'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 63

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

The big number: 30 -- the number of Pistons' second-chance points, as they grabbed eight more offensive rebounds than the Knicks.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

The other side: Danilo Gallinari heated up in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 points. David Lee had 26 points and 17 rebounds.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

Message from Big Ben: Ben Wallace thanked the Palace fans by evoking the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and by asking people to remember the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

Quotable: "C'mon, let 'em play!" Pistons coach John Kuester shouted at the officials after Jonas Jerebko received his second foul early in the game.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

Injury report: Will Bynum (left ankle), Ben Gordon (right groin) and Tayshaun Prince (left knee) were out for the Pistons. Eddy Curry (left knee) was sidelined for the Knicks.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Freep: Area Pistons fans speak out: 15, Detroit Why have the Pistons struggled? Because they've made a lot of mess... http://bit.ly/6lH7nj

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... -Knicks-90

Up next: The Pistons and Knicks do it again for an MLK Day matinee Monday at Madison Square Garden.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... rter-scare

Pistons extend winning streak, survive 4th-quarter scare
Knicks' Lee neutralized after scoring 16 in 1st. It looked as if noted Pistons killer David Lee was going for the SportsCenter spot after the NFL playoffs when he scored 16 points in the first quarter Saturday night for the Knicks. But the Pistons and Lee probably settled for barely a mention when he managed only 10 points the rest of the way in the Pistons' 94-90 victory -- the team's third straight after a 13-game losing streak.Lee dominated the Pistons (14-25), getting to the basket in the first quarter as he shot 7-for-10. But defended primarily by Ben Wallace and Jason Maxiell, Lee was harassed into a 2-for-9 shooting performance the rest of the way

Wallace blocked three of Lee's shots in the third quarter -- including a sequence in which he denied Lee twice in 4 seconds. Wallace finished with four blocked shots, seven rebounds and five points. "Max did a great job as did (Wallace), but he was taking it to us early on," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "We were fortunate to do a better job in the post area, and that's something that's important to us." The Pistons were able to contest Lee's jumper, and Wallace and Maxiell were able to steer Lee to where a crowd of Pistons were waiting when he tried to get to the hoop. "We knew what we had to do. We know what he came in and did to us last time," Chris Wilcox said of Lee's 30-point game against the Pistons earlier this season. "Just the second half, we wanted to focus more on him and stopping him from penetrating to the basket."

Lee did have 17 rebounds for the Knicks (16-24), who were able to put a scare into the Pistons by nearly overcoming a 21-point deficit. But the Pistons will take positive energy into Monday's rematch with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden."We're playing harder, playing as a team, sharing the ball," said Rodney Stuckey, who led the Pistons with 20 points.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... r-Hamilton

INJURY UPDATE: Will Bynum (left ankle), Gordon (right groin) and Tayshaun Prince (left knee) didn't play against the Knicks, but all three appear to be close to returning.

Prince participated in pregame shooting drills with a large wrap around his left leg. Bynum has been doing the same drills for the past few days and said he is feeling better but is still at only 60%.

Gordon said he expects to be back this week.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... r-Hamilton

Restoring Rip's zip a slow process for Hamilton
Before Friday night's overtime victory over the New Orleans Hornets, Rip Hamilton talked openly about how strange the ball felt when he returned to the Pistons' lineup for good late last month. He knew the strange feeling was going to happen, because every year he has the same experience at the start of training camp, when he has to round himself into shape after rarely picking up a ball for a few months.

So neither Hamilton nor the team was surprised that Hamilton didn't perform at a very high level his first nine games back. And after showing improvement with his 32-point effort against the Hornets, he had another off-shooting night in the Pistons' 94-90 victory over the Knicks on Saturday night.

He only shot 5-for-18 from the field for 15 points, but he did contribute five assists and six rebounds. He also only had two turnovers. "Rip is starting to get in basketball shape the way we know he's capable of playing, and he's starting to make shots and make good decisions with the basketball. And it's making the guys better and more comfortable," Pistons coach John Kuester said.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100117/S ... r-Hamilton

TOUGH GUY: Rodney Stuckey was dehydrated with flu-like symptoms after Friday's victory and was hospitalized with an IV until 3 a.m. Saturday.

"When (Ben Gordon) and Will get back, maybe I will get some more rest, but for now, I have to keep fighting," Stuckey said after his 20-point effort against the Knicks.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4834248

Sources: Bucks to sign Stackhouse
The Milwaukee Bucks will sign veteran guard Jerry Stackhouse to a contract for the rest of the season, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that Stackhouse is expected to formally sign with the Bucks on Monday or possibly Tuesday after the Martin Luther King holiday.

The former All-Star guard has been looking for a new team since the summer and was targeted by the Bucks -- who began play Sunday two games out of the final playoff spot in the East -- after Michael Redd suffered a season-ending knee injury last Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... led-career

Darko Milicic already looking back bitterly on failed career
Former Piston Darko Milicic was a wide-eyed 18-year old when the Pistons drafted him second overall in 2003. Now with his NBA career coming to an end, he made perhaps his final trip to his first home in this country. Milicic, who asked the Knicks to release him so he could return overseas, recently told SLAM magazine the Pistons wasted their pick on him. He added, though, that his immaturity contributed to his lack of success in Detroit, where he played 96 games in 2 1/2 seasons. "I can't just go around blaming everyone. I took basketball as a game," the 24-year old said Saturday. "(Immaturity) might be true, too." He has bitter memories of his time in Detroit. When he was drafted, he was expected to learn from veterans Ben Wallace, Elden Campbell and later, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. He believes he wouldn't have the undesirable distinction of being "the worst draft pick of the decade" if Detroit hadn't been the franchise to select him. "I had fun off the court, but on the court, the stuff about learning from other guys through practice, it's bull," he said. Then-Pistons coach Larry Brown was notoriously hard on rookies.

While Milicic viewed himself as a Dirk Nowitzki-type, Brown wanted him to focus on defense, and pushed him hard. Even though the Pistons would win a championship in Milicic's rookie year, he regrets not requesting a trade. "If I kept my head into basketball, I would have forced a trade," Milicic said. "If I said, 'Get me out of here, trade me,' maybe I would be better off now." It didn't help Milicic in the eyes of the basketball world that fellow 2003 draftees LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and others have contributed since their rookie years. The Pistons wanted Milicic to earn his playing time; Milicic felt his draft status should be enough to get him off the bench. "You cannot make a difference in practice. My grandma can practice. Game mentality is different from practice," he said. "If I got a chance to play every night, I would have been good enough for that draft (pick)." By the time he was able to prove himself, after a midseason 2006 trade to Orlando, he felt irreparable damage had been done to his psyche.

He said his experience in Detroit prevented him from developing an identity as a player. He expected peaks, but wasn't prepared for the valleys of professional basketball. "It didn't make me better," he said. "I was surprised that I didn't play with a lot of confidence (at first)." Some seasons it seemed Milicic was turning into a productive player. He averaged eight points and five rebounds in 2006-07, but that was as good as it would get. He's played in Memphis and now New York, where again, he's struggling for time. "It's weird, but it happened and it happened to me," he said. He admitted to questioning himself and his skill level, which has led to him deeming his NBA career "over" and he hoping to start anew -- elsewhere. "This is not how I wanted my career to look," he said. "My only chance to play is to go back to Europe." He told his agent he doesn't want a team to sign him if it has questions about him. He wants to be guaranteed something he never was able to earn from his coaches -- respect in the form of playing time. "Everybody didn't see me as an NBA player like I did," he said.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300117028

Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani scored 22 and the Raptors used a big second quarter to beat the Mavericks 110-88 on Sunday.

Jose Calderon had 15 points and Jarrett Jack scored 11 for the Raptors, who took the lead early in the second and never trailed again, leading by as many as 26. Toronto won for the seventh time in eight home games, reaching the midpoint of its season at 21-20.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 points and Terry had 18 for the Mavericks, who have lost three of four. Shawn Marion scored 15 and Jason Kidd had 12 points and nine assists.

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

About Last Night: Knicks don't realize there's a game going on until the fourth quarter, Pistons win third straight
If you couldn't tell by the sudden shortage of hair gel in the Auburn Hills area, the Knicks were in town last night, but for the first three quarters, you could barely tell.

A passive offensive showing early on by several Knicks, including Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington, allowed the Pistons to build a lead that would get as big as 21.

As you can see by the final score, things tightened up a bit down the stretch when Robinson and Danilo Gallinari combined for 20 points in the fourth and the Knicks cut the Pistons' lead to three before the Pistons were able to clinch things at the free throw line. So, why were they able to both build and blow such a big lead?

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

The starting lineup compliments each other well: With the re-insertion of Jonas Jerebko into the lineup, Rip Hamilton's healthy return, Chris Wilcox's first crack and incumbent Ben Wallace still starting, the Pistons starting five went from a stagnant unit offensively to a competent one, and the reason is very simple: these players all move. We'll start with Wilcox, who was extremely productive with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a block in just 18 minutes. For months, many fans wondered why the team bothered to sign him. He didn't come in with a reputation as a defensive player and he wasn't producing offensively in the limited minutes he was getting either. Lately though, he's showed flashes of the potential that has kept him in the NBA when less physically gifted players would've probably been given up on by now. He moves without the ball, he runs the floor very well and he can have games like this, where he scores efficiently, without ever having a play called for him.

Wilcox is also a very good finisher. Hamilton and Wallace have perfected the little screen/slip/cut/alley-oop play over the years, and Hamilton found Wilcox with that same play once against the Knicks. Look for them to connect more often -- it was one of Wilcox's patented plays when he was in Seattle. Hamilton has simply done what he's always done -- move without the ball, score points and rack up an acceptable number of assists. He's still struggling to shoot the ball, but he's shown over the last three games that other elements of his game are quickly returning to form. No doubt he'll be back to about his 45 percent career average by the end of the season. Jerebko also has just continued to do what he showed he could earlier in the season -- make hustle plays, make up for his rookie mistakes (like fouling Gallinari on a three-point attempt with less than two minutes to go) by not letting them shake his confidence and knock down shots consistently enough to not make him a liability when opposing teams leave him open.

These guys all starting make it less necessary to have a play-making point guard around. Rodney Stuckey is not a pure passer, we know this and have debated it too much. But when you put him on the floor with guys who move rather than stand around or play at a slower pace, it becomes harder for him to find openings to drive or passing lanes to kick out when multiple defenders meet him in the lane. While Jerebko, Wallace and Wilcox will never be mistaken for offensive stars, their activity, along with Hamilton's, makes the Pistons' offense much more pleasant to watch.

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

The second unit doesn't look so hot right now: Austin Daye recovered nicely to change shots when it appeared he'd been beaten off the dribble, Charlie Villanueva had a great first half, Chucky Atkins knocked down open jumpers and scored nine points ... the movement just seemed to stop when any of the non-Atkins subs came in. In the first half, it was fine, since Villanueva had it going and was staying in the post on nearly every possession.

In the third quarter, Villanueva floated out to the perimeter a bit, since long-armed Knicks rookie Jordan Hill got some burn and made shots in the post more difficult than when V was matched up with David Lee or Al Harrington in the first half.

Jason Maxiell also settled for a few jumpers and Daye only attempted one shot, not to mention that this is a pretty terrible defensive foursome.

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

What to do with Prince?: When Tayshaun Prince is healthy, John Kuester will have a very tough decision. Quite simply, Prince is a ball-stopper. He's not the most active guy on the offensive end. That's not really a criticism -- he's a serviceable player. But, as the Pistons have shown during this win streak, they're better with guys like Jerebko and Wilcox on the floor, who not only are active and move, but they don't ever need to touch the ball.

Based on Kuester's handling of the injuries to this point, we can fairly safely predict he'll give Prince his starting job back. If it happens, it will be a mistake. Jerebko's earned it at this point. Prince can still help the team, but it should be in a backup role, stabilizing the second unit.

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

Stuckey's toughness: Rodney Stuckey is taking a lot of punishment and he's still not getting any respect from officials. He made a circus layup in the first half where a Knick was clearly grabbing his arm and there was no call.

He also took a shot to the nose by Gallinari. With all of the injuries the Pistons have had, it's been a blessing for the team that Stuckey's been willing to play through what have surely been several bumps and bruises.

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

Robinson could help someone: This was the Pistons' first look at Nate Robinson this season, as he was in Mike D'Antoni's doghouse during the first meeting. As his 11 points out of nowhere in the fourth showed, Robinson can certainly heat up quickly.

He's also a tad on the immature side, and the Knicks have been rumored to be amenable to a trade for him. On the right contender, he'd certainly be a nice weapon off the bench down the stretch this year -- instant offense, like a smaller Jamal Crawford.