'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 27

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3537

Raptors, Celtics, Kings trade Will Solomon, Patrick O’Bryant; Kings waive Mikki Moore
The Sacramento Kings today acquired Will Solomon from the Toronto Raptors and cash considerations from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade that sent Boston’s Patrick O’Bryant to Toronto and a protected Kings’ second round pick in 2014 to Boston, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. In a related move, Sacramento waived Mikki Moore.“Considering the recent roster moves made over the last 24 hours, this trade allows us to bring in an experienced guard in Will, when you consider his time in the NBA, coupled with his extensive experience playing professionally overseas,” said Petrie. “We also want to thank Mikki for his contribution and wish him the best.”

Solomon, a 6-1, 185-pound guard, who is currently in his second NBA season, averaged 4.9 points (.436 FGs, .263 3FGs, .833 FTs), 3.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game through 39 outings with Toronto this season. He was originally selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies as an early entry candidate out of Clemson where he enjoyed a three-year collegiate career. Solomon played one season (2001-02) for the Grizzlies and has played overseas since 2002. He has amassed NBA career averages of 5.1 points (.375 FGs, .279 3FGs, .711 FTs), 2.1 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game over 101 contests, of which he has started in 13 with Memphis and Toronto.

Moore, a 7-0, 225-pound forward/center, who is currently in his 11th NBA season, averaged 3.5 points (.521 FGs, .810 FTs) and 3.3 rebounds per game through 46 outings, of which he started in 20 for the Kings this season. After a four-year collegiate career at Nebraska, Moore was not drafted by an NBA team in the 1997 NBA Draft. He has posted career averages of 5.9 points (.548 FGs, .154 3FGs, .744 FTs) and 3.9 rebounds per game over 510 contests, of which he has started in 161 for Detroit (1998-2002), Boston (2002-03), Atlanta (2002-03), New Jersey (2003-04 and 2006-07), Utah (2003-04), Los Angeles Clippers (2004-05), Seattle (2005-06) and Sacramento (2007-09).

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3539

Magic get Rafer Alston in 3-team trade involving Grizzlies, Rockets, Kyle Lowry, others
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has acquired guard Kyle Lowry from Memphis and forward Brian Cook from Orlando as part of a three-team trade. The deal has the Rockets sending Rafer Alston to the Magic, while the Grizzlies receive a first-round draft selection from Orlando in the 2009 NBA Draft along with center Adonal Foyle and guard Mike Wilks. “First, I would like to thank Rafer for his commitment to the team over the past four seasons,” said Morey. “Kyle is an underrated player who will help us now and we can build around in the future. He is a very good rebounder and defender who can attack the basket in the half court and transition, finish, and make the kick out pass to shooters. Brian is a proven veteran who will provide us with solid perimeter shooting and additional depth.” “Rafer is a starting veteran point guard who shoots the ball well,” said Magic General Manager Otis Smith. “He will give us added depth and athleticism in the backcourt. We thank Brian, Adonal and Mike for all of their contributions and wish them all the best.”

Alston (6’2”, 175, 7/24/76, #1) has played in 48 games (all starts) this season for Houston, averaging 11.5 ppg., 5.4 apg., 3.0 rpg., and 1.2 stlpg. in 33.1 minpg. In his 10th NBA season, he is shooting .348 (80-of-230) from three-point range and has scored in double figures 28 times, including a season-high 23 points on January 21 vs. Utah. He’s led the Rockets in assists in 26 games this season. Originally selected by Milwaukee out of Fresno State in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft (39th overall selection), Alston has appeared in 590 games with four teams (Milwaukee, Toronto, Miami, Houston), averaging 10.2 ppg. and 4.9 apg. He has also appeared in 33 playoff games, with 11 starts. He saw action in 13 playoff games for the Miami Heat in 2004, and averaged 14.3 ppg. and 4.5 apg. in four postseason games last year for Houston. Considered a “playground legend” while growing up in Queens, New York, he coached the 16-and-under New York Panthers AAU basketball team during the 2008 offseason. “It was difficult to part with Kyle Lowry,” Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace said. “He has been an important part of our team the last three seasons. With the emergence of Mike Conley, we decided that the acquisition of Orlando’s unprotected first round pick was a good move to make. We now will enter the upcoming draft with two first round selections and three picks overall, likely inside the first 37 picks.” The Grizzlies now own four first round picks over the next two drafts, including the Lakers’ 2010 first rounder and the team’s own two first round selections.

Lowry (6-0, 205, Villanova) was averaging 7.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 49 games (21 starts) with Memphis in 2008-09. As a starter this season, Lowry is averaging 9.0 points (.423, 60-142 FG), 4.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game. Overall, he has scored 10-plus points 12 times in 2008-09, including a career-high 25 points vs. Cleveland (1/13/09). Lowry posted his second career double-double at Minnesota (12/29/08) with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists, which marked the most assists for a Grizzlies player since Chucky Atkins (16) at Minnesota (4/18/07). The 6-foot guard also recorded career highs in free throws made (15) and attempted (16) vs. Cleveland (1/13/09). Selected out of Villanova after his sophomore season by Memphis in the first round (24th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, Lowry has averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 141 career games (30 starts) with the Grizzlies. He was one of just two Grizzlies to play all 82 games last season, leading the club in free throw attempts (348). Lowry missed all but 10 games in his rookie year due to a fractured wrist. Cook (6-9, 250, Illinois) averaged 3.0 points (.440, 11-25 3FG), 1.3 rebounds and 7.0 minutes in 21 games with Orlando this season. Playing in his second campaign with the Magic, Cook scored a season-high nine points at Utah (12/13/08). He matched that total with nine points vs. Atlanta (1/9/09), as well as pulling down a season-best eight rebounds. In his sixth NBA season, Cook has averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 325 career games (74 starts) with the L.A. Lakers and Orlando. Cook, who was selected by the Lakers in the first round (24th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, played four-plus seasons in Los Angeles before joining the Magic via trade on Nov. 20, 2007. The former Illinois standout also appeared in 25 postseason games with the Lakers, averaging 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.0 minutes per game.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3540

Spurs beat Pistons 83-79
The AP reports: Michael Curry was quite happy with the way his team defended Tim Duncan on Thursday night. That’s why the rookie Detroit Pistons coach was so impressed that Duncan finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds in San Antonio’s 83-79 victory. “It says a lot about Tim Duncan that we can say he didn’t have a great game when he had 18 and 18,” Curry said. “People aren’t going to fully appreciate what a great player they’re watching until he retires. He just goes out there and does that game after game.” … Tony Parker added 19 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who are 4-3 on an eight-game road trip… Allen Iverson led all scorers with 31 points, and Antonio McDyess added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00415/1127

Pistons pass on deals, wait to rework roster
Dumars says there were wasn't a move to be made, and he didn't want to affect salary-cap space.The Pistons did what they said they were going to do. They stood pat at the trade deadline Thursday, opting to ride out this season with the current roster and work to reshape their team in the summer when the contracts of Rasheed Wallace ($13.7 million) and Allen Iverson ($21.8 million) come off the books. "We chose not to make any deals for a couple of reasons," president Joe Dumars said before the 83-79 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. "One, there wasn't a deal to be made. It's not like we turned down any deal. There wasn't anything even tempting. "Second, I had laid some parameters down to general managers around the league. I said, with the Alex Acker trade (to the Los Angeles Clippers), that put us $450,000 under the luxury tax and I told the GMs that any deal that I would think about doing, I wasn't taking on any money. Plus, I wasn't going to do anything to disrupt our cap space this summer."

With most teams looking to dump salaries, that left the Pistons out of the mix. But come this summer, they'll be very much in the mix. Remember last summer when the Denver Nuggets were looking to dump salary and they traded Marcus Camby to the Clippers for second-round draft picks? "When you have the cap space that we are going to have (as much as $23 million), you know you are going to be presented with every option out there," Dumars said. "We aren't banking on that, but I would be disingenuous if I stood here and said that's not something that could happen down the road." The question for now, though, is did their rivals in the Eastern Conference make any moves to alter the balance of power? As it turned out, no blockbuster deals were made, though earlier in the day it looked like there might be some seismic changes. The Cleveland Cavaliers, desperate to win a championship now to entice LeBron James to stay beyond 2010 or to at least get one while he's still there, went hard after the Phoenix Suns' Shaquille O'Neal, offering Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. They also made a play for Milwaukee Bucks forward Richard Jefferson, offering Wally Szczerbiak. Both deals fell through. The Boston Celtics tried to get Andres Nocioni from the Sacramento Kings, offering as many as four players, but couldn't reach an agreement.

The Celtics wound up trading center Patrick O'Bryant to the Toronto Raptors for point guard Will Solomon. The Celtics also might be getting former Pistons forward Mikki Moore. The Kings reportedly plan to buy Moore out of his contract and waive him. If he clears, the Celtics would likely try to sign him.The New Jersey Nets were dangling Vince Carter around the league for weeks but never found a suitable offer. Perhaps the most significant deal of the day, at least from an Eastern Conference viewpoint, was the Orlando Magic, who acquired point guard Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets. With starting point guard Jameer Nelson out for the season, they needed a legitimate starting point guard, and they got one. It was a three-team deal in which the Rockets got guard Kyle Lowry from Memphis and forward Brian Cook from the Magic. The Grizzlies got a future No. 1 pick from the Magic and cleared more cap space. Does that move vault the Magic past the Cavaliers and Celtics? No, but it certainly gives them a fighting chance to stay in the conversation. At 27-26, though, the Pistons aren't as concerned with the top end of the conference bracket as they are with the teams fighting for the Nos. 4 through 8 slots. The fifth-place Miami Heat strengthened themselves by acquiring Jermaine O'Neal from the Raptors for Shawn Marion.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=161

gabo in nj: what's up what should expect to see this offseason 4rm teams around the league that didn't deal this trade deadline?

Jason Fleming: Obviously it depends on the team, but expect Detroit to make some big splashes. I'd also expect the Bucks and Nets to make changes as well as they continue to work on their youth movements. The Houston Rockets are another team that needs to do something, because they might be going into 09-10 with only Yao as a proven scorer.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00330/1127

It's too late in the season for baby steps
Michael Curry asked his players to fight harder, and they did. They played with more energy and passion than they had in weeks. But it didn't matter. When the game was on the line, the Pistons couldn't make a winning play and the short-handed and road-weary San Antonio Spurs took an 83-79 victory Thursday at The Palace. "After the last couple of games we were in here talking about our effort and things like that," said Allen Iverson, who scored 31. "The effort was there. Everybody came focused, ready to play and we left everything we had on the floor. We just didn't get it done." That last line is going to be on the Pistons' tombstone for this season. It was their fifth straight loss, equaling the season's longest skid. It's also the second time this season they've lost four straight at home, something that hadn't happened since 2000-01. They have a losing home record (14-15), and are one game above .500 (27-26).

Tony Parker scored 19 and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Spurs, who were without Manu Ginobili (right leg) and playing the seventh of an eight-game trip. "Good teams realize it's a 48-minute game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Nobody panicked. Every game is like a different painting in a way. All kind of different things happen and you have to read it as it goes along. I thought our guys kept their composure real well." After fighting uphill all game, the Pistons had four chances to take the lead or tie the score in the final 52.9 seconds. Iverson, who scored 12 in the fourth, including a layup that put the Pistons up 79-78 with 1:21 left, missed his last three shots, including a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left that would have tied the score. "A play like that matters so much, but just getting to the point where we needed a desperation shot to tie the game is the frustrating part," Iverson said. "We put ourselves in a bad predicament." The Pistons had a chance to take the lead on the previous possession. They ran isolation plays for Iverson almost the entire second half. The Spurs trapped him and forced him to pass the ball to Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace, guarded by Tim Duncan, missed a fallaway 17-footer from the baseline. "I thought Allen was going good," Curry said. "He was our most aggressive guy all night long and he was the reason we cut it to one. They took the ball out of his hands and he had 'Sheed at 17 feet."Wallace shot 4-for-17. Richard Hamilton was 2-for-10. Tayshaun Prince was 3-for-10. Rodney Stuckey took just three shots in 29 minutes. The Pistons offense -- with the exception of Antonio McDyess, 13 points and 13 rebounds -- was reduced to a one-man army. "If those guys get the same shots, they are going to knock them down," Curry said. "As long as we fight the way we fought and defend like we did, we are going to be OK." Scoring two points in the final 2:54 isn't going to get it done. Curry called three timeouts to set up offensive possessions in the final 1:28. The Pistons scored once out of the three timeouts. "I don't mind playing iso-basketball, but I like to run," Iverson said. "I don't want to have to play iso-ball. I would rather us get baskets in the first four or five seconds of the shot clock. That's the way I want to play. I want to run up and down the court so we don't have to play against a big defense like that."

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http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00330/1127

McDyess recorded his 1,000th career block.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00330/1127

The Pistons missed seven of 18 free throws and 10 of 12 3-pointers. Matt Bonner of the Spurs made five of eight 3-pointers.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00330/1127

Curry only played two reserves, Hamilton and Jason Maxiell (10 points, nine rebounds). His reasoning: The Pistons don't play again until Sunday night and with the game on TNT, there were longer timeouts.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00330/1127

Thursday's key trades
Bulls -- Traded G Larry Hughes to the Knicks for F Tim Thomas, F-C Jerome James and G Anthony Roberson.
Knicks -- Acquired F Chris Wilcox from the Thunder for F Malik Rose.
Magic -- Acquired point guard Rafer Alston from the Rockets.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/orl ... picgallery

Duncan delivers as Spurs scratch past Pistons
Tim Duncan had 18 points and 18 rebounds and Tony Parker added 19 points and 11 assists and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 83-79.

FAST BREAKS: The Spurs broke a three-game road losing streak while the Pistons dropped to 2-10 at home in the past six weeks. ... Allen Iverson led all scorers with 31 points, and Antonio McDyess added 13 points and 13 rebounds. ... San Antonio led 64-58 going into the fourth, and although the Pistons got as close as three, George Hill's fast-break dunk made it 73-66 with 6:35 left. ... Detroit rallied again, and Iverson's jumper pulled the Pistons within 78-77 with 3 minutes to play. ... Two stops gave the Pistons a pair of chances to take the lead, and Iverson took advantage of the second with a layup with 1:21 to go.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.slamdunkcentral.com/2009/02/ ... ons-83-79/

One can look at the San Antonio Spurs-Detroit Pistons game on Thursday night from a couple of perspectives: the defense on both sides performed above-average or the players on both sides simply forgot how to shoot, save for Pistons guard Allen Iverson - who scored 31 points. No matter what your point of view is, the facts are this - even Iverson’s scoring could not save the Pistons as the Spurs held them to 40.2% shooting. Bottom line? San Antonio held off Detroit in a low-scoring affair 83-79 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

As the final score indicated, the first half was low-scoring as Detroit outscored San Antonio 24-20 while the Spurs outscored the Pistons 25-16 in the second quarter; the Spurs took a 45-40 lead into their locker room. San Antonio would take a 64-58 lead going into the fourth quarter and although Detroit got to within 3, a dunk by the Spurs’ George Hill would make it 73-66 with 6:35 remaining in the game. But the Pistons would rally as Iverson’s jumper would pull Detroit to within 78-77 with 3 minutes to go; a pair of defensive stops would give the Pistons to take the lead, which they would do on a Iverson layup with 1:21 left to go. Rasheed Wallace would foul Tony Parker, who would make a pair of free throws, giving San Antonio an 80-79 lead while Iverson missed from the other end of the court.

Parker missed a jumper and Wallace grabbed the rebound with 28 ticks left on the game clock; Wallace missed a fadeaway jumper and the Spurs’ Bruce Bowen would get fouled before he could call a timeout. Bowen would hit both free throws to make it 82-79 with 9.7 seconds remaining. Iverson missed a last-gasp 3-point attempt and Tim Duncan would ice the game for San Antonio from the free throw line. San Antonio’s high scorer was Parker with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal while Duncan added 18 with 18 rebounds and 3 blocked shots; Matt Bonner chipped in 15 (including 5 three-pointers) with 7 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Detroit was led by Iverson with 31 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal and a blocked shot while Antonio McDyess notched a double-double, scoring 13 with 13 rebounds. San Antonio (36-17) plays again on Saturday when they travel to D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards while Detroit (27-26) travels to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Sunday.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090219/S ... ng+Pistons

Ginobili-less Spurs too much for skidding Pistons
Tim Duncan had 18 points and 18 rebounds and Tony Parker added 19 points and 11 assists and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 83-79 Thursday night. The Spurs broke a three-game road losing streak, while the Pistons dropped to 2-10 at home in the past six weeks. Allen Iverson led all scorers with 31 points, and Antonio McDyess added 13 points and 13 rebounds.San Antonio led 64-58 going into the fourth, and although the Pistons got as close as three, George Hill’s fast-break dunk made it 73-66 with 6:35 left.

Detroit rallied again, and Iverson’s jumper pulled the Pistons within 78-77 with 3 minutes to play. Two stops gave the Pistons a pair of chances to take the lead, and Iverson took advantage of the second with a layup with 1:21 to go. Rasheed Wallace fouled Parker, who gave San Antonio a 80-79 lead from the line, and Iverson missed at the other end. McDyess hurdled the Spurs bench to save the rebound, but Michael Finley grabbed the loose ball.

Parker’s jumper bounced off the rim, and Wallace grabbed the rebound with 28 seconds left. Wallace missed a fadeaway over Duncan, and Bruce Bowen was fouled before he could call timeout. Despite coming into the game shooting 47 percent from the line, Bowen hit both shots to make it 82-79 with 9.7 seconds left. Iverson missed a tying 3-pointer and Duncan clinched the game from the free-throw line.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090219/S ... ng+Pistons

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich announced before the game that sixth man Manu Ginobili will miss an additional 2-3 weeks with a right ankle injury. ... McDyess got his 1,000th career block early in the fourth quarter.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 3537.story

Michael Curry was quite happy with the way his team defended Tim Duncan on Thursday night. That's why the rookie Detroit Pistons coach was so impressed that Duncan finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds in San Antonio's 83-79 victory. "It says a lot about Tim Duncan that we can say he didn't have a great game when he had 18 and 18," Curry said. "People aren't going to fully appreciate what a great player they're watching until he retires. He just goes out there and does that game after game." Duncan had seven points and eight rebounds in the fourth quarter, helping the Spurs break a three-game road losing streak. "Tim is the base to everything we do," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "He rebounded and he got some buckets, and that's what we needed." Tony Parker added 19 points and 11 assists for the Spurs, who are 4-3 on an eight-game road trip. "This was tough, but we'll take it, because we needed a win," Parker said. "We've lost a couple games that we could have won, so this gives us some confidence to try to finish this in Washington."

The Pistons dropped to 2-10 at home in the past six weeks, and face a road trip that includes games at Boston, Cleveland, New Orleans and Orlando. "We lost again," point guard Rodney Stuckey said. "I don't know. I really can't explain anything anymore. We just keep losing, and now we've got some great teams to play." Allen Iverson led all scorers with 31 points, and Antonio McDyess added 13 points and 13 rebounds.San Antonio led 64-58 going into the fourth, and although the Pistons got as close as three, George Hill's fast-break dunk made it 73-66 with 6:35 left. Detroit rallied again, and Iverson's jumper pulled the Pistons within 78-77 with 3 minutes to play. Two stops gave the Pistons a pair of chances to take the lead, and Iverson took advantage of the second with a layup with 1:21 to go. Rasheed Wallace fouled Parker, who gave San Antonio a 80-79 lead from the line, and Iverson missed at the other end. McDyess hurdled the Spurs bench to save the rebound, but Michael Finley grabbed the loose ball.

Parker's jumper bounced off the rim, and Wallace grabbed the rebound with 28 seconds left, but missed a fadeaway over Duncan. "We had Rasheed with a good look at a 17-footer in a one-point game," Curry said. "That's what you want." Bruce Bowen grabbed the rebound, and was fouled while frantically trying to call a timeout. Despite coming into the game shooting 47 percent from the line, he hit both shots to make it 82-79 with 9.7 seconds left. "Bruce is a real pro," Popovich said. "He doesn't start for us, but he does whatever we ask. He guarded Rip (Hamilton) for a while, he guarded Allen for a while, and he did a great job." Iverson missed a tying 3-pointer and Duncan clinched the game from the free-throw line. "I couldn't have gotten a better look -- I've got to come up with that one," Iverson said. "I had more time than I thought, and I rushed it."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/S ... oss+in+row

Pistons fight, but suffer 5th loss in row
The effort was a lot better, but the result was the same for the fading Pistons on Thursday night.After a woeful outing Tuesday night in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks to start the post-All-Star portion of the season, the Pistons showed more fight but fell in the end, 83-79, to the San Antonio Spurs. It was the Pistons' fifth loss in a row and their 14th out of 19. The Pistons also fell below .500 at home with a 14-15 mark. And with an upcoming stretch of games against Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston, it is a real possibility that things will get worse before they get better. Pistons coach Michael Curry pointed to an offense that didn't give much support to Allen Iverson's game-high 31 points. Rasheed Wallace was 4-for-17, Tayshaun Prince 3-for-10 and Rip Hamilton 2-for-10. The Pistons shot 40.2% from the field, and Rodney Stuckey scored just two points in 29 minutes."It came down to where we got to make some shots," Curry said. "If they get those same shots off, I know they will make a larger percentage than they did tonight."

The Pistons did play better defense against the Spurs, but with superstars Tony Parker (19 points, 11 assists) and Tim Duncan (18 points, 18 rebounds) ... well, it's a tough night for any defense. "I know a lot of times people talk about San Antonio basketball as a boring game of basketball, but I love basketball and I love the way they play," Curry said. Iverson did his best to halt the slide, and it looked as though he might succeed when his lay-up gave the Pistons a 79-78 lead with 1:21 left. But Parker hit two free throws, and Iverson and Wallace missed jump shots. Bruce Bowen added two more free throws, Iverson missed a three-pointer and the Pistons had lost another one. "I could have got a better look," Iverson said of the missed three-pointer. "I think I kind of rushed it. I had more time than I thought I had." After showing a willingness to play the younger players most of the season, Curry used only Rip Hamilton and Jason Maxiell off the bench. "We don't play again until Sunday," Curry said. "It (Thursday's game) was one of those games that was a television game with lots of time-outs and guys got a lot of rest."

The Pistons got off to a 9-0 start, forcing Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to call a time-out. But the Spurs regrouped and pulled to within 24-20 at the end of the first quarter behind Parker's nine points. The fast start became a distant memory as the Spurs took a 45-40 halftime lead behind the play of power forward Matt Bonner, who nailed four triples in the first half. The Pistons would overcompensate on Parker's rushes to the basket and would be too deep to recover and challenge Bonner behind the three-point arc. Bonner finished with 15 points on five three-pointers. "You're going to give something up," Curry said. "Bigs are going to get shots if they can shoot at the three-point line."Antonio McDyess had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/S ... oss+in+row

THE END OF THE ROAD?

The 27-26 Pistons' road schedule could land them below .500 before they return home. Who they face and their records:

Sunday
Cleveland 41-11 Tuesday
Miami 28-25 Wednesday
New Orleans 32-20 Feb. 27
Orlando 39-14 March 1
Boston 44-11 ENTERING THURSDAY'S GAME

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/C ... scrap+heap

Pistons' season destined for the scrap heap
Will the last person on the Pistons' bandwagon please turn off the headlights? Uh, I guess that would be me. I don't like writing teams off too early, but it is not too early anymore. The Pistons are headed for a first-round playoff exit ... if they make the playoffs. That is no longer a guarantee, which is absurd with the talent on this roster. The Pistons are 27-26, they have lost five straight, and check out their next five games: At Cleveland. At Miami. At New Orleans. At Orlando. At Boston. That makes five road games against better teams. When the Pistons come home from that trip, they could be under .500. And that will make for an interesting return home against ...Denver. And Chauncey Billups. More on that in a minute. First, let's talk about two things that happened Thursday that indicate the Pistons are going nowhere. (This brings the total, I believe, to 147 things. Yes, I think you could say I was slow to write this column.) The first thing that happened was the NBA trade deadline. The Pistons didn't make a move, but most teams in the NBA didn't make a move. No, the interesting thing here is that the Pistons did not even try to make a move.

Jermaine O'Neal got traded, Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire were available, a few other fairly big names were floated ... and Pistons president Joe Dumars sat at the station waiting for the next train. The Pistons were never close to acquiring Stoudemire, and for good reason: he only has one more year on his contract, which would have made him a short-term solution for a team thinking long term. The second thing that happened Thursday was the game against the Spurs. San Antonio won, 83-79, and afterward, Rodney Stuckey had no comment. I don't mean he gave no comment. I mean he couldn't come up with one. "I ain't got nothing to say," he said. "We just lost. ... I don't know. It is what it is." He let out a gallows-humor kind of laugh. Nobody had made a joke. "I really don't got nothing to say, guys," he said. "I'm sorry. I can't really explain nothing anymore. We just keep losing." Antonio McDyess added ... nothing. Which was sort of the point. "Same old song," McDyess said. "What else to say? Same questions, same answers. And we don't have no answers for what y'all have to say. ..."We feel like we can win every game when we get out there. But is it happening? It's not happening."

The Pistons have talked about bringing more consistent effort and being closer than they appear, and maybe they believe that. But this is an aging team. Their window has closed, and they're standing outside, trying not to freeze to death. The Pistons can say they almost beat San Antonio. This is true. Also, it is misleading. The Pistons were home for the third straight game, they immediately opened a 9-0 lead, and Pistons coach Michael Curry shortened his rotation to his top seven players. The Spurs were playing their seventh straight road game, and they didn't have Manu Ginobili, who is out with a "stress reaction," which must mean he is worried about the economy. They played with a few guys you would not recognize as NBA players if they knocked on your door and said, "Hi, we're NBA players." Yet the Spurs still won. In the final minutes, it appeared Allen Iverson was the Pistons' only offensive option and the other guys were only on the floor for bookkeeping purposes. Iverson almost pulled it off, too -- he was terrific. But the Pistons can't consistently win in the playoffs that way. The Spurs look like the team the Pistons faced in the 2005 Finals. The Pistons are a shell of their former selves. Ben Wallace is long gone, of course; Rasheed Wallace and McDyess are not the players they were four years ago, especially defensively. That, more than anything, is the difference between these Pistons and the contenders of the past few years. Curry said before Thursday's game that when opponents penetrate, the Pistons' big guys just don't "clean up" as they once did. He acknowledged that part of it was age. Billups would have made this team better. But he would not have made Wallace and McDyess younger. He could not have lifted this team past the Celtics or Cavaliers. It's over, folks. That should be obvious to everyone now. (Even me.)

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/S ... or+Pistons

Major trade never an option for Pistons
The Pistons weren't even close to making a blockbuster move the past few weeks as Thursday's NBA trade deadline approached. And as the clock struck 3 p.m. on Thursday, things didn't change: The Pistons stood pat while several minor deals took place around the league. That shouldn't be surprising despite the team's recent struggles in losing 13 of 18 games. When team president Joe Dumars traded guard Alex Acker to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday just to swap second-round future draft picks, the Pistons fell around $450,000 under the luxury tax threshold of just over $71 million.

So the Pistons weren't going to the league's salary dump. With the expiring contracts of Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson, they will have around $20 million to make roster moves beginning July 1. And the Pistons were reluctant to do anything that would hinder that flexibility. "When you lay down parameters like that -- that alone will probably knock down some of the phone calls you are going to get," Dumars said before Thursday night's game against the Spurs at the Palace. "There was nothing even remotely close that even tempted me. "As you guys know, teams are just trying to get off of money with the tough financial situation."

Dumars said he was on the phone a lot over the past few days, but he was just talking with other general managers around the league about the latest developments. Dumars did address the question of whether he will preserve the team's financial flexibility until the summer of 2010 -- with the mega free-agent class of superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. He joked that it really wouldn't be wise to wait until then because there is still the matter of the 2009-10 season. "Given the fact that we have to play a season next year, I think I need to use that money," Dumars said. "I think we're going to tip it off next year. So I better try to put a hell of a team on the floor next year."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090220/S ... or+Pistons

AROUND THE LEAGUE: One of the Eastern Conference teams did make a deal that could help in the playoff run.