'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 32

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... e+playoffs

Michael Beasley scored 14, returning after twisting his right ankle to hit a jumper with 1:45 left that put Miami ahead 90-87.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... e+playoffs

Charlotte guard Raja Bell was lost to a strained right calf early in the third quarter.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... e+playoffs

Magic punish Cavaliers, 116-87
Dwight Howard had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic led by as many as 41 points and throttled the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 116-87.

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http://www.nba.com/games/20090404/DETPHI/preview.html

Pistons-76ers Preview
Allen Iverson made it clear after the Detroit Pistons' last game that he wasn't comfortable with his new role as a reserve. He won't have to worry about that problem again this season. After announcing the 10-time All-Star would miss the rest of the season with a sore back, the struggling Pistons continue their fight for a playoff berth Saturday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson came off the bench in the last three games after missing the previous 16. He was limited to four points and 1-for-8 shooting in 17 minutes of a 111-98 loss at New Jersey on Wednesday night, and complained about his role with the team afterward. Two days later, the Pistons (36-39) announced Iverson was being shut down. "After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. "While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point."

Leon Rose, Iverson's agent, insisted Iverson's health was the only factor in the decision. "There's nothing else going on," Rose said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.Iverson, acquired from Denver in an early season trade for Chauncey Billups, has a contract worth more than $20 million expiring after this season. He has probably played his last game with the Pistons. In his absence, Detroit will likely need someone else to step up to help it avoid falling further back in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Pistons have dropped eight of 11 to fall into seventh place, a half-game ahead of Chicago. "We have seven games left and hopefully, we can do it," second-year guard Rodney Stuckey said after the loss to the Nets. "I really don't know how to explain this. We just have to find ourselves. Either we want to go to the playoffs or we want to go home."

The Sixers (39-35) are close to clinching a spot in the postseason, but they're still battling for position. They helped themselves by outscoring Milwaukee 25-16 in the fourth quarter of a 105-95 victory Thursday night. "Fourth quarters have been big and that's really important," coach Tony DiLeo said. "Down the stretch, we played with a sense of urgency." The only time in the last five games when Philadelphia didn't outscore the opposition in the fourth quarter came in a 101-97 loss at Detroit on Sunday. Sixers forward Andre Iguodala had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists in that game, but the Pistons shot 52.8 percent and had five players reach double figures in scoring, led by Tayshaun Prince's 21. The Sixers, winners of six of seven at home, beat the Pistons 96-91 in Detroit in their first meeting Dec. 5 behind 19 points from point guard Andre Miller. Miller sprained his middle finger in Thursday's win but isn't expected to miss any games. This would have been Iverson's second game in Philadelphia as a visitor. The Sixers selected him with the first overall pick in the 1996 draft, and the 6-foot guard out of Georgetown led the team to six playoff berths in 10 full seasons with the club, including a trip to the finals in 2001. He was the NBA MVP that season, one of four with the 76ers in which he was the league scoring champion.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/03/heat ... index.html

Heat's O'Neal, Beasley, Haslem all injured
The Miami Heat saw three key players injured in a 5-minute span in the second half of Friday's game against Charlotte.

First, forward Udonis Haslem cut his right thumb on the backboard while defending Gerald Wallace's driving layup attempt in the final minute of the third quarter. He was taken to the locker room and did not return. Early in the fourth quarter, forward Michael Beasley twisted his right ankle while backing up defending Boris Diaw. He was also taken to the locker room.

Two minutes later, center Jermaine O'Neal also came up lame with an apparent ankle injury. He was taken to the locker room, but returned to the bench a couple minutes later.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/04/gall ... index.html

Knicks' Gallinari to have back surgery on Tuesday
Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari will have back surgery next week and is expected to make a full recovery in six to eight weeks.

The Knicks announced Friday that Gallinari will have surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, performed by an orthopedic spine specialist. The procedure, a laminotomy, shaves the bony plate surrounding a nerve root.

Taken with the No. 6 pick in the draft, Gallinari missed most of the first 21/2 months after experiencing back pain in summer league. He finished the season with an average of 6.1 points in 28 games.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... for+season

Pistons: Allen Iverson's done for season
The Allen Iverson project in Detroit is over. The Pistons said Friday they were shutting the All-Star and former scoring champion down for the rest of the season. "After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time," Pistons president Joe Dumars said in a statement. "While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible."

Dumars had met with Iverson and his agent Leon Rose the last two days and the feeling was it was no longer in Iverson's or the Pistons' best interest for him to continue trying to play. Iverson, who averaged a career-low 17.5 points, played in 54 games. The Pistons went 24-30 in games in which Iverson played. Since his return from a back injury that forced him to miss 16 games, Iverson has complained about coming off the bench. On Tuesday, after playing 18 minutes against Cleveland, he said, "Come on, man. I can play 18 minutes with my eyes closed and with a 100-pound truck on my back. It's a bad feeling, man. I'm wondering what they rushed me back for?" Then after playing 17 minutes against New Jersey on Wednesday, he told reporters, "I'd rather retire before I do this again." Iverson said his back was still bothering him and he was having trouble getting loose after sitting for most or all of the first quarter before coming into games. Iverson, 33, will be a free agent this summer. He was the league's MVP in 2001, is a 10-time All-Star and a four-time scoring champ. He has the third-highest career scoring average (27.1) in NBA history and his 23,983 points ranks 16th in history.

came to the Pistons on Nov. 3 in a trade that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver. For a variety of reasons, Iverson never quite fit inwith Detroit. "We started Rodney Stuckey with Allen and I thought they played OK, and Rip was great off the bench," coach Michael Curry said Wednesday. "But as a team we played better with Rip and Stuckey in the backcourt." Bringing Iverson off the bench was, as it turned out, the last resort -- and it failed. "Any time you have a lot of change, your play is going to suffer," Curry said. "I just think guys hadn't blended well to different roles. It takes time, but it also takes willingness to accept those different roles to blend and make everything work. I don't think we got that acceptance." Iverson never found any kind of rhythm this season. His shot was off (41.7 percent), his turnovers (2.56) were high and the Pistons had to trick up their schemes to protect him on defense. "This was the craziest season I've ever gone through," said Iverson, who has said he wanted to play until he was 40. He added: "I've been in this league 13 years and I have experienced things I have never thought I would ever have to experience."

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... for+season

Rasheed Wallace will return to the lineup today in Philadelphia, but will be coming off the bench.

Per NBA rules, Wallace served a suspension Wednesday in New Jersey for receiving his 16th technical this season.

The game was only the second since Wallace returned from a left calf injury that caused him to miss 11 games.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... for+season

Pistons at 76ers
Tip-off: 3 today, Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
TV/radio: ESPN/WDFN 1130
Outlook: Philadelphia will be without starting F Thaddeus Young (sprained right ankle). Young said he expects to be the lineup when the playoffs begin in two weeks.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_CODE=NBA

The Orlando Magic may be without a draft pick this year. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Rashard Lewis sign-and-trade deal that brought him to included the Magic's 2009 second-rounder. The pick is protected for Orlando from spots 31 through 55, if it falls to 56 through 60 the Magic lose it. Based on the Magic's current record they would land the 57th pick and lose it.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_CODE=NBA

Cleveland forward Ben Wallace says he's starting to feel better, and said he's pain free provided he's going forward or backwards. Side to Side is still poising some issues. Ben joked that jumping wasn't an issue, but jumping, sliding, then jumping. That's where the problems are. Cavs sources said maybe next week as a return, but neither Ben nor the cavaliers will pin down an exact time table.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_CODE=NBA

Andrew Bynum was in the locker room pregame and out on the floor working with Assistant Coach Kurt Rambis. Drew will be wearing a sizable knee brace from here on out (at least that's the plan). He says it's quite comfortable n non-restrictive. It's there to provide support on the lateral sides of the knee.

Andrew said he started to feel pain-free early in the week but hasn't really had a chance to go all out in a scrimmage. He hasn't circled a specific date yet for his return.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... illy-style

What to watch: Deee-troit basketball, Philly-style
It wasn't so long ago that the Pistons were perennial NBA final four participants. These days, though, they are struggling just to get invited to the dance. They are clinging to the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. The good news is when they play at Philadelphia at 3 p.m. on ESPN, it will be the last team with a winning record the Pistons play in the regular season.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... tons+stats

fg% ft% reb ast pts
Richard Hamilton .447 .857 3.1 4.4 18.3
Allen Iverson .417 .781 3.0 5.0 17.5
Tayshaun Prince .446 .775 6.0 3.3 14.4
Rodney Stuckey .443 .783 3.6 4.8 13.4
Rasheed Wallace .420 .777 7.6 1.3 12.3
Antonio McDyess .512 .705 9.8 1.3 9.6
Will Bynum .464 .778 1.1 2.6 6.2
Jason Maxiell .573 .539 4.1 0.3 5.7
Arron Afflalo .417 .846 1.8 0.6 4.7
Walter Herrmann .404 .684 1.7 0.4 3.8
Kwame Brown .537 .520 4.6 0.6 3.8
Amir Johnson .595 .700 3.8 0.3 3.5
Walter Sharpe .444 .000 0.1 0.0 1.1
Pistons .454 .752 41.2 20.6 93.8
Opponents .452 .777 40.5 20.3 94.6

Three-point goals: Prince (53-132), .402; Afflalo (37-98), .378; Herrmann (38-105), .362; Wallace (103-286), .360; Hamilton (60-167), .359; Stuckey (19-65), .292; Iverson (28-99), .283; Bynum (1-10), .100; Maxiell (0-1), .000; Sharpe (0-1), .000. Totals (339-967), .351; opponents (382-1,089), .351.

Blocks: Wallace 75, Maxiell 60, Johnson 57, Prince 50, McDyess 43, Brown 19, Afflalo 12, Stuckey 11, Iverson 6, Hamilton 4, Herrmann 3, Bynum 2, Sharpe. Totals 344; opponents 312. Steals: Iverson 88, Stuckey 73, Wallace 56, Prince 43, McDyess 40, Hamilton 37, Bynum 29, Afflalo 24, Maxiell 23, Brown 20, Johnson 20, Herrmann 7. Totals 462; opponents 432

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_17567

Tony Allen Still Rusty
Playing for the first time since suffering a left thumb injury against the Spurs on Feb. 8., Allen struggled in a 104-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The shooting guard played just three minutes in the first half and 7 ½ minutes overall, finishing the game with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, a block, and an assist.

“I expected [the rust]” Allen said afterwards. “But I got to run up and down, got to look at a few defensive coverages. For the most part I had fun out there.”

Allen didn’t look like he was enjoying himself early on. After checking in at the 3:04 mark of the first quarter, his first jump shot from the baseline was so long it barely nicked the back of the rim. He followed that miss by traveling on the Celtics’ next possession and found himself back on the bench before the quarter was even over. “I thought he was a little uncomfortable when he first got out there,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “But he was able to get out there and get his feet wet.”

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... an+rebound

He was never The Answer, but Pistons can rebound
In retrospect, it was a bad fit from the beginning. Allen Iverson, a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, was asked to subjugate his game to do things the Pistons' way when he was acquired two games into the season. He tried, but after playing a certain way since he first picked up a basketball, he could not change. The pieces just did not come together, and the Pistons are stumbling through their worse season since 2000-01. The experiment ended with a news release from president Joe Dumars late Friday afternoon that said Iverson, 33, officially was done for the season because of a bad back. There was no additional comment from the team or Iverson, but no comment was needed to see that Iverson failed to mesh with the Pistons. At first, he was asked to play point guard, and the team struggled because he and shooting guard Rip Hamilton lacked chemistry. Why? They play the same position. Iverson's presence in the backcourt seemed to stifle the development of second-year point guard Rodney Stuckey. Each needed the ball to be effective.

And it wasn't just Hamilton and Stuckey who struggled to adjust to Iverson's habits. He would pound the ball into the floor probing for a good shot while other Pistons would stand around. When he would penetrate and seek to pass, frequently the ball would sail out of bounds because it seemed as if his teammates didn't know when he was going to shoot or pass. It was readily apparent that Dumars didn't acquire the Iverson who had compiled more than 20,000 career points. It appears that 13 seasons of fearlessly throwing his 6-foot frame into big men has taken a toll on his body. Defenders seem to find it easier to keep him out of the lane. And when he was able to get to the basket, any contact would make seemingly easy lay-ups go awry -- a sign his aging legs weren't up to the task. When he was younger, he could overwhelm opponents with quickness and athleticism. And when asked about his struggles, he would say he was the same player he always was and questioned how he was being used. To his credit, coach Michael Curry always talked of how the team needed Iverson to contend -- even when the team started playing better while Iverson missed 16 games with his injury.In an effort to use Iverson effectively, Curry moved him to the bench in the hope he could provide instant offense as a sub.

But after first saying he would do whatever the team needed to win, he openly complained of his new role when he returned Sunday against the 76ers. And he kept complaining. It became quickly apparent that the sixth-man role wasn't going to work for him. So the plug was pulled. He leaves the team as it is fighting for its playoff life as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. But you have to remember that trading fan favorite Chauncey Billups to Denver for Iverson never was really about this season. Dumars openly admitted that a major reason for the deal was that Iverson's $20-plus-million contract comes off the books this summer and the Pistons could have as much as $23 million in salary-cap room to begin the process of remaking their roster -- with an emphasis on getting younger upfront. As for Iverson, he is unlikely to make anywhere near what he made this season. He will find work with a team looking to sell tickets, because he is still one of the most marketable players in the league. Or maybe a team will think he's the missing piece to a possible NBA championship, the one item missing from his All-Star résumé. All of that remains to be worked out. But one thing is certain. In the future, when Iverson is inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Pistons' portion of that career barely will be mentioned.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... +on+bench+

Rasheed Wallace will stay on bench
Rasheed Wallace was in good spirits Friday as he left the practice court. And with good reason. Coach Michael Curry said the veteran center looked good and showed little sign of the strained left calf that sidelined him for 11 games before he returned Tuesday at Cleveland.

He had to miss Wednesday's loss at New Jersey because of a league-mandated suspension after receiving his 16th technical against the Cavs. While the team was glad to have him back, Curry said Wallace would come off the bench again today at Philadelphia. The team will watch Wallace's minutes to make sure his injury doesn't flare up before the playoffs.

And if you limit Wallace's playing time, you might as well use him during key moments, because he'll likely continue to come off the bench for the foreseeable future. "If I'm going to play 'Sheed limited minutes, I'd rather him be in a position where he can play in the fourth quarter," Curry said. "I don't want to play him limited minutes and he sits out the fourth quarter." Kwame Brown will continue to start in Wallace's place.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... +on+bench+

NOTEBOOK: 76ers point guard Andre Miller suffered a sprained middle finger Thursday night against Milwaukee but is not expected to miss any games. X-rays on Friday were negative. ... Charlotte guard Raja Bell left Friday's game against Miami because of a strained right calf. The Pistons host the Bobcats on Sunday. ...

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... +on+bench+

The Pistons catch a break today: 76ers power forward Thaddeus Young, who scored 22 points the last time they faced him, will miss the game with a sprained right ankle. With his 15.2-point scoring average, long arms and lefty stroke, he is something of a matchup problem for Detroit. ...

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090404/S ... +on+bench+

Don't be surprised if Wallace or Rip Hamilton find their way to Ford Field if North Carolina or Connecticut play for the NCAA title Monday night. The Pistons have the day off.