Andre Drummond is the Pistons’ best defensive hope, but they barely use him while allowing Knicks to score 121 points

He made both his shots, but didn’t really rebound well. He wasn’t awful, but he looked replaceable. Hint, hint.

33 MIN | 3-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | -22

Carmelo Anthony had his way with Prince, which had more to do with Melo than anything. But Prince also shot poorly and was mediocre in other areas.

29 MIN | 5-7 FG | 4-5 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 16 PTS | -6

Singler was the floor spacer the Pistons need him to be. A Knicks team that moves the ball well, though, exposed his foot-speed issues.

30 MIN | 4-8 FG | 4-5 FT | 5 REB | 7 AST | 12 PTS | -15

Monroe nearly had as many assists as shot attempts, and it’s encouraging he kept making the right and unselfish reads. But four turnovers is too many, and he wasn’t much of a defensive presence.

34 MIN | 8-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 21 PTS | -16

Knight had a really nice game. He picked his spots well, shot efficiently and set up teammates wile turning the ball over only twice. Still, Raymond Felton gave him some trouble on the other end. And in each of the last two games, Knight has too casual getting an inbound pass, resulting in turnovers.

19 MIN | 7-15 FG | 0-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 17 PTS | -11

Hey, 17 points in 19 minutes is nothing to sneeze at, but those numbers are at least somewhat empty. They were boosted by garbage time, and Villanueva’s defense and rebounding today didn’t counteract everything we already know about him.

4 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 2 PTS | 0

Daye played the final four minutes in case you’re tracking what it would take for him to enter a game. Kim English also played the final four minutes, but we already know he’s not buried so far on the bench that he can’t enter blowouts. For Daye, it was slightly revealing.

17 MIN | 2-5 FG | 4-5 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | -2

Not bad or anything, but why is a so-so-at-best 33-year-old on an expiring contract playing so much for a rebuilding team?

19 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -9

Drummond was a defensive force. Carmelo Anthony was 6-for-6 until Drummond blocked Melo’s layup – a play I doubt any other Piston could have made. Add a few rebounds that fit the same description, and Drummond could have made a serious impact on this game. Of course, he barely played – especially considering his playing time was boosted by the final four minutes of garbage time. Drummond was shaky offensively, but his defense warranted more playing time, and that would have given him an opportunity to develop his offense.

14 MIN | 3-6 FG | 3-3 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | -5

Did a nice job of attacking the rim.

13 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -12

Stuckey played just 2:38 in the second half. His total contribution in that time: one turnover. Stuckey’s production has varied between non-existent and poor. Today, it was the former.

DNP COACH’S DECISION

For the first time this season, Jerebko didn’t play. It looks like his poor play has finally cost him a rotation spot. Unfortunately, it went to Villanueva instead of giving more minutes to Drummond and/or Viacheslav Kravtsov, who probably deserves a look sooner than later.

Frank is beginning to realize veterans like Stuckey and Jerebko might not have all the answers. Unfortunately, giving their minutes to Maggette and Villanueva was not the solution I had in mind. Before the game became a slopfest, I liked the Pistons’ ball movement, for whatever that’s worth.

Most Valuable Player

Not only did Carmelo Anthony score 29 points in 32 minutes, he had three assists and generally kept the ball moving. Tayshaun Prince’s defense wasn’t necessarily poor, but when Melo is playing like this, it’s tough to stop his Knicks.

X-Factor

While the Pistons defense was mostly terrible, Andre Drummond had 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. So why did he play less than Charlie Villanueva did?

That was… comforting

Whether it was J.R. Smith (15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists), Steve Novak (5-of-7 on 3-pointers) or Rasheed Wallace (15 points), plenty of Knicks have reason to feel especially good after snapping a two-game losing streak.