UPDATE: Chad Ford is reporting that Rodney Stuckey is “balking at the Pistons’ 5-year, $40-$45 million offer.”
As a guard and then a Pistons executive, Joe Dumars is experienced at building Detroit into a winner and what parts such a run require. Not all of those parts are always easy to work with, and Dumars understands that playing with Isiah Thomas. But he’s proven his savvy as a GM in that same regard, turning Chauncey Billups from a journeyman to a building block after his arrival in 2002.
If he wants to turn Detroit, 30-52 during a contentious 2010-11 season, into a contender again for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, he knows a first step would be keeping Rodney Stuckey as his premier guard. But at what cost? Read More »
A nice dish may be the most underrated play in basketball. Obsessing over a dunk or a crossover is common, but how often do you really see a one-of-a-kind assist? Very rarely. They’re always overblown and overhyped. A no-look pass is almost never that. We almost never get a truly breathtaking pass because lets face it, no one practices passing. Kids go to the gym and work on ballhandling for hours – crossovers, behind-the-backs and through-the-legs. Then some Plyometrics or squats because we all want to dunk and we all want to walk into a gym and get instant cred. No one respects a pass; Everyone respects a dunk. Read More »
Apparently, Joe Dumars wants Tayshaun Prince back in Detroit. Joe D contacted the free agent’s agent (Bill Duffy) just before the lockout started to let him know that the marriage wasn’t quite beyond repair just yet. Despite that, we doubt Prince wants to go back. Detroit is a mess right now, with no real direction and no real future. Prince is now 31, and has seen his stock drop in the last few years. Some contender is bound to come calling. And we’re pretty sure Prince will listen Read More »
It’s officially over. Shaq Diesel is done. For as long as he’s stayed in the spotlight and for all that he’s milked it for, O’Neal’s press conference speech was interestingly speedy. He must’ve had one sentence on each one of those index cards because he was flipping through them at will. He thanked everyone, from his family to his college coach to Phil Jackson to the media for the way they treated him over the years. And what would have been a Shaq press conference without a gimmick? Just as he sat down, he fielded a fake phone call from the Knicks asking him to come be their general manager … Read More »
I’m sure if there were a way to change the date of your birthday, Joe Dumars would do it. Alas, you can’t, and this date marks the 48th birthday of the current Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations and two-time NBA champion.
But, I doubt there are too many people celebrating for him right now. Read More »
Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year. No, it wasn’t my birthday or the night I bet my buddy that Dirk Nowitzki would go H.A.M. Rather, last night was the 27th annual NBA Draft Lottery at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J. (And if you know me, it takes a special occasion to willingly travel across the river.) With Commissioner David Stern in the house along with representatives from the 12 teams in the Lottery, go behind the scenes to relive the experience. Read More »
Following a 30-52 season, there are a lot of things that need to change with the Detroit Pistons this summer. Apparently Rodney Stuckey is not one of them. After four years with the franchise, Stuckey will be a restricted free agent this summer and word is that he won’t be going anywhere. Read More »
With tomorrow’s deadline less than 24 hours away, of all 400-plus NBA players under contract, at least one thing is certain: Tayshaun Prince isn’t going anywhere. That is, if you trust Tayshaun Prince. Read More »
In a win-obsessed culture, apparently there isn’t much interest in debating a bronze medal.
During the Miami Heat’s destruction of the L.A. Lakers on Christmas Day, ABC/ESPN announcer and former NBA point guard Mark Jackson said he believes Dwyane Wade is the third-best shooting guard of all-time. That bold statement has so far flown under the radar — I imagine because Jackson didn’t declare Wade the best two-guard, and we only care about debates involving No. 1, the gold medalists. Read More »
I’ve never been one for self-help books, but over the last couple weeks I’ve been reading Rebound Rules, a motivational guide to getting one’s life in order written by my main man Rick Pitino.
Though it was printed in 2008, there is at least one chapter, “Surviving and Thriving in the Microwave Culture,” that becomes even more timely and relevant as 2010-11 sports media moves closer into tabloid territory, and jumping to premature conclusions becomes as natural as Northwestern missing the NCAA Tournament. Read More »
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