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

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Terry Foster: Tayshaun Prince rates Pistons' chances as 'D': Prince believes the Pistons are a decent tea... http://twurl.nl/2i1jiu

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Freep: Ben Wallace will start opening night for Pistons: The other choice was Kwame Brown, but coach John Kuester li... http://bit.ly/4Bsw7q

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

FullCourtPress: It's Finally Here: Some baseless predictions as the Pistons open the regular season: Taking a stab a... http://bit.ly/2AKpCS

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Rip Hamilton, Allen Iverson agree: Curry caused Pistons' problems: Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson ... http://twurl.nl/eqhrfh

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

Rip Hamilton, Allen Iverson agree: Curry caused Pistons' problems
Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson says his time in Detroit would have been more pleasant had John Kuester been the coach instead of Michael Curry. "It would have been a hundred percent different -- a thousand percent better," said Iverson, who won't play Wednesday night in the Grizzlies' opener against the Pistons as he's recovering from a hamstring injury. "I would have known what I was getting into. Kue would have been straightforward with me on how things were going to be." Iverson knows Kuester from Kuester's days as an assistant under Larry Brown. Iverson was acquired by the Pistons from Denver for Chauncey Billups last season. "I was ecstatic about it (the trade) when I first heard about it, but it just didn't work out," Iverson says now. "I was put in a bad situation that I wasn't obviously ready for mentally.

I was promised it would be another way, and it was totally different. "Obviously, it didn't work out because the coach (Curry) even isn't there after one season." Curry was fired after one season and replaced by Kuester. Iverson said Curry promised him he wouldn't come off the bench, and broke that promise late in the season. Iverson added he had no problems with Pistons president Joe Dumars or guard Richard Hamilton, who replaced Iverson in the starting lineup. "I don't have any problems with Joe," Iverson said. "My problem was that it didn't turn out the way Michael Curry told me it was going to be."

Hamilton agreed that there was no rift between him and Iverson. "The media tried to make something out of something that wasn't (the case)," said Hamilton, who will play Wednesday after being excused from practice Tuesday to deal with a personal matter. "We were great friends and we talked off the court all the time, and we talk (now)." Hamilton also blamed Curry for the chaos of late season. "It could have worked out," said Hamilton. "I just thought the coach we had at the time (didn't) put us in situations where we all could be at our best. When you don't have that, it makes it difficult. All the guys are trying to figure it out on the floor, on the fly, rather than putting us in situations where we could be better."

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

Villanueva starting
Kuester said the starting lineup against Memphis will be Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Wallace.

The one change from the exhibition season is Villanueva starting in place of Kwame Brown.

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http://www.pistonpowered.com/2009/10/ga ... grizzlies/

Game Preview: Detroit Pistons at Memphis Grizzlies
Essentials
Date: Oct. 28, 2009
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Detroit
Records*
Detroit: 4-4
Memphis: 3-5
*preseason
Probable starters
Detroit:
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
Rodney
Stuckey
Richard
Hamilton
Tayshaun
Prince
Charlie
Villanueva
Ben
Wallace
Memphis:
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
Mike
Conley
O.J.
Mayo
Rudy
Gay
Zach
Randolph
Marc
Gasol

Las Vegas projection
Spread: Detroit -2
Over/under: 191
Score: Detroit wins, 97-95
Statistical projection*
Detroit offensive rating: 107.4 (21st)
Detroit defensive rating: 108.0 (16th)
Detroit pace: 86.7 (29th)
Memphis offensive rating: 103.5 (28th)
Memphis defensive rating: 109.5 (21st)
Memphis pace: 90.1 (20th)
Score: Detroit wins, 96-93
*Based on last year’s numbers

Outlook
Detroit enters the season opener with a ton of uncertainty after losing two-and-a-half starters (Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Allen Iverson) from a season ago. And the Pistons fate today may be even more uncertain than hoped. Richard Hamilton missed Tuesday’s practice for personal reasons, and that might mean a trade is coming. (Update: Hamilton is in Memphis, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive. I guess I’ll stop reading tea leaves for a few days). Tayshaun Prince and Kwame Brown are nursing injuries, but both are expected to play. Rookies Jonas Jerebko and Austin Daye, both expected to be in the rotation, are serving suspensions for preseason fights. I think the Pistons will be better than most expect this year, but they probably won’t show it tonight – even against the Grizzlies. That doesn’t mean Detroit won’t win, but this game will be ugly. Consider it the ninth preseason game.
Check out Chip Crain’s preview at 3 Shades of Blue.
Come back at 8 p.m. to participate in a live blog of today’s game.
I’m going to finish the player previews for the Pistons’ newcomers in this early part of the season. Also, watch out for a state of the team address.

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http://twitter.com/PistonsWebGuru

Check out the Pre-Report for tonight's match up against the Grizzlies (@memgrizz) http://bit.ly/2mdhkT #pistons @DETPistons

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

Clips’ Griffin out 6 weeks with broken kneecap
Blake Griffin(notes) is about to add patience to his repertoire of basketball skills while his broken left kneecap heals.

NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick will be out for up to six weeks with the stress fracture, likely delaying his debut until mid-December—and creating one more reason to believe there’s a curse on this star-crossed franchise. “It’s disappointing, especially when it happened, but I’m not going to feel sorry for myself,” Griffin said Tuesday at the club’s Playa Vista training complex. “Everybody plays with a certain amount of pain, but it is a fine line, because you do want to take care of your body and make it easier on yourself.”

Griffin wore shorts and no knee protection while watching the Clippers’ morning shootaround. He will undergo bone stimulation and special blood treatments that will limit his activities for at least a month, and he plans to swim for exercise.

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

Bobcats G Bell putting off wrist surgery
Raja Bell(notes) wants to tough it out without being a liability. The Charlotte Bobcats likely need their starting shooting guard if they want a realistic shot at the playoffs.

Tuesday was a day of optimism for both sides, with Bell hopeful he’ll be able to play this season with a torn ligament in his left wrist and put off surgery that would sideline him up to four months. “I’m going to (sit out) for another week to see if it continues to progress as it has, then I’ll probably wind up playing,” Bell said after participating practice with his non-shooting hand heavily taped. “If it doesn’t, then we’ll go back to the drawing board.”

Bell will sit out Wednesday’s season opener in Boston, leaving the Bobcats short-handed because Ronald “Flip” Murray hasn’t been cleared to return from a stress reaction in his left shin. Coach Larry Brown said Stephen Graham(notes) will start against the Celtics ahead of rookie Gerald Henderson(notes).

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https://twitter.com/detroitbadboys

RT @Adaye5: Miss the game tonight cuz of my 1 game suspension a lol down but I know the guys will take care of business..

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https://twitter.com/detroitbadboys

RT @jeskeets: RT @jose3030: Rasheed Wallace's 'fro — http://twitpic.com/n7au7

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http://pistonsnationblog.com/2009/10/28 ... s-tonight/

Like Ben, the season starts tonight!
The waiting is over, the Pistons open up the 2009-10 season tonight in Memphis. The game tips at 8:00 est from Memephis’ FedEx Forum and can be viewed locally on Fox Sports Detroit.

Grizz left unAnswered: It would be nice if Allen Iverson (torn hamstring) was going to suit up just to make this contest a little more interesting. But, doesn’t look like that’s likely, even if Iverson himself wants to give it a go: “They’re saying it’s a possibility, but it’s also a long shot,” Iverson said. “You know that’s one of the ones I definitely want to play.”
From 5th big man to starter: Ben Wallace isn’t quite ready for the rocking chair just yet. He’ll be starting (along with Tay, Villanueva, Stuckey, & Rip) tonight beating out Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox. The Pistons plan on monitoring the 35 year old Wallace’s minutes to keep him fresh, just don’t tell that to Wallace: “I’m ready and willing to play every game and every minute if need be,” Wallace said. “Every minute I’m on the floor, I’m going to give it my all. [Free Press]. The Pistons will still be calling on Wilcox and Brown to help counter the size of Grizzlies’ big men Marc Gasol, 7′1″, and rookie -3rd overall pick- Hasheem Thabeet, 7′3″.

D-minus two rooks: Remember, Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko will not be in action tonight both serving their one game “fighting” suspensions that occurred in the preseason. That leaves 10 players suited up for Detroit.

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http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/george_hill_091028.html

Spurs Exercise Option On George Hill
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2010-11 season for guard George Hill.

In his rookie season Hill appeared in 77 games, averaging 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16.5 minutes. As a starter he averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes in seven games while filling in for the injured Tony Parker. During that stretch Hill posted his four highest scoring games of the season: scored 20 points in 29:28 minutes on 11/19 vs. Denver, had a career-high 23 points in 22:37 minutes on 11/21 vs. Utah, tallied 20 points in 28:36 minutes on 11/24 at Memphis and had 19 points – along with a career-best 11 rebounds – in 32:40 minutes on 11/26 vs. Chicago.

An early entry candidate in the 2008 NBA Draft, Hill was selected by the Spurs in the first round with the 26th overall pick out of IUPUI. He is the first player school history to be selected in an NBA Draft and appear in an NBA game.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/10/28/thun ... index.html

Thunder sign Sefolosha to multi-year extension
The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Thabo Sefolosha to a multi-year contract extension. The team has been in negotiations with Sefolosha for several weeks. "We are excited that we were able to reach an agreement that will keep Thabo as part of our core group moving forward," said Thunder GM Sam Presti. "Thabo represents many of the qualities that we look for in our players, great competitiveness, a team first mentality and a strong work ethic."

Terms of the agreement were not announced.

Sefolosha averaged 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals last season for the Thunder. He joined the team via trade from the Chicago Bulls in February. He was drafted 13th overall by Philadelphia in the 2006 NBA Draft.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_091028.html

The PRE Report - October 28, 2009
Welcome to the PRE report, Pistons.com’s new game preview feature. There are a lot of game previews on the web so I thought we’d try something different here. I’ll give you a lot of the same stats, trends and key matchups you’d find elsewhere, but at the end I’ll try to predict the score. It’s just a fun gimmick, don’t go e-mailing Pistons Mailbag asking Keith how I could be so dumb. (You’ll probably get the chance to tell me yourself during one of our in-game chats.) Overall, I’m predicting 43-39 for the Pistons this season, so, yes, I will predict the Pistons to lose some games along the way. Don’t freak. Head coach John Kuester isn’t tipping his hand in regards to his starting lineup, and Ben Wallace said, “tune in” when asked if he’d be a starter (8 p.m. on Fox Sports if you wish to heed his advice). The consensus emerging is it will be Stuckey, Rip, Tay, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Wallace. Don't forget former Grizzly Kwame Brown, though. He’s going to give it a try despite a left hand that’s been bothering him most of preseason; x-rays recently turned up negative. Starting center Marc Gasol (7-foot-1) and 7-3 rookie Hasheem Thabeet offer plenty of size for Memphis up front that Detroit could only counter with Kwame, the team’s lone 7-footer, unless Kuester tries to make Memphis adjust to a more diminutive lineup. And he might have to. Kuester will be working with a short bench after the one-game suspensions doled out to rookies Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko for separate preseason incidents. That’s a shame for Jerebko, who performed well against Memphis in the preseason contest (12 pts, 4 rebs, 6-9 FGs in 17 min). With Daye out, Deron Washington surprisingly cut Monday and Prince (see key matchup) still hobbled slightly by a cut on his right foot, small forwards are in short supply. All the more reason to believe we’ll see a lot of three-guard lineups.

One of the most intriguing matchups is the duel of third-year point guards between Stuckey and Mike Conley, who for the time being doesn’t have to endure the stress of playing alongside Allen Iverson, as Stuckey did a year ago. Conley tweaked an ankle in the preseason finale, so expect Stuckey to go at him immediately and test how he’s moving. It looks like Iverson will not play after missing the entire preseason with a torn hamstring. Personally, it would have been delightful to watch Iverson try to keep up Detroit’s new stable of shooting guards, especially Will Bynum, who last season thoroughly outperformed Iverson at his forte – penetrating defenses and getting to the rim. Bynum had a team-high 19 points in the preseason meeting. As was the case with the Pistons toward the end of last season, the Grizzlies might achieve better balance and chemistry at both ends without the aging former scoring champion. Iverson’s absence should allow the Grizzlies real scoring threats to shine, as they did in the 115-94 preseason win over the Pistons Oct. 17. Swingman Rudy Gay scored 25 points and shooting guard O.J. Mayo added 21. The prolific duo shot a combined 59.0 percent from the field (13-of-22). “They played awfully well against us and our transition defense was a huge part of their success,” Kuester said Tuesday. “We’ve got to do a great job of getting back because they’ve got a lot of guys who are very athletic and very effective in the open court.” I wouldn’t read too much into preseason statistics, but you can generally take some impression from head-to-head meetings. The Grizz were the NBA’s second-worst offensive team last season, averaging just 93.9 points per game – yet scored 115 points on Detroit’s defense, shooting 52.6 percent from the field. Ben Wallace says that should give confidence to a team that has a winning percentage of .276 since 2006. “Yeah, we’re starting off with a team that’s going to be very confident,” he said. “They handle us pretty well the last time we met them.

They’re going to be riding high. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.” The Grizzlies were 25th in the NBA in opponents’ field-goal percentage last season, and their two headline off-season acquisitions, Iverson and Zach Randolph, aren’t exceptional defenders, which makes me think it will be a big night for shooters. Advantage: Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton and the Pistons. The X-factor will be Randolph, who could potentially give Memphis a scoring presence in the paint when they’re not able to score in transition with Mayo and Gay. Jerebko wouldn’t be a stopper, but his energy and 6-foot-10 length would have done nicely to harass the 6-foot-9 Randolph, who had 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds Oct. 17. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter who’s guarding Randolph. I saw it happen last March with the Clippers, he couldn’t hit anything yet kept taking shots away from talented rookie Eric Gordon, leading to a 4-of-17 performance and just three rebounds. It was selfish, disinterested performances like that one which raised many questions about how he’d fit in on a young Memphis team searching for chemistry. In preseason, however, Randolph seems to have found his niche, averaging a team-high 8.1 rebounds and coming in as the team’s third leading scorer behind Gay and Mayo. Preventing the Grizzlies’ from scoring in transition and bottling up Randolph - 20-point scorer last season -- in half-court sets might be too tall an order for Detroit’s defense out of the gate. If this were at The Palace I’d swing the score the other way, but …
Pretzer’s Prediction: Grizzlies 106, Pistons 101
Coach’s quote:
“There’s an excitement, I think there’s a tremendous amount of excitement when you’re getting ready to play your first game. I think for both teams the energy level is tremendous,” Kuester said. “The key is being able to sustain that for 82 games and having that type of excitement, which is hard.”

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_091028.html

Scouting Report - Memphis Grizzlies
Pete Skorich and Scott Perry break down the Pistons match-up with the Memphis Grizzlies.

FS Detroit Broadcast Lineup
Pistons In-Focus
7-7:30 p.m. Pistons Live
7:30-8 p.m.

Key Matchup (2008-09 statistics)
Prince 82
14.2
5.8
3.1
.450 Games
PPG
RPG
APG
FG% 79
18.9
5.5
1.7
.453
Gay
Is Tayshaun still an elite defender? Last year he was left off the All-Defensive Team after making four straight seasons. Though he routinely draws Detroit’s toughest assignments, the question seems to get whispered a little louder each year. This much, however, is clear: at the small forward position, the Pistons don’t have anyone better, especially Wednesday night. It will be up to Prince to pursue 6-foot-8 Rudy Gay most of the night, a task that won’t be easy on his cut foot. “Nowhere near 100 percent but it has improved,” Tay said of the injury Tuesday. He’s played in 436 straight regular-season games, the longest streak among active players. “I’m not going to use that [injury] as an excuse; I’ve got to figure out a way.” Gay, an explosive fourth-year swingman, should lead the Grizzlies in scoring this season, if his trigger-happy teammates allow him. His numbers dipped slightly from a year ago (18.9 ppg), but he should average 20 points a night, minimum. In the preseason contest vs. Detroit, Gay scored a game-high 25 points and was stunningly efficient – 7-10 FGs, 9-10 FTs and 2-3 on threes. Gay’s going to get his 20-25 points – but it will be predominantly up to Prince to determine if he’s going to get there in 10 shot attempts or 20.

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

The New York Times has more on the Isiah Thomas-Magic Johnson feud
It was clear from comments Justin's original post on the Magic-Isiah feud that Pistons fans are not exactly firmly in Zeke's corner. He's never been the most revered Hall of Fame athlete, and has always had sort of a reputation for shadiness, which at least make Johnson's accusations plausible.

Adding to the story is a quote from Harvey Araton of the NY Times (via TrueHoop): I couldn’t resist asking Thomas about the Johnson sexuality story that was circulating, and his rumored role in it. “That’s the thing that doesn’t make any sense,” Thomas told me. “Why would he want to accuse and alienate me when I’m the guy who hung out with him, stayed in his house and can stand up and vouch for him?”Thomas being Thomas, he couldn’t let it go at that. He looked at me with that hand-in-the-cookie-jar smile and added: “And you know what? I would have lied for him.”

So, was that simply a joke or a slight admission of guilt?

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http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v11593.htm

Detroit Pistons (0-0) at Memphis Grizzlies (0-0), 8 p.m.
It's Allen Iverson's new team vs. his old one Wednesday night as the Detroit Pistons travel south to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the season opener for both clubs at FedEx Forum. A compelling storyline will likely have to wait, however, since it was learned that the future Hall of Fame guard has a partially torn left hamstring. An MRI revealed the severity of the problem, which occurred during Memphis' training camp in Birmingham, Alabama. "They're saying it's a possibility, but it's a long shot," Iverson said about playing tonight. "You know that's one of the ones I definitely want to play." With or without his new toy Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins has many other players to rely on like Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur and Mike Conley. Hollins, who was named the Grizzlies' head coach for the third time in the franchise's short history back in January, was also the team's interim coach during the 1999-2000 and 2004-05 seasons. Hollins hopes to do a better job than former full-time general Marc Iavaroni after he guided the club to a paltry 11-30 record before losing his job. In two seasons with Memphis, Iavaroni had an overall record of 33-90.

There's only so much a coach can do to motivate his players, and Hollins hopes this season some new faces will change the losing atmosphere. One in particular is Zach Randolph. The oft-criticized big man is surrounded by young players and must not set a bad example like he has in the past. He will help rookie center Hasheem Thabeet, the second overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, after he signed a multi-year contract in July. The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a down year in which basketball chief Joe Dumars jettisoned underrated coach Flip Saunders for the untested and unproven Michael Curry, and compounded that mistake with the ill-conceived Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson trade. Gone was Detroit's legendary balance, defensive prowess and chemistry, not to mention the run of six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons slipped to the eighth seed in the East and failed to advance to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001-02.Needless to say, this is a big year for Dumars.

He admitted his mistake with Curry and changed gears, hiring Larry Brown disciple John Kuester as the team's head coach. Meanwhile, trading for the expiring contract of Iverson did give Dumars plenty of cap space and the team was able to steal Chicago sharp-shooter Ben Gordon and Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva from division rivals. Whether that's enough to make Detroit a serious contender in the East again is up for debate but the Pistons do look like they are headed back in the right direction. The two teams split a pair of meetings last year with each club winning on the other's home floor. The Grizzlies 89-84 win in Auburn Hills on March 15 snapped a seven-game skid to the Pistons, who have won their last four visits to Memphis.

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http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2009/10 ... as-derrick

Sniffle* World Mourns as Derrick Byars is Cut by Bulls *Sniffle*
Derrick Byars, loved by many, known by few, was cut by the Chicago Bulls today.