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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... n-phoenix/

Rumor: Terry Porter fired in Phoenix?
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.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290430070

Gary Wilkinson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Utah State (24-1, 12-0), which clinched at least a share of its second straight Western Athletic Conference title.

Mac Hopson scored 17 points to lead Idaho (10-13, 4-6), which was done in by poor rebounding as it sought to beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 1982.

The Aggies tied their team record of 19 straight wins, set in 1999-2000, and are tied with Oklahoma for most wins in the nation. Utah State has won 16 consecutive WAC games dating to last season.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

Cavs coach Brown draws $25,000 fine for comments
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing officials following Cleveland's last-second loss at Indiana on Tuesday night.

Brown went into a tirade about a call by referee Joey Crawford that awarded the Pacers two free throws and gave them a 96-95 victory. Crawford called a foul on LeBron James , who was trying to stop an alley-oop pass to Indiana's Danny Granger .

Brown believed Crawford made a predetermined call against James, who had been involved in a similar call moments earlier with Granger. Wednesday, Brown said he did not regret making the comments and expected to be assessed his first fine.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

New York Knicks guard David Lee has a streak of 16 games with double-doubles, tying him with Bob McAdoo for third-longest in the team's history.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

The Boston Celtics had won eight straight road games going into Thursday night's game at Dallas.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

The Indiana Pacers have lost nine in a row on the road.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

The Washington Wizards are 0-12 against the Southeast Division.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

The Sacramento Kings have lost five in a row.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290430264

Bolstering his case for Pac-10 player of the year consideration, Washington's Justin Dentmon matched his career high with seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points, and the Huskies moved into first place in the Pac-10 Conference with a 79-60 win over Oregon State on Thursday night.

Washington (18-6, 9-3 Pac-10) now leads UCLA by a half game in the conference standings with a showdown between the two schools set for next Thursday in Los Angeles. Fortunately for Washington, Dentmon's performance and another solid effort off the bench from Venoy Overton staved off the Beavers' upset bid.

Calvin Haynes led Oregon State (10-13, 4-8) with 15 points, but the Beavers dropped their third game in a row following a four-game winning streak.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290432608

Matt Bouldin scored 21 points, Josh Heytvelt added 20 and No. 19 Gonzaga survived Saint Mary's thrilling last-minute comeback for a 72-70 victory Thursday night.

Carlin Hughes hit two 3-pointers and made a layup in the final 48 seconds for the Gaels, who trimmed a seven-point deficit in the final minute to 71-70 on Hughes' wacky banked-in 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds left.

But Hughes also dropped the ball out of bounds under defensive pressure with 5.2 seconds to play, and he missed a desperation 3-pointer from midcourt at the buzzer.

[nasty daddy]

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

Bill Laimbeer as Detroit Piston head coach?
With Krista Jahnke of the Free Press and Natalie Sitto of Need4Sheed.com citing the website FireCurry.com, Nate Thompson of the Grand Haven Tribune takes things a step further and suggests that Joe Dumars fire Curry and then hire Bill Laimbeer.

One of the most surprising reasons has been the sub par job turned in by the Pistons' first-year head coach, Michael Curry. Sure, he may have only a half-season of experience under his belt, but first impressions often tell the whole story. In fact, I believe it tells he's way over his head. From his questionable personnel moves of bringing Richard Hamilton off the bench instead of Allen Iverson, to the fact that he's basically ignored Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson for large stretches of games, I'm surprised the Pistons' locker room hasn't become dysfunctional, especially with the sharp personalities of 'Sheed and A.I. It may be harsh to can Curry after one year, and I highly doubt Pistons' president Joe Dumars would go through with it. But he should seriously consider sending a jolt to the team by bringing in a former Bad Boy teammate as its new sideline leader -- Bill Laimbeer. I'm surprised Laimbeer hasn't got an opportunity in the NBA already. Granted, his coaching success will likely always be knocked because he coaches women, but regardless, championship rings should be respected. I don't care if he guided the Peach Plains' elementary team to a championship; Laimbeer would bring a huge measure of intensity and mental toughness to a team that lacks it game-after-game.

There are several errors in Nate's article(see if you can pick them out), but let's address firing Curry and replacing him with Detroit Shock coach Bill Laimbeer. From all the reports in the media and what has been said by those close to the situation, Michael Curry is not going to be fired as Detroit Piston head coach. Curry will get the rest of this season and at least part of the next. As for Laimbeer, one has to wonder why he hasn't had a shot to coach a NBA anywhere. He's done a very good job with the Shock, he's a former player and knows the game of basketball, and there have been other hard-nosed coaches who've had NBA success. Maybe he only wants to coach in Detroit, and has to convince Joe Dumars that he is the right fit. Whatever the case may be, Laimbeer won't be head coach of the Pistons any time soon.

[nasty daddy]

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

ESPN's Thomas Neumann lists the worse contracts in NBA history. Topping the list is Stephon Marbury, which is hard to argue, although listing Kenyon Martin's contract 2nd overall is a bit of a stretch. I'm not even sure he ranks in the top 5 on that list. Former Piston Ben Wallace and his 60 million dollar contract come in at number 8.

[nasty daddy]

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

Look at this cow. I wonder if someone can make him the official mascot of Major League Baseball.

[nasty daddy]

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

John Hollinger believes that Joe Dumars is quietly looking for a "home-run" trade before the trade deadline next Thursday. He also states that Joe's interest in Amare Stoudemire is lukewarm, but has the assets to make the trade happen.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... SPORTS0102

• Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose needed 10 stitches to close a gash he said he suffered when he rolled onto a knife while eating an apple in bed.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290212004

Wade, selected as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star game this weekend in Phoenix, scored 24 points. Wade scored eight points in the fourth quarter and passed out of a double-team to find Marion for the decisive dunk.

Reserve Michael Beasley finished with 21 points for the Heat, who came in as a loser of five out of the last seven games.

Ben Gordon finished with 34 points for Chicago.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290212009

Corey Maggette had 24 points, Monta Ellis made three key baskets down the stretch and the Golden State Warriors held on to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 105-98 on Thursday night.

Stephen Jackson and Ellis scored 20 points apiece, while Rony Turiaf had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double in nearly two years.

Brandon Roy scored 37 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 for the Blazers, who have not won at Golden State since Nov. 3, 2004.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290212006

Ray Allen, playing a night after injuring his thumb in the Celtics' victory at New Orleans, had 20 points and will play in the All-Star game still. Rajon Rondo had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists for his second career triple-double, both this season.

Pierce scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, but gave plenty of credit to his argumentative coach.

Nowitzki led Dallas with 37 and Howard had 17 before fouling out.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/2 ... 204971.bsp

Pistons lacking toughness, need Laimbeer as coach
Detroit Pistons' fans may be quick to place the blame for the team's struggles this season on the graphically tattooed shoulders of Allen Iverson. It's a strong argument. Since A.I.'s arrival from Denver on Nov. 4 for Chauncey Billups, the Pistons have been shockingly below average to the brink of disastrous — sputtering to a 23-24 record, including highly disappointing back-to-back losses to Chicago and Atlanta. Maybe we all overestimated Billups' tremendous value to the Pistons. You'd be hard-pressed to find a point guard in the NBA who can match Billups' defensive intensity, his toughness, as well as his game management down the stretch. Of course, being called "Mr. Big Shot" was hardly a negative to a team's fortunes. Now, as the Pistons enter the All-Star break again engulfed in trade rumors and more questions than answers on the direction of the franchise, the clear-and-painful weaknesses on this team are — surprise — defensive intensity, toughness, and closing strong down the stretch. It's everything that Billups prides his game on, and everything the Pistons' mentality used to be.

Granted, Iverson and his YMCA pick-up level defense is a big issue, but the team's championship traits from that magical NBA championship run in 2003 have slowly deteriorated over the past few seasons. There's been a combination of factors at why Detroit is now ranked in the bottom half of the league in rebounding, blocked shots and steals — key stats that are often overlooked by losing teams, but are cherished by championship-winning coaches. One of the most surprising reasons has been the sub par job turned in by the Pistons' first-year head coach, Michael Curry. Sure, he may have only a half-season of experience under his belt, but first impressions often tell the whole story. In fact, I believe it tells he's way over his head. From his questionable personnel moves of bringing Richard Hamilton off the bench instead of Allen Iverson, to the fact that he's basically ignored Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson for large stretches of games, I'm surprised the Pistons' locker room hasn't become dysfunctional, especially with the sharp personalities of 'Sheed and A.I. It may be harsh to can Curry after one year, and I highly doubt Pistons' president Joe Dumars would go through with it. But he should seriously consider sending a jolt to the team by bringing in a former Bad Boy teammate as its new sideline leader — Bill Laimbeer. I'm surprised Laimbeer hasn't got an opportunity in the NBA already. Granted, his coaching success will likely always be knocked because he coaches women, but regardless, championship rings should be respected. I don't care if he guided the Peach Plains' elementary team to a championship; Laimbeer would bring a huge measure of intensity and mental toughness to a team that lacks it game-after-game.

Still, Laimbeer's fiery personality can't right this ship on its own. The front court needs some new pieces. The move that started the decline of the Pistons was the loss of Ben Wallace. While it would have been a death blow on the salary cap if the Pistons would have re-signed Wallace to a mega-deal during the summer of 2006, the Pistons have never fully recovered from his departure. With Big Ben's shot blocking presence down low, the Pistons thrived with defense, and teamed with the long arms of Rasheed Wallace, the low post was certainly a no-fly zone for the opposition. Detroit had a penthouse-level of depth in its front court during that '03 championship run, which included the two Wallaces, Mehmet Okur, and the tremendously underrated Elden Campbell and Corliss Williamson. This season, it's not exactly the outhouse, but the Pistons are certainly lacking the depth, shot blocking presence and intimidation factor that they possessed six seasons ago. Rasheed and Antonio McDyess are the only dependable "centers" and both are undersized for the position and on the decline because of old age. It may be a long shot, but the rumors of the Pistons pursuing a trade for Phoenix Suns' center Amare Stoudemire sparked my attention, because he would fill so many needs for Detroit. Add an abundance of salary cap dollars, Stoudemire to the roster and Laimbeer's daily push to transform him into even more of a beast in the low post, and it sounds like a rejuvenating combination for Detroit.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... ilbag.html

Paul (New York, N.Y.): How about Nash and Stoudemire for Rasheed, Amir and Iverson? Nash and Stoudemire come off the books in 2010. The Pistons could be vastly improved with a deal like that.

Langlois: The appeal with having expiring contracts is finding a trade partner in a bind – financial, competitive or some combination of both – and using the benefit to them of cap relief to add long-term assets. So you’re on the right track in suggesting the Pistons would be wise to bundle expiring contracts for a young talent like Stoudemire – but not if the intention is to let him walk when he can opt out of his contract in 2010. I mean, at some point, you do need to field a team of five capable players. An endless pursuit of expiring contracts doesn’t do much unless you convert them into a team-building exercise.