'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 68

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... 318_2.html

Evan (Rochester Hills, Mich.): It’s known that New Jersey is retooling for the off-season, but I can’t imagine any max level free agent being attracted to a team with seven wins. What will New Jersey do if it has a state-of-the-art arena but no superstar to fill it up? What do you think will be the future of a frustrated Devin Harris?

Langlois: As I said earlier, you have to give the Nets a glimmer of hope that they can land LeBron if things don’t go well for Cleveland in the playoffs – though I think the Cavs are now the clear front-runner in the East. The Knicks, Chicago and Miami probably will have the best chance to pick off the plums of the free-agent crop, but you can bet that there is a lot of groundwork being laid right now between GMs and agents. Even though there can be no formal communication until midnight July 1, agents and GMs talk all the time. New Jersey probably has an idea today if it can be a serious player in free agency. But cap space can be put to use in ways other than signing free agents and the Nets will have a real opportunity to alter their course this summer. As for Harris, I don’t believe Rod Thorn will feel pressured into trading Harris even if the Nets wind up with the No. 1 pick and select John Wall. No reason they couldn’t go into the season with both players and see how things transpire from there.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... 318_3.html

Sipu (Hamtramck, Mich.): I just recently read about Charlotte picking up Larry Hughes. How do you think this will affect the Eastern Conference this year in the playoffs?

Langlois: Not much, because I don’t give Charlotte much of a chance of beating any of the top three teams in the East, though Boston has shown enough vulnerability that it wouldn’t blow me away if the Bobcats gave the Celtics a run. I’m also not a big Larry Hughes fan. That said, I do think they made a smart move to pick him up because the Bobcats are running Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace into the ground. Another wing who can defend and occasionally help out on offense might keep those guys from running out of gas before the playoffs roll around.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... 318_3.html

Ryan (Ypsilanti, Mich.): I’m liking Donatas Motiejunas in the first round and Art Parakhouski in the second. What do you think?

Langlois: Two things: that you hate broadcasters and headline writers, and that the Pistons will look a lot more impressive walking into hotel lobbies with two 7-footers in tow. I think Parakhouski in the second round is more realistic than Motiejunas in the first, but neither is out of the question. They’re both big guys with different skill sets and the Pistons need the types of things they can offer.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... 318_3.html

Jacob (Wyandotte, Mich.): If we lucked into the No. 2 pick and Turner, would trading Rip, Tayshaun and Daye to the Jazz for Millsap, Kirilenko and the Knicks’ lottery pick be possible. In that scenario, we could end up with both Turner and Favors.

Langlois: Much of that would depend on where the Knicks’ pick winds up and what Utah thinks of the quality of the player it would be likely to get with that selection. But to get Favors – or at least to guarantee the shot at Favors – the Pistons would have to go into the draft with the Nos. 2 and 3 picks, and that assumes John Wall goes No. 1, which I don’t think is etched in stone just yet. The No. 2 pick is wide open. A lot of teams love Turner, I’m sure, but a lot of teams are going to be enchanted by the idea of what an 18-year-old Favors or a 19-year-old DeMarcus Cousins might become in a few years. I think there are at least three players in play at No. 2, maybe more. I do agree that the top four picks, in some order, right now are Wall, Favors, Cousins and Turner.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox ... 318_3.html

Tim (Hutchinson, Kansas): I can’t believe Dave Bing wants to move the Pistons out of The Palace. Can you explain why we would want to leave one of sports’ most beloved venues? I would be extremely disappointed to see the Pistons leave the place where they won all three of their championships.

Langlois: Dave Bing is the mayor of Detroit. I don’t think there’s much mystery as to why he would like to see the Pistons playing downtown. There is at least the possibility, if not yet a likelihood, that the Pistons and Red Wings will one day share the same arena. Given the cost of arena construction these days and the long-term issues facing the southeastern Michigan economy, it might be difficult for two arenas to sustain themselves if the entertainment market in the area downsizes in proportion to the losses in population and corporate base. Bing knows that to keep the Red Wings in Detroit, a new arena being built is a must. So of course he would like to see that new arena house both teams in his city, rather than risk the possibility of the Red Wings relocating outside of Detroit. But there certainly is no immediate danger of the Pistons leaving The Palace, which remains one of the league’s best-managed and most fan-friendly arenas.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.emptythebench.com/2010/03/18 ... tion-ever/

Worst Corporate NBA Cross Promotion Ever!
I keep forgetting to bring up this laughably cheap cross-promotional fail from the good people at Arby’s.

Aired during Detroit Pistons’ local broadcasts, Arby’s sponsors what they call the “Instant Three Play.” Hm, ok, I’m intrigued. Makes me think there might be a scratch-off ticket involved (!). But, then, here’s what it promises: if a Pistons player posts a triple-double during the game, print out the box score from your local newspaper (or from the Pistons page on Fox Sports Detroit), take it to your local Arby’s–those that are participating in the promotion–and get yourself… a free small curly fries!
Wooooooooooo. Woo!
OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Free small curly fries!

The last Piston to post a triple-double was Ben Wallace, who dropped 12 points, 19 boards, and 10 blocks (good lord!) on November 20, 2003. Mmhmm, 6 1/2 years ago.

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/CV31

In Indiana, the weather is beautiful

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/DETPistons

Rodney Stuckey fully cleared, practices Thursday and John Kuester says he and Ben Wallace will come off the bench Friday at Indiana.

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/DETPistons

Fixed link RT @USATODAY 20-second timeout: Pistons rookie forward Jonas Jerebko http://bit.ly/98J8sA

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/DETPistons

The 2010 NBA Dance Bracket starts this Monday, Automotion vs. LuvaBulls. Get prepped with Automotion photo galleries http://bit.ly/cQ9PxS

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/dsummers35

Just got to Indiana... Time to watch these games. There have been a few upsets already!!

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/Adaye5

Just got into indiana wats the tourney lookin like

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

MLive: Joe Dumars' NBA Draft track record is in the middle of the pack compared to other current general managers:... http://bit.ly/aJTQFO

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

MLive: Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace likely to play for Pistons on Friday against Pacers: John Kuester said both pla... http://bit.ly/9Q7siW

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Pistons Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace likely to play Friday: Auburn Hills -- Rodney Stuckey and Ben Walla... http://twurl.nl/e6uy2q

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Freep: Pistons' Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace expected to return, come off the bench Friday: It looks like the Detro... http://bit.ly/9YkSqK

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300770257

Omar Samhan had 29 points and 12 rebounds despite spending most of the game in foul trouble, and Saint Mary's pulled away from Richmond to win 80-71 on Thursday in the first round of the South Regional.

Mickey McConnell, the West Coast Conference tournament MVP when the Gaels upset Gonzaga in the title game, scored 23 points for Saint Mary's. Thanks in large part to Samhan, the Gaels held a 40-18 rebounding edge, outrebounding Richmond 19-13 under their own basket for a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.

David Gonzalvez scored 18 and Kevin Anderson 16 for Richmond (26-9). The Spiders, who lost to Temple in the Atlantic 10 tournament championship game, have been known as a giant-killer, with a rich NCAA history of knocking off defending champions (Indiana in 1988) and future NBA Hall of Famers (Charles Barkley's Auburn team in '84).

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300770222

The Wildcats (25-7) weren't going down. They'll play 10th-seeded Saint Mary's, which beat Richmond 80-71, on Saturday. Karon Abraham scored 23 for Robert Morris, which was on the brink of becoming only the fifth No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 and the first since 2001. Abraham let fly a 25-footer in OT that cut it to 71-70 with 10.2 seconds left, but Mezie Nwigwe's off-balance 3 at the buzzer was no good.

Robert Morris led 28-22 at halftime, but never could build the lead to double digits, even with a 21-10 edge on the boards and holding the Wildcats to only 30 percent shooting at the break.

For all the Colonials did right, they did just as much wrong. Those early 3s from Abraham helped, but the Colonials missed their next eight attempts. Robert Morris turned the ball over a whopping 21 times to keep the Wildcats in the hunt. "I'm never going to forget us playing Villanova, almost beating Villanova, up by six with 2 minutes left in the game," forward Dallas Green said. "I'll never forget that experience. That's it."

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300772306

Denis Clemente had 17 points and six assist. Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 15 points each, and Kansas State had a 46-21 advantage inside to reach the second round for the second time in three years.

George Odufuwa kept the Mean Green close early and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Tristan Thompson was one of the few effective players against Kansas State's pressure, leading North Texas with 28 points.

The Mean Green set a school record for wins, won the Sun Belt Conference tournament and ended the season on an 11-game winning streak. They didn't embarrass themselves in two games against Big 12 teams, either, losing by 14 to Oklahoma State and 10 to Texas A&M.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300770087

Scott's 3-pointer didn't fall, and Luke Harangody's putback wasn't enough for sixth-seeded Notre Dame on Thursday. Old Dominion held on for a 51-50 victory in the first round of the South Regional, its first NCAA tournament win since beating Villanova in triple overtime in 1995.

Frank Hassell's three-point play for Old Dominion with 5:51 remaining tied it at 43, and neither team scored for the next 3 minutes. Old Dominion's Darius James traded 3-pointers with Scott, and Gerald Lee put the Monarchs ahead with a shot from the perimeter. After Harangody missed inside, Lee made a free throw to make it 49-46 with 56.2 seconds left.

Ben Hansbrough, whose brother Tyler won the national title at North Carolina last year, scored 17 points for Notre Dame. Hassell scored 15 points for Old Dominion.