Rodney Stuckey, who has averaged 28 minutes a game this season, was a healthy scratch in Detroit's 104-102 victory over Orlando on Sunday.
Lawrence Frank still hasn’t explained Rodney Stuckey’s Sunday benching
The Pistons coach has been mum about the “DNP-CD” he gave Stuckey in their win over the Magic on Sunday.
Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE
Afterwards, Lawrence Frank was evasive about his decision (courtesy of Michigan Live):
“I know I’m not helping you guys do your job and I’m not trying to be a you-know-what, although I am a you-know-what,” Frank joked. “It’s just a coach’s decision. You can probe. You guys have got to do your job and I’m sorry that I’m not giving you the answer you want but we keep that in the locker room.”
Nothing more has come out about Frank's decision since, as the Pistons canceled practice on Monday.
Over at SB Nation’s Pistons blog, Detroit Bad Boys, they’ve been rounding up tweets trying to make sense of why Stuckey is in Frank’s doghouse. And while he’s had disciplinary issues in the past, this latest benching may be strictly due to on-court reasons.
Stuckey is averaging 11 points and 4 assists coming off the bench, but the Pistons are also 5-1 without him in the lineup. He’s not a consistent outside shooter, averaging 29.8% from beyond the arc, so he needs the ball in his hands to be effective.
However, Detroit has had more success running offense through Brandon Knight and Will Bynum, meaning there isn't as much time for Stuckey to dominate the ball, the role he's most comfortable with.
Stuckey has one more year left on his contract at $8.5 million dollars, but only $4 million of that is guaranteed, so he could be an attractive piece to be dealt after the season.
Right now, though, the Pistons insist that they aren't looking to move their sixth-year swingman, not while they are currently sneaking into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They're currently 4.5 games behind the Celtics for the No. 8 seed.
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