Detroit Pistons

Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince will be out indefinitely with what the team said is a small ruptured of a disc in his lower back.

NOVEMBER 6: Dwight Howard(notes) #12 of the Orlando Magic blocks a shot against Ben Gordon(notes) #7 of the Detroit Pistons during the game on November 6, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Howard becomes the Magic's all-time leader in blocks surpassing Shaquille O'Neals (not pic...

John Kuester emphasized that the Magic would go for a knockout punch in the first quarter. It appears the team didn't do a very good job of listening.

What happened: Losers of 20 of its past 25 games against the Pistons -- including a loss at the Palace on Tuesday night -- the Magic got a rare victory against Detroit. The Magic hit its first six shots on the way to shooting 73.7% and scoring 40 points in the first quarter and never trailed. And wh...

TORONTO — A second-quarter surge and a big night by Andrea Bargnani gave the Toronto Raptors a rare victory over the Detroit Pistons.

By Kevin Sawyer Pistons: 2-2 (1-1 road) Margin: +2.0 Alas, without Rip and Tay, the Pistons are going to have to hope for yet another high-flying effort from the bench. Keys for Detroit Seriously? Prince has a lower back strain? And this will be evaluated upon return from a road trip? I think it’s weird.

By Matt Watson He joined the Pistons’ summer league team slightly more than a year ago, and has been a Piston ever since. For Detroit’s front office, it’s a tale of a front office finding merit in players other teams reject. For players like Will Bynum, it’s proof that useful NBA players don’t just come from...

He's an offensive dynamo, more than Rip Hamilton or anyone else. As we saw for six years, Hamilton is at his best when he has a point guard setting him up. He's not as good on his own.

By Kevin Sawyer What Happened The best effort we have seen from the Pistons in years.  That’s what happened. The Good The Pistons embarked on a strategy to take Dwight Howard out of the game, and it succeeded.  He was held to 17 minutes, eight points and five rebounds.  The Palace guards went after him, in spite...

Ben Gordon scored 23 points and Rodney Stuckey 20 as the shorthanded Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 85-80 on Tuesday night, handing the Magic their first loss.

By tcw1 … 1. Boston Celtics…+19.25 2. Portland Trailblazers…+16.28 3. Dallas Mavericks…+14.31 4. Orlando Magic…+12.42 5. Philadelphia Sixers…+12.37 6. Denver Nuggets…+9.18 7. Los Angeles Lakers…+7.28 8. Washington Wizards…+6.94 9. OKC Thunder…+4.14 10. Cleveland Cavaliers…+3.35 11. Miami Heat…+3.05 12. Chi...

There is a lot of news in the NBA about teams making decisions on whether to pick up the options of young stars entering their third and fourth seasons before Monday's deadline.

The Pistons need to find out whether he can be a star. And that means letting him make mistakes of aggression, like he did Friday night, and hoping he learns from them.

By Kevin Sawyer Will Bynum did his best AI impression, with a mere seven points on 2-6 shooting.  That said, he added seven assists and five rebounds.  More disconcerting is the horror show put on by Ben Wallace, Kwame Brown and Chris Wilcox.  If they can’t crack 50% from the stripe, teams are going to resort t...

By Greg Eno(noreply@blogger.com) Not since 2000-01 have we gone into a Pistons campaign with so little to expect. That was the George Irvine year, which was followed by Rick Carlisle and instant success in 2001-02. Not since 2000 have we looked at the Pistons, shrugged, and said, "The playoffs would be nice---but don't count on it!" Or is it? Curry had precious little control or respect last year, and that was highlighted once again when Hamilton, of all people, sided with Iverson in blasting the rookie coach for his lack of honesty with players. New set of Pistons: Gordon (left) and Villanueva But there are 82 "real" games to play, and Wallace isn't a spring chicken. I don't know." That might as well be the Pistons' slogan for this season.   [read the full post]

A record 83 international players are on opening-night NBA rosters this season. Five have been Pistons: Carlos Arroyo The Puerto Rican point guard was a Pistons backup for partial seasons in 2004-06 and now is with the Heat. Carlos Delfino A first-round pick in 2003, the athletic Argentin...

By Matt Watson … Will Bynum scoring 23 points on eight shots (5-8 FG, 12-12 FT); … Rodney Stuckey scoring 21 on 13 (9-13 FG, 3-4 FT). New Pistons coach John Kuester also was happy with the combination, especially since it allows him to rest Hamilton and Prince.

Backing down simply isn't acceptable in the NBA. A young player must establish himself from the start, basically in each and every game. Reputations are earned quickly, and unflattering ones don't go away easily.

Shooting guards Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon are good friends who each sport an NCAA championship ring from the University of Connecticut. But they are acting like enemies during preseason workouts, said Pistons coach John Kuester, and he is tickled to see their competitiveness set the t...

By Greg Eno(noreply@blogger.com) Hamilton went into mourning and soaked himself in grief after the Pistons traded longtime teammate and friend Chauncey Billups to Denver for one Allen Iverson. Then Rip got hurt. Then he didn't want to be the sixth man. Then he openly and brazenly challenged rookie head coach Mike Curry. Rip Hamilton fussed and kicked and screamed and it was hardly what a new coach like Curry needed---heaped on top of the Iverson debacle and the degradation in skills and attitude of Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons could use one, you know. Hamilton (left) and newcomer Ben Gordon pose at Media Day Kwame Brown? Chris Wilcox?   [read the full post]

By Greg Eno(noreply@blogger.com) Next, we moved on to U-M and their win over Indiana. The health of QB Tate Forcier is an issue, and again I "reasoned" Al down from the ledge, assuring him that the Wolverines CAN win without Forcier. A good rant developed in this segment as we veered off into the college basketball programs in this area, especially the sad state of affairs at University of Detroit-Mercy. Upcoming guests: Big Al Eno On U-M football: "If Michigan can't win without Tate Forcier, then they have issues. The kid's been good, but let's not get carried away. I'm more concerned about their defense than the QB situation. Michigan is supposed to be deep at QB. So let's see it."   [read the full post]

Related articles from Need4Sheed.com and more.

By Matt Watson “I was pretty much retired,” Wallace said. “I know what I can do in this league and I know what I’ve done in this league. It’s one of those things where I thought I was closer to the end than the beginning. … I just figured if I was going to retire this would be a good place for me to retire.”

Saunders, a former Pistons coach, knows Arenas has his own ideas about how his talents can best be used. Saunders knows Arenas is not shy about saying what he thinks.

By Kevin Sawyer JD: …So (Gordon’s) thing is, “I can play with Rodney Stuckey, I can play with Rip Hamilton, I can play with Will Bynum. Joe, I’m adaptable. I can make it work, because I’ve done it. I’ve done it my whole career.” And he mentioned Chris Duhon as well over in Chicago.

By Matt Watson But these days? You can hear from the man himself simply by checking his latest updates on Twitter, where you can also find his latest iPhone pics, such as this shot of him posing with Joe Dumars at the Pistons practice facility. Terrence Williams: Magic Johnson.

By noreply@blogger.com (Greg Eno) On Chuck Daly: Big Al: "Chuck Daly, in a way, ruined the NBA…he caused rules changes." Eno: "Daly had all the credentials to be a Pistons coach in 1983, which were none!" Eno: "He was the first NBA coach who really put it out there that this is a player’s league." Big Al: "He wasn’t a great Xs and Os guy, like Larry Brown, but he could manage people." Eno: "I remember when Chuck replaced Bill Laimbeer in the 1990 Finals with William Bedford for a few minutes in Game Three. I thought, ‘Wow, what a message.’" Big Al: "His death hit me hard." On the Red Wings-Ducks: Eno: "Brian Rafalski hasn’t played a minute in this series, and Kris Draper hasn’t played a minute in the playoffs, yet here they are, on the verge of going back to the conference finals."   [read the full post]

Lakers coach Phil Jackson continues to revise the history of the Pistons' 4-1 NBA Finals victory in 2004. "Every opening tap, Shaq (O'Neal ) was called for a violation, just things that you just knew that the whole series was kind of like, ... ESPN - TV Sports Daily

By Matt Watson Awards: Ben Wallace, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA Second Team, All-Defense First Team; Chauncey Billups, All-NBA Second Team, All-Defense Second Team; Tayshaun Prince, All-Defense Second Team; Prince, Billups, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace were All-Stars.

By Kevin Sawyer Cleveland Cavaliers: 66-16 SG – Rip Hamilton Vs. Delonte West Advantage: PISTONS SF – Tayshaun Prince Vs. LeBron James Advantage: CAVS PF: Rasheed Wallace Vs. Eleanor Varejao Advantage: PISTONS Bench: Bynum, Spellcheck, Maxiell and Kwame Vs. Boobie, Smith, Szczerbiak and Wallace(?)

By noreply@blogger.com (Greg Eno) Eno: I suppose. I hate to keep bitching about them every week at TKJ, but darn it, it's hard to ignore. Some national scribes are murmuring that the players have lost confidence in rookie coach Curry. Supposedly, some players are convinced that President Joe Dumars is telling Curry who to play. Other media folks hint at trades looming. And the Denver Nuggets are sailing along with their new point guard, Chauncey Billups. How much of this is Curry's fault, how much is it the players', and how much is it Dumars' ? Eno: Well, I don’t know how wise I am, but I think this just proves that Dumars ought to tear the thing apart and start anew. There are a ton of great free agents available in summer 2010. I say just patch a team together until then. Throw the bums out,...   [read the full post]

By rss@youtube.com (1EDmanLV) AUBURN HILLS, Mich., January 30,2009(AP) -- The Boston Celtics finally got a game. The result, though, was the same. Kevin Garnett scored 22, Paul Pierce had 20 points and Ray Allen added 14, leading Boston to an 86-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. The Celtics, who have won 10 st...

By Greg Eno(noreply@blogger.com) All eyes were on Michael Curry. How would the Pistons' first-year coach handle his first genuine playing time/ego massaging crisis? It was written that Curry's "small ball" lineup wasn't going to fly much longer, now that the whirling dervish shooting guard Rip Hamilton was healthy and ready to return to the lineup, the Pistons having played very well with Rodney Stuckey, Allen Iverson, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Amir Johnson as the starters. Someone would have to come off the bench, it was duly reported, so that the big man Johnson could continue to start. Would that benchwarmer be Hamilton or Iverson? Three-time Pistons All-Star and NBA champion, or future Hall of Famer? You can blame Rodney Stuckey for all this, by the way.   [read the full post]

Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News: "The Sunday jinx continues for the Pistons. They're 0-5 on Sundays this season."Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "Chris Bosh is, um, frustrated about being asked if he's frustrated. 'I'd like everybody to do me a favour and stop saying 'frustrating," Bosh said...

By Tom Ziller And I also agree with LeBron being unstoppable in the playoffs. I honestly was more impressed by what he did to the Celtics in game 7 last season than what he did to the Pistons in game of the 2007 Conference Finals. He certainly has the ability to drag the Cavs to the Finals all by his lonesome.

By J.E. Skeets Key Players Added: Kwame Brown (free agent), cake, Will Bynum (free agent), Walter Sharpe (draft) Hamilton’s production might drop slightly, but that’s nothing Rodney Stuckey can’t handle, and Tayshaun Prince isn’t moving an inch.

By dberri Of course the Pistons could take minutes from Rip Hamilton.  Hamilton does offer more than Stuckey, but the difference is much smaller.  One should remember, though, that Hamilton didn't seem happy that his minutes were cut by Flip Saunders.  It may make Hamilton quite unhappy if Michael C...

By noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) LOY's Place Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Olympics edition FL's Take: For all the flack Kevin McHale has taken, I think he is on the right track with this team. He has a lot of nice young and talented players on his team now. Nashua Telegraph Celtics will return to N.H. Connecticut Post Perkins' Props: Punched Pistons Bleacher Report All NBA under 25 team FL's Take: What, no Rondo? No Perk? FL's Take: I am happy for Gomes getting a nice contract, but wish the Celtics could have worked it out to bring him back to Boston. Time US-China hoops: Everyone scores The Sport Count Reality Shows of the NBA Lex Nihil Novi Chick Hearn was Lakers' Most Dualing triple doubles Sports of Boston Celtics' player review: Eddie House   [read the full post]

According to reports, Saunders did not have the full respect of his players, and his offensive-minded approach perhaps did not suit a team built on defense. Detroit assistant coach Michael Curry and former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson are considered the front runners.

By noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) Here are comments found around the Pistons boards during game 3 with the Celtics. These are definitely more fun to read when we win. Enjoy! IF the Pistons get this game.....they will be smelling blood in the water and kill Boston in Game 4. I can't see Boston winning this game though. Say a prayer or whatever you believe in that the Pistons won't do their typical "Letdown Game" after a big win My concern is the Celtics are just due to win one on the road. The Pistons need to win both home games to keep the advantage. They gotta keep the Celts role players down and limit the Big Three to outside shots I don't care if Boston is 0-6 on the road. That zero can change to a one real quick. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) Richard Hamilton (25 points) and Chauncey Billups (19 points, seven assists) led a well-balanced attack as Detroit beat Boston 103-97, handing the Celtics their first home loss in this year's playoffs. The Pistons played very efficiently on offense, shooting 35-71 (.493) from the field, converting 28 of 32 free throw attempts (.875) and passing for 21 assists while only committing nine turnovers. Although Boston won the rebounding battle 39-31, Detroit grabbed several key offensive boards down the stretch and that helped the Pistons to preserve their lead. All five Detroit starters played at least 32 minutes and scored at least 13 points. The one reserve player from either team who had a significant impact was Rodney Stuckey, who had 1...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (FLCeltsFan) Herald Celtics control the tap Plenty of fight in Celtics Chauncey Billups looks back on starting point Joe Dumars a proven winner MetroWest Daily Celtics 88, Pistons 79: Celtics deliver Celtics 17 Celtics force pace and turnovers to beat Pistons NBA.com Celtics take early advantage in East Finals Celtics too much for Pistons Hoopsworld Celtics Pierce Pistons Detroit News Pistons-Celtics series is not time for nostalgia Pistons' rust shows in game 1 loss to Celtics Celtics will need real Allen Pistons guards struggle Celtics' runs enough to dispatch flat Pistons Hamilton struggling to find shot against Celtics Right at home: Celtics' star power overwhelms Pistons Flip Saunders knew Garnett was a special player   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Detroit beat Cleveland 84-74 at Quicken Loans Arena in the season finale for both teams. The outcome of this game had no possible effect on playoff positioning for either team and after the game Detroit Coach Flip Saunders succinctly summarized the objective in such contests: "I think both teams accomplished what they needed to accomplish--they came out pretty healthy." Toward that end, LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas did not play at all and most of the key rotation players for both teams played significantly fewer minutes than usual. The Pistons' starting five played for the entire first quarter but then took the rest of the night off; they did not exactly seem fully committed in their efforts, as each player made just one field goa...   [read the full post]

By Greg Eno Stuckey is special, folks. I think we're seeing a star NBA guard blossoming before our very eyes. And the Pistons could do a lot worse than to bring someone of his caliber off the bench, or start in case of injury or rest. Yet it might not happen for him here, only because of the quality of the dudes he's playing behind. Neither Billups nor Hamilton is close to retirement. This isn't 1993, when Thomas was on the verge of calling it quits, and thus trained rookie Lindsey Hunter as his successor, while Dumars did the same with Allan Houston. It's not far-fetched to say that Billups and Hamilton could both stay in Detroit for another five or six years, barring trades or free agency issues.   [read the full post]

By Atma Brother ONE Warriors (W-L): 13-10 Pistons (W-L): 16-7 TV: FSN Bay Area Radio: KNBR 680 Right now I'd call them a shoo-in for a Eastern Conference Finals date with the Boston Collusion, but are they a shoo-in to beat the We're Back Warriors Sunday morning in front of the barbarians?

By billfer Matt Sosnick, the agent for Dontrelle Willis, indicated that Willis is “incredibly excited” and that while the 2 sides hadn’t talked about a contract yet “He’s [Willis] hoping to stay in Detroit for as long as The Tigers will have him. He’s good friends with Jacque Jones, and is a big Piston...

Rob Parker  MI - The buzz was the Pistons would part with Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson and/or a first round pick for Bryant, arguably the best player in ...

By Peter Chakerian It’s easy to think about James as a superstar, a Nike spokesman and the commercial face of basketball for millions around the world. It's just as easy to fall into the Michael Jordan redux - what with the man dunking high overhead sporting a #23 like his Chicago Bulls icon idol. But in the fray o...

The Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls 9585 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Thursday night, clinching a series that turned tense after Detroit won the first three games.

By Natalie Pistons lost at home to the Bobcats again last night 103-96. I didn't get to watch the game live but I did scan through it this morning. It wasn't pretty. I won't give excuses for this one, not even the fact that Chauncey is still on the sidelines. It seems like the Bobcats have our number. Can you ima...

Download Postgame Audio - Listen to Pat Riley, Flip Saunders, Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton and Chauncey Billups answer questions about game 1