Archive for July, 2007
Since Kevin Garnett has been an object of desire among both Pistons fans and the Detroit media (perhaps to the point of distraction) the past couple of seasons, I figured more than a few readers here would be interested in this. From the Boston Herald:
Sources this morning are confirming that the Celtics’ deal for Kevin Garnett is essentially completed.
One involved source said the final package will have the Celts sending Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and a No. 1 pick to Minnesota to acquire Garnett.
Further word is that the Celts and Garnett have reached an agreement in principle on a contract extension. You may recall a report here that Danny Ainge would not do the deal without such a guarantee of Garnett’s presence, and it appears now that the perennial All-Star is willing to forego the opt-out in his current deal for next summer and cast his lot with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the Celtics.
My FanHouse colleagues have been all over this, but CelticsBlog was the first outlet (including blogs and mainstream media) to report anything on this, including that talks between the two clubs had revived in the first place — major props to the community over there for scooping the world.
So, does anyone really think the Celtics can’t make the playoffs with a starting trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and KG? I’m guessing the rest of the starting lineup would be Rajon Rondo at point and Kendrick Perkins at the five. I think they could do it. They don’t really have the depth to go far or secure home court advantage, but that’s certainly better than last year’s seven (an injury-riddled Washington) and eight seeds (the four and out Magic).
Update: There’s still confusion over who Boston is giving up — the Boston Globe is reporting that Jefferson is staying put and Boston is trading two first-round picks. For the sake of fans in Boston, I hope this doesn’t fall apart at the last second (again).
The Blowtorch has been creating mini caricatures of NBA draft picks — check out Rodney Stuckey.
Okay, things are obviously pretty slow right now, but I found this interview with Arron Afflalo from the Las Vegas Summer League pretty interesting. If nothing else, it’s a small glimpse into Spellcheck’s personality.
John Hanson with Arron Afflalo at Vegas Summer League [YouTube]
If you’re a sports blogger, be sure to partake in Ballhype’s Great Sports Blogger Study of 2007. It’s a brief (and I mean brief) survey that should help clarify (or reinforce) some common stereotypes of bloggers.
Also, if you’re a blogger of any stripe, do me a favor and leave a note in the comments with the name and URL of your site — I’m going to update my sidebar links with a “DBB Readers” section. It’s an idea I’ve wanted to do for a while and I’ve been spurred into action by this post by Boney. (I guess I can’t promise a link to everyone, but I’d definitely like to hit up at least all of the regulars.)
Chris McCosky reports for the Detroit News that the Pistons have inked Antonio McDyess to a two-year extension:
Antonio McDyess will be a Piston through 2010 at least.
McDyess, 32, signed a two-year extension with the Pistons on Monday that will pay him roughly $14.46 million from 2008-09 though 2009-10.
He will make $6.3 million next season, the last year of his initial deal with the Pistons, $6.9 million in 2008-09 and $7.5 million in 2009-10.
“I am excited,” McDyess said in a prepared statement. “We have enjoyed a lot of success as a team since I came to Detroit three years ago and I look forward to the upcoming season and making another run at a title.”
Sammy Mejia was also signed, which means there are now 15 players under contract. Barring a trade, that’s the team we’ll see go into camp.
Update: An excerpt of some thoughts about the deal I put up on FanHouse:
… Retaining him does nothing to change the public perception that the Pistons are an aging team. But even though McDyess will be 35 years old by the time the deal expires, is that perception really accurate? Maybe not.
Considering the Pistons also announced the signing of second-round pick Sammy Mejia today, this year’s roster will feature four rookies: first-round picks Rodney Stuckey and Aaron Afflalo, Mejia and last year’s second-round pick Cheikh Samb. Plus, 20-year-old Amir Johnson, who recently signed a three-year deal to stay in Detroit, and Jason Maxiell, 24, are also expected to factor into Detroit’s rotation this year. That’s six players who are all under the age of 25, including four expected to see a lot of playing time this year.
Just a head’s up — USA Basketball is playing a mini-camp scrimmage that’s being televised on FOX Sports. Here are the teams:
The USA Blue Team, coached by Mike D’Antoni, includes Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Kirk Hinrich, J.J. Redick, Amare’ Stoudemire, and Daren Williams.
The USA White Team, mentored by Nate McMillan, will feature Shane Battier, Chanucey Billups, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd
There really are no scrubs in the bunch (okay, I snickered, too, when I saw J.J. Redick’s name, and I’m not too sure who Daren Williams is — maybe he’s related to Deron Williams?), so this contest is pretty much an All-Star game. The game is tipping off, like, right now (7pm, Sunday), so tune in.
Hat-tip: Need4Sheed
Former Wolverine Maceo Baston has signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Raptors. Baston didn’t play much last year for the Pacers, but he’s had a highlight-reel-worthy career playing mostly in Israel.
Well, the big news of the day is obviously the New York Post’s story about the NBA referee accused of shaving points. Honestly, I still don’t know what to think about the whole situation. It’s easier for a ref to affect the outcome of the spread than it is the game, but then again, you never know. Apparently the ref in question is set to turn himself in next week, so maybe then we’ll have some answers.
In any case, what would you give to be in the same room as Rasheed Wallace once he learns who this crooked ref is? I’m not kidding, this is a golden opportunity, the Pistons should hold a raffle with the proceeds going to charity. Although, protective gear would probably be recommended, especially if it turns out to be Phil Robinson, Jeff Smith, Ron Olesiak, Eli Roe or Marc Davis.
Update: It’s Tom Donaghy, who officiated only one game (a win) for the Pistons last year.
Update: Okay, just got this email from DBB reader John, who pointed out that Donaghy officiated the St. Patrick’s Day game against the Knicks in the 2005-06 season:
St.Patricks Day Fix - your account of this game really raises some eyebrows. I’m wondering what you think in retrospect; especially since it was during March madness where the ref probably lost a bundle.
At first I thought, how bad could it be? But I looked it up, and my title for the game recap was, “Refs steal scene, Pistons make cameo appearance in Knicks soap opera”
The refs had control of that game early — Rasheed Wallace got the boot (even though he was on the bench) for talking trash to Steve Francis. Get a load of some of the post-game quotes:
Chauncey Billups, who scored 24 points, said afterward that he wishes the league held the officials publically accountable for their calls.
“My thing is, after the game, I have to talk about what happened down the stretch, why we did this or that,” Billups said. “I wish the refs had to do that.”
“My thing is, if you’re going to let them play, let them play,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said after the game. “There was a little bit of inconsistency, so it was hard to adapt to that.”
The officials called 36 fouls in the second half, including seven technicals. And while the Pistons were careful to take some of the blame in a game they led at one point by 16, they wouldn’t shoulder all of it.
“I think (the officials were) more of a factor tonight than any game we’ve played this year,” said Tayshaun Prince, who scored 15 points. “Even though some other games were the same, I thought it was more important in this than any other one.”
And in my final thoughts I added, “it was impossible to watch this game and not feel like the refs were simply enjoying exerting their will.”
So, yeah. That sucks. Hopefully they nail this guy (and maybe refund Rasheed Wallace a few bucks). The Pistons finished with the best record in the league in 2005-06, so you could argue this loss didn’t directly affect them, but I imagine there are at least some teams (those who missed the playoffs by a game, had their playoff seeding decided by a game or even those who had the number of ping-pong balls in the lottery decided by a game or two) who probably have a legitimate beef.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the video above is Bad Boy Summer Camp’s final highlight video of the Vegas Summer League, featuring Amir Johnson’s one and only game — seeing No. 25 bounce all over the place has me getting antsy about next year.
For news on the “other” summer league — the Rocky Mountain Revue — be sure to check out this dispatch from FreeDarko. The Pistons don’t have a team in that league, but it’s a great read with Pichi Campana Aguanta offering some nice behind-the-scenes insight.
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