Hoops Lab: Recreating the 2009 Magic

I've got a co-worker named Andy, though we call him Diesel, and he is a big Pistons fan. Since he knows that I write about basketball, he's always asking me what I think of the team. During basketball season, on a daily basis, I'll walk in, nod my head at him and yell "Diesel!" then he replies by asking me if I saw the game last night and whether I thought the team was moving in the right direction. The Pistons have been struggling for several years, so I haven't always been able to offer much in the way of hope in my answers.

Needless to say, Diesel was excited to see the Pistons make a trade near the deadline, but he was also nervous. He didn't know much about Tobias Harris, and in his words, he thought Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova "were pretty awesome." I told him not to worry, because I could see what Stan Van Gundy was trying to do, and I thought that it just might work.

Van Gundy made it to the NBA Finals in 2009 when he was coaching the Orlando Magic. The team was built around an athletic beast of a center with very raw post moves and an inability to hit free throws, but one who could dominate the paint and clean the glass. That Magic team didn't start a true small forward and power forward, but instead started two tweeners who could shoot from the outside and help with the ball-handling, while defending well out to the perimeter and deferring to the dominant center to defend the paint. Finally, they started a point guard who was more of a scoring-guard than a true floor general, as well as an athletic shooting guard who could play strong defense.

Using this template, Van Gundy was able to take advantage of injuries and good fortune to make it to the Eastern Conference finals, where their unique team make-up proved to be a matchup nightmare for a peak LeBron James and the 66-win Cavaliers. After upsetting the Cavs, the Magic were upended in the finals by the more talented and just flat-out better Lakers. In 2010, Van Gundy and the Magic tried to replicate their success, but the return of even a limping Kevin Garnett returned the Boston Celtics to the same "just flat-out better" status when compared to the Magic, which caused Orlando to lose in the Eastern Conference finals. That essentially ended their run, and before long the Magic were blown up, Howard was out West, and Van Gundy was in the announcer's booth.

What's the point of this little history lesson? Only that general manager Stan Van Gundy is trying to replicate that same type of team six years later, this time in Detroit. Andre Drummond is cast in the Dwight Howard role, Reggie Jackson as the scoring lead guard, and the combo of Marcus Morris, rookie Stanley Johnson and now newly-traded-for Tobias Harris as the new cadre of combo forwards. Throw in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a scoring shooting guard who can defend, and there you have the nucleus of the new-look Pistons.

And as I told Diesel, I think it's actually got a chance to work.

The Pistons had won four straight games entering Wednesday, and their loss to the dominant Spurs is hardly something to be ashamed of. And their four wins were against solid teams, as they took out the Eastern Conference top-seeded Cavaliers in Cleveland, and also took out the No. 2-seeded Raptors by double digits. Those four wins were enough to boost the Pistons up to the last playoff slot in the East, and within 3.5 games of a top-4 seed.

The reason why this approach works so well is that the dual-tweener forwards makes the Pistons a tough team to match up against. With Drummond vacuuming the glass and anchoring the paint, the Pistons are essentially able to play small-ball everywhere else which maximizes the number of three-point shooters on the court (which analytics point out is a key to success in the NBA) and also gives them the athletes to defend their opponents out beyond the three-point line with four guys who can switch and rotate. Harris is young and athletic, and he seems to fit as a good long-term piece for the Pistons.

Now, do I think the Pistons are contenders? Sorry, Diesel, but of course not. They're not talented enough to really compete with the best in a playoff series. But are they now a playoff team in the East? Absolutely. And if they are able to slide up the standings, I wouldn't even be surprised if they were able to win in the first round. And after the embarrassment that the Pistons were in the post Going-to-Work era, that's a pretty big step in the right direction.

Around the NBA

• Stephen Curry is in the midst of one of the most exciting seasons that we've seen from an individual player in a long time. I wrote about him earlier this year, and after his 46-point explosion with an NBA-record 12 treys, including the game-winner from about 40-feet out, against the Thunder last week, Curry is front-and-center and has people asking "is this a season for the ages?"

Unfortunately, Curry also sprained his ankle on that historic night, which cause him to miss Tuesday's game. He is listed as questionable for Thursday's rematch with the Thunder, but the injury is considered minor and he could be back on the court as soon as Thursday.

• OK, stop me if you've heard this one before, but Anthony Davis was an unexpected late- (or in-game) scratch, and his absence killed my DFS team. As I've noted several times in this space, Davis has to be the league-leader in aborted games this season and Saturday was just the latest version. While it used to irritate me, now I have gotten zen about it. Davis is still one of the most electric players in the league, and if he's healthy there are times when you have to take a chance on him in your DFS lineup. But this season, if he gets through the game for you, you just take it as a plus and keep it moving. If not, it's not like you didn't know it was a possibility coming in.

• In a sad remix to last season, Chris Bosh has been advised to sit out the remainder of the season for the second year in a row due to blood clot issues. Bosh has not been officially ruled out yet, but it would be shocking to me if he takes the court again this season.

• Danilo Gallinari was expected to be out for at least four-to-six weeks with an ankle injury, but the Nuggets have announced that he has torn ligaments in his ankle and they are considering shutting him down for the season. The team has nothing to play for, and Gallinari is still a reasonably young player who could be a part of their future. My assumption is that he is done, and he can be dropped accordingly.

• Jordan Clarkson suffered a patellar tendon injury in his left knee on Wednesday night and was unable to return to the game. It is unclear how serious the injury might be, and until that is announced he is considered to be day-to-day. Expect to get an update either late Thursday or Friday.

• Evan Fournier has been sidelined for the past three games with a wrist injury that has not improved. Right now he is still considered day-to-day, but with the end of the season just over a month away, every injury should be looked at closely because if he has to miss extended time, he becomes a drop candidate.

Back-to-backs 3/2 – 3/8
TW: Hornets, Bulls, Lakers, Magic, Trail Blazers
WT: Pelicans, Thunder, Spurs, Kings
TF: Heat, Suns
FS: Hawks, Nets, Celtics, Cavaliers, Pacers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Jazz, Wizards
SS: Pistons, Rockets
SM: Mavericks, Warriors, Grizzlies, Bucks
MT: Timberwolves, Magic, Spurs

New Additions and DFS Values

Mirza Teletovic (51 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues): Teletovic has very quietly stepped into a primary role in the Suns' offense of late, and over the last four games he is averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 boards and an assist per contest.

David Lee (50 percent): Lee has flirted with new life since finding himself in Dallas. Over the last week he has averaged 11.3 points, 9.0 boards, a steal and a block in 20 minutes per game. His per-minute production has been wonderful, which could prompt the Mavs to give him more playing time.

Matt Barnes (44 percent): Barnes was a recommended pick up earlier this season, then he started struggling with injuries right around the time that the rest of the Grizzlies' starting frontline got healthy. However, with Marc Gasol done for the year and Jeff Green now in L.A., Barnes once again is getting the minutes to produce. He is up-and-down, as he can follow a 25-point effort up with a scoreless one, but in general he averages out to a role-playing garbage man that will contribute to several different categories.

Lance Stephenson (11 percent): Stephenson has been a forgotten man in the NBA since he left the Pacers, as his production fell off a cliff and stayed there. However, since being traded to the Grizzies, he seems to have found a bit of his game and he's getting enough minutes to at least pop on the radar. Over the past two weeks, Stephenson has played 22:30 minutes per game, averaging 11.8 points (on 51.8% FG and 86.7% FT) with 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 steals. They're not world-beating numbers, but enough to contribute in deeper leagues. And the fact that he's finally making shots again and seems to be comfortable could bode well if the Grizzlies increase his role.