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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 80336/1127

Johnson's new role: Curry feels coming off the bench will be beneficial for Johnson. The Pistons expect his rebounding and defense to improve, two areas where Johnson wasn't consistent as a starter. Johnson had two points, three rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes Tuesday.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 80336/1127

The Pistons need more out of a slumping Rodney Stuckey. He had only three points and one assist, while fouling out in just under 31 minutes against the Bucks.

"I'm concerned," Curry said. "We have to find a way to get him aggressive. We have to get more out of him. He's the one that ignites everything else. We have to find a way to get him more involved."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... _late.html

Pistons drop fourth straight with loss to Milwaukee
The All-Star break was supposed to bring about a renewed sense of urgency among the Detroit Pistons, a chance for the veterans as well as the youngsters to get recharged for a strong push toward the postseason. But Tuesday's game against Milwaukee wasn't all that different than many of those before the break, as Detroit suffered a 92-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks (27-29) who become the latest sub-.500 team to beat the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit (27-25) has lost four in a row, and nine of its past 11 at home. For the season, the Pistons are just 14-14 at The Palace, which is their worst home record at this point in the season since 2001 when they finished with a 32-50 overall record -- the last season Detroit failed to make the playoffs. "I keep saying, it's a little different team," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "Just because you see three of the faces (Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace) that were here in '04, that don't mean that all those guys here have participated in that run."

Curry's right. He coaches a different type of team, but this group has larger issues than simply having a different caliber of personnel. They struggle to defend at seemingly every position on the floor. Offensively, they miss more than their share of easy layups and wide open jumpers. But more than anything else, they don't play with the passion a team that's fighting for its playoff life should have. Tuesday night's game was one in which every Pistons player knew, based on their upcoming schedule, was a game they had to win. But instead of coming out ready to play, they came out ready to roll over. The Bucks did whatever they wanted to in the first half, which allowed Milwaukee to cruise ahead by as many as 17 points in the first half. "They jumped right on us," Detroit's Allen Iverson said. "There ain't no excuse for not coming out and not being ready. It's too serious for us to not come out and be ready for this game." As poorly as Detroit played through the first three quarters, a defensive switch in the fourth seemed to be just what the Pistons needed. Curry went with a zone defense that helped the Pistons trim Milwaukee's 15-point lead in the fourth down to one point, 83-82, after Antonio McDyess made 1-of-2 free throws with 4:23 to play. McDyess finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season.

McDyess' free throw would be as close as the Pistons would get, as the Bucks, led by Richard Jefferson's game-high 29 points, went on a 9-4 run to secure the win. "It shouldn't take a dramatic comeback or anything like that for us to win a basketball game," Iverson said. "The same way we played in that fourth quarter, is the same way we're supposed to play throughout the game. For some reason, we didn't do it." It won't get any easier for the Pistons, who are looking at a stretch in which their four-game losing skid could reach double digits. On Thursday, they host the San Antonio Spurs, followed by road games against Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and defending NBA champion Boston. When they return home March 3, they will face the Denver Nuggets and ex-Piston Chauncey Billups, who will make his first appearance at The Palace since being traded on Nov. 3. "It's definitely going to be tough for us," Detroit's Tayshaun Prince said. Not any tougher than it has been at home. "Hopefully the road will help us," Prince said. "We seem to concentrate a lot better on the road."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... s_ral.html

Zone defense helps Pistons rally against Bucks
The Detroit Pistons will rely primarily on man-to-man defense. But don't be surprised if they play more zone in the final 30 games following Tuesday's 92-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pistons were on the verge of getting blown out Tuesday when coach Michael Curry went with a zone defense that trimmed Milwaukee's 15-point lead in the fourth quarter to just one point. "I thought we did a pretty good job in it," Curry said. "When we made stops, I thought that energized us. I thought that energized the crowd because we were getting stops. That's the key, whether man-to-man or zone."

Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said the Pistons' zone caused his team problems in the fourth quarter."We had trouble, other than Richard (Jefferson), finding anybody that could make a perimeter shot tonight," Skiles said.

Jefferson, who led all scorers with 29 points, twice came up with big plays after Detroit trimmed the lead. He scored while being fouled on a driving shot in the lane that put the Bucks ahead 83-79. Later, Jefferson nailed one of his four 3-pointers for the night that pushed the Bucks' lead to 86-82.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... s_ral.html

Johnson's new role : Curry hopes Amir Johnson will provide more energy and greater spark coming off the bench.

"He's had moments in the starting lineup," Curry said. "But for the most part, he's been overpowered a lot of times. I think he's going to be better suited coming off the bench. But he has to be able to rebound the ball. Maybe coming off the bench, he can bring us that skill set that we've come to expect from him."

On Tuesday, Johnson had two points and three rebounds in just under 14 minutes.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... s_ral.html

Trade deadline approaches : There's a slim chance the Pistons could make another deal before Thursday's trade deadline.

Curry said he won't spend much time worrying about it.

"Whatever we decide to do or not to do, I'm comfortable with the group I currently have," Curry said.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... s_ral.html

Notes: McDyess became the 10th player to start for the Pistons this season. ... Detroit is 23-25 since Allen Iverson joined the team after being acquired for Chauncey Billups. ... The Pistons were trying for their first ever season sweep of Milwaukee.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/MILDET_ ... recap.html

TAKE FIVE : A five-point dissection of the Pistons’ unhappy return from the All-Star break. 1. MOWED DOWN BY MILWAUKEE – When the Pistons began their furious comeback from a 17-point hole with about eight minutes to go against Milwaukee, they went to a 1-2-2 zone. Until that point, they were mostly in the Twilight Zone. The Pistons wound up losing their fourth straight game – this to one of the many teams chasing them in the crowded field of Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls – as they rallied twice to within one point in the fourth quarter before falling six shy of Milwaukee, a team missing three starters including leading scorer Michael Redd and leading rebounder Andrew Bogut. Coaches expect their teams to be less than razor sharp upon returning from the All-Star break, but it wasn’t the errant shooting stroke or the imprecise timing that most concerned Michael Curry. “I kind of figured we’d be a little sluggish,” Curry said. “Sluggish comes with missed shots and things like that. But I wasn’t pleased with the intensity level at the beginning of the game. Whether you’re sluggish or not, we can play hard. Make mistakes, missed shots, whatever it may be – but play harder.” The Pistons scored cleanly and impressively on their first possession – a high-low post set that saw Tayshaun Prince hit Antonio McDyess for a layup – but then misfired on their next six and found themselves trailing by nine points early. The deficit grew to 12 by the end of the first quarter and to 17 at various points of the second. A 7-0 run early in the third quarter cut the deficit under double digits, but Milwaukee pushed it back to 17 before settling for a 13-point cushion heading to the fourth. Then Curry threw a zone defense at Milwaukee – Rip Hamilton (22 points) at the point, Rodney Stuckey and Allen Iverson on the wings and McDyess (24 points, 14 boards in a starting role) and Jason Maxiell (later replaced by Rasheed Wallace) on the baseline. The Pistons went on an 11-0 run to get within one before Richard Jefferson scored on a driving layup and drew a foul. The Pistons got within one again a few minutes when Jefferson knocked down a 3-point shot. “They jumped right on us,” said Iverson, who finished with 10 points and eight assists. “There ain’t no excuse for coming out and not being ready. This is too serious for us not to come out and be ready from the beginning of the game. It shouldn’t take a dramatic comeback or anything like that for us to win a basketball game. The same way we played in the fourth quarter is the way we’re supposed to play all throughout the game and for some reason we didn’t do it.”

TEAM COLORS : 2. White Hot – The Bucks are widely believed to be shopping Jefferson with the trade deadline looming, and any prospective buyer got an eyeful Tuesday, especially early as Milwaukee was building its lead and late as it was holding off the Pistons. Jefferson scored 11 first-quarter points to stake the Bucks to a 12-point lead, hitting all four of his shots – two from beyond the 3-point line and one from just inside of it. He had 19 by halftime and 22 after three quarters, finishing with 29 with those two huge three-point trips in the fourth quarter likely the reason the Pistons couldn’t complete the comeback. “He was good tonight,” Curry said. “Thirteen shots, 29 points – very efficient night. He made big plays – back cut us off the zone out of the timeout and got a three-point play. The three he hit in the zone, that was big.” “This is one of the biggest wins we’ve had all season,” Jefferson said. “We are just trying to move the ball and that’s what happens when you have key guys out. You can’t replace a Michael Redd. You can’t replace an Andrew Bogut …, so we’re all going to have to depend on each other and guys have been stepping up.” 3. BLUE COLLAR – Yeah, guys like Malik Allen. Allen has bounced around the NBA for eight years without leaving much of a mark. The Bucks picked him up on the cheap over the summer for veteran frontcourt insurance, but he had only played in 27 of Milwaukee’s 55 games coming into Tuesday’s meeting with averages of 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds and season highs of 10 and seven. In 13 first-half minutes, he put up eight points and tied his season best in boards. Allen hit a long jump shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer, and when he grabbed a Milwaukee miss and converted to start the fourth quarter he established new season bests in points and rebounds. Allen finished with 14 points and eight boards in 28 minutes. “There were some things we wanted to focus on defensively and that’s where my focus is completely,” Allen said. “Offensively, there are some nights where I’m going to get an opportunity, I’m going to get shots, and there are other nights where I’m going to set picks and get other guys shots.”

4. RED FLAG – Any hope that the All-Star break would be a panacea for the Pistons went out the window in the first quarter. Particularly worrisome, perhaps, was the absence of any explosive plays from Rodney Stuckey. After a two-point, zero-assist first half, the game unraveled on Stuckey in the first six minutes of the second half – in a span of 2:03, really – when he picked up four fouls and a technical foul. The sequence where he picked up his fourth foul and his T stemmed the first signs of momentum the Pistons had gathered. They had cut their 17-point deficit to eight and had possession when Prince got stripped by Eddie Gill, leading to a Milwaukee transition opportunity. Stuckey slid in front of Charlie Villanueva and appeared in good position to take the charge, but referee Ed Malloy called Stuckey for a block. Instead of wiping out Villanueva’s basket, the Bucks wound up with a three-point play. After another Pistons turnover, Jefferson converted another three-point play and the Bucks were back up by 14.Stuckey was on the floor when the Pistons rallied in the fourth quarter, and he wound up with the ball in his hands in the final half-minute with his team down by three. He missed a short jumper, fouled Ramon Sessions to pick up his sixth foul and watched as Sessions hit two foul shots with 23 seconds left to put the Bucks ahead by five. Stuckey finished with three points and one assist in 31 minutes. “Concerned,” Curry said of his second-year point guard. “We’ve got to find a way to get him aggressive. We’ve got to definitely get more out of him. He’s the one that kind of ignites everything else. We’ve got to find a way to get him more involved.” THE LAST CALL : A little perspective on another tough loss. 5. AND NOW IT REALLY GETS TOUGH – Their four-game losing streak has a chance to get really ugly if the Pistons don’t start playing significantly and immediately better. The next seven games are all against playoff teams, including defending NBA champion San Antonio up next and the three runaway Eastern Conference leaders (Cleveland, Orlando and Boston). After Thursday’s home game with the Spurs, the next five are all on the road. Then they come home to play Denver and Chauncey Billups. In the past, it was that type of challenge that would invigorate the Pistons. But that team doesn’t really exist anymore and this one doesn’t appear to be playing with anything close to the swagger necessary to gain traction against such a rugged schedule. “We’ve got the Spurs here Thursday and this road trip coming up is no joke,” Arron Afflalo said. “You’re talking about playoff teams that are good. If we don’t come to play, it’s going to be a problem.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3494

Bucks beat slumping Pistons 92-86: Richard Jefferson scored 29 points and Ramon Sessions added 17 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Detroit 92-86 on Tuesday night, sending the Pistons to their 14th home loss of the season… The Bucks overcame 24 points and 14 rebounds from Antonio McDyess to pull within two games of Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings. Malik Allen added a season-high 14 points for Milwaukee, which won its third straight… Richard Hamilton had 22 points for the Pistons, who have lost four straight.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... stons+game

Charles Barkley will return from his leave of absence and be back on the air Thursday night during TNT’s NBA coverage.

Barkley was arrested Dec. 31 in Scottsdale, Ariz., and his leave began Jan. 9. Police said the 45-year-old NBA Hall of Famer had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Arizona.

Barkley, a TNT studio analyst, was forced to miss the network’s coverage of All-Star weekend in Phoenix. “From the beginning, Charles recognized that he used poor judgment. He took full responsibility and apologized for his actions,” Turner Sports president David Levy said in a released statement. Barkley will be back to offer his opinions of Thursday’s trade deadline, as well as TNT’s doubleheader coverage of San Antonio-Detroit and Boston-Utah.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_16501

The season has been a major disappointment for Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets. It might have just gotten worse. The forward told ESPN.com's Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday that his troublesome left knee will end his season and that he will undergo microfracture surgery.

McGrady's name had come up earlier Tuesday in reported trade discussions between the Rockets and New Jersey Nets. The Nets were leery of McGrady's contract and health in discussions involving Nets forward Vince Carter.

McGrady had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has been slow to recover. The seven-time All-Star missed much of January trying to get the knee back in shape and had an MRI last week to try to discover why it was still bothering him. "The last couple of games, I've regressed," McGrady said during halftime of last Wednesday's game. "I've felt pain."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... -thread-2/

Milwaukee: 26-29 (10-20 road)
Margin: +0.3 ppg (-0.6 last 25%)
Last 10: 5-5
Pistons: 27-24 (14-13 home)
Margin: -0.4 (-1.8 last 25%)
Last 10: 3-7

Oppo research: Let me guess. This matchup didn’t win the fan vote for tonight’s NBA TV matchup. In spite of Detroit’s recent failings, they have consistently had Milwaukee’s number. ESPN reports that there are no major injuries heading into tonight’s game, but I’m pretty sure Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Luke Ridnour are all sitting this one out. That leaves a team that should be easily beaten, especially given their 10-20 road record. But when has that has been no impediment this season. Michael Curry has proven that he can lose any game. Never lose faith. The last time these teams met, Detroit watched as Ramon sessions dropped 44 points and forced the game to overtime. That was ugly, but we got the W, nonetheless. I would expect something similar this evening. The Drama: Let’s see if we can set the record for biggest 4th quarter lead blown.

Keys for Detroit: Rebound: Please?
Stop Sessions: Milwaukee does not have the tools to beat this team. Detroit needs to focus on making sure Sessions cannot get to the basket and the free throw line. It’s not like he’s Kobe Bryant.
Get some help from the bench: Of late, the bench has been an absolute dud. Spellcheck has been aggresively bad on offense. Maxiell has been hit or miss. And, now that Amir is on the bench for some reason, we will need to get some production from him.
Question of the game: Is Joe really sitting on this team as the tread deadline expires? Look at the substitution patterns. A DNP tonight might have more gravity then we think.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... ns+summary

Bucks 92, Pistons 86
MILWAUKEE min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Jefferson 40:43 8-13 9-11 1-5 5 0 29
Villanueva 25:03 4-14 1-2 0-5 3 2 10
Elson 28:09 2-4 4-4 2-5 1 3 8
Sessions 41:43 6-17 5-8 1-9 7 3 17
Mbah a Moute 30:34 3-6 1-2 1-7 0 1 7
Bell 24:31 2-10 0-0 0-1 1 3 5
Gadzuric 2:59 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Bogans 12:17 0-1 2-2 0-0 0 1 2
Allen 27:44 7-12 0-0 3-8 1 1 14
Gill 6:17 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 2 0
Totals 240:00 32-79 22-29 8-41 19 17 92
FG: 405. FT: 759. 3PG: 6-15, .400 (Jefferson 4-5, Bell 1-3, Villanueva 1-5, Allen 0-1, Sessions 0-1). Team rebounds: 10. Blocks: 4 (Elson 4). Turnovers: 5 (Villanueva 2, Jefferson, Mbah a Moute, Sessions). Steals: 5 (Elson 2, Mbah a Moute 2, Gill). Technical: Defensive three second, 1:35 third.

DETROIT min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Prince 29:34 4-8 0-0 0-7 8 0 10
McDyess 40:56 11-15 2-3 3-14 2 3 24
Wallace 34:18 4-11 2-2 1-8 0 3 10
Stuckey 30:52 1-6 1-2 0-3 1 6 3
Iverson 42:19 4-13 2-3 2-5 8 1 10
Hamilton 32:02 7-19 7-7 0-0 4 1 22
Maxiell 6:34 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 2 0
Afflalo 7:16 2-3 0-0 0-2 0 2 5
Johnson 13:45 1-1 0-0 1-3 0 2 2
Bynum 2:24 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 240:00 34-78 14-17 7-43 24 20 86
FG: 436. FT: 824. 3PG: 4-14, .286 (Prince 2-2, Afflalo 1-2, Hamilton 1-3, Stuckey 0-2, Wallace 0-5). Team rebounds: 7. Blocks: 7 (Johnson 2, McDyess 2, Wallace 2, Iverson). Turnovers: 10 (Iverson 3, Hamilton 2, Prince 2, Stuckey 2, McDyess). Steals: 3 (Iverson 3). Technicals: Defensive three second, 2:48 first; Stuckey, 6:40 third.

Milwaukee 29 21 24 18 -- 92
Detroit 17 20 24 25 -- 86

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... pass+Bucks

Pistons can't pass Bucks
Antonio McDyess hot, but team shoots cold. Even if the move was not a complete success, Antonio McDyess proved his promotion to the starting lineup was more than deserved. McDyess had 14 rebounds and a season-high 24 points, but he couldn't help the Pistons overcome a slow start and big deficits Tuesday in a 92-86 loss to Milwaukee at the Palace. McDyess scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and twice, with less than six minutes left, he got the Pistons within one point of the Bucks. But both times the Bucks answered immediately with three-point plays by Richard Jefferson, who scored 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting. "It shouldn't take a dramatic comeback or anything like that for us to win a basketball game," said Allen Iverson, who had 10 points and eight assists but was 2-for-12 from the field at one point. "The same way we played in that fourth quarter is the way we're supposed to play all throughout the game. For some reason we didn't do it."

The Bucks, who also got 17 points from Ramon Sessions, prevented a Pistons sweep of the four-game season series. Richard Hamilton scored 22 points for the Pistons, who dug themselves a sizable hole in the first half -- with everyone holding a shovel. Defensive lapses, cold shooting, poor rebounding and turnovers all helped the Pistons hand the Bucks a 50-37 lead at halftime. And that was only after the Pistons had chipped away at a 17-point deficit late in the second quarter. Pistons coach Michael Curry expected some rustiness after the All-Star break, but he did not excuse the team's lack of effort. "Sluggish comes with the missed shots and things like that," he said. "But I wasn't pleased with the intensity level from the beginning of the game. Whether you're sluggish or not, we can play hard -- make mistakes, missed shots, whatever it may be, but play harder." The Bucks took 17-point leads several times and led, 72-55, as late as with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter belonged to McDyess and the Pistons, who outscored Milwaukee, 25-18, in the last period. "It's very difficult to come back, even in your home building," Arron Afflalo said. "And the crowd did the best they could. But even in your home building you've got to get the spirit from within and fight all the time through tough stretches." What is even scarier for the Pistons is that the slow starts are becoming more frequent and more perplexing. "It's been happening all year," Tayshaun Prince said. "We've got to find a way to make a change, as far as that. We've been changing our lineup but I don't think that's the case. We've got to figure something out."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/orl ... picgallery

Richard Jefferson scored 29 points and Ramon Sessions added 17 and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 92-86 on Tuesday night. The Bucks overcame 24 points and 14 rebounds from Antonio McDyess to pull within two games of Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings. Malik Allen added a season-high 14 points for Milwaukee, which won its third straight. Richard Hamilton had 22 points for the Pistons, who have lost four straight and seven of their last eight at home. Detroit Coach Michael Curry juggled the starting lineup again, putting McDyess in place of Amir Johnson, but it didn't help in the first half.

Milwaukee led by as many as 17 on its way to a 50-37 halftime lead. Jefferson had 19 points then. The Pistons continued to struggle offensively in the third quarter, but were still within 11 points until Malik Allen's buzzer-beating jumper gave the Bucks a 74-61 lead going into the final period.Milwaukee had a double-digit lead with 8 minutes left, but the Pistons pulled within 80-79 on McDyess' three-point play 2 minutes later.

Sessions, who had 44 points against the Pistons on Feb. 7, helped Detroit by missing two free throws, but Jefferson kept Milwaukee in front with a three-point play and a 3-pointer.McDyess made it 88-86 with a minute to play, but Jefferson made one free throw at the other end.Stuckey missed a short jumper, and the Bucks clinched the game from the line. Detroit is 23-25 since Allen Iverson joined the team after being acquired for Chauncey Billups.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... tons+spark

Rodney Stuckey fails to give Pistons spark
Point guard Rodney Stuckey struggled again to spark the Pistons and turned in another inconsistent game in what is becoming a worrisome trend for coach Michael Curry. Stuckey had only three points on 1-for-6 shooting and managed only one assist in Tuesday's 92-86 loss to Milwaukee. He has tallied only one assist in three of his past four games. "Yeah, concerned," Curry said about Stuckey's play. "We've got to find a way to get him aggressive. We've definitely got to get more out of him. He's the one that kind of ignites everything else. We've got to find a way to get him more involved."

Stuckey headed to the bench with 6:41 left in the first quarter with the Pistons down, 11-4. But the Pistons didn't fare any better without him. Rip Hamilton entered the game and missed his first five shots. When Stuckey returned for the start of the second quarter, the Pistons trailed 29-17.

The Pistons appear to lack a true team leader. Arron Afflalo did not agree that the team looked rudderless at times, but he echoed Curry's comments about needing someone to provide a spark. "All these guys have some type of leadership qualities, whether it's vocally or by example," Afflalo said. "Whether it comes from a coach or a player or whomever, it needs to come from somewhere and somebody's got to ignite our team to go in there with consistent, long-stretch runs."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... tons+spark

DICE ADJUSTS TO ROLE: Forward Antonio McDyess wasn't angling for a return to the starting lineup. Quite the contrary, McDyess and his 34-year-old legs were happy coming off the bench.

But after Amir Johnson struggled during a brief starting stint, Curry sent Johnson to the bench and promoted McDyess on Monday. McDyess anticipated a slight adjustment to his new role. "It's going to be weird because going back and forth, I've been doing that the past three years," said McDyess, who had 24 points and 14 rebounds. "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."

As much as anything, McDyess, who started 78 games last season, said the adjustment will require a new routine of mental preparation. "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://www.freep.com/article/20090218/S ... tons+spark

WRONG AT HOME: The Pistons, who were 34-7 at home last season, started this season 11-5 at home before the new year. Since then, they are 3-9, and Curry was at a loss for an answer for his team's sudden home blues.

"It's a little different team," he said. "We have some new guys that are key for us and we look forward for them to play well, especially in this building. We moved our shootarounds over here (from the Palace practice facility) to get guys more familiar with this building as well. We just aren't playing good basketball."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16736

Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady will have microfracture surgery on his bothersome left knee, according to ESPN on Tuesday night.

McGrady, who has missed 19 games this season thanks to the injury, will be out for the remainder of the campaign, the report said. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has not been healthy in the wake of the procedure. "The last couple of games, I've regressed," McGrady told ESPN during halftime of the Rockets' 114-88 win over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday. "I've felt pain." The two-time NBA scoring champion, who missed most of January while conditioning the knee, had played in seven of eight games since returning from those two weeks on the sideline. He missed one game with a sprained ankle.

However, he apparently cannot shake the knee problems. McGrady, who has yet to make it past the first round of the playoffs in his NBA career, has averaged just 15.6 points this season while shooting a career-low 38.8 percent from the field. In his fifth season with the club, the perennial All-Star has yet to play a full campaign with Houston thanks to a myriad of injuries. He came the closest in his first season with the team, when he appeared in 78 contests.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Scores/Previe ... E_ID=28982

Milwaukee (26-29) at Detroit (27-24) 7:30 p.m. EST AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons were not playing like an Eastern Conference contender prior to the All-Star break, but hope to change that Tuesday. Detroit will aim to sweep the season series against the Milwaukee Bucks when the teams meet at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The acquisition of All-Star Allen Iverson early in the season was supposed to return the Pistons to the top of the East. Detroit has yet to come into form, however, and limped to the break losing three straight and 12 of 17 games. Iverson scored 28 points in Detroit's final game before the All-Star festivities, a 99-95 loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The Pistons have won all three meetings with the Bucks this season, including a 126-121 overtime win on February 7 - Detroit's last win. Milwaukee has been bit by the injury bug all season, but things went from bad to worse just prior to the break. Michael Redd is out for the season with a knee injury, Andrew Bogut will miss at least seven more weeks with a back injury, and Luke Ridnour broke his right thumb on February 6 and will be out at least three more weeks. The Bucks have managed to win four of six despite the injuries behind the emergence of Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions. Villanueva is averaging 23.5 points in his last 12 games while Sessions has added 20.0 per contest over his last nine, including a 44-point performance against the Pistons in their last meeting. Sessions had 15 points and a season-high 17 assists in Milwaukee's last game, a 122-110 win over Indiana on Wednesday.