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

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

I feel all right,” Stuckey said of his 26 minutes. “The plan wasn’t to play all those minutes, but it was just in the heat of the game. I feel fine, and my wind felt fine. Via The Detroit Free Press

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http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Detroit shot a shocking 50% from behind the long line. Only bad thing about that was Indiana shot 53%.

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http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Jerebko with 10 points, 6 boards and 3 steals. You can count on him each game with numbers like that or better.

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http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Best thing I can say about Charlie Villanueva is that he’s been a disappointment this season.

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http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Nine points for Will, with 4 assist in 21 minutes.

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http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

What a miserable 3 quarters for Detroit, I was almost happy FSN didn’t broadcast this game in HD. Who wants to see all that blood?

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

We just bettered ourselves in the Lottery standings! The Pistons are tied with the Pacers for the fifth-worst record in the league.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Give DaJuan Summers some minutes! Summers scores 12 points in 17 minutes on 4-7 shooting with 4 boards and a blocked shot. Just check out his highlights.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://need4sheed.com/2010/03/stuckeys- ... arent.html

Cavs again Sunday.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3652 ... ngs-around

Let's Be Real, Can the Pistons Really Turn Things Around?
The Pistons have obviously been a perplexing team to watch this season. After displaying a promising preseason, they were mercilessly attacked by the ghost of sprained ankles, bad backs, and broken noses. But instead of losing their next five games, they managed to WIN them. And in exciting fashion, at that. Next, we Piston fans were relieved to hear that Rip Hamilton was making his long-awaited return. Only to see him go down two games later. Oh, and leaving us a 13-game losing streak as a gift. Finally, everybody became healthy, right on time to display every single problem we predicted they would have. The culprit? No, not injuries, chemistry problems, or lack of motivation. The culprit is Joe Dumars. Yeah, I said it. The man who turned spare parts into the second-best team of the 2000's single-handedly made a monster. You know, the one that is 50 feet tall, has steel armor; oh, and can create bad contracts out of thin air. For the first time in a decade, things are looking bleaker than ever. And it would take a miracle for everything to fall neatly into place. No playoffs, no life, no hope. That's what many Pistons' fans are chanting this season. And who can blame 'em?

Optimism is out. We have a serious puzzle on our hands. Why did the famed GM get rid of Piston killers Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson to invest 95 million dollars into... Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson duplicates? He got so caught up in creating a better offensive team, he forgot what made the Pistons good in the first place: defense. I can understand why he signed Charlie Villanueva, a young power forward who could develop his defensive game with the help of Big Ben Wallace. But why Ben Gordon got a $60 million contract is beyond me, especially with Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey both comfortable playing the two. It's even more beyond me why he didn't sign a center. He could have tossed money at restricted free-agents Andrew Bynum or David Lee. Bynum may have been hard to pry away from the Lakers, but Lee could have been had for a four-year contract worth $30-35 million. Deep inside, Dumars thinks that this will play out nicely. But any basketball fan can see that the Pistons have a jumbled mess in front of them. Next season, we could possibly be looking at the same roster, minus Will Bynum. There are many teams in the league who could use Bynum, especially contenders like the Lakers, who are relatively weak at the PG spot. If we matched any offers thrown at Bynum, we could easily be thrown into the luxury tax.

This team has all the potential in the world. But without financial flexibility, the extra parts needed to push the team over the edge of mediocrity will be hard to reach. Was Joe D intending to end up in the lottery this season? I mean, after all, he has had great success in the draft. What, he hasn't? Oopsy. Although John Wall is the most popular player of the draft, he can't fix the guard problem. Rather, he would add to it. What would we do with Stuckey? Trade him? Would Joe Dumars admit that Stuckey isn't good enough? Hey, it would be a step in the right direction. I like Stuckey, but he will never blend in with both Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton. This is a situation that has no immediate answer. Adding a center, although helpful, will only take us so far. Let's face it. Pistons fans don't want to just make the playoffs. We want to make it to the Finals. We want thrilling rivalries, intense determination, and timeless moments. I remember when the regular season used to be an opportunity to get home-court advantage. If some of these unnecessary contracts aren't moved, home-court advantage could soon be a distant memory.

[nasty daddy]

http://smokingpistons.com/2010/03/19/pi ... t-indiana/

Pistons Look For W At Indiana
Detroit needs to win this cupcake matchup for their own self esteem. Detroit prepares for their 3rd matchup at the Indiana Pacers today. The Pacers own the series at 2-0. Detroit has lost 3 in a row, their last loss against Cleveland. The Pacers lost their last game also to the Cavs on Wednesday. Needless to say the unstoppable hurricane that is the Cleveland Cavaliers continues to make its way through the Central, taking on the Bulls tonight. The Indiana Pacers, who are one game behind the struggling Pistons, look ready to take the season series against the Pistons. They are currently playing without Danny Granger who is both injured and serving a suspension. If he can’t play tonight, it should mean a win for the struggling Pistons. The Indiana roster was inexperienced at the start of the season, but most players have played steady minutes throughout the season and gives them the experience they needed.

Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, and Dahntay Jones have all made leaps and bounds this season, much like some of the Pistons players who have been pushed into action because of injuries. Without Granger, the offense hinges on Troy Murphy and Roy Hibbert. The two big men have been playing well lately, especially Hibbert who is getting his opportunity to shine this season. T.J. Ford, Tyler Hansbrough, and Jeff Foster are all out with various injuries, leaving their bench even more inexperienced than the starters. The lone bright spot is Mike Dunleavy, who is now coming off the bench to lead that 2nd unit. Detroit needs to come out firing tonight. They can’t sit back and try to claw their way back into it, they’re just not good enough to do it. They’ve struggled shooting the 3 this season, as well as consistent defense. Games have been lost by giving up ridiculous runs to their opponents, like the 14-0 by the Jazz or the 19-7 run from Lebron and Co to seal their fates. This kind of defense can’t lead to wins, but where does the blame get placed?

Detroit is just as banged up as the Pacers. It was extremely encouraging to see Tayshaun play against the Cavs, especially after leaving the game before. His play could mean turning things around here for the struggling Pistons. His play against the big men for Indiana could determine a win or loss, although I think the whole team needs to play good defense to seal this one up and end this 3 game skid. Detroit 105 Indiana 100

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/clevela ... ef:nbahpt2

Cleveland's Darnell Jackson Re-Assigned to Erie BayHawks
The Cleveland Cavaliers re-assigned forward Darnell Jackson to the Erie BayHawks, Cleveland’s NBA D-League affiliate, it was announced today. The assignment marks the 32nd time an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate this season.

Jackson, in his second year with the Cavaliers, has appeared in 26 games for Cleveland this season, scoring 19 points in 109 minutes and rejoins the BayHawks following an assignment last month. During his first assignment this season, he appeared in one game scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 42 minutes.

Twice assigned from the Cavaliers to the BayHawks last season, Jackson has appeared in three NBA D-League games in his career, averaging 24.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 31.0 minutes. In his NBA career, Jackson owns averages of 1.5 points and 7.0 minutes in 77 games with the Cavaliers.

[nasty daddy]

http://pistonsnationblog.com/2010/03/20 ... to-pacers/

Comeback in vein, Pistons lose to Pacers
[Det 102 @ Ind 106] Last night Detroit gave all the Ping-Pong Piston fans quite a scare as they almost pulled off a big comeback win over the Pacers. The Pistons seemed to be behind from the start of this game. Going into the half the Pacers had the Pistons down by 21, the Pacers were shooting the ball straight (60%), and the Pistons were not (37%). The Pistons didn’t offer too much in the way of defensive resistance either. The Pacers’ lead got up to 24 very early in the third. The Pistons whittled that lead down to 17 going into the 4th quarter. Tayshaun Prince was big in the third as was Jonas Jerebko. Behind Rondey Stuckey, DaJaun Summers, and Ben Gordon (yes, those last two names are correct) the Pistons mounted a nice rally. Detroit scored fifteen unanswered points to take a one point lead -their only lead of the game- with about 3 minutes to play. But, unfortunately this Pistons’ team cannot seem to close out close games. Danny Granger (29 pts, 6 asts) and the Pacers got right back on top and never looked back. Rodney Stuckey came off the bench in his first game back since collapsing in a game against the Cavs back on March 5th. He didn’t look a bit tentative out there scoring a team high 25 points in 26 minutes on a variety of drives and jumpers.

We had a Richard Hamilton anomaly last night. The Ripster played 19 minutes -about 15 less than his season average- and went 0/3 from the field. That marks the first time in a Pistons’ uniform that Richard Hamilton did not score a point. You have to go back to November of 2000 as a member of the Washington Wizards to find the last time Rip went scoreless. Coach Kuester rode his hot hands. Rip spent the latter part of the 3rd quarter, and all of the fourth on the Pistons’ bench. DaJuan Summers made his biggest impact since turning heads in the summer league. DaJuan scored 12 with 4 rebounds in 16 minutes of play. Coming into the season it was said that Summers was the rookie most ready to contribute right away but that’s awful difficult to do from the bench. The season is a wash. Get this guy minutes and let’s see what we have to look forward to. Ben Wallace made his return after missing the last 8 Pistons’ game with a right patella tendon injury. Ben’s 24 minutes came off the bench in favor of Jason Maxiell who has been superb in Ben’s absence. Jason (10 pts, 5 rbs) fell well short of his 6th straight points/rebounds double-double. But, to put Mad Max’s 5 consecutive streak in perspective it hadn’t been done by a Pistons since Big Ben did it in 2004 and in was the “JYD” Jerome Williams in 1999 before Wallace. Three time in the last 11 years of Pistons’ basketball.

GAME NOTES: Ben Wallace tweaked his knees in the 4th … Ben Gordon scored 14 of his 17 in the 4th … Pistons are 0-3 on the season vs. Pacers … Stuckey made 3 triples … Tay with 11 & Jonas scored 10 … Troy Murphy had 20 with 8 boards … Pistons have dropped 11 of their last 13 …

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http://twitter.com/DETPistons

Ben Wallace to miss Sunday's game at Cleveland with knee problems. http://tinyurl.com/yl9tvpn

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http://twitter.com/dsummers35

What's good people... In cleveland for the day... Game tomorrow at 6.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Freep: Big Ben out again for Pistons: Coach John Kuester said Ben Wallace injured his knees Friday night and will ... http://bit.ly/dibsRx

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Ted Kulfan: Draft could be Pistons' one shining moment in sad season: The next Piston might be wearing ... http://twurl.nl/oqn17i

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

MLive: About Last Night: It's okay to be thinking about the draft lottery: A loss to the Indiana Pacers drops the ... http://bit.ly/b70Lwp

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... sad-season

Pistons vs. Cavaliers
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Quicken Loans Arena
TV / radio: Fox Sports Detroit / 97.1 The Ticket
Outlook: The Cavaliers look for a four-game, regular season series sweep over the Pistons. The Pistons have lost 11 of their last 13 games. G Rodney Stuckey returned to Pistons' lineup Friday and scored 25 points. Stuckey returns to Cleveland, where he collapsed on the bench March 5, spent the night in a hospital, and missed two weeks before being cleared to play.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... sad-season

Draft could be Pistons' one shining moment in sad season
A huge part of the Pistons' future is out there -- possibly competing in the NCAA Tournament. He might be wearing a jersey from Kansas, or Kentucky, or Wake Forest. Maybe Syracuse. But he's out there, trying to achieve his "One Shining Moment" and hoping to stamp a ticket for the NBA, along the way. And, judging from the way this Pistons season has gone, brother, his help is needed. You can tell fans have pretty much tuned to next season, also. You can tell, because questions about the draft are popping up more often.

With March Madness going strong, we might as well focus on a few players who could be on the Pistons' radar June 24. A lot will depend on where the Pistons pick, obviously. For that reason, we've eliminated John Wall, only because the ultra-skilled Kentucky guard is a lock at No. 1 overall to New Jersey, and it's highly unlikely the Pistons somehow win the lottery over the awful Nets. But here are several other Piston possibilities:

• Evan Turner, Ohio State: Turner is universally ranked as the next best player after Wall. Turner is a 6-foot-7 guard/forward who has an excellent mid-range game, can create his own shot and could eventually wind up as a point forward.
• DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky: Several scouts have said the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Cousins could be starting in the NBA already. He'd be ideal on this Pistons roster. One drawback is his lack of polish offensively, but remember, he's only a college freshman.
• Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech: Another freshman likely to enter the draft, at 6-foot-10 he's a little more raw than Cousins, but may have more potential. He's particularly raw offensively.
• Cole Aldrich, Kansas: A 6-foot-11 junior who struggled in the Big 12 at times this season. What you see is what you get. Aldrich looks like a good role player in the NBA, a defensive presence, but not very polished offensively.
• Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest: He's an intriguing guy, a 6-foot-8 forward who can swing between the 3 and 4 positions, and create his own shot. But the Pistons are already loaded at those positions.
• Patrick Patterson, Kentucky: Keep an eye on the 6-foot-8 Patterson, who returned to school this season and has taken a back seat to heralded freshmen Wall and Cousins. The ability to do that, plus his efficiency around the basket, make him a good prospect at the power forward spot. Some scouts, though, would like to see him play tougher. Now, go back to watching March Madness. It's a nice diversion from a painful Pistons season.