Theo Ratliff...

[Kenny82]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 10376/1051

Well, I have to admit I've always kinda liked Ratliff, especially in his early Detroit days. Back then, I felt he suited the team's history of 'blue collar' players very well, I liked his physical style of play, somewhat like an unpolished player, but with great rebounding and shot blocking ability.
The last few years, it seemed like his skills had faded somewhat (a lot), but sometimes a player just needs that spark.
I wouldn't go as far as to say that the old Ratliff is back, his days of glory are behind him now, but he still can contribute and he can still be one hell of a defensive force.
Well, what can I say... I like Ratliff, for one reason or another.

[Skills]

Well now the Pistons have a decent center.
Sheed just doesn't fit that mold.
They should start Ratliff. I'm a fan of him too.
He's probably one of the best shot blockers of his time..

[Kenny82]

Jup, I agree. Plus he has that work ethic that I like (that's why I also like all the original 'Bad Boys' ).
Anyway, Sheed shouldn't start as center anyway, maybe this could give him some breathing room and let him play forward, I think he'd be even more of a threat then.
I hope Ratliff stays healthy, but it seems that he's reunited with his old strength coach and this certainly seems to have a positive influence on him, so even if it's only mental, it can only help him with his game.

[BIG GREEN]

He's probably gonna guard ben wallace vs. the cavs...who isn't an offense threat...or verejao...so i'm not worried about that. The only real slasher the cavs now have is lebron ....and im betting $50 he won't bother lebron that much.

[Kenny82]

Heh, don't ask why but for some strange reason I had a feeling you'd post here Yohance
Anyway, as much as I like Theo, you're probably right about Lebron, but then again, who really bothers him in any of his games this season ?
The man's just a fenomenal player...

[BIG GREEN]

Detroit and the cavs are play-off rivals so naturally i'd give my 0.02 cents

[Kenny82]

Yeah.. I'd have to say this year I'd give the Cavs a good chance of getting to the Conference Finals, I don't know. Lebron's pretty good at carrying a team and he has some decent shooters/rebounders/defensive players around him.
Only thing I don't really like is that (like you said) he's the only real slasher. They could use another player that likes to drive to the hoop a lot and is very mobile and athletic.
I also get the feeling that people still underestimate this team tremendously and I think that this could one of their strengths.

[L10]

If Ratliff play the center and sheed as a forward u have to bench mcdyess, who is in my opinion a better inside scorer than theo.
the pistons allowed an opponent to score more than 105 points only one time this season. so his defense is doing pretty well.
imo starting ratliif wont give them as good result as mcdyess in his ofense.

[Lamrock]

Sheed at his best with Theo > Mediocre (sheediocre?) Sheed with McDyess.

[SpaceFlare]

I think Theo Ratliff's value really plummeted down in recent years and it's nice to see him getting some quality PT again. I like Ratliff as a player, because he's a shot-blocking big and I like watching shot-blocking bigs. He's certainly been a quality pick-up for Detroit and he adds more depth to an already deep frontcourt for the Pistons.

[Laxation]

Bench Dyess, start Sheed and Ratliff/Maxiell FTW!

LOL @ Ratliff not bothering Lebron... having a shotblocker will bother anyone who drives a lot.

Space - he is getting PT now because sheed is injured, dont expect it to last.

Sang - Dyess is too tired and his offence has been fucking terrible lately. He cant hit a shot for shit, and isnt there for his offence in the first place. he is there for Rebounding and defence (not shotblocking, mind you...) Offence doesnt matter in ALL positions and detroit already has 4 good scorers.

Kenny - Cavs traded away the guy who gave Billups problems in Hughes... now they are relying on Lebron to carry them without having someone to shut down Billups like they did last year.
As for Boston, they have no chance... so how do you propose they get to the conference finals again?
(That said I pray that detroit doesnt end up playing the cavs this post season )

[Andrew]

As for Boston, they have no chance... so how do you propose they get to the conference finals again?

No chance? They've been able to beat Detroit, Cleveland and pretty much everyone else on the way to a 50-12 record to date. Obviously that guarantees nothing coming playoff time but it seems to me they're in good shape to make a strong run in the playoffs.

[benji]

I think he was saying the Cavaliers have no chance against the Celtics.

[Andrew]

My mistake, I misread that.

[Laxation]

I think he was saying the Cavaliers have no chance against the Celtics.

[BIG GREEN]

They don't?...considering the season series is 2-2...i beg to differ...keep talkin.

If theo ratliff of all fuckin people is gonna bother lebron when he drives into the lane then we might a well name him defensive playher of the year...considering no other team or player has been able to do that all season....

[Matt]

this season we've seen a number of moves by playoff teams to get an impact big mane....namely by GSW, SAS, Det, Bos

So far....

Chris Webber....has provided nothing as expected

Kurt Thomas....not quite the impact Spurs expected, but still an upgrade

PJ Brown....very little game left, should call it quits

Theo Ratliff....plays with great energy and is a presence on the boards, great pickup

[Sauru]

They don't?...considering the season series is 2-2...i beg to differ...keep talkin.

admit defeat now my friend

[Andrew]

So far....

Chris Webber....has provided nothing as expected

Kurt Thomas....not quite the impact Spurs expected, but still an upgrade

PJ Brown....very little game left, should call it quits

Theo Ratliff....plays with great energy and is a presence on the boards, great pickup

I actually expected Webber and Brown to perform a little better than they have done so far, even having been out of the NBA for a few months. That's not to say they would have had a huge impact but I thought they'd be seeing a bit more time and producing some solid minutes. Likewise, I expected Sam Cassell would take more minutes from House, House being more of a shooting guard to begin with.

[Laxation]

They don't?...considering the season series is 2-2...i beg to differ...keep talkin.

If theo ratliff of all fuckin people is gonna bother lebron when he drives into the lane then we might a well name him defensive playher of the year...considering no other team or player has been able to do that all season....

Way to miss the point completely...

Ratliff wont keep Lebron to 0 points in the paint, but hes going to do a much better job at it that Dyess could ever do... (maybe not amir, but flip is our coach, so whatever...)

[[Q]]

Theo Ratliff was a monster back in the day. please tell me he was an all-star around 2000-2001.

[Donatello]

New on the front page of Realgm... the pistons want Ratliff to come back next year.

I totally missed that he had even been released/signed by Detroit. I like it for Detroit (even though I despise the team, it's a good move).

[benji]

Theo Ratliff was a monster back in the day. please tell me he was an all-star around 2000-2001.

He was injured, so he didn't play, and Mutombo played like crazy in the game, and Larry Brown was the coach/GM, so...

[shadowgrin]

...the Sixers traded for Mutombo with Ratliff. They were in a "win now" mode so the trigger was pulled. In hindsight it was a good trade except for that huge contract given to Mutombo when he was re-signed. Ratliff became injury prone after the trade except for that one season where he played 80? games for the Hawks, so losing him in the trade wasn't bad after all.