'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 68

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace might play for Pistons tonight: Rodney Stuckey (dizziness) and Ben Wallace ... http://twurl.nl/ujzhgd

[nasty daddy]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... ext-year/1

Georgetown big man Greg Monroe says he'll be back next year
Less than an hour passed after Georgetown's humiliating tournament loss to 14th-seeded Ohio before Hoyas center Greg Monroe said he would return for his junior season.

The 6-foot-11 sophomore averaged 16 points and 9.5 rebounds this season and is a projected first-round pick should he enter the NBA draft. "I'm ready to go back and see how I can help my team next year," he said.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III isn't convinced. "You know, I think that he's going to sit and make that decision as time goes on right here," he said.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_t ... index.html

Huskies in the NBA
Three former UCONN Huskies: Charlie Villanueva, Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton share the court in Detroit.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100318/S ... s-reserves

Pistons' Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace expected to return, come off the bench Friday
It looks like the Pistons will be at full strength Friday at Indianapolis. Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace were full participants in Thursday’s workout at the practice facility, and coach John Kuester is cautiously optimistic that both would be available for the game. Kuester said both players looked good, but because they have missed so much time, they will come off the bench whenever they return. “With both of those guys, they’ll come off the bench,” Kuester said after Thursday’s practice. “They’ve been out the past two weeks, or close to two weeks for Stuckey, and that’s what we’re going to do right now.”

Stuckey has missed six games since he collapsed and was carried from Quicken Loans Arena on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask during a loss at Cleveland on March 5. He has undergone a battery of tests looking for any potential life-threatening condition, but all tests have come back negative. He has been cleared to return to the team. Wallace has missed eight games because of a sore right patellar tendon.

Stuckey declined to speak with reporters Thursday, other than to say, “I’m good” as he left the practice floor. Considering the scare caused by Stuckey’s collapse two weeks ago, Kuester admitted that whenever Stuckey checks in, that scene will be in the back of his mind. As for Wallace, he also didn’t have much to say about his possible return.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100318/S ... s-reserves

NOTEBOOK: The Pacers are one game behind the Pistons, so this game could help decide which team will have a better chance during the NBA draft lottery in May.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100318/S ... s-reserves

Pacers forward Danny Granger is doubtful for Friday's game because of an injury he suffered Tuesday night after he caught an elbow to the head.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100318/S ... s-reserves

Tonight: Pacers
Matchup: Pistons 23-45; Indiana 22-46.
Tip-off: 7, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.
TV/radio: FSD, WWJ-AM (950).
Line: Pacers by 3.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100319/S ... ow-as-a-QB

Best bet/good deed
The Pistons' Helping Hand program is offering a free ticket to people who have participated in volunteer activities since Jan. 1, 2009, or agree to before April 12.

The eligible games are April 2, 7 and 12. Volunteers also can purchase additional 200-level tickets for $5 or upgrade to 100-level tickets for $25.

The offer is good at pistons.com/helpinghand, the box office and by calling 248-377-0100.

[nasty daddy]

http://stats.mlive.com/nba/preview.asp? ... e=11&vis=8

Pistons-Pacers Preview
The Indiana Pacers have used a string of solid performances from Danny Granger in a four-game win streak over the Detroit Pistons. Granger, though, may not be available when the Pacers try to hand the Pistons an eighth straight road loss Friday night. Indiana (22-46) played without Granger in a 99-94 loss at Cleveland on Wednesday, one night after he took an inadvertent elbow to his upper right cheek in the final minute of a 99-94 win over Charlotte. There is no timetable for his return. "It seems like he's going to be all right," coach Jim O'Brien said. "Hopefully, he'll be back in the lineup quickly. You never know when someone got hit that hard in the head area, you always have to be concerned." The Pacers are 7-13 without Granger, who missed 16 games due to a right foot injury.

The Pistons (23-45) are no doubt hoping not to see Granger since he averaged 28.8 points against them over the last two seasons, including 24.5 in four straight victories. Detroit had won the previous eight meetings. Indiana hasn't won five straight over its Central Division rival since a six-game run Feb. 23, 2000-Feb. 15, 2001, and enters this game playing well at Conseco Fieldhouse. "We've won our last three home games, so things are starting to pick up for us," O'Brien said.O'Brien's club hung in against the league-leading Cavaliers, as Roy Hibbert scored 20 points and Troy Murphy added 19 and 15 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double. Hibbert and Murphy have been solid in two wins over Detroit this season, combining for 52 points and 39 rebounds. Detroit has lost three straight after falling 113-101 at home to Cleveland on Tuesday. The Pistons led heading into the fourth quarter before allowing 38 points.

The effort came one night after a dispiriting 119-93 loss at Boston in which Detroit trailed by 29 at halftime. "We were trying to redeem ourselves, so this is very frustrating," forward Charlie Villanueva said Tuesday. "It's encouraging to see us compete like this, but it is still another loss." Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Villanueva added 16 against the Cavaliers as the Pistons fell to 2-10 versus division opponents. "We competed," coach John Kuester said. "Guys gave everything they had. We just had some things not go our way at the end, but I'll tell you this: I was very proud of the way our guys played." Detroit is expecting starting point guard Rodney Stuckey to play Friday night, two weeks after he collapsed on the bench during a game against the Cavs. Stuckey, who has sat out the last six contests, is averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 assists.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100319.html

Pistons (23-45) at Pacers (22-46)
The PRE Report
Broadcast Schedule:
6:00 p.m. - Pistons In-Focus
6:30 p.m. - Pistons Live
7:00 p.m. - Watch Live on FS Detroit
7:00 p.m. - Join the Chat and Listen Live
John Kuester sounded optimistic Thursday that he could have Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace back for tonight’s game at Indiana. That’s good news for the Pistons coach, who needs his defense as whole as possible after the Pacers won both prior meetings by a combined 36 points.
“They’ve done a real good job in their matchups against us,” Kuester confessed. “We’ve got to make sure we do a great job of staying connected (defensively).” The Pacers scored 107 and 105 points, respectively, making half their shots (49.7 percent). They shot an even better 56.3 percent from inside the arc, but Indiana loves the long ball, going 19-for-52 (36.5 percent). Indiana has attempted over 1,500 triples, third most in the NBA behind Orlando and New York. Kuester said there was a “very good chance” Stuckey and Wallace would play after practicing Thursday. Because they had both missed two weeks, Kuester said he would bring them off the bench for the time being.

Though the medical reason for Stuckey’s frightening collapse on Mar. 5 was never determined, all tests came back negative and doctors have cleared him to play. “He looked as rested as I’ve ever seen him so I think that’s the good news,” Kuester said. “He was very active today in practice.” The Pacers are enduring a similar medical mystery with leading scorer Danny Granger, who left Tuesday’s win over Charlotte in the final minute after taking a blow to the face. He wobbled toward the bench but didn’t make it to a chair on his own, needing assistance from team trainers. Granger did not attend Wednesday’s loss to the Cavaliers and is listed as day-to-day after a CT scan and MRI of his head and neck revealed nothing of concern. He is averaging 23.1 points, and scored 25 in both games against Detroit. Dahntay Jones (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) started in Granger’s place Wednesday, posting 10 points and six assists.

Point guard T.J. Ford also is on the Pacers’ injury list after suffering a groin strain on Sunday. He had 11 points and five assists against the Pistons at Conseco Fieldhouse on Feb. 5. Starter Earl Watson missed that contest for personal reasons and should be in the lineup Friday. Rookie A.J. Price started in Watson’s absence Feb. 5; Price had his best game in over month Wednesday with 14 points and six assists in Indiana’s last outing, a 99-94 defeat at Cleveland. The frontcourt of Troy Murphy and Roy Hibbert (key matchup) continues to be coach Jim O’Brien’s bedrock. Murphy is averaging 38.1 minutes in the last six games and has delivered five double-doubles, including 19 points and 15 rebounds against the Cavs. Hibbert is one of two Pacers to play in all 67 games and has started a team-high 55 games. Indiana’s second-leading scorer behind Granger, Murphy is averaging 17.3 points and 12.5 rebounds over the last six games. He also had double-doubles in both games against Detroit, totaling 28 points and 21 rebounds. Both teams are 2-7 in March and are separated by just one game in the Central Division standings.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100319.html

Scouting Report - Indiana Pacers
Scott Perry talks with the Pistons Weekly's Pete Skorich about tonight's game against the Pacers.

Key Matchup
Wallace
60
5.3
9.1
1.2
.533 Games
PPG
RPG
BPG
FG% 68
11.3
5.8
1.6
.494
Hibbert

Ben Wallace’s return couldn’t come soon enough. While Jason Maxiell has produced offensively and performed more than admirably on the defensive end, there are certain matchups the 6-foot-7 forward isn’t cut out for – one of them being 7-foot-2 Pacers center Roy Hibbert. While Wallace isn’t a tree-topper at 6-foot-9 and it remains to be seen how many minutes he will play off the bench, there’s no doubt he can help neutralize Hibbert, a potential game-changer when he gets on a roll. He got on a roll Wednesday, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting against Cleveland. But he had just five rebounds, the latest in a series of underwhelming rebounding performances from a 7-footer playing 24 minutes a game. Since Nov. 20, Hibbert has grabbed 10 or more rebounds just four times in 59 games. (Which might help explain why the Pacers are among the NBA’s poorest rebounding teams. In their last 10 games Indiana has been outrebounded by more than five per game, ranking 27th in the NBA.) One of Hibbert’s 10-plus performances, however, was against the Pistons on Feb. 5, when he had 10 points and 11 rebounds – five on the offensive glass. The Pacers outscored Detroit in second-chance points, 16-12. Maxiell has made such double-doubles routine, with five straight along with a career-high 16 boards six games ago. Wallace also grabbed 10 or more boards in four straight leading up to his injury, including 12 against the Celtics in his last game Mar. 2. Wallace has missed eight games, and had more than two weeks to recover from not only the strained patella tendon but also a season’s worth of bumps and bruises. That bodes well for Wallace’s chances of finishing the last 13 games playing as well as he has all season.

[nasty daddy]

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

Patrick Hayes of The Flint Journal: "To me, the mark of success in the NBA Draft is simply one thing: does the GM consistently find players who turn into contributors at the NBA level? All of the 'he took player x when player y was available and player y is an All-Star now!' gripes are certainly fun, but they are a waste of time. Every GM can be subject to that kind of revisionist history, and Dumars certainly is. But overall, Joe Dumars is far from the worst GM in the league when it comes to finding talent. He's right in the middle of the pack, actually. There are far worse guys teams could have overseeing their drafts than Dumars. I write this knowing it will surely lead to the typical, 'Yer just a Joe D apologist, LOLz!!!' comments, but that's not why I write it. Context is always a good thing. To say that Dumars is bad at drafting players based on a couple high profile failed picks is only part of the picture. Sure, his only two lottery picks as GM were epic fails. And yes, he has to get the team's lottery pick right this year. But I like comparisons, and compared to other current NBA GMs, Dumars does an adequate job at finding talent in the draft."

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/rodney-st ... today.html

Rodney Stuckey Will Play Today
Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace are set to return tonight, both will see limited time and come off the bench.

Via The Detroit Free Press
Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace were full participants in Thursday’s workout at the practice facility, and coach John Kuester is cautiously optimistic that both would be available for the game.Kuester said both players looked good, but because they have missed so much time, they will come off the bench whenever they return. “With both of those guys, they’ll come off the bench,” Kuester said after Thursday’s practice. “They’ve been out the past two weeks, or close to two weeks for Stuckey, and that’s what we’re going to do right now.” Stuckey has missed six games since he collapsed and was carried from Quicken Loans Arena on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask during a loss at Cleveland on March 5. He has undergone a battery of tests looking for any potential life-threatening condition, but all tests have come back negative. He has been cleared to return to the team. Wallace has missed eight games because of a sore right patellar tendon. Stuckey declined to speak with reporters Thursday, other than to say, “I’m good” as he left the practice floor. Considering the scare caused by Stuckey’s collapse two weeks ago, Kuester admitted that whenever Stuckey checks in, that scene will be in the back of his mind.

[nasty daddy]

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

Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace might play for Pistons tonight
If nothing else, the Pistons bench is likely getting a boost tonight against the Pacers. Rodney Stuckey (dizziness) and Ben Wallace (right patella tendon strain) both took part in Thursday's practice and could be in the lineup against the Pacers.

[nasty daddy]

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

Detroit Pistons Links: Lamenting that Pistons' triple-double promotion
Worst. Promotion. Ever. [Empty the Bench]
Former Piston Derrick Coleman is bankrupt [C.O.D.]
How fast is Will Bynum? [Dime]
Player intros if you haven't been to a game [Need4Sheed]
Dismantling the assist [Hardwood Paroxysm]
Pistons have trouble with screens [Freep]
Dumars Q/A part deux [Pistons.com]

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12655.htm

Detroit Pistons (23-45) at Indiana Pacers (22-46), 7 p.m.
The Indiana Pacers have won four straight times against the Detroit Pistons, and Danny Granger has played a large role in each of those victories. The Pacers may have to try to extend that streak without the services of their leading scorer, however, when the two Central Division rivals square off tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse. Granger was elbowed in the cheek during the late stages of Indiana's 99-94 home triumph over Charlotte on Tuesday and sat out the Pacers' game at Cleveland the following night. The 2009 All-Star, who's averaging 23.1 points and 5.7 rebounds this season, is not expected to be available for this evening's test as well. The Pacers were able to hold their own against the powerful Cavaliers despite missing both the standout forward and point guard T.J. Ford, but still wound up on the short end of a 99-94 decision on Wednesday. Indiana trailed by 16 points entering the fourth quarter before outscoring Cleveland 29-18 in the final period to make the score close. "I think that we rallied together as a team towards the end," said center Roy Hibbert, who led the Pacers with 20 points. "We got back into it. The Cavs are an extremely good team, but I think when we play a game together we can really be a dangerous team, because we have extremely good three-point shooters and we've got guys who can slash to the basket and score in the paint."

Troy Murphy finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, with rookie A.J. Price adding 14 points off the bench. Ford missed his third straight contest with a sore left groin and is unlikely to be available tonight as well. Granger has averaged 24.5 points during Indiana's four-game streak against the Pistons, in which two of those victories have taken place this season. Detroit has lost three times at Conseco Fieldhouse over that winless stretch, including a 107-83 setback on February 5. The Pistons have dropped their last three overall games as well after being handed a 113-101 defeat by the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Detroit held a 76-75 edge after three quarters, but was outscored by a 38-25 margin in the fourth. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points and Jason Maxiell posted a double-double in the loss, ending with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince had a good all-around game as well for Detroit, compiling 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on the night.

The Pistons have now lost 10 of their last 12 outings but could get a boost tonight from the anticipated return of guard Rodney Stuckey. The third-year pro, averaging career-bests of 17.1 points and 5.0 assists per game in 2009-10, has not played since collapsing on the bench of a March 5 game against Cleveland after experiencing a dizzy spell. Stuckey was cleared to play earlier this week.

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.mlive.com/ottoman-empire/20 ... eason.html

Detroit Pistons' guard Rodney Stuckey should not return this season
Pistons' coach Jon Kuester says it is possible that Rodney Stuckey could return tonight when Detroit plays at Indiana. I just don't know why the team would take that chance. Doctors have still not nailed down exactly why Stuckey collapsed on the bench in Cleveland during a game two weeks ago. It's the second time in his career that Stuckey had an unexplained incident in a game.

Stuckey continues to say he's good and feels fine, but of course that's what a player would say. He wants to get back on the court. I think the best thing for the health of this young man is to sit him down for the rest of this lost season. It also makes sense from a basketball standpoint. Pistons' President Joe Dumars has bet a lot on Stuckey, trading away Chauncey Billups to make room for the young guard in the starting lineup. The last thing this franchise needs is to put the livelihood of one of their cornerstones in jeopardy.

There is nothing to gain by allowing Stuckey back on the court. The Pistons are going to be a lottery team whether or not he plays. Give every specialist in the country the chance over the next couple months to figure out what is ailing him and what treatment he should go through to get him back to 100-percent. Then when he returns next season, we will all know that the scary moment we witnessed earlier this month will never happen again.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/dumars_100319.html

Q&A with Joe Dumars - Part III
Pistons president Joe Dumars sat down with Pistons.com editor Keith Langlois on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the season so far and the future of the team. Here’s Part III of their conversation:

KEITH LANGLOIS: Ben Wallace hasn’t wanted to talk publicly about next year. He’s said he’s had injuries the past few years and just wanted to see how he got through this season. I don’t think anyone thinks his current knee injury is anything that would dissuade him, but have you talked to him at all about next year or are you waiting until after the season?

JOE DUMARS: Have not even spoken to him about next year. Ben’s been such a pleasure for me to see him come back and, not just how he’s played for us this year. He’s exceeded expectations in how he’s played for us. But behind the scenes, to see how he came back, and embraced being here and being the voice, that’s been really neat for me to see. I’ve just allowed him to enjoy and embrace this. I have the type of relationship with him that we’ll talk when it’s time to talk. But right now, it’s not even necessary. This is not some guy that I need to start courting now about next year because I don’t really know this guy that well. We’ll talk when the season is over.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/dumars_100319.html

KL: I have to believe it was worth the veteran’s minimum to bring him back just for the rookies to be exposed to what a work ethic really is.

JD: Yeah. Return on investment for Ben Wallace this year – outstanding. The ROI on him – outstanding this year for what he brought back.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/dumars_100319.html

KL: Will Bynum. Before he got hurt this year, you said it was your full intention to bring him back. We know he’ll be a restricted free agent and restricted free agents haven’t moved very much recently. He had 20 assists last week and is looking very much closer to the player we saw at the end of last year and early this season. Still your full intention to bring him back?

JD: Yeah. Nothing’s changed with Will. At the end of last year, the beginning of this year, and now the last few weeks, he’s another guy that was affected greatly by his injuries. He has a game based on speed, quickness and explosion. When he lost that, that affected him. I think the closer you see him getting back to healthy, I think you see why I’ve said before and I will continue to say, he’s a guy that I want to be a part of this core going forward for a long time.