March 2006 Pistons articles *Frequent Updates*

[Detroit Bad Boys] It?s official: Detroit fans hate the Pacers!

A few days ago, we asked "Which current Pistons rival do you dislike the most?" One hundred and fifty people participated, with exactly 30% of the vote choosing the Pacers and 27% choosing the Heat.
The Spurs (20%) were a distant third, followed by the Nets (15%), Lakers (5%) and Kings (4%). I'm not too [...]



[BEYOND THE ARC] Dumars, Darko and the draft...oh my.

In the aftermath of the trade that sent Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to Orlando Wednesday, there was some pretty...



[Detroit Bad Boys] LeBron versus the Pistons

FOXSports.com's Charley Rosen analyzed Detroit's win over Cleveland on Sunday in his latest article. It's not your average game recap — instead, it's a technical article that takes a very close look at LeBron James' game. A good read to prepare for tonight's rematch in Cleveland.




[Detroit News] Picking up speed

They're fun to watch. They can shoot the lights out and play tough defense. The wins are piling up, and people are starting to wonder what's going to happen in the playoffs.



[Detroit News] Dealing Darko was good move

Burning questions as Darko-mania continues to grow:



[Detroit Bad Boys] Pistons sweep up Cavaliers in spite of an inspired performance by Damon Jones

The Pistons beat King James and the Cavs last night, 84-72, at Quicken Home Loans Arena. The "wine and gold"–as the Cavs are referred to by their announcers (thank you, NBA League Pass)–answered my questions about their toughness by playing the Pistons close for three quarters. Zydrunas Ilgauskas even exacted a bit of revenge [...]



[BEYOND THE ARC] Big challenges lie ahead

As the Pistons get ready to kick off the second "half" of the season (actually, 31 games remain) tonight against...



[Detroit Bad Boys] No laughing in basketball

If you haven't already heard about it, Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas earned a technical last night after throwing Rasheed Wallace to the floor, perhaps in retaliation for Sheed splitting open Z's skull the day before. How did Sheed react to the play? He laughed it off, which somehow earned him a technical foul, as well. (Need [...]



[Detroit Bad Boys] Welcome the newest Piston, Tony Delk

A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive reports on his blog that Tony Delk, recently released by the Atlanta Hawks, will become the newest Piston sometime tomorrow morning. Delk joins the team as a second point guard option off the bench behind Lindsey Hunter. Blakely:
Obviously, Delk isn't going to be a player that's going to [...]

Re: February Pistons articles *Updated Daily*

~ The Detroit News ~

Rasheed's fouls not as technical
Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace has been a magnet for technical fouls lately, but the situation is not as dire as it seems. Wallace has been called for 15 technicals this season, but just 12 count toward the NBA's suspension system.

Parker: Technical fouls are just side effect of Pistons' tenacity
Don't let the recent rash of technical fouls by the Pistons worry you. This team isn't coming apart. In fact, the Pistons are actually coming together.

~ The Detroit Free Press ~

Delk could be insurance at guard spots
DENVER -- Sometime today, the Pistons expectveteran point guard Tony Delk to sign as a free agent, filling the team's vacant roster spot and adding some backcourt insurance.

Hunter's contributions fit with Pistons' plans
Pistons owner Bill Davidson is a big fan of jigsaw puzzles, so much so he often leaves them at the team's practice facility. Guard Lindsey Hunter spent the first 46 games of the season rehabilitating his left ankle, and he would often work on the puzzles, sometimes even take one home.

~ Foxsports.com ~

Thomas, Dumars going different ways ... again
If you're going to build a basketball team in your own image, you better know who you are. Are you a narcissist who displays "a pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others?" Or, are you an altruist, willing to sublimate personal desire for the greater good of the whole?

More news

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars have taken different paths

While perusing the discussions over at PistonsForum.com, I stumbled across an interesting article from FOXSports.com comparing the careers of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, from their pre-college days all the way up to where they are today. Good read for long-time fans who remember watching the two play in the same backcourt.

[Detroit News]

Pistons sluggish in 10th loss

"It was just Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and the Denver Nuggets running a dunk line on the Pistons in a 98-87 romp Wednesday."

[Detroit Free Press]

Pistons' streak ends at 6

"But 22 dunks later, the Nuggets ended the Pistons' six-game winning streak, 98-87, and smashed home more lob jams than Pistons coach Flip Saunders said he'd seen in the previous 56 games."

[The Oakland Press]

Mile-high misstep

More than a few NBA teams have trouble with the altitude in the Rocky Mountains. Ditto for the Pistons, who strained their necks for the better part of three hours Wednesday night looking skyward as the Denver Nuggets soared around them.


Sheed thinks officials have it in for him

Rasheed Wallace has fought pitched battles with officials throughout his career. After several strange technicals against him over the past week, Wallace is taking the proverbial gloves off and striking back with some verbal swipes.

[NBADraft.net]

Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

"It was clearly apparent that the Darko experiment had failed miserably in Detroit. But the name of the game in trading disappointing players in today's NBA is to get cap relief if possible."

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Nothing to see here; Nuggets bury Pistons

There are some nights that I wish I hadn't ordered NBA League Pass this season. Last night, for instance, I could have been sitting on the couch, blissfully complaining to my fiance about having to watch Project Runway and struggling to follow the Pistons through the live updates on CBS Sportsline. But instead, [...]


Watch out for that ball boy on the floor behind you

The refs seem to think they're often the unfair targets of abuse, but it seems to a lot of Pistons fans lately that it's the refs have been the ones picking on the players in recent games.
Rasheed Wallace, whose reputation precedes anything that comes out of his mouth, spoke out on Wednesday:
"They say, [...]


Alex Acker heads to the farm

Ian called it: with Tony Delk on board, the Pistons have decided to dispatch rookie Alex Acker to the NBDL's Fayetteville Patriots.

March 3rd

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Tayshaun Prince is looking for his shot

Seems like it's not just our readers who've noticed Tayshaun Prince's recent slump: both the Free Press and News ran nearly identical articles today discussing the matter.
Just how bad have things been? As the News reports, Prince has averaged just 8.6 points per game on 23% shooting. The decreased scoring isn't the [...]


It's official: 63% of fans think Sheed will miss time

Man, you guys are a bunch of pessimists. In our last poll, we asked "Will Rasheed Wallace earn enough technical fouls to be suspended?" 52% of the 62 who voted think that he'll end up missing one game, while 11% of you think he'll be suspended for two. As for me, I'm among the 37% [...]


Pistons scout joins Team USA

The Detroit News reports that Pistons international scout Tony Ronzone was named an advance scout for Team USA for the World Championships this summer and the Olympics in 2008. Who is Tony Ronzone? This 2004 article from Time Magazine is a great introduction. I just added him to my list of guys I want to [...]

[Detroit News]

Prince: Wins matter, not points

"Tayshaun Prince is doing what he does when he hits a rough stretch -- he's keeping his head down, his mouth pretty much shut and he's grinding."


Pistons scout joins Team USA

"Pistons international scout Tony Ronzone will be one of the advance scouts for the U.S. men's national team for the World Championships this summer and the Olympics in 2008."

[Detroit Free Press]

Scoring woes don't worry Prince -- yet

"Although forward Tayshaun Prince admits he is in a bit of a scoring slump -- he has averaged 9.3 points a game since the All-Star break -- he's not letting it bother him."

[Seattle Times]

Pistons sharing their brand of ball in Seattle

Seattle Times: "No one talks about Detroit joining the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only team to win at least 70 games anymore, but the Pistons are still showered with superlatives whenever they take their unselfish brand of basketball on the road."

[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Pistons embody unity Sonics seek

"The Detroit Pistons took 14 years to build the type of chemistry that wins championships. The Bad Boys aged and eventually left or retired. Grant Hill's tenure as a franchise player ended with his demand for a trade while Jerry Stackhouse was never comfortable as the No. 1 option."

[Tacoma News Tribune]

Seattle next on Pistons’ path

"All the talk about the Pistons matching the Chicago Bulls’ all-time mark of 72-10 was spurred by Detroit’s 24-3 start, coming after advancing to the NBA Finals last June."

[Detroit Bad Boys]

FreeDarko on McSweeney?s

Congrats to Bethlehem Shoals and the rest of the FreeDarko crew for their new spot at McSweeney's. Their first piece, My Faith Is in the Specter, is a gem and might, might explain my absolute loyalty in Darko Milicic's potential. (But probably not, since Darko is still going to be a stud.) Their latest post [...]


Listen up, New York

"I'm in this for the long haul."
–Larry Brown, when asked if he would walk away from the Knicks job at season's end.
That's right Knick fans–it's time for you to take part in one of the most time-honored traditions of 'play-the-right-way' basketball: the frenzied speculation over whether LB will continue to grace your team [...]

[Free Darko]

Blood from the Shoulder of Pallas

Richard Hamilton hits a midrange shot off of a Billups pass. So many things have gone right for him to get that open look, but we quantify what we easily observe; we value Hamilton’s shot with two points and Billups’s pass with an assist. However, statistics don’t credit Ben Wallace’s pick, or the attention the rest of the defense pays to Rasheed, or Hamilton’s ability to induce fatigue in his defenders, or an opportune play call by Flip Saunders, or a host of other things. Unlike baseball, a basketball game is basically one fluid and exceptionally complex event.

Micro: This is a must read in case you miss the link in the Detroit Bad Boys articles above.

[Detroit News]

Hamilton's jumper sinks Sonics
"I know before I get the ball if the shot is going in or not," Hamilton said. "It's all a rhythm shot. The follow through and the shot are the easy part. It's just getting there and stopping on a dime, and being in the right place at the right time, and getting the shot off."

True basketball fans treasure Pistons' success
The golden era of team play in the NBA is ... now? You may not have heard much about it but while Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson were feuding, splitting up and coming back, the aw-shucks San Antonio Spurs won two titles. The who-are-you-again Detroit Pistons won one, made the Finals twice and maintained a 72-win pace the first half of this season.

[Detroit Free Press]

Pistons reign in Seattle
The score was tied at 96 with 20.9 seconds to play after Sonics guard Luke Ridnour sank two free throws. The Pistons called a time-out and set up a play for Hamilton to run the baseline and get open for a long jumper from the corner. It worked, and Hamilton's shot fell with 0.2 second left.

"Dinosaur" discovers new era
"This is more me," said Delk, a 32-year-old guard. "Not to say the guys in Atlanta are bad guys. They're young guys, and they're building around young players. But this is a veteran team, and veteran guys know how to play with each other, and they understand the game."

Billups lends a big hand
Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups announced Wednesday he's donating $100,000 to and becoming involved with a program that gets Denver's inner-city children into classrooms, mentorships and, hopefully, college.

[Seattle Times]

Sonics hang on till end, but Pistons have last say
With the score knotted at 96-96 with 20.9 seconds remaining, Detroit's Chauncey Billups began the possession at the top of the key, where he proceeded to dribble out the clock. The Sonics were focused on a pick-and-roll between Billups and Rasheed Wallace, and coach Bob Hill designed a defense during the previous timeout to negate the play.

[NBA.com]

Patriots frazzle the Dazzle
The Fayetteville Patriots got another big night from veteran NBA player Mateen Cleaves and a solid debut from a pair of newly-arrived Detroit Pistons to beat the Roanoke Dazzle, 132-120, in D-League action in Fayetteville on Friday .... Acker and his Pistons teammate Amir Johnson who was assigned to Fayetteville on Monday, dominated the final three minutes. Acker scored five, and Johnson hit five free throws to go along with a pair of steals, to shut down the Roanoke run.

[Fayetteville Observer]

Fayetteville assignment should benefit Johnson
“The Pistons are a great team to be with,’’ Johnson said. “Everyone in the organization has taken me under their wing, from the coaches to the players, everybody. The team has a swagger when they go out on the court. They know they’re going to win, and that’s exciting to be part of that. But now I think they want to see me get out there on the court and show what I’ve learned. And I’m fine with that."

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Pistons quiet Sonics

The Pistons trailed the Sonics for much of the first half, and with a little more than three minutes remaining in the second quarter they faced a 33-43 deficit. Rather than letting the Sonics turn it into a rout, however, the Pistons caught fire by scoring 17 points in the final 3:15 to enter halftime [...]


Gilbert Arenas is crazy

Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas claims that the Pistons so often get the benefit of the doubt from the refs that "you have to totally outplay them to barely beat them." Umm, Gilbert… have you seen any of Detroit's games lately?

[Detroit News]

Hamilton gives Billups some big-shot company

LOS ANGELES -- Maybe we need to call them, Misters Big Shot.

Pistons run out of gas vs. Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- Former Pistons coach Doug Collins used to call it fool's gold. It's when a team builds a false sense of security from hitting a bunch of spectacular shots from the perimeter early in the game.

[Detroit Free Press]

Tired legs, Kobe's 40 leads to Lakers' win over Pistons, 105-94
by KEN PETERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, Lamar Odom had 24 points and 10 assists, and the Lakers took a 105-94 victory Saturday night over the Detroit Pistons, who have the NBA's best record.

"It was a big win for us and a win that we don't usually get, against a great team like Detroit," Bryant said. "It's probably the biggest home win of the year for us.

[NBATV]

Highlights from the March 4th, Pistons @ Lakers Game (Video)

[Alex Acker & Amir Johnson News]

Fayetteville plays Florida this evening. Audio is free, streamed from the NBA D-League website.

Sunday, March 5
Fayetteville @ Florida
5:00 p.m.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/

News Mar 6th

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Pistons fall asleep at the wheel in Los Angeles

Got an IM this afternoon from Ian, who wasn't able to watch the game last night:
4:27 PM Ian: what the f happened to the Pistons last night?
I can sum it up with two numbers: 18-0.
After Carlos Delfino drained a three with 3:06 left in the third quarter, the Pistons basically took a nap [...]

More fuel for the Pistons-Bulls rivalry

Should the Bulls get their act together and sneak into the playoffs — they're currently two and a half games behind Milwaukee for the last spot — we could be treated to a feisty first round matchup between Chicago and Detroit. Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune examined the rivalry today, digging up some [...]

Alex Acker and Amir Johnson lighting up the NBDL

I had previously mentioned in passing that Amir Johnson and Alex Acker should be able to put up some numbers with the NBDL Fayetteville Patriots if they got the playing time… but even I didn't expect this.
Acker joined Fayetteville just two hours before tipoff on Friday but still managed to score 28 points, three [...]

Re: News Mar 6th

Bulls want to emulate Pistons

CHICAGO - So the Detroit Pistons won't be beating that 72-10 Bulls record from 1995-96 after losing No. 11 on Saturday night to the Lakers and Phil Jackson. "I thought about that," Jackson admitted.
Still, the Pistons are cruising toward the top seed in the East while the Bulls are in the ninth spot with a shot at moving up one. Wouldn't the NBA love that for a first-round playoff matchup? The story lines are already there thanks to Rasheed Wallace's laughing at and taunting the Bulls in a December Detroit victory and Scott Skiles suggesting the Pistons are more whiners than winners in a commentary on their complaining to referees after a Bulls loss last month. Perhaps that's where Antonio Davis is missed most on a non-confrontational team that needs the coach to do the challenging.