Michael Curry Hints He'll Change Detroit's Starting Lineup

On Friday, the Pistons let the 76ers score 38 points in the fourth quarter, losing the game after leading by as many as 15 points late in the third. On Sunday, the Pistons never had a lead to squander as they let the Knicks score the first 10 points of the game, trailing by as many as 29 in the first half before ultimately losing by 12.

Losing any game is disappointing, but losing like the Pistons have this weekend is downright embarrassing. Sadly, though, these types of performances have become routine. Despite impressive wins over the Lakers, Cavaliers and Spurs, Detroit is just 9-8 since Allen Iverson joined the lineup. Everyone expected a few bumps as the team adjusted to A.I.'s presence, but the reality is that the team seems to be regressing.

I suggested a couple of weeks ago that the Pistons should move Iverson to the bench, allowing the rest of the starters to regain their rhythm while giving Iverson a chance to dominate the ball with the second unit. With Rodney Stuckey thriving both as a scoring threat and playmaker in the last several games, I asked Curry in his pre-game meeting with the press on Friday if he ever thought of swapping the two in the starting lineup.

Curry was blunt with his response, looking perhaps a bit confused why I even asked the question: "Nope." Six seconds of awkward silence followed before another reporter changed the subject.

Okay, I get it, asking an eventual Hall of Famer like Iverson to slide into a sixth-man role isn't conventional and might not be well received (in a contract year, no less), but the fact remains that Detroit's starters have routinely been outplayed by the bench, in part because the current starting lineup lacks a real point guard.

As it turns out, though, my suggestion wasn't completely off the mark. In the aftermath of Sunday's disaster with the Knicks, Curry admitted he's finally ready to make a change.

"As a group, we started the game once again -- we didn't play with the level of effort and focus and intensity we need to start games with, so I'm going to do something with that lineup," Curry said.

Curry didn't explicitly say what those changes would be, but the consensus in the media seems to be that he'll try the combo he used to start the second half, which featured Stuckey at the point, Iverson at the two, Rip Hamilton at the three, Tayshaun Prince at the four and Rasheed Wallace at the five. Getting Stuckey in the starting lineup is progress, but is the rest of the lineup undersized? Time will tell, but it seems like it.

One thing is for sure, though; once Antonio McDyess returns, he'll come off the bench; Curry is banking on McDyess to be Wallace's primary backup and reduce Wallace's load.