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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... istraction

Pacers at Pistons
Tip-off: 8 tonight, The Palace, Auburn Hills
TV/radio: FSD/WXYT 97.1
Outlook: This is the first game between the teams this season. ... Indiana has lost three consecutive games and is 4-18 on the road.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Bob Wojnowski: Selling Pistons is right thing, and Karen Davidson knows it: As the Pistons enter a peri... http://twurl.nl/hkva3c

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Pistons might be tough sale for Karen Davidson: An expert in sports franchises predicts it will be diff... http://twurl.nl/y6qgyf

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Pistons players, coach say talk of sale not a distraction: The Pistons ownership situation could easily... http://twurl.nl/w7c5rt

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Karen Davidson could help determine Lightning's fate: Palace Sports, which claimed it lost about $84 mi... http://twurl.nl/iercvw

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Kobe Bryant passes 28,000 points but LeBron, Cavs get past Lakers: As chants of "M-V-P" filled the elec... http://twurl.nl/ja8gzm

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Pistons might be tough sale for Karen Davidson: An expert in sports franchises predicts it will be diff... http://twurl.nl/kh21di

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http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazer ... blaze.html

Brandon Roy leaves Trail Blazers for Seattle and second opinion on hamstring
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy did not travel with the team to Boston Thursday morning and instead flew to Seattle for a second opinion on his strained right hamstring.

As expected, Roy will miss the Blazers’ next two games — Friday at Boston and Saturday at Detroit — and could miss even more, depending on what doctors in Seattle say about his balky right leg. “We’re going to reevaluate him again next week,” coach Nate McMillan said. “But he won’t play the next two games.”

After Wednesday night’s game, Roy said he thought he would miss the rest of the Blazers’ trip and expressed frustration about his predicament. “I’m frustrated with it,” Roy said after the Blazers defeated Philadelphia. “But I just need to keep being patient and get back when I can.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... or-Pistons

Tonight: Pacers
Matchup: Pistons 15-26, Indiana 14-28.
Tip-off: 8, Palace.
TV/radio: FSD, WXYT-FM (97.1).
Line: Detroit by 3.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... or-Pistons

Sale talk no bother for Pistons
A day after Pistons owner Karen Davidson said she's inquiring about selling the team, players and coaches went about their business at practice preparing for the second opponent of a six-game home stand. The Indiana Pacers visit the Palace tonight.

Since the Pistons have reached the halfway point with a 15-26 record, they are more concerned with putting together a string of wins to get back into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. "Not for me personally," coach John Kuester said Thursday about whether the ownership situation could become a distraction. "I'm focused on what we're doing with this group. All of my efforts are for the players, for what (Pistons president Joe Dumars) wants and also for the people of Detroit. We're trying to give them a product they can be proud of."

The reaction was much the same by the players. It's understandable because they have had little interaction with Davidson. "When you hear about the team being sold and stuff like that, it's business," Rip Hamilton said. "Business is business. You just hope for the best. We play basketball, and that's all we do."

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... or-Pistons

PRINCE COMPLIMENTS: Tayshaun Prince, who will return to the lineup soon from a sore left knee, had praise for the rookie class of Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko and DaJuan Summers. He recalled how tough it was his rookie season under then-coach Rick Carlisle when his minutes were uncertain.

"It's definitely hard," Prince said. "I was put to a five-game test. He put me out there for five games and didn't like what he saw, so you sit for 40 more. It definitely was a test."

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... or-Pistons

NOTEBOOK: Ben Gordon (right groin) and Prince (left knee) are game-time decisions tonight. Will Bynum (left ankle) is out.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100122/S ... or-Pistons

Jason Maxiell will help distribute collected mittens and coats from a clothing drive before tonight's game.

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http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12378.htm

Indiana Pacers (14-28) at Detroit Pistons (15-26), 8 p.m.
A pair of Central Division also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will continue a six- game homestand with a matchup versus the Indiana Pacers. The Pistons have won four of five contests since a 13-game losing streak and are coming off an improbable 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to lead the way and is averaging 20.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his last five games. Charlie Villanueva scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons, who bounced back from a 99-91 defeat at New York on Monday. Richard Hamilton ended with 12 points and eight assists in the win. "I thought the zone slowed [Boston] down a little bit," Stuckey said. "We got out, increased the ball movement and got some easy baskets. Austin (Daye) came in stepped up for us tonight. Charlie came of the bench and did a good job. We just played as a team tonight."

Detroit's bench is averaging 37.8 points in the past 25 games, compared to 28.3 in the previous 16. It is 11-9 at home this season and will also entertain the Blazers, Grizzlies, Heat and Magic on the residency. On the injury front for the Pistons, guard Ben Gordon (groin) and forward Tayshaun Prince (knee) are both questionable for Friday's game. Detroit big man Ben Wallace is averaging 10 points and 13 rebounds in his last four games, and needs seven blocks for 2,000 in his career.

Indiana will wrap up a three-game road trip this evening and has lost three in a row since a three-game winning streak. In a 109-98 setback at Orlando on Wednesday, Danny Granger ended with 25 points and six rebounds while Troy Murphy added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who fell to 4-18 away from Conseco Fieldhouse this season. "They got off to a big lead and we cut back into it and ran out of gas at the end," Granger said. Dahntay Jones and Mike Dunleavy finished with 17 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench in a losing effort. The Pacers have averaged just over 92 points per game (92.3) in the last three contests, but it hasn't been enough to avoid their 11th road loss in the past 12 tries. Pacers rookie forward Tyler Hansbrough is questionable for Friday's game due to an inner ear infection. Indiana and Detroit are at the bottom of the Central Division standings and are meeting for the first time this season. The two rivals split four matchups a year ago, while the Pistons have won 11 of the last 15 meetings in the series.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/01/22/blaz ... ef:nbahpt2

Hamstring injury to sideline Blazers' Roy 2 games
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will miss the team's next two games after aggravating a right hamstring injury.

Roy re-injured the hamstring late in the first half of Portland's 98-90 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The two-time All-Star was originally injured during the third quarter of the Blazers' 120-108 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 13.

Roy is averaging 23.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and five assists. The Blazers visit the Celtics on Friday night before playing at Detroit on Saturday. Jerryd Bayless is expected to start for Portland in Boston.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/video/2010/0 ... index.html

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

Video in the link above^.

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http://twitter.com/DetPistons

Can you believe tonight's game is the first meeting between the Pistons and Pacers this season? Tune in to FS... http://bit.ly/6zHEyr

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100122.html

Pistons vs. Pacers
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. - Join the Chat and Listen Live
"Cash for Clunkers" Jersey Deal
Got an old Pistons jersey that you don't wear anymore? Bring it to The Palace to get $20 off a new one. More info.
The Pistons haven’t faced the Indiana Pacers yet this season, but they’ve got to like their chances as they seek their fifth win in six games. The Pistons have won five straight at The Palace against the Pacers, who are just 4-18 on the road. Detroit is 11-9 at The Palace after Wednesday’s win over the Celtics, putting them two games over .500 at home for the first time since the second week of the season. Both teams have been incredibly streaky, which has prevented them from reaching the top half of the Central Division standings. (The Pistons’ Dec. 4 home win over Milwaukee is the only divisional win between the teams, who are a combined 1-8 against Central opponents.)

The Pistons have quietly won four of their last five games following the near-record 13-game losing streak that consumed most of December and early January. Detroit also won five in a row before the skid. Similarly, the Pacers won five in a row in November, followed by 10 losses in 11 games. Indiana comes to The Palace having lost three in a row after a three-game winning streak. It all adds up to identical 4-6 marks over their last 10 games, with both teams desperate to tighten up defensively. The Pacers are allowing close to 109 points per game over that stretch, fourth most in the NBA; while the Pistons are allowing opponents to shoot 48.8 percent from the field, third highest. Those numbers skew against Detroit, which had several ugly outcomes at the end of their losing streak. If you look only at their current 4-1 stretch, the Pistons are outscoring teams 97.2 to 93.8, and the opponents’ field-goal percentage is down to a reasonable 44.7 percent. They’re also averaging 46.0 rebounds, third most in the NBA, and have a league-best plus-9.0 rebounding differential. Tonight is the 42nd game of the season for Detroit, which ended the first half of the '09-10 campaign at 15-26. Eleven games under .500 certainly lands on the low end of most preseason expectations, but no would could have predicted the veteran core of Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon would have played only seven games together. “We’re not going to make excuses, we’re going to play with what we got,” said Ben Wallace. “We got other guys ready to step up and fill that role so that’s what we’ve got to do: go out and play with what we’ve got.”

Astonishingly, Wallace is one of only two Pistons to play in all 41 games so far, Rodney Stuckey being the other. There were a lot of doubts about the 35-year-old Wallace’s ability to maintain his health and effectiveness over 82 games. Judging from his recent stretch of season high performances, Wallace has no intention of breaking down now. “I’m a 110 percent compared to where I was the last three years,” said Wallace, who has averaged 8.8 points and 11.6 rebounds in his last five games. “So I’ve got no gripes, no whines, no moans, no complaints. I just go out and play basketball and enjoy my time on the floor.” The Pistons received some encouraging news on the injury front Thursday with the news that Chucky Atkins and Chris Wilcox both practiced and will be ready to play tonight, and that Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince have been upgraded to game-time decisions. Atkins left Wednesday’s game with a bruised sternum but returned in the second half. Wilcox played only eight minutes for the second straight game, leading to the assumption that his back – which had limited him in New York on Monday – had flared up again. Wilcox said “it was just the coach’s decision,” and could have played more against the Celtics. Coach John Kuester stuck with the hot hands at power forward, Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell, who combined for 31 points on 11-of-23 (47.8 percent). Though Gordon is likely closer to returning than Prince, there’s a good chance both players will opt to sit out this weekend’s back-to-back and take three extra days to prepare for the Jan. 27 home contest with Memphis. That was the case when Gordon, Prince and Rip Hamilton all sat out a back-to-back on Dec. 22-23, and returned for the Dec. 27 game at Toronto. Prince and Gordon haven’t played in almost two weeks. Prince said he was “pretty optimistic about playing” against Boston, but is letting his body recover from the intense workouts he’s gone through to get into game shape. He said the left knee “responded well” to recent practices and that the ruptured disc in his back that cost him the first two months of the season hasn’t been an issue. “My back is good now, just my legs,” he said. It’s becoming increasingly likely that guard Will Bynum, who hasn’t played since Dec. 27, may not play until February.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100122.html

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

Key Matchup
Jerebko
39
8.4
5.4
0.6
.469 Games
PPG
RPG
APG
FG% 25
23.5
5.7
2.4
.403
Granger

Jonas Jerebko hasn’t stood out lately, but he should be thrust back on center stage Friday night. Danny Granger will see to that. Granger was the Pacers’ high scorer in all four games against Detroit last season, averaging 30.8 points on 46.8 percent shooting. He also made 41 of 45 free throws (91.1 percent), so the Pistons will need to defend him without constantly sending him on the line. That’s where the 6-foot-10 Jerebko comes in. He’s already guarded the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony and knows he won’t stop the Pacers’ leading scorer from scoring 20-plus points. Jerebko just needs to make sure Granger is inefficient about it and not getting easy points on free throws. If Jerebko and company can keep Granger shooting under 40.0 percent, the Pistons have a great chance to extend their three-game home winning streak. Granger is averaging 26.1 points on 44.8 percent shooting in victories, versus 22.1 points and 38.1 percent shooting in losses. His 3-point shooting also drops from 40.3 to 34.2 percent. Jerebko's efforts to limit Granger's offensive numbers may do more to improve the Pistons' chances of winning than if he posts big numbers of his own. Jerebko has averaged 6.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in the last three games, half of what he averaged in the three games prior to that (13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds). The Pistons nonetheless won two of the three in each set.

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http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12378.htm

Indiana Pacers (14-28) at Detroit Pistons (15-26), 8 p.m.
A pair of Central Division also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will continue a six- game homestand with a matchup versus the Indiana Pacers. The Pistons have won four of five contests since a 13-game losing streak and are coming off an improbable 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to lead the way and is averaging 20.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his last five games. Charlie Villanueva scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons, who bounced back from a 99-91 defeat at New York on Monday. Richard Hamilton ended with 12 points and eight assists in the win. "I thought the zone slowed [Boston] down a little bit," Stuckey said. "We got out, increased the ball movement and got some easy baskets. Austin (Daye) came in stepped up for us tonight. Charlie came of the bench and did a good job. We just played as a team tonight."

Detroit's bench is averaging 37.8 points in the past 25 games, compared to 28.3 in the previous 16. It is 11-9 at home this season and will also entertain the Blazers, Grizzlies, Heat and Magic on the residency. On the injury front for the Pistons, guard Ben Gordon (groin) and forward Tayshaun Prince (knee) are both questionable for Friday's game. Detroit big man Ben Wallace is averaging 10 points and 13 rebounds in his last four games, and needs seven blocks for 2,000 in his career. Indiana will wrap up a three-game road trip this evening and has lost three in a row since a three-game winning streak. In a 109-98 setback at Orlando on Wednesday, Danny Granger ended with 25 points and six rebounds while Troy Murphy added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who fell to 4-18 away from Conseco Fieldhouse this season. "They got off to a big lead and we cut back into it and ran out of gas at the end," Granger said.

Dahntay Jones and Mike Dunleavy finished with 17 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench in a losing effort. The Pacers have averaged just over 92 points per game (92.3) in the last three contests, but it hasn't been enough to avoid their 11th road loss in the past 12 tries. Pacers rookie forward Tyler Hansbrough is questionable for Friday's game due to an inner ear infection.Indiana and Detroit are at the bottom of the Central Division standings and are meeting for the first time this season. The two rivals split four matchups a year ago, while the Pistons have won 11 of the last 15 meetings in the series