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Chris Paul had 27 points and 13 assists and the New Orleans Hornets held off the Sacramento Kings for a 112-105 victory.
David West had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who had lost two straight and eight of 12.
Kevin Martin scored 24 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings, setting a new Arco Arena record for points in a quarter.
Former NBA superagent, and current regular agent, David Falk predicts that if the Player's Union doesn't give huge concessions to NBA owners, the NBA could be locked out for up to two years.
The nation's economy is buckling. Too many teams are losing money. League revenue is flat, and the salary cap is about to shrink for only the second time in its history. The N.B.A.'s system is broken, Falk says, and fixing it will require radical measures that almost guarantee a standoff in 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires. "I think it's going to be very, very extreme," Falk said, "because I think that the times are extreme."How extreme? Falk said he believed Stern, the commissioner, would push for a hard salary cap, shorter contracts, a higher age limit on incoming players, elimination of the midlevel cap exception and an overall reduction in the players' percentage of revenue. And, Falk said, Stern will probably get what he wants. "The owners have the economic wherewithal to shut the thing down for two years, whatever it takes, to get a system that will work long term," he said in an extensive interview to discuss his new book. "The players do not have the economic wherewithal to sit out one year."
Falk is a very smart man, and he has an unique ability to see problems before they are obvious, and already have a viable solution. Falk also has his own agenda that may cloud some of his recent dire warnings. One can't help but see that Falk is at least partially correct in his insight, and that players are going to have to give a lot up in the next CBA, but one also has to doubt that the NBA will put in place a hard cap, no maximum salary for NBA superstars and rid the league of the Mid-Level Exception all at once. NBA fans will see soon enough, 2011 is not that far away. Chances are that the economic conditions that we find ourselves in now won't be the same in 2011. Hopefully, for everyone, things are much better and not worse.
Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Eric Gordon also scored 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 118-105 on Monday night.
Baron Davis added 25 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, who got off to a slow start and were without starter Al Thornton, missing his second game of the season with a right foot injury.
Stephen Jackson had 28 points and C.J. Watson added 16 for the Warriors.
Piston fans that want to watch the game against the Hornets will have to tune in to FOX Sports Detroit Plus. Tim B. from FSN emailed the channel listins for FCP readers. Thanks Tim. Here is the .Doc file, and here is the .PDF file.
Nearly three months after the season started, and long after he was told to stay away from the team, Stephon Marbury is about to cause another distraction for the New York Knicks.
Coach Mike D'Antoni said he will miss practice Tuesday, forced to appear at an arbitration hearing to discuss Marbury's grievance against the team.
D'Antoni's first season in New York has occasionally been overshadowed by Marbury, who hasn't appeared in a game?some by the coach's decisions, some perhaps by Marbury's. "It's not a great situation for anybody. I hate it for Steph, I hate it for the Knicks, I hate it for everybody, but it's just something we're doing and we'll deal with it and get it over with," D'Antoni said Monday before the Knicks hosted Indiana. "There's a lot worse things in the world going on, so we'll just deal with the problem and do the best we can."
Heat's Wade in need of aid
Sunday, he outscored his team, 50-49, in a loss to the Magic, and tonight he tests Pistons.
Dwyane Wade needs a wingman. Sunday's defeat at Orlando counts as one loss for the Heat, but Wade's teammates were outscored twice.
• There was Magic 122, Heat 99.
• And Wade 50, Rest of Heat 49. Wade's career-high 50 points in the blowout loss brought new light to an old problem, with the Heat again asking their MVP candidate to bear an inordinate amount of the offensive load. "Dwyane's a great player, but he can't do it by himself," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said.
Never was that more visible than Sunday. It's the first time this season a player reached 50 in a losing effort, and the first time since March 14, 1995 -- when Dana Barros had 50 for Philadelphia in a 136-107 defeat against Houston -- that someone scored so many and his team lost by 20-plus points. The rest of Miami's starters combined for 15 points. Not exactly a shot of momentum heading into another game with postseason implications tonight, at home against the Pistons. With the playoff drive in full swing, the Heat still seek a bona fide second scoring option. "There's some concerns," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged. Through Sunday, 131 NBA players have scored more than 25 points in at least one game this season. Some teams have as many as six players to do so, and Chicago's roster now has seven players fitting into that category (only five actually scored that many for the Bulls; newly acquired Brad Miller and John Salmons did so for Sacramento before getting traded to the Windy City).
Miami? Just Wade. Every other team has at least three players with 26-point games this season. "We know that everyone has to do their job and play their role," Haslem said. Jermaine O'Neal has a 36-point game, but got that for Toronto before being traded to Miami. Shawn Marion (who went to Toronto in that deal) and Michael Beasley had 25-point efforts for this season's Heat, but no Wade teammate has eclipsed that level. O'Neal, who scored six against the Magic, apologized to Wade for not doing more. "That's the reason why they brought me here, to be able to score in the low post and make plays and defend," O'Neal said. "In every aspect, I kind of failed the test." He wasn't alone, and this trend started long ago. Since last season began, Paul Pierce has watched a Boston teammate score more than 25 points on 30 occasions. Someone other than Kobe Bryant has done it for the Lakers 19 times, and one of LeBron James' teammates in Cleveland has managed that 13 times.
Barkley going to jail for drunk driving
Charles Barkley will serve time in jail after pleading guilty Monday to charges of driving drunk in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Dec. 31, when his blood alcohol level was measured at 0.149 percent, nearly twice the legal limit.
According to court records, the 45-year-old former NBA star pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges related to the same drunken driving arrest.
Barkley, who works as a TV analyst, is set to begin a five-day jail sentence on March 21. The Hall of Famer must pay more than $2,000 in fines and attend an alcohol treatment program.
Rockets' McGrady to have knee surgery today
Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady will be out 6-12 months after microfracture surgery on his left knee scheduled for today, but the team doctor is optimistic that the seven-time All-Star will regain his old form.
Dr. Tom Clanton said that McGrady has a tiny lesion on his knee joint under his kneecap that was first detected in an MRI exam taken after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs in April. McGrady and the Rockets discussed microfracture surgery then, but opted for arthroscopic surgery, a more "conservative" approach that got McGrady ready for the start of the season, Clanton said.
But McGrady started having knee pain almost immediately after the season began. Several NBA players have undergone microfracture knee surgery with mixed results. Amare Stoudemire and Jason Kidd are among those who've successfully resumed their careers. Chris Webber was never the same. McGrady averaged 15.6 points before missing 21 games.
Jazz forward Carlos Boozer returned to the lineup for the first time in three months Monday. Boozer, who missed 44 games with an injured left leg, had two points and five rebounds in Utah's 108-89 victory over Atlanta.
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl expects to be without forward Nene for a week because of a bone bruise on his right knee. Tests on Monday showed that his knee has no structural damage. He is listed as day-to-day.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said he will miss practice today, forced to appear at an arbitration hearing to discuss Stephon Marbury 's grievance against the team.
Steve (Tecumseh, Mich.): There are a couple of things that are obvious now. Maxiell’s numbers are up as he is now the first big man off the bench and able to be the energy guy he’s known to be. The second is that Iverson should be coming off of the bench with Max to destroy opponents’ interior defense. Maxy’s pick and pop game is much improved and they could use it often.
Langlois: Michael Curry said when he moved Rip Hamilton to the bench that it was the way they’d play for the rest of the season, but after Sunday’s 33-point halftime deficit in a nationally televised game at Cleveland – the start of a five-game road trip the Pistons went in to knowing it could make or break them – I think everything must bear scrutiny. Moving Hamilton to the bench over Iverson wasn’t a clear-cut decision, so if the record keeps deteriorating perhaps the argument for using Iverson in that role will deserve an airing. The play of Maxiell in the last few games has been a bright spot. Maybe putting Iverson on the floor with the second-unit players who aren’t big-time scoring threats will draw out the best in him by allowing him to play the way he had for all those seasons in Philly.
SI coverage suits Pistons dancer just fine
What's it like to be in the glamorous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition? Ask Rochester's own Chelsey Buhler. Buhler is a member of the Pistons' dance team Automotion and is featured along with nine other NBA dancers inside the pages of the popular publication, currently on newsstands. This is the first time SI has featured NBA dancers in its swimsuit edition. In the past, the magazine has featured NFL cheerleaders. "I am really happy and honored," says 21-year-old Buhler.
Rebecca Girard, Automotion's dance team director, chose Buhler because of her commitment to the organization. And while being genetically gifted helped, Girard says Buhler is more than a pretty face. "She is just an amazing ambassador for us. She is well-spoken, a business woman who has gone on countless appearances for us, and helps to give us the voice that we need." When not helping the 19-member dance team hype-up Pistons fans in the stands, Buhler attends Oakland University, where she is a junior majoring in communications. She also works as a dance teacher and works as an administrative assistant at her father's company. "Right now, I just focus on each moment, going to school and getting good grades," says Buhler.
She says family and friends are proud of her but it was a little odd for at least one person. "My dad wasn't too happy at first, but he got over it and he was the first one to go out and find the issue," says Buhler. Since news has spread that she is not only in Sports Illustrated and on the publication's Web site, sportsillustrated.cnn .com, people are giving her more than the second and third looks that she is probably used to. "People are coming up to me at Pistons games," she says. "I have had 800 friend requests on Facebook."
Joe (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.): Wouldn’t the easiest way to ensure that Cleveland doesn’t sustain Central Division dominance be to sign LeBron James during the summer of 2010? If the Pistons would have had a similar opportunity to sign Jordan as a free agent right before his prime in the early ’90s, wouldn’t they have done it? All I have heard is that Joe Dumars wants to spend money in 2009, effectively withdrawing from the James sweepstakes.
Langlois: Most believe that there are two realistic destinations for LeBron: Cleveland or New York. Joe Dumars said last week that as long as there is going to be a 2009-10 NBA season, he’s going to use the cap space he’s created this summer, not squirrel it away on the hope that one of the four or five premier free agents coming on the market in July 2010 will choose the Pistons. So, yeah, if Joe D thought he had a great chance to sign LeBron then, he probably would be inclined to endure a tough season next year. But to do so without such evidence would be foolhardy, don’t you think?
Mike (Olympia, Wash.): We have heard Joe D say this season was about putting the ball in the hands of Stuckey. Well, then why is he getting pulled out of games so early? Let him play through it. Put the players on the floor that will be here next year and get them used to playing together. Bench AI and Wallace. Start Rip and Amir.
Langlois: Tough balancing act right now for Michael Curry. He’s trying to win games, they’ve built the team with the idea that Rodney Stuckey is their catalyst, and he’s suddenly playing very tentatively. They pulled him in Cleveland for the same reason they pulled all the starters – that game was out of reach. But he has to start playing better to play more than 25 minutes or so a game.
Pete (Hangzhou, China): What draft picks should the Pistons have for 2009? If they end up out of the playoffs and have three or four picks, they should be able to get one talented player, or trade a couple of picks for a higher one.
Langlois: Their own first- and second-rounders, plus second-rounders from Toronto (the Carlos Delfino trade) and Minnesota (the Ronald Dupree trade). The good news is that it will be the highest pick the Pistons have had with their own first-rounder since drafting Rodney White ninth in 2001. The bad news is that it’s not expected to be an especially top-heavy draft. How deep it will be – meaning what chance the Pistons have to get decent players with all those second-round picks – remains to be seen.
Johnny (Lansing, Mich.): I love this team. I trust Joe Dumars. I don’t think the Iverson trade was a bad move. I will always follow and cheer for the Pistons. However, they kinda stink right now. It’s hard to put a good spin on their current losing streak. Please comfort me, Keith.
Langlois: I don’t know how comforting this is, Johnny, but here’s what Pistons fans at least have to keep in mind: How would you feel if the Pistons were floundering as they are AND they were locked in to keeping the team intact into the foreseeable future. There are teams hovering around .500 with no realistic prospect of improving the team dramatically anytime soon. For the Pistons, that chance is about four months away. Within a few weeks after the start of free agency on July 1, the Pistons are probably going to look significantly different. Hope that helps.
Jack (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.): What is wrong with Stuckey? He has been terrible the past few games.
Langlois: There’s no easy or obvious answer, Jack. He says he’s fine physically, but he’s almost certainly feeling extreme fatigue because there just isn’t that pop to his game. I recall one dynamic move in each of the San Antonio and Cleveland games – both coming early in those games – and then not much after that. There is no real concern for Stuckey long term, but everybody will breathe a little easier when he puts up his next 20-point, 10-assist game.
Joe (Saginaw, Mich.): I’ve never seen a team mail it in like my favorite team did in the first half against the Cavs. My question is, what do you think would be the ideal scenario for the Pistons this summer. I would like to see Sheed signed to a $4 million-$6 million contract, let Iverson go and either a trade swung for Chris Bosh or Carlos Boozer signed with the remainder of the cap space. Lastly, any chance the Pistons pick up an Elden Campbell or Dale Davis or Theo Ratliff type for the veteran’s minimum?
Langlois: The first half was ugly, Joe, no getting around it. The Pistons looked fragile, and while it’s understandable to a degree from a team that’s had its confidence rocked, you would at least hope they would have done a little more scratching and clawing before that game got out of hand. You lay out a pretty good dream scenario. If the Pistons could get Wallace back at something at or below the mid-level exception, sign a premier free agent – and Boozer, the best of the bunch, would give the Pistons the low-post scoring they lack – and swing a trade for another terrific player, like Bosh, they’d be set up front. As for your other question, keep reading …
Muris (Utica, N.Y.): I heard Mikki Moore will be waived by the Kings and probably headed to Boston. Is there a chance the Pistons can land an all-important decent big man since our bench hasn’t been very productive?
Langlois: Highly unlikely for two reasons, Muris. One, the Pistons just traded Alex Acker to get below the luxury-tax threshold. Signing someone else would put them back over, in all likelihood, unless they got someone for the veteran’s minimum, prorated. But is that going to be anyone better than, say, Kwame Brown. Not very likely. You might bite the bullet and go back over the tax for a star, but signing Mikki Moore would cost the Pistons about $4 million right now – in addition to whatever his salary might be. Moore (and Joe Smith, if Oklahoma City offers him a buyout) will be this year’s P.J. Brown, looking to land with one of the elite teams positioned to contend for a title. With Boston having the clearest need among that small class, they’d be likeliest to sign him.