Tag Archive for ‘Lindsey Hunter’

Tag Archive for 'Lindsey Hunter'

More background on Hunter’s legal problems

Published by Matt Watson on August 27, 2008 in From the news. 17 Comments

Dave Dial at MLive’s Full-Court Press has unearthed a little more background on Lindsey Hunter’s brush with the FBI, finding alleged victim Bruce McClellan’s personal account of the story at FlippingFrenzy.com.

McClellan describes every step of what went down, and it’s worth pointing out that Hunter seemed to have a hands off approach in the early going, at least in terms of apparently never meeting McClellan face-to-face until after months after the purchase was consummated. Hunter did add McClellan to one of his bank accounts, but even that was done over the phone:

On March 30, 2007, Ivan Johnson called to tell me that he needed me to meet him at LaSalle Bank in Farmington Hills, MI, where it was necessary for me to add my name to Lindsey and Ivy (wife) Hunter’s bank account. When I asked why my name was being added to Lindsey’s account, Ivan told me that this was necessary so it appeared to the bank that I had more money than I really did, which would help me qualify for the loan. When I asked Ivan why Lindsey wasn’t worried about adding me to his personal account, Ivan told me that Lindsey knew that I was an honest person and that I would never attempt to steal from him (which of course was true—I would never steal money from anyone).

Ivan Johnson and I went to the bank together where Ivan called Lindsay Hunter on his phone. Lindsey spoke to LaSalle Bank employee Shatha Atcho-Salmu, and from what I could hear of the conversation, it was obvious that they knew each other. Anyway, with the assistance of LaSalle Bank’s Shatha Atchoo-Salmu, and without Lindsey Hunter or his wife Ivy Hunter present, I signed my name onto Lindsey and Ivy’s account, which I was told Lindsey had authorized.

When the house didn’t sell and McClellan grew antsy, he demanded to meet Hunter in person — and as far as I can tell, this was the first time McClellan actually met Hunter in person:

A few days later, Ivan called and told me that Lindsey had invited me to a Detriot Pistons home basketball game for the day of October 24, 2007. After being treated like a VIP in a private suite during the game, Lindsey, Ivan and I went to an upscale restaurant in Bloomfield Hills (MI), where Lindsey proceeded to tell me that everything for the real estate investment deal was in great shape—he reconfirmed that they had a buyer lined up and ready to buy the house from us for $2.1 Million—and that he wasn’t going to do me wrong or get me involved in any illegal activities. Lindsey even went as far as to tell me that he was financially set for the rest of his life, he wanted to make me and Ivan millionaires within the next one to two years, and that he wanted to make me a partner in L&I Enterprises, LLC.”

I recommend reading the entire article, but bear in mind it’s completely one-sided. We still don’t know Hunter’s version of events, and we probably won’t until the investigation is complete. Even though this side of the story is coming directly from McClellan, who makes no attempt to hide his belief that Hunter has wronged him, Ivan Johnson, the business partner who found McClellan and walked him through every step of the process, comes across as more culpable. Time will tell.

That call may not be about what you think it is

Published by Matt Watson on August 26, 2008 in Around the Internets. 20 Comments

There’s a bit of unintentional humor at the end of Part III of Keith Langlois’ interview with Joe Dumars, which took place last week but was published today:

KL: I assume there’s been no news on this, but are you still talking with Lindsey and is he still making up his mind?

JD: We are definitely still talking. My BlackBerry just went off and that was Lindsey’s agent saying can you give me a call. It’s in real time.

Was his agent calling about that 15th roster spot? Or was it a head’s up that his client would soon be in the news? My guess is the latter.

On a serious note, Dumars confirmed that if Hunter passes (although, who knows if that spot is still being saved now), the team will keep that 15th spot open for while.

There’s nothing earth-shattering in the rest of interview, but hey, it’s August and you’re probably starved for any Pistons news, so if read the whole thing and you’ll probably be entertained. Dumars talks a bit about the Zoo Crew: cautiously praising Rodney Stuckey, talking up Amir Johnson, gauging Cheikh Samb’s progress, explaining Will Bynum, predicting what to expect from Walter Sharpe … and heaping praise on Arron Afflalo:

Every guy you draft, acquire, trade for, sign as a free agent, is not going to have superstar potential. That’s now how you put a team together. But you still have to acquire guys who can help you become a great team. Arron Afflalo is one of those guys that all the good teams have to have on your team. Afflalo is just one of those guys that we were just recently talking about James Posey and what he did for Boston and Bruce Bowen and what he’s done for San Antonio over the years. I’ll date myself – Michael Cooper and what he did for the Lakers back in the day. Through the history of basketball, he’s one of those guys that you have to have on your team when you’re considered a really good team because those guys are willing to do whatever it takes to help your team win. It’s never about them individually. They just do whatever is necessary and that’s what he’s shaping up to be in the league. One of those guys that if it calls for defending somebody or face-guarding somebody, he’ll do it. If it calls for trying to score, he’ll do it. If it calls for diving on loose balls all night long, he’ll do it. When you’re putting a team together you’re always looking for guys like that. Guys who’ll do whatever it takes to win.

The FBI is investigating Lindsey Hunter

Published by Matt Watson on August 25, 2008 in From the news. 21 Comments

Lindsey Hunter has bigger fish to fry than simply deciding if he’s going play next year. From Crain’s Detroit Business:

So far, Wayne County investigators consider him a victim, with someone else serving as what they describe as “a mastermind.” The FBI, on the other hand, according to sources close to its investigation, has him as its main focus and as a leading participant in at least two possibly fraudulent deals that went awry.

To Bruce McClellan of Waterford Township, a boiler operator with the Pontiac Schools, there is no doubt about Hunter’s role.

McClellan said he is cooperating with the FBI investigation and told the agency that he was a willing but naïve straw buyer in the purchase in April 2007 of a home at 1718 Morningside Way in Bloomfield Hills for $1.25 million, a home that is back on the market now for $780,000.

McClellan thinks it started when his near-perfect credit became known to a lifelong friend, Iron Johnson. Not long after Johnson sold McClellan a car at Golling Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Bloomfield Township, Johnson approached him with a possible business deal.

In the deal, Johnson also involved his business partner, Hunter. The two are principals in Southfield-based L&I Enterprises, a limited liability corporation formed in 2006, according to the Michigan Department of Labor.

“They ran my credit through and were jumping up and down. They said ‘We’re going to make you a millionaire,’ and they’d get back to me. Two months later, they called and said, ‘We’ve got a great deal for you. Lindsey wants you to purchase a house for a friend.’ ”

You really need to read the entire article, and even then it’s a little confusing what happened and why. According to documents filed with the state of Michigan, L & I Enterprises is a “real estate investment company.”

Hunter’s attorney has responded by saying that Hunter was strictly a silent partner in L & I Enterprises, but that doesn’t seem to jive with McClellan’s recollections … or the bank records. McClellan only makes $36,000 a year but was able to qualify for a $1.25 million mortgage through direct help from Hunter:

On March 30, 2007, Lindsey and his wife, Ivy, added McClellan to a bank account they had at LaSalle Bank, according to a bank document. Twelve days later, McClellan signed the loan-disclosure documents.

McClellan’s attorney, Michael Smith of Sterling Heights-based Michael J. Smith & Associates P.C., said he assumes McClellan was added to the account so a credit report would show more assets than he actually had.

I’m sure there’s more to the story than what’s been reported, and unfortunately for Hunter, I’m guessing we won’t hear his side until this investigation is complete. That may take a while, because this isn’t the only investment the FBI is looking at. From Crain’s:

Anthony Barbour, owner of a Utica-based business, Fireside Heating & Cooling, is also cooperating with the FBI in another deal involving Hunter and Johnson. He told Crain’s he would discuss his case with the approval of his attorney, but the attorney declined.

Stay tuned — I’m guessing this story won’t be going away for a while.

Detroit’s looking at perimeter players

Published by Matt Watson on July 2, 2008 in Rumors. 114 Comments

From A. Sherrod Blakely:

The Pistons are expected to spend the early part of free agency focused on landing one of the following players: James Jones of Portland; C.J. Miles of Utah or Mickael Pietrus of Golden State.

Also, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald suggests the Pistons are interested in poaching James Posey from the Celtics:

A league source said yesterday the valuable swingman’s dance card will be top-heavy with contenders that appreciate more than ever the intangible ways Posey can contributes to a championship team. Posey now lists two NBA titles on his resume, after helping the Celtics to a championship last month and the Miami Heat to the 2006 crown.

Posey’s hometown Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be putting together an offer, in addition to the Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.

Personally, I’d take Posey over Jones, Miles or Pietrus any day of the week (annoying mouth guard and all) — he’s a gnat on defense and has always seemed to hit a three-pointer against the Pistons at the worst possible moment. Considering he’s also seeking the full mid-level exception over 4-5 years, though, I don’t think the Pistons will be in this race for long, especially when you consider he’s already 31 years old.

The other three guys should be had for much cheaper. Just for context, Pietrus had a better season in 2006-07 than he did this past year, but even then he wasn’t able to garner a single offer as a restricted free agent than Golden State’s $3.5 million qualifying offer.

Granted, part of that is because teams have become reluctant to negotiate with restricted free agents in recent years, but that’s probably not too far from his market value. (Jones, meanwhile, made $2.9 million last year. Miles, who was drafted out of high school and is still just 21 years old, made less than $800K, but that’s because he was still working on his rookie contract.)

Also, ASB had this on Tuesday:

On the home front, the Pistons expect Lindsey Hunter to return next season, but it’ll likely be in an even more diminished role than the one he had this season.

Detroit is in the market for a No. 3 point guard — possibly a player who emerges from a summer league team in Las Vegas — who would play ahead of Hunter.

The Pistons also are expected to bring Theo Ratliff back next season.

Walter Hermmann is another possibility, but he’s expected to have more lucrative offers from overseas teams. And when you combine that with the fact that he may very well have another season with a limited role, he may decide to play elsewhere.

Hunter played just 24 games last year — what does an even more diminished role look like — 15 games? 10? If that’s really what’s in store, why bother? Why not save that spot for a rotating D-League flavor of the week?

I’m on board with the Ratliff decision so long as it’s a one-year deal. (That seems obvious, right? Don’t forget, we all assumed that’s all Hunter would get back in the summer of 2006 before Dumars surprised us by giving him two.) I don’t want to see Ratliff take a single minute away from Jason Maxiell or Amir Johnson, but this team need a backup center and he’s not (completely) running on fumes.

As for Herrmann, I’d be shocked if he’s back. Even if the Pistons really wanted to keep him (and if they did, they wouldn’t be going after guys like Posey, Pietrus and Jones), there’s simply better money to be had in Europe, especially when you consider that Euro contracts are net (not gross), include additional housing stipends and require players to play fewer games. Oh yeah, and he’d probably be a star over there but only a little-used reserve over here. It’s been nice, Fabio; be sure to send a postcard.

Rodney Stuckey is the next Rodney Stuckey

Published by Matt Watson on May 22, 2008 in Around the Internets. 6 Comments

From Drew Sharp in the Free Press:

“They’re trying to fit these young point guards into an old mold that belonged to somebody else,” Pistons veteran Lindsey Hunter said. “They’re creating their own mold. People say that Chris Paul is another Isiah Thomas or Nate Archibald. No, he isn’t. He has his own style. They say Deron Williams is another Jason Kidd. His game is nothing like his. But people are trying to diminish what these young fellas are doing by simply saying they’re just following somebody else.”

Hunter believes Stuckey also defies typecasting.

“He’s a 6-5 point guard,” Hunter said. “They try labeling him as a combo. He’s a point who can create his own shot. I guarantee you that if they did that draft all over again, there’s no way that he falls into our lap. He doesn’t make it out of the top 10.”

It seems like I’ve made a mental note in just about every playoff game about how well Stuckey has played. He’s protecting the ball, which has been important with Billups sidelined/limited, but I was somewhat surprised to see how poorly he’s been shooting: just .372 for the postseason, which ranks 11th on the team, ahead of only Jarvis Hayes (.286), Walter Herrmann (.250) and Juan Dixon (.000). That said, he ranks third in free throws attempted per game and is 8-15 from the field in the last two games, so maybe he’s turned the corner.

Will fatigue be a factor for Boston?

Published by Matt Watson on May 20, 2008 in 2008 Playoffs and Celtics. 4 Comments

After beating the Cavaliers, Kevin Garnett spoke about the toll two seven-game series have taken on his team. From Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal:

“As you advance, it does get a little more difficult,” forward Kevin Garnett said. “Detroit has obviously been resting and waiting, and we’ve played 14 hard games. We’re more emotionally drained than anything, but we’re getting prepared for Detroit (today).”

The Pistons see this as a potential advantage … but also a trap. From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:

“It’s a tough turnaround for them,” Billups said. “For seven games they’ve been locked into one team. Then you’ve got one day to prepare for another team that’s been waiting and ready to go. We’ll see how they handle it.

“But frankly, I don’t care if they handle it at all. I am just worried about us.”

Lindsey Hunter cautioned his teammates against thinking the Celtics might be physically or mentally fatigued.

“We can’t go into the series thinking that is an advantage for us,” he said. “We have to go and play them like they’ve swept everybody.

“They were the best team in the NBA. They didn’t accomplish that by chance. That (fatigue) won’t be a factor.”

If the Pistons want to take this series, I think they need to split the first two games. Trouble is, Game 1 will be the most difficult after a long layoff — the Pistons may not like to admit it, but they’re definitely a rhythm team that benefits when players have a chance to stay in a groove. Fortunately, there are no more funky breaks between now and the NBA Finals — the Pistons and Celtics will play every other day until someone wins four.

Besides, if I had to choose between starting out-of-sync and being fatigued, the choice is easy: the former improves the more you play, the latter gets worse. And after banging the “they lost because they were tired!” drum for two straight years, I’m kind of excited to know that the Pistons are more rested now than they’ve been the entire season. It’s time to put up or shut up.

Update: Ray Allen adds his two cents:

“I would rather have the rhythm” of regular competition than extra rest, Allen said, “because (with) the rhythm you don’t have to guess from one day to the next” how you’ll play.

Take this with a mountain-sized grain of salt: this is a guy who scored 0, 16, 10, 15, 11, 9 and 4 points, respectively, in the Cleveland series. I guarantee no one on the Celtics’ roster has a clue which Ray Allen will show up from night to night — he may be Boston’s biggest wild card of the playoffs.

Lindsey Hunter’s advice to Rip Hamilton

Published by Matt Watson on May 15, 2008 in From the news. 3 Comments

This is kind of funny. From Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press:

Hunter said after the game that Hamilton’s shot selection can anger him.

“Hopefully he’ll be settled down a little more (in the next round),” Hunter said. “I’m telling him, ‘You’re going to get 20 shots, so there’s no need for you to be out here acting like you’re not going to touch the ball again.’ So once he gets that in his spirit, then he can calm down and play the way he can play.”

You don’t climb your way to the top of the team’s all-time playoff scoring list by passing up shots, that’s for sure.

“We still hate Cleveland,” Lindsey Hunter said, with no trace of a smile. “We didn’t like Chicago (when Wallace was there), either. That’s just the way it is.”

Others weren’t quite so sure.

“It’s not going to be that hate relationship,” Antonio McDyess said. “It’s funny. Ben has been on every team in the East that we dislike the most. Every team he’s on, Chicago, Cleveland, is a team we really dislike. Now, if his next move is to Miami, it’s going to be even worse.”
[…]
“It’s just so different, him wearing that Cleveland uniform” McDyess said. “But you can’t hate Ben. He’s a part of us. But you know, they are going to be pumped up just for the fact that he’s on their team — no matter what. And we’re going to be pumped up just as much. So I guess it makes things a little more intense.”

Detroit Bad Boys