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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... ole-model/

Allen Iverson knows he’s a role model
During a media session over All-Star weekend, Allen Iverson spoke candidly about charity, religion, the afterlife and his responsibility as a role model. If you’re used to boring cliches, stop reading. From Praying Fields, a Washington Post blog about religion and sports (via Dave Dial at MLive’s Full-Court Press): Allen Iverson, sporting a new hairstyle reminiscent of his days at Georgetown, was sitting around one of those NBA all-star weekend media sessions when he was asked by a reporter about whether he thought some of the NBA charity events — reading books to kids, handing out Thanksgiving turkeys — were a bit staged. “Fake,” said the 10-time all-star who plays for the Detroit Pistons.

Iverson went on to say that he prefers the cameras not be around when he helps others less fortunate than him. “I just look forward to doing it. I don’t need all the publicity that comes with it. I don’t need that. When it’s time for me to get toward that gate, either He [is] gonna say, ‘Come in,’ or He [is] gonna say, ‘Turn around.’ And a camera won’t decide whether I get in or not.” “I’ve done a lot of good things in my life and done a lot of bad things in my life so I don’t know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad things. I’m damn sure I don’t want to go to hell.”The discussion turned to how sports can be an escape from the troubles of everyday life and whether NBA players and other professional athletes should be viewed as role models. “We have more impact on the world than people may think, than even we might think, you know what I mean? When I was younger, when we talk about role model-type situations, I never knew that we were important like we are. “We are role models, regardless if we like it or not. It is something that we got to accept, but it is something that people should know that we’re human and we make mistakes and we are not going to be perfect. You can want to be like Allen Iverson, but I don’t think people should try to be like Allen Iverson. I think people should be better than Allen Iverson.”

Iverson made these comments over the weekend, but it’s a little ironic I found them today. Tonight’s game against the Spurs is being televised by TNT, and Charles Barkley, who famously denied being a role model while shilling for Nike 15 years ago, is making his long-awaited return to “Inside the NBA” after a leave of absence prompted by a decidely un-role-model-like DUI arrest on New Year’s Eve.

[nasty daddy]

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

NBA.com Staff: A trade the Detroit Pistons should make
The staff writers at NBA.com put together trades they believe teams should make before the deadline expires 3:00pm Thursday.

Blazers-Pistons : The Trade: The Pistons trade Tayshaun Prince and Kwame Brown to the Blazers for Raef LaFrentz, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez.
Why It Would Be Good: The Blazers rank second in the league in offensive efficiency, but 20th defensively. In order to truly compete with the best teams in the West, they need to improve. Prince is one of the best defenders in the league and would solidify Portland's starting lineup. With LaFrentz, Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons would have almost $50 million in salaries coming off the books this summer, giving Joe Dumars plenty of money to play with either in 2009 or 2010. He'd also have two young players to develop alongside Rodney Stuckey for years to come.
Why It Won't Happen: Prince is the Pistons' most important player and they will already have plenty of cap space without making this deal. Also, of all their small forwards, Fernandez is the one the Blazers would least like to trade. Nicolas Batum and Martell Webster are more expendable. Why It Will: Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard has to know that he needs a defender in that small forward spot, preferably one with some experience. Prince is the perfect fit. The Bucks' Richard Jefferson could be another target as Pritchard looks to make something of LaFrentz's expiring deal. The Pistons like Stuckey, but will need a more traditional point guard in that backcourt down the line. And the potential of Fernandez may be enticing enough for Dumars to part with his current franchise cornerstone, Prince.

It's an interesting proposal, and it would leave Dumars with more salary cap space the next two off-seasons. Both Fernandez and Rodriguez are interesting young players with potential, but I'm not sure they are the type of players that would be difference makers or attract other players to go to Detroit to play with them.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/19/mihm ... index.html

The Los Angeles Lakers traded seldom-used center Chris Mihm to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, getting a future draft pick and a lighter payroll in the deal.

Mihm will be the fourth 7-footer on the Grizzlies' roster, joining Marc Gasol, Darko Milicic and Hamed Haadadi, who's playing in the D-League. Memphis, well out of the playoff race at 15-38, played at Portland on Wednesday night.

The 29-year-old Mihm had his best season with the Lakers in 2005-06, when he averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. His career was then interrupted by an ankle injury that required reconstructive surgery and sidelined him for the 2006-07 season.

[nasty daddy]

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

Hoops World agrees with the conventional wisdom most outlets agree on, the Pistons will stand pat. Although there have been surprise trades at the deadline in the past, so stay tuned.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3918672

Sources: Kings, Wolves agree on deal
The Timberwolves and Kings have agreed in principle to a deal that will send Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to the Timberwolves, two sources told ESPN.com's Chad Ford. In exchange, the Kings will receive Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth, the sources told Ford.

The deal would give the Kings two players with expiring contracts and allow them to get Brown's 2009 salary of $736,420 off the books for next year. For the Wolves, the addition of Williams would help replace Al Jefferson, who's out for the season with a torn ACL.

McCants was the 14th overall pick in 2005. He is averaging 9.1 points per game, but has appeared in only six games since Jan. 1. Williams was the fifth overall pick in 2006 by Atlanta. He has never fulfilled the promise he showed while at Duke and is averaging just 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds for the Kings.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 90443/1127

Sources: Cavs going after Shaq
All remains quiet at Pistons headquarters. Pistons president Joe Dumars was manning his phones Thursday morning but no deal was imminent or expected before the 3 p.m. deadline.

That's not to say it was quiet elsewhere.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were in discussions with Phoenix. The Cavaliers are offering Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O'Neal, according to league sources. The Cavs are also talking to Milwaukee, offering Wally Szczerbiak and his $13 million expiring contract for Richard Jefferson.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3918898

Sources: Suns balk at offer for Shaq
Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James on the same team? NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that a deal to make that happen is highly unlikely before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trading deadline, but multiple sources close to the situation confirmed that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix have indeed discussed the possibility. In a proposal first reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic were offered to the Suns for O'Neal as part of the Cavs' well-chronicled quests to add one more big man for the playoffs and show LeBron that they will do anything necessary to win a championship.

Yet sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that, entering the final two hours before the deadline, neither team was optimistic about reaching an agreement. It's believed that the Suns have pushed Cleveland to substitute Wally Szczerbiak's $13.8 million expiring contract for Wallace, which would result in the huge financial windfall that initially prompted Phoenix to make Amare Stoudemire and O'Neal available in trades earlier this month.Phoenix on Monday began informing teams that Stoudemire was no longer available after replacing first-year coach Terry Porter with Alvin Gentry. The Suns, though, remain eager to reduce their payroll by at least $7 million and up to $9 million to avoid paying luxury tax next season. If the Suns were willing to accept Wallace and Pavlovic, they would slice $5.5 million from next season's books, as Wallace's salary decreases from $14.5 million this season to $14 million in 2009-10 and because only $1.5 million of Pavlovic's $5 million salary next season is guaranteed. The Suns' desire to take back Szczerbiak and Pavlovic is understandable. In that scenario, Phoenix would erase $19.5 million from next season's payroll.

Confident that O'Neal's close relationship with James would offset any concerns about making such a bold midseason acquisition, Cleveland shifted its sights to Shaq after bids for a variety of big men -- including Washington's Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler and Los Angeles Clippers center Marcus Camby -- were rejected. O'Neal has been rejuvenated this season at 36 in spite of the Suns' overall struggles, earning a Western Conference reserve spot in last Sunday's All-Star Game via the coaches' vote and sharing MVP honors with former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant.

[nasty daddy]

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

Chad Ford: Chicago is the first choice for Chris Bosh
Chad Ford may be the ESPN writer that is most friendly to the Detroit Pistons, and seems to be friends with Piston President Joe Dumars. While some Piston fans dream that Chris Bosh will land in Detroit when he becomes a free agent in 2010, Chad Ford reports that Bosh may wind up in Chicago.

A few weeks ago, the Bulls finally got bold, attempting to work out a complicated three-team deal that would land them Chris Bosh. The problem was, the Raptors and Suns weren't willing partners. In comparison, Chicago's trade for Brad Miller and John Salmons seems pretty underwhelming. How is the addition of Miller and Salmons the change the Bulls really need? The answer, I think, is that it isn't. Miller was once a force in the low post, but his best years are far behind him. Salmons is a good, versatile role player, but he doesn't really address the team's weaknesses in the front court. However, another shoe could be dropping in Chicago. League sources continue to insist that the Bulls might not be done. As Marc Stein reported this morning, the Bulls and Wolves have talked about a Kirk Hinrich trade that would send back some more cap relief (Jason Collins and either Rashad McCants or Brian Cardinal) to Chicago. If the Bulls pull the trigger on that deal, they'll have only $25 million in committed payroll coming into the summer of 2010. They could have even more space if Salmons opts out of his contract in the summer of 2010.

That would make them serious players in the 2010 free-agent market for -- you guessed it -- Chris Bosh. A source close to Bosh told me this afternoon that Chicago would be his first choice as a free-agency destination that summer. Although another year and a half of mediocrity might be too long for some Bulls fans, a core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Bosh might be worth the wait. Rose is putting up 17 points and over 6 assists in his rookie season, while shooting over 47%. Bosh may find young players like Rose, Deng, Thomas and Noah an exciting situation to be a part of.

[nasty daddy]

http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop

Our favorite example of this, which we've written about before, is how the Pistons were considering trading Joe Dumars prior to their championship run, possibly for more talent, but owner Bill Davidson persuasively argued against by saying something to the effect of 'You'll never find a better player who's willing to sit second chair to Isiah.'

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v10603.htm

San Antonio Spurs (35-17) at Detroit Pistons (27-25), 8:00 p.m.
The Detroit Pistons will try to avoid losing a season-high tying fifth straight game Thursday when they close out a three-game homestand Thursday night versus the San Antonio Spurs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons have dropped four straight overall and the first two tests of their residency, including Tuesday's 92-86 setback versus the Milwaukee Bucks.

Antonio McDyess led the Pistons with 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Richard Hamilton added 22 points off the bench. Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson all scored 10 points for Detroit, which is 14-14 at The Palace this season. Hamilton is averaging 26.2 points over his last five games. The last time the Pistons lost five in a row was from January 10 - 17. San Antonio will resume its eight-game road trip Thursday and is 3-3 so far on the trek. It has dropped two straight and three of five on the road swing, and suffered a 112-107 overtime loss at New York Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden. Nate Robinson finished with 32 points and a career high-tying 10 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a hard-fought win.

Tim Duncan got his 33rd double-double of the season with 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs, who are 17-10 away from home this season and will also visit the Washington Wizards. Roger Mason added 20 points and Tony Parker 14 in a losing cause. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili did not travel with the team to New York because of a sore right ankle and will miss Thursday's game. He is averaging 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season.Detroit defeated San Antonio, 89-77, on December 2 this season at the AT&T Center, as Iverson and Wallace scored 19 points apiece to lead the way. The Pistons have won three straight over the Spurs, who have dropped four of their last five at The Palace.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090219/S ... with+Wings

Nothing's better than ...
The Pistons need a face-lift but, as in the case of Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers, you just don’t overdo things, right?

The Freep’s Vince Ellis isn’t expecting the Pistons to pull any shocks as today’s NBA trade deadline nears but the team is definitely in need of some major surgery, having won five times in their last 18 games. “Doesn’t sound like the phone lines are burning up in Auburn Hills,” says Ellis in his “Inside the Pistons” column this morning.

We’ll wait and see.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... ants-no-1/

Chauncey wants No. 1
Scoop Jackson asked each All-Star if they could be any other player in the game, who would it be? “Then came Chauncey Billups’ classic and unexpected answer: ‘A.I. So I can get my Detroit No. 1 [jersey] back.’ “

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/stor ... dup-090218

Chad Ford: The Chicago Bulls made their second big trade in two days on Thursday agreeing to send Larry Hughes to the Knicks for Jerome James and Tim Thomas two league sources told ESPN.com.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2009/02/win-a-cop ... uckey.html

Win a Copy of the latest DIME Magazine featuring Rodney Stuckey
DIME Magazine interviewed The Detroit Pistons Rodney Stuckey for a feature in this month’s DIME. It’s a great read for any Stuckey/Pistons fan.

DIME went a step further for Need4Sheed readers….

After you finish reading the piece on Stuckey leave STUCKTACULAR in the comment section of the article with your correct E-Mail address and one lucky Pistons fan will win a copy of the magazine. If that’s not STUCKTACULAR, I don’t know what is.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

McCants traded: The Minnesota Timberwolves have reached agreement on a deal that sends Rashard McCants and Calvin Booth to the Sacramento Kings for Sheldon Williams and Bobby Brown.

[nasty daddy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=25146

Mike (Detroit, MI): Are the Pistons in on anything or are they just buying their time and cap space for free agency?

Chad Ford: Talked to them today. Nothing is cooking. They'll go into free agency with a bunch of money. They should be the top free agent destination. Carlos Boozer is a possibility if he opts out. Or they could go after a restricted free agent like David Lee or Marvin Williams.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

Pistons eye Boozer for summer
When the Detroit Pistons sheered nearly another $1 million in salary-cap space with the trade of Alex Acker to the Los Angeles Clippers this week, GM Joe Dumars further solidified his franchise as the favorite to sign Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer as a free agent this summer.

The Pistons expect to have nearly $23 million available to spend this summer on free agents. Boozer has said he will likely opt out of his contract with the Jazz this summer. Most believed that Boozer was destined for the Miami Heat, but Heat president Pat Riley chose to take on Jermaine O’Neal’s $22 million contract for the 2009-10 season. The Jazz and Boozer have grown tired of each other, and league executives believe Utah is more inclined to re-sign power forward Paul Millsap to a long-term contract.

Boozer has played just 12 games this season with a knee injury. His inability to stay on the floor has clouded teams’ opinions about him, but Boozer makes sense as the replacement for pending Pistons free agent Rasheed Wallace.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3919012

Sources: Knicks trade for Bulls' Hughes
The Chicago Bulls made their second big trade in two days on Thursday, agreeing to send Larry Hughes to the Knicks for Jerome James, Tim Thomas and Anthony Roberson, two league sources told ESPN.com.

The move comes just one day after the Bulls agreed to send Andreas Nocioni and Drew Gooden to the Sacramento Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons. Hughes has been in the Bulls' doghouse for some time and the two had agreed to seek a trade weeks ago. With Salmons coming to the Bulls on Wednesday, there was even less need for Hughes.

The trade is a wash financially for both teams. Hughes makes $12.8 million this year; James and Thomas make $12.2 million combined. For the Knicks, the trade is a bigger deal. Hughes can be a dynamic scorer and fills a huge need for the Knicks in the backcourt as they continue their push toward the playoffs. The Knicks have struggled to find scoring at the two-guard since trading Jamal Crawford to the Warriors.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/19/gaso ... index.html

Gasol named FIBA Europe player of the year
FIBA Europe announced on Thursday that Spanish superstar Pau Gasol has been named the 2008 FIBA Europe Player of the Year by fans and a panel of expert voters.

Gasol finished ahead of fellow Spaniard Rudy Fernandez and 2005 winner Dirk Nowitzki, among others, to claim the prize.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3918993

Source: Knicks swap Rose for Wilcox
The Knicks agreed to a minor trade Thursday with the Oklahoma City Thunder, swapping Malik Rose for Chris Wilcox.

A source with knowledge of the trade disclosed it to ESPN.com, saying it was agreed to early Thursday afternoon. It was unclear whether there were any additional parts involved in the trade. Wilcox was one of the players the Thunder had sent to New Orleans in the trade for Tyson Chandler that was voided by Oklahoma City after Chandler failed a physical. The other was Joe Smith, who would like to be bought out by the Thunder in order to sign as a free agent by the Boston Celtics, a source told ESPN.com late Wednesday night.

Both players have expiring contracts: Rose is making $7.65 million, and Wilcox earns $6.75 million.