'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 38

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12704

Wizards Fell Too: Much has been made in the last day about how the Sacramento Kings fell from the first to the fourth spot in the 2009 NBA Draft because of the outcome of the lottery balls, but what about the Washington Wizards? They were in good position to pick any player they wanted not named Blake Griffin, but instead they also saw three teams pass them and fell to the fifth spot in the draft. It's probably a safe bet both point guard Ricky Rubio and center Hasheem Thabeet will also be off the board for the Wizards, two players that could have helped them. Today, before real draft workouts begin, the Wizards seem to be stuck with choosing from whomever Sacramento leaves behind in a group that includes point guards Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry shooting guards James Harden and DeMar DeRozan, and power forward Jordan Hill. Considering the Wizards are paying Antawn Jamison a lot of money to handle the four spot for them and Hill isn't regarded as a sure thing, that may leave the decision as to how the Wiz want to handle the guard position.

They have point guard Gilbert Arenas coming back, presumably healthy, in the fall. Shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson should be back healthy as well. If they are healthy this is a team that did well the previous few seasons. If they are not, whomever the Wizards choose at #5 could suddenly find themselves relied upon very heavily. So what makes the most sense, a point guard or a shooting guard? If Arenas is healthy he is actually capable of playing both positions, but he is more effective with the ball in his hands to initiate the offense; Stevenson cannot play the point. He can defend the point, but can't run it on offense.Jennings is a bit of a risk because no one really knows what to expect. He was inconsistent in Italy and we never got a chance to see how he produces against NCAA competition; could he handle being an NBA point guard anytime soon, or will it be a long learning curve? The Wizards, as currently built, aren't in a situation where they necessarily have time to wait out someone's growing pains. With the contracts to Arenas and Jamison, the burgeoning star of Caron Butler, and a new coach in Flip Saunders its clear the Wizards plan on getting back to the playoffs and making some noise in 2010, not 2013.

That leaves DeRozan and Harden. Both players are athletic, capable scorers, and would likely be an upgrade over reserve guard Nick Young if not over Stevenson as well (Stevenson obviously being more experienced and a better defender, at least initially). As it sits today, choosing between those two is probably the best possible scenario for Washington. If the Oklahoma City Thunder chooses a shooting guard, the Wizards may find Thabeet falling into their laps, which would make them very happy. So Wizards fans, what do you think is the best possible scenario on draft day? Who should they take at number 5?

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12707

Third Suns Star Expresses Doubt
We've already heard plenty of talk from Phoenix Suns All-Stars to make us wonder what the team will finally look like when the curtain goes up on the 2009-10 season. Shaquille O'Neal has questioned the team's commitment to winning, and even gone so far as to name Dallas and New Orleans as possible destinations for himself. More recently, Steve Nash has indicated that he's not willing to sign a contract extension or even talk about his future in Phoenix until he sees what the team looks like after free agency takes its toll. Today, Amar'e Stoudemire added his voice to the mix, talking to the guys at 790 AM The Zone in Atlanta. "That's definitely not the business," said Amar'e, talking about being a part of a team that's slashing salary instead of building a contender. "That's definitely not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to win a championship now. And, if the Phoenix Suns are trying to do that and they want to put the right pieces together to win a championship, we can, but if not, you'll find me elsewhere."

Stoudemire stopped short of saying he would demand a trade if key pieces of the team were removed this summer, and brushed aside talk of playing in a Hawks uniform since he spends a great deal of time in Atlanta. He did, however, admit that he would consider every option available to him in his pursuit of a championship. "You always have to think about that. There are always options out there. My goal is to win a championship. Once I get 100% from this eye injury, which I'm pretty much there, then we look forward to the next move and whatever it takes to win a title. That's what I'm after."

Asked if anyone could stop him, Amar'e said he doesn't think it can be done. "I personally don't think so. Just the fact that my size, quickness, and strength, the combination of those three things allows me to get around a lot of the big guys. You know what's tough for me at times when I post up? A smaller guy. You can shoot over the top of them, you know, but you never know if you give a small guy a little contact whether or not he may flop, you gonna take the offensive foul, he's very tricky, that sometimes throws you off a little bit." The issue, of course, isn't whether or not Amar'e can score the basketball, but whether or not he will put forth the effort to stop anyone on the other end of the court. The Suns traded away their best defender in Raja Bell, and seemed content to play absolutely no defense for much of the 2008-09 season. Amar'e seemed downright inattentive, which is why the Suns came very close to trading him before the February trade deadline. It might also make him the most likely player to be traded if the Suns do, indeed, dump some salary.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_18918

Glen Davis' Future in Boston Uncertain
Though his nickname is “Big Baby,” Glen Davis has a mature outlook on his future.

Davis would prefer to be with the Celtics [team stats] for a third season, but the restricted free agent-to-be understands his return is no slam dunk.

“You always have to keep your options open,” Davis said after the Celtics’ 101-82 Game 7 loss to Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday. “This is a business first. You just have to go where you have to go.”

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_18918

WWE: Settle Conflict with Steel-Cage Match
World Wrestling Entertainment thrives on outlandish story lines and characters, but the company finds itself embroiled in a real-life controversy with the Denver Nuggets. And WWE's bombastic owner is making the most of it.

The plot: Who has rights to Denver's Pepsi Center on Monday -- the Nuggets, hosting their first Western Conference final since 1985, or the WWE's traveling TV soap opera?

WWE chairman Vince McMahon, the promoter who helped transform professional wrestling into prime-time television entertainment, fired the first salvo Monday. In interviews with ESPN, he loudly called out Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke and challenged him to a steel-cage match. (Is there any other way to resolve a grudge?) "Quite frankly, it's my view that Stan Kroenke should be arrested, should be arrested for impersonating a good businessman, because he's not a good businessman," McMahon said on ESPN.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=18857

Smith sprained his right knee in the game, but he said it was better Wednesday.

"I'm definitely going to play," he said. "I'll be ready for tomorrow."

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=18861

Superman makes super dunk
Superman doesn't know his own strength. Orlando center Dwight Howard knocked down the 24-second shot clock above the basket with a ferocious dunk the first time he touched the ball in Wednesday night's Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After grabbing a rebound, Howard went up underneath and slammed the ball through with both hands and pulled on the rim for Orlando's first basket. The 24-second stanchion, a 5-foot-tall appendage that has cameras mounted to its top, then fell slowly backward. A maintenance crew came out with ladders but couldn't fix the clock. The shot clock at the opposite end was then turned off and two portable units were placed on both baselines. A tape measure was brought out to check if Howard had pulled the rim lower than its required 10 feet.

Play was stopped for eight minutes. The clock that Howard dropped was fixed at halftime and the teams began the second half with both units functioning.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=289

philip fletcher in san marcos, tx.: How ya doing Steve? Should the San Antonio Spurs pursue someone like Travis Outlaw from Portland or Hakim Warrick from Memphis, and try to get a big like Channing Frye as well?

Steve Kyler: Yes... but I think they may go with a more proven guy first, I think your gonna hear a lot of talk about Rasheed Wallace... what I am hearing is both sides want to see a deal, and it may come in a sign and trade with Detroit... if Rasheed gets too expensive, I think San Antonio could do a lot worse than Travis Outlaw or Hakim Warrick, but I think both players would require longer term deals than San Antonio wants to go - remember they are a 2010 cap team too, there are two schools of thought - reload this season (add one or two small pieces and get healthy) and then reload in 2010 when you have $23 million and still have Tim Duncan and Tony Parker under contract to build around.Which is why I think Wallace lands in San Antonio, however unlikely the marriage may seem with Sheed and Popovich, I have heard from more than a few people that he's open to the idea.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=289

Davy in Boston: Would AI and Sheed play off the bench for the Celts if it meant getting a ring? Cuz, I think they'd fit in nicely with Allen, Pierce, and KG.

Steve Kyler: Possible... I think both need to be in a winning environment, but not sold either takes the pay cut to get there, especially not Sheed he has his ring.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=289

Josh in Clarkston, MI: Do you think the Pistons, would be able to get anything good in trade. If they were to put Tayshawn Prince, and Jason Maxciell on the block?

Steve Kyler: Sure... but then who are you building around... Maxiell's deal doesn't return what he brings to the floor... Tayshaun does, I can see him being moved for up and coming talent.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12698

Could Ricky Rubio's Buyout Hurt His Draft Stock?
Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery didn't answer any questions about Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio's future. In fact, it may have added to them. With the Los Angeles Clippers expected to use the first pick on Oklahoma's Blake Griffin (according head coach and general manger Mike Dunleavy), there is some real concern that the 18-year-old's buyout from Spain's DKV Joventut could push him out of the second spot. Complicating matters is the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies, owners of that pick, drafted a point guard two years ago (Mike Conley). "We're at a spot with the second pick and we are going to try and determine who the second best player is," said Memphis Coach Lionel Hollins after the lottery.

But what if the Grizzlies determine that Rubio is in fact the draft's second best player? Is his $8 million or so buyout going to stop a team from drafting him? "I have no idea," responded Hollins. "I haven't talked to anybody about that." One reason team representatives are trying to stay clear of the Rubio talk is because of the complicated nature of his buyout. Rubio's signature is allegedly not on his current contract. As a 16-year-old, Rubio's parents signed his deal with DKV Joventut in his place. That distinction lends favor to Rubio and agent Dan Fegan.

However, DKV Joventut does have Rubio's signature on last season's addendum to the contract which gave the mop-topped point guard a pay raise. The team is trying to leverage that signature into either 6 million euros this season or as much as 10 million euros next season. That's right. Rubio's buyout actually goes up next season, which means if the situation doesn't get resolved this year, it probably won't be resolved next season either. There is a remote possibility that Rubio doesn't arrive in the NBA until the 2011-2012 season. According to one NBA agent "teams could definitely back off… The buyout itself is sticky." Rubio and Fegan still fearlessly entered the draft this season and seem confident that a deal can be worked out. NBA rules stipulate that teams can only contribute $500,000 to a foreign player's buyout, which means Rubio will be paying the rest out of pocket. A lucrative marketing deal could soften the blow for the would-be rookie, but shoe deals have lulled with the economy.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=294

joe dumars in detroit: will tyreke evans be around the 15th pick stil?

Tommy Beer: No. I think the Knicks may scoop him up at #8

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http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/dwig ... hot-clock/

Dwight Howard Breaks the Shot Clock
They just don't make backboard equipment like they used to. Dwight Howard threw down this monster two-handed jam early in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the shot clock above the rim couldn't withstand the impact.

The game was delayed for about eight and a half minutes while the crew in Cleveland tried to fix it, before they determined they'd just make the repair at halftime. At that point they went old school, and set shot clocks on the floor in the baseline corners behind each basket for the rest of the half. The NBA is nothing, if not prepared.

Video in the link above^.

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http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/dunl ... e-griffin/

Dunleavy: 'We're Taking Blake Griffin'
Clippers president Andy Roeser tried to be coy when talking about what player his organization favored with the first overall pick, heaping mountains of praise on Blake Griffin but also maintaining that the basketball staff would put their heads together and talk things over before sharing the decision first with team owner Donald Sterling and then with the world.

Coach (and GM) Mike Dunleavy, though, sees no need to play things so close to the vest. "Clearly, we're taking Blake Griffin," Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. But what about Ricky Rubio, the Spanish point guard? Is Dunleavy selling Rubio short by announcing his decision so quickly?

Well, considering Dunleavy was speaking via telephone while in Barcelona on a scouting trip to see Rubio play, Dunleavy has apparently seen enough to make up his mind. "This guy (Griffin) is the No. 1 pick. We're extremely excited. He's the guy." Let the march to 30 wins commence. The big drama now is whether the Grizzlies bite on Rubio, who doesn't exactly fill a need on a team that's used lottery picks on O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley the past two years.

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/20/rock ... offseason/

Rockets Have McGrady and Artest to Consider This Offseason
Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding. But that was certainly the theme that carried the Rockets, minus injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, to within one game of reaching the Western Conference finals this season. One amazing night by McGrady or just the presence of aging Dikembe Mutombo in the paint might have been all the Rockets needed to avoid a Game 7 Semifinals in Los Angeles and overcome the Lakers.

How and when McGrady comes back is anybody's guess. But what's certain is McGrady, who turns 30 this week, is due to make more than $23 million from the Rockets next season in the final year of his contract whether he plays or not. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey hopes to have McGrady back on the floor by November after a rigorous rehab, but he admits the uncertainty makes it hard to plan. "We don't know when he will be back and in what condition," Morey said. "He went through a very difficult surgery that's been challenging for many players. Planning-wise, we have to do like we do every year, which is to be ready for anything." There is a strong sentiment the Rockets are better off without McGrady. They certainly seemed to play that way at points late in the regular season and during the playoffs when the team did what it hadn't been able to do in three previous runs with McGrady in the lineup -- and that's advance out of the first round. Scola, Brooks and Artest all took turns picking up the scoring slack left by McGrady's absence. It's unlikely even if healthy the Rockets would find any takers for McGrady at that salary. But Morey also believes McGrady, at one time one of the best scorers in the league, could still be of tremendous service to the Rockets.

The next biggest looming question in front of the Rockets is how to deal with Artest? The unpredictable and highly controversial star is in the final year of his contract and is set to hit the free agent market after coming over to the Rockets in a trade with Sacramento last August. The Rockets can do something about that. The questions are, do they really want to and how much are they willing to spend? Artest and his agent may want more money and a longer commitment than the salary-cap strapped Rockets want to give. Artest, who has a reputation for his temper, was on his best behavior throughout the year and proved himself as a dependable defender and leader and capable scorer during the playoffs. Is that enough to warrant paying him in excess of $8 million? "It's an important issue for him and us, what's the next step there?" Morey said. "I think he has brought a lot to this team this year. If we can make it work in a way ... My job isn't Ron Artest, my job isn't who to trade. It's how do I make the whole roster as a whole better. I think he can be a big part of that. We'll see if we can work it out."

[nasty daddy]

http://lifeondumars.com/2009/05/20/lost-in-translation/

Pistons bits
■ May 19th: Keith Langlois goes over possible NBA selections 1-15. Pistons might target Virginia Commonwealth’s Eric Maynor.

[nasty daddy]

http://lifeondumars.com/2009/05/20/lost-in-translation/

■ A. Sherrod at Mlive “Some of the players expected to work out for Detroit before next month’s draft include Arizona’s Chase Budinger, North Carolina’s Danny Green, Texas’ Damion James, Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal, Ohio State’s B.J. Mullens, Louisville’s Terrence Williams and Pittsburgh’s Sam Young.” My thoughts: I like Sam Young at 15. Could be an answer at small forward for many years to come.

[nasty daddy]

http://lifeondumars.com/2009/05/20/lost-in-translation/

■Stuckey as a 09/10 breakout star? Maybe. The others on the list (Love, Beasley, Aldridge, Thad Young) are definitely logical too, but Gallinari is a very questionable selection.

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

Just What I Would Like To See Happen
I believe all tha Pistons need is a big man, we never got one when Big left us and we can't become a great team again by picking up all these guards I would like to see Ty Lawson become a Piston because I believe his more or a true point guard. However if we could pick up Boozer and RaSheed don't retire and we re sign him. I believe we should go ahead take Lawson because of his Star Power. This year's draft isn't really that deep so if we can get a star type player at 15 again this year I say take it. And "I might caught hell for this but"I would try to trade Will for a big man maybe somebody like Patrick O'Bryant from tha Raptors he's a young 7 footer win good potential. If tha Pistons can land Boozer he could teach him alil move on how to move around in tha low post. If Sheed does retire or we don't resign him I think Kwame Brown could be a good start until tha next season where we could sign a great young big man like Amar'e Stoudemire. This would be a nice line up Stuckey or Lawson at point Rip at SG, Tay at SF, Boozer at PF, and Amar'e at C what you think?

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290520005

Dwight Howard scored 30 points, Rashard Lewis added 22 and the Orlando Magic rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to hand LeBron James and the Cavaliers their first loss of the postseason, 107-106 on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference finals opener.

James finished with 49 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but the league MVP walked off the floor with a slight limp after Cleveland's stunning loss -- just its third in 46 home games.

James then drove and scored on a runner while drawing a sixth foul on Howard, who added 13 rebounds. James completed the three-point play for a 106-104 lead but Lewis came down and buried his 3-pointer over a closing Anderson Varejao.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12626

Detroit Pistons
DATE PLAYER POSITION HEIGHT & WEIGHT CLASS COLLEGE AGENT
May 19 Dionte Christmas SG 6'5, 205 Senior Temple Andre Buck
May 19 Jerel McNeal PG 6'2, 200 Senior Marquette Doug Neustadt
May 20 Joe Ingles SF 6'8, 194 - Australia Brad Ames
May 20 Jeremy Pargo PG 6'2, 220 Senior Gonzaga Mark Bartelstein
May 20 Alex Ruoff SG 6'6, 220 Senior West Virginia Doug Neustadt
June 8 Leo Lyons PF 6'9, 240 Senior Missouri Mark Bartelstein
June 8 DeJuan Blair PF 6'7, 265 Sophomore Pittsburgh Happy Walters
June 9 Robert Dozier PF 6'9, 220 Senior Memphis Happy Walters