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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... in-a-hurry

Quotable
“It’s been kind of the theme (this season). We dig ourselves into a big hole and then try to dig ourselves out.”

--Charlie Villanueva, right, on the Pistons’ penchant of falling behind early, then rallying.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... me-to-town

Cavaliers at Pistons
Tip-off: 8 tonight, The Palace, Auburn Hills
TV/radio: FSD/WWJ 950
Outlook: The Cavs have won seven of eight games. Five of those games were without center Shaquille O'Neal , who is expected to play tonight. ... Tayshaun Prince (back) and Richard Hamilton (ankle) won't play.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... me-to-town

Dynamic duos
Shaquille O'Neal is trying to win fifth NBA title with a superstar shooting guard or small forward. He's already won titles with Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). Normally O'Neal is among the top two scoring options. Now he is trying to do it in a different way in his 18th season. The Cavaliers know he won't be there most nights to dominate inside.

Here are the combined scoring in championship years with O'Neal and his other scoring partner and this year with James.

Year Players (team) Points Rebounds Assists
2000 Bryant and O'Neal (Lakers) 52.2 19.9 8.7
2001 Bryant and O'Neal (Lakers) 57.2 18.6 8.7
2002 Bryant and O'Neal (Lakers) 52.4 16.2 8.5
2006 Wade and O'Neal (Heat) 47.2 14.9 8.6
2009 James and O'Neal (Cavaliers) 40.7 13.7 9.8

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... me-to-town

LeBron, Shaq come to town
Jonas Jerebko admits Red Wings Nick Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg are two of the biggest names in his native land of Sweden. But the man he is guarding tonight is not far behind in popularity.LeBron James is from Ohio and plays for the Cavaliers, but his name is as big in Sweden as many of the NHL players who call that country home. "Everybody knows LeBron James, no matter where you are," Jerebko said. Everybody knows James. They just don't know how to stop him. Now he is paired with future Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, who returns from a five-game layoff following a shoulder injury. He practiced for the first time since injuring his shoulder Nov. 12 while trying to block a shot against the Heat. O'Neal has won titles with two of the best shooting guards in the game. He won three championships with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and another with Dwyane Wade and the Heat. Now comes a tougher challenge. Can he win one with James during his short stint with the Cavaliers?O'Neal isn't what he used to be. He still is a force inside but is posting career lows in points (11.3 ppg), field-goal percentage (53.2) and rebounds (6.9). Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva said O'Neal remains dangerous. "Shaq is one of the best centers to ever play the game," Villanueva said. "He definitely helps. The fact is that Shaq is hard to play one-on-one. That creates all sorts of problems on the floor for other players." Besides the one-two punch of The King and Shaq, there are other story lines brewing.

• This is the Pistons' first look at the team that swept them in the first round of the playoffs last season. The last time the Cavs hit The Palace, they brought a number of fans as Pistons fans were drowned out by Cavs boosters.
• This also will be Ben Wallace's first crack at his old team. Wallace played last season with the Cavs and said "it cut him deep" when the team believed he could not play and had him sit during crunch time.
• It also is Pistons coach John Kuester's first crack at his old team. He was viewed as the offensive coordinator under Mike Brown, but he has made defense a priority with the Pistons.
• And this is the Pistons' first game since an 0-4 road trip. The Pistons played hard against good teams that are a combined 39-17.

But of interest now is the dynamic duo. The goal was to bring in O'Neal to give James that inside force that would allow him to win his first NBA championship and, perhaps, stay with the Cavs instead of signing with another team after this season. The Cavs (10-4) got off to a rough start but are beginning to hum, having won seven of eight. James is like a freight train when he attacks the basket. The goal for the Pistons is to keep him as far away from it as possible and make him shoot jumpers. Even though Jerebko will get first crack at guarding James, there will be four other pairs of eyes keeping watch on him. "I can't guard him by myself. I got to get some help in the lane," Jerebko said. "We are going to do a good job defending him and I am going to do a good job with my defense too." Kuester, of course, does not expect miracles from Jerebko. But he is hoping for good team defense. The Pistons also will put Rodney Stuckey on James at times and play a version of the Jordan Rules, where the defense collapses and forces him to pass or take jumpers. "LeBron is so good in the open court you have to do a number of things to get back and limit the entire team," Kuester said. "One thing is, as good as LeBron is, they also have a number of players who can put the ball in the hole." Villanueva, however, said James remains the key. "LeBron is one of the best players in the league," he said. "He is the one that keeps it rolling. If he has an off night we have a chance to win."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091125/S ... get-LeBron

John Kuester gives Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko tough task with LeBron James
John Kuester got a chance to work up close and personal with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, now he has to find a way to beat them tonight when King James and crew come to the Palace. "One of the things about playing a great player and a great person in LeBron ... he's very special and he did a wonderful job," Kuester said. "I can't begin to tell you his professionalism, on and off the court, was off the charts. I think that's the thing that impressed me so much. His work ethic ... there aren't many players that work as hard as him."

And Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko gets the assignment of guarding James with Tayshaun Prince still out with a bad back. "There will be a number of people who will guard him," said Kuester.

Shaquille O'Neal, who has an ailing shoulder, has been added to the mix in an off-season acquisition. "It gives them a strong body inside," Kuester said. "He helps Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas) at that position. Shaq is a proven winner. He has been with a number of teams, and he's very capable of bringing the juice for them for another year."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091125/S ... get-LeBron

NOTEBOOK: Richard Hamilton (right ankle) also will miss tonight's game.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091125/S ... get-LeBron

The Pistons visited Second Ebenezer Baptist Church in Detroit on Tuesday and provided meals for 8,000 needy Detroit families. The money was raised during the Pistons Care Telethon benefiting Feed the Children. A total of 20 semi-trucks delivered the food. Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell, Chucky Atkins and DaJuan Summers were among the players on hand. Pastor Edgar Vann was there to greet the players. Families were given vouchers to enter the Second Ebenezer parking lot, where Pistons players and officials handed out the dinners while the cars drove past.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091125/S ... get-LeBron

Tonight: Cavaliers
Matchup: Pistons 5-9; Cleveland 10-4.
Tip-off: 8, Palace.
TV/radio: FSD, WWJ-AM (950).
Line: Cavs by 7 1/2 .

[nasty daddy]

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

Meaningless speculation: What if Phoenix hadn't bought out Ben Wallace?
As a Pistons fan, endless looking back is part of what we do. What if Joe Dumars had drafted Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko? What if the team had re-signed Mehmet Okur and not Rasheed Wallace? Would Michael Curry still be coaching the team if Dumars had never traded Chauncey Billups? Well, a comment by Justin Rogers yesterday got me thinking about a scenario that is only mildly Pistons related: What if the Suns had not bought out Ben Wallace after acquiring him from Cleveland in the Shaq trade? Here's what Justin said: Even Steve Nash would struggle with Ben Wallace and Jonas Jerebko as two of his four options on the court.

I certainly agree with that point. But what about Steve Nash playing with a Ben Wallace/Amar'e Stoudemire frontcourt? Phoenix is one of the best teams in the NBA so far this season. Stoudemire seems happy for the first time in a few seasons, Nash just doesn't age and Alvin Gentry has reinstated the brand of basketball the Suns were known for before the season-and-a-half experiment with Shaq in the middle and a slower-paced offense. Dating back to all of the Phoenix playoff flameouts of the last six or seven years, they've always lacked a defensive presence in the middle who can guard the Tim Duncans of the world and also make up for Stoudemire's two main deficiencies: he's not really an elite rebounder or shot-blocker despite his size. For years, Shawn Marion was their designated defensive stopper, but he's pretty undersized and more of a perimeter defender than a post defender.

The problem with the guys they brought in to fill that role, namely Kurt Thomas and Shaq (and Brian Skinner, if you want to count him), is that whenever they came in the game, the offense slowed. All along, wasn't Ben Wallace the perfect big for those running Phoenix teams? Ben is as strong as they come, but can also run with anyone. He's not a good offensive player, but the few things he does well offensively -- offensive rebounding, passing, cutting to the basket -- fit nicely with the Suns' style (how many tap-outs/extra possessions would he create on those quick Phoenix threes?). With the way Phoenix has played so far this season, imagine adding Wallace to their Stoudemire/Channing Frye/Louis Amundson rotation. As with any what-if game, there are problems with this line of speculation. The Suns had no way of knowing Wallace still had the kind of ability he's shown so far. There was also suspicion that he would retire when he was traded to Phoenix, who was no longer thought of as a title contender. But I think it's safe to say that had Phoenix had some inkling Wallace could still contribute and had Wallace knew that Phoenix was a potential contender in the West, things may have went down differently, which was lucky for the Pistons.

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12573.htm

Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) at Detroit Pistons (5-9), 8 p.m.
Two teams on opposite ends of the Central Division spectrum collide tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Cleveland Cavaliers will pay a visit to the homestanding Detroit Pistons. The division-leading Cavaliers are five games ahead of the last-place Pistons and have won two straight and seven of eight games, including Saturday's 97-91 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers. Superstar LeBron James led the way with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Mo Williams added 18 points, eight boards and five assists for Cleveland. J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas netted 14 and 13 points, respectively, in a winning effort. "Andy (Varejao) and [Zydrunas Ilgauskas] did a nice job starting us off on the defensive end of the floor, and then Mo [Williams] hit some big shots," Cavs head coach Mike Brown said. "Everyone was on a string. Everyone helped one another and trusted one another. It was great to see."

Cleveland will also visit Charlotte on the road trip and is 5-2 as the guest this season. It is hoping that newcomer Shaquille O'Neal can make a healthy return to the floor Wednesday after missing the past five games with a shoulder injury. The team went 4-1 without O'Neal, who is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest this season. Detroit will open a three-game homestand on a sour note, as it has dropped five straight and went 0-4 on a recent road trip out west. In Sunday's 117-91 loss at Phoenix, Charlie Villanueva and DaJuan Summers each had 13 points for the Pistons, who continue to play without Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (back). Ben Gordon had 10 points in a losing effort.

"This is probably the most up-tempo team in the league," Gordon said of the Suns. "We knew that coming in. It's tough on any night, but especially on the last game of a road trip. With a back-to-back it's not going to be easy. They came out and did what they're supposed to do, and I thought we lacked energy on the defensive end." The Pistons will also host the Clippers and Hawks on the residency and are 3-2 at The Palace this season. Cleveland took three of four matchups with Detroit a year ago and has won the last three in the series. The Pistons, however, are 13-3 in the past 16 meetings as the host.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature/1597/ ... _november/

1: Boston Celtics
2: Portland Trailblazers
3: Dallas
4: Atlanta Hawks
5: Los Angeles Lakers
6: Orlando Magic
7: Ceveland Cavaliers
8: Denver Nuggets
9: Phoenix Suns
10: San Antonio Spurs
26: Detroit Pistons

[nasty daddy]

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature/1597/ ... _november/

26. Detroit Pistons : -9.0
Ben Wallace is back to playing nearly 30 minutes per night and he is currently second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage, on pace to exceed even his prime seasons on that end of the floor. He still isn't even close to the 34.9% he posted in 02-03 on the defensive glass, but his 21.1% is a nice increase from last season with Cleveland.

[nasty daddy]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop

Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press: "Some front-line scoring would help the Pistons' backcourt, which has carried the load so far this season. Off-season acquisition Charlie Villanueva is about the only scoring threat in the post for the Pistons, who get a bulk of their points from guards Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum. Ben Wallace (3.6 points) isn’t supposed to score. His assignment is to play defense, rebound and set the tone with his energy. Rookie Jonas Jerebko isn’t much of an offensive threat. Kwame Brown has been getting limited minutes and Jason Maxiell is an effort guy off the bench and not a true scorer. Gordon, Stuckey and Bynum combine to average 51.3 points per game -- 55% of the team’s offense. 'We obviously have talented guards,' Villanueva said. 'I don’t think that’s the problem. I think we need to concentrate more defensively.' "

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12573.htm

Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) at Detroit Pistons (5-9), 8 p.m.
Two teams on opposite ends of the Central Division spectrum collide tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Cleveland Cavaliers will pay a visit to the homestanding Detroit Pistons. The division-leading Cavaliers are five games ahead of the last-place Pistons and have won two straight and seven of eight games, including Saturday's 97-91 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers. Superstar LeBron James led the way with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Mo Williams added 18 points, eight boards and five assists for Cleveland. J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas netted 14 and 13 points, respectively, in a winning effort. "Andy (Varejao) and [Zydrunas Ilgauskas] did a nice job starting us off on the defensive end of the floor, and then Mo [Williams] hit some big shots," Cavs head coach Mike Brown said. "Everyone was on a string. Everyone helped one another and trusted one another. It was great to see."

Cleveland will also visit Charlotte on the road trip and is 5-2 as the guest this season. It is hoping that newcomer Shaquille O'Neal can make a healthy return to the floor Wednesday after missing the past five games with a shoulder injury. The team went 4-1 without O'Neal, who is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest this season. Detroit will open a three-game homestand on a sour note, as it has dropped five straight and went 0-4 on a recent road trip out west. In Sunday's 117-91 loss at Phoenix, Charlie Villanueva and DaJuan Summers each had 13 points for the Pistons, who continue to play without Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (back).

Ben Gordon had 10 points in a losing effort. "This is probably the most up-tempo team in the league," Gordon said of the Suns. "We knew that coming in. It's tough on any night, but especially on the last game of a road trip. With a back-to-back it's not going to be easy. They came out and did what they're supposed to do, and I thought we lacked energy on the defensive end." The Pistons will also host the Clippers and Hawks on the residency and are 3-2 at The Palace this season. Cleveland took three of four matchups with Detroit a year ago and has won the last three in the series. The Pistons, however, are 13-3 in the past 16 meetings as the host.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/video/2009/1 ... index.html

Pistons Help Serve Dinner to Those in Need

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

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

Pistons report: Getting inside
There are a lot of people around the NBA who respect and admire the way Phoenix guard Steve Nash plays. Count Pistons coach John Kuester as one of Nash's fans.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/video/2009/1 ... index.html

Scouting Report - Cleveland Cavaliers
Scott Perry talks with the Pistons Weekly's Pete Skorich about tonight's match up against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://pistonspoint.blogspot.com/

Pistons Pulse - Nov. 25
Pistons beat writer Dave Pemberton is joined by bluecollarsports.blogspot.com's Matt Penridge to discuss the Pistons upcoming three-game homestand and give three things they are thankful for.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_091125.html

Pistons vs. Cavaliers
The PRE Report
Broadcast Schedule:
7:00 p.m. - Pistons In-Focus
7:30 p.m. - Pistons Live
8:00 p.m. - Watch Live on FS Detroit HD
8:00 p.m. - Listen Live on WWJ 950 AM
The Pistons look to end their five-game losing skid with a fresh start Wednesday at The Palace. Or at least a faster one. The road-weary Pistons trailed at the end of the first quarter in all four games out West, and though they led 46-42 at halftime against Utah, their halftime deficit in the other three games were each by at least 10 points. Ben Gordon acknowledged the first game back on Eastern Standard Time can take a minute getting used to, but the team can’t afford another slow start against Cleveland, which leads the Central Division at 10-4. “The first game (back) is a little tough, so the first half is going to be really important for us coming out, trying to set the tone, and just get ourselves going,” he said. Getting the Palace crowd energized early will be key for the Pistons, who are 3-2 at home. Fans should be eager to exact some small measure of revenge against LeBron James and the Cavs for last spring’s first-round sweep.

This is also the Pistons’ first home game in 10 days. “It feels good to be back. [We’ll] try to get something going here at home, we’ve got a bunch of games coming up here,” Gordon said. The Pistons host their next three games and seven of their next nine. “Just want to try to get back on track after the road trip.” The last time Detroit took to the Palace floor, Gordon’s torrid start – 19 or more points in the first nine games – came to an abrupt end when he made one of 16 shots against Dallas, finishing with five points. Gordon didn’t disappear to that extent out West, but the Pistons’ leading scorer did have to strain harder for points. He averaged 16.0 points on 41.4% shooting over the four-game trip – a dip from his numbers prior to the Mavericks game (24.3 ppg, 52.5 FG%). Gordon’s fluctuating efficiency was emblematic of Detroit’s as a team.

Coach John Kuester said the prolonged absences of Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton have finally caught up to a team that was going to lean heavily on the veterans to conduct the offense. “There are times when we first lost them that we had enough juice that we were still able to score points and our field goal percentage has gone down of late,” Kuester said. “… right now, that is one area that we’ve got to continually grow in.” The Pistons won’t find it easy raising their 45.0 field-goal percentage against Cleveland, who is holding opponents to 44.3% accuracy. Coincidentally, the Pistons are also holding opponents to 44.3% shooting, and are just ahead of the Cavaliers in points allowed. Both teams, ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, are holding around 95.0 points per game. Speaking of defense, the Pistons historically have defended their home court against their Central Division rival (see below). Detroit has won both meetings or earned a 1-1 split with the Cavaliers at The Palace every season since 1991-92.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_091125.html

Pistons strike first vs. Cavs at home
There’s probably never a good time to face an opponent like LeBron James, but it bodes very well for the Pistons that Cleveland is visiting The Palace in November. Since the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, the Pistons have won their first home meeting with the Cavaliers nine out of 10 times. Of those nine wins, seven came before New Year’s and four in November alone, including last year’s 96-89 triumph.

It seems the earlier in the season that the Cavaliers visit, the better Detroit’s chances get. Cleveland’s lone victory during this 10-year stretch was also its latest date for a first visit to The Palace, a 101-97 overtime decision on March 7, 2007. The next season, the Pistons routed Cleveland in its first date at The Palace, 109-74. It’s the Pistons’ greatest margin of victory ever against Cleveland. Naturally, the game happened on Nov. 28.

Here is the list of first home dates for the Pistons against Cleveland since 1999.
Nov. 19, 1999 – 101-90, W
Dec. 1, 2000 – 103-93, W
Jan. 5, 2002 – 101-91, W
Dec. 20, 2002 – 109-107 (OT), W
Nov. 28, 2003 – 92-88
Dec. 16, 2004 – 81-69, W
Feb. 26, 2006 - 90-78, W
Mar. 7, 2007 – 97-101 (OT), L
Nov. 28, 2007 – 109-74*, W
Nov. 19, 2008 – 96-89, W
* largest margin of victory in DET-CLE series