will-bynum-pistons-vs-hawks-highlight.jpg

Will Bynum (left) gives the Detroit Pistons the kind of spark off the bench that Vinnie Johnson provided more than two decades ago, says longtime broadcaster George Blaha.

(Photo by AP File Photo)

The last time the Detroit Pistons had bench players that were as strong as their current group, they were winning back-to-back NBA Championships, says longtime broadcaster George Blaha.

Blaha compares the Pistons current reserves to the likes Vinnie Johnson, James Edwards and John Salley, players who helped bring the NBA title to Detroit in 1989 and 1990.

And Blaha says the success of the current group starts with one player, just as it did with Johnson back in the day.

"I really believe you have to give Will Bynum all the credit in the world for the way this group plays," Blaha writes on Pistons.com."I've always been an admirer, always loved his game. When he gets minutes, Will usually makes good things happen. Just as Vinnie was the catalyst for the Bad Boys, Will Bynum is the catalyst for this group. As Greg Kelser said on our telecast during the win over Sacramento, they play at this pace.

"They play his game. He sets them all up. He was the first to give Andre Drummond lob dunks and now those guys are so connected, I think when Andre's not in the game or Will's not in the game they need a tranquilizer, they play so well together. When you look at what Charlie V and Austin Daye have been able to do from long range, and Rodney Stuckey before he sprained his ankle – we all know how explosive he can be – I love this group."

• Detroit News: One of the reasons for the difference between Austin Daye this season and last could be an off-the-court matter he was dealing with a year ago, writes Vinnie Goodwill. "Dealing with myriad issues last season, including his mother's battle with multiple sclerosis, weighed on him. He admitted he couldn't compartmentalize as well as he should've and instead of the game being his sanctuary, it became another source of something he couldn't control as well as he'd like.'It was a lot of stress, a lot of stuff, issues,' said Daye, 24. 'And also the basketball, it's life. I think a lot of people think because you're a basketball player you don't have real problems.' "

• ESPN.com: David Thorpe ranks the top sophomores from the 2011 draft class and Brandon Knight is No. 9. "Knight has proven that he has one very special skill: He can really shoot the deep shot. He's up to 41 percent this season after a strong 38 percent from 3 last season, which is impressive. But he has not yet learned how to manage the game and to make easy passes/assists without being somewhat turnover-prone. Knight recently turned 21 and is known for his special work ethic and intelligence, so there is plenty of reason to believe he'll improve a good deal. One side note: I've always thought he was going to be like Chauncey Billups, whose PER at age 21 happens to be the same as Knight's now (12.7)."

• NBA.com: Damian Lillard of Portland, Anthony Davis of New Orleans and Alexey Shved of Minnesota are the only players who are above No. 4 Andre Drummond on this week's Rookie Ladder. "Drummond continues to be a beast on the boards. The Pistons big man has reached double digits in rebounding in five of his last six games, averaging 10.8 a game in that span. It's even more impressive when you consider he averaged only 24 minutes in those games. This guy is a monster, and it's scary to think how he'd fare with starter-like minutes."

• Pistons.com: Among the questions Keith Langlois fields this week is can the Pistons make the playoffs. "Philadelphia is currently sitting in the No. 8 spot in the East with a sub-.500 record, Joe, so it's not out of the question. Ordinarily, I'd say being 10 games under .500 after 34 games would make the playoffs a pipe dream, but combine the upswing in Pistons play, the weakness of the back end of the East's playoff field and the letup on the horizon in the Pistons' schedule, and, yeah, I'd say there is still a reasonable chance this team can put itself in position to make a run."

–

Download the Detroit Pistons on MLive app for iPhone and Android

–

Follow David Mayo and Brendan Savage on Twitter

–

Like MLive's Detroit Pistons Facebook page