The circumstances are sad (in regards to JR), but Arron Afflalo will likely be allowed to take advantage of them.

Afflalo is the favorite to start in Smith’s spot during his suspension, according to the Denver Post.

The loss of Dahntay Jones and Linas Kleiza left a pretty damn big gap in the Nuggets rotation, especially defensively. Guess who fit right in? Our own Mr. Afflalo, who Karl practically picked up by saying ‘please’ with those big puppy eyes of his.

If you were with me earlier this summer, you may recall my “Please Joe, don’t give Arron away” rant that was posted about three hours prior to Afflalo’s departure. And wouldn’t ya know it, but everyone in Denver just loves the kid.

In almost a sick, twisted reversal of fortune, George Karl raves about Arron, calling him “tremendous” and saying that “the coaching staff loves him.” And of course, Chauncey had to throw his two cents in too, just to make it sting a little more.

Ugh, more depressing news from the Piston Post. I’ve gotta start popping Prozacs before I post or something.

The next post will be a happy one, I promise.

The Denver Post reported Sunday that the Nuggets and Pistons were arranging a deal that would send the Pistons’ Arron Afflalo to Denver to clear cap space, which brings me to my first point.

Afflalo’s paycheck this coming season would total all of $1.09 million. In the sports world, that’s pocket change. Not even pocket change. Walter Sharpe nearly gets paid that much, and the only time fans usually see him is during timeouts, where he can be spotted in the second row donning his finest designer suit.

What Afflalo brings to the Pistons is rare. He brings a work ethic, he brings backcourt defense, and he brings an ever-improving jump shot. The front office is always talking about how important a positive attitude and hard work is to becoming a contender, so why would they think about getting rid of the one guy that does those things best?

The answer: there is none.

Like so many puzzling moves the Pistons have made over the past five years, there’s a good chance this will become the latest cherry on top of the team’s Cupcake of Confusion.

Part of the disarray lies in Dumars’ fear of commitment: six coaches in ten years, letting valuable free agents go, and, in Arron Afflalo’s case, ousting young guys before they can come to fruition.

Ironically, that fear of commitment was briefly overlooked when he signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to respective five-year contracts. The contract lengths were head-scratchers, due to their streakiness and poor defense.

Newly-hired Pistons coach John Kuester, who was an assistant to Larry Brown, has already stated that he wants to emphasize defense. How many players on the current Pistons roster can boast about their defense? Two or three, tops.

Why not lock up 1/58th of your cap space on a player who meshes with Kuester’s system perfectly?

Joe only knows…

Also found at The Western Herald.

•Tayshaun’s game has elevated to incredible heights since AI came to town. If Iverson isn’t taking shots in the clutch, Tay is, and he hasn’t disappointed. I used to be scared of wild shots or impending turnovers when Tayshaun took over late in the 4th. Now, however, there’s no Piston I’d rather have with the ball in his hands.

•It’s pretty apparent that J.R. Smith didn’t play at the collegiate level- his ability to be part of a team is nonexistant. Not to say that teamwork is never a part of a straight-to-NBA player’s resume (e.g. Kobe), but Melo shows the same game Smith does. Coincidence? I respect George Karl for holding back and not strangling both of them, because I know the urge is there. I’m happy it panned out in Detroit’s favor, but it’s a shame that J.R. basically solidified the Nug’s loss with his selfish shot selection in the clutch.

•Arron Afflalo. Six HUGE free throws. That’s called keeping your composure.

•Do we even need Rip and Sheed back? Their absences have been felt, but Detroit has pulled out a W in each of the last nine games, save a very narrow loss in Portland. Let them rest, Arron and Amir gotcha back.

•Does altitude affect the rims? I haven’t seen more in-and-out shots for the entire season combined as I saw last night, for both sides.

•Dice seemed to feed off the boos. Sounds like Denver is still a bit sour about the buyout.

The Answer notched 25 points on 7-12 shooting.  It’s a beautiful sight to see AI meshing in so well with Detroit’s system, I can honestly say I didn’t think the new-look Pistons would look this good, this fast.  Anybody who thinks Allen Iverson can’t adjust to the Pistons offense needs to re-assess- Tayshaun and Sheed both had more field goal attempts than Iverson.
Kobe Bryant held to 12-30 shooting.
The Pistons continue to give far too many offensive rebounds up.  The Lakers had 16 offensive boards, as opposed to Detroit’s 7.  Detroit compensated last night with their hot shooting, but those numbers aren’t going to fly in other situations.
Tayshaun was remarkable.
Arron Afflalo logged some heavy minutes, and made the best of his hefty time (26 minutes).  I keep noticing Iverson-Afflalo connections, particularly during streaking fast breaks, that could evolve to something notable soon.
Sasha Vujacic is an a**.