Saunders gets personal with Agent Zero, Wizards
Marc J. Spears - Yahoo Sports

"Flip Saunders has built up his frequent-flier miles this summer traveling to Las Vegas, Atlanta and Chicago. These aren’t vacation trips. They’re business. Hired in April as coach of the Washington Wizards, Saunders has spent the past couple months getting to know his new players.
It’s something Saunders wishes he had done during his previous job with the Detroit Pistons.

Saunders didn’t forge a similar relationship with the Pistons. Despite helping guide Detroit to three consecutive Eastern Conference finals, Saunders never won much locker-room support. He quickly lost favor with Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace because the pair thought Saunders was emphasizing offense at the expense of defense – the foundation of the Pistons’ success when they won the 2004 championship under previous coach Larry Brown.

Saunders also wasn’t as strong a disciplinarian as Brown. When he tried to get tougher in his third season, it was too late. Early in the 2007-08 season, Rip Hamilton lashed out at Saunders from the bench without any rebuke from the coach. TNT analyst Chris Webber, who played for Detroit during the 2006-07 season, said during the 2008 playoffs that the Pistons didn’t listen to Saunders. Saunders was then fired after Detroit lost to Boston in the East finals.

“It was not an easy job for Flip to come in and fill, especially coming off two trips to the [NBA] Finals,” Pistons president Joe Dumars said during a news conference for Saunders’ firing. “It wasn’t going to be an easy job for anybody.”

Said Saunders: “Detroit was entrenched in who they were. There was not a lot of changing.”

Saunders said his late hiring made it more difficult for him to meet with the Pistons players before training camp. Other than Chauncey Billups, whom he coached in Minnesota, Saunders didn’t arrive in Detroit with a strong relationship with anyone on the roster."

Saunders gets personal with Agent Zero, Wizards - NBA - Yahoo! Sports




Grizzlies make Iverson offer
Detroit News

"The deal is reportedly $5 million for one year.

Iverson had received little interest since becoming a free agent after a forgettable season with the Pistons.

The Grizzlies, 24-58 last season, might be a perfect fit: a lousy team that won't mind Iverson throwing up 25 shots per game.

Oh, and one of his teammates will be Zach Randolph , a former Michigan State star who also has a checkered past."

Grizzlies make Iverson offer | detnews.com | The Detroit News




Charlie Villanueva is a Highlight Reel no matter what he’s doing on Court
Natalie Sitto - Need4Sheed.com

"Here is a great YouTube video of Charlie Villanuava’s Top 10 plays of the 2008-2009 Season."

Charlie Villanueva is a Highlight Reel no matter what he’s doing on Court | Need4Sheed.com




Detroit teams battle for shrinking sports dollar
Reuters

"Like thousands of Michigan auto workers who have watched their jobs disappear and houses fall into foreclosure, the Buick Open was left looking for a new home earlier this month, another victim of the economic downturn.

A popular fixture on the PGA Tour calendar for more than 50 years, the Buick Open received its eviction notice after the struggling Detroit automaker confirmed it could no longer afford to continue as title sponsor. The PGA Tour quickly found a new home for the tournament in the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, but the hole it left in recession-ravaged Michigan will not be so easily filled.

Detroit's big four professional teams - Lions (NFL), Tigers (MLB), Pistons (NBA) and Red Wings (NHL) - are not looking for new addresses but are digging in for what is shaping up as a bruising battle for the shrinking sports entertainment dollar.

With the busy fall sports season about to begin the fight for fans is quickly escalating in the Motor City as teams flood the market with bargain basement deals.

After going all last season without a victory, the 0-16 Lions are trying to win back fans by offering season ticket packages for as low as $230 for 10 games.

Stanley Cup finalists the last two seasons, the Red Wings were once the hottest sporting ticket in Detroit but it can now be had for as little as $9.

The rebuilding Pistons, who saw their streak of 259 consecutive home sellouts end last season, will have to find novel ways to fill those empty seats.

However, the Central division-leading Tigers have managed to maintain respectable attendances, averaging close to 30,000 a game with the help of some creative ticket pricing."We've done well here mainly because of the performance of the baseball team and we've thrown out all kinds of ticket deals, there is even a section of $5 tickets," Jimmy Devellano, senior vice-president of both the Tigers and Red Wings, told Reuters.

"It's tough, this is a city with four major sports, and we are all competing for the same dollar. There is only so much to go around. It's like a ghost town. You see it, you feel it all over."


Detroit teams battle for shrinking sports dollar - Haaretz - Israel News




Top power forwards: Bosh, Nowitzki lead the pack
Tony Mejia - Pro Basketball News

"This is the second part of PBN's series of positional player rankings, which will also feature a Top 100 and a seperate list of Top Rookies as ranked by senior writer Tony Mejia. The rankings are based on an ambiguous formula of past accomplishments, upside, team role and general worthiness of swagger. As in, who's most swagger-worthy. They're entirely subjective, so arguments are not only expected, but encouraged.

This power forward list primarily takes into consideration "stretch fours" and players who typically don't swing over to tackle center duties.

18. Charlie Villanueva, Detroit - After a strong second half to the season saw him become the focal point of the Bucks offense once Michael Redd went down, Villanueva cashed in on the admiration of the division rival Pistons and struck a lucrative five-year deal. Having turned 25 on Aug. 24, Charlie V is entering his prime and should start consistently and get more than 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career. Expect averages of at least 18 points and eight rebounds as a result, placing him in the favorites pool for Most Improved honors."

PBN | Power moves




How Much Of Dumars Success Was Due To John Hammond?
NY Vinnie - Le Basketbrawl

"New York Vinnie has been puzzled for just over a year now with the actions of Detroit Pistons Team President Joe Dumars. In a little over a year the Pistons went from being an elite team in the NBA Eastern Conference to a team that will literally have to battle to make the Frickin Playoffs in the upcoming season. You look at their roster as we are in the latter stages of August and it is not about to strike fear in too many teams souls!

The team’s best player Richard Hamilton is now 31 years old which usually is about the age where the dings start to show up on a Pro Athlete. Tayshaun Prince the other corner-stone of the team is 29 which is about the age that an NBA player starts to peak at. Other than those two guys they have some nice players but no Frickin All-Stars. Point guard Rodney Stuckey and forward Jason Maxiell show promise and potential but they are still pretty much unproven commodities.

Dumars had some money to spend this summer but in New York Vinnie’s mind it was not spent wisely. He signed Free Agent forward and former Milwaukee Bucks player Charlie Villanueva after rumors of trying to acquire Carlos Boozer never materialized. Now New York Vinnie believes that Boozer would have been a definite upgrade from Jason Maxiell but Charlie Villanueva is no Carlos Boozer if you catch my drift.

One of the major changes that took place in the Pistons Organization was long time Assistant General Manager and Dumar’s right hand man John Hammond left the team. Hammond who had resisted overtures from other teams in the past became the General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Hammond took over from Larry Harris who had a roster that was basically a bunch of Frickin Crappola along with Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd. Now chances are pretty good that the Bucks will end up in the Lottery but the team is starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

So how big a role did Hammond play with the Pistons and their success? How much did Dumars count on Hammonds expertise to keep Detroit at the top of the Eastern Conference. And if Hammond was the talent behind the curtain than why has Dumars not gotten another sharp guy to take his place? You can’t tell New York Vinnie that John Hammond was Frickin irreplacable!"

How Much Of Dumars Success Was Due To John Hammond? » Le Basketbawl

__________________
"Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, knowing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about." Dangerfield

Flip wants to be sure of the guys who won't listen to him now.

Joe needs a new John Hammond, best idea ever NY Vinnie!

Curtis Jerrells Anybody? (VIDEO)
Toasterhands - LifeOnDumars

"According to a HOOPSWORLD article by Luke Byrnes, former Baylor guard Curtis Jerrells has signed a partially guaranteed deal with Detroit (hat tip- Leif Anderson) . As of nearly midnight, no other sources have reported such.

Jerrells played in the Vegas Summer league with Dallas, averaging 5.2 ppg in 5 games (9min/gm). The 6′1 Jerrells was undrafted out of Baylor despite being a big time scorer.

Looks like, if this signing is true, Jerrells, Sean Singletary, and Andre Owens will be duking it out for the third string point guard spot, provided Detroit decides to even add a fifteenth player to the roster."

Life On Dumars | A Detroit Pistons Blog

__________________
"Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, knowing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about." Dangerfield

Notice, in 9 of those 10 highlights, he scored. In 8 of those 9, he was going to the hoop for easy baskets. Except for the lucky long bomb, there were no highlights of pull up jumpers, treys etc. All layups and dunks. More than a couple were off turnovers he forced.

I think CV is going to surprise a lot of people who aren't that familiar with him.