Can the Pistons still make the playoffs?

Nope.

Magic 8 ball says: it is doubtfull.

It’s over-reactionary “sky is falling” posts like this that made me remove this blog from my bookmarks.

It’s over-reactionary to suggest a team in 11th place might struggle to leapfrog six other teams to secure the 5th seed? Guilty, I guess.

Factoids:

1. At .394 Stuckey is shooting the same FG% Billups shot in 2004.
2. Chucky Atkins is owned in 0.2% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
3. The DFP reports Tayshaun may start at 4 alongside Jonas.

“whether or not this year is viewed as a success will be based on player development, not the final record or playoff seed. This means we need more Austin Daye, more DaJuan Summers, and even more PT for Bynum, who’s shown every sign of being just as much of a starting point guard prospect as Stuckey.”

No need to say anything else^^^

This is a 6-11 compiled mostly without the services of their arguably three best players. Throw in a west coast road trip already this year, so there’s quite a bit of not what it appears to be regarding the record. Make the playoffs? Sure, why not, but the team has to get healthy.

I think quite a bit of the Pistons’ fortunes depend on how well Ben Wallace holds up, barring any more serious injuries. While he’s been a revelation this year so far, we’re not even at the quarter pole yet.

Depending on the FA class of 2010, we’re either a year or two years away from contention again. If JJ continues to develop, then Tay likely gets dealt by the trading deadline; I see Tay as kind of the odd man out, unfortunately. It has to make more sense to play JJ at the 4 rather than Tay.

Matt, I don’t agree with your assertion we match up well against ORL or ATL. The ORL record was due to Sheed’s schooling Howard, and Ron “SVG” Jeremy managing to outcoach himself. ATL is a young, very talented team, who came in overconfident and took the day off and got the result it deserved; I’d like to see a bigger sample size before making that judgment we match up well with them.

@Jonathan:
The DFP reports Tayshaun may start at 4 alongside Jonas.

If you can show me where the Detroit Free Press says that, I’ll give you a scented oil massage.

There was an article this last weekend which talked about Prince getting time at the four, but it had nothing to do with starting. It ended with this statement:

“don’t be surprised if Prince is getting around 5 or 6 minutes per night at the four.”

V: you’re absolutely right about Detroit’s history against Orl/Atl not meaning much these days, but of the elite teams, I still think those are the most preferable matchups. I should also add that I don’t necessarily buy those two teams will finish 3rd and 4th in the East — they have just as much of a chance to finish 1st and 2nd as anybody, so perhaps getting to the 5th seed isn’t a prerequisite to getting to the second round.

i think i would rather see us not make the playoffs and get a sweet lottery pick than be the 5-8 seed and have a replay of last year’s complete decimation in the first round. as long as this season stays as entertaining as its been so far i dont really care if we make the play offs.

Healthy Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon. Charlie with a new humpty nose, Ben Wallace’s playoff streak at stake.

I like those odds man.

I dont even think this topic can take place until the trade dead-line comes and goes. There is no way in hell this roster is set in stone for the whole season. I get a funny feeling that Bynum, for one, will be on the block along with obviously Tay and Rip. JoeD and the organization is gonna do anything to try and convince us that Stuckey IS the man. I highly doubt that Stuckey goes anywhere, although I think it would be wise to see what you could get for him, his trade value may be peaking. But even if they end up making the playoffs, that doesnt make much of a difference to me cuz I dont see them doing much damage if at all in the playoffs, even though I love how these guys continue to fight and scrap no matter what the score is, like a bunch of “Pit Bulls”. Really this team is just a mashed up bunch of players, Therefor I’d also like to see them miss the playoffs and hit the lottory and grab a true talented centerpiece for this team, like big man..or an actual point gaurd and NOT a “Combo-Guard” or a “Point/forward”..ugh.

Teach winning, do your best, live with your chances if you are the 8th seed. The Cavs are one LeBron groin pull away from being average and who knows how the Celtics hold up with age. Ben Gordon had a pretty good series vs. Boston the playoffs last year. I remember an 8th seen Knicks team making the finals. I don’t think you can chart out matchups this far in advance and come up with anything meaningful. I’m all for a playoff run with a flawed team and I’m sure Karen Davidson would like the the 5% more gate revenue that even a 1st round exit would bring.

There is no losing for Detroit. If we make the playoffs or if we make the lottery, we win. In the mean time, if we can get just a handful more games as exciting as the last game against Atlanta, we’re in for a better season than the last as fans.

A playoff series, no matter the outcome, will pay dividends in confidence. Without a lottery pick, we still have pieces to trade. If we miss the playoffs, we have a lottery pick. Should teams be built in trades and the draft, both are in our future.

With Joe at the helm, we’ve already hit out bottom— last season. This short term rebuild on the fly will be more fiery and exciting than the complacence we’ve dealt with in so many playoff failures.

Then again, Joe could totally fuck up another lottery pick. :)

@MP: Whoops. Let me change that to “on Nov 29 ESPN reports that the DFP reports that Tayshaun will spend time at the 4”, not start.

News: Prince (back) is expected to get playing time at power forward when he returns to the lineup, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Spin: Prince will take over his regular role of starting small forward when he returns, but coach John Kuester will bump him to the four at times to make room in the lineup for rookie Jonas Jerebko. There still isn’t a timetable for Prince’s return, but he has shown some progress in his rehab recently. He doesn’t have any limitations running or jumping and will be able to return after proving himself in full-contact drills.

Since we are talking “What ifs” i would like to point your attention to Mr. Omri casspi.
Drafted #23 by the sacramento kings, my main man is doing well over there. I know it’s easier to shine is a bad team, riddeled with injuries but you can’t ignore his stats (10.3 ppg, 3.7 RPG and 45% from 3 point land in 23 mpg), the fact that he earned his place in the rotation due to his defense or that he’s playing 3 mpg less than andreas nocioni, competing for the same spot.
He ain’t no chump and he could have been a piston last year instead of DJ white (who?!). I remember joe D being interested. Bummer.

I’m with joejoejoe, especially the teach winning, play hard idea. I want to develop young players, but I don’t want them thrown to the wolves in a year when the vibe is “oh wll, we’ll get a good draft pick!”

In the past, Detroit has erred on the side of “ride the vets to death or at least total exhaustion” (partly because we had a legit chance of winning with the vets and partly because we had a pretty weak bench), and we don’t want to do that. And we don’t want to rush anybody back from an injury and hurt them in the long run because there’s no championship payoff this year.

But Detroit needs to restore the culture of working hard and trying to win that was so disappointingly missing for chunks of last year. Signs so far are very encouraging; let’s keep it up.

Also, I think there is real value to having Jerebko, Daye, and Summers play in a playoff series, even if it’s a 5-6 game loss. Remember, they’ve never done it before.

Whether we actually make the playoffs is up in the air. I think I was the first person to post on this blog that we were digging ourselves a hole, and that’s obviously true. It’s also obviously true that we could dig ourselves out. And it’s also obviously true that whether we do or not depends on a bunch of unknowns at this point: how fast our players recover from injury, whether we make a big trade, how well our roster meshes together when everyone is healthy (remember how many new guys we have?), and how other teams do. I will be rooting for us to make the playoffs, though, even if it’s a first round loss. Gotta start somewhere.

Stuckey finally sees the light! (from the most recent Langlois post):

“Stuckey, in fact, thinks it might be time to start adding the floater to his offensive repertoire.

"That’s something I need to work on," he said. "Instead of always going in there and banging my body against the big guys, maybe it’s time to start doing a couple of floaters."

Not sure why Stuck’s being nonchalant; “maybe it’s time to start doing a couple of floaters…” Yes, Rodney. It’s time.

I also enjoyed Keith’s placement of “in fact.”

Stuckey must lurk. Hi Rodney!

No shit Rodney!

If we get healthy and stay healthy, the playoffs will happen.

I (still) don’t see us making the playoffs, but i think it has more to do with the other 3-4 teams then us. The bobcats have been close for a couple of seasons now, and have the defense to grab the 8 seed. The bucks will level off, but .500 ball is probably a playoff seed in the east. The bulls and wizards will play better then they have. So will we, but I think we’ll have some growing pains when we have a fully healthy roster and weather or not Jod trades for a missing piece or takes the rebuilding up a notch and goes for young talent.

Also, AI is deforming Philly. Everybody run!

Not really on topic, but does anybody else think that Big Ben has a legit chance at an All-Star spot? Obviously, the fans will vote in Dwight. But the one or two backup C spots in the East are up to the coaches, and in my mind it’s purely a two-horse race— Noah and Ben. Neither of their teams are tearing it up, but they’ve been the best two centers in the East not named Dwight so far this year (in my opinion, Noah’s been the BEST center is the East so far, but the fans obviously will put Dwight in the starting spot).

Speaking of Noah— is anyone else kind of pissed that we never made a move for him when the Bulls were so down on him the last two years? We keep wondering who the “next Ben Wallace” will be, and he’s IT. Nothing but hustle, every minute of the game, leads the league in rebounding, blocks 2+ shots a game, and is already a fabulous passer for a big man. Once the Bulls get some shooting on the wings, they’re going to be scary— they’ve already got the “franchise PG” and “dominant C” thing down.

On topic:

I’m not so sure we need to “slightly tank” to get a good draft pick. The guys in the projected top 5 or so look good, but I have a feeling this will be another draft like the last, where there will be a ton of talent all throughout the first round. I think it’s more important that we move Tay + whatever to get a big man of substance. If that happens, we have a chance to actually make some real noise, even this season. I still think Boozer’s a great option. It makes our starting lineup more balanced, our second unit will be ELITE (with MFWB, BG, and CV tearing up second units), we’ll have our post scoring, and even if Boozer walks it’s a shitload of money to play around with in the offseason.

I’m not necessarily an advocate of tanking a season, but I’d be content with watching the kids get some burn, possibly knocking off a few of the so-called “elite” teams once in a while in tight games, and picking up a decent lottery pick.

@ Jonathan

Factoids:

1. At .394 Stuckey is shooting the same FG% Billups shot in 2004.

I’m sorry, but I can’t resist this one.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=fISHD

Rodney’s TS% (which takes FTs and 3s into account) is .466 right now.

CB’s in 2004 was .550.

They’re not even close.

@MP

There is no losing for Detroit. If we make the playoffs or if we make the lottery, we win. In the mean time, if we can get just a handful more games as exciting as the last game against Atlanta, we’re in for a better season than the last as fans.

I like that approach. I’m still disappointed with how we spent our money last season, and I think we could be better now had we spent that money better, but that’s spilled milk. If we rally and make the playoffs, that means that our team played very good basketball for the rest of the season. As fans, we get to watch that and be entertained. If we don’t rally, then we’ll get a high draft pick … obviously, Jod’s borked those before, but that could be very exciting as well.

@ Joel:

Speaking of Noah– is anyone else kind of pissed that we never made a move for him when the Bulls were so down on him the last two years?

For whatever reason, I lump Noah in with Varejao. I think both are highly effective players (Noah’s a lot better), but I hate watching them play. I suspect it’s because of who they play for, because they do all the things that I love to watch bball players do. I can see Noah getting a relatively big contract now, though, because his worth is obvious.

we’ll have our post scoring, and even if Boozer walks it’s a shitload of money to play around with in the offseason.

Not if the cap shrinks to 50 million, though. I’m personally against trading for cap space for that reason alone. I’d rather trade for Boozer and then resign him than trade for him and let him walk. You simply won’t be able to get Boozer-level talent (and maybe not even Tay-level) with the cap space he would create.

We’ve played the 5th toughest schedule according to opposing teams winning percentages (.571) with a depleted roster, so if we can get healthy relatively soon and stay that way I think we have a solid chance of grabbing a playoff spot.

Joel ~ Even though Ben has played great, I don’t think he gets an all star bid. Besides Dwight and Noah there is also Horford and Bogut who’d probably get in ahead of Ben.

On topic:

Yeah, we’re going to have to do a couple things to make the playoffs.

1) Get and stay healthy.

2) Play as good as this roster is capable of playing for the last 60+ games.

I don’t think either of those are a given.

To the former: Rip, Tay, and Big Ben are all old. Tay’s technically young, but he’s got a lot of miles under that hood. Bodies break down as they age; that’s just a fact in the NBA (and life generally). We literally cannot afford to lose any of our rotations guys if we want to make the playoffs.

To the latter: While I agree with everyone about how hard this team plays, playing hard isn’t always the same as playing good. You can play balls out and miss all your shots, just look at JJ’s first few games. We have to shoot well consistently; we have to continue wiping the glass; etc. etc. The consistent effort of this team will contribute, but we’re gonna need plenty of bounces to go our way as well.

Since we are talking "What ifs" i would like to point your attention to Mr. Omri casspi.

Yeah, I’m with Ohad. I remember Will Bynum saying around the draft that we should draft him. (I think it might’ve been an ESPN The Mag feature?) I believe he played with him overseas and knew he was a beast. And as we all know, Bynum is the gospel.

I’m not down with tankin’ no-way, no-how. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tanking isn’t in any way consistent with the legacy that Joe Dumars has attempted to build; as a player or as a GM.

I think the message that tanking sends to the team is far more dangerous than any minor rewards that might be had from missing the playoffs. Throw in the missed playoff experience for the young guys, and tanking looks even worse.

What difference are we really talking about between a lottery pick and a low playoff-seed pick? If the Pistons land anywhere in the 9-12 spots in the east, they are likely to have only a 1.7%-0.5% chance of winning the lottery out-right anyway. Yes, they could still move up to one of the top 5 spots, even if not the #1, but the chances of that are also very, very small.

Furthermore, what’s the difference between a #12-16 pick in the draft and a #18-20 pick player-wise? Not much most years, I think. Joe D has shown more proficiency with lower first round picks than higher ones anyway.

No, no, no. “Tanking” is not Detroit Basketball.

Big Z,

I don’t want us to tank either, and I doubt Jod lets it happen.

If we get healthy and still lose, I’d imagine a further roster shake up. But, being healthy and still losing would be tanking, not intentional tanking, but tanking nonetheless.

Yeah tanking isn’t the answer. You just can’t predict what will happen in the lottery. 2007-2008 Bulls won 33 games, missed playoffs, and won the lottery despite only have the 9th worst record in the league.

I’d much rather play in the 1st round, get the young guys some experience, and use a (somewhat) high draft pick.

I’m confident that the Pistons can make the playoffs. As said before, they’ve played a pretty tough schedule so far and have been missing their 3 best offensive players. What other team fighting for those last few playoff spots can say that?

I’m still disappointed with how we spent our money last season,"

I don’t quite get this one, CV,BG have exceeded expectations.

So has Carlos Boozer.

I’m not going to beat the horse anymore than we already have. I think there were better options. I think there were options that we could have pursued that we chose not to. I think we rushed into signing two players (who have performed admirably thus far, all things considered) whose own teams weren’t even going to make a run at them. I don’t like that we don’t have a long-term solution at C, and we didn’t make an attempt to fill it when we had the most money to throw around.

Okay, so maybe I kicked that horse a couple times there, but that’s it. I swear.

But yes, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by BG and CV. When those guys get fully acclimated, they’ll be better than I thought they’d be.

Okay, seriously, last comment. I was hoping for the next Ben Wallace, the defensive presence around which to construct the new Detroit Pistons. I was not hoping for two scorers who had reputations for being average to poor defenders. IMO, it’s easier to find scorers in this league than it is to find dominant defensive/rebounding centers. I was hoping for the latter, so naturally, anything other than that would be disappointing.

We got the Benaissance, which is great, though and will work in the short-term.

@gulk, Understood! I just don’t think “the next Ben” was availible. at least w/out spending “Yao Ming” money. Something tells me that even if we could get a “superstar” to show interest in Detroit JoD wouldn’t pursue him.

speaking of BW. apparently Artest still wants to fight him…
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/article/2009-12-02/sn-conversation-ron-artest-i-was-head-case

Plan:

1. Make the playoffs as an 8th seed.

2. Shock the world

3. Draft Larry Sanders.

“I don’t like that we don’t have a long-term solution at C, and we didn’t make an attempt to fill it when we had the most money to throw around.”

But, we do have long term solutions at PG (Stuckeynum), SG (Gordon), SF (Jerebko, Daye) and PF (Villanueva). No one said this was a one year process. Those six players are a solid young core to build off of.

I agree with scntfc in that there were no defensive Centers available. Gortat (matched by Orlando), Okafor (would they have taken anything the Pistons offered?), Kaman (I doubt he was on the block). Who else is there?

I don’t think anyone is explicitly suggesting “tanking” to get a lottery pick, and everyone agrees the rookies should get a significant amount of burn.

But there are other reasons to play the “vets” (including in that group everyone from Big Ben, Rip and Tay if he gets back to Little Ben and CV.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, we STILL don’t know exactly how this roster meshes together, what can work and what is a problem. Yeah, it’s obvious that we need another scoring big and we may have too many guards or SFs, but we need more info than that. How WILL Rip and Gordon co-exist? Can Stuckey be a point guard when several other players on the court besides him are scoring threats? What can we expect in the future from Jerebko and the other rookies? Is Bynum at his ceiling or not? Which combinations work best together? Etc.

Yeah, I hear you QD and scntfc. I do.

Wow, you Piston fans must be drinking some sweet Kool Aid. You really think you could beat Atlanta or Orlando in a seven game playoff series?

Wow, can I have some of whatever you’re drinking?

And I’ll say what everybody is thinking when they hear the word ‘tank’.

Let’s not tank….LIKE THE CELTICS.

Wow, can I have some of whatever you’re drinking?

Uhhh, there’s a difference between the words “could,” “should,” and “will.”

The Pistons can beat either of those teams in a seven-game series. They would be big underdogs. They shouldn’t and probably wouldn’t. But they could.

No Kool Aid needed. Just a basic understanding of the English language.

@Ash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjacMS7Siqw

@Ohad. Yeah, we should have gotten Casspi. Let’s get another not-so-talented-but-hard-working-small-forward. We don’t have any of them. /sarcasm.

Quit dwelling on the past, people. Yeah, we all would have liked one guy over another, but that’s not what has happened. We have BG and CV. Let’s look to the future with them. I’m all for hoping for stuff, and i love trade scenarios, but that’s what could still happen. I hate dwelling on the past.

@Ash: Yeah, you’re right. Both teams have dominated us. We don’t match up well with either of them. /sarcasm, again.

Also, does anyone else wish that next week’s game at Philly was at home? Oh how I would love to hear the boo birds.

Cody, AI will likely have an “injury” anyway.

As for Omri Cassipi… The Pistons didn’t take DJ White over him, they took Austin Daye. Cassipi was in this year’s draft.

All I know is, if I’m the other teams in the east, I don’t want to play a healthy Pistons team come playoff time.

If the old team was the “Little-Lebowski Urban-Underachievers” then the new team is “Team: Something to prove”

Nearly everyone on this team has something to prove:

Ben Wallace is proving that there is an actual fountain of youth and that his ass is made of solid granite.

Ben Gordon is proving that one need not take steroids or spinach to achieve the Popeye-arms look.

Rodney Stuckey is proving that there’s still room in the NBA for a special olympics Dwayne Wade/50 cent human hybrid who talks like white Dave Chappelle. (hat tip Joel)

Charlie V is proving that one can overcome a complete lack of muscle tone and eyebrows. Seriously how does he express emotion with no eyebrows?

Kwame Brown is proving that you can still play bball even if you were born with rocks for hands and all you eat is chocolate cake.

Jason Maxiell is proving that babies are indeed a source of 12 essential vitamins and nutrients.

Jonas Jerebko is proving that the Swedish can do more than just rape, pillage, and play hockey. Also, white men CAN jump.

Motherfucking Will Bynum is proving that “little people” can have careers outside the circus and Willy Wonka movies.

I don’t think Joe D. will tank anything on purpose, just doesn’t seem to be in his his nature. Unless you’re talking a lottery pick, he will find a way to draft someone turrable. (I like our 3 picks so far this year)

Also: I think Joe’s gonna stick with the hand he was dealt this year. Just a hunch.

In no way am I suggesting the Pistons tank the season — but those making the decisions need to remember that whether or not this year is viewed as a success will be based on player development, not the final record or playoff seed. This means we need more Austin Daye, more DaJuan Summers, and even more PT for Bynum, who’s shown every sign of being just as much of a starting point guard prospect as Stuckey.

I’d like to point out here that Rip and Tay started out as questionable to miss one game when their injuries were originally announced – and Tay’s injury has since changed from a toe to back injury.

I’ll suggest that they might be pulling a bit of an Iverson at Jod’s request to get the youngsters more time. Maybe the plan is to rest the vets, season the rooks, then see where we’re at against the Cavs/Celtics/Magics of the world come April…

Vinny Chase +8

Also: I think Joe’s gonna stick with the hand he was dealt this year. Just a hunch.

Well, the best card players will tell you that you gotta know when to fol em, Vinny.

We’re not there yet, but I don’t think Jod will hesitate to make a move should that be necessary.

Man, we don’t drink no Kool Aid fool. I drank that Hen-rock, like Ron Artest used to at halftime. Queensbridge.

Vinny, that was a very thorough post. I must add affordable home furnishings to rape, pillagery, and hockey though on the Swedish tip. And Volvos and Fish

@ Ash, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpM4giVGTs

We still live, YOU DIE!

@ Vinnie C.

+9

Yeah, I agree with you there brgulker, he wont hesitate to make a move, but at this point, half his good cards have rips, tears, or coffee stains on em.

We aint playin with a full deck yet. When we do, we’ll still prolly flop a set then draw dead to the celtic’s opposing full boat.

That’s what happens when you let Minnesota and Massachusetts shuffle the deck.

+10

Damn the Swedish are guds at everythings. Includings: makings large breasted talls womens and gays marriages.

After this year, the Celtics will be drawing dead, with no chips to pose a threat.

Damn the Swedish are guds at everythings. Includings: makings large breasted talls womens and gays marriages

And swinging golf clubs, just ask Tiger.

What is the difference between an SUV and a golf ball? Tiger woods can drive a golf ball 300 yards.

I dont’t blame Tiger for refusing to talk to the cops. If my incredibly hot Swedish wife beat me over the head with a golf club I wouldn’t want anybody to know either.

re: sweden:
don’t forget affordable high style clothing outlets with apparel strictly woven by bangladeshis.

What’s the difference between a golf ball and Tiger’s wife? Not much now; Tiger won’t be driving either for a while.

Swedish pride!

Well, if we’re playing poker, I’d say we got something more like two-pair than a set at this point. But either one loses to a full house, and there are at least 3 of those out East right now.

@VC (or should we just call you Vinsanity now?): Nice riff on the team, but personally I’d rather have a team that opposes the team that no one wants to play. The “team that no one wants to play” in practice doesn’t do so well as the media puffs them up.

Regarding Tiger, was he apologizing for a) cheating, b) getting caught, or c) his poor taste in paramours? I"m a little confused.

@V: I’d rather be the scrappy team no one wants to play, rather than the underachieving team that can beat anyone if they want to/if they get the rite calls/if they feel like it that day/if it’s not a sunday afternoon.

We are now that underdog team that used to surprisingly beat our ass from time to time. And I’m glad. Because it got rly boring watching us painfully grind out and execute the half-court jumpshot-off-screens offense that we were so gud at in our glory days.

Tiger was apologizing that he couldn’t be the bologna in a blonde-bread sandwich.

I say bologna because Tiger is also made from the assorted lips, assholes, and intestines of several species.

Id like to think we flopped a flush, with open ended gut shot S.F. possibilities. Long odds but it’s possible.

http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/brandon_jennings

The last point on the “weak side” reminds me of some Stuckey commentators.

http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/brandon_jennings

The last point on the “weak side” reminds me of some Stuckey comments.

oops, sorry guys. I thought it wasn’t submitting.

another reason to love the Swedes:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;ylt=Am5lMuItmZVvrSDoYRxQ3Qi8vLYF?slug=nbacom-rookie.rankings-20091202&prov=nba_com&type=lgns

Nice to see Austin Daye on that list at number 5, too.

wait…

Vinny, I applaud your exceptional Big Lebowski reference and proud we are of all of them…but I was hoping you’d carry it out into the new team name…I’d suggest one of the following:

- Team: I’ll fuck your car!
- Team: This Aggression will not stand, man.
- Team: We’ll cut off your johnson

or my favorite

Team: This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass…or the censored version “This is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps”

Team Fucking Social Studies.

so is tay the player that really ties the room together, but keeps getting pissed on by lebron?

@ ALL U FUCKING NIHILISTS:

LOL

If only Dave Dombrowski was our GM we could be the Dave Dombrowski Urban-Overachievers.

Ima go drink some white russians and do a j, i’ll get back at ya.

My votes are still for Team Balls or Motown Misfits, even tho the former sounds like a gay gym and the latter sounds like an early 90’s hip hop group.

Tay rly does tie our collective room together, or at least did before he was crippled by MCIAFI making him play power forward.

Michael Curry sits in a dark room, lit only by a fireplace, wearing a batman suit:
“Ahh you supwised by my tears, mistah duhbowksi? Stwong men awso cwy.”

Ya know, that’s actually pretty accurate for what I imagine him doing right now.

So, i’m playing NBA 2k9 with a trade that I think actually makes sense and I came up with:

Pistons get: Okafor and Posey
Kings get: Prince
Hornets get: Thomas and Kwame

Anyways, I am kicking ass!

I imagine him trolling the discount rack at Burlington Coat Factory trying to find a jacket that doesn’t look like a 70’s porn movie threw up on it.

I can’t wait the watch the “I really wish we still had Ben Gordon” game.

So, I take it BG isn’t going to play? I doubt CV will, either.

I think he’ll play off the bench tonight
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2381

It sounds like he wants to play, but realistically it would be smart to give him 5-10 minutes off the bench each half. No need to throw him into a 40 minute game if that ankle’s still sore

Just found this in the fanhouse article on Ron-Ron:

“On the 2004 brawl in Detroit for which Artest was suspended 73 games and lost $7 million in salary: “It wasn’t my fault. … I don’t see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, ‘Oh, look, you’re about to run in some stands, so stop.’”"

Are you fracking kidding me? How about running in the stands and mauling a bunch of innocent people, and starting a ginormous brawl that ruined your team’s season?

also found this:

“On his feelings toward Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whose altercation with Artest touched off the melee in Detroit: “I see Ben, I’m on my guard now. I’m always in the mood to fight him. … I’ll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I’ll just fight him right there. It won’t go into the stands.”"

Good. The 35 year old can kick your ass again, Ron-Ron. God he’s an idiot.

Ron Artest is quite possibly clinically insane.

http://www.annarbor.com/news/man-28-gunned-down-outside-pittsfield-township-home/

Off topic, but I wanted to bring it up since I happen to live very close that area. I don’t think Ann Arbor is becoming unsafe, but ever since the economy fell apart, its been scary times.

Yeah. but I still love him. However, Ben Wallace would stomp that motherfucker into a paste though. You don’t want it with him, Ron. You don’t.

While not having Ben Gordon tonight, we got the aforementioned #6, Bulls gone hate to play against him.

no charlie and prolly no gordon either, same starting lineup as last game. gon be interesting again.

Ron Artest has crazy on his side, though. You don’t want to fight crazy.

^^Just ask Holyfield.

@MP, Damn no Blair either! I reckon who ever compiled the list is biased.

Not saying that Daye was a savior. I just think he would be a better fit, with certain matchups. Piston.com says Gordon will play, 23 minutes ago. no matter where he gets in. I’m glad to have him back.

Not a good start..