'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 26

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http://www.wdfn.com/pages/DETROITPISTONS.html

Pistons Lose Third Straight
The Pistons fell to Atlanta at home Tuesday night. Here are the details from A. Sherrod Blakely at M-Live . . . The Detroit Pistons wanted to have some momentum going into the All-Star break, but this is not what they had in mind.

Atlanta's 99-95 win over the Pistons was Detroit's third consecutive loss."It's tough," Detroit coach Michael Curry said. "You definitely don't get to enjoy your break because of that. But guys look physically tired; they look mentally drained, so hopefully this can re-energize them."The factors contributing to Wednesday's loss weren't all that different than what has plagued the Pistons through what has been a season filled with one disappointing performance after another.

When it came time to grab a big rebound, the Pistons failed. When it came time to knock down a shot, open or contested, the Pistons failed. And when it came time to make a defensive stop, the Pistons failed. So as they head into the All-Star break, the Pistons (27-24) continue their search for answers to the numerous problems that have left them just three games over .500.

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http://www.detroitbadboys.com/

At this point it’s still completely unsubstantiated, but the word on the internet tubes is that Terry Porter has been fired in Phoenix. So much for first-year coaches having the ultimate job security, huh? I’m not saying, just saying.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11536

Lakers Get Trade Exception: As a result of their trade with the Charlotte Bobcats, the Los Angeles Lakers picked up a trade exception worth $1,990,200. L.A. sent Vladimir Radmanovic to Charlotte for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown over the weekend.

From the Lakers perspective, Radmanovic was traded directly for Morrison. The Lakers were able to acquire Brown via the minimum salary exception. Any team can trade for a player making the minimum without having to match contracts. The trade exception is the difference between Radmanovic and Morrison's contracts this season plus $100k. LA can't combine the exception with another Lakers' salary going out. They also can't use it to sign a player outright, only in trade.

The Lakers will have the exception for an entire year (as of this past Saturday, February 7th). Considering budget is such a serious issue in the coming season with Andrew Bynum's raise kicking in, there's a reasonable chance the Lakers don't use it. Equally, as General Manager Mitch Kupchak looks at the trade market over the next 12 months, it gives him an additional tool to help foster a deal.

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http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2009/ ... mor-thread

An historically reliable poster on the RealGM forum is reporting that Kerr is considering taking over for Porter (not sure I like the idea of coaching but I do love the idea of him sleeping in the bed he's made)

From the same source over at RealGM. Again, this individual had the details of the Shaq trade, the JRich trade and also the exact same things I heard re: Porter last week so while it is still rumor it is more credible than random chatter:

Kerr just called Dudley. Had Gentry in his office for about an hour. Met with HR and the Lawyer earlier today. That’s all I’ve got. Working on it. Something seems to be close. Stay tuned.I also confirmed independently that Porter isn't long for Phoenix...timing is to help bury it in the all star hubbub

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11536

The Chicago Bulls may have the best chance to land Amar'e. The Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn't be counted out although they have been very resistant to change considering the team's success so far this season. Don't sleep on either the Detroit Pistons or the Miami HEAT.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11534

Tracy McGrady Update: There was a report going around last night that Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady may have to shut it down because of continued pain in his left knee. There was also speculation he may have to have microfracture surgery on the knee, which would mean he would be finished for this season and probably not even be ready for training camp in October. "This is just a bad time in my career to be going through this," McGrady told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "For everybody that thought I was just playing with some (imaginary) knee injury, my (injury) is real. It's big. It's not just some pain. I have a real significant problem with my knee. So everybody that is questioning my injury, it's for real."

I don't think anyone has ever questioned whether or not McGrady had knee pain. The question has always been how much pain can he play with and still be a positive asset to the Rockets? It's starting to become more and more clear – maybe even to McGrady himself – that this cannot go on and something will need to be done. If it can be done without microfracture that's fantastic, but it may not be. MRI results yesterday said there was no new injury, so while that's good it still leaves the problem.

So far this season McGrady is averaging 15.6 points, 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. For most players those are very good numbers, but not for McGrady – they represent his worst overall season since his second season in the league with the Toronto Raptors. His field-goal percentage of 39% is a career-worst, but hey, his 80% free throw shooting is a career-high (the attempts are at the lowest point since 1998-99 for perspective). McGrady has missed 18 games this season and the Rockets are 12-7 in those games (winning percentage of .632). Overall the Rockets are 32-21 (.604). That's a big enough sample size to say the Rockets are marginally better with McGrady off the floor.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=150

aurelius in luxor: with the current undersized roster that the detroit pistons have, why do they not play at a faster pace?

Tommy Beer: It's a very valid point. Curry and Company need to try to do something differently. The Pistons look completely lost right now. If the season ended today, they would be the #5 seed and would be on the road for the first round! When is the last time we saw that? And they are only one game ahead of the seventh seeded 76ers. Time to shake things up. The first change I'd make is bring AI off the bench – maybe that will provide the team with a spark…

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

An MRI performed on Tracy McGrady’s troublesome left knee revealed no new injury or changes since previous tests and diagnoses, the Rockets said Wednesday. McGrady was held out of Wednesday’s game against Sacramento in what the Rockets described as a “precautionary” measure.

McGrady said he will seek additional medical opinions but is not considering more surgery and expects to come back after the All-Star break. “This is just a bad time in my career to be going through this. For everybody that thought I was just playing with some (imaginary) knee injury, my (injury) is real. It’s big. It’s not just some pain. I have a real significant problem with my knee. So everybody that is questioning my injury, it’s for real.”

McGrady has missed 16 games this season while trying to rehabilitate his knee after last May’s surgery. He had played in seven of eight games since returning from two weeks off to work on his conditioning . McGrady is averaging 15.6 points , making a career-low 38.8 percent of his shots. He has been examined by team doctors and other specialists throughout the season. When he returned from a visit to Dr. James Andrews in Alabama on Dec. 1, the team announced he would miss a week and he said he would be out for three weeks. He missed two weeks, and then went out again last month.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Ray Allen injured his right thumb in the first half and did not return.

X-rays on Allen’s thumb were negative. He iced it during the second half and had it wrapped as he left the dressing room for the flight to Dallas, where he hopes to stay in the lineup.“I’m going to try and play (tonight),” Allen said after going 0-for-3 from the floor and scoring just one point in 18:34. “I’m going to get out there and work out and see how it feels.”

The thumb didn’t feel good after he caught it in Kendrick Perkins’ jersey as he crossed under the hoop. Allen stayed in, but the sharp pain eventually caught up with him. “I tried to catch the ball and I couldn’t hold onto it anymore,” he said. “I figured I couldn’t help. I was no good out there.”

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

A disappointed Chris Andersen sat in the visitor's locker room in a coat much too heavy for the warm Florida sun. But there was no need to take it off. He wasn't suiting up.

Andersen did not play Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. He vowed to be back after the all-star break as he recovers from left wrist and hip injuries suffered on a hard fall after being flagrantly fouled by Shawn Marion on Tuesday at Miami. "Oh, yeah," Andersen said. "I can't let it get me down. Just going to get rest, stay off my feet and come back with energy."

The Nuggets return to action Feb. 18 at Philadelphia, giving Andersen seven full days of rest. He'll do part of that resting in Los Angeles over the break. "I need the days off for my other injuries," he said. Of a previous rib injury, Andersen said Tuesday's fall "didn't affect my rib at all."

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16591

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was fined $25,000 by the league on Thursday for criticizing officials.

Brown went on a lengthy rant after the Cavaliers' last-second loss to Indiana on Tuesday in which LeBron James was called for a foul that allowed Danny Granger to win the game at the free-throw line. Cleveland's superstar was attempting to defend an alley-oop pass that led to the winning free throw by Granger with two-tenths of a second left. Upon watching the replays, Brown said the call was pre-determined based on the Cavaliers' previous possession. Granger fouled James with four-tenths of a second left on a nearly identical play, allowing him to hit two free throws that tied the game at 95-95.

Brown was irate with official Joey Crawford for making the call on James. "I just watched the last two plays and, that last call on LeBron is the worst call I've ever been a part of," Brown said. "I can not imagine another worse call than that, by that official. "For him to take away a basketball game from a team with four-tenths of second on the clock is irresponsible. It was pre-determined from the call that was made at the other end of the floor, and it's unfortunate. Absolutely horrible." On Wednesday, Brown said he expected to be fined and did not care.

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http://www.wxyz.com/mediacenter/local.a ... avCatId=37

Hawks 99, Pistons 95: 2/11/09- With tonight's the loss, the Pistons have dropped 13 of their last 18 games.

Video in the link above^.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/12/brow ... index.html

Cleveland's coach was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday for publicly criticizing referee Joey Crawford following the Cavaliers' last-second loss at Indiana earlier this week.

Although league disciplinarian Stu Jackson said in a release that Brown had been fined for comments made about "the officials," Brown's postgame tirade was directed at Crawford, who whistled LeBron James for a foul on Pacers forward Danny Granger in the final second. Crawford felt James made contact with Granger, who sank one free throw to give Indiana a 96-95 win.

On Wednesday, Brown, who like many coaches has had his share of run-ins with Crawford, stood by his comments and said he expected to be assessed his first fine as a head coach.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16589

The Orlando Magic likely will have to continue their push for home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference without All-Star guard Jameer Nelson.

Magic general manager Otis Smith told Florida Today on Thursday that Nelson likely will undergo season-ending surgery next week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Although the team announced he would be out indefinitely and Nelson had been seeking other opinions, Smith seems to have made the decision already. "You can rehab it and still play, but that's usually when it's the off (non-shooting) shoulder," Smith told the newspaper. "He goes down four or five times a game and that shoulder just wouldn't hold up. He's one of my toughest players, but we can't let him play through this."

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/12/alle ... index.html

Celtics guard Ray Allen was in Boston's lineup Thursday night, a day after he hyperextended his right thumb. He also plans to play in the All-Star Game this weekend.

Allen went through a 15-minute shooting session before the Celtics played at Dallas. He said he experienced some pain, but could play. "The first couple of times I caught the ball, there was pain, but I got used to it," said Allen, who declined to wear a sleeve or even tape on his injured thumb. "I don't want to feel restricted."

X-rays showed no broken bone and Allen said team doctors told him there was no danger of further injury to the thumb. Allen, chosen as an Eastern Conference reserve in place of the injured Jameer Nelson, will make his sixth straight All-Star appearance and ninth overall. Allen got hurt in the first half of the Celtics' 89-77 victory at New Orleans on Wednesday night when his hand got caught in another player's jersey. He played only 18 1/2 minutes and scored one point.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290430087

Luke Harangody had 32 points and 17 rebounds and Notre Dame shot 54 percent, the best any team has shot against Louisville this season, as the Fighting Irish won 90-57 to end a seven-game losing streak.

"Our energy was good and we were together, we were trusting each other out there," said Kyle McAlarney, who finished with 21 points.Ryan Ayers added 19 points for Notre Dame and Tory Jackson had 14.

Terrence Williams, Louisville's leading scorer at 13 points a game, struggled for a second straight game with a bruised right wrist. After scoring three points against St. John's, he didn't make his first shot from the field until there was 13:23 left in the game and the Cardinals were down by 20. He finished with five points.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290430077

Demetri McCamey scored 19 points and banked in the go-ahead jumper with 2.9 seconds left and No. 22 Illinois rallied from 14 points down to beat Northwestern 60-59 on Thursday night.

Trent Meacham scored 12 of his 15 points in the final 5 minutes as the Illini (20-5, 8-4 Big Ten) rallied from a 57-43 deficit.

He hit a 3-pointer from the corner with a minute left and added a layup to make it a one-point game with 42.6 seconds left after a turnover by Northwestern (13-9, 4-7). Meacham then stripped Michael Thompson underneath the Wildcats basket with 14.7 seconds left, and he found McCamey on the right wing for the winning jumper.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290430009

Derek Glasser scored 15 points, including a clutch 3-pointer, and No. 18 Arizona State defeated No. 11 UCLA 74-67 on Thursday night.

James Harden scored 15 points and had a career-high 11 assists as Arizona State (19-5, 8-4) became the first Pac-10 team to sweep the season series with UCLA since Washington in 2005-06.

Josh Shipp had 16 points and Darren Collison and Michael Roll each added 15 for the Bruins (19-5, 8-3), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3903956

Mavericks standout sixth man Jason Terry, his broken left hand still heavily wrapped after surgery, hopes to be shooting again as early as next week.

What remains unclear is when he will again be the first man off the bench for Dallas."Well, I can go tonight, but I don't think the doctor is going to let me," Terry said with one of his characteristic grins Thursday night before the Mavericks' home game against Boston. "It's going to be sooner than later. We'll come out after the [All-Star] break and see how I am next week and hopefully start shooting, get back out there."

After getting hurt in the second quarter Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls, Terry optimistically said he hoped to be back in three weeks. The Mavs haven't put a timetable on his return since the surgery Monday to stabilize the break in his non-shooting hand.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16599

It took a matter of seconds for Kevin Garnett to get into deep foul trouble on Thursday night. It took even less time for his head coach to get sent to the locker rooms. Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was ejected late in the third quarter of the road meeting with the Dallas Mavericks after an ongoing, heated argument with the officials over potentially game-changing whistles.

With Boston trailing and just under 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the third, Garnett was called for two fouls within an 11-second span while guarding Mavs superstar Dirk Nowitzki. Both Garnett and Rivers seemed to disagree even with the first whistle, but the second one - Garnett's fifth foul of the night - sent Rivers over the top.

After Nowitzki knocked down the first technical free throw, Rivers persisted and was ejected by Dick Bavetta. Nowitzki drained the second one as Dallas maintained its lead.