'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 54

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/S ... Villanueva

A fit by any stretch
It was a busy day at the Palace on July 1. It was the first day NBA teams could talk to free agents and two of them were in for visits with Pistons personnel. One of them, Chicago shooting guard Ben Gordon, was well known as one of the league's top shooters and was coming off a scintillating playoff series against Eastern Conference power Boston. Speculation that Gordon was a Pistons target began after Chauncey Billups was traded last November for Allen Iverson's expiring deal to clear cap room. The other free agent in town, Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva, wasn't as well known. He had never even appeared in a playoff game. But he was coming off career highs in points (16.2) and rebounds (6.7) -- signs that indicate the four-year veteran is an ascending player -- and had not yet turned 25. The link to the Pistons wasn't so apparent since Villanueva didn't hit the open market until just before free agency began when the cost-conscious Bucks declined to make a qualifying offer, changing his free-agent status from restricted to unrestricted. Yet the Pistons had Villanueva on their radar for some time. Before last season's February trade deadline the Pistons inquired about Villanueva's availability, knowing the Bucks were looking to save money. When the Bucks said they were going to stand pat, the Pistons monitored the situation.

And when the Bucks decided not to bring him back, the Pistons pounced -- bringing Villanueva in for a visit and getting a commitment from him on the first day of free agency. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars did a great sales job. "Once I came here, Joe Dumars made that decision so easy for me," Villanueva said. "I just got along with him so well."He's a family guy. He's a straight-forward guy. And I loved him as a player as well." Villanueva comes with some baggage. There was the Twitter incident, in which he tweeted during halftime of a game. Another knock is that whenever Villanueva plays defense it will be an historic event. The Pistons' thinking is it's easier to teach a great scorer to defend than it is to teach a good defender to score. Scoring has never been a problem for Villanueva. He's what first-year coach John Kuester calls a "stretch four." He's a power forward who can make three-pointers, which in theory creates space for his other four teammates in the paint. But he is more than a shooter. The 6-foot-11, 232-pounder can score with either hand near the basket and can get to the basket on slashing moves. The Pistons envision Villanueva as their version of the Magic's Rashard Lewis -- a key component of Orlando's run to the NBA Finals last season.

Villanueva defended himself on the Twitter incident, saying the ordeal was overblown. He even looks at it as a positive development. "It's putting yourself out there," Villanueva said of the social networking site. "For instance, when I was in Milwaukee, a lot of the games don't get televised. But ever since that Twitter situation happened a lot of people knew who Charlie Villanueva was because of the halftime tweet. It just creates more awareness. People know who you are more and just puts you out there. "I took it as a positive. Some people did take it as negative as me not concentrating or me not focusing, but that wasn't the case at all." As far as back on the court, Villanueva's career with the Pistons got off to a slow start when he suffered an injured hamstring early in training camp.But he has flashed his scoring touch in the last three games of the exhibition season, averaging 12.3 points in 25.7 minutes per game. Kuester said Villanueva is back up to speed as the team opens the regular season tonight at Memphis. "What was most important was getting him healthy," Kuester said. "He's had two outstanding preseason games and he's gotten into the swing of things in practice. He brings a different type of element to our game. "He's put himself in a good position."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/S ... Villanueva

Meet Charlie Villanueva
Position: Forward. Contract: Five years, $35 million. Vitals: Age 25, 6-11, 232 pounds. College: Connecticut. Hometown: Queens, N.Y. (His parents are from the Dominican Republic.) DID YOU KNOW? • He has three older brothers -- all named Rob. They are Rob Antonio, Rob Elias and Rob Carlos. "My dad was trying to do the George Foreman thing," Villanueva told the Free Press. "I guess my mom had enough and said: 'No more.' I'm Charlie. I'm the tallest one. I'm the sexiest one. I'm the one that's not named Robert. ... When we're all together when I say 'Rob,' just by the tone of voice they know which one I'm talking about. I'm serious." • He also has six sisters. • He has a skin disease known as Alopecia Areata, which stops the growth of hair. About 5 million Americans have the disease. • He's a spokesman for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. He won the NBA Community Assist Award in 2006 for his work with the "Charlie's Angels on the Road" program, which conducts pregame meet-and-greets in visiting NBA arenas with people affected by the disease. • He played high school basketball his freshman year with former Piston Smush Parker. He transferred to Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., after his sophomore year, played all five positions and teamed with Bulls forward Luol Deng to win a state title. • He grew 7 inches in the summer of 2000. • He wears No. 31 in honor of his favorite player, Reggie Miller. • He speaks Spanish.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/C ... 09-outlook

Tickets sales just as shaky as Pistons' 2009 outlook
Now that complacency is gone, will uncertainty sell? The Pistons definitely hope so. Michigan's economic downturn will hit the Pistons harder than the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings because their diehard fan core has never been as strong and deep as Detroit's other pro teams.Expectations aren't high as the Pistons begin another transitional season tonight, but the unknown should bring some excitement. Detroit fans have been spoiled. We regularly treat basketball and hockey seasons with a yawn and a shrug. "Wake us at playoff time" has been our winter retort. But it's actually refreshing that there's nothing automatic about these Pistons. Every game might mean something for a change. There are no definitive answers, only questions. What will be the Pistons' new personality? Have they traded in their grimy work boots for gold-leafed track shoes? Is newcomer Charlie Villanueva one of the best of the 6-foot-11 athletic frontcourt perimeter wings gradually taking over the NBA? Is Rodney Stuckey closer to making this team his own?

But perhaps the bigger question is if the Pistons can avoid consistently playing before a half-empty Palace? Palace Sports and Entertainment CEO Tom Wilson told the Sports Business Journal this month that full 41-game season ticket renewals fell from 80% two years ago to barely 50% this season. Almost 20% of the Palace's 190 luxury suites haven't been leased. The Pistons cut ticket prices, some as much as 15%. The team projects a reduction in revenues. The Pistons aren't alone. NBA commissioner David Stern told reporters during a recent conference call that the league already was forecasting a revenue drop in the neighborhood of 5% to 7%. The league's salary cap fell by $1 million this season, down to $57.7 million, and Stern already warned teams to expect another drop next season -- perhaps as much as a 10% reduction based on this season's poor fiscal projections. The luxury-tax ceiling could drop even more, prohibiting much free-agent movement next summer when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire can hit the open market.

Such dour future possibilities make Joe Dumars' aggressive pursuit of Ben Gordon and Villanueva more prescient than precarious. These new-look Pistons might become the last team capable of dramatically changing its identity through free agency for the next couple of years. A new season brings a new challenge, the recognition that nothing can be taken for granted any longer. In the last 11 NBA and NHL regular seasons, the Pistons and Wings combined for nine 50-victory seasons -- and nine divisional championships. The Wings won the last five Central Division championships by an average of 14 points. The Pistons won their last four Central Division championships by an average of 9 1/2 games. Just twice in that span was either team seeded lower than second in the conference playoffs -- the Pistons were a No. 3 in 2004 when they last won the NBA title and were an eighth seed last season. Considering the Wings' early inconsistencies, this could be the first season since 2000 Detroit won't have an NBA or NHL division champ. It'll be more dramatic than what we're accustomed to in Detroit, but since when is a little drama and uncertainty a bad thing in sports?

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/S ... n-Olympics

Ben Gordon of Pistons hopes to play for Great Britain in Olympics
Ben Gordon, who makes his regular-season debut with the Pistons tonight at Memphis, confirmed his intention to play for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Gordon, who was born in London, told James Nursey of the Mirror: “I haven’t made a commitment to when I’ll play, but I’ll definitely be playing with Great Britain. Hopefully it will be sooner than later. “I’ll base the decision on what’s going on in my life at that time, when I’m mentally ready to play.”

Gordon also told the Mirror: “The goal here in Detroit is always to win a championship so we’re going to work hard to help get the Pistons back to being an elite team.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/S ... anges--too

Pistons’ opening-night opponent has made many changes, too
The Pistons open the NBA regular season tonight against the perpetually rebuilding Grizzlies at Memphis. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commerical Appeal writes that Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is hoping for a breakthrough year:

“As the Grizzlies open their ninth Memphis season tonight against the Detroit Pistons in FedExForum, the owner’s stamp is on the team. “Heisley hired the coach, Lionel Hollins. “Heisley pushed to trade for power forward Zach Randolph. “Heisley courted Allen Iverson to create the offseason’s biggest buzz. “His Grizzlies are going for NBA relevancy by adding two productive yet controversial veterans to a bunch of emerging youngsters. “It’s a risk, for sure. But Heisley will remind you that he’s gambled and won before.”

The Pistons, too, have made many changes. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars had a busy offseason, hiring coach John Kuester and acquiring free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Tip-off tonight is slated for 8 p.m. The Pistons’ home opener Friday against Oklahoma City also is set to tip-off at 8. For the complete story from the Commercial Appeal click here.

[nasty daddy]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29108

Aaron (Richmond, VA)
Any chance the Pistons can gel this year and make the playoffs?

David Thorpe (12:09 PM)
Absolutely, though the Wizards look like they will have some say. Just another team to compete with.

[nasty daddy]

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/pist ... logid=1963

Iverson not playing
Memphis - No Allen Iverson this evening. Iverson said he's feeling better, after having missed the entire exhibition season with a hamstring injury, but because he's had so little time in contact situations, the Grizzlies are holding him out a little while longer. He still doesn't sound pleased, though, about potentially coming off the bench for the Grizzlies. And we know how that situation worked out in Detroit, don't we? Entertaining guy, though, I'll tell you that. A great quote for reporters.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4602452

Hamilton looks to put frustration behind
Whether or not he gets to partake in an on-court reunion Wednesday night with Allen Iverson, Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton says he still shares plenty of common ground with his former teammate. Like Iverson, who left the Pistons over the summer to sign with the Memphis Grizzlies, Hamilton regards last season as the most frustrating of his NBA career and echoes Iverson's recent claims that he was lied to by ex-Pistons coach Michael Curry. "Oh, by far," Hamilton said when asked if last season was the worst he's experienced as a pro. "By far. When you have a coach that you've played with when I came to Detroit that lies to you, straight dead to your face, with all the things that I did here, that's a tough pill to swallow. "But I'm past it. Far past it. My dad would always tell me [last season]: 'Don't get into it. Don't get into the media and yell and scream and cry. Just play.' And that's what I did. You come play basketball and people respect that and that's all I tried to do."

The Pistons will try to gain some more distance from the painful memories of their 39-43 record in 2008-09 and a first-round sweep by Cleveland when they open the new season at FedEx Forum. Iverson, though, is not expected to play in his first real game as a member of the Grizzlies after missing much of training camp with a partially torn left hamstring. Earlier this month, in an interview with ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson, Iverson said that he was lied to about his role on multiple occasions by Curry, insisting that Curry assured him that Iverson would always be a starter after his arrival from Denver in November in a trade for Chauncey Billups.Hamilton made the same assertions about being misled by Curry in a recent sitdown with ESPN.com, illuminating the depths of the disconnect between Curry and his veterans. The tension ultimately convinced Pistons president Joe Dumars that he had to fire Curry on July 1 after only one season, when it became apparent that Curry regaining respect in the locker room was unlikely.

After being moved to the bench to accommodate Iverson -- an unpopular move with Pistons veterans, given Hamilton's long and successful tenure in Detroit -- Hamilton was moved back into the starting lineup ahead of Iverson late in the season, which ultimately led to Iverson leaving the Pistons in April after playing in just three games as a reserve. "I don't believe that the guys here believed that I should have come off the bench and I don't believe that guys thought Allen should come off the bench," Hamilton said. "I heard Allen made the comment that guys came to [Curry] and told him they don't want to play if Rip ain't starting. I spoke to Allen and he told me the same thing, but I told him that's tough to believe when nobody was speaking [to Curry]. Nobody [was] communicating with this coach. "And that was just one of many lies. From a head-coaching standpoint, you don't do that in the middle of the season. ... You don't try to throw your team under the boat because of a decision you wanted to make." Pistons officials declined comment when reached Wednesday by ESPN.com. Curry could not immediately be reached for comment.

[nasty daddy]

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

Allen Iverson speaks out ... again
Former Detroit Piston Allen Iverson (hamstring) won't play in tonight's game against his former team. Not to worry, people.
A.I. had plenty to say about both his former club and his new one which, as you can imagine, he believes will include a starting five with him in it once he's healthy.
(On the perceived rift between you and Richard Hamilton)
AI: "I didn't hear that one, out of all the rumors I heard. That's something new to me. I have a great relationship with him, and nothing changed in my time in Detroit. It wasn't Rip's fault. He didn't have anything to do with any of the decisions made around there."
(On the issues he had with Joe Dumars and Michael Curry) "I didn't have any issues with Joe. My problem was with being told something and it wasn't that way. It didn't turn out the way Michael Curry told me it was going to be. It didn't have anything to do with Joe." (On whether things might have been different if John Kuester, a former Philly assistant when Iverson played for the Sixers, would have been the head coach)

AI: "It would have been 100 percent different, a 100 percent better. I would have known, basically what I was getting myself into. I wouldn't have been shocked about anything. I'm pretty sure Kue would have been straight forward with me about how things would have been. It would have ended up that way."
(Are you willing to accept coming off the bench here in Memphis?)
"Nah, I won't accept it. Bench came into the play when I came to Detroit. You never heard about Allen Iverson coming off the bench ever in my whole career. It was never something people even thought in their head until I came to Detroit. Now it's the big topic. I'd be crazy to just out of my mouth say, 'I'd be comfortable with being a guy coming off the bench.' That's never a role I ever had."

(On whether he sees coming off the bench as a negative)
"I don't look at it as a negative. On a basketball team, you need guys to come off the bench. That's what makes up a whole team. You don't play with five starters. But my whole thing is, if that makes us a better team, with me coming off the bench, than that's something I would obviously do. If it results in wins. But I don't know anybody in the world that would feel like me coming off the bench is the right thing to do if that's not making the team better. It's just an issue because it's me. Everybody in the world know I don't want to come off the bench. So that's why it's an issue. It's a conversation because people know that's not what I want to do. It's a media thing. I don't think it has anything to do with basketball. Anybody in their right mind, to me, honestly knows that on this team or the teams I've been on, that I deserve to start."

[nasty daddy]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop

Drew Sharpe of the Detroit Free Press: "Michigan's economic downturn will hit the Pistons harder than the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings because their diehard fan core has never been as strong and deep as Detroit's other pro teams. Expectations aren't high as the Pistons begin another transitional season tonight, but the unknown should bring some excitement. Detroit fans have been spoiled. We regularly treat basketball and hockey seasons with a yawn and a shrug. 'Wake us at playoff time' has been our winter retort. But it's actually refreshing that there's nothing automatic about these Pistons. Every game might mean something for a change. There are no definitive answers, only questions. ... Considering the Wings' early inconsistencies, this could be the first season since 2000 Detroit won't have an NBA or NHL division champ. It'll be more dramatic than what we're accustomed to in Detroit, but since when is a little drama and uncertainty a bad thing in sports?"

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/S ... 1051/rss16

Ben Wallace will start opening night for Pistons
Pistons coach John Kuester has maintained that Ben Wallace has a lot left to offer. And he backed up his words this morning by naming the 13-year veteran the starter at center when the team opens the regular season tonight against the Grizzlies.

The other choice was Kwame Brown, but Kuester likes the defensive abilities of Wallace to start games. "One the things that Ben brings to us is a defensive presence right from the beginning with the way we want to defend," Kuester said. After not playing until the last three games of the preseason because of a sore left hamstring, Charlie Villanueva will get the start at power forward. The other starters, as expected, will be Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince.

On the other side, former Piston Allen Iverson (hamstring tear) said he won't suit up tonight for the Grizzlies. He intends to begin full-contact drills Thursday.

[nasty daddy]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop

Another Tale of Isiah Thomas Spreading Magic Johnson Rumors
The gist of the conversation, following the flurry of reports that accompanied the release of Jackie MacMullan's book, has been Magic Johnson saying it hurt his feelings to learn that, he says, his good friend Isiah Thomas spread rumors that Johnson was gay. Thomas has vehemently denied that he did any such thing.

Today, Harvey Araton of The New York Times recalls a conversation he had with Thomas at the time.

As the N.B.A. reporter for The Times, I was on assignment in Auburn Hills, Mich., when I stopped by Thomas’s dressing stall in the Pistons’ locker room. In those days, he considered me something of a news-media ally after I had assailed USA Basketball and those who had conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team. I still consider the exclusion to be one of the sport’s all-time slights. I couldn’t resist asking Thomas about the Johnson sexuality story that was circulating, and his rumored role in it. “That’s the thing that doesn’t make any sense,” Thomas told me. “Why would he want to accuse and alienate me when I’m the guy who hung out with him, stayed in his house and can stand up and vouch for him?” Thomas being Thomas, he couldn’t let it go at that. He looked at me with that hand-in-the-cookie-jar smile and added: “And you know what? I would have lied for him.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/video/2009/1 ... index.html

Scouting Report - Memphis Grizzlies
Pete Skorich and Scott Perry break down the Pistons match-up with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v11593.htm

Detroit Pistons (0-0) at Memphis Grizzlies (0-0), 8 p.m.
It's Allen Iverson's new team vs. his old one Wednesday night as the Detroit Pistons travel south to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the season opener for both clubs at FedEx Forum. A compelling storyline will likely have to wait, however, since it was learned that the future Hall of Fame guard has a partially torn left hamstring. An MRI revealed the severity of the problem, which occurred during Memphis' training camp in Birmingham, Alabama. "They're saying it's a possibility, but it's a long shot," Iverson said about playing tonight. "You know that's one of the ones I definitely want to play." With or without his new toy Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins has many other players to rely on like Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur and Mike Conley. Hollins, who was named the Grizzlies' head coach for the third time in the franchise's short history back in January, was also the team's interim coach during the 1999-2000 and 2004-05 seasons. Hollins hopes to do a better job than former full-time general Marc Iavaroni after he guided the club to a paltry 11-30 record before losing his job. In two seasons with Memphis, Iavaroni had an overall record of 33-90. There's only so much a coach can do to motivate his players, and Hollins hopes this season some new faces will change the losing atmosphere. One in particular is Zach Randolph. The oft-criticized big man is surrounded by young players and must not set a bad example like he has in the past. He will help rookie center Hasheem Thabeet, the second overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, after he signed a multi-year contract in July.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a down year in which basketball chief Joe Dumars jettisoned underrated coach Flip Saunders for the untested and unproven Michael Curry, and compounded that mistake with the ill-conceived Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson trade. Hollins, who was named the Grizzlies' head coach for the third time in the franchise's short history back in January, was also the team's interim coach during the 1999-2000 and 2004-05 seasons. Hollins hopes to do a better job than former full-time general Marc Iavaroni after he guided the club to a paltry 11-30 record before losing his job. In two seasons with Memphis, Iavaroni had an overall record of 33-90. There's only so much a coach can do to motivate his players, and Hollins hopes this season some new faces will change the losing atmosphere. One in particular is Zach Randolph. The oft-criticized big man is surrounded by young players and must not set a bad example like he has in the past. He will help rookie center Hasheem Thabeet, the second overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, after he signed a multi-year contract in July. The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a down year in which basketball chief Joe Dumars jettisoned underrated coach Flip Saunders for the untested and unproven Michael Curry, and compounded that mistake with the ill-conceived Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson trade.

Gone was Detroit's legendary balance, defensive prowess and chemistry, not to mention the run of six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons slipped to the eighth seed in the East and failed to advance to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001-02. Needless to say, this is a big year for Dumars. He admitted his mistake with Curry and changed gears, hiring Larry Brown disciple John Kuester as the team's head coach. Meanwhile, trading for the expiring contract of Iverson did give Dumars plenty of cap space and the team was able to steal Chicago sharp-shooter Ben Gordon and Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva from division rivals. Whether that's enough to make Detroit a serious contender in the East again is up for debate but the Pistons do look like they are headed back in the right direction. The two teams split a pair of meetings last year with each club winning on the other's home floor. The Grizzlies 89-84 win in Auburn Hills on March 15 snapped a seven-game skid to the Pistons, who have won their last four visits to Memphis.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/video/2009/1 ... index.html

Three Rookies Make the Pistons Roster
Eli Zaret talks to Joe Dumars about three rookies making the Pistons roster for the first time in 27 years.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

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

It's Finally Here: Some baseless predictions as the Pistons open the regular season
The Pistons open the season against Memphis tonight, which is good because I can only break down the exploits of guys going half-speed in the preseason for so long.

I've written thousands of words about preseason basketball this year, largely without the benefit of getting to watch the games. The words mostly mean nothing at this point.

But I still feel the need to make some predictions -- call it closure. So here's what I think will happen this season with the Pistons and in the NBA.

[nasty daddy]

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

Most Improved Player: I agree with Justin's look at Rodney Stuckey. He hasn't necessarily developed as fast as we'd like, he hasn't necessarily shown he's at his best playing point guard, but he's too talented to not improve.

Justin's projections are pretty modest, which is good. Setting the bar too high is never a good thing.

But with Stuckey and his skillset, it's conceivable to see him, at some point, join the rare club of guards who shoot 50 percent from the field -- Jameer Nelson, Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Tony Parker were the only PGs to do it last year. He's also bound to get to the line more. Those two things will make his scoring average go way up.

[nasty daddy]

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

A stab at the rotation: The starters -- Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown -- is easy.

The rest, not so much. Ben Gordon and Charlie V are going to play a lot. Austin Daye is going to play about 20 minutes and Will Bynum will play about 15-25 minutes, hopefully on the high-end. That's already nine-deep, and most rotations don't go beyond that, but we'll assume the Pistons will be 10-deep.

That leaves one big-man spot for Chris Wilcox, Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko to battle for. Dan Feldman at PistonPowered argues Wilcox will be quickest out of the rotation. It's certainly plausible. But I'm insanely and irrationally biased towards Wilcox. I say Maxiell is out, which brings me to ...

[nasty daddy]

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

Biggest Disappointment: Maxiell. I'm tempted to say DaJuan Summers, because based on his Summer League play, he looked like he would be ready to contribute immediately. In the preseason, he looked lost. But he's a rookie, so he gets the benefit of the doubt.

I hope I'm wrong on this. Maxiell is insanely fun to watch when he's in the flow of the game. He improved immensely early in his career, adding an adequate little post-game and short jumper to his repertoire (he was mostly just a dunker coming out of college).

I want J-Max to be good, but some guys just plateau and don't develop any more, and there's evidence to suggest he might be one of those players.

[nasty daddy]

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

Rookie of the Year: Daye. No-brainer. He's looked more ready to play than anyone was willing to say during the draft. It was assumed Daye would be a project-player. He's already a key player off the bench for this team. Jerebko, however, has also been much better than we could've reasonably expected.