'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 63

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300122021

Derrick Rose scored 32 points and the Chicago Bulls shot 51 percent to win their fifth road game of the season, handing the Phoenix Suns only their fifth home loss with a 115-104 victory on Friday night.

Luol Deng added 23 points, Joakim Noah had 15 and John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich 14 apiece for the Bulls, 5-15 on the road this season and losers in their first two stops on a season-long seven game road trip.

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 and Grant Hill 17 in the Suns' fifth loss in the last six games. Channing Frye scored 16, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers. Steve Nash had a tough night, making 4 of 12 shots for eight points with seven assists and five turnovers.

[nasty daddy]

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/pist ... logid=2005

Ugly night for Pistons
Frustration definitely boiled over here tonight. A lousy effort by the Pistons, and when coach John Kuester had seen enough in the fourth quarter, he and Tayshaun Prince got into a heated exchange on the bench. Kuester only talked for less than a minute with the media before abruptly ending the conference. Prince wouldn't directly comment on the spat. Considering the way the Pistons played against the Celtics, the seeming momentum they had, this performance was shocking. A terrible Indiana Pacers team toyed with the Pistons.

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Tayshaun Prince returns, tempers flare, Pistons lose: Prince, back from an injury, got into a heated sh... http://twurl.nl/o8zghc

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/games/20100123/PORDE ... 0020900639

Trail Blazers-Pistons Preview
Without leading scorer Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers lost their last game. Now they have to be concerned about the health of Roy's backup. The injury-plagued Trail Blazers hope to have Jerryd Bayless available Saturday night when they close a four-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons. Roy missed Portland's 98-95 overtime loss to Boston on Friday, the first of four games he's expected to sit out because of a right hamstring injury. The Trail Blazers (26-18) said the two-time All-Star will be re-evaluated on Thursday. Roy, who leads Portland with 23.1 points per game, originally suffered the injury in a home win over Milwaukee on Jan. 13. After missing the next two games, he returned Wednesday in a 98-90 win over Philadelphia, scoring only 10 points in 18-plus minutes. Bayless started for Roy against the Celtics, but left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, finishing with 12 points. It's not immediately known if the former Arizona star will play versus the Pistons.

The Blazers, already without centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden (season-ending knee injuries) among others, have still remained competitive. Without Roy, though, Portland shot just 38.2 percent in Boston, and trailed most of the way. Looking for a split on their road trip, the Blazers have alternated wins and losses in their last seven visits to The Palace of Auburn Hills. Roy had 19 points in Portland's last game there, a 96-85 victory on Nov. 30, 2008. Portland dropped to 2-2 this season minus their offensive sparkplug. After the Celtics took a 96-95 lead, LaMarcus Aldridge missed a 3-pointer before the Celtics put the game away on a late breakaway dunk. Aldridge finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Miller, who came in averaging 12.9 points, scored a season-high 28. While Portland is struggling, the Pistons appear to be having deeper issues

Detroit (15-27) trailed by 12 at the end of the first quarter, and fell 105-93 to Indiana on Friday. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 27 points.Tayshaun Prince returned after missing the previous six games with a knee injury. However, he finished with just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, and got into a heated exchange with first-year coach John Kuester during a fourth-quarter timeout. "Don't even ask me about that. Y'all will just change my words anyway," said Prince, who missed 26 games in November and December with a back injury. He had started all 82 games each of the last five seasons.The Pistons have won four of six following a 13-game skid from Dec. 15-Jan. 11, but Kuester appeared to take Friday's loss personally. "I'm very disappointed," he said in a post-game press conference that lasted less than 60 seconds. "We talked about this before the game, and it shouldn't have happened."The Blazers beat Detroit 87-81 on Nov. 18 in Portland. Roy and Aldridge each scored 20 points in the win, while Rodney Stuckey had 21 for the Pistons, who were without Hamilton and Prince.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... ssing-loss

Tempers flare as Pistons suffer embarrassing loss
If only the Pistons had shown the same passion on the floor as they did in the huddle. On a Friday night marked by several testy conversations on the bench – including a heated exchange between Tayshaun Prince and Pistons coach John Kuester - the Pistons were blown out of the Palace by the lowly Pacers in a loss that could have been more embarrassing than the recent 13-game losing streak. The Pacers (15-28) rolled to a 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter before settling for a 105-93 victory that had Pistons fans booing and headed home along I-75. The effort frustrated Kuester so much that he turned to the age-old trick of emptying the bench in the last part of the fourth with a lineup of Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko, Rodney Stuckey, DaJuan Summers and little-used Kwame Brown.

And when Prince came to the bench, that’s when he yelled at Kuester, who gave it back momentarily before going back to the huddle to give instructions to the backups. When asked after the game what transpired, Prince said: “Nah, don’t ask me that question, because if I speak on it y’all ain’t going to do nothing but change my words up so I ain’t even going to answer that.” When a reporter tried to ask a follow-up, Prince snapped: “Did you just hear what I said?” When another reporter asked if he and Kuester would get past the disagreement, Prince said: “Of course.” And he walked away. As for Kuester, he spoke for less than a minute and never took a question about Prince and left quickly.

Several players were asked about the exchange and they all chalked it up to just stuff that happens in the heat of the game and everything will be OK. “I saw what you saw,” one player said. “I saw them yelling at each other ... so I tried to stay away from that (stuff).” It was Prince’s first game back after missing six contests with a left knee bruise. He finished with seven points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. It was the second game of a rare six-game homestand and after a victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night, the Pistons (15-27) talked openly of going on a run. But they quickly fell behind by 16 early in the second quarter and never really threatened afterward.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... -8th-place

The Pistons and the race for 8th place
After 42 games, the Pistons are four out of the last East playoff spot:
RK TM W-L GB
5 MIA 22-20 +3
6 CHA 21-20 +2 1/2
7 TOR 22-22 +2
8 CHI* 18-22 --
9 MIL 17-24 1 1/2
10 N.Y. 17-25 2
11 DET 15-27 4
12 IND 15-28 4 1/2
*Late game

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Recap: Pacers 105, Pistons 93
WHAT HAPPENED: The Pistons laid a major egg by falling to the lowly Pacers. They gave up open shot after open shot as they had trouble matching up with the trio of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. Charlie Villanueva especially had trouble with Murphy and Dunleavy, as he was exploited time after time. Rip Hamilton scored 27 points, but committed seven turnovers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... Pistons-93

THE BIG NUMBER: 14 -- free throws Granger nailed in a perfect night at the foul line.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... Pistons-93

THE OTHER SIDE: Granger finished with 25 points, and Brandon Rush spotted up for 19 points and five triples.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... Pistons-93

BLOCKBUSTER: Rodney Stuckey -- all 6-foot-5 of him -- stuffed the 7-2 Roy Hibbert on a shot attempt in the first quarter.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... Pistons-93

INJURY UPDATE: Tayshaun Prince returned to the lineup after missing six games with a left knee bruise and scored seven points in 24 minutes for the Pistons. Will Bynum (left ankle) and Ben Gordon (right groin) were out again. Tyler Hansbrough (inner ear infection) and Jeff Foster (lower back) were out for the Pacers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... Pistons-93

QUOTABLE: "Gimme some, boy!" A.J. Price said to Granger after Price nailed a three-pointer to push the Pacers' lead to 95-74 in the fourth quarter.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... al-process

Tonight: Trail Blazers
Matchup: Pistons 15-27, Portland 26-18.
Tip-off: 7:30, Palace.
TV/radio: FS Plus, WOMC-FM (104.3).
Line: Pistons by 1 1/2 .

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... al-process

Restoring Tayshaun Prince will be a gradual process
Tayshaun Prince returned to the Pistons' lineup Friday night against the Pacers, and coach John Kuester plans on keeping him there. Kuester will monitor Prince's minutes closely for now to try to avoid Prince injuring himself the way he did earlier this season after he missed a substantial number of games.

Prince played 24 minutes in Friday's 105-93 loss and scored seven points with six rebounds. "I've got something in my mind I want to keep it at," Kuester said in his Palace office before the game. "I really don't want to divulge because it's hard to stay (within the parameters)."After a pause, he said: "We'll monitor his minutes." Prince played the first three games of the season before missing the next 26 because of a ruptured disk in his lower back.

He returned Dec. 27 at Toronto, averaging 33 minutes over the next five games before suffering a bruised left knee Jan. 9 against Philadelphia. He missed the next six games.Kuester thinks he might have overloaded Prince (and Richard Hamilton) when Prince returned after the long absence, so he learned his lesson. So even if Prince wants to stay in the game after a good run, Kuester will bite the bullet and call for Jonas Jerebko or Austin Daye. "That is one of things that, hopefully, knock on wood, I've learned is that you have to gauge certain things and this is one of those things that I think is important to gauge," Kuester said.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... al-process

ROY OUT: The Pistons catch a break tonight because the Portland Trail Blazers will be without star Brandon Roy, who will miss four games because of a right hamstring injury.

Roy suffered the injury in Wednesday night's 98-90 victory at Philadelphia. Roy is averaging 23.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and five assists.

Jerryd Bayless is expected to start in his place.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... al-process

HELPING HAND: Jason Maxiell helped give out mittens and coats to children before Friday's game as part of a clothing drive sponsored by Allstate and the Pistons.

"It's great," Maxiell said. "When kids go outside and play, it will help so they won't be cold."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/S ... al-process

STILL OUT: Will Bynum (left ankle) and Ben Gordon (right groin) remained on the sideline.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100123/C ... ar-fetched

The Pittsburgh Pistons? It's not that far fetched
There is no birthright ensuring Detroit four professional sports teams. Remember that should Karen Davidson sell the Pistons. The immediate response to the news that she has placed her late husband's sports legacy on the trading block didn't surprise anyone. The wishful thinking is that if she's not passionate enough to give the franchise the committed ownership required, then it's only a matter of time before a local investment group emerges -- ensuring that the Pistons remain in town. We've grown accustomed over the past 50 years to Detroit being a major player, if not a major performer, on the professional sports landscape, so it's unimaginable envisioning Detroit in a reduced role. But there are no realistic assurances that Detroit can provide the corporate financial backing necessary for four sports teams to flourish economically. The private sector isn't throwing around millions as it once did. The harder it becomes for Davidson to find a suitable buyer, the more likely the final outcome won't be favorable to this city's sports identity.

Will Detroit still have four major professional sports teams in 2015? Flip a coin. The NBA would prefer that it maintain an association with what it considers a classic sports town, but commissioner David Stern is more worried about shrinking league revenues and team values. It doesn't matter how long the franchise forged a history here, how many championships its won or how many consecutive sellouts it once enjoyed. Mere fiscal survival is never the prime business objective -- even for the rich who can absorb an ocean of red ink. Detroit remains a long-term question mark as a business destination. It'll bounce back, reinventing itself, but the days of blank-check corporate entertainment largesse are over in this market. That can't help but serve as a deterrent for any outside buyer keeping the Pistons in Detroit. Nobody wants to see that happen, but our parochialism can't blind us from the harsh facts: Owners can't count on the Detroit Three keeping those luxury suites and premium seats filled any longer.

Ford won't spend. GM and Chrysler can't. That won't change soon. Karen Davidson, 61, isn't panicking. There's apparently no rush. She has options. She also doesn't have the massive debt burden that has NBA ownership in Charlotte and New Jersey in a far more desperate predicament. But the future of the Pistons in Detroit depends on the future of the Palace. Selling both in a package arrangement improves the odds of the franchise remaining here, but if Davidson's left with no alternative but to sell the Palace separately, any inevitable buyer for the Pistons probably would come from outside. And there's the lure of a new state-of-the-art arena in Pittsburgh later this year, and Kansas City already has its own version of the Palace, waiting to pirate away another city's NBA or NHL franchise. And, of course, there sits Las Vegas with its growing populace. Detroit always has taken great pride in having a rich history of sports tradition and a full slate of professional sports, but pride won't curry it any favor in an ownership jungle where only the most profitable will survive.

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... someo.html

About Last Night: Because someone has to write about it, I guess
Dealing with lingering injuries for the first time in his career, along with an inability to find a rhythm the few times he's been able to get on the court, I'm sure are extremely frustrating to Tayshaun Prince. On top of that, he has not one, but two, hot-shot rookies that every fan seems to love breathing down his neck for playing time, pesky bloggers dreaming up trade scenarios involving him leaving the only city he's known as a professional and other bloggers using pesky statistics to point out just how much the one thing he hangs his hat on -- defense -- has slipped in recent seasons.

It has not been a good season for Prince, to say the least, so it's not surprising that he'd get frustrated enough to get into a shouting match with John Kuester in plain sight of everyone on media row. His "comments" after the game, however, seemed really petty: “Don’t ask me that question,” Prince said when asked about the incident. “Because if I speak on it, you all are going to do nothing but change my words on it, so I’m not going to answer that.” Prince cut a follow-up question short. “Did you just hear what I said?” Prince said. “OK.”

Come on Tayshaun ... you've played your entire career in one of the gentlest media markets in the country. Your career-defining moment came six years ago. Your numbers peaked in your third year (second year with regular playing time) and never got better -- seriously, who peaks that early? You disappeared a couple of key playoff series. All the while, you've been treated pretty fairly overall by fans and media in this town. I'm certainly not a person who would ever give the media a free pass -- reporters deserve to be scrutinized just as much (if not more) than the people they cover. But in this instance, to put this on the media -- "I can't answer any questions because you are all untrustworthy!" -- is beyond weak.Just be real -- I think everyone would understand that frustration. It was obviously a terrible game, for not just you. You are coming off an injury, trying to get your timing back and trying to adjust to new teammates that you've had less in-game time with than anyone. All perfectly understandable reasons for frustration. You say that, people will understand. Heck, if you want to wait a couple days and give an "I'd rather not talk about tonight," I think people would understand that. But give something beyond a tired excuse. Onto some notes. And trust me, they're going to be quick. Because when you give up a season-high in points to Brandon Rush, there's not much worth talking about.

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... someo.html

So, about those pregame comments: This was John Kuester before the game, when discussing activating Tayshaun Prince: Even though Prince was allowed to choose when he would enter the game, Kuester planned to keep a close eye on how long he stayed in it. “I’ve got something in my mind that I want to keep it at,” Kuester said. “We’ll monitor his minutes.”

I get the respect factor given to veterans. But this team is terrible with Prince in the starting lineup. It doesn't mean he has no role -- he's a solid enough player to find a way to contribute. But the starting lineup just doesn't work with him in it. This is why the previous lineup -- Stuckey/Rip/Jerebko/Wallace/Wilcox -- was so effective: they move. Stuckey penetrates and goes hard to the basket. Rip comes off screens, can occasionally take people off the dribble and occasionally post up. They both dominate the ball. This is fine when you have three other guys on the floor who don't -- Wallace, Wilcox and Jerebko run around, they hustle, they attack the offensive glass, they make cuts, they run the floor and all are decent at finishing around the rim.

Adding a third starter who likes to have the ball in his hands kills the dynamic. Stuckey and Rip are both better than Prince. Letting Prince have the ball or initiate the offense or take shots that would go to them makes the Pistons a worse team. Prince, with that lineup, essentially becomes a spot-up shooter. If you are going to have a spot-up shooter on the floor, why not just start Austin Daye instead? He's a much better perimeter shooter.