'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 27

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16841

Pacers F Dunleavy out indefinitely
Indiana Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy is out indefinitely with a right knee injury, the team announced Friday.

Under the direction of the team, Dunleavy will receive other medical opinions regarding the knee. Once that process is completed, Dunleavy and the Pacers' medical staff will make a determination on the direction of treatment. Dunleavy, who missed the first 34 games of the season with the injury, did not travel with the team for Wednesday's 103-94 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

A former third overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Golden State Warriors, Dunleavy has averaged 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists since returning to the lineup.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16835

The Bulls hope to welcome Brad Miller and John Salmons to the lineup on Friday when they host the Denver Nuggets.

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http://www.examiner.com/x-1130-Detroit- ... s-Examiner

Chauncey wouldn't have made a difference
Mr. Big Shot wouldn't have saved the seasonThe Pistons losing streak is now at five after Thursday's 83-79 loss at home to the San Antonio Spurs. The loss drops Detroit's record to 27-26 on the season. From 2001-2008, The Pistons average record after 53 games was 36-17. During the 2005-06 campaign, Detroit had 44 wins at this point in the season, a total they're unlikely to match this year. This definitely isn't the same 50-win squad Detroit has become accustomed to. Lots of clamoring has been made lately over the departure of Chauncey Billups, and how his presence would have curtail the Pistons' drop-off. Would the "Stons have a few more wins at this point in the season. Yes. But this team wouldn't be challenging Boston, Cleveland, Orlando or even Atlanta with Mr. Big Shot at the helm either.

The 2008-09 edition of the Pistons have too many holes in their ship for Billups to have stopped the season from sinking away. Billups would have plugged a couple of the leaks - providing leadership and solid point guard play - but he wouldn't have been able to fix all of the Pistons problems. Chauncey wouldn't have been able to provide Rasheed Wallace with a magical age-reversing elixir. Nor would he have been able to add depth to the Pistons seldom-used bench. And I doubt he could have taught Michael Curry how to coach either. It's clear to me - the Pistons were doomed this year with or without Chauncey. Which is why we should all be showering Joe Dumars with praise. The clairvoyance Dumars displayed with the Billups trade rivals the skills of Edgar Cayce. If he didn't swap Billups for AI, we would be having this same discussion. Fans would be upset at the fact their Pistons were only a few games over the .500 mark. The media would barrage the hopeless fan base with articles declaring the demise of the franchise.

These fears have still come true, but thanks to Dumars there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Instead of the Pistons trolling in meritocracy for the next three or four years while Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince play out their contracts, the Pistons have an opportunity to restock.Sheed, Iverson and, sadly, McDyess will be gone next season. Dumars will have two manageable contracts (Rip and Tay) and a budding star (Rodney Stuckey) to build around. And enough money to bring in any free agent he desires. So one subpar season from the Pistons isn't that bad, considering it means prolonged success down the line.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16830

The Houston Rockets are about to enter a familiar situation, life without Tracy McGrady.

With McGrady out for the season because of an upcoming microfracture surgery, the Rockets forge on without him against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

The oft-injured forward has been battling a sore left knee for much of the season, then announced on his web site Wednesday that he will undergo a season-ending procedure in attempt to get rid of the pain.

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http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... oint-woes/

Stripes of Shame: Pistons Three-Point Woes
After last night’s late game letdown, I thought I was onto something. Detroit’s three point shooting was terrible, and so I wondered if the inability to deliver from downtown wasn’t the silver bullet during this 6-15 lull. I had no idea…For starters, my instincts were correct. Over the last 21 games, we are shooting 32% from three point range. That includes back-to-back games (our last two victories, natch) in which we shot a combined 18-32. Take those away, and we’re at 29%. Those are dreadful numbers under any circumstances, and would be good for second to last in the league. They are even worse when you consider that teams are simply packing in the lane to prevent dribble penetration. For the most part, these aren’t contested shots.

But wait, there’s more. The clatter of rim coming from our end of the court apparently isn’t distracting our opponents, who are shooting 39% on a virtually identical number of attempts. That discrepancy alone has cost us 2.7 points per game over the last 21 games. Considering that six of our last fifteen losses came by five points or fewer, the difference has been devastating.

All of this compels a few questions:
1) Isn’t there anyone on this team who can be relied upon to hit an open three pointer?
2) Why does a terrible outside shooting team play at the second slowest pace in the league? Portland and New Orleans round out the bottom three for pace factor, and both are excellent three-point shooting squads.
3) What exactly is the deal with leaving a guy who has made two three point shots open for a third? How many times does this have to happen?
Well, at least we know the answer to number two…

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http://need4sheed.com/2009/02/five-and- ... spurs.html

Too bad the Pistons couldn’t pull out the win in last night’s game against the Spurs. The 83-79 home loss marks the Pistons’ fifth in a row and puts them under 500 at The Palace with 15 losses at home, equaling what they had all of last season.

Key Points: The crowd at the Palace was great and it was a very entertaining game. The Pistons came to play, starting the game focused and forcing Pop to call an early time out after the Pistons went on a 9-0 run. The trade I would have liked to see before the deadline…..Antonio McDyess shipped to a contender. He’s got more heart and will in his little finger than that whole team does right now. And I’m pretty sure he helps old ladies cross the street when nobody’s looking. We are sorry Antonio. Ice for Dyess seems futile now, doesn’t it? A great first quarter followed by a second quarter where Detroit was outscored 24-16. They fought the rest of the way. What did Afflalo do to be in his current dog house position? Probably the same thing Maxiell did a while back. Nothing. Second time this season they’ve lost four straight at home. Allen Iverson led the Pistons with 31 points on 13 for 28 shooting. He added 7 assists, a steal, a blocked shot and was taking it to Tony Parker like he was invincible. Nothing was as pretty as this reverse. “Iverson, who scored 12 in the fourth, including a layup that put the Pistons up 79-78 with 1:21 left, missed his last three shots, including a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left that would have tied the score.“A play like that matters so much, but just getting to the point where we needed a desperation shot to tie the game is the frustrating part,” Iverson said. “We put ourselves in a bad predicament.” Via The Detroit News We all would have loved for Iverson to have taken that shot because Sheed’s 17 footer over Duncan just looked awkward. Matt Bonner…really? Stuckey, 2 points, 8 assists in 28 minutes. He may not have lit it up, but remember he only took three shots. I wont bore you with the DNP’s. Curry went with a seven man rotation. This Jason Maxiell dunk sent the Palace crowd WILD. It looked even better on TV.

Jason Maxiell, 25 minutes, 10 points on 4-5 shooting with 9 boards and a blocked shot. And intensity. Max, Dyess and AI came to play. 16% from downtown. Yuck When we needed a three wasn’t there a better option than AI? Just putting that out there. Sheed 4-for-17, Rip 2-for-10, Tayshaun 3-for-10. Can’t win like that. “I don’t mind playing iso-basketball, but I like to run,” Iverson said. “I don’t want to have to play iso-ball. I would rather us get baskets in the first four or five seconds of the shot clock. That’s the way I want to play. I want to run up and down the court so we don’t have to play against a big defense like that.” ANOTHER double-double for Antonio Mcdyess with 13 points and 13 boards, a steal and 2 blocked shots. The man is playing like he’s got the weight of the team on his shoulders. Good thing because nobody else is taking things to heart like Dyess. And the man recorded his 1000th career block. On just one reason why Michael Curry can be blasted…….From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “.. Curry only played two reserves, Hamilton and Jason Maxiell (10 points, nine rebounds). His reasoning: The Pistons don’t play again until Sunday night and with the game on TNT, there were longer timeouts. That says it all…..with that kind of logic, Sunday against Cleveland should be a mess. Honestly, I think a Ouija board would produce better results than Curry at this point.

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http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/0 ... ypse-2010/

On your very screen mere days ago commenced a debate over the merits of wunderkind executive Joe Dumars, the man who has applied a Wonka touch to all manners of trades and draft choices in his decade at the Detroit Pistons helm. Joe D. found his winning streak snapped last November after a panic move that shipped out Pistons heartbeat Chauncey Billups for waterbug assassin Allen Iverson. The trade torpedoed a team coming off 59 wins, a seventh division championship in eight years, six straight trips to conference finals, two NBA Finals berths, and the 2004 NBA title.

Yes, at worst, acquiring Iverson gave Dumars salary cap space for 2009 and beyond. But is he to be truly trumpeted for playing savvy accountant? It’s a bit too convenient, and damningly revisionist, to say that Detroit had no shot at a title this season with Billups. To say now that the trade just gives Detroit more time to prep for the Chris Bosh Mardi Gras in 2010 merely provides Dumars with a warm waterbed on which to fall. When Iverson was shipped north, the word was that the Pistons were “going for it,” not “freeing cap space.” Now that the team is a game over .500 and free falling, no one needs to rush out and pat Joe on the tush in admiration of his slide-rule dexterity.

Why not give Rodney Stuckey another year as understudy to All-Stars Billups and Rip Hamilton? Stuckey having proved an able sub for Billups in last year’s playoffs—a stretch of a half-dozen games—was no reason to toss the kid the keys a couple of games into his sophomore season. Chicken and egg it if you wish, but Billups’ value has never been more evident than this season, where he has invigorated Denver and convinced a weakened Nuggets team to climb in the fierce West, while every rotation player left in Motown has seen their game take a step back without him. The Pistons were not some decrepit crew outstaying their welcome. And on top of it all, to paraphrase the new acquisition, we’re talking about Detroit as a destination for free agents. Detroit. We’re talking about Detroit. We’re talking about Detroit, man. But we have not come to bury the Pistons’ Panicking Crew; Dumars’ move was merely the most spectacular failure of the trading season. This speaks more to an alarming trend, GMs from oceans A to P chasing the fools’ gold of cap space.

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http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-3 ... uries.html

The Pistons seemed poised to have a good season in 1971-72: Bing was coming off another All-NBA First Team selection, second year center Bob Lanier was about to become one of the league's top players and the Pistons had narrowly missed the playoffs in 1970-71 despite posting a fine 45-37 record. These hopes came crashing down when Bing suffered a detached retina in his right eye during the preseason. "The team of doctors basically asked me not to think about playing again-but at the age of 27 and the top of my career, I never gave that a second thought and I was able to play another seven years," Bing says. "I wasn't the same player. I think that I became a better all-around player but never the prolific scorer that I was before that injury. I had to play the last seven years of my career with blurred vision, basically, in both eyes." He missed a total of 37 games and the Pistons' record plummeted to 26-56.

Bing found a silver lining in his plight: "I had to concentrate more on other phases of the game and I think that's what made me a better all-around player. I wasn't the scorer that I had been prior to the eye injury but I think that my assists went up, my free throw percentage went up and I became better defensively and I think that just because I couldn't see as well and shoot as well that I focused on other parts of the game." He shot over .800 from the free throw line for three straight years, a level of accuracy that he had never achieved prior to having the detached retina, and Bing had four of his five best apg averages after suffering that injury. How did he improve his free throw shooting despite his vision problems? Simple -- free throw shooting is different from field goal shooting because it involves a fixed target and there are no defenders, so just by improving one's concentration and mental focus one can shoot quite accurately from the free throw line even if the rim looks a little blurry.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3922880

Jazz Owner Larry Miller Passes Away
Larry H. Miller, the car sales mogul who turned the Utah Jazz into one of the NBA's most stable teams, died Friday from complications of type 2 diabetes. He was 64.

Miller had a heart attack in June 2008, then spent nearly two months in the hospital for complications from diabetes. He was in a wheelchair after his release from the hospital and his medical problems continued, leading to the amputation of his legs six inches below the knee in January.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3914226

Curry misses game
Davidson star Stephen Curry didn't play in a 64-46 loss to The Citadel on Wednesday.

He missed practice for a second straight day Tuesday because of a sprained left ankle and was a game-time decision for Wednesday's game. Davidson shot only 25.4 percent from the floor in falling to 22-5.

Curry, averaging 29 points and the nation's leading scorer, was injured Saturday when he stepped on the foot of a Furman player on a drive. X-rays a day later were negative. The Wildcats host Butler (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) on Saturday.

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

Still Struggling: Pistons losing streak has reached five now after bowing to the Spurs at the Palace 83-79. Statistically, this game was pretty even except Detroit hit just 2-12 from three point range and the visitors buried 7-14 from downtown. The Southwest Division leaders got double-doubles from Tony Parker (19-pts/11-assists) and Tim Duncan (18-pts/18-rebounds)....enough to offset the game high 31 from Allen Iverson. Detroit is now a disappointing 27-26 on the season and a miserable 14-15 at home. Now....the Pistons embark on a daunting five game road trip that takes them to Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston in that order.

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

Suns' Stoudemire might be done for season
Amare Stoudemire could be finished for the season just days after the Phoenix Suns decided not to trade him. Stoudemire, a starter for the West in Sunday's All-Star Game, had eye surgery Friday and won't be able to resume physical activity for about eight weeks. "We're going to be ultraconservative with this and if it means he misses the remainder of the season, so be it," Suns general manager Steve Kerr said. "He's got a long career and a long life ahead of him. And that's the most important thing."

The NBA playoffs begin eight weeks from Saturday, and it's no sure thing the Suns will even be in the postseason, especially with their All-Star power forward unavailable for the final 29 games of the regular season. "He was really discouraged," Kerr said. "He was really starting to play well. He was feeling good about things. Our team obviously is feeling very good about things, just about the way the last couple of games have gone, and this is a major blow." The eye had been bothering Stoudemire before Wednesday night's game against the Clippers in Los Angeles, where he scored 42 points in Phoenix's 142-129 victory. A blow to the head early in the game may have aggravated the injury. The Suns didn't find out about the need for surgery until after Thursday's trade deadline. "He seemed fine. He didn't have a lot of discomfort after the game," Kerr said. "It seemed like this was going to be a routine checkup like he's had about monthly throughout this season. We didn't expect, obviously, what we found out."

Had the Suns known of the injury, Kerr said he would have looked to acquire someone to help fill the void, "but that's easier said than done." Dr. Pravin Dugel, who performed the surgery to repair a partially detached retina in Stoudemire's right eye, said the eight-week recovery period is an average and the time varies case by case. Stoudemire injured the same eye in training camp this season. In that case, he had a partially torn iris with no damage to the retina. Last week, the Suns entertained offers from other teams for Stoudemire but decided against the move after firing coach Terry Porter on Sunday and replacing him with Alvin Gentry. Gentry returned Phoenix to the high-speed game of Mike D'Antoni, a system that suits Stoudemire best.

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

Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller dead at 64
Sad news for Utah and the NBA as it's been announced that Larry Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, lost his battle with Diabetes and other issues.

Larry H. Miller, the car sales mogul who turned the Utah Jazz into one of the NBA's most stable teams, died Friday from complications of type 2 diabetes. He was 64. Miller was at home with his family when he passed away, the team said in a statement. Miller had a heart attack in June 2008, then spent nearly two months in the hospital for complications from diabetes. He was in a wheelchair after his release from the hospital and his medical problems continued, leading to the amputation of his legs six inches below the knee in January. A tireless worker with a knack for the most minute details, Miller started his career in an auto parts shop, then built a car dealership empire that made him one of Utah's most recognized and influential people. Miller expanded his realm in 1985 when he bought a 50 percent share of the Jazz as the team appeared on the verge of moving to Miami. Miller bought the rest of the team a year later, declining an offer that would have sent the team to Minnesota, and the team in the smallest media market in the NBA flourished. The Jazz made consecutive appearances in the NBA finals in 1997 and 1998. "Every citizen in our state feels a little empty today," Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said in a statement. "Larry was Utah and Utah was Larry. He inspired many and served countless. We all have been made better by his extraordinary life."

Our sympathies and prayers go out to Miller's family, the Jazz, people of Utah and Miller's NBA family.

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

Utah Jazz owner dead at 64
Larry H. Miller, the car sales mogul who turned the Utah Jazz into one of the NBA's most stable teams, died Friday from complications of type 2 diabetes. He was 64.

Miller was at home with his family when he passed away, the team said in a statement.

Miller had a heart attack in June 2008, then spent nearly two months in the hospital for complications from diabetes. He was in a wheelchair after his release from the hospital and his medical problems continued, leading to the amputation of his legs six inches below the knee in January.

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazer ... ely_o.html

Blazers' Martell Webster likely out for rest of regular season
Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster will likely miss the rest of the regular season recovering from a left foot injury, according to the team's athletic trainer."If he has a shot at playing, it will be the playoffs,'' said Jay Jensen, the team's athletic trainer. "We'll have to see how he does. But considering where we are in the season, and his past history with the foot, I think it would be a fair statement to say it's unlikely he will play in the regular season.''

Webster, a projected starter at small forward when training camp opened, suffered a stress fracture in his fifth metatarsal on his left foot during the Blazers' first preseason game on Oct. 7. He had surgery to insert screws into the foot, then returned to the court on Dec. 7 in Toronto. But after playing five minutes, Webster suffered another stress fracture in the same spot.

Webster has been wearing a protective boot, which he will sport until at least March 3, when he receives his next set of X-Rays. If he is cleared to remove the boot on March 3, the team plans to hold him out a month while he swims, bikes and lifts weights. That would place his return to the practice court at April 3. The regular season ends April 15. "Conceivably could he get ready to play at the end of the season? Maybe,'' Jensen said. "I know we all want him back, and want him back in a quick way, but I don't want this thing to happen again. So we are going to take (the recovery time) out longer this time.''

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/0809_larry ... 22009.html

Larry H. Miller, Husband, Father, Grandfather Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Dies at 64Miller's career legacy includes more than 80 companies — the Utah Jazz, Salt Lake Bees, EnergySolutions Arena, and 39 automobile dealerships; he is survived by wife Gail, five children, 21 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Larry H. Miller, husband, father, grandfather, a well-known entrepreneur, community advocate and humanitarian, died from complications due to type 2 diabetes today, at home, surrounded by his family. He was 64.

Miller, a man who truly loved Utah, its people and its land, was born in Salt Lake City in 1944. From modest beginnings, he grew up in the Capitol Hill area and went on to become one of Utah’s most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Leaving behind a profound professional and personal legacy, the entities Miller created have had a significant and lasting impact on the communities in which he did business, and the more than 7,000 individuals he employed. The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies began with the Larry H. Miller Toyota store in Murray, Utah on May 1, 1979. Through the years, Miller amassed more than 80 businesses and properties in the western United States. Most notable are the Utah Jazz, EnergySolutions Arena, the Salt Lake Bees, Miller Motorsports Park, Megaplex Theatres, and 39 automobile dealerships spanning the Rocky Mountain West. Miller also developed a vast real estate holdings including commercial and agricultural properties.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290220016

Marquis Daniels filled in for injured All-Star Danny Granger just fine, scoring 24 points in Granger's place in the starting lineup and leading the Indiana Pacers past the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-105 on Friday night.

Troy Murphy added 16 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Pacers overcome a career-high 36 points by Randy Foye while the Timberwolves missed 18 of 41 free throws.

Ryan Gomes contributed a season-high 26 points for Minnesota, which is 1-3 after star Al Jefferson's season-ending knee injury. Beyond Foye, Gomes and Mike Miller, who had 18 points, the rest of the Wolves shot 6-for-28 from the field.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290220030

"Everywhere I looked, I had a weapon to pass it to," Alston said after recording eight assists and helping his new team rout the Charlotte Bobcats 92-80 on Friday night.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points and Rashard Lewis added 18 for the Magic, who seemed to quickly get comfortable with their new playmaker. While not the scorer Nelson is -- he scored three points on 1-of-9 shooting -- Alston committed only one turnover despite knowing only a few plays.

Raymond Felton scored 16 points for the Bobcats, but Brown was angry that the point guard took 18 shots, hitting just six. Backcourt mate D.J Augustin was 3-for-11, and Charlotte shot 37 percent.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290220018

Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 32 points, Nate Robinson added 26, and the Knicks matched their victory total from last season with a 127-97 rout of the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

David Lee had 16 of his 24 in the Knicks' 42-point first quarter that signaled an early end to this one. New York led by 38 and rolled to its easiest victory of the season in the opener of a home-and- home series.Al Harrington finished with 20 points. Lee also grabbed 15 rebounds in his 18th straight double-double and 43rd this season, while Robinson fell just shy of his fourth straight 30-point game.

Joey Graham scored 19 points, Andrea Bargnani had 18 and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors. Chris Bosh shot just 4-of-13 and scored 12 points after missing the previous five games with a sprained right knee.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290220010

Brooks scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left, and also had eight assists to lead the Rockets to a 93-86 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Yao Ming had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Luis Scola had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who snapped a four-game home losing streak to Dallas.

Jose Juan Barea scored a career-high 26 points for the Mavericks and his drive with 1:41 left cut Houston's lead to 89-86. The Rockets missed three shots on their next possession, but Barea committed a turnover at the other end.