Pistons pick up unexpected boost

Wal-ter Herr-mann!
Wal-ter Herr-mann!
Can't say I ever expected to hear that chant outside of a FIBA contest involving Argentina, but it rained down from the Palace stands during the fourth quarter of Saturday night's 117-109 win over the Wizards, lauding clutch play after clutch play.
Herrmann never left the game after entering with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter and took over, keeping balls alive, finding open teammates and scoring 13 of his 16 points in the deciding stretch, including a long-range dagger that made it 112-102 with 1:20 remaining.
The Pistons liked his energy enough to bring him in alongside Primoz Brezec in what a cost-cutting move that sent Nazr Mohammed to Charlotte last December. Although he had his moments, Herrmann didn't exactly guarantee himself a place in the team's long-term plans in his 28 games with the team after arriving in town. He did, however, do enough to earn another one-year deal in the offseason because Detroit was intrigued on his potential as an energy player and thought his physical style fit would help keep things tough on opposing wings while Tayshaun Prince got rest.
On Saturday night, he far exceeded anyone's expectations.
Detroit is a popular pick to get back to the NBA Finals after consistently falling short the past few seasons. Many ex-players turned analysts believe that the Pistons will realize they're playing with a shrinking window of opportunity and finally respond under Michael Curry. My personal belief is that Detroit still has the most effective mismatches in the Eastern Conference and will benefit from the development of emerging star Rodney Stuckey.
If the performance against the Wizards is any indication, another reason to believe in Detroit is their improved bench. Detroit held off any hopes of a Washington comeback with a unit featuring reserves Herrmann, Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess.
Michael Curry's bench has been his most effective weapon thus far, with the move of starting Amir Johnson to maximize his energy and keep McDyess fresh yielding immediate results. Arron Afflalo and Kwame Brown have also had a positive impact, coming in and leaning on people when called upon.
Things couldn't be going any smoother for the Pistons thus far. Joe Dumars loves the fact that his young guys are busting it and doing heavy lifting. He's satisfied that his veterans are rounding into shape and getting back to the grind.
And he's no doubt thrilled with what Herrmann has the potential to be if he can keep playing this. Countryman Andres Nocioni has made a living being an agitator for division rival Chicago with his hustle. Herrmann could easily fit that bill.
Between Stuckey's ability to get to the rim, Maxiell's explosiveness around the basket and McDyess' steady presence, Detroit has a healthy aresenal of game-changing reserves.
One more to fill out Curry's rotation certainly wouldn't hurt.
Saturday's +/- report: No surprise that there's a correlation between Andre Miller (-14, 5-for-18) playing poorly and the Sixers blowing a 23-point lead in Atlanta. Andre Iguodala (-3, six turnovers) also looks rusty. Philadelphia will get it together soon enough... Joe Johnson scored a night-high 35 points, but the +/- leader for the Hawks was floor general Mike Bibby (+16, 19 points), who looked extremely poised during the comeback. He's not forcing anything and giving Atlanta the stabilizer it has long been missing at the point... Watched a lot of Heat/Bobcats, and one of the things that struck me most is how dominant Jason Richardson (+15, 23 points) and Gerald Wallace (+15, 34 points) looked against Dwyane Wade (-2) and Michael Beasley (-6). Beasley had his fun on the offensive end (25 points), but was abused on the defensive end, consistently finding himself out of position. Looks like he's a rollercoaster ride on that end of the floor thus far... Word out of Charlotte is that Larry Brown wants Sean May in shape before he's back in the mix. Dieting through the holidays is never easy... Rajon Rondo dropped a clunker (-22, 2 points). One gets the sense that when he doesn't bring energy, the Celtics, relying on his young legs to get them going, will fall flat. With Mike Dunleavy sidelined by knee issues, Marquis Daniels (+21, 13 points, 10 rebounds, four assists), building nicely of his excellent preseason, stepped in and helped the Pacers get things accomplished... Dwight Howard (+18, 29 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks) played like an MVP against Sacramento, showing off a killer instinct the Magic love to see. He devoured the Kings' young bigs, particularly Spencer Hawes (-20)... Surprisingly, running up and down the floor against the Warriors didn't suit Yi Jianlian (-9, 0-for-4 in 17 minutes) or Devin Harris (3-for-12)... Jason Kidd (+11) messed around and flirted with a triple-double (9, 9 and 7) for the first time under new coach Rick Carlisle, with one stat looming as encouraging: 11 field goal attempts. If teams are going to leave him open he's got to be a factor... Mo Williams is struggling (-19, 5-for-15) -- hopefully there's no LeBron's No. 2 jinx... Chris Paul out LeBron'ed LeBron (+21, 24 points, 15 assist) picking up where he left off last season. The one turnover is a nice touch... Derrick Rose (+8, 26 points) and O.J. Mayo (-10, 16 points, five turnovers) had quite the duel, but to me, Drew Gooden (+11) grabbing 20 rebounds was the story of the Bulls' bouncing of Memphis. He owned the Grizzlies big men... Russell Westbrook (-17, 2-for-7) had a rough night, while Houston continued to get an excellent boost from diminutive point guard Aaron Brooks (+9), one of the young season's more unheralded surprises... Charlie Villanueva's (-19, 16 points) rollercoaster ride continued for Milwaukee, as Scott Skiles continues to search for the right pieces at his latest stop. With Luke Ridnour sidelined with a bad back, Ramon Sessions (-9, 12 points, nine assists) stepped in and played nearly 37 minutes. The second-year guard from Nevada had some fine moments, deftly hitting teammates in closed spaces, but also surrendered the game-winning 3-pointer from Jose Calderon when he closed poorly and didn't contest the shot... Incidentally, those new Milwaukee uniforms should do nicely at the NBA store, but the combination of the vibrant red and the font on the front of the jerseys give them a college-look feel. Not that there's anything wrong with that. At least they're no longer purple... Kobe Bryant (+13, 33 points on 24 field goal attempts) played his least effective game of the season but still dominated. It's nuts how high a level he's playing at this early in the season... Allen Iverson (+2, 13 points) sure looks unmotivated. Carmelo Anthony (-8, 5-for-15) is back, but time looks to be running short for the combination of two of the league's top scorers. A.I. will be joining a contender sooner than later... Deron Williams is aiming to be back Wednesday from his ankle injury, but Utah has survived his absence as well as expected, even setting a franchise record with just four turnovers against the Clippers. Brevin Knight (+22, six assists) was an excellent offseason signing... Andrei Kirilenko (11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks) is enjoying his time as sixth man while Matt Harpring mends. AK might even stay in the role if he keeps performing like he has been. His +28 was the highest number of a 14-game night... Amare Stoudemire (+22, 23 points, 13 rebounds) actually played some ball without his goggles on against the Blazers, having to give them up when they snapped on him in the second half. All of the Suns starters looked like they were seeing 20/20, shooting 61 percent from the field (33-for-54)... Brandon Roy (-23, 7-for-18) had the roughest time of the night in the +/- game despite his team-high 20 points.