This Curry Has Had A Spicy First Year
March 4, 2009 – 11:24 am by Jimmy Shapiro
For the past six years, it was taken for granted that the Detroit Pistons would make the conference finals. Didn’t matter if it was Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown, or Flip Saunders coaching. The talent and core of Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince would ensure that. The truth is, the last few years the Pistons played like they had an on/off switch. That was evidenced by their first round performance in last year’s first round against the Sixers.
The problem was you can’t win championships that way in the NBA. In most sports these days, you can win a championship and still not be the best team. It isn’t that way in the NBA. There’s very little chance that the best team won’t win a seven game series. The only factor that truly can affect that in the NBA are injuries.
The Pistons waiting to turn it on in the playoffs wasn’t working for them or Joe Dumars anymore. He hired Michael Curry to be their coach and traded for enigmatic superstar Allen Iverson very early in the season. Iverson has become a bit like Stephon Marbury of late in that his teams improve after he leaves them. I wonder how that will affect his legacy.
The Pistons slumped below five hundred until a recent win streak over some quality opponents. Coincidentally or not, it has coincided with Iverson being injured and Rip Hamilton being inserted back into the starting lineup.
Pistons Coach Michael Curry joined Myers and Hartman on KLAC and Fox Sports Radio before Tuesday’s win against the Nuggets.
On inserting Rip Hamilton back into the starting lineup:
“One of the biggest problems we’ve had is sort of some consistency in the fourth quarter and we’ve been better in those areas since he’s gone back into the starting lineup.”
On coaching Rasheed Wallace:
“The technicals are something that comes with him being an emotional guy. I think about 8 or 10 of the techs this year are when he just really kind of went overboard, but I think a few of them have been borderline. The reality is that kind of comes with him. You understand that, you try to let him know make sure he doesn’t put us in a position where they hurt us. A couple of times it has, but most of the time it hasn’t.”
Is it fair to hold him to standard of 6 straight Eastern Conference Finals with all the changes they made this year?
“Unfortunately just getting to the Eastern Conference Finals is not good enough. One of the things that Joe has thought about with the personnel changes and whatever we’re going to do going forward is to get a team that can get back to the finals and win it. We’re not satisfied just getting to the Conference Finals. As far as this year, we’ve gone through some rough times, but we still expect to win and give ourselves in the playoffs a chance to compete at the highest levels. Yeah, we’re still held to that. We’ve been disappointed with our production this year, but the season’s not over and we’re still going to be judged on how we do in the postseason.”
Listen to Michael Curry with Myers and Hartman on KLAC and Fox Sports Radio
Tags: Allen Iverson, Detroit Pistons, Michael Curry, NBA interviews, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, sports radio interviews
