Unsung Player Day: Walter Herrmann (DET)

'With Malice' has declared April 5th Unsung Hero Day and I am making my submission. I think selecting WALTER HERRMANN aka Fabio is the right choice for the Detroit Pistons.

First of all, pure physical attributes alone could win Walter Herrmann this honor. The long greasy blond hair, furrowed eye brows with the look in his eye that could get any unsuspecting female in the hay, and his enormous banana hands that make a basketball look like a slightly over sized orange are all characteristics worthy of recognition. Fans who don't visit the Pistons website on a daily basis may not know this, but the Pistons even advertised their ladies' night at the Palace with Herrmann's face. I imagine there were thousands of chicks at that game, swooning at the sight of him. (A quick note: Great marketing job by the Pistons. As you may not know, Herrmann's from Argentina and their women are absolutely babe-alicious. I'm sure the Pistons were thinking that Herrmann's looks and allegiences to the country would at least attract a few more lookers. Kudos Pistons).

As for basketball, well, Hermann is just okay but everyone knows he gives it his all when given the chance. He doesn't really get a fair shot, despite being 6'9 with some of the biggest hands I've ever seen. He plays with a crooked smile all the time and almost once a game (when he plays), he palms the ball with one hand and takes three large steps past his defender and puts up some ridiculous circus shot (or maybe it's "sensational?") Either way, it's quite a display and he's a fan favorite.

He only averages 3.8 PPG (5 PPG in his career) and is shooting a less than desired 40% from the field this season, but I did a little research to see just how good Hermann could be if he got some regular minutes.

This season he has only played more than 15 minutes ten times. (I single out those ten games because those are the games where you can conceivably argue that he got enough minutes to warm up and show what he really could do. And those ten games are what really make his minutes per game sky rocket. He would be down in the 3-7 minute range had it not been for these ten games. In fact, he received zero minutes for almost three months during this season).

Now, you might be thinking, "well he should feel so lucky with playing plus 15 minutes in ten games," but wrap your minds around this. In those ten games, Walter Herrmann is averaging 11.3 PPG in just 19 minutes per game. Just for comparison, Tayshaun Prince starts, averages 37.8 minutes per game, and only averages 14.3 PPG. Herrmann could arguably be averaging 20+ PPG if he got those type of minutes. It should also be noted, that Herrmann is shooting 55% from the field in those games. Also, in a few of those games he only took three shots, so that average could be even higher with more shot opportunities.

Now I'm not saying I think Herrmann should start over Tayshaun Prince, or anyone for that matter, because that would probably make me certifiably insane. I am saying, however, that Herrmann is a solid NBA player, an unsung hero if you will, and could provide even more if he was given quality minutes.

I do think Coach Michael Curry is becoming aware of his abilities, though. In the past couple months, Walter Herrmann has been inserted into the lineup during the waning seconds of close games. In about four or five of those games, he has taken the last shot (game tying or game winning). He finally knocked one down against Miami a couple weeks ago to give the Pistons a one point lead with thirteen seconds left, but that was too much time for Dwayne Wade and the Heat as Miami ended up pulling that one out.

As I said before, Herrmann does everything with an exra level of energy that symbolizes an unsung hero. He has monstrous hands, goldilocks, pizzaz, and a passion that a few of the other Pistons' players could use during this stretch run to help get them into the playoffs and beyond the first round.

Walter Herrmann is my Unsung Player. And after seeing the following video I think he would be yours too: