Lebron takes out ad.

He forgot to thank the city of Cleveland - Jerk

The Boston Celtics are making progress on a deal that would bring Shaquille O'Neal to the defending Eastern Conference champions, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet final. Earlier Tuesday, the four-time NBA champion said he will be in the league next season and would rather retire than play internationally. O'Neal, 38, spent last season with Cleveland. He won three NBA titles with the L.A. Lakers and another with the Miami Heat. ...

http://www.freep.com/article/20100804/SP...Shaquille-ONeal

Greg Kelser said he believes Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and his staff are plotting a way to make the team's front line better before training camp starts.

Kelser spoke while spending part of Monday morning at Detroit Communication & Media Arts High School for a building makeover celebration.

"I think they will make a move before the start of training camp," said Kelser, the Pistons' TV color analyst. "There is still some strengthening on the front line that needs to occur, in my opinion. I think the backcourt is pretty strong. ... but the front line is where they were sorely lacking last year, especially with rebounding and scoring, low-post scoring.

"I think those are areas that still need to be attended to even though they did get a big fellow in the draft (Greg Monroe). He's a rookie and you never know what you can count on from rookies. I think he's going to be OK, but I think there's still some work to be done."

The addition of Monroe makes the group of Ben Wallace, Jason Maxiell, Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva better, but the crew certainly doesn't strike fear into Orlando, Miami or Chicago.

In the backcourt, Kelser agreed that the Pistons still don't have a lead guard, but the talent available should suffice.

"I think everybody agrees with the consensus that a solid, true point guard would be helpful with all these scorers and shooters," Kelser said. "Will Bynum, when he comes in, he has the ability to distribute and get other people involved. ... He's a combo guard. Rodney (Stuckey) is a combo guard. I'm not too worried about it if that's where they find themselves in October, because I think all those guys can handle the point guard spot if called upon."

http://www.freep.com/article/20100803/SP...e#ixzz0vvV9Ajqy

Un-fucking-believable. No wonder no one wants to play basketball in this town. I hope some nut climbs a bell tower and takes a shot at Dolan .

Hey Lilo, do us a favor, and take this piece of trash back to Detroit where people seem to understand him .

Even now, New York Knicks owner James Dolan and Isiah Thomas deserve each other

Mike Lupica, NY Daily News

Here is what happened the last time Isiah Thomas was an employee of Madison Square Garden: A jury decided he sexually harassed Anucha Browne Sanders in the workplace and that when Browne Sanders complained, James Dolan - owner of the Knicks and the Garden - fired her.

Thomas and Dolan still blame that on everybody except themselves. BP is more accountable than they are.

Now Thomas, the worst sports executive in Garden history, is back on the payroll as a "consultant." In a time of runaway unemployment, Thomas not only gets to keep his job as basketball coach at Florida International - where he was 7-25 last season - but gets to draw a check from his old boss as well.

So after everything he did to the Knicks, Thomas gets to come back.

The small-timers at the Garden make this announcement on a summer Friday, trying to somehow soften the blow with Saturday papers. As if people really wouldn't notice.

When NBA Commissioner David Stern, who must be awfully proud to have Thomas back in the league, forced Dolan to pay Anucha Browne Sanders her $11.6 million, Dolan sounded as if his leg were caught in some kind of trap, making the whole thing sound like some tragic miscarriage of justice.

But then he has never accepted any blame for what he did to Sanders. Neither has Thomas.

Ever since that famous smile of Thomas' didn't work with the jury - "I guess I was a pretty good basketball player," he said in an aw-shucks way - Thomas has told anybody who cares to listen that it wasn't the merits of the case that produced the most shameful day the Garden has ever had, it was newspapers, the Daily News in particular, that did him in.

Now he has somehow convinced Dolan he is some sort of invaluable "recruiter" of young basketball talent. Dolan even forced Donnie Walsh, who has spent two years trying to clean up the truly Gulf-like mess Thomas left him, to thank Thomas for helping the Knicks sign Amar'e Stoudemire.

Good grief.

Here's what enabled the Knicks to sign Stoudemire: More money and more years than anybody else in their sport was going to offer this guy.

They gave him $100 million when nobody else was going to and he took it. The idea that Thomas was some sort of central figure in this is just one more lie, as if all of them at the Garden now just lie to stay in practice.

The difference with the suit about sexual harassment that Anucha Browne Sanders brought against them was that they got called out on that in open court.

Despite all of that, despite that Thomas' creepy behavior cost Dolan $11.6 million on top of the fortune Thomas had already wasted on bad basketball players, Dolan treats him like some sort of genius, one who apparently will have a job for life on 33rd St.

Through it all, these incredible lumps wonder why the Knicks have become something worse than a punching bag, become one of the great punchlines in the sport. At least the Knicks are still great at something.

When it was announced yesterday that the Knicks had brought back Thomas as a consultant and recruiter, I called Kevin Mintzer. He was one of the lawyers representing Anucha Browne Sanders, which means one of the lawyers who did to the Garden's lawyers, and their case, what other NBA teams always did to Thomas' Knicks.

Mintzer laughed at the whole idea of Thomas getting any kind of job back at the Garden. He doesn't have to take Thomas seriously anymore, even though Knicks fans do.

"It's like they're still clinging to this notion that it didn't happen [with Browne Sanders] the way the jury clearly decided that it had," Mintzer said. "That it was the media's fault, and not their conduct. It's kind of amazing, actually."

Even after Dolan had to pay for what Thomas had done, they acted like a couple of weasels. They deserved each other then, and they still deserve each other.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basket...l#ixzz0vvsU6ZPD

He may be an incompetent GM/basketball exec but he's OUR incompetent GM/basketball exec... only wait..he's not.

Seriously he was supposed to have the job that Dumars has now but something happened. Nobody every really found out what. One rumor was that Old Man Davidson didn't care for the links that Thomas had to local criminals via high stakes gambling. But the story I heard was simply that Thomas had prematurely been telling people that the GM job was his and that Davidson didn't care for that one bit. Whatever the story was only Davidson and Thomas knew for sure and Thomas isn't talking.

The fellow's got bad knees and a bad attitude. I hope this is just talk. He doesn't address our biggest need ,which is a center or power forward-someone to rebound, throw a few elbows and score out of the low post.

Pistons in serious talks with seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady
Vincent Goodwill / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Former All-Star Tracy McGrady could become a Detroit Piston very soon.

McGrady, a former scoring champion who has been plagued with injuries in recent years, sparked Detroit's interest in the past day or so, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Detroit News. If he signs, it would be to the veterans' minimum, which is around $1.2 million. As of now, nothing is imminent but the sides are having serious discussions.

The Pistons have been silent on the trade market and in free agency this summer, so giving McGrady, 31, a shot to revitalize his once-promising career would be a jolt.

McGrady played six games in Houston last season before getting traded to New York after a rift over playing time. He averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 24 games for the Knicks. McGrady worked out for the Bulls last week, but comments of wanting to be a starter seemed to turn off Bulls management away.

The Pistons, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. They won just 27 games last season and seem open to anything, especially bringing aboard a player as talented as McGrady, who plays shooting guard and small forward and can play point guard on occasion.

Since leading the league in scoring in 2003 and '04, he's played in 70 games or more only twice. He played 35 games in 2009, averaging 15.6 points before shutting it down due to knee surgery.

The Pistons have taken on former stars with injury problems before. Antonio McDyess had the same type of knee issues before signing with Detroit after the 2004 season and revitalized his career with the Pistons as a valuable reserve. In his first four seasons with the Pistons, McDyess missed only nine games.

McGrady has a dubious history with the Pistons. With the Magic in 2003, he led them to a 3-1 series lead, then proclaimed after Game 4 he was happy to be in the second round. He never made it that far as the Pistons stormed back, blowing the eighth-seeded Magic out the final three games. McGrady never has made it out the first round of the playoffs, despite playing for better-than-average teams

If McGrady checks out health-wise and can play near his usual skill level -- he's averaged 21.5 points for his 13-year career -- it would be easier for the Pistons to make a trade at the crowded shooting guard and small forward spots. While it wouldn't necessarily be a precursor for Tayshaun Prince's or Richard Hamilton's departure, it could make things easier on management if they wanted to pull the trigger.

http://detnews.com/article/20100807/SPORTS0102/8070409#ixzz0w40hghjj

Guards
Rodney Stuckey-Really a shooting guard trying to play point and failing. Not his fault per se. You can't ask a wolf to be a sheep.
Richard Hamilton-shooting guard who can not create his own shot and has somehow never learned how to dribble the basketball.
Will Bynum-a default point guard because he's short but really more a combo guard. But he's a better point guard than Stuckey.
Ben Gordon-an undersized shoot first two guard
Austin Daye-a small forward with center height who likes to play two guard
Terrico White-who knows?

Forwards
Jonas Jerebko-a tweener forward who's a good glue guy and had a nice rookie season but is not strong enough to bang with the larger forwards or quick enough to stay with the smaller ones. Likely the most tradeable asset but really the only veteran I wouldn't trade. Will need to see if last year was just a fluke or we have the beginnings of a David Lee here.

Charlie Villanueva-It's tough having both alopecia and narcolepsy but you still need to play hard when you are awake. He was stealing money last year. Also slotted to play at power forward but really more of a small forward. Probably the most disappointing Piston last year or as they say in the corporate world , "has the most opportunity for growth".

Tayshaun Prince-nice guy but has been living on past glories for at least three years. Tends to disappear down the stretch. Had a run on injuries for the first time last year so will be interesting to see how he bounces back. Has been either Pierce's or Lebron's hand puppet in the playoffs for the past three years.
Jayson Maxiell-overpaid and undersized. He's a center by nature but is too short for that position and increasingly for the power forward position.
Dajuan Summers-see Jason Maxiell.

Centers
Greg Monroe-Liked what I saw in college but really more of a power forward I think. Can he play NBA center? Dunno.
Ben Wallace-Still an intimidating defender with amazing work ethic. Body cut from solid rock but undersized, old and couldn't score with a fistful of dollars in a women's prison.
Kwame Brown, Chris Wilcox- If you distilled them to their essences and combined the best of them into one player, that player would still be an all time SCRUB. If either of them touch the ball a turnover is imminent.

As currently constructed I see this roster winning about 30-34 games.

Detroit -- The Ilitch family may be about to reshape where and how people watch sports and are entertained in Metro Detroit.

By issuing a statement Monday that he is interested in adding the Detroit Pistons to his family's empire, Mike Ilitch may have set in motion a process that keeps the team in southeastern Michigan and provides considerable leverage for a new sports arena in Detroit.

"When I read in the paper there was the chance that this great sports town could lose one of its professional sports franchises, I just didn't see how we could let that happen," said Ilitch, who presides over a domain that includes Little Caesars Pizza, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers and Olympia Entertainment.

A new facility is a high priority for the Red Wings, given the age and sparse amenities of Joe Louis Arena.

If the Ilitches complete the deal, they would be among the few owners of three major sports franchises in the same market. H. Wayne Huizenga owned the Dolphins, Panthers and Marlins in Miami simultaneously, and Time-Warner owned the Braves, Hawks and Thrashers in Atlanta.

"This is great news for Detroit," said Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers and is relocating 1,700 employees of his company, Quicken Loans, to downtown Detroit. "Major sports teams belong in the heart of urban cores, where they thrive the most and add to the vitality and connection to other important downtown businesses and attractions."

The sale of the Pistons -- and the Palace Sports & Entertainment Group -- remains a long-term enterprise, and there are likely to be competitors in the bidding. But there would be considerable synergies for the Ilitches.

The purchase of the Pistons might come at a reasonably low price, given the halting economic recovery and especially the longer-term decline in Michigan, according to experts on the sale of major sport franchises.
...

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100810/...s#ixzz0wBtVajwz

Joe Donut actually went ahead and signed Tracy McGrady.


I don't see how this helps Detroit. Maybe this is some three-dimensional chess move but having another shooting guard/small forward on a roster full of them doesn't make sense unless some trade is imminent. And especially not an injury prone prima donna like McGrady.

Considering he signed what effectively is a bargain basement contract, I suppose it won't hurt.

Or help for that matter.

i love this signing...the bulls won't sign this has been.

If Tracy McGrady and Arnie Kander aren't familiar with each other already, they will get to know each other very well in the coming weeks before training camp.

Before agreeing to the one-year, $1.35-million deal that was reported Tuesday, the Pistons insisted McGrady spend a lot of time with Kander, the team's strength-and-conditioning coach, getting his body ready for training camp.

The Pistons truly believe that they have an edge with strength-and-conditioning coach Kander, who has been with the team since the spring of 1992. They think his methods are great at preventing injuries (last season notwithstanding) and helping players overcome previous injuries.

Take Antonio McDyess in 2004. He came to the Pistons at a time when there were questions about whether the one-time jumping jack would ever recover from serious leg injuries. He spent five relatively healthy seasons with the Pistons before signing a two-year deal with the Spurs before last season. He played fewer than 70 games only one time since joining the Pistons -- he played 62 games in 2008-09 when he missed a month because of league rules after being traded to the Nuggets, waived and returned to the Pistons.

Take Ben Wallace last season. He returned the franchise where he made his name after an injury-plagued season with the Cavs. He exceeded expectations by being the team's best big man last season.

So the Pistons think it's worth $1.35 million to see whether McGrady, 31, can even come close to returning to the guy who was once one of the top players in the league. He has been plagued by back problems for much of his career, and he had knee surgery during the 2008-09 season when he played for the Houston Rockets.

He averaged 8.2 points per game last season, his lowest output since he was a rookie with the Raptors.

His role remains to be seen. There is an obvious glut of perimeter players with the Pistons and the glaring need for a center could be solved by parting with Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince.
http://www.freep.com/article/20100811/SPORTS03/8110362/#ixzz0wI8Bn7Y9

Rasheed Wallace retired.

one wallace gone, when is big ben retiring?

Ben Wallace can't retire. As of now he's the only proven center (undersized and old though he may be) that Joe Donut has under contract. He also has a two year deal. I don't know if Greg Monroe will be an NBA center or not but to be fair I didn't see him play a lot.

"The best thing about the reunion of Michael Jordan and Kwame Brown with the Charlotte Bobcats is that both men are in completely different places right now. Jordan isn't trying to scratch a final itch while proving to his boss that he has what it takes to be both a spectacular player and executive. Brown isn't a teenager weighed down from expectations to deliver as a franchise savior.

Jordan no longer has to worry about his boss, because he is the boss. Brown doesn't have to worry about expectations because he has been, for lack of a better word, a bust."

Kwame Brown signs with Charlotte

Lilo, will you care inform the peanut gallery all the great players Jordan passed up that year when he drafted Brown #1?

Pau Gasol
Joe Johnson
Tyson Chandler
Mehmet Okur
Tony Parker
Gilbert Arenas
Shane Battier
Richard Jefferson

and more...

it still pisses me off that the bulls had two chances to get gasol.

Typical Cubs fan...bitter & resentful to the end!

Kwame Brown sucks .

Boston signed Delonte "No comment on Lebron's mom" West...

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer, one of Chicago's top offseason acquisitions, broke his right hand in a fall at his home Saturday and could be out for two months, the Bulls announced Sunday.

Boozer, who will need surgery, spent the previous six years with Utah. A two-time All-Star, he joined the Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal.

Crain's Detroit Business reports that Karen Davidson, owner of the NBA's Detroit Pistons, has opened negotiations to sell the team to Mike Ilitch, pizza magnate and current owner of two other Detroit sports teams. If successful, he would become the only person to own teams in three of the four major sports leagues.

The deal would include the purchase of Palace Sports & Entertainment, a venue management company with properties that include the basketball team's home arena, the Palace of Auburn Hills. However, if Ilitch were to take control of the team, he would look to move them to downtown Detroit, where they could occupy a new arena alongside the NHL's Red Wings.

This was our Johnny-on-the-spot but he also had skills. Behind Big Ben he was the guy with the most hustle on the team but he also had some offensive skills.

Auburn Hills — The Pistons already-thin frontcourt suffered a major loss when second-year forward Jonas Jerebko suffered a torn Achilles tendon Tuesday night in Miami.

Jerebko, who averaged 9.3 points and six rebounds last year, will undergo surgery Friday and is expected to miss at least five months. He landed awkwardly on a drive in the first quarter.

Pistons coach John Kuester sat with Jerebko, 23, on the ride home, trying to keep his spirits up. It’s no question Jerebko’s willingness to improve made him one of Kuester’s favorites.

“He’s a competitor, but he’ll attack his rehab the way he does everything else: the right way,” Kuester said.

Jerebko, a 6-foot-9 power forward, was successful playing next to Ben Wallace because of his boundless energy, which made up for his NBA inexperience (he played professionally overseas) and was one of the team’s best offensive rebounders. Jerebko’s not a natural scorer, but being consistently active helped him be in the right place at the right time.

.....
Jonas Jerebko out five months

There are some players who do go out of their way to express themselves or jaw at refs. It's no accident that Kobe is the one pictured here. But I think refs know the difference between someone who shakes their head or waves his hand dismissively while running back down the court and someone who decides to give his opinion on the eyesight of the referee or the intimate habits of the referee's mother.

NBA Crackdown


In a recent preseason game against the Nets, Boston’s Paul Pierce punched the air in frustration after being whistled for a foul. He then looked around in curiosity after hearing the whistle again. In a circumstance that could repeat itself all season, the official, Steve Javie, had assessed Pierce with a technical foul for his demonstrativeness.

“He was like, ‘Sorry, but that’s the new rule,’ ” Pierce said Javie told him.

The new rule that Javie referred to is an attempt by the N.B.A. to cut down on the whining and muttering, the arm-waving and air-punching, the drawn-out contentiousness that is often generated by foul calls players disagree with. If players cannot keep a lid on the complaining, they will receive a technical...