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

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

Post#921 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 6:47 am

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... --business

Charlie Villanueva keeps nose in fans' business
The wonders of social networking showed through again Monday. While the Pistons were practicing, Charlie Villanueva was having successful nasal surgery at the Berry Center in Farmington Hills. And all the while, Villanueva's Twitter followers were kept updated. "At the Detroit Metro Center (DMC) Hospital, about to start to preparation for my nasal surgery, had to get a tweet out. Wish me good luck :)," he tweeted at roughly 12:30 p.m. before getting a nasal fracture repaired and his septum realigned in an outpatient procedure.

After a hard drive to the basket, Villanueva collided with Ben Wallace's hip in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 94-88 victory over Atlanta. Coach John Kuester said Villanueva will be fitted for a mask -- Villanueva Twittered that also. The Pistons are listing him as "questionable" for Wednesday's game in Chicago. Sunday's game was his first coming off the bench as Kuester reconfigured the lineup. Villanueva seemed to take a liking to the change, scoring 13 points and collecting six rebounds in nearly 19 minutes before the injury.

The Pistons also are listing Ben Gordon (sprained left ankle) as questionable. Gordon did some light work on the side but didn't appear capable of putting too much weight on his left side. "If it continues to progress as it has been, hopefully I'll be able to play," said Gordon, who would like to play his first game against the Bulls, for whom he starred the last five seasons. Richard Hamilton (severely sprained right ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (small ruptured disc) are both out.

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

Post#922 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 6:49 am

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... --business

Mum's the word
Kuester wouldn't say if he'll stay with the starting lineup he used against Atlanta -- Chucky Atkins, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace, Jonas Jerebko and Jason Maxiell . "We'll look at the matchups and recognize what is in the best interests of the team," Kuester said.

What did he like from Sunday's lineup? "Offensively, we did a real good job of executing," Kuester said. "Chucky hadn't played in a starting role in a while and did a great job of putting pressure on players and did a nice job of running our team."

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

Post#923 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 6:51 am

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... --business

Teed up
Lost in Sunday's game was the fact Kuester was whistled for his first technical as a head coach.

Official Derrick Stafford apparently had enough of Kuester's protests at 4:55 of the second quarter and gave him a technical.

Except that, most observers along press row and everyone near the Pistons bench were left mystified because Kuester didn't say much. "That was interesting," he said. "I didn't say a lot. 'Could I speak to you for a second' (is what Kuester allegedly said). I don't even want to comment on it."

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

Post#924 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 6:54 am

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -on-a-roll

Jason Terry's clutch shot keeps Mavericks on a roll
Jason Terry made a 17-footer with 1.4 seconds left, Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and the Mavericks handed the 76ers their seventh straight loss, 104-102 Monday night.

Willie Green (Detroit Mercy) scored a season-high 23 points, and Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young each had 21 for the 76ers, who met with Iverson earlier Monday to discuss a possible return to the team.

Jason Kidd chipped in with a season-high 22 points and 11 assists for the Mavericks, who bounced back from a 111-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Drew Gooden scored 15 points with 10 rebounds and Shawn Marion had 14 points while playing on a gimpy left ankle.

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

Post#925 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:32 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

IJS All-Decade Team: The Detroit Pistons
The Pistons started the decade with a 32-50 record and might end it that way too. But in between, they were mildly successful: one championship, two Finals appearances, six Eastern Conference Finals appearances, eight playoff appearances and six division titles. In all honesty, there won't be any surprises in the starting lineup four our All-Decade team, but we'll do our best to bring our trademark controversy to some of our bench picks. Let us have it in the comments.

Coach: Larry Brown
There were some solid choices here, but we'll go with the guy who led the team to the title. Brown didn't see this team grow like he did when he was in Philly, the Pistons were ready-made. He didn't have to preach defense too hard to the team, he had a willing student at the point guard position in Chauncey Billups and he had the best bench of any Pistons coach this decade. His messy exit weighed against him some, but ultimately, you have to pick the guy who had the best success and that was Brown.

Rick Carlisle did surprisingly well, especially in his first season with a roster that had little talent, and Flip Saunders doesn't get enough credit for his offensive system, which was a thing of beauty when the team, you know, actually ran it.

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

Post#926 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:35 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

The Starters
PG - Chauncey Billups: Quite simply, he went from a shoot-first backup with the T-Wolves to a complete point guard in Detroit. He's arguably the best point guard in the NBA when it comes to running a halfcourt offense. He's everything a team could want in a professional and a leader, and his Finals MVP against the Lakers was well-deserved. Although he wore down in some postseason runs, early on in his Pistons tenure, he was money on the biggest stages. And who could forget this shot?

Video in the link above^.
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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 58 

Post#927 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:35 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

Shooting guard - Rip Hamilton: The 'trade Rip' crowd still has a vocal contingent, but few players have made more out of limited offensive skills than Rip. Seriously ... his offensive game consists of out-running people, tiring them out and having the best mid-range jumper in the NBA. He quietly added a very reliable three-point shot in his Pistons tenure, became a better passer and worked very hard defensively, despite not being a natural defender. He may have been the perfect backcourt compliment to Billups.

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

Post#928 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:36 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

Small forward- Tayshaun Prince: There's been a lot of focus on what Prince never developed into -- namely, anything more than a good role player who would get about 13 points/4 rebounds/3 assists with solid defense most nights. But with superior offensive players in Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, that's all Prince needed to be. Although he may have been a bit overrated defensively, his signature moments were both at the defensive end. He played Kobe Bryant about as well as any defender has ever played him in the 2004 Finals and, of course, this (it never gets old):

Video in the link above^.
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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 58 

Post#929 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:37 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

PF - Rasheed Wallace: Wallace's diverse skillset would've made him one of the best power forwards to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he fell in love with the three-point line late in his Portland career and never recovered, never embraced the franchise player role his skills suggested he should be and had times throughout his career where his effort was questioned. He didn't leave Detroit on the best terms, but he undoubtedly was the key figure on the 2004 championship team. Before his arrival, Detroit was good. After his arrival, they felt like no one could beat them. His confidence, along with the fact that he was one of the best defensive big men of this era and a perfect compliment to Ben Wallace's weak-side rebounding and shot-blocking abilities, made the Pistons one of the toughest defensive teams in recent NBA history, when they wanted to be.

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

Post#930 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:38 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

C - Ben Wallace: He was the heart and soul of the team, and when he left for Chicago, the Pistons consistent commitment to defense left with him. Wallace was one of the most remarkable NBA athletes of this era, a guy who not only made a career out of playing a role exceptionally, a guy who became the most important player on his team, an All-Star and the key to the resurgence of Pistons basketball through sheer will.

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

Post#931 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:38 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

The Bench
G - Mike James
: The Pistons only had James for half a season and their championship run, but in his role as a dogged defender and three-point shooter off the bench, he was the only real backup Billups ever had. In his post-Pistons career, James became a bit of a chucker and much less interested in defense, but a couple extra seasons of him on the bench could've resulted in a less worn-down Billups and possibly another championship.

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

Post#932 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:38 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

G - Jon Barry: He fell out of favor with Rick Carlisle because Barry had a tendency to only play the offensive side of the ball, but he was instant offense off the bench and it would've been interesting to see him play for Flip Saunders, who may have found a way to use Barry's shooting and hide his poor defense.

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

Post#933 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:39 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

F - Antonio McDyess: He's the saddest story of this era of Pistons basketball. He's the guy who it was impossible to dislike, the only guy on the team who's effort could never be questioned and the guy who deserved to win a championship. He even came back to Detroit after being bought out by Denver last season, when he could've taken his pick of title contenders -- notably Cleveland and Boston -- interested in his services.

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

Post#934 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:40 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

F - Mehmet Okur: Pistons fans will always wonder 'what if?' with Okur. A motivating factor for the Rasheed Wallace trade was the fact that 'Sheed's contract was expiring, freeing up money in the offseason to re-sign Okur. Well, the team won a title with Wallace as a key component and Dumars felt the need, understandably, to make signing Wallace the priority and keep a championship core together. The younger Okur went on to become an All-Star in Utah, a guy who can be counted on to get about 17 points and 8 rebounds a game each year, while the Pistons never won another title with 'Sheed.

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

Post#935 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:41 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

G - Jerry Stackhouse: Watching Stackhouse attempt to win the scoring title (he fell just short) was about the only highlight of the 2000-2001 season. Any fan would re-do the Stackhouse for Hamilton trade 10 times out of 10, but imagine Stackhouse's scoring punch off the bench, giving Prince a capable backup, which the team never found

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

Post#936 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:42 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

F - Corliss Williamson: Trading Williamson a year early was a huge mistake. He was certainly on the decline, but after winning the title, the Pistons had already lost Okur and James from their bench to free agency, then traded Williamson for future cap space. In just one offseason, their three best bench scorers were all gone, with only McDyess being added to the mix.

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

Post#937 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:42 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

Injured List (because I can't make up my mind)
G - Chucky Atkins
: He was a bit miscast as a starter, but Atkins ran a 50-win team for one season and was a solid sub for Billups in Rick Carlisle's second season. He's another player, like Robinson, who helped lead a team lacking talent back to respectability, but was shipped out just short of winning the title.

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

Post#938 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:43 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

G - Mateen Cleaves: Because he can play on any team that I pick.

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

Post#939 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:43 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

F - Darvin Ham: He beats out Jason Maxiell, just barely, for designated dunk specialist. Ham was actually a pretty good situational defender, so he has a bit more value than Max.

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

Post#940 » by nasty daddy » Tue Dec 1, 2009 7:44 am

http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2 ... etroi.html

F - Clifford Robinson: It's a shame Robinson never got a championship with the Pistons, although the man he was traded for, Bob Sura, was one of the players used in the Wallace trade. Robinson's leadership, late in his career, played a major role in Detroit's turnaround under Carlisle. And shipping him to Golden State was just mean. Until then, he'd made the playoffs every season of his career.
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