So the Pistons should start Will Bynum right? Not so fast. While Bynum is playing better right now, Stuckey has a few advantages going for him. First off, injuries to Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have led to Stuckey playing out of position a lot. Bynum has only been playing point guard, but Stuckey has played a little bit of point guard, shooting guard, and small forward as well. So we have to cut him a little slack for that. Stuckey is also taller, bigger, and (probably) stronger than Bynum. Since Hamilton is out, Ben Gordon is starting games at the SG position. But Gordon is undersized and usually guards the opposing PG as he cross-matches with Stuckey, who guards the other teams’ usually bigger SG.  The bottom line is that the Pistons can’t really start Bynum and Gordon together. They’re just both too undersized to be on the court for an extended period of time.

I also feel that Bynum’s style of play is better suited coming off the bench. The Pistons are a slow-paced team and Bynum coming off the bench is like a shot in the arm. Stuckey’s methodical approach is better suited for the starting lineup.

A point guard struggling in his first few seasons for Detroit is nothing new. Just look at Chauncey Billups’ stat line from his first season as a Piston: 16 point per game along with 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 31 minutes per game while shooting 42% from the field. Billups was 26 years old at the time.

I think it’s just too early to judge the 23 year old Stuckey. He’s had to endure breaking his hand as a rookie and missing over 1/3 of that season, playing behind Billups, playing behind Allen Iverson, starting alongside Iverson and Hamilton, starting alongside Hamilton and Prince, starting alongside Ben Gordon and a rookie in Jonas Jerekbo. The point is that he hasn’t had the luxury of gaining familiarity with a set lineup. Let’s wait and see what happens when Hamilton and Prince return from action.

I really enjoy watching Will Bynum, but I think one reason Pistons fans like him is that nothing was expected of him. He started off last season as the third string point guard, then this year as the fourth guard in a three guard rotation. He’s surprised Pistons fans and non-Pistons fans alike because he was an unknown. Much more has been expected of Stuckey. From filling in for an injured Billups in the ’08 playoffs, to being singled out in Joe Dumars’ famous “sacred cows” speech after the ’08 playoffs, to being named the heir apparent to Billups after the huge trade last November, Stuckey has had a lot of pressure heaped on him. People were and still are expecting him to change into Chauncey Billups overnight. And really, that’s not fair. Chauncey didn’t even become Chauncey until his late 20’s.

Really, Pistons fans should be excited about the point guard position. Between the two players they’re getting 30 points per game along with 8 assists and 8.5 rebounds. That’s pretty impressive. My one concern is that I doubt Bynum continues to play 27 minutes per game once Hamilton comes back from his injury. I really want Bynum to get at least 20 minutes each and every game, but it remains to be seen if there will be enough minutes to go around for four quality starting guards.

In summary, I feel that it’s just too soon to judge Rodney Stuckey. From last season to this one, Stuckey is shooting better on his free throws, averaging more steals, and playing better defenses. Of course, his shooting percentage and shot selection could definitely improve, but a certain point guard in Denver is sporting a pretty abysmal shooting percentage as well (40%). I want to see Stuckey run this team with a healthy Hamilton and Prince. If he’s still struggling, if his shooting percentage is still in the mid 30s, if Bynum is still outplaying him, then we can talk about starting Bynum or maybe even trading Stuckey. But let’s ease up on him until then.

It is my opinion that the Pistons will move Rip Hamilton at some point. Ben Gordon is simply a better player than him at this point and it does not make sense to pay him over $10 million a year to come off the bench. Not to mention, I really doubt Hamilton’s performances will warrant his salary for the next 3 years. Not to say he won’t be productive. His game should age well just like Reggie Miller’s, but not enough to justify his $12 million salary in three years. You just cannot have that much money tied into one position. Maybe if it was the point guard or center position, but definitely not at shooting guard.

Hamilton will be difficult to trade because of the length of his contract. And you would not want to trade Hamilton for cap space (like with Billups) because that does not make much sense with a decreasing salary cap. Personally, I’d like to see the Pistons trade Hamilton and Jason Maxiell/Chris Wilcox for a promising young big man. Some potential players like that include Chris Bosh and David Lee.

I had the idea for this article before Prince was injured, so that changes some things with regards to trading him. In light of such news, I think the Pistons should see how the rookies Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko, and DaJuan Summers play this season and possibly try to move Prince next season when he will be on the last year of his contract and much easier to trade.

Ideally Prince would be traded to a team that needs a proven veteran small forward in exchange for a big man. Three teams come to mind are the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, and Memphis Grizzlies. The Clippers might want Prince as a consolation prize if they can’t acquire LeBron James this upcoming summer while the Blazers have had an interest in Prince for some time. And the Grizzlies might have an interest in Prince if they cannot hold onto restricted free agent Rudy Gay. Players from these teams I wouldn’t mind seeing in Pistons blue include Chris Kaman, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Joel Przybilla, Rudy Gay, and Marc Gasol.

In summary, I personally would like to see both players traded at some point. Ben Gordon is younger, better, and making too much money to come off the bench behind Rip Hamilton. He needs starters’ minutes and the only way to get that is to play other players out of position (bad) or put someone like Rodney Stuckey or Hamilton on the bench is crunch time (even worse).

I would also like to see Prince moved as well because I believe he’s peaked as a player and has been a huge disappointment when it’s mattered most in the playoffs. However, he is (when healthy) the Pistons most valuable trade chip and should be treated as such. If we were discussing this pre-injury, I would say that Prince was too valuable to trade this year since he has no clear backup to replace him like Hamilton does. It is odd though that Joe Dumars drafted Austin Daye, who could be Prince’s twin, except he’s taller, longer, more athletic, cheaper, and a better shooter than Prince

Again, there’s no rush to move either of these two players. The Pistons aren’t going to be contending for a title this year. Let’s wait and see if a playoff caliber team needs a playoff-proven veteran shooting guard or a do-it-all small forward to get them over the hump. The last thing I want is Joe Dumars to trade Hamilton or Prince just to trade them. If the right deal comes along, then pull the trigger by all means.