The team: Pistons happy to begin title chase as underdogs

November 1, 2006
BY KRISTA JAHNKE


The NBA's general managers recently shared their thoughts on the upcoming season through their annual preseason poll. The 28 executives who responded voted for Miami, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Minnesota and Orlando as the teams that have a chance to win a title this season.
The Pistons have had more success in the past five years than all of the teams on that list, save the Spurs. The Pistons are coming off a season in which they won 64 games, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals and lost mainly because of badly timed injuries and a little too much wear and tear. (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/SPORTS03/611010370/1051)



Press clippings

November 1, 2006
Detroit Free Press

What they're saying about the Pistons in publications across the country (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/SPORTS03/611010349/1051)



Feel the in-ten-sity!

November 1, 2006
Detroit Free Press

Setting your TiVo in advance? Ten games you shouldn't miss on this season's NBA schedule: (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/SPORTS03/611010347/1051)


PISTONS CORNER: Rose will pick a team today

November 1, 2006
BY KRISTA JAHNKE


Last week, Joe Dumars emphatically gave his roster a seal of approval, saying, "I'll tell you what -- I like our team."
But the Pistons' president is not one to shy from making a move he thinks will improve his squad.
That's why Dumars will wait for word today from free agent Jalen Rose on whether he'll take a small role off the Pistons' bench for the veterans' minimum salary (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/SPORTS03/611010366/1051)

Bucks at Pistons | Tip-off: 8 tonight, The Palace | TV/radio: TV20/WDFN 1130
For better or worse

Pistons will miss Ben Wallace but probably will be better in many ways.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince are two-fifths of what might still be the NBA's best starting unit.
The Pistons cannot win the NBA championship this season. (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/SPORTS0102/611010401/1127)
That's what scouts and general managers across the league are saying. Not that the Pistons could maybe win if this and that would happen. It's a flat-out consensus -- the Pistons cannot win the title.

The Detroit News

Wallace ejection caps ugly opener (http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS0102/611020368/1127)
by Chris McCosky
The Pistons might or might not be able to survive the absence of one Wallace. But the Milwaukee Bucks showed emphatically Wednesday that they will not survive the absence of two Wallaces.

Guards let defense down (http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS0102/611020428/1127)
by Chris McCosky
The easiest target for criticism when you team yields 70 points in the lane, as the Pistons did to the Bucks in a 105-97 loss Wednesday, is the frontcourt defenders.

The Detroit Free Press

MILWAUKEE 105, DETROIT 97: Pistons fall in bland opening (http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS03/611020428/1051)
By Krista Jahnke
It was only one game, a season opener, when jitters are high and the promised land of the playoffs is so far away.
But if the first 48 minutes of the post-Ben Wallace era were indicative of what this season will look like for the Pistons, it will be a long five months.

PISTONS CORNER: Playbook growing every day (http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS03/611020381/1051)
By Krista Jahnke
Pistons coach Flip Saunders estimates he used half of his hefty playbook last season.
Now, with the freedom of having an offensive-minded center in Nazr Mohammed and a player who can break down opponents off the dribble in Ronald (Flip) Murray, he's rapidly adding to that percentage.

Mohammed's night full of ups, downs (http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS03/611020430/1051)
By Chris Silva
Earlier this week, Nazr Mohammed said his top priority for opening night was to blend in with his new teammates.
That took some time in his first regular-season game as a Piston. And when he did get comfy in his new environment, he was taken right out of it.

[Need4Sheed] Need4Sheed.com Is One Year Old Today

Link To Original Article (http://www.need4sheed.com/2006/11/need4sheedcom-is-one-year-old-today.html)

If you are wondering, Pistonsforum.com was 1 year old on September 1st 2006.



[Detroit Bad Boys] Pistons wallpaper

Do you like Pistons-related wallpaper that doesn't really make sense but still makes you feel nostalgic? Of course you do. So go put "What Would Buddha Do?" on your desktop.

Link To Original Article (http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/detroitbadboys/%7E3/44383050/)





[Detroit Bad Boys] Pistons wallpaper

The fallout of Rasheed's quick ejection in Wednesday's game continues. He left Thursday's practice without answering questions (just like he was out of the locker room on Wednesday before the media was let in), leaving his teammates to answer questions for him. Pistons.com's Keith Langlois spoke about the situation:
Rasheed Wallace?s undeniable image problem springs almost [...]

Link To Original Article (http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Er/detroitbadboys/%7E3/44444923/)

Pistons: Zero Tolerance | HOOPSWORLD.com | NBA News and Information (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19245.shtml)

Pistons: Zero Tolerance
By Yael Shacham

It was expected, the refs knew it and Rasheed Wallace knew it, too. And so he did. He got himself ejected after getting his second technical for complaining about calls. Not a big surprise, but a big concern for the Pistons.

RealGM: Wiretap Archives: Billups Has Interest In Milwaukee? (http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/43086/20061104/billups_has_interest_in_milwaukee/)

rumor mill at work...

According to a close friend of Billups, the veteran point guard has interest in Milwaukee (http://bucks.realgm.com/). And the interest might be mutual when the time is right.

RealGM: Wiretap Archives: Billups Has Interest In Milwaukee? (http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/43086/20061104/billups_has_interest_in_milwaukee/)

rumor mill at work...

According to a close friend of Billups, the veteran point guard has interest in Milwaukee (http://bucks.realgm.com/). And the interest might be mutual when the time is right.

Yeah I thought that was funny... Chauncey doesn't want to talk about his situation but his friend conveniently leaks his interest in the team with the most money... I just can't see him as a Buck... purely a leverage ploy.

I agree I believe it's false. And you can bet money if Billups left Detroit it wouldn't be for the Bucks. Welcome To Detroit City

How the West is won
By Keith Langlois

“Most of the time you get a concentration of games – four in five days or something like that,” Porter said. “That’s really tough. Go back-to-back, get a day off, back-to-back again. You don’t get a day off between games a lot of times. It puts a lot of pressure on your bench. You’ve got to make sure you rest guys. That’s the biggest thing. (http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/west_won_061105.html)

Enough Already (http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/langlois_blog_061107.html)

[Looking Ahead] PISTONS: Looking Ahead (http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/langlois_blog_061108.html)

Labor Union may take action:

ESPN.com - NBA - Hunter: Labor union may take action on techs rule (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2654551)

From NY Daily:
Detroit had a chance to get Allen Iverson this past offseason, after the Celtics failed in a bid at the draft to deal for Iverson. But Detroit's Joe Dumars never gave it much thought. "There's no way I'm trading Chauncey Billups," Dumars recently told associates.

Even after the Pistons handled the Lakers convincingly on Friday, that Saturday loss to the Warriors was enough to keep the Pistons as only 20th best in the eyes of the LA TImes NBA poll.

Sign Up - Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-spw-nbarankings14nov14,1,5730743.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba)

That same beat writer Mark Heisler also weighs in the Sheed Stern rules

Sign Up - Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-heisler12nov12,1,1513345.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba)

"Some "crazy thoughts" used to run through Darko Milicic's head when he was buried on the bench in Detroit. He said the one he wrestled with the most was leaving the team, unannounced, and boarding a plane home to Serbia (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-schmitz1406nov14,0,407305.column?coll=orl-magic). And maybe he'd just stay there and play for his country's team, bidding the NBA a not-so-fond farewell."

Pistons: Lessons Learned | HOOPSWORLD.com (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19428.shtml)

Pistons: Not Quite What They Used To Be | HOOPSWORLD.com (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19479.shtml)

PISTONS CORNER: Fine line of playing time
link: PISTONS CORNER: Fine line of playing time (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061121/SPORTS03/611210380)

Pistons find good rotation
Murray, Hunter have produced well as primary backups, Saunders says.
It took 10 games, but the Pistons' rotation seems to be coming into focus.
link: Pistons find good rotation - 11/21/06 - The Detroit News Online (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061121/SPORTS0102/611210385)

NBA Insider: Pistons firing again

"It’s just all effort," Billups told the Detroit writers last week. "We’ve got good defenders. But it’s been a huge transition without Ben (Wallace). He made up for so many our mistakes and now we don’t have that luxury. We have to hold each other accountable. We have to hold our own feet to the fire and when we make a mistake you have to say, ‘My fault, I wasn’t there,’ or, ‘Why weren’t you there?’"
link:MySA.com: KENS 5: Sports (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA11242006.webNBAInsider.en.201f1fc5.html)


How East Was Lost: Mediocrity and Parity

Welcome to the N.B.A. Eastern Conference, where the line between mediocrity and parity is blurring nightly. Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ president, coined a word to explain the trend: paridocrity. "We’re a team in transition," he said in Philadelphia, "and it’s a conference in transition as well."
link:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/sports/basketball/26hoops.html

Sam Smith interview with Matt Dery of WDFN, talking about Ben Wallace...
http://www.pistonsforum.com/nba-stuff/5273-disgruntled-ben-wallace-what-shame-5.html#post60800

Also includes Matt Dery of WDFN sounding off on the "protection" Ben received from the local press.

For Once, It's the Offense That's Winning Games in Detroit - November 28, 2006 - The New York Sun (http://www.nysun.com/article/44196)

Link courtesy of DetroitBadBoys.com

interesting article, thanks for the link

I thought Pistons were doing better than that on D.

Yep, lets see how far this new approach takes us. :fingerscr

Yep, lets see how far this new approach takes us. :fingerscr
That's more like it bro. If you saw the Washington game, they played an excellent offensive style with smart decision making and brought a defensive effort that got key stops and slowly locked up the Wizards' attack.

A team can win a title playing like that. Of this I am sure.

That's more like it bro. If you saw the Washington game, they played an excellent offensive style with smart decision making and brought a defensive effort that got key stops and slowly locked up the Wizards' attack.

A team can win a title playing like that. Of this I am sure.

There is no denying that we can make an argument as the most efficient offensive team in the league...right now. My worry is that by the bottom third of the season and into the playoffs, the league will begin to catch on to our offensive schemes. If teams play us aggresively and disrupt our offense, we become a forced shot, three point shooting team. Our defense is several steps back from previous years. ..and I still think the Dallas's, the Suns, the Nuggets, and now the Warriors play the offensive dominace game better than us. I am beginning to warm up to the fact that we will have a strong regular season. Flip is proven that he is good for that. The question will always be how will Flip adjust coaching wise in the playoffs. My faith is still thin, but hell, I want us to win so I'm hoping that Flip suprises all and does his best coaching of his "post season" career. Show me the "W" in the playoffs and I will be the first to rock a Flip Saunders avatar.

I don't like to look at stats. I think the Pistons have gotten a lot better at D with this unit over this month.

Taking the Measure of NBA Finals Television Ratings (http://www.humanvictorycigar.com/2006/11/29/taking-the-measure-of-nba-finals-television-ratings/)

Courtesy of Pistonsforum.com member, dba (http://www.pistonsforum.com/members/358.html).


.

For those of you looking for more material on the team, there have been several audio interviews posted as well as drsimp's "Plays of the Week".

http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/5303-wdfn-1130am-flip-saunders-interview-nov-29-2006-a.html

http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/5292-wdfn-1130am-tayshaun-prince-interview-nov-28-2006-a.html

http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/5293-wdfn-1130am-flip-saunders-interview-nov-28-2006-a.html

http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/5278-wdfn-1130am-outside-court-nov-27-2006-a.html

http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/5257-video-top-10-plays-week-week-4-a.html

Detroit Pistons` new offense busting spreads (http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=96823&tid=25&t=1)

Gamblers love this stuff. I'm too poor to gamble. :ohwell:

"We still got a little funk to us, but once we get cleared up we'll be all right, though,'' Wallace said after Tuesday's practice. (http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/112906/spo_pistons001.shtml)

Brings to mind the lyrics of James Brown from "Funky President"

Turn on your funk motor, I know it's tough
Turn on your funk motor, until you get enough
Hey, give yourself a chance to come through
Tell yourself, "I can do what you can do"

Brings to mind the lyrics of James Brown from "Funky President"

Turn on your funk motor, I know it's tough
Turn on your funk motor, until you get enough
Hey, give yourself a chance to come through
Tell yourself, "I can do what you can do"

Is that what he said?

I always thought it was...

Tuh unnn yo funk moto, mu no iz tuuuh
Tuh unnn yo funk moto, unyya ya get euuuuh
Heyyyyyyyyyy, guma yoself uh chum te cuumm threwww
Tuh ye self, "Icamado whaucanado"