I would love to see Williams in a Pistons uniform. He can’t shoot, but he can do basically everything else you’d want.

Shooting isn’t his strength, but he did shot 38% from three-point land (albeit the college version) last year, attempting four a game.

I really like his game as well. I think he could step in right away and be a rotation player.

Shades of Afflalo…?

I watched T-Will for four years as a die hard UofL fan. He wouldmake a great player for any team. The NBA needs more players who care about the game and have fun playing the game. If every team had a T-Will the NBA fan base would triple. He will fit in well with Detroit (if they pick him), because they have very passionate fans that love hustle. You will never see less than 110% from T-Will.

the lefty alley oop was sick!

Good stuff.

I’m from Seattle and have seen T-Will and Stuck play MANY times with my own eyes. Some people question T-wills shooting?? Trust me T-will is going to be a MAJOR stud..think Brandon Roy coming out of college. And his game translate to the NBA because of how good of a athlete he is..Stuck/Twill backcourt could be very, very scary….YOu could put T-will at the #1 and Stuckey at the #2

That between-the-legs rebound was just gratuitous. I mean, anyone can dunk. But how many have snagged a ’bound like that?

Great interview Matt W.

T-Will would be great on the pistons. They need a guard with some skills and grit, and he offers that.

T-Will will make a great NBA player for any team that needs a point forward type of player. He shooting wasn’t the greatest from his freshman to the 1st part of his senior year but after the new year with Rick helping him with his shot he became a much more all around player.

If the Pistons get him, he will be a great asset.

Nice work Matt.

I dont think the Pistons will be able to pass up who is left over between Flynn, Lawson, Maynor or Tyreke Evans.

All those guys are NBA Starters in my book.

I do like the fact T Williams is embracing Social Media.

You know what, We are all probably wrong because who saw Joe D making Walter Sharpe his top newcomer last year?

Walter Sharpe = Earl Clark + Narcolepsy

Yeah, I’d love T-Will, but we can never tell what Joe Dumars is thinking. Last year we were all deciding whether we wanted CDR or Bill Walker. Instead we got a gun shot victim who involuntarily falls asleep. Regardless, I’m still excited about the draft!

I have watched TWill for 4 years as a UL fan. He is absolutely, positively sensational. Whoever gets him will have a triple double threat every night. I hope i’m a new piston fan.

Just how much social media is this kid embracing, really?

Wow, what an end to the Cavs-Magic game!

Best final quarter I have seen since yesterdays game!

I’m impressed with Orlando’s mental toughness, hanging on to win in Boston and coming from behind to win in Cleveland.

2 great days of basketball in a row! Lakers will win it all :)

I have a quick beef with the Cavs-Magic game. The 6th foul on Dwight Howard is what is wrong with the NBA. A big guy goes straight up, and a superstar goes into his chest and gets a call. The TNT postgame crew was going off on what a bad call it was. The league is so desirous of creating superstar guards/wings, that they have completely altered the spirit of the game. Fouls are when you don’t have position and nail a guy with the body. Or when you hit his arm. They aren’t for everytime a superstar puts his head down and goes to the rack.

Other than that gripe, wow are these two playoff series off to an exciting start.

Two of Howard’s three fouls in the first half were BS.

Barkley made a great point on how Cleveland might be screwed. If the LeBaby is cramping and exhausted after game 1, how on earth is he going hold up for a series that looks like it could go the distance? If he can’t, the Cavs are done.

dear lord it was sweet to see the cavs lose and lebron cramping up after the game. thank you orlando magic, i can sleep easy tonite.

I don’t care who wins it all as long as it’s not the Lakers. I have nothing against them, but living in LA is insufferable when Laker fans start puffing out their chests.

If Lebron Can’t win a title this year. Iggy gets old making it tough next year. Does Lebron get fed up and take off… maybe northward ;~). Or do they win one and we get stuck playing Lebron in Cleveland for the next decade?

Go Magic! F pansy bs fouls!

QD: You said that right. I’m already tired of all the old faded Laker flags pulled out of mothballs from last year. Which of course where they had been sine 2004!!

what to lbj is a block is a suspension for ron-ron

I’m still really bitter from our ass-kicking in round 1. Even though Cleveland was by far the superior team, it still grinds my gears to see LeBron get all the calls. He’s REALLY good — he doesn’t need help from the refs.

And while I’m thinking about it, I also thought LeBron murdered Dwight on that “block” in the first half that everyone was gushing about.

I agree with Q.D. about “anybody but the Lakers” winning. Heck, I get tired of arrogant LA fans and I live in frickin’ Ohio. Also, I like Denver because of Chauncey, Orlando is a fun team to watch, and the Cavs have put together a monstrous and obviously deserving team.

My only quibble with the Cavs is, as Garrett and others have said, LeBron gets way too many calls. It’s like Wade with the Heat. These are great players, they can still win in a fair game.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs react after their first taste of adversity in the playoffs. I’m not counting them out, even if LeBron had some cramps.

i predict a 20 point cleveland win in game 2

I read today that Derrick Coleman wants to assistant coach for the Pistons and specialize in the paint.

thanks for making me laugh jay_uno…I needed that…

@Skylar:
Link please!

Perhaps Lebron wasnt actually drinking the Vitamin Water after all? I get that the guy plays hard… but he logged 42 minutes and was cramping as early as the 3rd. I bet Ray Allen was laughing somewhere.

From Basketbawful, re Cavs-Magic Game 1.

There was a time that the presence of Ben Wallace would have meant holy terror for Dwight Howard. Sadly, that time was around 2004. Last night, the 15 Million Dollar Man logged just under 10 minutes and finished with 2 boards, 1 foul and a plus-minus score of -14…easily the worst of the night. (Joe Beast was second-worst at -8).

I don’t think the cramping is a big deal. LeBron’s a machine and just had a small glitch for whatever reason. Maybe he only ate one ham sandwich for lunch instead of two or something. I don’t think his conditioning is going to be a problem going forward.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090521/OPINION03/905210423/Will-Blackhawks-fans—chants-go-too-far

Derrick Coleman wants to return to the Pistons as a coach.
Coleman, who played in the NBA from 1990-2005, would like to teach big men how to play inside, and hopes president Joe Dumars gives him a call.
“It is like a lost art,” he said.
“There are a lot of bigs, but nobody posts anybody up. Everybody wants to stand still and hit jumpers.
“Tell Joe I am here. I am local. I love the game of basketball and want to get involved.”

@Motherfuckin’MikePayne:

Scroll past the hockey.

Off topic and way too rehashed? yes. But I just can’t help myself because it’s always nice to see the pile get higher.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/chris_ballard/05/19/allen.iverson/index.html

Cleveland’s bench scored FIVE points last night. Can we all agree that Cleveland is still just a marginal, average team with one amazing superstar that makes it super easy for the rest of them? If they make it past Orlando there’s absolutely no way they beat LA.

Oh, and also…man isn’t the Q a such a ghetto venue? If it isn’t chunks in the roof falling down, its Dwight busting down the damn shot clock..

@ Skylar: maybe I’m wrong here, but wasn’t Coleman’s problem the same as Sheed’?

At basically 6’11" didn’t like the paint and instead shot 3’s? Am I remembering the right Derrick Coleman here?

Totally random, but just looking over the Clippers roster for guys we might be able to get on the (relative) cheap because of the eventual Blake Griffin appearance:

Do you think we’d be able to swindle them out of Kaman AND DeAndre Jordan? Kaman’s a solid, known commodity at C, and DeAndre actually put up some decent numbers for a rookie. Check out his per-36 numbers:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordade01.html

Basically 11pts, 11reb, and 3blks per. Not bad at all. A lot of us (myself included) wanted Joe to pick this guy anyway, since he didn’t go until the 37th pick I think. Plus, he’s 6’11" and 250 lbs. Definitely has the tools to be a good big man.

Maybe some type of salary dump scenario? They’re on the hook for $35 million (!!!) between Camby, Kaman, and Randolph. Waaaaay too much money for 3 guys when Griffin is immediately going to eat up a third of their minutes at the same(ish) position(s). Maybe Amir + some 2nd rounders for Kaman + Jordan? I don’t think either is really in their long-term plans.

Joel, my guess is that they’d keep Jordan as part of the young core (Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, PG to be named later). Hopefully, they are high enough on him to part with the Caveman.

I would love to have Kaman as I’ve said before. I’m a big believer in having someone that can post up near the basket (not like Sheed who posts up twelve feet away). I would be so much more comfortable with any PF coming the Pistons’ way (Boozer, Odom, Varejao, David Lee, Dajuan Blair) with Kaman next to them.

Plus, I think he’ll be rejuvenated coming back to Michigan and having a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.

i am as nervous about the nuggets game as if it was detroit.

According to espn ford washington is the team most likely to trade their pick no 5 i think , is there anyone we could get at the 5 thru 10 spots that would help us, what about jordan hill anyone seen him much this yr?

ALLEN IVERSON IS DA BEST YO!!!!! and so is eminem.. go get that Relapse. Detroit WHAT!

i guess no one on the lakers read that chauncey billups’ article. insult to injury to bounce it off kobe’s back of all people for the layup. go nuggets.

chauncey bounces the in bound pass off kobe’s back to himself and gets the layup to cut laker lead to one at the half. sweet!

Trevor Ariza is gettin’ paaaaaaid.

Bam. That’s game.

…….aaaaaand Ariza loses the ball on a crucial possession. I am a curse.

What’s up with Chauncey missing his free throws? It’s in his head now.

if denver and orlando reach the finals, will david stern be all right?

which team swept it’s series with both denver and orlando this past season?

qd, i know you are a big kmart fan. he has looked really good this series.

it is just another exclamation point to joe d’s miserable season that carmelo anthony has picked this year to go for it. how many titles would the pistons have won with carmelo, chauncey, rip, sheed and prince?

watching espn nba ads with young portland sheed in the paint. man he was skinny. and quick. even while getting beat.

watching sportcenter tonight. carmelo anthony, the sucker punch thug, getting the patronizing love from the sports nanny pundits. " he has really grown up, blah, blah, blah. and then some hockey game with all these white guys beating the shit out of each other and it is a big chuckle and totally cool. one of the hockey players is even named satan. it makes ron artest look demure and appropriate.

@andyfrombrooklyn:
cool story bro

“qd, i know you are a big kmart fan. he has looked really good this series.”

If your point is that Kenyon Martin can finish when he gets the chance, then you are totally right. But, that should be a given. He’s getting paid 31 million for the next two years. 30 million should go to Jason Kidd, becuase he made KMart.

I’d be willing to bet that KMart is one of the league leaders in terms of the percentage of his baskets that come off assists. And then he has to audacity to call out his teammates after getting whooped twice in the NBA Finals when his own Finals’ performance made Karl Malone look like Michael Jordan.

Except for that weird flip shot, he can’t create his own offense. I want to puke every time I see Carmelo/JR Smith/Chauncey break down the defense and give Kenyon a wide open dunk and then have to watch him flex and strut around like he actually did something.

Every dollar he’s paid over the MLE is a waste of money. I guarantee you the Nuggets would be happy to trade him for a bag of potato chips if they could find someone to take him.

“if denver and orlando reach the finals, will david stern be all right?”

He definitely wants Kobe v. Lebron. But, I’m sure Dwight Howard is in his “Fave Five.” Wade would be on there too. I wonder who would be fifth? Nash? Garnett?

qd, my point is that in pistonville this season, points in the paint and around the rim were few and far between and when they came it was because of a little guy named bynum. amir was on the bench. kwame was bobbling and chucking the ball generally directed towards the backboard and rim. dyess was not getting it to fall. sheed occasionally tried a layup and looked like chris webber on bad knees. so kmart looks pretty damn good to me in that context whatever his price tag. in game one he hit that flip shot at steady intervals. yesterday he got the lay up to take the lead on a broken play that if chauncey had made last year or the year before is game over for the pistons. kmart also had three steals.
so kmart may be expensive but he is not “useless”. and will bynum would sure like to have some of those “potato chips.”

i must have heard sheed quoted “ball don’t lie” three times last night. are the pundits sensing that sheed is history and oh my god we will miss him and he was sure fun to watch.

That’s three straight entertaining conference finals games. I just LOVED the Chauncey-bouncing-the-ball-off-Kobe’s-back play. And then JVG telling us what an intelligent player Kobe is (which is probably generally true, but seemed a tad defensive at the time). On the other hand, I appreciated JVG’s love for ’Sheed’s “ball don’t lie.”

Mark Butter: You’re right, I remember him being good in the low post but as you said, comparable to ’Sheed, plus he was a wildass, he pissed all over the rug at an Italian joint here in the (313) Anytime I find news that people want to come to the Pistons, I find it noteworthy, but the case against him coming here is solid.

Sorry for the lag but I was away for awhile yesterday.

Chauncey certainly knows how to answer Kobe, something Iverson could never attempt in this part of the millenium.

On K-Mart, I don’t want him for what he’s charging, and this is the best he’s looked in awhile. To me anyways. But I like his uncanny resemblance to Clifford Smith.

I like K-Mart, but I like him for maybe $6-7 million. I’ve always lumped him and Marion together— super long and athletic, owe their entire careers to good PGs, most horrific jump shot form I’ve ever seen, etc. etc. That being said, when his current contract is up I wouldn’t mind bringing K-Mart off the bench for around the MLE. He plays great post D and in spite of all his posturing he does bring a level of legitimate toughness.

Re: Derrick Coleman/Sheed. Coleman was definitely a waste of amazing talent. But, for some reason, Larry Brown loved the guy. And Larry Brown only loves players that either play with passion or have high basketball IQ. I’m pretty sure Coleman doesn’t fit in the former category.

afb, I think finishers like Kenyon Martin are easy to find (and cheaper). All the shots I remember him making last night came from a pass from someone else. Even the last one to win it was off a pass from Nene off the broken play.

I think the Pistons problem is that they never had guys that could get to the hoop and drop it off to the big man until Stuckey and Bynum. Maxiell and Amir are good finishers. Unfortuntely for Amir, he and Maxiell have the pretty much the same strengths and weaknesses and Maxiell had more experience.

But, yes, I would love for the Pistons to get another guy that could just catch the ball, rise up, and dunk in someone’s face. I would love Tyrus Thomas (who the Bulls want to trade) if he didn’t seem like a head case. Birdman fits the bill too.

@QD:
But, yes, I would love for the Pistons to get another guy that could just catch the ball, rise up, and dunk in someone’s face.

Blair FTW!

Foreman says that Gordon is a top priority:

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/05/21/bulls.gm.forman.ap/index.html?cid=playoff1

I’d much rather have Jamal Crawford than Ben Gordon. Crawford is one of three players in history to score 50 points in a game for three different teams. And since Golden State wants to dump him, maybe the Pistons can pry away someone else too.

Does Crawford play defense. I assume no, but honestly I haven’t seen him play much.

I don’t think Crawford’s ever even been asked to play defense. He’s definitely athletic enough to be a good defender though. More problematic is his horrific shooting percentage— 40% on his career. Poor man’s Stackhouse basically. The very definition of a “volume shooter.” And at close to $9 mil/per, he’d be a completely useless piece for us.

Thank god Chicago’s new GM is apparently just as stupid as their old one— Joe D’s chub for Ben Gordon had me reeeeeally nervous for a bit there.

Yeesh! 40%. That’s turrible.

Crawford’s got mad skills and I think if he was in a better system (or A system) he’d be a more efficient scorer. The Knicks, the Warriors, and the Baby Bulls were grab bag offenses.

I read an interview once with Phil Jackson where he talked about how Crawford was always a player that he wanted because he thought he’d thrive in the triangle offense. I don’t think anyone has harnessed his talents.

And MCIAFI is that man?

qd i am not making an argument for acquiring kmart. i just think you underrate him. from the nugg doctor…
Another player who has raised the level of his game has been Kenyon Martin. Defensively, we know K-Mart is going to supply the grit of Denver’s interior but offensively is where Martin is surprising L.A.. So far, Martin has been the Nuggets most efficient player against the Lakers. K-Mart is shooting 58% from the field (14-24 combined over the first two games) and is averaging 15.5 ppg against L.A.. And for those of you keeping track… That’s half a point more than Pau is averaging in this series and a major component as to how the Nuggets are looking so strong against the Lakers. With Carmelo scoring at a dizzying pace, and Chauncey micro-managing nearly every possession, Kenyon’s added offense has been a Godsend with J.R. Smith and the bench struggling to make their impact felt.

it would be nice to have an offensive big. who was going to score in the paint. and kwame brown is not that guy.

more from the nugg doctor…
And despite his unusual struggles at the free-throw line, Chauncey Billups has put his stamp on the first two games of this series too. Mr. Big Shot may just earn himself another nickname with how safe and efficiently he is distributing the ball right now. Perhaps adding “Steady” to “Smooth” as one of Billups’ monikers would be fitting seeing how he is sporting a 6:1 assist to turnover ratio against the Lakers and a true shooting percentage of over 46% with a 22.5 per game average. Furthermore, Chauncey’s is giving the Nuggets the best possible outcome scenarios in clutch situations. For instance, with the Nuggets tied last night at 99 Billups made the extremely cerebral decision to create contact with the hedging Pau Gasol to draw two critical free-throws. Other point guards with a lesser pedigree than Chauncey would have probably strayed from that contact, but Billups’ knew the time and situation and used Gasol’s aggression against him. Those two free-throws truly gave the Nuggets the upper hand down the stretch as both teams traded baskets in the final two minutes of game two. And who can forget Chauncey tying up Gasol on the other end after Nene sprung the ball free from Kobe’s control off the dribble? Without hesitation, Billups swarmed Gasol, who already had sturdy possession of the ball on the floor, to force that jump which Denver was able to control. In summation, Chauncey not only scored five of Denver’s final seven points at the free-throw line, but did so not with superior athletic plays but rather with his mind. He used a deeper understanding of the game within the game, and the officials, to mastermind a winning game plan that was more tactical then any coach could have drawn up.

Hey Andy, are you from Brooklyn Michigan, or Crooklyn NY? Just curious, I never thought of it until now.

“it would be nice to have an offensive big. who was going to score in the paint. and kwame brown is not that guy.”

My hope (and I know most people will think this is a little stupid) is to trade Amir for Kaman (a salary dump for the Clippers). And sign Odom at 9-10mil/year.

I know Odom isn’t having a killer series and is inconsistent in general. But, he’s playing with a back injury and got 10pts, 9reb, 5off reb, 2ass, 2blks, 0TOs in 30min. Not amazing numbers but he can do a lot of different things and can fit into the team concept.

Roster Game:
PG
Stuckey
Bynum
First Round Pick (Maynor? Lawson? Flynn? Holiday?)
SG
Rip
Afflalo
2nd Second Round Pick (Dionte Christmas?)
SF
Tay
1st Second Round Pick (Summers? Danny Green?) Sharpe
PF
Odom
Maxiell
Plaisted
C
Kaman
Kwame
Plaisted

That roster may not be ready to win a title, but there’s depth and still room to add another piece with the MLE while still being financially responsible.

AFB, I think you’re exactly right about getting some athletic bigs that can block shots and dunk on someone and put their nuggets in someone’s mouth.

But, without the Chauncey trade (as painful as it was). The Pistons would have only 6mil (the MLE) to spend on getting someone like that.

Now they have 17mil (at least).

I’m curious to know, who would you go after? Birdman? Gortat? Boozer? Odom? Chandler? Okur? Milsap? Kaman? Stoudamire? Shaq? Marion? Bosh?

QD,

I usually agree with you but even 9 million is too much for Odom. Please God, no. The back injury isn’t really an excuse since he was getting manhandled by LUIS SCOLA before he even got injured. Uggh.

“And MCIAFI is that man?”

Maybe not, but I’d love to see all those Rip plays run for Crawford.

“The back injury isn’t really an excuse since he was getting manhandled by LUIS SCOLA before he even got injured. Uggh.”

Definitely, talent-wise that’s the one weakness in his game for a Power Forward: Low post defense.

Ahh, QD, you’re so civil, it’s no fun disagreeing with you.

I guess I should temper my Odom hate. Given all the options, you’re scenario isn’t terrible. It just depresses me that this is one of the “better options” available.

Also, I am warming to Gortat. Definitely liked his D toward the end of the 2nd Q.

There are several teams who would do almost anything to trade a certain guy off there team like the clippers Randolph ,golden state maggette ,new oleans has acouple of guys like that i’m sure there are others including boozer and utah , since were not going any where this year anyway I’m wondering if any of these teams would make it worth our while to take on one of these guys.

I will be ecstatic if we draft T-will, let’s make it happen, Joe.

I read that there are a number of “red flags” concerning T-Will. Of course they don’t say what those flags are.

I really like Danny Green with one of our second-rounders. He’s a senior, an experienced guy, can shoot the 3, gets a ton of steals (1.8 per last season) and a ton of blocks for a guy his size (6’6", 1.3 bpg). In all honesty, he matches up favorably and almost superior to T-Will, a potential lottery guy.

Check the 2009 stats:

Green: 27 mpg, 13.1 ppg, 2.7 apg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 1.8 spg, 47% fg, 42% 3pt/fg

Williams: 34 mpg, 12.7, 5apg, 8.6 rpg, .8 bpg, 2.3 spg, 43% fg, 39% 3pt/fg

Obviously Williams’ assists and rebounds are much better than Green’s, but take this into account: Williams played 7 minutes per game more than Green, didn’t have a point guard (he played point forward a ton) and didn’t have a dominant big man (Earl Clark is a taller clone of T-Will). He HAD to put up those type of numbers. Green, on the other hand, played with one of the top distributing PG’s in the nation (Lawson) and one of the best post guys in college history (Hansbrough), and still managed to average 3 assists and 5 boards per game, in only 27 minutes. Give him another 7 minutes a game and I bet he has at least as many steals, OVER 2 blocks a game (ridiculous at 6’6"), closer to like 7 boards and maybe ~4 assists to go along with closer to 16+ points.

If there’s one thing the last few drafts have burned into my consciousness, it’s that people absolutely undervalue upperclassmen coming out of the draft. You think the Bulls are a little pissed about taking Tyrus Thomas over Brandon Roy nowadays? If we can get a polished, mature all-around guy like Danny Green in the second round, I say we have to go for it. Not to mention it gives us a more focused outlook for the #15 since we can eliminate “athletic swingman” from the proceedings, and can focus in on bigs (Blair, Hansbrough, Mullens, Clark) or a lights out pass-first PG (Flynn, Teague, Jennings, Maynor [love this kid; another senior], Lawson).

Now, maybe we can get some action going on this dead ass DBB afternoon…