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Jermaine O'Neal Will Return Against Pacers
Jermaine O’Neal may be gimpy but he’s not missing the chance to play back in Indiana.
O’Neal, who has been nursing a bruised right hip – an injury which caused him to miss the Miami HEAT’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies Monday – plans on returning to the starting lineup with the HEAT playing at Conseco Fieldhouse against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Derrick Rose Sidelined With Bruised Wrist
As Chicago beat Detroit on national television Tuesday night, Derrick Rose could only watch and learn. Rose was sidelined with a “badly bruised wrist” and may miss Thursday’s home game against Miami as well. He will be re-evaluated on Wednesday. ''[Trainer Fred Tedeschi] told me to sit out for a while, like two to three days and let it heal,'' Rose said. ''I had X-rays and I had an MRI [Tuesday] morning. They said it's a bruised wrist. Trust me, I can take pain. But it really hurts. I can barely turn a door knob.''
Rose said he initially injured the wrist – which was heavily wrapped – on a failed dunk in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards on Monday and started to feel discomfort Tuesday morning.
The Chicago Bulls, who are 34-38, have now won five of their last six games and sit eighth and last playoff spot in the East by two games over Charlotte and 2½ games over Milwaukee.
Nets Won't Rush Back Devin Harris
Devin Harris looked good but the New Jersey Nets have no plans in playing him Wednesday in Cleveland.
Harris – who is suffering from two separate left shoulder injuries – took part in Nets practice on Tuesday afternoon, launching corner three-pointers and some jumpers. But as much as the Nets need their leading scoring point guard back in the mix to stay alive for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, head coach Lawrence Frank isn’t ready to rush Harris back. "He's not playing (Wednesday night)," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said when asked about Harris, who has missed four games with two left shoulder injuries.
Harris has yet to participate in a full-contact practice but said he would take part in Wednesday’s shoot around. For now, Friday's home game against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers appears “a more likely spot for Harris to return to action.”
INJURY UPDATE
Forward Jermaine O'Neal said his bruised right hip wouldn't keep him out of his homecoming of sorts.
O'Neal anchored the middle in Indiana for eight seasons during its regular-season dominance of the Heat before he was traded to Toronto last summer. O'Neal was dealt again to the Heat last month.
Kirk steps in and steps up
Hinrich starts for injured Rose, scores 24 points to lead Bulls. A week ago, simply eking into the playoff picture was a worthy goal. But with the 99-91 victory Tuesday over the Detroit Pistons in a nationally televised game, the Bulls are only one game behind seventh-place Detroit and four games behind sixth-place Philadelphia. Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich tries to muscle past Detroit guard Arron Afflalo. Hinrich led the Bulls with 24 points, replacing the injured Derrick Rose, who was out with a badly bruised right wrist. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls as he slid seamlessly into his old role as the starting point guard, replacing the injured Derrick Rose, who was out with a badly bruised right wrist. ''We have a system, and Kirk knows it as well as anybody,'' Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''We did not run as many pick-and-rolls, but when we did, Kirk was aggressive.'' Hinrich had team highs in points (24) and assists (eight) while directing Del Negro's 17th different starting five of the season. ''I've been playing pretty well of late in somewhat limited minutes,'' Hinrich said. ''I just want to go out there and keep that same mentality, coming in and playing hard, doing what I can to help the team.''
Thomas was a force on both ends with his 17th double-double. He had 18 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Hinrich had started 376 of 389 games over five seasons before Rose was drafted with the first pick of last summer's draft. The Bulls (34-38) have won five of their last six. They hold the eighth and last playoff berth by two games over Charlotte and 2½ games over Milwaukee. Rose wore a heavy wrap as he watched his teammates shoot before the game. He will be re-evaluated today but could miss the home game against Miami on Thursday. ''[Trainer Fred Tedeschi] told me to sit out for a while, like two to three days and let it heal,'' Rose said. ''I had X-rays and I had an MRI [Tuesday] morning. They said it's a bruised wrist. Trust me, I can take pain. But it really hurts. I can barely turn a door knob.'' Rose said he hurt his wrist on a failed dunk in the second quarter Monday. He played 21 minutes in the second half against the Wizards but began to feel real discomfort Tuesday morning. ''I jammed it,'' Rose said. ''It's tough [being out]. We're still looking to get further into the playoffs. We have to worry about other teams sneaking up from behind us.''
Joakim Noah was the only Bulls starter not to log at least 39 minutes. Hinrich, Gordon and John Salmons (16 points) each clocked 46 minutes, so Del Negro called off practice today. ''It's tough when you lose your starting point guard,'' Del Negro said. ''It's also tough not having Luol [Deng]. ''We've had a lot of injuries all season. Guys have to step up. We have a lot of confidence in Kirk. Everybody has to chip in to try to make up for the loss of Derrick. ''We will be cautious and smart and get him some rest, and hopefully he'll feel better. We'll see what answers we get on Thursday.'' Tim Thomas, who left the game Monday because of back spasms, was treated by a chiropractor Tuesday. He played only five minutes. The Pistons were without Richard Hamilton (groin), Rasheed Wallace (calf) and Allen Iverson (back).
Harris, who hasn't participated in full-contact practice, said he'll be able to take part in the shootaround Wednesday morning, but isn't ready to play Wednesday night.
"It's more about the contact," Harris said when asked if shooting is the biggest worry right now. "Because that's a big part of my game, creating contact."
Detroit (34-35) at Chicago (33-38), 8:00 p.m. EDT
Home games dominate the Chicago Bulls' schedule for the final three weeks of the regular season. If they plan on making the playoffs, they'll need to continue their strong play at the United Center. Currently the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed, the Bulls will hope to secure a spot by playing eight of their final 11 games at home, a stretch that starts Tuesday night against the short-handed Detroit Pistons. Chicago has won seven of eight at home to jump into playoff position in the East, with the lone loss coming Saturday against the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls led by 14 at halftime, but let the lead slip away in the fourth en route to a 117-109 defeat.Chicago's first chance to bounce back came Monday at woeful Washington, and it nearly lost another double-digit lead. This time the Bulls led 88-77 with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter, but had to hold on for a 101-99 victory that pulled them 1 1/2 games ahead of ninth-place Charlotte. "Of course there's a concern, but the biggest concern is winning and losing," Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said. "That's what it comes down to. We made enough plays today to win. We were fortunate a little bit at the end, but we got the job done." A favorable schedule down the stretch should help the Bulls. Only two of their final 11 opponents have winning records, and both of those games are at home. Just two games ahead of Chicago in seventh place are the Pistons, who have gone 7-14 since February 8 to leave open the possibility that they'll miss the playoffs for the first time since 2001.Some of Detroit's struggles are due to its rash of injuries. Allen Iverson (back) has missed the past 13 games, Rasheed Wallace (calf) has missed seven straight and Richard Hamilton (groin) has sat out the last four. Rodney Stuckey had missed the Pistons' 108-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday with flu-like symptoms, but he returned Sunday and scored 24 against visiting Miami. That wasn't enough, though, as Dwyane Wade scored 39 points in the Heat's 101-96 comeback victory. Detroit has lost four of its last five, all by five points or fewer. "This is four games we've given away at the end," said Arron Afflalo, who had 13 points starting in the guard spot normally shared by Iverson and Hamilton. "We've got to find a way to pull these out."Afflalo will likely start again Tuesday with Hamilton doubtful, but Stuckey may be the key for Detroit. The second-year guard had a career-high 40 points in the Pistons' 104-98 home win over the Bulls on December 23, but was held to 16 while shooting 6-of-16 on February 20 in a 107-102 loss at Chicago - Detroit's fifth straight defeat in the Windy City. In that contest, the Bulls blew a lead but also staged a major comeback. They led by eight after the first quarter but were down 14 after three, shortly before Derrick Rose took over. The top overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft had nine of his 23 points in the game's final four minutes, leading Chicago to a 107-102 win. The Bulls are 16-8 when Rose scores more than 20 points. Detroit's bigger concern may be John Salmons. The veteran swingman, acquired from Sacramento last month, has averaged 22.3 points in 11 games since Del Negro inserted him into Chicago's starting lineup.
CHICAGO 99, DETROIT 91
Just in case anyone forgot, Kirk Hinrich showed he's not a bad point guard, either. Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for injured phenom Derrick Rose, and the Chicago Bulls beat Detroit, 99-91, Tuesday night to pull within a game of the seventh-place Pistons in the Eastern Conference. "By no means is Kirk a backup point guard," Chicago's John Salmons said. "But we've got the best backup point guard in the league." This hasn't been an easy season for Hinrich, but he was at his best on a night when his team needed it. With Rose sidelined, the veteran delivered a performance that brought back memories of his first five years, when he was the starter and the Bulls made three straight playoffs. Of course, everything changed after last season's free fall. Hinrich lost his job when the Bulls drafted Rose with the No. 1 pick, then sustained a thumb injury early on that knocked him out for 30 games. "It's been challenging at times, just trying to stay with it," he said. "I feel like I've been playing well lately in somewhat limited minutes. I'm just trying to stay in and do whatever I can to help the team make the playoffs." Consider this performance one big assist from Hinrich, who actually distributed eight. He had plenty of help from the rest of the starters - all of whom scored in double figures while playing at least 29 minutes. Ben Gordon scored 19, Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and John Salmons added 16 points as the Bulls earned their fifth win in six games. More importantly, they now lead Charlotte by two games and Milwaukee by two in the race for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot and are right behind seventh-place Detroit, which has lost five of six. Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 each for the Pistons, who clearly miss injured stars Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. Bynum also had nine assists while Antonio McDyess scored 16, but the Bulls simply pulled away in the second half. "We really need those guys back," Prince said. "But at the same time, while they're not here, we've got to figure out a way in the situation we have. We almost have to play perfect basketball to come out with a win." Trailing by one early in the third, Chicago scored 10 straight to go ahead for good, 60-51, and broke it open early in the fourth. An off-balance Thomas started the final quarter by banking a short transition jumper and buried the free throw, and Hinrich followed with a jumper that made it 80-68. Another layup by Hinrich midway through the quarter made it 92-73, and while he certainly didn't make anyone forget about Rose, the veteran did an admirable job filling in for the star rookie. His only failure was at the end, when he missed the second of two free throws and denied fans the free Big Macs that come when the Bulls score 100. They let him hear it then and during a postgame interview. Otherwise, he gave them plenty to cheer. "I've got a thicker skin than that," a grinning Hinrich said. Tuesday's game was the first of two remaining between these old rivals, who are jockeying for playoff positioning while dealing with injuries. Rose's absence was a mild surprise for the Bulls, considering he wound up playing 39 minutes at Washington the previous night despite injuring the wrist on a dunk attempt in the second quarter. X-rays and an MRI showed no damage. Even so, he was in too much pain to play on Tuesday. The Pistons, meanwhile, have their injury issues. Iverson missed his 14th game in a row with a sore back, while Wallace (strained left calf) and Hamilton (strained left groin) missed their eighth and fifth straight, respectively. Clearly, the Pistons miss their stars. Then again, they weren't exactly rolling when they were healthy. They dropped eight in a row before Iverson went down, and after a four-game win streak, the losses started piling up again. "We need to stay the course and try to control what we can control," Pistons coach Michael Curry said.
Rangu (New Dehli): Dear Mr. Thorpe, please answer a question from yours truly. Whom do you think the Celtics would prefer to play of the two Bulls and Pistons. This is also taking into consideration the worrying injuries that the Boston have. Thank you and God Bless.
David Thorpe: They probably prefer Detroit. Bulls have some firepower, especially if Deng returns.
Missing the playoffs no option for Pistons
The Lions have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, in case you haven’t heard. But if you haven’t heard, you’re not reading this. If you haven’t heard, you’re not conscious. Because since before the NFL season ended, when it was apparent the Lions would nail down the No. 1 pick with the worst record in the NFL whether they completed their 0-16 quest or not, the buzz generated by getting the No. 1 pick has been overwhelming. As I write this sentence, six of the top eight “most commented” stories on MLive.com’s site are Lions-related. That’s not unusual. A few weeks ago, it was eight for eight. For all the suffering they endured last fall, owning the No. 1 pick is an amazing windfall of free publicity for the Lions. Short of having made the playoffs last season, going 0-16 was a pretty good thing for the Lions. So now that the Pistons have hit another rough patch, losing six of eight games since Rasheed Wallace limped off with a strained calf muscle, and their playoff fate gets pushed to iffy, I suspect a significant portion of Pistons Nation is warming to the notion of missing the playoffs altogether because of the tantalizing prospect of winning the lottery. Well, forget that. As it stands today, the Pistons are four times more likely to win the NBA title than to win the lottery. That’s not me. That’s coming from ESPN.com’s John Hollinger and his playoff projections, a math-based computer program that pegs the Pistons shot at winning it all at 4 in 1,000 and their chances at winning the lottery at 1 in 1,000.
The history of the NBA draft lottery is rife with examples of teams with the worst record falling to second, third or even fourth in the pecking order. But it’s not loaded with examples of teams at the back end of the lottery moving up, certainly not since they’ve tweaked the weighting. The Bulls won the lottery last year as a long shot, but not that much of one. Only eight teams had worse records than the Bulls. If the Pistons fail to make the playoffs, it’s likely they’ll have the second-best record among non-playoff teams – the West’s No. 9 seed will have the best. The Bulls had a 1.7 chance of winning – which is 17 times better than a 0.1 percent chance. Beyond that, it’s just not a draft where you’d clamor to move up to No. 2 or 3. Blake Griffin, the slam-dunk No. 1 pick, looks like a future All-Star. Beyond that, it’s anybody’s guess. There are a lot of intriguing prospects, but drafting 14th – where the Pistons would almost surely wind up if they miss the playoffs – or drafting, say, 17th, isn’t going to make much of a difference in this draft. If the Pistons don’t get healthy soon, they’re in some peril of being forced to attend lottery proceedings for the first time in eight years. Holding off Chicago for the No. 7 seed is going to be tough, given their schedules. The Pistons have 12 games left but only five at home. The Bulls have 10 games left, seven at home. The Pistons still have to play the Lakers and Cavs. Miami is the team with the best record left on Chicago’s schedule. Getting healthy soon doesn’t look quite as likely as it did a few days ago. Michael Curry nixed practice today, which is a strong indication that none of the walking wounded – Allen Iverson (out 14 games with a bad back), Wallace (eight, calf) and Rip Hamilton (five, groin) – will play Thursday.
They’d practice if it meant helping someone close to returning get their timing back and break a sweat. But if Iverson, Wallace or Hamilton can’t get on the floor, then prudence calls for those left behind to get off their feet. Listen to what Antonio McDyess told reporters after Tuesday’s loss at Chicago: “My body feels good, but tonight I just felt a step slow. I just wonder if playing all these minutes is going to catch up to me later. It could hit me all of a sudden, you know? I hope it (doesn’t), but I am afraid it might.”That’s a seed the Pistons don’t want to sow. Just as Wallace’s play lagged in December for the strain put on him as McDyess sat out the mandated 30 days before rejoining the Pistons following his buyout from Denver, the danger is that even when Wallace returns the Pistons won’t get the bounce they need because McDyess will wither from overuse. So as desperately as the competitor in Curry probably wants to run a three-hour practice to clean up the dustballs in the corners of the Pistons’ game, the voice of reason within him wins out. He’s monitoring two races along parallel paths – one that runs through Arnie Kander’s physical therapy room, the other through the Eastern Conference standings. He has to hope Kander’s magic potions do their thing with enough time left over for Curry to pull the Pistons back on the road and re-enter that other chase. It would leave them all feeling empty if this crossroads season ended without the Pistons getting a chance at the salvation the playoffs offer. All they really want now is to get to April 16, the morning after the season finale, with a full roster and a record better than seven other teams in the Eastern Conference. If that means the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup with Cleveland, so be it. The lottery offers them no solace.
Steve (Detroit, MI): Dave, have you been watching Rodney Stuckey lately? Is he the real deal or what? I used to think so but but he's playing bad as of late.
David Thorpe: I was not impressed in a game I saw recently.
Unique Dual Telecast Planned For Thursday’s Pistons-Lakers Game
For the first time, FOX Sports Detroit’s collection of channels will present simultaneous telecasts of the same game, but from two different perspectives, when the Pistons take on the Los Angeles Lakers at the Palace on Thursday, March 26. The traditional game coverage will appear on FOX Sports Detroit and in high-definition on FOX Sports Detroit HD.
Meanwhile, FOX Sports Detroit PLUS present/s a “Match-up Cam” telecast, with devoted cameras isolating on key battles throughout the game among the many stars on each team. “We are looking forward to this unique, creative and compelling use of our PLUS service,” said Greg Hammaren, Senior Vice President/General Manager, FOX Sports Detroit. “We hope fans that are enjoying the traditional high-quality telecast on our main service will be intrigued to sample PLUS to see an isolated view of just how hard these great athletes work during the course of a game.”
Channel listings of this game in the link above^.Coverage on all channels begins at 6:30 PM with Pistons Insider, followed by PISTONS LIVE at 7:00 and the game at 7:30. Game audio will be the same on all channels with play-by-play announcer George Blaha, analyst Greg Kelser, along with sideline reporters Ryan Field and Eli Zaret. Field hosts PISTONS LIVE pregame, while Mickey York hosts the postgame edition. Click here for a list of cable channels that FS Detroit's cable and satellite partners use on their systems. If you tune in to those channels Friday and don't get the game, contact your satellite or cable provider.
Hamilton's former agent center of NCAA violations at UConn
The big story, if you're inclined to check it out, is Yahoo and Rivals have uncovered that Connecticut has committed NCAA violations. The violations center around Josh Nochimson, a former professional sports agent and UConn student manager, and the recruitment of former Huskies guard Nate Miles.
This isn't the first time Nochimson has received negative publicity. In 2008, he was fired by client Richard Hamilton after Hamilton accused him of stealing a significant chunk of change.
Nochimson filed paperwork with the NBA Players Association to decertify himself as an agent in June 2008 after UConn All-American and Detroit Pistons star Richard Hamilton fired him as his business manager and accused him of stealing more than $1 million. "He was pretty much running his business as an agent off of me," Hamilton said. Nochimson declined to comment for this story.
Dual Telecast Planned For Thursday's Pistons-Lakers Game
Fox Sports Detroit is going to try an uniquely interesting telecast idea during Thursday's matchup with the Lakers.
For the first time, FOX Sports Detroit's collection of channels will present simultaneous telecasts of the same game, but from two different perspectives, when the Pistons take on the Los Angeles Lakers at the Palace on Thursday, March 26. The traditional game coverage will appear on FOX Sports Detroit and in high-definition on FOX Sports Detroit HD. Meanwhile, FOX Sports Detroit PLUS present/s a "Match-up Cam" telecast, with devoted cameras isolating on key battles throughout the game among the many stars on each team. "We are looking forward to this unique, creative and compelling use of our PLUS service," said Greg Hammaren, Senior Vice President/General Manager, FOX Sports Detroit. "We hope fans that are enjoying the traditional high-quality telecast on our main service will be intrigued to sample PLUS to see an isolated view of just how hard these great athletes work during the course of a game."
Coverage on both channels will begin at 6:30pm, with the actual game starting at 7:30pm. This could be the start of a new trend in sports coverage.
Richard Hamilton's ex-business manager accused of recruiting violations at UConn
The University of Connecticut said it will review a Yahoo! Sports report that the school broke NCAA rules when it recruited former basketball player Nate Miles. Miles, a 6-foot-7 guard from Toledo, was given lodging, transportation, meals and representation by sports agent Josh Nochimson, and a UConn assistant coach knew about the relationship between the player and the agent at the time, Yahoo reported, citing interviews, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and other sources. Nochimson was the business manager and personal assistant for former UConn standout and current NBA star Richard Hamilton, having gone with Hamilton when he was drafted in 1999 by the Washington Wizards. Nochimson, considered a representative of UConn’s athletic interests by the NCAA, was prohibited from having contact with Miles or giving him anything of value, Yahoo reported. Records also show that five UConn coaches called Nochimson and text-messaged him at least 1,565 times during a nearly two-year period before and after Miles’ recruitment in 2006 and early 2007. Head coach Jim Calhoun had 16 of those communications, Yahoo reported. UConn released a statement today saying that when it began recruiting Miles, it consulted its outside counsel on NCAA matters, who worked with NCAA staff to examine everything about Miles’ amateur status. “The NCAA’s Eligibility Center reviewed all information that it had concerning the student-athlete’s eligibility status and determined that he was eligible for his freshman year.
The student-athlete departed from the university before ever participating in athletics competition,” the statement said.The university, which said it released numerous public documents to Yahoo, said it is reviewing the article to determine whether action is required. “The University takes very seriously its responsibilities of NCAA membership and will do all that is expected to follow up on any information related to possible NCAA rules violations,” the statement said. The Huskies are in Glendale, Ariz., preparing for their NCAA Sweet 16 game against Purdue tomorrow night. They were among the teams that were ranked No. 1 in basketball polls during the regular season, and are the No. 1 seed in the tournament’s West Regional. UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway, in Boston at the East Regional as an NCAA site representative, declined to comment and referred to the university statement. Miles was expelled from UConn in October without ever playing a game for the Huskies after he was charged with violating a restraining order in a case involving a woman who claimed he attempted to force her to have sex. He is now attending the College of Southern Idaho and plays for the school’s basketball team. UConn said Yahoo’s story includes “no current student-athletes and no student-athlete who has ever competed for the institution.” Nochimson did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday, while the NCAA declined to comment. A call to Miles’ mobile phone went unanswered today. Yahoo reported that while NCAA rules allow only one phone call per month to a prospect or his family in the player’s junior year of high school, UConn exceeded that limit from late 2006 into 2007, which may be a major recruiting violation, Yahoo reported.
Former UConn assistant coach Tom Moore, now head coach at Quinnipiac, made three calls to Miles and 27 other calls to Miles’ guardian and a person Miles said was his uncle, all in December 2006, Yahoo reported. Moore acknowledged to Yahoo Sports that he knew Nochimson had contacted Miles “a couple of times,” although the documents Yahoo obtained show pages and pages of phone and text message correspondence. A Quinnipiac spokesman declined to comment today. In its statement, UConn did not address the specific allegations regarding the phone calls and text messages. Yahoo reported that Nochimson’s relationship with Miles began on Nov. 11, 2006, at a high school tournament in suburban Chicago, and that Nochimson and Moore knew each other from Nochimson’s days as a student manager for UConn basketball. Moore told Nochimson that UConn was recruiting Miles as the two men sat watching Miles play, Yahoo reported. Miles was introduced to Nochimson later that day, the report said.Moore told Yahoo that he knew Miles and Nochimson were in contact after the game. Moore exchanged several text messages with both Miles and Nochimson on the nights of Nov. 11 and 12, 2006, Yahoo reported. Miles committed to UConn about a week later. Nochimson was considered by the NCAA to be a representative of UConn’s athletic interests and was prohibited from being involved in the recruiting process or contacting Miles or his family, Yahoo reported. Miles initially said that he had never heard of Nochimson, then said the agent advised him on his education and told him what college coaches and scouts are looking for, Yahoo said. But Nochimson filed paperwork in June 2008 to decertify himself as an agent with the NBA Players Association, after Hamilton fired him and accused him of stealing more than $1 million.
PISTONS
• Things are getting a little ugly for Chris Bosh up in Toronto, and some expect his days with the Raptors to be numbered. Bryan Colangelo, you have Joe Dumars' number, right?
Bosh is expected to be on the Pistons' wish list, either this summer in a sign-and-trade or next summer when he's a free agent. That's assuming the Pistons brass isn't too concerned with this new off-the-court drama. Bosh’s former girlfriend has taken him to court for failing to pay child support for their infant daughter.
• The cost of watching your bodyguard beat up someone else and failing to intervene? Apparently, $260,000. That’s how much a court has ordered Allen Iverson to pay Marlin Godfrey, who was beat up by Jason Kane, Iverson’s bodyguard at a Washington D.C. nightclub in 2005.
• SI.com’s writers predict what team will help Iverson make up those lost dollars next season. The consensus? He’s contender bound -- but not with Detroit.
Report: Pistons' Hamilton says agent stole $1 million from him
A sports agent who had been a Connecticut basketball student manager is guilty of recruiting violations in the men's program, Yahoo! Sports is reporting. Agent Josh Nochimson also is accused by Richard Hamilton of stealing more than $1 million from the Detroit Pistons player, according to the story. "He was pretty much running his business as an agent off of me," Hamilton is quoted as saying.
Hamilton played for Connecticut from 1996-99. He fired Nochimson as his agent in 2008. The focus of the Yahoo! Sports report is on Connecticut's recruitment of Nate Miles from 2006 to 2008. The report says Miles was provided lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Nochimson during his recruitment. Nochimson, considered a representative of UConn's athletic interests by the NCAA, was prohibited from having contact with Miles or giving him anything of value, the report said. Records also show that five UConn coaches called Nochimson and text-messaged him at least 1,565 times during a nearly two-year period before and after Miles' recruitment. Head coach Jim Calhoun had 16 of those communications, according to the report.
UConn said Wednesday it is reviewing the report. The team is in Arizona preparing for their NCAA Tournament game against Purdue on Thursday. Miles, who is from Toledo, was expelled from UConn in October without ever playing a game for the Huskies after he was charged with violating a restraining order in a case involving a woman who claimed he attempted to force her to have sex. He is now attending the College of Southern Idaho and plays for the school's basketball team. Nochimson did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday, while the NCAA declined to comment.
There've been rumblings all season that Bosh wants out. It's not hard to fathom that, come the off-season, the Raptors will want Bosh out.
The Raptors haven't been particularly successful in the Bosh era – .429 in his tenure in Toronto. Given Bosh's questionable durability and sub-superstar skill set, it's getting harder and harder to imagine a championship-calibre team with Bosh as a maximum-salary mainstay.
Trading all-stars for value is tricky, mind you (see: Carter, Vince). Surely this eventually blows over and Bosh makes it right. And maybe next season brings a fresh start with some new teammates, a new first-round draft pick, a clean slate. Or maybe Colangelo, surveying his club's prospects and the way it's perceived, recognizes it's high time for somebody else to make an image-conscious exit, and pronto.