Articles worth mentioning II

roscoe36 · Oct 23, 2007

This is a continuation of the previous thread found here.
http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/6905-articles-worth-mentioning.html

Please feel free to continue to post articles!

lpgrl26 · Oct 28, 2007

This isn't very encouraging.

http://http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_7301055?nclick_check=1

Pioneer Press: Fans often ask why McHale remains in charge, given the recent run of poor seasons. Can you explain your loyalty to him? It's something that many people don't understand.
Glen Taylor: I've always been kind of loyal to pretty much everybody. I don't think I have any special loyalty to Kevin that I haven't shown to other people I've worked with. If it was really obvious to me that I knew somebody else could come in and do the job really a lot better than Kevin, I'm not afraid to make that switch. I just look around the league, and I'm not sure that I see so many guys that are really very good at what Kevin does. I think there are some guys that laid out some very good business plans and followed them through, and I think we did for quite a while, too.
Also, some of the things that Kevin gets criticized for, I know it was probably much more complicated between him and (former coach) Flip (Saunders), the relationship and how decisions were being made. I probably would say, just as I like Flip and he's a good friend of mine and he gets a lot of the credit, I think a lot of these things people are saying Kevin did, I would tell you probably Flip did
them, and Kevin gets criticized for them. Kevin doesn't say much about things like that.
To me, I know Kevin has taken on a lot of criticism that, if Kevin had his way, he probably wouldn't have done things a certain way. But he did it because Flip was here, and Flip was his coach, and he went with him

PP: Can you clarify what you're talking about?
GT: Well, some things I won't clarify, but I would say the Chauncey (Billups) thing (in 2002, when Billups left Minnesota as a free agent). Kevin came to me and asked me for the money. He wanted to keep Chauncey, and I OK'd it. And Flip didn't think Chauncey was going to make it. So Kevin said we're crazy to spend this kind of money on a guy if the coach is saying that Chauncey isn't going to make it.
Chauncey really wanted to stay. Chauncey came to us and was like, I really like it here. You guys have really renewed my life. I think this is really a good team. We said, listen, if another team will pay you, you better take it, because if you come here, you may be the backup (point) guard. You probably will be. As it would have worked out, he would have been the starting guard.
Rasho (Nesterovic, former Wolves center who left via free agency in 2003) basically came and said he wouldn't play for Flip. He agreed to the money. He agreed to everything. We had him all done. We didn't want to go public with that at the time.
I'm just saying, a lot of the guys that left here, K.G. (Kevin Garnett) kind of points out that it was Kevin. I say, K.G., you even know better. You were here on the gosh-darn team. K.G. says, well, I really liked it when Flip was here; when we got rid of Flip, that's what made it bad for me. I says, well, K.G., where were you when I asked you, do you want Flip? You didn't want Flip. He says (he wanted him) now.
We knew that (Sam) Cassell and (Latrell) Sprewell had given up on Flip. That was a problem. But I was willing to deal with that issue. As a matter of fact, I told Flip to sit them on the bench and don't even play them, if that's a problem. And he didn't do it.
Then K.G. came along and he says, well, Flip doesn't have it anymore. That really puts McHale on the spot. He says, well, now if the star guy says the coach doesn't have it and we can't make it, it's kind of like, did Kevin (McHale) get rid of Flip, or did K.G. say none of us on the team trust Flip anymore? I will tell you this: Flip came to me earlier and asked to resign, said he'd resign. And McHale talked him into staying on.
I know when Flip did go, I called up Flip and said, OK, you're out, and he says yeah. I told Flip, I'd like to maybe keep you in the organization in another spot. He said OK, I'll do that. I know that two weeks later, he changed it all around, that he got fired and nobody talked to him. I know it didn't go down that way, and I know (McHale) got blamed for that. That's not to say Kevin hasn't done some things wrong that I got kind of ticked at him for. But they're kind of other things, some of the trades, some of this type of stuff that he probably should have looked at more, checked into the character of guys more, done more work on them. So, then I go back and say, well, is it because I didn't give him enough support? I don't always just shoot a guy down like that. Maybe I didn't give him enough help.

buddahfan · Oct 28, 2007

I had a problem with the link not working in both IE7 and Mozilla Firefox.

IE gave me an error message saying that the site was less secure than my IE security settings. I have not gotten there error message before nor do I have I had problems connecting to websites with my Firefox other than an occasional time out message, which this one was not.

I don't know what the link is but you may want to make sure that it is a secure site by checking all of your internet security settings including your firewall to make sure that they are set at levels to protect you against possible malicious attacks.

You can never be too safe when surfing the net.

lpgrl26 · Oct 28, 2007

It's the wrong link

http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_7301055?nclick_check=1

This should (hopefully!) work. It's the Minn Pioneer Press. You have to register to read the article.

LA Dre · Oct 29, 2007

Speaking of the T-Wolves, they have bought out the contract of Jawan Howard leaving the remaining Fab Fivers >Howard, Rose and Webber all on the outside this season as FA's looking for a team and that elusive championship that none were able to get in the NCAA or NBA..

Report: Timberwolves to buy out F Howard's contract - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

buddahfan · Oct 29, 2007

lpgrl26 said: ↑

It's the wrong link

http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_7301055?nclick_check=1

This should (hopefully!) work. It's the Minn Pioneer Press. You have to register to read the article.

Thanks

buddahfan · Oct 29, 2007

lpgrl26 said: ↑

This isn't very encouraging.

http://http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_7301055?nclick_check=1

Krista Jahnke's perspective on this BS. 3 years after the fact and T-Wolves own Glen "KG get out of MN" Taylor is still acting like a a five year old regarding Saunders.

This guy Taylor definitely has a hole in his screen door, to say nothing of his brain.

It has been nearly three years since the Minnesota Timberwolves fired Pistons coach Flip Saunders, and, amazingly, the verbal jabs haven't stopped coming from T'Wolves owner Glen Taylor.

Responding to a question about his loyalty to general manager Kevin McHale, Taylor shifted the focus to Saunders. In the Q&A, Taylor said Saunders should get the blame for missteps usually credited to McHale.

All he (Saunders) would say of Cassell, Garnett and Sprewell was, "Well, talk to those guys. Ask those guys." Saunders has maintained good relationships, friendships even, with Cassell, Garnett and Sprewell.

And the reason Billups decided to leave Minnesota as a free agent in 2002 was clear-cut -- the T'Wolves had too much money tied up in Terrell Brandon to promise Billups anything but a role off the bench. Billups thought he could find a starting job somewhere else, and he did in Detroit.

Billups said he doubted Saunders made the comment about him "not making it," but he also wouldn't have been shocked if he had.

"Whatever," Billups said. "If that was the case, he wasn't the only one to think I wasn't going to make it. Everybody else thought I wasn't going to make it either."

When first told about the story, Billups said, "Why is this such a big deal right now?"

One thing I about which I have been very lucky in my life is that I haven't had ex wives or ex girlfriends or ex bosses that would go out their way years after we went our own ways to act like 5 year olds and blame all their problems on me that happened years after we went our own ways.

Taylor - Get a life.

buddahfan · Oct 29, 2007

AUBURN HILLS -- Your franchise is a mess. Your team has little to no chance of being competitive this season. Your general manager is being shredded in the media. What do you do?

Well, if you are Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, you blame it all on Flip Saunders, the guy he fired three years ago, just months after Saunders led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals.

Talk about revisionist history -- this is a classic.

In a rambling and bizarre interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Taylor said, "I probably would say, just as I like Flip and he's a good friend of mine and he gets a lot of the credit, I think a lot of these things people are saying Kevin (McHale, the general manager) did, I would tell you probably Flip did them and Kevin got criticized for them."

KG says, 'Well, I really liked it when Flip was here; when we got rid of Flip, that's what made it bad for me

I know who the source is for the above, but this time he is right on.

Owner blames Pistons' Saunders for Timberwolves' woes

professor · Oct 30, 2007

FOX Sports on MSN - NBA - Pistons are pick to emerge with title

pistons picked to win it all

TaS · Oct 30, 2007

Music to our ears! The only bad part was:

Granted, they took a blow this past week when impressive rookie guard Rodney Stuckey went down for six weeks with an ankle sprain, but he'll be back...

Ankle sprain, hand broken in 3 places, same difference.

TaS · Nov 2, 2007

ESPN - Former Colombo Mobster: Some Games are Fixed - TrueHoop

After spending seven years in prison, Franseze now spends his days talking about his re-birth as a Christian, promoting his book, and talking to athletes about the dangers of gambling.

What about pro sports - how much fixing goes on there?
There's not as much, unless you got a friend who's a pro, who'll do you a favor. Where pros get in trouble is they're not smart. They get to Vegas, get beat, hang with the wrong company, maybe you get them in a compromising position.
Franseze goes on to say that getting a referee is ideal -- and the more fouls they call the better.
He also says that of the team sports, basketball is the easiest to fix, because one player is a fifth of the team (instead of a ninth in baseball, or an eleventh in football). That means you can get to one star player and influence the entire game. In baseball, you could theoretically get to a pitcher, but underperforming pitchers tend to get yanked by managers. In basketball, though, the best players get to keep playing no matter how poorly they perform.

mikhail1973 · Nov 2, 2007

Pistons Hope to Avoid Complacency - HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information

Teams like Detroit, with a taste of playoff success, sometimes grow impatient with the regular season. While the Pistons have played down to their level of competition in the past, team captain Chauncey Billups is determined to keep his teammates in the right frame of mind this year.
"I think the one thing that came back and bit us last year is we become a little complacent," Billups said. "And that's one thing that I know I'm going to try my best to guard us from that, from becoming complacent, no matter who it is and who we're playing and where we're playing at."

mikhail1973 · Nov 8, 2007

Daily Tribune : <SW_TITLE>

Chauncey Billups' job is much like deciding how much food his teammates can eat at the buffet table. He's got so many big appetites to feed, it's hard to figure how to ration it all out and keep everyone happy.

mikhail1973 · Nov 8, 2007

Detroit Pistons, Antonio McDyess, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, National Basketball Association - CBSSports.com

Antonio McDyess looks around at the guys he's played with for years and feels like a stranger. Don't misunderstand that. There's no rift.
It's still the same Chauncey Billups, still the same silly, emotional Rasheed Wallace. Tayshaun Prince, albeit more assertive these days, is still the same guy. Richard Hamilton is back after missing two games to witness the birth of his first son, a new little Rip currently keeping him up. When he returned last Sunday, he still put on that same protective mask he always wears and showed off that same silky jumper.
It's McDyess who doesn't feel the same. He's still not used to starting alongside those guys.

lpgrl26 · Nov 9, 2007

FOX Sports on MSN - NBA - 'Sheed can't carry Pistons vs. Bulls

Good read about what's wrong with the Pistons (esp offense); analysis of the CHI game

buddahfan · Nov 9, 2007

lpgrl26 said: ↑

FOX Sports on MSN - NBA - 'Sheed can't carry Pistons vs. Bulls

Good read about what's wrong with the Pistons (esp offense); analysis of the CHI game

Still another trouble spot that must be corrected in a hurry was Detroit's game-long failure to seal its defensive boards. The Bulls came up with 15 offensive rebounds (to the Pistons' 7.) This differential led to Chicago attempting 13 more field goals.

If Saunders had played AJ decent minutes this problem would have been substantially mitigated along with a bunch of others and we would have won.

FOX Sports on MSN - NBA - 'Sheed can't carry Pistons vs. Bulls

mikhail1973 · Nov 15, 2007

Pistons get props from the Bay Area paper:

http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_7458765?nclick_check=1

It's early, but this edition of Detroit looks more like the blue collar, chip-on-the-shoulder types from a couple years ago.

Pistons basketball, when at its best, is fueled by an us-against-the-world mentality. They thrive while under appreciated, perform better when they're doubted.
This season, their ideal climate has returned, which should be a scary thought for the rest of the NBA. Few outside the Motor City are touting the Pistons as a championship favorite. Sure, they're counted among the league's top teams. But they have been pushed to afterthought status thanks to the Boston Celtics' blockbuster offseason trades to land Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, thanks to speculation that the Chicago Bulls could acquire Kobe Bryant, thanks to the rampant infatuation with the promise of the Orlando Magic. Add to that the bitter taste leftover from the heroics LeBron James pulled off against them in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit seems as hungry as it's been in a while.

mikhail1973 · Nov 15, 2007

Matt Watson with his opinion on the current Pistons road trip. He seems to like Amir quite a bit:

Pistons Share the Load on the Road - HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information

LA Dre · Nov 15, 2007

Antoine Walker not happy in Minnesota

I don't know what I'm doing, I have no idea what my role is," the seldom-used forward told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I wish somebody would come tell me. ... I don't know what I'm doing here

Antoine Walker not happy in Minnesota -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

From ring to rock bottom

TaS · Nov 16, 2007

The only way the coach can keep him from shooting at 25% is to keep him out of the game.

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