'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 38

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Link to volume 37: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=903478&p=19549070#p19549070

This thread will contain Pistons news, injuries, free agent signings, trades, draft and news throughout the NBA, plus scores from both the NBA and college.

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http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... _next.html

KG surgery next week
Celtics president Danny Ainge told the Globe's Frank Dellapa tonight that forward Kevin Garnett would have surgery sometime next week on his knee.

Garnett missed 24 games and the postseason with a sprained right knee. The Celtics have said the All-Star would have right knee bone spur surgery that had been postponed previously in the hope that he could get healthy enough to play in the postseason. But with Boston being eliminated last Sunday, Garnett is now available to have knee surgery for the first time in his career.

Owner Wyc Grousbeck said today that he expected Garnett to be back at full strength next season, and coach Doc Rivers has said he didn't expect Garnett to be out long following the surgery.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... le-trouble

Other events are needed
The company that owns the Nuggets had to scrub next week's WWE Monday Night Raw wrestling date at the Pepsi Center to make way for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers. Earlier this month, a Yanni concert scheduled for Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh -- along with a number of other events, including WWE -- forced the Penguins and Washington Capitals to play playoff games on back-to-back nights, first in Pittsburgh, then in Washington. The Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Center are all owned by the same company. Squeezing every penny out of that building through ticket sales, concessions, parking, luxury suites and souvenirs for all events -- even those not involving the primary tenants -- helps pay the multimillion-dollar salaries that keep the teams in business.

Though the Penguins and Mellon Arena aren't co-owned, the bottom line is basically the same: A building that hosts an event normally makes somewhere between $100,000 and $500,000, and nobody wants to give up that kind of cash. That's especially true in Pittsburgh, where the arena is nearly 50 years old and doesn't draw as many top events as the newer buildings. "Underutilizing the facility can be a detriment to the organization in the long run," McDonnell said.

McDonnell said sloppy clerical work and the never-ending quest to make money were the most likely reasons for the double bookings. Most arenas have schedules and calendars and contingency plans in place months and years in advance. The WWE-Nuggets imbroglio, he said, almost certainly was not caused by owner Stan Kroenke's lack of faith in his team. Trying to stir the pot, McMahon said if Kroenke had really believed in the Nuggets, he wouldn't have been booking the arena during playoff time. "He's not sitting at his desk doing scheduling," McDonnell said. "The bottom line is, it probably doesn't sit well with the Denver Nuggets audience, thinking he doesn't have faith. But that's probably not the case. All you have to do is look at the players he acquired and the team he assembled."

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... le-trouble

Problems arise
Indeed, the Nuggets weren't picked as a playoff team by many back in August, which is when the WWE date at the Pepsi Center was secured -- and nearly three months before the team traded for Chauncey Billups. That, however, changed everything. But regardless of the roster, anyone looking to rent an American arena that has hockey or basketball teams as its primary tenants in May should do some double checking. In 2007, Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, was deciding whether to put his 2008 Olympic trials in Boston or Philadelphia. "They did a thesis statement on the odds of the Celtics getting to the '08 NBA finals," Penny said. "I'll just say, if you could've put money on it in Vegas, you would've done it."

But that paper was written well before the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett, who did, in fact, lead the Celtics to the finals in 2008. Luckily, Penny had done his homework and chosen Philadelphia, mainly because that city's backup venue, The Spectrum, was a better option than the No. 2 choice in Boston, 6,300-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University. "Basically, I had a friend who said, 'Steve, do you like to sleep at night?'" Penny recalled. "I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'Well, what happens if the Celtics make a run next year and you spend the first six months of your Olympic year wondering if your building is going to be available?'"

That sealed the deal. It appears there was no such forward thinking in the case of the Nuggets and the WWE. That has left McMahon scrambling and the Pepsi Center facing possible litigation. McMahon needs to find a venue for his event, which is supposed to be televised on USA Network. "We may be holding an event in a parking lot somewhere," he said. For the record, the Pepsi Center parking lot is booked Aug. 20 through Sept. 6, when Cirque de Soleil comes to town.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... ke-Griffin

Clippers win NBA lottery, likely will select Blake Griffin
For most of the last 25 years, the Los Angeles Clippers have had to travel across the country every spring for the NBA draft lottery. Maybe Blake Griffin can help save them the trip. The Clippers won the lottery Tuesday night, moving up from the third-best chance to earn the top pick and the right to draft Griffin, the national college player of the year from Oklahoma. "We're going to do our diligence and then we're going to pick the best player in the draft. A lot of people think that's Blake Griffin," Clippers president Andy Roeser said. "He's a terrific athlete, he's athletic and he's strong. Any franchise would be happy to have Blake Griffin for a long time." And perhaps someday Griffin, an All-America power forward, will be part of a Clippers team doing what the Lakers, their Staples Center co-tenants, were doing Tuesday night: playing in the conference finals. "I'm not sure we've stolen the spotlight (from the Lakers)," Roeser said. "A couple of years ago we were playing in the playoffs and I would rather be in that position, no questions."

Memphis vaulted to second and Oklahoma City will pick third. Sacramento, which had the best chance to win the lottery after finishing with a league-worst 17-65 record, fell to fourth, and Washington dropped from second to No. 5. The Clippers won the top pick for the third time in their mostly dismal history. They last had the No. 1 selection in 1998 and, perhaps predictably, blew it, taking eventual bust Michael Olowokandi. They stand a better chance of getting it right this time if they go with Griffin, who led the nation with 30 double-doubles and 14.4 rebounds per game, while also averaging a Big 12-best 22.7 points as a sophomore. Roeser, who represented the team on the podium, wouldn't confirm that they will choose Griffin, though they could certainly use a power forward after former star Elton Brand left before last season as a free agent. "I think five years from now Blake Griffin will be hitting his stride in the NBA and he will be an impact player wherever he is," said Roeser, whose sports jacket was lined with a Clippers uniform with a No. 1 on the left side and a 23, Griffin's number, on the other. "He's an athletic player. He can do all sorts of things and has a ton of talent, and I think any team will be happy to have him." Former All-Star Chris Webber, who represented Sacramento on the podium, seemed to agree Griffin is the way to go. "I love Griffin's game. I think there is a lot of upside to his potential," Webber said. "He's a hardworking player. I love the guy." The top three teams all moved up, making the 25th lottery as unpredictable as most of its predecessors. Not since 2004, when Orlando took Dwight Howard, had the team with the best chance to win ended up with the No. 1 pick.

And though Sacramento desperately needed the help, Webber said he loved the system. "The worst team shouldn't always get the best player," he said. "You can do a lot of losing for that. I really like the system, it is fair." The draft is June 25. Minnesota has the sixth pick followed by Golden State, New York, Toronto, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Charlotte, Indiana and Phoenix. The Clippers also picked first in 1988, drafting Danny Manning. This was their 20th appearance in the draft lottery, which is supposed to help bad teams get better quickly. They can only hope that will finally be the case this time. "Our goal is to be playing next year at this time," Roeser said. The lottery had a much bigger buzz in the past two years because there were two players who seemed worthy of going No. 1. Portland went for Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in 2007, and the Chicago Bulls moved up to get Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose last season, with Michael Beasley going second to Miami. That wasn't the case this year, since Griffin seems like the only possible choice at No. 1. Spanish guard Ricky Rubio and Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet are also considered top-three choices, but come with question marks: Rubio is still a teenager and Thabeet isn't polished offensively. The lottery determines the top three picks, with the rest of the first round going by inverse order of a team's record. It began in 1985, when the New York Knicks selected Patrick Ewing.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -in-Game-1

Lakers hold off Nuggets in Game 1
Los Angeles -- Those wildly inconsistent Lakers showed up for their Western Conference finals opener against Denver and still managed to defend their home court. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, including six free throws in the final 30 seconds, to lift Los Angeles to a 105-103 victory over the Nuggets on Tuesday night after the Lakers trailed most of the game. Pau Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Derek Fisher had 13 points for the Lakers, who faced a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Gasol's two free throws tied the game for the last time at 99 before Bryant went to the line, offsetting a 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups and a free throw by J.R. Smith. Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points, Billups added 18 and Kenyon Martin had 15 for the Nuggets, who hadn't played since taking care of Dallas in five games last Wednesday. Game 2 is Thursday in Los Angeles. Bryant, who was 9 for 9 from the line in the fourth quarter, made two for a 101-99 lead with 30 seconds left. Trevor Ariza stole the inbounds near midcourt and the Lakers were able to run the clock down to 10 seconds when Bryant made two more free throws.

Billups hit a 3-pointer to get the Nuggets to 103-102 with 5 seconds left, but then Anthony fouled Bryant, who made his final two foul shots. Smith made one free throw with 3.2 seconds left and missed the second intentionally. Bryant grabbed the game's last rebound. "A good one, an important one," Bryant said of the win. "Like I told the guys in a timeout, this is a different series. We felt kind of down on ourselves with a slow start. ... I told them to forget about that, this is a different series." The Lakers were back in action 48 hours after closing out Houston in seven games in the conference semifinals. "We just had to push through it, we didn't come out with the kind of energy we wanted, guys were fatigued, a little tired," Bryant said. "But it was a gut check for us." Denver led most of the game in its return to the conference finals for the first time in 24 years. But the Nuggets couldn't stop Bryant over the final 6:48, when he scored 15 points, including seven straight to help the Lakers improve to 7-1 at home in the playoffs. They are 8-0 this postseason when scoring 100 points. Bryant got the better of Anthony, his U.S. Olympic teammate. "It was a lot of fun, he's a bull down there," Bryant said. "I am a little out of my weight class, but I'll give it my best shot."

Neither team led by more than five points in the third quarter, when Laker starters Andrew Bynum and Ariza both picked up their fourth fouls. The Lakers used a 9-0 run, including seven straight by Fisher, to go up 70-66. From there, though, the Nuggets ended the quarter on a 10-4 run to lead 76-74. Billups had five consecutive points, including a free throw after a technical foul on Bryant, in the spurt. The Nuggets moved the ball well and aggressively drove the basket in taking a 13-point lead in the opening quarter, but hurt themselves by going 12 of 21 from the line in the half. Billups, who missed three free throws in the first two playoff series combined, missed his first three of the game. The Nuggets controlled the first half, leading until the final 1:10 of the second quarter. That's when Josh Powell hit two free throws to give the Lakers their first lead. The Nuggets went back in front before Fisher hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Lakers into halftime leading 55-54. Fisher was 0 for 6 before connecting from the right baseline, which was emblematic of the Lakers' shooting woes. They hit 38 percent from the field, with Bryant going 7 of 16.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_ID=35967

The play of the game was an Ariza steal with the Lakers up 101-99. Anthony Carter was inbounding while being guarded by the much taller Odom. Ariza anticipated the pass and the Lakers were able to get a couple of free throws. With the Lakers up 103-99, Billups sinks a very difficult three over Ariza to keep the pressure on. Bryant hit his final two free throws.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_ID=35967

Early Carmelo Anthony was flat out on fire. Whether he was defended well or lost by Trevor Ariza, he was hitting everything. As a team the Nuggets shot 63.6% in the quarter while the Lakers were absolutely sluggish.

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

Muddled lottery could cause reaching to start at 4
Think of the unveiling of the draft lottery’s order this way: It’s akin to revealing the first piece of a jigsaw puzzle and then having to guess what the picture as a whole will look like. It’s a start, but not much of one. But let’s take a shot anyway: Eric Maynor. That’s our first guess – but surely not our last – as to whom the Pistons might take with the 15th pick on June 25.

The lottery really muddied the waters with the big moves up by the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis, who leaped into the 1-2 spots. Sacramento and Washington were the big losers, going in with the best chances to land the top picks and winding up fourth and fifth. The clear No. 1 pick is Blake Griffin, but the Clippers had less of a need at his position than any other team in the lottery. With Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman up front, the Clippers will be highly motivated to trade one or two of them – but Randolph’s contract makes him tough to deal and he and Griffin would seem largely incompatible. Still, you don’t pass on a guy who’s head and shoulders above the field.

The heavy consensus is that the second-best talent in the draft is Spanish teen point guard Ricky Rubio. But Memphis spent the No. 4 pick in the 2007 draft on Mike Conley and last year wound up with No. 3 pick O.J. Mayo and many believe Mayo eventually should wind up playing with the ball in his hands. The lottery was really unkind to Sacramento, which would have been happy with either Griffin or Rubio. At No. 4, maybe Jordan Hill or James Harden would be the best talent available, but the Kings drafted power forward Jason Thompson last year and their best player, Kevin Martin, plays Harden’s position. So the Kings could be forced to make the first reach of the draft. From Sacramento’s spot and on down, the draft will be at least as much about need as talent for most teams.

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

Here’s a guess at how the first 15 picks might unfold:
1 – LA Clippers – Blake Griffin is the easy call. Randolph has two years at about $33 million left. Maybe by the trade deadline, he’ll be movable. Maybe the Clips can find a taker for Kaman this summer and play Camby at center full-time. The thing that must cause the NBA to shudder is that the one player in the draft who looks able to morph into a franchise player is going to the most cursed franchise in the league.
2 – Memphis – The lore that’s grown up around Ricky Rubio – the floppy hair, the passing wizardry, the comparisons to Pistol Pete Maravich – could make him the biggest draw in Memphis since Elvis. And the Grizzlies desperately need some gate appeal. If he’s as good at delivering the ball as advertised, than playing Mayo off the ball could still fully exploit his talents, too.
3 – Oklahoma City – There are plenty of scouts with severe reservations about the limitations of Hasheem Thabeet. But they all acknowledge what he can do – block shots and plug up the lane. And the Thunder could use that defensive presence as much as anyone on a team with a nice young nucleus of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook.
4 – Sacramento – The Kings overspent badly last summer, giving Beno Udrih a mid-level exception deal with four more years to run. Point guard is their clear need. The hottest name on the board now might be Syracuse sophomore Jonny Flynn.
5 – Washington – Given the health concerns about Gilbert Arenas, point guard is a possibility here, too. But the Wizards probably can’t pass up the value in getting a productive big man with toughness – something the Wizards could use – in Arizona power forward Jordan Hill.

6 – Minnesota – After three years, Minnesota still isn’t sure what it has in Randy Foye – but the evidence suggests whatever he is, he isn’t a point guard. The Timberwolves, with a sorry draft history, are always candidates to throw a curveball. So make the pick here Brandon Jennings, the speedy American point guard who bypassed his freshman year of college to play professionally in Italy.
7 – Golden State – Don Nelson will go for the best offensive player on the board. Davidson’s Stephen Curry will be awfully tempting, but make the pick Arizona State’s crafty James Harden, instead.
8 – New York – The chalk pick of the first round, other than Griffin going No. 1, seems to be sweet-shooting Stephen Curry of Davidson going to the Knicks with the eighth pick, where he should thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system.
9 – Toronto – The Raptors desperately need to upgrade their wing athleticism and there’s no better wing athlete in the draft than Southern Cal freshman DeMar DeRozan.
10 – Milwaukee – In danger of losing restricted free agent Charlie Villanueva due to their rocky salary-cap situation, the Bucks would do well to score Wake Forest combo forward James Johnson at No. 10.

11 – New Jersey – The Nets drafted extremely well last year, picking up Brook Lopez in the lottery, Ryan Anderson later in the first round and Chris Douglas-Roberts in the second. Pitt’s DeJuan Blair is an undersized power forward with a body like Charles Barkley’s. He’d give the Nets the inside scoring threat they need.
12 – Charlotte – Tough to read with Larry Brown’s influence, but he’s tight with John Calipari, so if Memphis frosh Tyreke Evans is still on the board, his athleticism and high ceiling will be tough to pass up for the Bobcats.
13 – Indiana – Given the severity of Mike Dunleavy’s knee injury, the Pacers will be looking for somebody who can step in at shooting guard. Duke’s Gerald Henderson – like Dunleavy, a player with an impressive bloodline – has athletic burst and showed improved perimeter range in an impressive junior season.
14 – Phoenix – There are still loud whispers that the Suns would be open to dealing Amare Stoudemire this summer over concerns about his commitment to defense. Whether they do or not, now that they’ve committed to Alvin Gentry as coach – with Gentry committed to catering his offense to Steve Nash’s ability to create transition points – a combo forward with the athletic ability and shooting range of Louisville’s Earl Clark would be tough to pass up.
15 – Detroit – Many see Virginia Commonwealth’s Eric Maynor as the best pure point guard in the draft. He carried his team for four years, leading them to an NCAA tournament upset of Duke as a sophomore. Maynor’s size (6-foot-3) would mean he could play effectively with both Rodney Stuckey or Will Bynum.

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http://www.insidebayarea.com/warriors/ci_12407610

The Clippers, according to insiders, have a crush on Italian point guard Ricky Rubio. If Los Angeles was to draft Rubio, word is it would look to trade current starting point guard Baron Davis, the former Warriors star. (Maybe the new GM, whom the Warriors say has autonomy over the roster, would be inclined to reacquire Davis?)

That's perhaps a moot point now as the Clippers almost have to take Griffin or risk possibly making one of the worst decisions in draft history.

"I think five years from now, Blake Griffin will be hitting his stride in the NBA, and he will be an impact player wherever he is," Clippers president Andy Roeser told AP. "He is an athletic player. He can do all sorts of things and has a ton of talent, and I think any team will be happy to have him."

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090520/S ... t+industry

Yak-a-Shaq: Suns' O'Neal learns broadcast industry
James Jahnke breaks down the latest news around the wide world of sports in the ticker. Shaq: basketball player, cop, actor, rapper ... commentator?

Without the pesky playoffs interfering, Shaquille O'Neal -- the Suns' renaissance center -- has enrolled in a crash course at Syracuse known as Sportscaster U. It's designed to teach athletes about broadcasting. His first day of school was Monday. "I've been an athlete that's sort of in advance; always thinking," O'Neal said. "After basketball, I'd love to have my own radio show, my own TV show."

Sportscaster U is essentially a broadcasting boot camp started by Syracuse announcer Matt Park and ESPN's Dave Ryan. Former Spartan Eric Snow is among the athletes to have signed up. Shaq, ever the overachiever, even scored the first on-camera interview with ex-Dukie Greg Paulus, who had just announced his decision to play football for Syracuse in '09.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090520/S ... r+Pistons+

Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur free-agent possibilities for Pistons
The Pistons will monitor the situation in Utah closely this off-season. The Utah Jazz roster is in a state of flux, with free agency possible for forward Carlos Boozer, center Mehmet Okur and shooting guard Kyle Korver, and the restricted free-agent status of power forward Paul Millsap. The thinking is the Pistons might be able to acquire a player from the Jazz if it is dead-set against paying the NBA's luxury tax.

Greg Miller, who heads the family that owns the Jazz, was emphatic to KSL-TV in Salt Lake City last weekend that the team will pay the tax if it means keeping Millsap. There's still uncertainty about whether Boozer, Okur and Korver will return or opt out of their deals and become free agents. The Pistons expect to be about $20 million under the salary cap this summer. The salary cap is expected to drop to about $57 million next season, but more important, the luxury-tax threshold is expected to fall to $68 million, which kicks in a penalty for every dollar over the threshold. It's expected the Pistons would have little interest in Korver, who had surgery Monday to remove scar tissue from his right wrist, but with a serious need to upgrade the frontcourt, a case could be made for Boozer, Okur and Millsap.

Speculation has centered on the Pistons' interest in Boozer when free agency begins July 1. If he returns to Utah, he and his $12.6-million salary might be trade bait. And Miller didn't seem as committed to Boozer. "We'd love to have Carlos here," Miller said. "Carlos is a very talented player. I think he would be one who would be considered a marquee player. But I do have concerns about Carlos' defense, and I have some concerns about his ability to lead the team." Okur, a part of the Pistons' 2004 championship, could be a target if he opts out, since 7-footers who can shoot are rare. If the Pistons make Millsap an offer, the Jazz would have the right of first refusal.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=4347

J.R. Smith sprains knee, Renaldo Balkman sprains ankle
Nuggets G JR Smith suffered a sprained right knee at the end of tonight’s game against the Lakers. His status for Thursday’s game will be updated tomorrow.

Renaldo Balkman suffered a sprained right ankle in pregame workouts. He is questionable for Thursday’s game.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... 520&lc=NBA

Clippers Win Lottery, Will Draft Griffin
The Clippers have twice had the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, and will get it again for a third time, having won the league's draft lottery Tuesday night at Secaucus, N.J.

"Clearly, we're taking Blake Griffin," Clippers General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said in a telephone interview from Barcelona, Spain.

"This guy is the No. 1 pick. We're extremely excited. He's the guy."

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime

Thoughts On The Nuggets
Tuesday's Denver Post has a fascinating story by Ben Hochman on the Nuggets' tattoos, including a great line from Chris Andersen: "We might not lead the league in stats, but we do in tats."

The Nuggets' "wrong side of the tracks" story is the one that sticks most in people's minds, but the more I look at this team, the more similarities I see with the 2004 Detroit Pistons. There's the Chauncey Billups connection, obviously, as well as the team winning 54 games and finishing with the conference's second seed, just like the Pistons. Detroit had to go through the Lakers to a win a championship, as Denver is trying to do, and the Pistons were coached by a North Carolina alum (Larry Brown) who preached sharing the ball and had trouble coexisting with Allen Iverson, just like Nuggets coach George Karl.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime

Nuggets' Anthony Sets Mark In Defeat
Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points in the Nuggets' loss to the Lakers. It was Anthony's fourth consecutive 30-point game, tying Denver's postseason record, set by Alex English in 1985.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime

Lottery: Behind The Scenes
The first thing you notice, when you get into the secret conference room, on the third floor of the NBA offices in Secaucus New Jersey, is that three people are missing.

Who is it who got the honor of representing the Timberwolves here tonight? Who from the Suns will be making certain that nothing untoward happens with the drawing of the ping pong balls? Who will pump his fist in the air on behalf of the Los Angeles Clippers?

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... 520&lc=NBA

Baron Davis: 'Curse of the Clippers Over'
(Baron Davis)............."Yes!!!! Going Crazy... I'm back in the gym rt now 4 the 2nd time 2day. The curse of the clippers is over.... Let's go clips nation!!!"

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... 520&lc=NBA

Kings Predict "Active, Interesting Draft'
No. 4, finishing fourth in Tuesday's NBA draft lottery means Geoff Petrie lost an opportunity to acquire the most polished player in the Class of 2009, and that from now until the night of June 25, the Kings will have to make their own luck.

Trade up. Trade back. Swap picks. Trade existing players. Let's just say the league's general managers will be too busy for dinner breaks these next several weeks. "Obviously the fourth pick means you're out of the running for Blake Griffin," said Kings player personnel director Jerry Reynolds, "but nothing else is decided. I think this is the kind of draft where a lot of teams will be looking to do something. It could very well become a very active, interesting draft."

This particular draft, in fact, has the characteristics of a crapshoot, a process likely to feature more lies and misdirection plays than usual.