Recap:

Ok folks; let’s get this thing off and running. Here are a few first impressions:

- Amir Johnson doesn’t look like he’s bulked up visually, but physically speaking he seems to be a bit stronger than last year.

- Samb makes Amir Johnson look like Ben Wallace. He also sat near the coaching staff on the bench and was pretty quiet, but didn’t really look like he didn’t fit with the rest of the guys.

- Mateen appears to have kept himself in awesome shape

- Maxiell doesn’t really seem to be any more defined than last year. I wonder if he’s been hitting the weights.

- The PA announcer is struggling…hard.

- The timekeeper needs to form a working relationship with the shot clock.

- Upon approaching Mike Abdenour, I got the “Oh wait, I don’t know you…ok, what do you want?” look. Fun. (See previous commentary about guys making you feel like a tool.)

1st Qtr

Starters:

- Amir Johnson

- Jason Maxiell

- Cheikh Samb

- Alex Acker

- Will Blalock

Observations:

First thing I noticed was that the team wasn’t very cohesive defensively. That is usually to be expected the way SL teams are put together with a large group of players who typically have no shot at making the active roster.

Maxiell: Started the game by going to the hole strong and scoring on the first play of the game. This is a trend that would continue through the game. Good sign at the start of Bad Boy Summer Camp…..Maxiell and the Wizard’s Peter John Ramos both get techs for jawing at each other. Ramos appears to have an edge on, but it looks to be more from his apparent lack of actual talent.

Samb: Cheikh started the game getting tossed around like a rag doll. If the assumption is that he’s about 195 lbs, that’s being kind. This guy has almost no meat on his bones. He picked up some early fouls, but these were due in large part to his inability to hold his position and keep his man from getting close to the basket. He starts the game off hustling, but sort of aimlessly and is picking up fouls. Later in the qtr, he starts to get a feel for the speed of the game and is getting some call now that the officials recognize opposing players trying to take advantage of his lack of strength. He is, however, willing to crash the boards and makes an honest effort. He doesn’t initially appear to be strong enough to get NBA minutes, but plays hard.

Johnson: Not much from Amir in the first quarter although he did finish two breaks very strong.

Acker: Started this game not really looking to make his stamp, but he is playing with a great deal of confidence and looks relaxed today. He appears to be picking his spots.

Caner-Medley: Checked in at about the 4 min. mark. He hits a mid-range jumper and appears to be really hyper. I don’t know if that will work for him or against him. I guess time will tell (was congratulated by Zierden for really “moving his feet” – take it however you want).

Blalock: There wasn’t really much out of Blalock in the first qtr. There seemed to be an atmosphere of people just feeling out the competition and no one really going for broke (with the exception of Maxiell).

—–

2nd Qtr

Starters:

- Mateen Cleaves

- Alex Acker

- Jason Maxiell

- Nik Caner-Medley

- Rick Rickert

Observations:

Cleaves: Outside of having stayed in great shape, there is not much new to Mateen so far. His jumpshot form hasn’t changed, so it looks as though he will continue to struggle making an NBA roster until that is improved.

Maxiell: I did notice one thing, if Maxiell gets consistent playing time this year, we WILL have some points in the paint. He is consistently attacking the basket when he receives the ball within 8 ft of the hoop. He has, however, missed a few dunks by holding on to the ball a bit too long (trying for extra power it seems).

Acker: He is making defenders look silly. They can’t keep up with him off the screens, but he’s not able to finish because he’s simply being fouled at the end of the play. He isn’t forcing anything out there.

Caner-Medley: Appears to be hustling well and shows a willingness to chase rebounds. He resembles a mix of JYD and Brian Cardinal, but in much better physical condition than Cardinal. The most impressive play of the day was his attempt to dunk on Ramos and was promptly fouled. He showed no fear on that play and Ramos almost looked insulted.

Hoskin: Checked in this qtr, but looked very average and really made more mistakes than plays. His two notables were a traveling violation 3ft from the basket and an illegal screen)

Blalock: Seemed to be feeling more comfortable this qtr, but didn’t really do anything spectacular. He did a reasonable job of breaking down the defense and getting into the paint.

Rasheim Wright: (Enters at 2:30 mark) Wright made it onto the court, but did nothing of consequence.

Point of interest:

Washington’s Ramos is not a very good player, however, has spent considerable time complaining @ the officials.

@ the Half: DET = 31 / WSH = 36

—–

3rd Qtr

Starters:

- Will Blalock

- Alex Acker

- Amir Johnson

- Jason Maxiell

- Cheikh Samb

Observations:

Blalock: This qtr, Blalock seems to be running the offense well and under control. He is not forcing any plays, but will drive the lane if the opportunity presents itself. However, he is an average defender at best. He seems to overplay most of the time, leaving himself vulnerable to being driven past quite easily. He also has a habit of not recognizing his opponent’s strong hand and gives up driving lanes by not forcing his man to his weak hand.

Acker: It appears none of the Wizard players have any interest in testing Acker on D. No one has attacked him so far all afternoon. The Wizards coaching staff appears to be more interested in trying to exploit our new guys ( I guess they figure they are the weak links). His outside shot isn’t falling today, but he is not settling and has continued to drive the lane when open and is a) getting fouled and b) finishing regardless. I really like Ackers game. I hope he can maintain this confidence against first tier talent.

Samb: Doesn’t really seem to be a quick jumper, he needs to gather himself for a second jump.

Maxiell: a) Is outworking EVERYONE and b) just dunked on Ramos HARD!!! He is constantly attacking the basket and anyone in his way. He also is hitting the boards well. He got a nice dunk off a missed FT. He’s making a living in the paint today.

Point of interest:

None of the Wizard players are standing out on their own. They all seem average today. The only one who stands out is Ramos for being a not-so-good player who gripes like he is.

End of 3rd: DET = 53 / WSH = 50

—–

4th Qtr

Starters:

- Will Blalock

- Alex Acker

- Nik Caner-Medley

- Rick Rickert

- Cheikh Samb

Observations:

To start, the Pistons slowly but surely pulled away in the 4^th so there was not much action to speak of. A lot of up and down the court with made or missed shots and a few fouls here and there.

Samb: Cheikh did start the 4^th qtr with a couple of nice blocks at the rim. He also knocked down a couple of 10 ft jumpers. He really doesn’t resemble the type of player who looks out of place in his body. He just doesn’t have the body of a strong NBA big man. He needs to go on the Oliver Miller diet.

Medley: Doesn’t look very stable when trying to create his own offense off the dribble. However, he can handle the ball well enough if he’s got a straight path to the basket. Also of note, he will dunk when close to the basket…no double pumping (Memo).

Johnson: Amir is finishing any breaks he is involved in VERY well, dunking with authority. He’s not getting any shots or passes in the set offense so everything he gets is coming off of rebounds and fast break buckets. He is hitting the boards very well today.

Acker: He has basically carried the Pistons in the 4^th and is in large part the reason they slowly pulled away. He is getting to the rim at will and finishing at the rim with a soft touch. He is making this look effortless and at this point has figured out the Wizards can’t stay with him. It’s very interesting because from the start of the game until the finish, you can see that Acker relies heavily on his confidence. If he feels he can take you…it’s over. His jumper wasn’t falling so he ran his man off screens and is now just going to the basket whenever he feels like it. It looks so easy for him. The only thing is, can he develop that confidence against NBA starters?

Marko Jovanovic: (Checks in at 1:35 mark) Not much to tell as he sat most of the day. But, at first glance, he appears to be a little slow to challenge shots and his only FGA was a 15 ft jumper which he made. It seems as though Serbia-Montenegro makes them big, but doesn’t provide them with any interest in mixing it up anywhere near the rim. This, however, is just a first impression. I’m sure I’ll have more to report on our second “…arko”.

Wayne Wallace: (Checks in at 1:35 mark) Wallace ver. 2.5 looks more like Cheikh Samb than Big Ben. This guy is rail thin and wasn’t in the game long enough to do anything. So, we’ll have to wait for future dealings to get info on Wallace.

Well fans, there it is. The first day of reports from the 2006 VSL are in. This was a great way to kick off the Pistons’ SL experience and we will have much more for you as the week progresses. Keep checking back as we will keep you as informed as anyone on the actual progress of your favorite team. Enjoy!

-Low

PS from LanierFan: For game pix, including a thunderous Maxiell slam over 7′3″ Peter John Ramos, check out the Pistons photo gallery at http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/det/photos?pg=1∩=0