AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons are in a rut and looking for someone to turn the team around. Pistons coach Michael Curry is nominating guard Rodney Stuckey for the role.
"Rodney's the key to our team, period," Curry said. Curry said Stuckey is not the one to blame for the team's mediocre record
(27-25), but he said better play from the second-year guard would get the Pistons on track.
"We've had other guys on the court who have played well and it doesn't affect everybody else," Curry said.
"But when he plays well, everybody gets a chance to play well."
Curry said Stuckey's impact on the Pistons' chances of winning is not all that different than the effect the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant have on their teams.
"I'm not putting him in that category," Curry said. "But for us, his numbers show it. When he plays well, we're a pretty good team."
When Stuckey does not play well, the Pistons have outcomes such as Tuesday's 92-86 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, which extended Detroit's losing streak to four.
Stuckey is averaging 13.4 points this season, but finished Tuesday's game with twice as many personal fouls (six) as points scored. Milwaukee's backcourt combined for 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
"This is his first year playing as many minutes," Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said. "He's going to have ups and downs. The one thing we tell him is to stay confident. ... It's kind of like this is his rookie year, being out there as many minutes."
Stuckey has a tendency to defer a lot to his teammates.
Curry said that is part of Stuckey's problem.
"He kind of ignites everybody else," Curry said. "I talked to him about some things we can do to keep him aggressive."
