Ryan Corazza explores the story behind Ft. Wayne’s Nightmare Ant. (via Skeets)
Author Archive for Matt Watson
Congrats to mgoblog’s Brian Cook, the mastermind behind the BlogPoll, which officially made the leap into mainstream media today.
First up, Amir Johnson apologists will appreciate my timeline of Flip’s contradictions and double talk at Free Darko. Those on the other side of the fence may say I’m beating a dead horse. To those I say … okay, you’re probably right. But do me a favor and still check it out.
- Michael Curry on pairing Rasheed Wallace and Amir Johnson:
“They’ve done a really good job. Amir brings all the athletic ability and youth to the floor. He’s not a very vocal guy, so when you put him out there with Rasheed, Rasheed helps him in a lot of areas and he doesn’t make nearly as many mistakes. I think they complement each other very well. Sheed can’t move like he once could, but he can direct Amir to do a lot of the dirty work for him.”
- I find the “Brandon Jennings in Europe” story incredibly interesting — I won’t be surprised at all if he ends up being the pioneer that turns the NCAA on its head. If you’re not yet up to speed, this New York Times article is a nice primer. Also, highlights from his first scrimmage in Italy.
- If you haven’t read every post of Henry Abbott’s “Train Like a Pro” series, bookmark this page and make your way through it.
- Michael Curry’s inspiration? Doug Collins. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t mean he has a two-and-a-half year shelf life before the players tune him out.
- Antonio McDyess is open for anything.
- The Amir Johnson and Rodney Stuckey mix tape.
- Highlights from Joe Dumars’ speech at the U-M Business School.
- With his third WNBA title in the bag, Bill Laimbeer ponders his future as coach of the Shock:
There is some uncertainty about Laimbeer, who has built this dynasty since taking over the team in the middle of the 2002 season. He isn’t signed for next year and admitted after Game 3 that he’ll walk away from the job at some point, saying that assistants Cheryl Reeve and Rick Mahorn are ready for head-coaching positions.
However, Laimbeer said he still loves what he does and it’d be a surprise if he decided to call it quits this offseason.
“I want to go to Florida and launch a boat,” Laimbeer said, referring to his offseason residence. “And I’m going to go up and get in the woods and sit in tree stand and look for deer and think about a lot of stuff and what I want to do.”
Just like the last couple of years, Jeff from CelticsBlog has organized a great big round-up of blogger previews. I’ll be posting the divisions as they’re completed. Today, we’re kicking things off with the Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics
Jeff Clark: CelticsBlog.com
Jim Weeks: Green Bandwagon
FLCeltsFan: LOY’s Place
John Karalis: Red’s Army
Dustin Chapman: Celtics 24/7
New Jersey Nets
Dennis Velasco: About Basketball
New York Knicks
Joey: Straight Bangin’
Seth Rosenthal: Posting and Toasting
Philadelphia 76ers
Dannie & Pete: Recliner GM
Jon Burkett: Passion and Pride
Toronto Raptors
Franchise: RaptorsHQ.com
Ryan McNeill: Hoops Addict
Cuzzy: Cuzoogle
The Pistons have officially kicked off the preseason in Miami, although good luck trying to follow along — not only is the game not being televised, but it’s nearly impossible to find a good running box score online (if you’ve found one, please share in the comments). You can listen via WDFN’s live stream, though, which is better than nothing.
As usual share your thoughts (or vent your frustration about how the NBA makes it so difficult to watch your favorite team) in the comments.
The Shock defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars 76-60 earlier this afternoon, earning the sweep and picking up their third title in six years:
Detroit swept the league’s best regular-season team, winning the clincher at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center, a venue forced upon them because of a scheduling conflict.
For Smith, the Finals MVP, the win meant a league championship less than two months after she and her U.S. teammates took gold in Beijing.
“Everybody battles on this team,” she said.
Smith was lifted from the game with time running out as coach Bill Laimbeer emptied his bench to the ear-splitting delight of the crowd.
Michael Curry revealed yesterday that Amir Johnson will join the starting lineup, beginning with tonight’s preseason opener in Miami. From Chris McCosky:
“Amir does things without having to have the ball,” Curry said. “He’s able to pick up baskets through his activity, by running the floor and playing off the other four guys. He does all the intangible things, and through that he’s able to create offensive opportunities for himself.”
How long Johnson holds onto the spot is completely up to him.
“I am glad I got the opportunity,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been sitting on that bench for three years. I am ready to play.”
A huge part of the reason that Curry wanted to move Antonio McDyess back to the bench was because he often got lost in the shuffle as the fourth or fifth option on offense as a starter. Johnson, of course, will face that same hurdle, but his ability to change the game without the benefit of a designed play reminds Curry of a former long-time starter. From A. Sherrod Blakely:
“Ben [Wallace] was another guy who could make a tremendous impact on the game without having plays run for him,” Curry said. “In that sense, Amir is a guy that has an impact on the game; has an impact on how we rebound the ball, has an impact on the speed in which we play offensively and defensively with his presence on the court. With the starting unit, he’s sort of a welcomed addition to that group.”
Johnson knows his role and sounds eager to meet expectations, telling McCosky:
“I just do the little stuff, the garbage can stuff,” he said. “I get rebounds and putbacks. I know the other guys like to shoot, so every miss I am going to try and get every ball.”
I know a lot of people were disappointed when the Pistons sat still this summer instead of overhauling their roster, but if Johnson makes the type of impact I think he’s capable of doing, I think fans will quickly forgive (and perhaps even thank) Joe Dumars for his inactivity.
Between Rodney Stuckey doubling his playing time, Maxiell continuing to develop and Johnson finally being given a real opportunity to contribute, no one will be able to label the Pistons an old team with a straight face.
The preseason officially kicks off Sunday night in Miami — and rest assured we’ll have a regular game thread up for that — but for today, should the urge arise, kick back and go off topic in the comments here. Also, congrats to Bill Laimbeer and the Detroit Shock, who pulled ahead 2-0 in the WNBA Finals last night and are just one game away from their third title in six years.
When Tom Ziller and Bethlehem Shoals collaborate on an article, basketball fans owe it to themselves to read it. Here’s their piece for Gelf Magazine about the uneasy relationship between basketball stat-heads and scouts, and why we’d all be better off if they learned how to get along.
Matt Moore of Ridiculous Upside (… and HP … and FH) recently spoke with Jeff Potter, the president of the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants. The entire interview is worth reading, but here’s some highlights Pistons fans should find interesting:
RU: Has there been any discussion about [Cheikh] Samb coming back?
JP: A little bit. I’m heading up to talk to them in a few weeks. In my opinion? They may want to keep him up there. It’s hard to find guys who are that long with that kind of shooting touch with that great a timing, blocking shots, and he’s worked his head off all summer. He looks a lot bigger than he was when he was with us. I can see him getting some minutes up there this year.
RU: You’ve got three teams affiliated with you right now. I think for the D-League affiliate it’s great. I blasted it a bit for possible complications. The Pacers haven’t used it much. The Pistons have been very involved. How are you approaching handling three teams?
JP: I see your point. For us, I think it’s fantastic. The more the merrier. On the business side, I’m affiliated with three NBA teams, which no one else in this league can say. So as I’m trying to convince people this is the highest level of basketball Fort Wayne has ever seen. People are really excited about it. Especially because the Bucks have used the D-League. I mean, Sessions came in here last year in his first game and killed us. God, we’d love to get Sessions back. Chieikh needed to play last year, and he did. I don’t think they’re concerned about complications. They just want their guys to get minutes which they will. They sent down a guy, Ryan Hoover, to watch over things and make sure things are going right, and he was pleased with everything. I think it helps the D-League to have these teams involved, as well as us.
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