone’s expectations for the 35-year-old entering the season. It was a very productive stint, as Wallace had nine rebounds, three steals, two blocks. But can he do it again in less than 24 hours?

“Ben’s going to be selective in some of things he’s going to do,” Kuester said. “We have an understanding and trust among each other that there are going to be games when he can’t give the same kind of energy.”

To keep Wallace effective - on Saturday and over 82 games - Kuester will likely have to go deeper into his bench than he did Friday. Kwame Brown played less than 16 minutes, Jason Maxiell saw 13 and Chris Wilcox never saw the floor after warm-ups.

Highlights:

Hamilton to miss 2nd straight game

Struggling Villanueva returns to Milwaukee

Both teams coming off Friday losses

The Pistons didn’t have time to dwell on Friday’s 91-83 loss to the Thunder. They got on the plane and headed to Milwaukee, where they’ll face the Bucks Saturday. The Bucks (0-1) also traveled after a loss, dropping their season opener at Philadelphia, 99-86.

The bright spot for Milwaukee was the debut of rookie point guard Brandon Jennings. The No. 10 pick in the 2009 draft nearly posted a triple-double in his NBA debut with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Michael Redd also scored 17 points, combining with Jennings to shoot 17-of-33 from the field, including 4-of-11 on 3-pointers. It looks like the Bucks offense will be living - and dying - on their backcourt this season. Milwaukee lost its top three total point scorers - Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions - from a 38-44 team without getting a proven scorer in return.

The trio accounted for 3,848 of Milwaukee’s 8,142 points last season - a whopping 47% of the Bucks total offense. That’s good news for Detroit, which should have more firepower than Bucks even without Rip Hamilton, who is sure to miss his second straight game with a right ankle sprain.

Jefferson was dealt to San Antonio, Sessions ended up in Minnesota as a restricted free agent and Villanueva, of course, landed in Detroit after the Bucks did not make him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Villanueva, who spent three seasons with the Bucks, knows it was a business move. But he’s still motivated by how he was allowed to leave.

“It’s going to be personal,” Villanueva said Thursday. “You kind of want to show them what they’re going to be missing. But at the same time I’m not going out there and act the fool or get carried way. I’m going to be poised and let the game come to me and play as hard as I can.”

Villanueva has had a tough start, dealing with foul trouble in Memphis (7 pts, 1 reb in 17 min) and then scoring just one point in the last 36 minutes Friday after a promising seven-point, 3-for-5 first quarter. He missed his last seven shots, finishing 3-for-12.

“Truthfully, he got good looks,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “There were times when you couldn’t get better looks than he had, but Charlie’s going to have nights when he scores, as a lot of our guys are.”

Ben Gordon started in Hamilton’s place Friday and scored a team-high 25 while Rodney Stuckey had 21 points, making 12 of 13 free throws. But the Pistons didn’t trust their offensive sets in the second half, Kuester said, relying too much on 1-on-1 play. The result was eight turnovers and just three assists - none in the fourth quarter.

“The whole team, it just seemed like we couldn’t make a shot,” Villanueva said. “It seemed like there was a lid on the rim. It’s a learning process and it’s a long season and we just have to learn from all the things we did wrong.”

Friday’s struggles aside, I still like the Pistons first unit better than Milwaukee’s right now after winning two preseason meetings, including one in Milwaukee last week.

Pretzer’s Prediction: Pistons 89, Bucks 83
Pistons 1-1, Ryan’s Record 0-2

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