'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 54

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Won’t: Produce if Kuester decides to slow the temp. In a good interview with Dan Steinberg on the D.C. Sports Blog, Summers said his strong summer league play didn’t surprise him.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Did you come in with that kind of chip on your shoulder, to prove the kind of player you know you are?
Not so much. I mean, I always knew I was that player, so just because things were different in college–it’s not an open system and not a high-tempo team–it never discouraged me. I knew when I got here I would be able to play my game. Coach always said the same thing. It’s just not the run and shoot we play at Georgetown. So nah, I don’t feel like I’m proving anybody wrong. It’s just me. I’m just playing.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Must improve: His focus.
Summers has an NBA body. But he doesn’t lock in and get the little things done that he clearly could be capable of doing.

Among the 13 small forwards drafted this year, here’s how Summers’ ranked last season*:
Rebounds: 13th.
Assists: 11th.
Turnovers: 12th.
Summers has the tools to improve all those. He just needs to put his mind to it.

*The numbers are per 40 minutes and paste adjusted – basically a way to put everyone on equal footing – and also come from DraftExpress.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Stock
Falling
Summers was the star of the Pistons’ summer league team, if not the entire Las Vegas League.

But he has missed two of Detroit’s six preseason games. And only Chucky Atkins, Deron Washington and Maceo Baston are averaging fewer minutes.

With Tayshaun Prince’s injury, maybe Summers sees some minutes as the backup small forward. But even with Prince out, Jonas Jerebko and Richard Hamilton might see more time filling in at the three than Summers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Three predictions
1. It will be at least a month before Summers dresses for a game.
From The Oakland Press: Kuester downplayed Summers’ struggles and said Summers has shown flashes in practice. “DaJuan is learning as he goes,” Kuester said. “I tell you this, he has a bright, bright future in this league because he’ll continue to work hard and he’s a great kid. Do not read into that at all.”

Sorry, John. I’m going to read into it. I think Kuester wants to keep Summers’ spirits up when the rookie is buried on the bench for the first time in his life.

Summers really hasn’t done much to that kind of deserve praise.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

2. Summers will never post better numbers than he did in the summer league (18 points and 5.4 rebounds per game).
Not in the summer league next year, not in a preseason and certainly not in a regular season. Summers was clearly on a hot streak in Las Vegas.

His preseason struggles suggest the summer league was an aberration. And even if he develops into a pretty good player, those are some gaudy numbers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

3. Summers will be one of the 2009 draft’s better second-round picks.
I liked Summers a good deal coming into the draft. But he didn’t seem good enough for the Pistons to take him at 15. And he seemed too good to slip into the second round.

But to the shock of many, including Joe Dumars, he was available for Detroit’s second pick. There’s a reason many projected him to go higher, and the summer league reinforces the thinking. That said, being a fairly good second-round pick in a specific draft doesn’t mean much. He could be out of the league in a few years, and I could be right.

But I like his chances better than most of the other late picks. For each of the Pistons’ new players, I want get another voice (or more) besides my own into the previews – someone who has seen these players up close more than I have. I call this feature “in other words.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

In other words: Jeremy Hofmann
Jeremy Hofmann, a 2008 Georgetown graduate, analyzes Summers. DaJuan Summers will be a very good professional basketball player. Let’s start right there. Will his LeBron-esque body and ferocious athleticism tantalize Pistons fans into expecting more than he can deliver? Absolutely. That was the problem Georgetown fans had with DaJuan in his three maddening years on the Hilltop. He looks like he should be a star. He is 6’8” 240 lbs with 25 foot range and a 40+ inch vertical leap. Yet, there were countless games in his three years where he seemed disinterested and would finish with a stat line like 2-9, 7 points, 2 rebounds and 4 fouls.

DaJuan is to Georgetown fans what Vince Carter is to Nets or Raptors fans. A guy that settles for too many jumpers, barely makes an effort on the glass or defensive end, has one or two “wow” plays a game and leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth more times than not. Still, I was absolutely shocked that he slipped to #35 in the draft, especially in a draft like 2009. Even DeMarre Carroll went ahead of him. DeMarre Carroll? DaJuan was projected as a near lottery pick after his freshman year. Even in January of this year, when Georgetown was in the top 10, DaJuan was expected to be a lottery pick. The only reason he slipped so far was because of the Hoyas’ pathetic end to its 2008-2009 campaign. Being a second round pick will end up being the best thing that ever happened to DaJuan’s career and will greatly benefit the Pistons. NBA athletes with questionable motors need slights to prove their worth.

Just like previous second round picks of the same mold – Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer and Rashard Lewis come to mind – DaJuan will use his draft position to prove himself for his entire NBA career. He will never forget the feeling of having his family and friends with him in the ESPN Zone in Baltimore waiting for 34 names to be called before his. Both his performance in the summer league, when he was arguably Detroit’s best player, and his “I’m going to prove everyone wrong through cliché rap lyrics” on his Twitter page tell me that for the first time in his life, DaJuan’s work ethic will finally match his prodigious athleticism.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/pl ... n-summers/

Previous player previews
Deron Washington
Jonas Jerebko

I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I’m way behind on the previews. There were some sudden changes at my job, and I’ve been pretty busy.

The new plan is to only profile the Pistons’ newcomers. So, previews will still be coming for Chris Wilcox, Austin Daye, Ben Wallace, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

Bobcats G Bell could need surgery for wrist injury
Charlotte Bobcats starting shooting guard Raja Bell(notes) has a partially torn ligament in his left wrist and will soon decide whether to have surgery which would sideline him up to four months.

The severity of Bell’s injury, announced after he sat out Charlotte’s 94-87 exhibition win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, is a major blow for the Bobcats, who could be without their best defensive player and team leader.

Bell was injured when his wrist bent awkwardly as he tried to grab a loose ball in Sunday’s game against Utah. “The way I understand it, surgery would be 6-8 (weeks) in a cast with pins and then 6-8 (weeks) worth of rehab,” Bell said.

[nasty daddy]

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... is_almond/

Orlando Waives Morris Almond
The Orlando Magic have waived guard Morris Almond, following tonight’s preseason game vs. Indiana. Almond appeared in four preseason outings for the Magic, averaging 1.0 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 5.0 minpg. The Magic’s roster now stands at 14 players.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4583890

Source: Aldridge to get $65M extension
The Portland Trail Blazers have verbally agreed in principle to a contract extension with forward LaMarcus Aldridge, a source close to the process told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

The extension is for five years and $65 milliion and will go into effect next season, the source said.

If Aldridge achieves certain hard-to-reach incentives, his contract could ultimately be worth as much as $70 million.

[nasty daddy]

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

Pistons Backcourt Preview: Ben Gordon is a reason to get excited for crunch time
I've been purposely avoiding writing about the Detroit Pistons this year. Partly because others do it much better than me, and for the first time since 2002, I feel like I don't know this team.

It's foreign to me, can't relate to many of the guys, didn't want to be bothered to look up the spelling for "Villaneuva" and "Jerkebo" ... wait looking it up ... sorry it's "VillanUEva and "JerEBKo," who knew?

Also, I miss Sheed, but that's a personal longing that I have to overcome. I finally caved, let's start by breaking down the backcourt, we will mingle with the big men tomorrow. The biggest question in the back court isn't about minutes, the rotation, whether or not Stuckey can play point guard, nope, the only question is: Who wants to trade for Rip Hamilton at four years (after this year) $48 million? Who wants it? Come get some.

[nasty daddy]

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

Personally, I don't think anybody does but for the sake of this post, I've put together three imaginary trades that may make a teeny tiny bit of sense for both teams. Again, unlikely, but something to think about (all trades are ESPN trade machine approved).
1) Rip to Charlotte for Raja Bell/Desagana Diop: For unexplainable reason, the Bobcats absorbed a ton of long-term contracts last year and if they are still in the receiving mood, a 18-point a night Rip can come crashing down the chimney (can't wait for Xmas). Diop is signed for another four years at about $28 million and Bell (yes, he's injured, but still ... expiring deal) expires at a little over $5 million after this season. The Pistons save about $5 million each year for the next four seasons (including this one) and the Bobcats get their first legitimate veteran scorer to combine with D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton. For the future, the Bobcats establish a Augustin/Hamilton/Henderson rotation after Felton leaves in free agency next year and Pistons replace Kwame Brown with an overpriced Diop for years to come. Great.

[nasty daddy]

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

2) Rip to New Orleans for Peja Stojakovic: The beauty of this trade - Peja is guaranteed to get hurt early in the season so he should have no impact on the rotation and the development of Stuckey/Bynum/Gordon. The Hornets save about $3 million in salary for the next two years and try to get any production from their two spot to keep Chris Paul happy. Paul and Hamilton could potentially complement each other nicely. The crunch time lineup of Paul/Rip/Posey/West/Okafor would be solid, capable of winning a playoff round fosho.

[nasty daddy]

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

3)Rip to Utah for Carlos Boozer: I'm pretty sure Boozer would have been traded already if the Jazz wanted to take back salary. They don't. Boozer stays and walks at the end of the year. Not really worth elaborating on. I think far too much attention in the preseason has been put on the development of Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum. Yeah, it would be great if Stuckey turned into a 15/8/2 point guard but it doesn't matter anymore, doesn't matter because the Pistons have Ben Gordon. For the first time since 2004-Chauncey Billups, the Pistons have a player who has the swag to grab the ball in the fourth quarter and get his whenever he wants. As long as the Pistons are within 10 points in the final quarter, they will always have a chance to win with Gordon. No more clawing through 20 seconds of the shot clock just to get off a 17-foot jump shot. Now crunch time is Gordon time and that's a good thing.

I like Gordon, I think the Pistons over-payed to get him but am still in awe of his ability to take over and win games on his own. He's a killer, literally unstoppable when he's hot and figuratively iconic for his indifference towards teammates when in the zone (Derrick Rose knew he wasn't getting the ball back as soon as he passed to Gordon in last year's first round series with the Celtics). That's why Rip has to go. There can't be any doubt about who's getting the ball late in games. Hamilton could not establish an understanding with Allen Iverson, a future Hall of Fame veteran, so there's little reason to believe he can co-exist with Gordon. Also, it's time to put the "investment" in Stuckey and Bynum in perspective. I think Stuckey can be really good but he has to either develop a jump shot to become a better scorer or learn (not sure if you can acquire this skill, might be natural) to be a better passer in order to become a starting point guard in this league.

With Stuckey's well wishes in mind, the team's investment in him is minimal. He's a mid-first round pick on a rookie contract who has been poorly managed and projected as a superstar since the day he got drafted. I'd love to see him pan out as a killer combo guard who can score in multiple ways but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't fulfill the fantasies of Pistons' fans.Stuckey and Bynum are assets that may or may not mature, can't be relied upon right now. Now, the success of this team depends on whether Ben Gordon can average 25 points/game for the first time in his career (like he's being paid to do) and little else. Dang, Ben Gordon needs a nickname in the D, I got tired of writing his name out in full. Any ideas?

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/community/sa ... 91021.html

Pampered by Pistons
The press release headline, “Detroit Pistons donate 1,000 new shoes to children,” is misleading, and not just because the total turned out to be nearly twice that. It sounds way too neat – too detached – to say the shoes were merely “donated.” It’s as if kids lined up, were handed a shoebox with a Pistons sticker and walked out the door. There was nothing neat about the scene Tuesday evening at the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit, where wet rubber gloves and towels were strewn under rows of chairs and volunteers couldn’t replace the cloudy water basins with fresh ones fast enough. Barefoot children were everywhere, several of whom found their way to Pistons guard Ben Gordon. Not because they wanted an autograph or picture, but because Gordon – an accomplished NBA star and millionaire – was going to wash their feet before helping them put on their new socks and sneakers. “I need some gloves and a towel,” said Gordon as a girl, who looked to be six or seven years old, quietly slipped into the chair across from him. After several minutes, Gordon grew pretty comfortable with the unusual exercise. “It’s pretty simple,” he said. “Just soap the feet up, let them sit in the water a little while, and they’re good to go. It’s easy.” Will Bynum also got in on the action. “I tried my best,” he said. “I’m not the best at feet washing, but I tried my best.” Every player had a role at this rare full-team appearance. Tayshaun Prince and Chucky Atkins were runners, fetching the correct size shoes for each child while Rip Hamilton was the self-appointed shoe tester. “Let’s walk it out,” he said to a 5-year-old boy named Walter. “Show me your jump shot.”

Reluctant at first, the boy finally took a few hurried steps in his new shoes and then raced back, to Hamilton’s delight. “You’re my man,” he said, giving Walter a high-five. This is how the Pistons chose to participate in the NBA Cares “Week of Service,” in which every NBA team is giving a day of service to their local community. Volunteers from The Palace and sponsors National City and Fathead made it possible for the Pistons and the nonprofit relief organization Samaritan’s Feet to positively impact nearly 2,000 children in three hours. “This is unique,” Gordon said. “It's the first time I’ve ever done something like this but it’s for a good cause, so I’m happy to be a part of it.” Trevon Young was one of the kids to have his feet washed by Gordon. “It was cool,” said the 13-year-old, and that was before he discovered the guy washing his feet and talking to him about basketball was the Pistons’ newest 20-point scorer. “I thought it was wonderful,” said Tamika Pugh, Trevon’s mother. “They need positive role models in their life and it’s nice that [the Pistons] come to the community and interact with the children, geek him up a little bit, make him feel good. It makes him want to do more.” The interaction between Gordon and Trevon is exactly what Manny Ohonme, the president and founder of Samaritan’s Feet, had hoped to see. Himself the recipient of his first pair of shoes at age nine from a missionary in Africa, Ohonme knows the encouragement these kids will take from their new shoes is the real gift. “They’ll walk out in their shoes standing six feet tall,” Ohonme told the players before the event, ”because their role models touched them in a way they’ll never forget.”

Founded in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet made headlines in January 2008 when IUPUI coach Ron Hunter coached a game barefoot to bring attention to the charity and the organization’s goal of donating 10 million pairs of shoes to impoverished children worldwide in the next 10 years. Since then, Samaritan’s Feet has hosted “Shoes of Hope” distribution events across the country, including one in Detroit last spring during the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Last January, the Memphis Grizzlies sent a group of players to a Shoes of Hope event where they washed the feet of 350 kids, previously the largest such event held in conjunction with an NBA team. The Pistons are proud to hold that distinction now. “This is a monumental effort,” Ohonme said. “To actually see an entire team come support this and the staff and organization, this is the first time. This is a historical moment for us.” The Pistons and Samaritan’s Feet had anticipated giving away 1,000 pairs of shoes and socks – until nearly twice that many families signed up. National City, the presenting sponsor of the Pistons, stepped in to cover the cost of an additional 900 pairs of shoes. “There are a lot of kids out there that need help and I think if everybody would just step up a little bit, a lot of that need would go away. That’s what we’re trying to demonstrate here today,” said David Boyle, president and CEO of National City. He also rolled up his sleeves and washed children's feet, helping kids lace up their sneakers if there were no feet to wash. “Just the act of washing feet is very humbling for both the giver and the receiver,” Boyle said, “and I think if we just humbled ourselves a little bit and stepped up, most of the need would go away.”

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... rrect-call

Referees' return is correct call
It appears as if the impasse between the NBA and its officials could be over by Friday, and that means the regular season will begin with the regular officials on the floor, rested and ready to go.It's great to have the regular stripes back -- how many times do you hear that? -- considering the poor job the replacements did during the exhibition season.

The replacements -- a combination of WNBA and D-League refs -- tried their best, but not only called way too many fouls, they didn't understand the rules. It was funny watching players trying to explain rules to the confused officials. Sometimes games went on as usual, sometimes they were awkward. Take this week's game between the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.

Phoenix made 51 of 56 free throws -- you read it right -- during a 143-127 victory.Although the real officials haven't had their preseason camp, word is they're preparing for next week's openers. And not a minute too soon.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... rrect-call

Not so fine
The league should make a gesture to coaches Larry Brown (Charlotte), Lionel Hollins (Memphis) and Stan Van Gundy (Orlando) and rescind $214,000 in fines for criticizing the officials.

Who knows what happened during their games or why the coaches went off, but you can bet all three were right.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... rrect-call

Quiet leadership
Nuggets guard and former Piston Chauncey Billups has taken a step back from being his team's leader, and that has drawn a response from coach George Karl .

But there's a method to Billups' madness. "I was telling (Karl) it was all by design," Billups told the Denver Post. "I wasn't in (Nuggets) camp last year. So my whole mind-set the first week or two was just to fall back and not say too much to see how camp is. This is my first camp ... Let me just fall in line. Then I'm going to be me after that."

Billups was part of Pistons camp last season.