The Pistons get their first post-trade win beating the Kings at Arco 100-92 {box score}

It wasn’t a resounding win but it’s progress.  Allen Iverson is getting a little more familiar with his new team.  AI led all scores with 30 (9/19 shooting) to go with  9 assists, and 7 boards .  Iverson was by far more agressive than the previous two games in Pistons red, white & blue.

“I wanted to get the monkey off my back. It feels good and I want to get a lot more now.” - AI via DFP

Tayshaun Prince continues to step up his game in the scoring column.  Tay recorded a 26 (7/15 shooting, 10/10 FT), 11 rebound double-double.

Tayshaun’s emergence has been much needed with Rip Hamilton mired in an early season shooting slump.  Rip missed his first 7 shots after going 0/8 against Boston, and ended up 4/16 for the game.  For the season he’s at only 37% shooting.  Rip went through a similar slump at the start of last season.  I know as fans though we’re growing impatient waiting to see what kind of scoring damage a Iverson/Hamilton backcourt can do.

The Pistons got down by 15 very early, but the Pistons won the second quarter (for a change) and by the time the half time horn sounded the Pistons and Kings were even at 50 points a piece.  The two team traded blows in the third, but Detroit defense in the 4th proved to be the un-equalizer.

The Kings were without leading scorer, Kevin Martin (sprained left ankle).  The Pistons didn’t have the services of Rodney Stuckey who experienced dizziness against Boston, but do expect to have him available Wednesday against Golden State.

Kings coach Reggie Theus is crying foul towards the disparity in trips to the free-throw line between his team and the Pistons:

“Thirty-six free throws to our 17 is ridiculous,” he said. “Their stars got the calls down the stretch.” -SacBee

GAME NOTES: Arron Afflalo and Will Bynum did a great job pressuring the Kings ball handlers …The Kings were attempting to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 2006 … Iverson received a tech for arguing a travel no-call on the Kings in the third … DBB: AI finally wins as a Piston … Nuggets now 3-0 with Billups …

Could you see Ron Artest in Piston’s red, white and blue? He can. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News writes that you should expect Sacramento to trade Artest while he has value because he’s already talking about opting out at the end of the season and leaving the Kings empty handed. McCosky says that Ron told Indianapolis reporters that he sees Detroit being a potential anchorage for his services. Artest even claims he has a fan base here in the Motor City:

“Especially when you’ve got a lot of fans,” Artest said before Friday’s game. “I used to read a lot of the blogs and a couple people said they wouldn’t mind seeing me play in Detroit. That’s like a big turnaround from those days. That’s a big turnaround and you’ve got to be proud of that.”

Anyone have an idea which blog(s) he’s referring to? If he does have a fan base here they must not have been able to make the game last Friday because he still gets booed with every touch of the rock at the Palace.

There’s never been a question that Ron has the talent to be one of the very best players in the NBA. He’s a great defender with the offensive game to match. But, be honest, this guy is one of the biggest head cases in perhaps the history of professional sports. Who the hell asks for a month off to focus on producing a rap album when you’re on a team that is inline to compete for an NBA title? Then there’s the brawl which I don’t have to outline for anyone as to his involvement. He’s receives the longest non-drug, non-betting suspension in league history (73 games) for his part in the melee which basically killed the the Pacers chances for a title as he was an intricate part of that team. Then, fast forward to his return the next season, after his teammates welcome and accept him back with open arms he asks for a trade??

Since being traded to the Kings in ‘06 he’s ran hot and cold. He’s yet to go into anymore crowds but he’s had plenty of off the court misdeeds to keep his legend growing (like jokingly? threatening to kill teammate Bonzi Wells if he didn’t re-sign in Sacramento).

Would Detroit fans accept the “Tru Warier”? Depends. If he keeps his mind right and balls I think any fan base could warm up to him. For better or for worse we’re a very forgiving society. Remember this guy is a former Defensive Player of the Year (2004) and has a career averages of 15 points and 5 rebounds per. Who wouldn’t want that on their team?

My biggest concern in trading for him is guarding against meltdown. Artest makes $7.8 mill and and has a player option to bump that up to $8.4 next season. Also, he believes he’s underpaid, he might have a case if his name wasn’t Ron Artest. So, by my estimation you have to give up a key piece or a host or future key pieces. It’s easy to say package Brezec, Herrmann, and Murray, but would Sacramento even want them when they would surely field more lucrative offers from other teams.

If it works out the Pistons are holding the Larry O’Brien at season’s end and to this point Ron has just been misunderstood. If it doesn’t, well see the Pacers post Artest. Another thing that would play against it would be Flip Saunders. He’s not really got a reputation for tapping into player’s ardor for the game. He’s more a less a good coach, not a leader of men…but I don’t want to get off onto a Flip Saunders’ tangent.

It’d be a tough risk/reward type call for Joe to make. But I, for one, have complete and total faith in Joe if on any deal he pulls the trigger on. I’d say he’s earned it.

[box score] The Pistons fell to the Kings for the second time this season giving Sacramento the season sweep. The rare road win for the Kings was made even more rare that it came at the Palace where the Pistons had only lost three games prior all season.

The Pistons looked lethargic, even after a couple days of rest. They allowed Sacramento to get in the paint and were slow to rotate on back-door cuts that the Kings have been running since the dawn of time.

It seemed as if in this game the two teams traded quarters. Unfortunately for the Pistons they got the odd numbered quarters leaving them short at the end.

The “Zoo Crew” were kept in their cages (whether it be because of poor play or Flip Saunders). To say the Kings bench outplayed ours could be misleading since Kevin Martin (24 pts), Mike Bibby (16 pts), and Ron Artest (18 pts) all came off the pine, but they outscored us 60-5 if you’re keeping track. The bench only managed a measly 5 points, all scored by Jason Maxiell (7 rbs, 2 blks). Jarvis Hayes continues to struggle with his shot going 0/5 in 10 minutes of play.

Ron Artest had fun with the crowd reciprocating their boos with kisses.

“I figured if they’re going to boo me, I’m going to love ‘em,” said Artest, who had seven points in the fourth quarter. “I love Detroit.”

The Pistons played decent to start the game. They got a double digit lead only to see it whittled down to 6 by the end of the first quarter. The second was bad news for the Pistons. They were outscored by 19, (33-19) while shooting a horrendous 7/21 from the field. They went into the half down 48-56.

The third quarter gave the Pistons hope. Chauncey Billups (10 ast, 8 rbs, 2 stls) scored 15 of his game high 28 in the quarter leading the charge. The Pistons outscored the Kings by 9 and took a one point lead into the 4th. Despite some poor play it was looking good for Detroit. Coming into the game the Pistons were 26-2 when leading after three quarters, and again, they’re at the Palace. But, it wasn’t to be. Sacramento made all the big shots down the stretch leaving them the Kings of our court.

Antonio Mcdyess contributed a 14 point 11 rebound double-double. Tayshuan pitched in with 15 points. Rip scored 24 with 5 assists but also had half of the Piston’s 10 turnovers.

The Pistons as a team shot very poorly from the stripe, 19/30 for 63.3%. Although Billups was his usual proficient self going 11/11.

ALSO SEE:

• ESPN: Artest’s late 3-pointer seals Pistons’ fate despite Billups’ 28
• Slam Dunk Central: Bench Scoring Proves Huge, Kings Beat Pistons

The Pistons (29-10) will be hosting the Kings (15-22) at the Palace. Tip off is 8:00 pm est and can be viewed locally on FSN Detroit.

• The Pistons will be honoring 6th man extraordinare Vinnie Johnson tonight with a unique promotion, they’ll be giving away microwaves to some lucky/loud fans.

Kings’ Snapshot
Road record: 4-13
Last game: 1/16 (Wed) L 91-116 @ Toronto
Last 10: 4-6
Last meeting: Nov 18th Pistons (95) @ Kings (105)

The Sacramento Kings finally have both Ron Artest and Mike Bibby in the line up together. Bibby returned to the Kings lineup for the first time this season Wednesday against Toronto after missing 36 games with a torn ligament in his left thumb scoring 19 points and grabbing 6 boards. Palace favorite Ron “Tru Warier” Artest also returned after a 9 game absence following elbow surgery. Both of the Kings stars are expected to come off the bench along with 25 ppg scorer Kevin Martin.

The Kings, as you can ascertain from their 4-13 road record, do not play all that well away from Arco Arena. They’re currently on a 3 game road losing streak. Hopefully the Pistons keep Beno Udrih from being a star in this game the way he was in the last assemblage in Sacramento. The combination of Udrih’s knifing penetration and some untimely techs kept the Pistons early season five game Western swing from being a fruitful one.

[box score] The Pistons had their chances all through out this game but a cold spell in the third quarter and back-to-back technical fouls in the fourth sealed their fates in Sacramento.

The Pistons got their floor general, Chauncey, back after missing two straight games. He and the Pistons started out slow going 1-4 to open the game, but they quickly got it going after that point finishing the quarter 12-16. Tayshaun Prince was particularly effective in the quarter hitting on 5 0f the 6 shots he attempted. The Pistons did a good job of beating the Kings down the court in the first catching Sac out of their defensive positions. The Pistons shot 65% for the quarter and led 31-22 at quarters end which included a crazy left handed buzz beater by Mr. Big Shot to end the quarter.

The Pistons continued their hot shooting in the second quarter. Jarvis Hayes poured in 10 off the bench which included some nice attacks on the rim. Cheikh Samb saw minutes for the second game in a row when Jason Maxiell picked up his third foul with a little over 10 minutes to play in the quarter. The Pistons finished the quarter up by 6 on 61% shooting for the half.

Similar to the game in L.A. half time was an opponent for the Pistons. They came out ice cold and the Kings used that to jump on the Detroiters. The Kings went on a 10-1 run early in the quarter led by former Piston Mikki Moore and Kings off season acquisition Beno Udrih. Udrih really was a Pistons killer. He scored 15 of his game high (and personal season high) 23 in the third quarter alone.

The Pistons got back in the game in the fourth but with a little more than two minutes to go and the Pistons down by only 4 the team unravelled. Rasheed picked up a tech after he was whistled for a late foul on Brad Miller. Then assistant coach Dave Cowens added another a tech to the mix when he gave the refs his two cents on the call. Four free throws later the Pistons found them selves down by 8, and for all intense purposes down for the count.

Jason Maxiell had a rough go in this his 3rd straight start for the injured Antonio McDyess. He picked up two quick fouls in the first and had to come and then picked up subsequent fouls seemingly every time he re-entered the game until he finally fouled out. In a little over 16 minutes of play Jason Maxiell scored on two of the five shots he took. The two makes both came on rim bending dunks. Because of the foul trouble Maxey was also rendered ineffective on the glass totaling two for the night.

GAME NOTES:

• Courtesy of FSN we now know Sheed likes to check out the latest issue of Popular Science during pregame. Classic!

• The Pistons have lost 10 of the last 11 in Sacramento’s Arco Arena
• In the second Saunders played an all bench line up (Cheikh, Amir, Afflalo, Hayes, & Murray)
• Pistons opponents have averaged 103 points in this 5 game road trip
• Who heard that Kings fan who kept shouting “watch your mouth” when the Pistons were picking up techs? I was hoping someone would chuck a beer at Ron Artest and point at that guy when Artest went charging into the crowd.
• Pistons shot a terrible 57.6% from the free throw line
• It was kind of peculiar that Cheikh Samb entered the game in the 2nd quarter before Nazr did
• Just in case you were wondering, the Celtics can no longer go 82-0


QUOTES:

Flip on the techs:

“Sheed was upset, and I thought rightly so,” coach Flip Saunders said. “Earlier in the game, Mikki Moore gets a call and runs the length of the floor. Sheed runs to our bench and gets a tech. We’ve always said, Sheed gets officiated differently than other players.

“Then to call the one on Dave — all he said was, it was a YMCA call, which it was. To make that call that late in a close game, for that, was uncalled for.”

MORE RECAPS:

• Sactown Royalty: Thank Goodness Sheed Happens
• Detroit News: ‘Good’ trip ends on foul note for Pistons