No Dice for Curry

Michael Curry explained why he reverted to small ball:

"It's a simple matter of getting your best five guys out there as much as possible," Curry said.
– ESPN.com

If Curry really wants his “best five guys” to start the game, he should keep Antonio McDyess in mind. PER is hardly a perfect stat (for example, it overvalues Allen Iverson’s steals, which usually occur when he gambles instead of playing sound defense), but it does give a good indication of how productive a player is offensively and on the glass. So far this season, Iverson’s PER is 16.09, Hamilton is at 15.67, and McDyess is at 15.2. According to those stats, the players are relatively close in terms of offensive production.

Defense, however, is another story. McDyess is one of the better defenders on the team and protects the paint when he is in the game. Iverson and Hamilton are the two worst defenders in the Pistons rotation. Overall, McDyess has been a far more productive contributor for the Pistons than either Iverson or Hamilton.

If a team with Stuckey, Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, and Wallace played against Stuckey, Hamilton, Prince, McDyess, and Wallace, the latter squad would win upwards of 70 percent of the games. If Curry chooses to hurt the team by playing small ball so be it, just try not to lie to the fans about the motivation (egos).