The Bucket Man And Pistons Q And A 11-28-12
By: Matt Dery
Q: Did the Pistons expect this kind of productivity from Kyle Singler?
A: I think the front office felt like he would be a contributor, but not as a starter this quickly. The "Bucket Man" has really been strong with the basketball, something that was a knock on him coming out of Duke. He slid to the second round because NBA scouts thought he was "just a shooter". What I've liked about Singler is he is showing he can rebound the ball in traffic, lead the fast break, and he is unafraid.
Q: Why have the Pistons won 4 of their last 7?
A: Their defense has definitely improved. Think about this: The Pistons give up 93.8 points per game, which is actually better than Miami, Boston, New York, and first place Milwaukee. A key too has been the play of Brandon Knight. He has a swagger about him now, something he lacked the first two weeks of the season.
Q: Why isn't Andre Drummond playing more?
A: I am getting tired of answering this question to be honest. Fans have to remember something: He is 19. He's a kid. I got complaints after Monday night's game about Charlie Villenueva playing more minutes than Drummond. Did you watch the game? Andre picked up 2 fouls in the first 1:30 that he played. He was completely lost defensively against LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland's coaches saw this and exploited it. Drummond is going to be very good, but he is going to take his lumps. He's learning the NBA game and Lawrence Frank is a coach whose first priority during a game is to try and win it!
Q: How upset is Jonas Jerebko right now?
A: I know he is not happy. Nobody competes harder and wants to win more than Jonas. This hurts for him to be out of the rotation, but, he will not sulk and he will be back on the floor soon. He's shooting just 36 percent from the field and was 5 for 22 in his last 6 games.
Lawrence Frank went to him and was up front with him about his role right now. This is something some Pistons coaches in the past have failed to do.
