'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 58

[nasty daddy]

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

Ben Wallace is right, leaving Detroit in 2006 was the right decision
Ben Wallace has triumphantly returned to the city and team where he became an NBA star. You've seen the games, and even if you haven't, you've certainly noticed the eye-popping numbers on the stat sheets. Wallace is producing at a level no one expected when the 35-year-old rebounding machine re-joined the Detroit Pistons this offseason.

Still, despite the success he's found in familiar settings, Wallace told reporters this week that he doesn't regret his decision to leave Detroit to join the Chicago Bulls after the 2005-06 season.December 2, Chicago Tribune: "It wasn't a mistake," Wallace said. "At that time, I couldn't have played here. I would've been more of a distraction than a help. And that's the last thing I wanted to be. Wallace had reached a breaking point with the Pistons. The way he loved to play basketball conflicted with the system head coach Flip Saunders was trying to install. "Our style had changed. Me and (then-coach Flip Saunders) constantly butted heads about what was best for the team. I had reached the end.

Not to put a cynical spin on this story, but I'm sure the additional $12 million the Bulls offered Wallace didn't hinder Wallace's decision-making process. The additional cash also eases any regret Wallace might have felt. Still, the way these events continue to unfold has built on Wallace's legacy in Detroit. Had he stuck with the Pistons, signing the four-year, $48 million contract general manager Joe Dumars put on the table, Wallace would have hindered the team emotionally, physically and financially. As Wallace points out in the Tribune report, he would have been a distraction in Detroit. As a locker room leader, continuing an open feud with the coach is a death sentence to team unity. Also, Wallace's injuries and age would have led to a continuing decline in production on the court. His final year with the Pistons was easily his worst. He posted six-year lows in both rebounding and blocks. Fans would have grown frustrated with the lack of production coupled with his large contract. Just think about it. If Wallace had stayed with the Pistons, he'd be in the final year of his contract this season, making somewhere between $12-14 million. And speaking of that contract. It would have severely limited what the Pistons could have done in the free agent market the last four years. It's impossible to determine how everything would have transpired, but it's safe to say the Pistons would have had a difficult time signing rising young stars like Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva if Wallace's contract was on Detroit's books. By being away during the down years of his career and wildly exceeding expectations in his return to the Motor City, Wallace's legacy shines as bright as ever with Pistons fans.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.971theticket.com/pages/3824327.php

Still-healing Ben Gordon might get chance to face old team tonight
Ben Gordon keeps in touch with several former teammates -- he gives Luol Deng a call, sends a text to either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.971theticket.com/pages/3824327.php

Ron Artest: 'I'm always in the mood to fight (Ben Wallace)'
Malice at the Palace star Ron Artest has quite the interview in the latest Sporting News. In it, the Los Angeles Lakers forward says he used to drink alcohol at halftime of games with the Chicago Bulls, rips referee Joey Crawford and Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, and says he's training to become a boxer.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.971theticket.com/pages/3824327.php

Ben Gordon, but not Charlie Villanueva, likely to play vs. Bulls
One out of two isn't bad, and that's what the Pistons are probably looking at heading into Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Ben Gordon (sprained left ankle) reported continuing progress after Wednesday morning's shoot-around and appears ready to play. But Charlie Villanueva (broken nose) probably will need another day or two to recover from surgery.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091202/S ... en-Wallace

Ron Artest: 'I'm always in the mood to fight (Ben Wallace)'
Malice at the Palace star Ron Artest has quite the interview in the latest Sporting News

In it, the Los Angeles Lakers forward says he used to drink alcohol at halftime of games with the Chicago Bulls, rips referee Joey Crawford and Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, and says he's training to become a boxer. Oh, and he says he wants to fight Pistons center Ben Wallace, but not in the ring. Here are two of our favorite snippets from the interview:

• On the 2004 brawl in Detroit for which Artest was suspended 73 games and lost $7 million in salary: "It wasn't my fault. … I don't see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, 'Oh, look, you're about to run in some stands, so stop.'"
• On his feelings toward Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whose altercation with Artest touched off the melee in Detroit: "I see Ben, I'm on my guard now. I'm always in the mood to fight him. … I'll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I'll just fight him right there. It won't go into the stands."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091202/S ... p-Hamilton

Pistons need Tayshaun Prince back much more than they need Rip Hamilton
Whom do the Pistons more desperately need back: Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince?

I’ll go with option C: Ben Gordon. But if we assume that Gordon is day-to-day and the other two are longer-term injuries, then I’ll go with Prince. Why? Because of Ben Gordon. Yes, it’s a weird circle, but look at the Pistons' backcourt. Even with Gordon out, it’s actually been OK. And with Gordon healthy, it’s the strength of the team. When Hamilton comes back, I really don’t know how John Kuester is going to divide the minutes among four good guards. I’ll regret saying this, and I’ll enrage Rip City, USA, but the Pistons … don’t … really … need … Hamilton.

But they need Prince. Maybe the seven-game losing streak finally will wake this fan base up to what a valuable player Prince is. He doesn’t do anything perfectly, but he does everything well. Players like him are never truly appreciated until they’re gone or hurt. But even now that he’s hurt, I still don’t feel like fans are aware of his absence. With Hamilton gone, the Pistons can turn to Gordon or Will Bynum, both very good options. With Prince gone, Kuester has been forced to go with Jonas Jerebko, who has been Ok (much better as of late). But think about it: With a healthy Prince, Jerebko can come off the bench and play an even more important role.People sometimes forget that when a player goes down, it’s not just about replacing that player, it’s also about replacing the player who replaced the original player. It throws off the entire rotation. That’s what Kuester has had to deal with since opening night, which made his first month on the job nearly impossible and certainly impossible to evaluate. It was good to see Prince moving around a bit in the practice video they showed during Sunday’s game. It will be even better to see him moving around the floor in an actual game. The Pistons need him … badly.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/video/teams/pistons/ ... index.html

Gameday Practice - Pistons at Bulls
Ben Gordon talks about his injury, while Coach Kuester discusses the starting lineup and whether or not Gordon or Charlie Villanueva will play tonight.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2009/12/the-pisto ... lls-2.html

The Pistons vs. The Bulls
The 6-11 Pistons The 6-9 Chicago Bulls at the United Center. According to Kuester, we will probably see the same Pistons’ lineup in Chicago that took the court at the Palace against Atlanta. Nothing solid as to when or if either Ben Gordon or Charlie Villanueva will take the court in Chicago. via Pistons.com

I have a question…will Ben Wallace get booed by the United Center crowd? I’m pretty sure they won’t give the same reception to Mr. Wallace as they will to the other Ben in his return to his old home.

Tip is at 8:00 pm EST and will be televised on Fox Sports Detroit. For the radio broadcast tune into 97.1 The Ticket or follow the action on NBA.com.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b1Q9J

SN Conversation with Ron Artest: 'I used to drink Hennessy at halftime'
Ron Artest, the 30-year-old, first-year starter with the Los Angeles Lakers, may yet prove to be a crucial piece of an improved championship puzzle. But those who are counting on one of the league's most explosive personalities to avoid controversy with his fifth NBA team may want to temper their expectations. In a lengthy interview for the December 7 issue of Sporting News magazine, Artest—best known as the central figure in the infamous Malice at the Palace in 2004—bared all, including a startling admission that he drank alcohol during games as a member of the Chicago Bulls, for whom he played from 1999-2002. "I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime," Artest says in the interview, which hits newsstands this week. "I (kept it) in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store (near the stadium) and get it."

•On the 2004 brawl in Detroit for which Artest was suspended 73 games and lost $7 million in salary: "It wasn't my fault. … I don't see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, 'Oh, look, you're about to run in some stands, so stop.'"

•On his feelings toward Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whose altercation with Artest touched off the melee in Detroit: "I see Ben, I'm on my guard now. I'm always in the mood to fight him. … I'll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I'll just fight him right there. It won't go into the stands."

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/02/nba- ... harpening/

1: Los Angeles Lakers
2: Orlando Magic
3: Boston Celtics
4: Cleveland Cvaliers
5: Phoenix Suns
6: Dallas Mavericks
7: Denver Nuggets
8: Utah Jazz
9: Atlanta Hawks
10: Portland Trailblazers
26: Detroit Pistons

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/02/nba- ... harpening/

26. Pistons (6-11) | Prev.: 22
No Ben Gordon, no Charlie Villanueva, no Richard Hamilton, no Tayshuan Prince, and the Pistons win. Naturally. This team is all over the place and its biggest struggle has been simply trying to find something to work on. One minute it's the defense being out of sorts, the next it's the offense unable to get going. At least Ben Wallace is having a Defensive Player of the Year type of season. And Jonas Jerebko looks much better than you'd think.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091202/S ... stays-same

Pistons' Charlie Villanueva out; lineup stays the same as Sunday
Even if Ben Gordon is ready to play in tonight's game against the Bulls, Pistons coach John Kuester is going to roll with the starting lineup that ended a seven-game losing streak Sunday.

That means Chucky Atkins will be at point guard, alongside Jason Maxiell, Ben Wallace, Rodney Stuckey and Jonas Jerebko against the reeling Bulls tonight. Forward Charlie Villanueva will miss tonight's game because of discomfort from the broken nose he suffered in Sunday's victory over the Hawks. He was still sporting a nasty looking gash on the bridge of his nose at shootaround this morning.

The 6-foot-11 forward was in obvious discomfort that he said was caused by a headache and tightness in the sinus area.

[nasty daddy]

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/pist ... logid=1980

CV not playing
Charlie Villanueva will not play tonight against the Bulls. Ben Gordon is on the court right now warming up. I wouldn't be surprised if Gordon did play.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.motownstringmusic.com/2009/1 ... ns-chicago

Game 18: Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
NBA Regular Season
Game 18
@
6-11 (2-7 away)
6-9 (4-1 home)
United Center
Bulls Blog Blog a Bull
December 2, 2009 8:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Probable starters:
Chucky Atkins PG
Derrick Rose
Rodney Stuckey SG
John Salmons
Jonas Jerebko SF Luol Deng
Jason Maxiell PF Taj Gibson
Ben Wallace C
Joakim Noah

I got a late start on this preview, so it's going to have some holes. Coincidentally, both teams will be having gaping holes in their lineup tonight at the United Center.Detroit may be without three of their season opener starters and their sixth man tonight. Chicago, meanwhile, will be without Tyrus Thomas, the Hinrich maneuver, and are missing Ben Gordon, too. (Not that I'm complaining, but I'm still shocked at how poorly the Bulls organization handled Gordon. I know I'm not the only one). Gordon and Villanueva will actually be game time decisions. Villanueva was fitted for a mask yesterday and True Blue Pistons said he would probably play. Gordon practiced lightly the past couple days.

Detroit will hopefully build off of their solid victory over the Hawks, but they have a little bit of a streak working against them: Chicago has taken the last six home games against the Pistons over the last three seasons. In addition, following a tough two point loss the other night, Chicago is going to be fired up to get back on track. That firery attitude will be dipped in kerosene if Ben Gordon plays, because they'll want to show him they don't need him. Of course, that works both ways, as Gordon will want to show the Bulls what they are truly missing out on. I hope he plays. Tip off is 8 PM EST.
UPDATE: Charlie Villanueva is out. Ben Gordon still up in the air, but even if he can play, the starting lineup will be the same as Sunday's.

[nasty daddy]

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

Book Review: Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball
Putting Bill Simmons' name in a headline is sure to elicit (mostly) one of two responses: Simmons is a complete hack, terrible writer and full of himself or Simmons is the most hilarious man who ever made four Michael Buffer jokes and compared Kobe Bryant to Teen Wolf in the same book. I'm familiar with the annoyances of Simmons' writing. I really am. (Note: The fact that he constantly follows declarative statements with sentences like "I really am" is perhaps my biggest beef). But the reason I continuously read him is the fact that, unlike most big-time sports columnists, he loves the NBA. Most great, passionate NBA writers are mercenaries, scattered at places like FreeDarko, SLAM, Ball Don't Lie, et. al., away from the vitriol towards their league present in the mainstream.

Prominent writers at places like ESPN.com or SI.com and especially newspapers have been more prone to write about the NBA in wistful terms, like they miss the good old days when everyone played team basketball, or rant about how college basketball is superior (ridiculous) or reminisce about when players didn't have tattoos. Frankly, it's very annoying, and I put up with Simmons because he writes about the league as-is, not with some faux-moralistic, "this is what it should be" tact. He's wrong and just plain stupid sometimes (he would've drafted Emeka Okafor over Dwight Howard, for example), but he's also a talented writer and entertaining and passionate when talking about the league.

Still, even though I like him as a writer, plowing through a 700-page door-stop of a book is daunting, and if I didn't get the book free, I probably would've been less inclined to do it. But at the same time, Simmons came of age as an adult basketball fan watching the 1980s Celtics, who just so happened to have some epic battles with the Bad Boys-era Pistons, the team that made me a huge NBA fan. I was fairly interested in how he'd portray such a bitter rival of his favorite team.I'm not a book reviewer and have no idea if people actually read book reviews anymore, but I'll break this up into some bullet points, both reasons why you should and shouldn't read it, in case you're on the fence about picking it up. If you hate Simmons, it's cool. You can move along now as I'm sure I'm not going to have anything that will convince you differently. If you've never heard of him, hopefully this will give you a little overview of ESPN's most popular writer. If you're a fan, I'll avoid giving away too much of the premise of the book in case you are still meandering through it. If you are none of those things, it'll just be some semi-interesting bullet points about hoops.

[nasty daddy]

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

The Secret: I'm not going to say what 'The Secret' is, but just know this: it is stupid. 'The Secret' was told to Simmons poolside in Vegas by Isiah Thomas, and Simmons eats it up. Thinks it's the smartest thing he's ever heard and constantly comes back to it throughout the book. Seriously, if anyone watches basketball closely, or any sport for that matter, and doesn't have an inkling of 'The Secret,' well ... you're kind of a moron. That's rude, but I have no better way to explain how amateurish this concept is.

[nasty daddy]

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

He's very fair to the Pistons: A big part of the book is spent evaluating how teams and players from different eras can be compared and basically ranked as far as impact on basketball. Although he doesn't have particularly nice things to say about Bill Laimbeer as a person (surprise), Simmons pretty accurately and fairly evaluates the careers of several Bad Boy-era guys, including Laimbeer, Thomas, Vinnie Johnson, Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman. He also ranks the first title team as one of the top 10 teams in NBA history. Honestly, considering his knack for getting in digs at the Pistons on occasion in his ESPN columns, I was expecting his obvious bias to show through in the book. He hid it pretty well.

[nasty daddy]

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

Ben Wallace is not rated properly: I don't like that Ben Wallace is labeled a role player in his book. I've made this point before, but while Wallace was definitely a one-dimensional player, that dimension was so great at it's apex that it made his relatively weak offense not a big issue. He was the most important player on a championship team. That, by definition, is not a 'role player.' Simmons hates looking at statistics, particularly advanced statistics like PER and rebound rate, but I will always argue those are fair evaluators. Robert Horry and Steve Kerr were role players. Wallace is better than lesser defense-first glue guys like Charles Oakley. He may not be a Hall of Famer, but he's better than Simmons gave him credit for in this book.

[nasty daddy]

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

Simmons does not write from the perspective of the fan: That's been his schtick since he was hired by ESPN. Sorry Bill, but you have way too much access to ever write from the fan's perspective. While playing up his "average Joe-ness" throughout the book, he's also recounting stories about having lunch with Elgin Baylor, shooting contests with Mike Dunleavy, running into Charles Oakley and Michael Jordan in cigar rooms in Vegas that no normal person would be allowed in, exchanging e-mails with Steve Kerr, not to mention the fact that the dude's book hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, so I'm sure there's quite the income disparity between Simmons and the average fan.

That's not necessarily a bad thing though. He gets access to people and can talk more freely than a typical journalist, who has to rely on people as sources and nurture those professional relationships for fear of getting access cut off. Simmons' discussions with Thomas and Baylor are particularly interesting parts of the book, and they are conversations that never would've happened if he didn't write for ESPN.

[nasty daddy]

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

Yeah, the pop culture stuff is really lame: It's a common complaint. Simmons has basically not watched a movie since 1987. His favorite references include: Teen Wolf, Karate Kid, the Rocky Movies and Hoosiers. Somehow, though, his TV watching habits are similar to those of a 16-year-old girl, because he also packs in the references to Road Rules/Real World Challenge and The Hills. And perhaps most disturbing, he has more than a passing fascination with male porn stars.

It would be funny if it were not so lame. I wish I could tell you how to avoid them in the book, but I can't. Some are in footnotes, but you can't skip all the footnotes because some have relevant info. Some are just digressions thrown right into the middle of blocks of text about, like, Paul Arizin or something. They come out of nowhere. They are super lame. But that's part of Simmons, and the references aren't going anywhere.