Rodney Stuckey Wants to Come off the Bench, Lawrence Frank Disagrees

It’s not often that an NBA player gleefully endorses the idea of coming off the bench, but that’s what Detroit Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey wants to do. There’s just one issue: his coach. Per the Detroit News: “Rodney Stuckey had the same observations about Wednesday’s game as everyone else, as far as rookie Kyle Singler’s seamless transition into the starting lineup in emergency duty, a move that resulted in the Pistons’ first win. So if Lawrence Frank wants to keep rolling with Singler in the first five, Stuckey has no problem with it — in fact, the more the sixth-year guard spoke, the more he seemed to warm up to the idea of being a super sixth-man, in the mold of the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford and the Knicks’ J.R. Smith. He almost campaigned for the change. ‘I can be the guy to come off the bench and just attack and bring energy with Will (Bynum) and those guys,’ said Stuckey, feeling better after a flu bug kept him from making the trip to Philadelphia. ‘I don’t mind it at all. Whatever coach wants me to do, I’m happy. I’m not beating my head about it.’ There’s only one problem, though. Frank seems steadfast to the idea of Stuckey returning to the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Magic. ‘Same lineup, we haven’t changed. Everything’s the same,’ Frank said after practice. ‘He looked better.’ […] What Stuckey likely saw Wednesday and then in Thursday’s film session was a first unit that played fluidly and cohesively in the Pistons’ 94-76 rout of the 76ers. Singler’s perpetual motion and spot-up shooting meshed well with Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe, as he scored 16 points in 40 minutes. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Stuckey volunteered to come off the bench to keep continuity — and perhaps to jumpstart his own season. ‘It doesn’t matter to me, I don’t really care about starting,’ Stuckey said. ‘The only thing that happens about starting is they call your name. Whatever helps our team wins. If Kyle is better with the first group, he should start.’ The second unit plays a style more conducive to Stuckey’s — attacking, going to the basket and seemingly with a little less structure.”