'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 58

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... m-his-team

Terry's bottom five
• 26. Charlotte (23): Instead of calling teams about signing Allen Iverson, perhaps Larry Brown should call him to help shore up a laughable offense.
• 27. Washington (26): Gilbert Arenas is flapping his gums again and it is causing friction in the dressing room.
• 28. New York (28): Perhaps the Knicks can leave this list because of the play of the slimmed-down Eddie Curry.
• 29. Minnesota (29): They lost 91-87 to the Los Angeles Clippers, ending a streak of eight straight double-digit losses. It is a tiny silver lining in a very stormy cloud.
• 30. New Jersey (30): Can't score. Can't shoot. Can't defend. That is a recipe for disaster as this team challenges the Lions 0-16.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... m-his-team

Quotable
“I don’t blame fans. They’re not technically a lot of times savvy. They know wins and losses. We’ve had an awful run at this, but my track record is I have not lost with my players. I have lost without my players, but I haven’t lost with my players. From an ownership stand point there’s always a lot of pressure. I’ll live with whatever decision our owner makes. I’ll live by it.”

-- Mike Dunleavy,Clippers coach talking about his job security to the Los Angeles Times

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... ns-Pistons

King James crowns Pistons
Hours before Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, coach John Kuester was talking about what makes LeBron James such a premier player. Kuester was an assistant coach in Cleveland last season and got an understanding of what fuels James. It was James, to no one's surprise, who ignited the Cavaliers in their 98-88 victory Wednesday over the gutty Pistons, who made a customary late run. "He would drive hard on his mom," said Kuester, talking about the competitiveness of James. "It doesn't matter who he's playing against, he's the type of competitor he wants to win and he'll do what it takes to win. "I'd like to say he's going to take it easy but I have a gut feeling he's not." No, James didn't take it easy. James had 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He got help from Mo Williams (14 points) and Daniel Gibson (13 points) for the Cavaliers (11-4). Rodney Stuckey scored 25 and Charlie Villanueva 19 for the Pistons (5-10), who lost their sixth straight. "We allowed them to feel too comfortable (in the first half)," Kuester said. "We can't allow ourselves to dig too big of a hole."

The Pistons might have lost more than just a game. While driving for a layup, Ben Gordon suffered a left ankle sprain with 3:13 left in the second quarter. He didn't return. Kuester said Gordon will re-evaluated Thursday or Friday. Judging the way Gordon was limping, it's unlikely he'll play Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons are listing Gordon as day-to-day. When asked how severe the injury is, Gordon said: "I have no idea." Gordon crashed to the floor after colliding with James and immediately began grabbing for his ankle. He returned to miss both free throw attempts, then immediately was taken out by Kuester. Losing Gordon -- the Pistons' leading scorer who had nine points and four assists in 17 minutes -- would be a terrible blow to a team already missing Richard Hamilton (severely sprained right ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (small ruptured disc). "Hopefully it's not that bad of a sprain," Villanueva said. "Hopefully he can recover quick but I don't know how serious the injury is. It gives an opportunity for someone else."

The Pistons needed anybody and everybody against the Cavaliers. The Pistons shot 39 percent from the field and 67 percent (21-of-31) from the free-throw line. Cleveland took a 28-19 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 60-42 at halftime. It led 80-66 after three quarters. "We did a decent job but then we gave up a lot of second-chance opportunities and 50-50 balls that they got instead of us," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. Every time the Pistons appeared on the verge of a run, James made a big play. A basket, a pass to set up a teammate, or a defensive play. When the Pistons cut the lead to 82-72 on an Austin Daye fast break dunk with 8:23 to play, James came down the next series and sank a 3-point shot with Rodney Stuckey closely defending him. Shortly after, a thunderous James dunk driving through the lane made it 87-72 with just more than six minutes left. Still, the Pistons closed to 93-88 on a Ben Wallace free throw with 1:15 left. But James came down and made two free throws to push the lead back to seven. "When games are close it's time for me to do what I do best and that's close out the game," James said. "I wasn't concerned at all."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091125/S ... avs-to-win

LeBron's 34-point performance leads Cavs to win over Pistons
LeBron James scored 12 of his 34 points in the first quarter, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers build a cushion it used to cruise to a 98-88 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

James’ strong start gave the Cavs a nine-point lead to start the second quarter.Reserve Daniel Gibson and Mo Williams combined to score 18 points in the second quarter to put them ahead by 18 at halftime.

When the Pistons pulled within 10 midway through the fourth quarter, James responded with a 3-pointer and a double-pump dunk. Detroit cut its deficit to eight points with 4:15 left and James made plays at both ends of the court to give the Cavs another double-digit lead.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=14467

Cavs Fine Without Shaq: Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal will miss his sixth straight game with a shoulder injury tonight against the Detroit Pistons. However, the question needs to be asked: do the Cavs miss him at all? Shaq, at 37 years old, is averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 53.2% shooting from the field in nine games so far this season before the injury. His points, rebounds, shooting percentage, minutes, and steals are all career-lows for the NBA legend, on the Cavs' tab this year for $21 million. But is he helping them win games? The Cavs are 4-1 without Shaq and started the season 6-3 with him. During that start they averaged 97.1 points a game – without Shaq that number has gone up to 102.8 points a game.

Defensively they gave up 91.8 points a game with Shaq on the floor, and 101.0 points a game without Shaq. The pace factor has increased without him for sure, and the point differential has shrunk from +5.3 with Shaq to +1.8 without Shaq. So the winning percentage is up a tad without the big fella, but the point differential is down. Does that tell us anything for the future? It likely means the 80% winning percentage without O'Neal is a less reliable indicator of Shaq's importance to the Cavs than might be taken at face value. Because the point differential has shrunk, it means the Cavs are actually less likely to win in the future – a larger point differential is a predictor of future success. While the pace has to be taken into account – being able to run a bit more without Shaq clogging the middle – it would seem that even at his age and with reduced quickness, he is making an impact on the defensive end of the floor.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has filled in as the starting center with Shaq on the shelf and done a decent job. In the nine games he came off the bench Big Z averaged 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds; with Shaq out his numbers have spiked up to 10.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. His minutes have increased from 22.3 a game coming off the bench to 29.4. So what does all of this mean? Despite the fact the offense slows down with O'Neal on the floor and despite the fact Ilgauskas has done a solid job, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still a better team when Shaq is on the floor. They need the big guy back, which should happen soon (just not tonight).

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=14467

Upcoming Milestones: Wins are what makes a player's career, but the numbers don't hurt either. Here is a list of some upcoming statistical milestones for current NBA players: With Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal's next made field goal he will break his tie with Elvin Hayes for fifth all-time – currently sits at 10,976. Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd will pass Mark Jackson for second all-time in assists with five more – he currently sits at 10,330. Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby is 82 away from 5,000. L.A. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is 29 steals away from 1,500. Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett is 39 away.

San Antonio Spurs swingman Michael Finley is 11 steals from 1,000. Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter is 25 away. Detroit Pistons big man Ben Wallace is 33 blocks away from 2,000. Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion is 16 away from 1,000; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith is 66 away. Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen is 129 points away from 20,000 for his career. He will be the 33rd player to reach that mark. The Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki will likely be #34 – he is 538 points away. San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan is 576 away.

Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill is 255 points away from 15,000. New York Knicks guard Larry Hughes is 30 points away from 10,000 for his career. Lakers swingman Ron Artest is 110 points away.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Recap: Cavs 98, Pistons 88
What happened: The Cavs shot 61.1% from the field in the first half to send the Pistons to their sixth straight loss. Leading the way was superstar LeBron James, who scored 34. But just as damaging was the Cavs' three-point barrage where they nailed nine triples. Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 25 points.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

The big number: Five -- the number of possessions on which the Cavs failed to score in the second quarter as they took a 60-42 lead into halftime.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

The other side: Daniel Gibson continued his role as a Pistons killer with 13 points and nailed 3-for-3 three-pointers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Happy greetings: James and Mo Williams had a big group hug for their former assistant coach John Kuester near the Pistons' bench before the game.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Nice play, but ...: Midway through the second quarter, Austin Daye blocked a James shot only to knock it to the top of the circle where Cavs forward Jamario Moon was standing. Of course he knocked down the wide-open triple.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

When it pours: Ben Gordon injured his left ankle on a drive to the basket late in the second quarter. He was able to remain in the game momentarily after a 20-second time-out but had to be helped to the locker room at halftime. Daye started at shooting guard in the second half.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Highlight reel: The Cavs electrified the Cleveland fans who were in attendance on the last play of the first half when James drove to the basket, leaped into the air and found a streaking Moon for an alley-oop dunk.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Injury report: Rip Hamilton (ankle) missed his 14th straight game and Tayshaun Prince (back) missed his 12th. Shaquille O'Neal (shoulder strain) was out for the Cavs.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... Pistons-88

Up next: The Pistons have a home date with the Clippers at 8 p.m. Friday at the Palace.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... -34-points

LeBron dominates Pistons with 34 points
Pistons coach John Kuester was asked before Wednesday night's game against the Cavs would his familiarity with LeBron James help any since Kuester was a Cavs assistant last season. He said it really wouldn't help and the main thing he was concerned with was "not allowing him to get in the open court and be able to create those easy opportunities." It was a bad omen when the first two Cavs baskets of the game featured James scoring in the open floor.

And Cavs (11-4) kept running as they sent the Pistons to their sixth straight loss with a 98-88 victory. James was dominant with 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in pushing the Cavs to a lead as large as 18 points. And when the Pistons (5-10) tried to rally in the fourth quarter and pulled to within 10 at 82-72, James shut the door with a triple and a crowd-pleasing double-clutch one-handed jam.

The Pistons later narrowed the gap to five with 1:13 left, but the Cavs were able to get the victory. Making matters worse is that Pistons shooting guard Ben Gordon left the game at halftime with a sprained left ankle after scoring nine points.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... -34-points

Motor City King
LeBron James seems to have made a habit of torching the Pistons. Here's how he fared Wednesday compared with his career averages against Detroit:
WED CAR
MIN 39 40.5
REB 8 7.0
AST 7 6.7
PTS 34 27.6

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... rs-absence

LeBron James: Cavs feel Kuester's absence
When the Eastern Conference power Cavaliers stumbled to a 3-3 record to start the season there were a few theories as to the source of the problems. The Cavs had to get used to the presence of newly acquired center Shaquille O'Neal. The team was distracted by the off-court problems of shooting guard Delonte West. But superstar LeBron James said on a few occasions that the team was missing the influence of former Cavs assistant John Kuester, who is in his first season as the head coach of the Pistons.

Kuester was the de facto offensive coordinator with the Cavs as they rolled to the NBA's best record last season before exiting in the Eastern Conference finals to the Orlando Magic.So Kuester was a topic during a session with Cleveland-area media members Tuesday as the Cavs prepared to face the Pistons on Wednesday at the Palace. "We miss Kuester now," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He's a great guy, he does a lot for the team."

The Cavs have righted the ship and have one of the best records in the conference. The Pistons are going in the opposite direction, with a five-game losing streak heading into Wednesday. But Brown counseled patience. "He's a guy who can bring a group together," Brown said. "He's a guy who knows what he's talking about offensively. He knows what he's talking about defensively, it's just going to take them some time to jell."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... rs-absence

NOTEBOOK: Still no word on when Rip Hamilton (ankle) or Tayshaun Prince (back) might return to the lineup, but Prince exercised in the training room before Wednesday's game.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20091126/S ... rs-absence

Allen Iverson's business manager, Gary Moore, told Yahoo! Sports that the 10-time All-Star and former Piston is going to retire. Iverson came to the Pistons last season from the Nuggets in the Chauncey Billups trade and signed with Grizzlies in the off-season before leaving the team after three games.