Tag Archive for 'Arnie Kander'

Billups and Kander’s quality time

Published by Matt Watson on May 9, 2008 in 2008 Playoffs and Injuries. 30 Comments

Flip Saunders claims he’s thinking about using Amir Johnson in Game 4. From A. Sherrod Blakely:

Pistons coach Flip Saunders talked some about Rashard Lewis who has given them fits throughout this series. Lewis’ play is one of the reasons why Jarvis Hayes is out of the rotation, and replaced by Walter Herrmann. Saunders said he’s also giving some thought to putting Amir Johnson on Lewis tomorrow night.

“Just because of his (Johnson’s) quickness and his length and his ability to defend people out on the floor, but also if he gets beat off the dribble, he can make it up and contest at the rim,” Saunders said.

A.S.B. also has the latest Chauncey Billups update in the same article; not much has changed, though it seems Chauncey and Arnie Kander are getting to know each other quite well:

“I’m feeling a little better,” Billups said. “Y’all probably have a better chance of asking my roommate Arnie.”

As in Arnie Kander, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Billups was up to about 1 a.m. this morning doing stuff with Kander, with treatments resuming about eight hours later.

“He doesn’t need a room,” Kander said. “He’s been in my room. We were up to 1 in the morning and started back at 9 this morning.”

No matter what Saunders says, I’m quite confident we’ll see a dinged up Billups before a perfectly healthy Johnson, which is actually pretty sad.

Arnie Kander heals Chauncey and delivers babies

Published by Matt Watson on May 8, 2008 in 2008 Playoffs and Injuries. 23 Comments

Chauncey Billups was still sore at practice this morning but the training staff doesn’t seem too concerned. From A. Sherrod Blakely:

“I’ve seen about 2,000 hamstrings,” said Arnie Kander, Detroit’s strength and conditioning coach. “I look at this as being nothing more than what we’ve seen in the past. Because of the slowness of the movement; because of the nature of what occurred, him being able to pull out of it and the fact that he feels this morning the same as he did last night … that’s a great sign. Usually the next morning, you feel worse.”

Also, as a testament to Arnie’s amazing healing touch, he also found time to give Krista Jahnke advice on her pregnancy:

I asked him jokingly on Wednesday whether he can give me an advice to have a pain-free labor (I’m seven and a half months pregnant).

He didn’t skip a beat, saying, “Sure,” and launching into a quick rundown of stuff that was over my head. He mentioned “healers” and said something about how it’s all about “moving energy.” He said his wife had two nearly pain-free labors without any medication.

If he can do that, what’s a strained hamstring?

The man is a wizard, I tell you.

Rip and Arnie are racing

Published by Matt Watson on April 21, 2008 in From the news. 24 Comments

Negativity seems to hanging over Pistons fans like a wet blanket, so here’s something to lighten the mood: trainer Arnie Kander and Rip Hamilton are apparently planning on racing this summer. Chris Silva first mentioned this over the weekend in the Detroit Free Press:

Hamilton has challenged Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander to a mile run that the Pistons’ guard started hyping after Saturday’s practice.

“After the season, me and Arnie Kander are going to go race a mile,” Hamilton said as he left the practice facility. “Out here in the parking lot — old school. I’m going to be coached by Michael (Spud) Hamilton, my cousin. Arnie (Kander) is going to be coached by Mr. Chest, Super Dave (Boyer).”

Boyer is an assistant to Kander.

Today, the Freep followed up on the “story,” getting Kander’s take:

The shooting guard randomly said Saturday he wants to take on Kander, whose self-reported mile time is 4:52.

“He doesn’t have a chance,” said Kander, 47. “He can juice, hang upside down, whatever.”

Hamilton said he’s a 4:50 miler himself. He clocks himself about once every summer, when his workouts often involve distance running.

Chances of this actually happening? I’m guessing slim. But what would the awesome factor be if this actually did go down and Kander won? Totally, completely off the charts. (On a side note, knowing Kander’s homeopathic ways, I wouldn’t be surprised if his “juice” reference referred to, you know, actual juice.)

Pistons tighten ship with players-only meeting

Published by Matt Watson on March 26, 2008 in Injuries and Rumors. 4 Comments

Dana Gauruder of the Oakland Press doesn’t post much on his blog, but it’s usually interesting stuff when he does. Such as today:

Curious ongoings before the Pistons’ shootaround in Toronto this morning.

The media was banned from going into the locker room for a few minutes while the Pistons held a team meeting. Afterward, they were vague about what was going on.

I didn’t appear to be anything major, like a rift between Flip Saunders and the players or in-fighting among the team. It was more of re-focusing, if you will. Apparently, some players had been coasting or blowing off stretchng exercises, weight-room work, etc.

Richard Hamilton and Juan Dixon both suffered injuries in recent days - Hamilton a sore hip, Dixon a strained calf. Dixon hasn’t been around long enough for anyone to get mad at him, so Rip was probably one, if not the main, target.

The last thing the Pistons want is for people to coast into the playoffs and lose their sharpness when they need it most.

“Just something that needed to be said,” Tayshaun Prince said. “Trying to gear up for these last 12 games or so, just to kind of finish off the right way.”

A. Sherrod Blakely also made mention of the team meeting, though without connecting the dots to Rip:

Players were relatively mum on the meeting’s specifics, but there were two general themes that seemed to be points of discussion.

1) Conditioning — lately, the Pistons have been bothered by a few nagging injuries, in part because the players don’t necessarily follow through as well as they should on the pre-game and shoot-around conditioning drills led by Kander. There was a noticeable improvement in their focus during those drills this morning, which may very well be tied into the team meeting.

2) Playoff preparation — A couple different players mentioned how it’s time for them to start to not just think about the playoffs, but start developing the kind of habits needed to ensure they don’t suffer yet another early playoff exit.

Chris McCosky basically has the same in his blog, but adds that part of the meeting was led by Arnie Kander:

Strange shoot-around this morning. The Pistons booted everybody — coaches, ballboys, equipment guys and even the media relations man Cletus Lewis — out of the locker room and had a players only meeting. They rarely do that, especially when things are running smoothly, as they are right now.

Part of the meeting was conducted by Arnie Kander, the Pistons strength and conditioning guru. He, apparently, just got on the players about maintaining all the pre- and post-game (and practice) stretching and weight room work. With the playoffs on the horizon, this is not the time to slack off.

For a veteran team like the Pistons, you’d expect this type of self-policing now and then. Makes you wonder, though, if the team feels Rip Hamilton’s current hip ailment could have been prevented — both he and Juan Dixon are doubtful once again for tonight’s game.

This is the time of year that the Pistons should be easing into top gear while preparing for the playoffs, not making adjustments on the fly by entering the stretch run without their leading scorer. But still, it’s better they had this conversation today than a few weeks from now.