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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11615

The first significant trade of the week is in the books - earlier the Sacramento Kings acquired Sam Cassell from the Celtics for a protected future draft pick.

[nasty daddy]

http://postingup.2dogs.com/member/blogt ... q=1&page=0

Hope requires staying positive, change, and solutions. Failure to change and find solutions will continue to lead the team down a hopeless path.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090217/S ... rting+role

Pistons' McDyess has little time to adjust to starting role
Pistons forward Antonio McDyess said having his role switched from being a bench player to a starter will require some adjustment. “It’s going to be weird because going back and forth, I’ve been doing that the past three years,” McDyess said today after a morning shoot-around at the Palace. “I just want to get steady at being in one position coming off the bench or starting. This year, I really just thought I was going to be coming off the bench the whole year. … I guess I’ve just got to go out there and do whatever I can to get us a win.”

McDyess will start getting used to his new role tonight against visiting Milwaukee. Coach Michael Curry on Monday announced the move that would send struggling Amir Johnson to the bench and beef up the Pistons’ defense, especially early when opponents have taken leads with quick runs.

McDyess, who started 78 games last season, said the adjustment will require as much mental preparation as anything. “It’s not just sitting on the bench now watching how the game’s going and get out on the court and go from there,” he said. “Now you’ve got to go out there and go from the start and see how it goes for me.”

[nasty daddy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=25093

Ed (Saginaw, MI): Hi Chad. Anything going on is Piston land? Seems pretty quite. Is Joey D just going to stand pat with the Pistons reeling?

Chad Ford: Sounds pretty quiet in Detroit. I think Joe D is content to have lots of cap room this summer and then make a few plays then. With the Thunder making a deal for Chandler, Detroit will have the most cap space of any team. They'll be in the drivers seat.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11614

Trade Talk for the Thunder: The Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked to a litany of deals in the past few days because they have expiring deals like forwards Joe Smith ($4.8 million) and Chris Wilcox ($6.8 million), plus they also have an extra veteran point guard in Earl Watson ($6.2 million this year, $6.6 million next year).

According to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, the Thunder have been linked to Sacramento Kings swingman John Salmons ($5.1 million this season, then two more for $11.3 million), New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler ($11.4 million this season, then two more for $25.5 million), and have even inquired about Phoenix Suns big man Amar'e Stoudemire ($15.1 million this season, then two more for $34 million). Chandler and Stoudemire each have Early Termination options for 2010-11.

Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting Chandler for Wilcox and Smith could be done as early as today.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11614

All-Star Wrap Up: About ten days ago in this space we listed out the money associated with winning and placing in the various All-Star events. With them all in the books, let's give a little recap.

All-Star Game
Winning team: $35,000 per player – Western Conference
Losing team: $15,000 per player – Eastern Conference
Rookie Challenge
Winning team: $15,000 per player - Sophomores
Losing team: $5,000 per player - Rookies
Shooting Stars (split between team)
1st Place: $45,000 - Detroit2nd Place: $33,750 - Phoenix
3rd Place: $16,875 – San Antonio
4th Place: $16,875 – Los Angeles

Skills Challenge
1st Place: $35,000 – Derrick Rose
2nd Place: $22,500 – Devin Harris
3rd Place: $9,000 – Mo Williams
4th Place: $9,000 – Tony Parker
3-Point Shootout
1st Place: $35,000 – Daequan Cook
2nd Place: $22,500 – Rashard Lewis
3rd place: $15,000 – Jason Kapono
4th - 6th place: $4,500 – Danny Granger, Roger Mason, Mike Bibby
Slam Dunk
1st Place: $35,000 – Nate Robinson
2nd Place: $22,500 – Dwight Howard
3rd Place: $16,125 – J.R. Smith
4th Place: $16,125 – Rudy Fernandez

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090217/S ... 1051/rss16

Ben Wallace needs 14 stitches after football breaks glass
Cavaliers center Ben Wallace needed 14 stitches to close a cut in his right forearm after injuring himself during the NBA All-Star break.

The team said the former Piston sustained lacerations from glass while playing catch with a football in Richmond, Va. When he got back to Cleveland on Monday, Wallace underwent further evaluation at the Cleveland Clinic and had more pieces of glass removed from his arm today, the Cavs said in a statement.

The Cavaliers listed Wallace as questionable for Wednesday night’s game in Toronto.Cleveland’s best defensive interior player, Wallace is averaging 3.1 points and 6.7 rebounds this season.

[nasty daddy]

http://pistonpost.com/2009/02/17/top-10 ... d-players/

Good post over at newcomer NBA blog DOUBLE TECHNICAL. Our very own [now starting] Antonio McDyess is featured at #7.

10. Louis Williams - Philadelphia 76ers. Can run the floor and climb the stairs as good as anyone his size (6?1?). Mediocre shooting percentage is a drawback.
9. Luis Scola - Houston Rockets. A true rookie in 2002, it took him 5 years to work his way back to the NBA, and he only continues to improve from last season. Solid in mid- to upper-teen scoring. Has insanely nauseating, though effective, post moves.
8. Kelenna Azubuike - Golden State Warriors. Saw a heavy increase in minutes thanks to the whole Moped Monta fiasco. Excellent shooter, sick vertical. Expect many more posterizations from Buike. Without him, the Warriors would be a bigger train wreck than they already are.
7. Antonio McDyess - Detroit Pistons. Runs the rebound show for a team that doesn’t like to rebound much. You won’t see McDyess score 20, but double-digit rebound nights are the norm. Bonus: busted Anderson Varejao’s lip with a swift elbow to the face. Unfortunately, it was unintentional.
6. Ramon Sessions - Milwaukee Bucks. Get ready to see a lot more Ramon in your face now that Michael Redd is out. Usually has around a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and has evolved as a floor general in almost no time at all. All-Star within five years wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, unless the voting continues to go the way it has. Did I mention he’s only 22?

5. Mario Chalmers - Miami Heat. Had to throw a rookie in. Chalmers’ success is often overshadowed by Michael Beasley hype or Dwyane dropping 40. Anyone who makes a three with 2 seconds left to send the NCAA national championship game into overtime has to turn out decent.
4. Jeff Green - Oklahoma City Thunder. After an excellent rookie year, Green continues to pick up speed. The Thunder are awful, but with Green, Durant, and Westbrook, things have to improve eventually. Jeff looked better in green and yellow, but I guess you just take what life gives you.
3. Flip Murray - Atlanta Hawks. Heats up quickly off the bench. Has had better seasons when he was with Cleveland, but doesn’t get much credit for being an elite sixth man.
2. Troy Murphy - Indiana Pacers. He’s almost to 30 double-doubles on the season and is in the top 20 for 3-pointers made this season. Although a big man (6?11?) that can shoot is nothing out of the ordinary these days, one that averages 12 rebounds a game is priceless.
1. Roger Mason - San Antonio Spurs. Lord almighty can this man stroke the three ball. Shooting 45% from behind the long line this season, he’s got a solid 4% lead on Ray Allen, or as ESPN knows him, “Jesus Christ”. Minutes fell when Manu Ginobili returned, but Mason has managed to maintain a steady scoring average off the bench.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... o-players/

Shane Battier and the value of LEGO players
I’m guessing a lot of you have seen this already (I’ve received no fewer than five emails from readers telling me about it, which I thoroughly appreciate) but here’s Michael Lewis’ fantastic New York Times article about Shane Battier and the use of advanced statistics in the NBA. It’s a must-read for anyone who fancies himself an informed NBA fan.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... ommercial/

Rip’s new Nike commercial
I tend to fast-forward through most commercials on the DVR, but I’m a sucker for the new Nike Jumpman commercial featuring (among others) Rip Hamilton. It looks like I’m not alone.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11610

NBA Tapping New Funds: The NBA announced this week that it has secured a $175 million in new loans and financing that will be made available to as many as 15 teams, according to Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo of the SportsBusiness Journal The NBA has a standing credit line of $1.7 billion which is tied to the NBA's TV contracts. This new credit was offered to the NBA by JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America at a hefty interest rate ($100 million at 8.27% and $75 million at 7.45%). The NBA reportedly surveyed its teams to see who might be interested and 15 teams replied that they would welcome the new funding which can be used for any purpose the clubs deem fit. The Orlando Magic will be one of the teams that draw upon those funds, and each team can draw up to $11.6 million. The Magic have reported an operating loss in the neighborhood of $15 million to $20 million for each of the past six seasons, and say they will use these funds to help offset losses until their new arena is completed in 2010.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11610

Kerr Backing Away From Trades: Phoenix Suns' GM Steve Kerr pulled the trigger yesterday firing Terry Porter and naming Alvin Gentry the next Suns' head coach. Kerr addressed his team about the decision, and then addressed the media. In both instances Kerr was fairly clear that he would "like" to keep the squad together, and continually hinted that despite widespread reports of a pending deal, he was likely sitting out the trade deadline. This is fairly consistent with what the Suns were saying in Phoenix during All-Star weekend, although Amar'e Stoudemire told reporters Sunday night that he had met with Kerr on Friday or Saturday (he couldn't recall which) and that things were still in the same place – the club was exploring ways to trim costs, and moving Amar'e might be the move that gets that done. There has been speculation that Kerr may not have found enough "value" for Stoudemire and is looking at other options, including moving All-Star co-MVP Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal has one more $20 million season remaining on his deal, and is still owed roughly $6.7 million from the $20 million owed him this season - meaning any acquiring team would be on the hook for $26.7 million over the next 14 months for a player that has struggled to play in back-to-back games, not an easy sell in this tough economic environment. There is little doubt that Shaq's deal will be incredibly valuable in trade next year at the deadline, but moving the Big Cactus this year seems unlikely, which likely puts the Suns out of viable options.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11610

The Most Aggressive Shoppers: With the NBA trade deadline less than 42 hours a way, there will be lots to sift through as the hype of trades gets in full gear this week. Here are the team poised to make a move, and the players they could be offering.

[nasty daddy]

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

The New Orleans Hornets and Oklahoma City are closing in on a deal that will send center Tyson Chandler to the Thunder, according to NBA front-office sources.

Two sources with knowledge of the trade parameters told ESPN.com that the deal is likely to be completed later Tuesday.

Although the entirety of the package New Orleans would receive for Chandler was not immediately known, ESPN.com reported early Monday that the Hornets -- who are looking to move Chandler mostly for financial reasons -- were in talks with the Thunder on a trade that would net the expiring contracts of forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.

[nasty daddy]

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

A half-hour before the Jazz's first practice back from the All-Star break Monday evening, Carlos Boozer could be spotted pounding away on an elliptical machine in the weight room while Andrei Kirilenko shot on a side basket.

The two, however, will not return in tandem for tonight's game against Memphis. Kirilenko went through practice, saying beforehand he would decide about playing based on how his right ankle responded to going full speed with contact.

Boozer, meanwhile, continues to strengthen his left knee after undergoing surgery Jan. 9. He was able to do some court work at home in Miami over the break -- shooting, running and jumping -- but didn't want to speculate about a best-case scenario to return. "We'll see," Boozer said. "I have to listen to my knee and see how it goes this week -- today, tomorrow -- and see what it's saying to me. If it's feeling good, I'll be back soon."

[nasty daddy]

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

Greg Oden likely will return to the court this week, his agent said tonight. Oden had an MRI Saturday that revealed a bone chip in his left knee.

The Portland center banged the knee against Golden State’s Corey Maggette in the Blazers’ 105-98 loss Thursday and sat out the Rookie Challenge game Friday at NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. “I don’t think it’s that serious at all,” Mike Conley Sr. said tonight. “He’s going to rest it. After he hurt it (against Golden State) he went back in the game, and that’s where I think the swelling came from. “It’s a game-by-game situation, but it’s more precautionary than anything.”

Following the Rookie Challenge game, Oden said he likely would have played if it were a regular-season game.

[nasty daddy]

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

Tracy McGrady will spend some of this week visiting out-of-town doctors to get more opinions on his left knee. He did not practice with the team on Monday evening, will not play tonight against New Jersey and is listed by the Rockets as day-to-day.

“I didn’t expect to see him,” said head coach Rick Adelman. “He’s gonna get second opinions, and we just have to deal with who we have right now and get ready for this game (tonight).”

McGrady, who has played in 35 of the Rockets’ 53 games this season, has not been on the court since he shot 1-for-9 and hit the underside of the rim while attempting a dunk at Milwaukee on Feb. 8.

[nasty daddy]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/c ... ut-to.html

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili did not travel with the team to New York for tonight's game against the Knicks, opting instead to remain behind in San Antonio for testing on a sore right ankle that had been bothering him since before the All-Star break.

Ginobili will undergo those tests today. If the results are negative and the soreness subsides, it is possible he could rejoin the team in the midst of their three-game road trip, which continues at Detroit on Thursday and Washington on Saturday.

The good news for the Spurs, and for Ginobili, is that the soreness is not in the same ankle he had surgically repaired over the offseason.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16717

Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko is expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, just 2 1/2 weeks after undergoing surgery to remove bone fragments from his right ankle.

Kirilenko was expected to miss three to four weeks after having surgery on January 30. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported he will need to go through a final evaluation by team doctors before being cleared to play. "As long as I don't feel pain, I can do everything," said Kirilenko, who missed 11 games while recovering.

As expected, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said during Tuesday's shootaround that Kirilenko's minutes will be limited. "You can't just show up and be in great shape after you've been in a boot and that sort of thing for a period of time," Sloan told the Tribune. "We'll play him six, seven minutes at a stretch probably."Kirilenko is averaging 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 38 games.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16716

The New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday traded center Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forwards Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and the draft rights to DeVon Hardin.

Despite being considered a darkhorse contender in the Western Conference, the Hornets have been looking to move Chandler due to financial reasons. In the deal, New Orleans receive the expiring contracts of Smith ($4.8 million) and Wilcox ($6.7 million). Chandler, who was the Hornets' best interior defender, has two years and $24.6 million remaining on his contract after this season. He can opt out of the final year of his deal before the start of the 2010-11 season. The 7-1 Chandler has been bothered by foot injuries all season and is averaging just 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 32 games. He averaged 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds last season. When the deal was being discussed, Hornets All-Star forward David West did not want to see Chandler go. "I don't know if that's somebody we can afford to lose," West told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "So I'm not sold on that idea. "You just don't find a 7-1 athlete like that and he the only 7-footer we have. Especially if we're planning on making a run into the playoffs, we're going to need size to compete with Portland, San Antonio and the Lakers. I'm not sure that would help us."

With Chandler in the lineup, the Hornets were 10 games over .500 this season. Without him, they were just a .500 club. New Orleans (30-20) currently is sixth in the Western Conference. In Chandler, the Thunder receive a big man to complement a young core that includes Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. "We are excited to add a young defensive-minded big man that we feel can help us now and in the future," Thunder general manager Scott Presti said. Being traded has become the norm for Smith, who is joining his 10th team since he was drafted first overall by Golden State in 1995. He has changed teams six times in the last three seasons. The 6-10 Smith has averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 36 games this season. Wilcox, selected eighth by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2002, already is joining his fourth team. The 6-10 Maryland product is averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 37 games this season.