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

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

This photo just about sums up the Detroit Pistons' season
If you're a Detroit Pistons fan you probably don't need any salt in your wounds, but Glenn James' camera doesn't care about your feelings.

In an overhead shot taken during the Pistons loss to the Dallas Mavericks on January 5th, James snapped Mavs forward Kris Humphries going up for a layup in the lane. Unfortunately for Tayshaun Prince, it wasn't his most photogenic moment. Check out the photo here.

Copyright prevents us from posting the photo directly to the blog, but we would love for you to write your best captions in the comments.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... trade.html

Joe Dumars is evaluating trade market for long-term solutions
Joe Dumars, the team's president of basketball operations, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he is looking for long-term solutions. The team might be active before next month's trade deadline.

Detroit was expected to endure a rebuilding season after dealing Chauncey Billups last season, then losing Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess in free agency during the summer.

Few predicted the Pistons would be this bad. Detroit barely avoided a franchise-record losing streak and has lost twice as many games as its won (12-25). Adding to the franchise's woes, it usually has thousands of empty seats for home games.

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http://stats.mlive.com/nba/preview.asp? ... me=8&vis=3

Hornets-Pistons Preview
The Detroit Pistons snapped one of the longest losing streaks in franchise history in their previous game, and they'll get plenty of chances this month to end their current slide at home.Snapping that skid on Friday night, however, could prove a difficult task. To avoid a sixth consecutive home loss, the Pistons will have to get past the red-hot New Orleans Hornets, who will try to earn their eighth win in nine games. Detroit (12-25) won for the first time in a month Tuesday night, 99-90 at Washington, to avoid tying a single-season, franchise-worst 14-game losing streak. The Pistons, though, haven't celebrated a home victory since beating Golden State 104-95 on Dec. 12. During its longest home skid in 10 seasons, Detroit has suffered each of its five losses by double digits and by an average of 16 points. The Pistons dropped eight in a row at home Dec. 30, 2000-Feb. 2, 2001, but they'll get more than a few opportunities to avoid matching that slide.

Detroit plays eight of this month's remaining nine games at the Palace, including a season-high six-game homestand to finish January, but it would probably like to kick off that stretch with another solid offensive performance. In Tuesday's victory, the Pistons just missed scoring 100 points for the first time since their win over Golden State but were a season-best 10 of 16 from 3-point range. Charlie Villanueva made five of those shots en route to a team-leading 23 points, and Rodney Stuckey added 19 points and a career high-tying 11 assists. "Somebody had to win tonight - and we just wanted it to be us," guard Richard Hamilton said. "We knew when we came in tonight, we could only worry about us." The Pistons, though, might have plenty to worry about when they face the Hornets (20-17), especially if Emeka Okafor and Peja Stojakovic continue to complement All-Stars Chris Paul and David West.

Okafor led New Orleans with 21 points in its 108-94 home victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night and Stojakovic scored 20 for the second time in three games. "We've been in a groove the past couple games," Okafor said. "Today everything was working and the next thing you know we're up 20." Okafor, acquired in an offseason trade with Charlotte, will attempt to score at least 20 points in a season-high third straight game Friday for the Hornets, who have averaged 104.5 in their past four games. They've also allowed an average of 95.5 points over the past eight after giving up 101.3 during a 13-16 start. They nearly matched their season low for points allowed in a 95-87 home win against Detroit on Dec. 16, and West scored 32 points in New Orleans' third straight victory over the Pistons. The Hornets are 5-14 on the road this season but have won three of four. They're also searching for their third win in four games at the Palace dating back to the start of the 2006-07 season.

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http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/30291

Chris W (Charleston, SC)
John! Help a disenchanted Pistons fan...is there any help in sight?

John Hollinger (12:38 PM)
Hate to beat a dead horse, but the worst part of the Billups deal was the extension they gave Rip at the same time. Take that away and Pistons are in much better shape going forward. As it is, they'll try to deal Prince, but Tay has looked so bad that I'm not sure what they can get for him.

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http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/30291

John (Houston)
Any chance the Spurs try and cobble together a few of their last expirings to make a push for Tayshaun Prince? I'm tired of Pop trying to pretend that Keith Bogans is the second coming of Bruce Bowen

John Hollinger (12:44 PM)
I don't think Bogans is a solution as a starter and I think a healthy Prince would be a great fit in San Anto. But they have to be careful -- like I said above, Tay's looked terrible this year and back issues are nothing to sneeze at, and adding an $11 million player for next year would almost certainly put Spurs into tax. At the very least I'd want to see how he looks over this next month, and even if he looked good I'd still be on the fence.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/community/sa ... 00114.html

Help the Pistons and National City Provide Shoes for Kids
Each year thousands of pairs of shoes are given to Detroit area children in need and the number of kids gets even higher in the winter for those without boots. To assist, the Pistons are hosting a community night benefiting Samaritan’s Feet on Friday, Jan. 29 at the Pistons vs. Miami Heat game at The Palace at 8 p.m. Through a special ticket promotion and silent auction proceeds, the Pistons will raise funds to purchase new shoes for Metro Detroit children. Fans can purchase discounted 200 level tickets for the Jan. 29 game for $15 each with $10 benefiting Samaritan’s Feet, with each $10 providing a pair of new shoes for a needy child. Also, fans can bring in a pair of new or gently used shoes or boots of any size to The Palace Box Office and receive a voucher redeemable for a $5-200 level ticket, good for games on Jan. 29, Feb. 6, Feb. 10, Feb 16 and Feb. 19. To order the specially priced tickets, participants can call (248) 377-0100, visit The Palace Box Office or click here.

The shoe drive will take place in the West Atrium by the big Pistons shoe statue on Friday, Jan. 29. Pre-selected children from local non-profits will receive new shoes during the game at a special distribution at the Comcast Pavilion on The Palace’s main concourse near section 119. The Pistons presenting sponsor National City, now a part of PNC, recently donated $9,000 to Samaritan’s Feet to purchase 900 pairs of shoes, and their donation will be highlighted at halftime of the Pistons game. “Shoes are a basic need item that can easily be taken for granted,” said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of the Pistons. “Dedicating a night to raise funds to provide new shoes for children only made sense after we saw the overwhelming demand at our tip-off event. We are asking fans to support by donating a pair of shoes or purchase a discounted ticket in which a pair of shoes will be purchased and donated to a child.” As a precursor to this event, the entire Pistons team was on hand at the Boll Family YMCA in Detroit for the annual season tipoff event in October, where 1,500 children received new shoes and socks. Pistons players and volunteers from Palace Sports & Entertainment, National City and Fathead helped pamper the kids by washing their feet and giving them a brand new pair of shoes and socks. All the proceeds from this game, along with the $9,000 donation from National City, now a part of PNC, will provide additional shoes for Detroit area children.

Samaritan’s Feet, founded in 2003, is a humanitarian relief organization based in Charlotte, NC that puts shoes on the feet of children all around the world. With over 300 million children going without shoes everyday, their goal is to provide 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million impoverished people in 10 years. To date, nearly one million pairs of shoes have been collected for children around the world. President and Founder, Manny Ohonme, received his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 from a missionary. He started playing basketball and other sports with these new pair of shoes and earned a spot on a traveling basketball team and eventually his high school team. Upon graduating high school he was offered a scholarship to play basketball at the University of North Dakota (Lake Region), where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. Visit www.samaritansfeet.org to learn more, or contact Todd Melloh at 317-417-3525.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... dead-at-86

Isiah Thomas' mother dead at 86
Mary Thomas, the mother of former Pistons great Isiah Thomas has died. A spokesperson for Adventist Hinsdale Hospital in suburban Chicago said the 86-year-old Thomas died Wednesday morning. The spokesperson did not provide details.

Mary Thomas was admitted to the hospital in November and had surgery the same day her son made his debut as coach at Florida International.

Thomas' struggle to raise and protect her children from gang violence and drugs on Chicago's West Side was turned into a television movie, "A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story." Isiah Thomas went on to win a national championship at Indiana and NBA championships with the Pistons

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... look-ahead

Home stretch key, but Pistons' John Kuester won't look ahead
If the Pistons are to salvage this season, they're going to have to make their move from now until Jan. 31. Eight of their next nine games, beginning Friday night against New Orleans, are at The Palace.Despite just ending a 13-game losing streak, the Pistons are only 4 ½ games out of the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But don't expect coach John Kuester to look that far ahead, or at least the remaining schedule for January. "I just worry about the next game," Kuester said. "We have to focus on New Orleans." Kuester will be without Will Bynum (sprained left ankle) against the Hornets, while Tayshaun Prince (left knee) and Ben Gordon (groin) remain day to day.

Here is Detroit's schedule through the end of January:
Friday, Jan. 15: New Orleans, 8
Saturday, Jan. 16: New York, 7:30
Monday, Jan. 18: at New York, 1
Wednesday, Jan. 20: Boston, 7:30
Friday, Jan. 22: Indiana, 8
Saturday, Jan. 23: Portland, 7:30
Wednesday, Jan. 27: Memphis, 7:30
Friday, Jan. 29: Miami, 8
Sunday, Jan. 31: Orlando, 6

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

Charlie Villanueva will be a masked man
Charlie Villanueva has a problem. He doesn't like wearing the mask that protects his nose, which was broken last month. But, he likes it, too. "Weird, isn't it?" he said.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

Home Stretch
Now that the tropical storm system that hovered over the Pistons for a month has finally blown over, it’s time for damage assessment. The Pistons went back to work Thursday following a day off in the wake of Tuesday’s win to snap the 13-game losing streak that moved the Pistons from comfortably in the Eastern Conference playoff field to lurking on the deep fringes of contention. And they went back a happier bunch. “It’s amazing what winning can do,” said Charlie Villanueva, whose 23 points and deadly fourth-quarter perimeter bombing keyed the win. “You could just tell the vibe on everybody. The pressure is off. The monkey is off our back and guys are feeling real good. We’ve got a game tomorrow and hopefully we’ll take care of business.” They’ll have to take care of lots of business over the final 17 days of January, a span that includes nine games – eight of them at The Palace. If the Pistons have a shot at crawling over the teams that zoomed past them during the 13-game free fall, this is when they’ve got to make their move. That’s the reality, but John Kuester won’t allow himself to look past Friday’s game with New Orleans. And he preaches that “one game at a time” mantra to his players, as well. “I just worry about the next game,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on New Orleans.” But players know how to read schedules and standings. “This is definitely a chance for us to make a push, make a run,” Villanueva said. “We’re playing on our home court. We must protect it. We’ve got a little bit of winning, got that taste back, and hopefully we can build from there and go forward.”

The list of opponents isn’t easy by any means, but neither is it oppressive. Two games come against legitimate NBA contenders, Boston and Orlando, but the Celtics could still be without both Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace when they come to The Palace next Wednesday, and Orlando isn’t playing its best basketball at the moment. Three come against teams fighting for playoff berths in the West – New Orleans on Friday to open the run and Portland and Memphis later. And four come against opponents much like the Pistons – teams either in the playoff field today but not assured of staying there, or teams on the outside looking to fight back into the field. Two of those games come up this holiday weekend in an unusual back-to-back with the Knicks – Saturday night at The Palace and a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee Monday at Madison Square Garden. A sweep of those games would go a long way toward making the Pistons a legitimate playoff contender again – especially if they can knock off New Orleans on Friday. In none of the nine games will the Pistons be at a significant scheduling disadvantage.

Not once in those nine games will the Pistons be playing a back-to-back against a team that didn’t also play the night before, as they were forced to do at Washington to snap the streak. Once they’ll have the corresponding advantage. When the Pistons play Orlando to close January, the Magic will have played at Atlanta the previous night while the Pistons are home awaiting them. On each of the next two Saturday nights – the Knicks this week, Portland the next – both the Pistons and their opponents will have played Friday night games, but the Pistons will have the benefit of not having to travel to Auburn Hills to play the Saturday game. The Knicks will travel late after a Friday home game, while Portland has a Friday game at Boston next week. The Pistons go into tonight’s games with a 12-25 record that has them tied with Washington for 12th in the Eastern Conference, yet they’re only five games in the loss column behind current No. 8 seed Chicago and only seven back of No. 5 seed Miami. Here’s a quick look at the 10 teams with a shot at the final four playoff seeds in the East.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

5. Miami – The Heat, at 19-18, might not be the lock they appear. Of their final 45 games, 25 will be on the road. Because Miami is intent on maintaining (or clearing further) cap space for a summer retooling, it’s unlikely the Heat will be aggressive buyers at the trade deadline.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

6. Toronto – The Raptors, 19-20, have a pretty favorable schedule, with just 20 road games remaining. The great unknown is whether Chris Bosh might be moved at the trade deadline and for what. Some speculation Jose Calderon could be on the move since the Raps played better when he went out and Jarrett Jack assumed the job.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

7. Charlotte – At 17-19, the Bobcats play half their remaining 46 games on the road. They’ve gotten great bounce out of the Stephen Jackson trade so far, but Larry Brown has been playing Jackson and Gerald Wallace, in particular, very heavy minutes.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

8. Chicago – The Bulls, at 16-20, are also thought to be focused on clearing cap space in order to make a run at perhaps two of Bosh, Dwyane Wade or Joe Johnson. To that end, they’re believed to be trying to move Kirk Hinrich’s contract and also attempting to find a home for Tyrus Thomas. The schedule calls for 23 home, 23 road games remaining.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

9. New York – The Knicks, 16-22, have been pretty good since a 1-9 start, but it’s widely known New York could be sellers at the trade deadline if Donnie Walsh can find someone to take Jared Jefferies or (less likely) Eddy Curry off his hands. To do so will probably mean he’d have to include a useful part (Wilson Chandler?). Half of the 44 remaining games are roadies.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

10. Milwaukee – Likewise, half of the Bucks’ 46 remaining games come on the road. Michael Redd is lost for the season and Brandon Jennings is playing more like a rookie than an All-Star of late. The Bucks (15-21), who won’t be buyers at the trade deadline, are vulnerable to being overtaken by the Pistons if they get healthy and in sync.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

11. Indiana – The suddenly surging Pacers, 13-25, have put themselves in the discussion by going 4-3 so far this month, including consecutive wins that saw them come back from huge deficits against Toronto and Phoenix. But Indy is believed to be shopping Jeff Foster and perhaps Troy Murphy to help its rebuilding process. And the Jan. 22 game at The Palace will be the Pacers’ third in four nights – all on the road. Their 44 remaining games are split between road and home.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

12. (tie) Detroit – The Pistons, 12-25, have 24 home games among their 45 remaining. Of their five road games left against Western Conference teams, only one – Feb. 26 at Denver – comes against a team with a winning record and the others (LA Clippers, Sacramento, Golden State and Minnesota) come against the last four teams in the conference standings. While the Pistons are unlikely to make any moves at the trade deadline that would bolster the present at the expense of the future, they could be active in trades that don’t substantially alter their makeup now but help future payroll flexibility.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

12. (tie) Washington – If it comes to a tie between the Wizards and Pistons for the East’s final playoff berth, as unlikely as that might be, the Pistons already hold the tiebreaker with a 3-0 record against Washington. The Wizards, who also have just 21 of 45 remaining games on the road, are widely thought to be actively looking to dump the contracts of at least some of their high-priced veterans, a list that includes Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/trueblu ... 00114.html

14. Philadelphia – The 76ers, 12-26, have shown some signs of life in recent weeks, but the biggest news was generated by the absence of votes of confidence in management by ownership and in coaching by management. Turmoil appears to be brewing, and a heavy payroll gives the Sixers little room for maneuvering.