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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From MiloMilo: ]
How can Daye be a building block when he never plays?

Vince: We knew this would be a redshirt year for Daye. The organization truly is intrigued by a near 7-footer with guard-like skills. But he's got to get stronger.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From TyroneTyrone: ]
Do you think we are in a position to recreate the Alternatorz bench brigade, (Jon Barry, Corlis, Zeljko Rebraca, Bobby Sura), since we won't be able to spend big anyway?

Vince: LOL, next question.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From MiloMilo: ]
Wher has Joe been? In the past he has been very visable?

Vince: Good question. When I saw him the other day I messed with him by feigning he looked like somebody I recognized and he just grinned. He has been out scouting a lot more than he has in the past and he is keeping a low profile for whatever reason.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From JuanJuan: ]
Can you estimate the team's chances of getting the NO. 1 pick??

Vince: It depends on where they finish. I saw the chart the other day, but the best way to answer that is the Nets are going to have the worst record, but only have a 25% chance of getting the top pick.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From MiloMilo: ]
Vince, the way I feel is that if your going to lose, you might as well play the rookies> What are your thought on the lack of time for Summers and Daye. I heard the Pistons ere down on Daye because of his poor attitude and work ethic/?

Vince: Summers has moved ahead of Daye mostly because Summers is a better defender. And Summers definitely looks hungrier than Daye right now. But Austin is still a kid and very bright one. They aren't worried about him long-term, right now at least.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ince-Ellis

[Comment From Gilly Gilly : ]
Can Joe D just admit that getting rid of Chauncey was the worst decision that he has ever made for this organization? The heart has been ripped out, its blantly obvious. Tay and Rip look like they are daydreaming on the bench.

Vince: I don't know how that would make the franchise better by admitting that.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Indiana reaches a milestone…and so does Detroit
The Pacers did a little more than just win a game last night at the Palace, they swept the season series from Detroit for the first time since their inception in the NBA. It’s not like the Pacers are an eastern conference powerhouse, they are fighting for more lottery balls right along with the Pistons. While the Pacers reached a milestone in team history, Detroit has been breaking records of their own all season long. It’s just too bad that the Pistons accomplishments aren’t ones to be proud of.
Final Score 98-83

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Tayshaun Prince led the Piston with 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting with 9 boards, and 6 assists in 40 minutes on the floor. When Prince has to play 40 minutes in a game that means relatively nothing, you know it’s been a long season.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Serioulsy, what’s up with Rip Hamilton? Is he upset, or just playing that bad? Rip was 3-for-12 for 9 points, playing just 20 minutes.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Kuester had enough of the refs in the third quarter, so much so he got tossed.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Someone tell my why Austin Daye got a DNP! This is the time to develop him.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Will Bynum looked like he was going to have a great game, scoring 11 points, with 4 assists in the first half. He didn’t return after the half, it seems as though a tumble into the stanchion took a little more out of them than anticipated. Let’s hope he doing ok today.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Highlights of the Game via NBA.com

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

Sadly to me Ben Gordon has been more of a disappointment than Charlie V. I’m hoping it was just a fluke for both and that Pistons fans will see a turnaround as soon as the 2010-2011 season starts.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/indiana-r ... troit.html

It’s been quite a season, one that we aren’t quite used to here in the D. It’s sometimes hard to pinpoint the problems or get right down to the root of things. That’s why I have some surprises in store for you coming soon. Tonight I am interviewing long time Detroit Pistons beat writer Dana Gauruder. Dana is a staple at the Palace, and now doing the post game write ups over at NBA.com. Dana and I are doing this one Podcast style, so if you have any questions you would like me to ask him about part, present or the future Pistons, leave them in the comment section of this post.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.971theticket.com/pages/3824327.php

Pacers down Pistons; Detroit eliminated from playoff race
Danny Granger poured in 32 points to go along with six rebounds, as Indiana cruised past Detroit, 98-83.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3683 ... me-options

NBA:Help on Deck For Detroit Pistons?: A Look at Some Options
As the Detroit Pistons limp to the merciful end of a supremely disappointing season, most pundits have begun speculating on what is going to happen next for this team. Given that Detroit has obvious holes to fill (frontcourt scorer/rebounder, point guard) and some talented potential bargaining chips (Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, maybe even Rodney Stuckey?), it is easy to see that something has to give.

This team is backcourt loaded and simply can not compete with the mediocre, let alone the elite, teams in the Eastern Conference. In years past, this time of the season would involve Pistons fans getting some last minute chores out of the way so that they would not miss a minute of the expected additional two months of basketball season that surely awaited at the end of April. Sadly, this year those fans are reduced to looking forward to potential deals that could improve the Pistons enough to bring them back up to respectability, a tradition typically directed towards the Detroit Lions.

But that is the reality Pistons fans are facing. Two factors, an expected reduction in the salary cap and a few disastrous deals, have the Pistons caught between a rock and a hard place a few months before a very exciting offseason begins. So before I start seeing outlandish trade proposals online from myopic fans claiming that Amar'e Stoudemire could be had for Jason Maxiell and a draft pick, I think it is important to take a look at possible moves to ponder as the offseason takes off.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3683 ... me-options

The Impossible
LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Kobe Bryant are not going to play for Detroit. Each could potentially leave their squads, but none of them are heading for Motown. Let it go. Now, that is not to say that all of these guys are staying put. Actually, I think one of these guys is definitely gone and a second could join him. Yes, two of these guys could potentially be playing together next year. But that is not what gets me excited because I do not follow their teams. I follow the Pistons, so these guys are of little concern to me right now.

Pistons general manager Joe Dumars knew that he would have an uphill climb to sign one of these guys, the likes of which would have made the marines who stormed Hill 296 during the siege of Inchon in Korea sympathetic (sorry, too much Military Channel today). As a result, he spent his cash (in my opinion unwisely) last offseason on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, both of whom have floundered in their first season in Detroit. Regardless, the chance of signing one of those guys even if we had cap space is laughable, and now that we have very little cap space it is impossible.

Speaking of cap space, many believe the salary cap will be $52-$54 million next season. As of now, Detroit has about $51.4 million committed to its players, which does not include Chris Wilcox's player option of $3 million that he would be insane not to exercise. Therefore, the only options left for improving the roster lie with the draft (likely a top five pick), trades and the mid level exception (Pistons blogger Dan Feldman reported this week that Joe Dumars is planning on using the mid-level exception this offseason). But I repeat the elite free agents will not be heading to Detroit.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3683 ... me-options

Not Likely
Now many will be quick to point out that the Pistons still have an ace-in-the-hole in the form of the sign and trade. The sign and trade, most famously remembered by Pistons fans because of the deal that sent Grant Hill to Orlando for a couple of castoffs named Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace, is a way for teams that are going to lose a free agent to receive at least a little compensation.

What makes sign and trades tricky is that it requires a player to want to sign with the team that is trying to acquire them and Detroit no longer is a very intriguing team for potential free agents. They are young and talented, but the troubles facing metro Detroit are not lost on the players. Therefore, getting someone like Stoudemire seems like a very remote possibility as he likely would frown on moving from sunny Phoenix to dreary Detroit.

Joe Johnson is another player that fits this mold as reports seem to put him in a New York Knicks jersey next season. Regardless, Stoudemire's notoriously bad defense and limited offense wouldn't exactly transform Detroit into a powerhouse, and as for Johnson, considering the logjam Dumars already has at shooting guard, the less options for him to ponder for that position, the better.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3683 ... me-options

The Rumor That Just Will Not Die
A recent story by Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Vince Ellis floated the idea that the Pistons may again pursue Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, a rumor that has essentially been kicked around for nearly two years now. Boozer's salary would swap out with Hamilton's. But the Jazz likely are not looking to add the veteran's salary as they appear to be in cost-cutting mode given their already inflexible monetary situation (after shipping off Ronnie Brewer to lessen their luxury tax hit, they likely will need to chop a couple more million off of the books in order to make next year's threshold). The only other way they could make a deal work would be to trade for Prince's expiring contract, but then they would also have to take back someone like Wilcox in order to make the money match up. But why would they take on Prince and Wilcox when they don't really need either of them and they would be in fine shape regardless without Boozer? The answer is that the only way Utah makes a deal with Detroit is if they can get back a young, inexpensive talent like Stuckey or Jonas Jerebko.

So would Dumars trade one of those players? If you asked me that question a couple months ago, I would give you a definite "no." But something we have not seen in the past decade is taking shape. There is a real possibility that Dumars sees his job as being less than untouchable. Now we can debate all day long whether or not Dumars deserves to keep his job, but the fact of the matter is that any day now the Pistons could be under new ownership, and their new owner will not be as married to Dumars as their current owner. Dumars likes Stuckey and Jerebko a lot, but I'm certain he likes his job even more. If he has a chance to get back someone like Boozer who would (at least on paper) improve the Pistons, I think he might pull the trigger.

But should he? Boozer is obviously a talented power forward, but what exactly would Detroit gain from him? Boozer is a legitimate low post scorer that will get you an automatic 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, something that nobody else on the Pistons roster could manage.However, Boozer is not a strong defender, and at only 6'9" would likely be unable to play alongside Villanueva. Also, he is not a shot blocker, which means that Detroit would also have to make an additional deal in order to shore up the front court. So if Detroit deals Prince and Stuckey for Boozer, they could then turn around and try to deal Hamilton to Charlotte for Tyson Chandler, reuniting Hamilton with ex-coach Larry Brown, who is the unofficial president of the Rip Hamilton Admiration Society. Or perhaps they scrap the Boozer deal altogether but still go after Chandler which could lead to...