A Temporal Back-Track to catch us up...

***Once again, travel back in time to Friday, when I started writing this. Read from the perspective of one writing in a temporal cul-de-sac, back when the Wings had a 2 game lead on Chicago and were one win away from the Western Conference Finals***

The Wings went up 3 games to 1 last night against Chicago. Unbelievable game. Both goalies stood on their heads. I thought it was a very even game, great scoring chances for both teams. Chicago ended up hitting the post twice, Detroit got a power play goal and an empty netter. That was the difference. 

***Ok, back to the current timeline in which the situation is less happy***

So what do you do with a team that fell behind expectations by barely making the playoffs, exceeded expectations by beating a VERY tough Anaheim team, didn't live up to expectations in game 1 vs. Chicago, once again exceeded expectations in games 2-4, but ultimately failed to meet expectations by losing the next 3 games and the series?

I missed the last couple of games due to a combination of camping over the holiday weekend and the games being broadcast over NBCSN, which I don't get. Based on what I DID see of game 7, the 'Hawks had more chances, skated better & deserved to win. Jimmy Howard stood on his head & was the better goaltender in a well tended series (for the most part), but the Wings' youth undid them.

What's the prognosis? Well, better than it was last summer. Brunner was great, I'd like them to re-sign him. The other young guys are still under contract and show lots of promise. Remember, DeKeyser was one of Detroit's better defensemen before he got knocked out of the playoffs in the Anaheim series. Abdelkader and Nyquist both looked great, and hopefully they'll be getting Darren Helm back (which will be HUGE).

On the Pistons front, somehow they haven't hired a coach yet. This is surprising, since Dumars wanted to have this done before the combine (which was almost 2 weeks ago). There are two likely explanations: 1) He didn't think the Pacers would still be alive at this point & thought he'd already have interviewed Brian Shaw, or 2) Dumars is in a power battle with Gores and Phil Jackson and is trying to keep his job while also getting HIS choice for coach instead of THEIR choice.

I really hope it's the first explanation. There's only one possible good outcome (semi-good anyway) of the second explanation (Phil takes a front office job as well as Head Coach & brings in Shaw to be his eventual replacement) and several disasterous outcomes (the franchise hits the reset button, Dumars & Gores remain entangled in a power battle all year, etc.).

Good news on the NBA Draft front, however. Shabazz Muhammad is starting to grow on me, and not in a bad, fungal sort of way. ESPN's Chad Ford wrote a piece on Muhammad's potential, and it was pretty encouraging. My main concerns with Muhammad were that he's basically a one-dimensional player and that dimension (scoring) might not translate well to the NBA. If you don't have an Insider account, here are the Cliff's Notes:

• Muhammad was at the P3 Center to test his physical movements & get his game more NBA-ready
• Despite having only a slightly above average vertical, he gets up QUICK. So while he doesn’t jump out of the gym, he’s pretty explosive
• That explosiveness hasn’t translated to his lateral movement yet, but they’re working on it
• Right now he tests as an average athlete for a wing, but he has the physical tools to be above average (but not elite)
• His shot mechanics are bad but look correctable. This is probably why his shot was so streaky
• In addition to working on his mechanics, they created a series of drills based off of moves James Harden uses to get his shot off

Three things jumped out at me - his potentially getting some lateral explosiveness (which would improve his D and ability to blow by defenders), correcting his shot mechanics, and developing some James Harden moves. If he can even be 2011 James Harden (good D, a VERY efficient 17 pts off the bench), I'd take that in a heartbeat. I think Harden is a good player for Muhammad to emulate. Similar height & build, similar athleticism... Harden was a better and more willing passer, and he shot a bit better than Muhammad did.

At this point if the top 6 prospects (Noel, McLemore, Porter, Oladipo, Burke, and Bennett) are taken when Detroit drafts at #8, I'm getting more comfortable with the idea of taking Muhammad. I probably still wouldn't take him over Bennett, Burke or Oladipo, but he might end up being the better player. Time will tell.

Surprisingly there's a fair bit of Lions' news as well. In the "Titus Young Needs Jesus" Saga, apparently the NFL reached out to him before his three arrests in an attempt to get him some help. Titus said no. It was good to hear that they tried (the NFL has notoriously dropped the ball in the past with player mental health issues), but sadly this was a lesson Titus has to learn the hard way (or not at all).

The Titus Young news reminds that WR is somehow still a need for these Lions, but one that Nate Burleson thinks they've got under control. Patrick Edwards didn't play last year due to in consistent hands and later a hamstring injury. He's playing now & might make the roster as a #3 or #4 WR. The Lions signed a Pro Bowl special teamer (one of their BIG areas of weakness last year). Kevin Seifert thinks Lions rookie DE Ziggy Ansah can get at least 10 sacks this fall, something that's only been done by a rookie 31 times in the 31 years that they've tracked sacks. If any DE in this rookie class is going to do it, Ansah is the most likely. The main concern with this team is still the OL, which is still TBD at RT and RG.

Miguel Cabrera got high praise from one of baseballs most talented and arrogant former players. Unfortunately the Tigers haven't been playing that well, and lost their last 3 games. They're in a bit of a swoon this month due to some poor starting pitching, Verlander being the worst of the lot. Hitting-wise, Cabrera's still phenomenal but getting little help from the rest of the pack. Cabrera has hit 11 HR in May (that's a TON), but the rest of the team combined for only 20 more, which is about 10 below league average (not good). Apparently Nick Castellanos is ready for a call-up, but the question would be where to put him. He's a natural SS and also plays third well, but Cabrera is the team's best player & Peralta is one of the few guys hitting well. He'll probably end up in the OF, but when that will be, no one knows.