PistonsNationBlog.com - Detroit Pistons News & Views

• Ben Gordon is being mentioned in 3-team deal as reported by the Arizona Republic where BG would go to Philly, Amare Stoudemire would land in Pistons’ Blue, and Andre Iguodala and Chris Wilcox would be off to The Grand Canyon State.  Justin Rogers has done the math and we’d have to include more salary, suggesting Kwame Brown.
  
• As the norm with trade rumors the rumored tradee, Gordon, is downplaying the possibility of relocating.
• Ben Wallace envisions Double J as a “beast” on the perimeter.  SLAM recently named Jonas to their all-rookie 2nd team.
• Please, ANYTHING but another Pistons’ players Vs. head coach saga
• Big Ben tired of being branded only a defensive player:
  

  “Everybody in the league can score the basketball,” Wallace said. “That is no secret. When people say guys are not a scorer, that blows my mind. Ain’t nobody in this league that can’t score. Everybody in this league at one time was asked to score.”

• Kwame is willing to do what it takes to help the team but isn’t going to concede Kue’s assessment of defensive short comings on his part:
  

  “I will do what the coach says in order to get better, although that is a first because there is one thing I do bring to the table and that is defense. That’s the first time I heard that. It’s the first time a coach said I don’t play defense. But like I said, I will learn to play the defense he wants me to play.”[...] Brown said he’s one of the top three defensive players in the NBA.

  Easy there Kwame…

• Clipper and MI native Chris Kaman will replace Brandon Roy on the Western Conference All-Star roster

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• The numbers say the Pistons cannot score the basketball, and numbers don’t lie.  Yesterday the Pistons went 0-12 from beyond the arc against the Knicks.  At .290 the Pistons rank 29th in 3pt shooting.  They’re also next to last in free-throw shooting (.721) and scoring (92.17).  Detroit ranks dead last in assists at 17.32 a game.
• Jonas Jerebko won a national sports federation rookie of the year award back in Stockholm, Sweden Monday. Jerebko’s mother accepted the award on his behalf.
• I don’t want this Pistons’ sports coat…I NEED IT!  I would wear it inside out Fresh Prince of Bel-Air style too.  In other Pistons’ swag news check out Need4Sheed’s cool new Pistons’ themed Flip camera
• Trade rumors are circulating around the Hornets sending the Cavs David West in return for Big Z (expiring $11.5 contract).  The Pistons’ fan in me HATES this trade.
• A lot of uncertainty not only in the Pistons’ ownership future, but also what stadium they’ll call home
• Flip Saunders wants Nick Young to be his new Rip Hamilton
• Former Piston Jerry Stackhouse has signed on for the remainder of the season with the Milwaukee Bucks
• The participants for the 2010 Slam Dunk are in, and surprise-surprise…no LeBron
• Brush up on your obscure Pistons with TLNP’s Victor Alexander post
• Tomorrow night’s game against the Celtics marks the halfway point of the Pistons season.  Click on over to Mlive and give you Pistons’ mid-season grades.
• Tomorrow’s game against Boston at the Palace begins a 6-game Pistons’ homestand, their longest since 2004
• Stephon Marbury has signed on to play in China.  That’s an international incident just waiting to happen.
• Get to know a blogger: Brian Packey discusses the new DBB with Patrick Hayes

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While Joe may not be actively seeking a trade, one this may have opened up with Stephen Jackson request for a trade out of Golden State.  Although Detroit is not one of Jackson’s reported preferred locations ( Cleveland, Dallas, San Antonio, & New York) Dumars should still take a shot at it rehashing the Tayshaun for Jackson talks from the summer of 2008.

Back then I was opposed to this trade.  Today I would do it.

Tayshaun’s bread and butter is his defense which looked abundantly pedestrian this past season.  Add that to the fact that the Pistons are not going to be the same defensive minded team under John Kuester and a Stephen Jackson makes even more sense at small forward.  Jackson would add so much fire power to this team, it’d be bananas.

Money wise this trade would not work straight up.  Tay is set to make $10.3 mill this season and Jackson $7.6 mill.  I plugged in Jackson and Brandon Wright ($2.5 mill) into ESPN’s trade machine for Prince, and that worked.  Wright is in the final year of his deal, Jackson’s contract is 4 years totaling a little over $34 mill.  Not sure if Joe would want to tie up that much money over the that long a period?

I definitely don’t want to see Jackson going to Cleveland.  That’s for sure.

On a seemingly slow news day PNb still has the your back.

• RODNEY STUCKEY threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Friday’s Tigers/White Sox game.  Tweeter jsermo was at the game and was first to Tweet that Stuck didn’t do so well on the mound.  Rodney probably shouldn’t have bragged about being a baseball star.
• RODNEY told the Freep’s Vince Ellis that the Pistons acquiring younger talent will give the team a chance to get out and run more.  While some took it as a dig to the departed aging vets what do you want him to say?  I mean what’s the first advantage that comes to mind of a young basketball team?
• I agree that the Pistons are going to surprise some people this season.  I think in the East they’re a playoff team.  But, predicting they’ll win 50 games may be a little too much to ask from this group.
• The Champion Detroit Shock were honored at the White House today.  President OBAMA  – an admitted Bulls fan – commented on how he never thought he’d actually be congratulating BILL LAIMBEER and RICK MAHORN for something.
• Really enjoyed Fox Sports Detroit’s CHUCK DALY special last night.  Loved the quote from JOHN SALLEY that if BILL DAVIDSON owned the restaurant, JACK McCLOSKEY bought the food, and CHUCK DALY cooked it.  That pretty much summed up the relationship of the 3 men that spearheaded the Bad Boys rise to the top of the NBA.
• A couple Bad Boys will be hitting the links for the 2009 Pure Michigan Pro-Am at the Buick Open.  BILL LAIMBEER and VINNIE JOHNSON along with Coach JOHN KUESTER will take part.  Rock’n'Roll HOFer and big time Pistons’ fan BOB SEGER will be paired with TIGER WOODS.
• Audio from JOHN KUESTER’S appearence on “The Huge Show” where the new Pistons coach explains that he’s an “experienced rookie coach”.  KUESTER also goes into his offensive and defensive thoughts for the team.
• Charlie Rosen calls KWAME BROWN what very few others do…underrated.
• The Thunder dealt CHUCKY ATKINS (along with DAMIEN WILKINS) to Minnesota for ETAN THOMAS.  You can check out what the former Pistons guard thinks of the trade by following him on Twitter @ImmortalKustomz
• At first I was all on board with STEPHON MARBURY on Twitter and his whole UStream marathon thing.  But it quickly got old, and quite frankly a bit creepy.

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Update If  Walter Sharpe joins Bucks, he probably won`t play next season. Is expected to have surgery for an ACL tear. ( Gery Woelfel via DBB)

Here’s to hoping Sleepy doesn’t bounce around like Cheikh Samb has since  behind dealt by the Pistons.

The Nuggets have agreed to trade forward Walter Sharpe, a week after acquiring him from the Pistons.

Sharpe and swingman Sonny Weems will go to the Bucks for forward Malik Allen later in the week, the Denver Post reported.

The Nuggets acquired Sharpe and Arron Afflalo from the Pistons last week in exchange for a future second-round draft pick and cash. -DetNews

From mlive:

AUBURN HILLS – The Detroit Pistons have traded Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe to Denver for a future second round pick.

The move frees up an additional $1.8 million in salary cap space, which brings Detroit $3.5 million under the salary cap.

This is one of those rumors that actually panned out. There’ll be another move, you can be sure of that much. I just hope the second part of the rumor, the one saying we’re clearing cap space to go after Boston’s Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis isn’t correct.

It’s a bummer we’re so deep at SG because I, and many others, loved ‘Flo’s work ethic and energy. He’s going to be a nice player. Watch.

The rumor is still out there for a Rip to Utah for Carlos Boozer. I don’t want to see Rip go, but does it make sense to hold onto him? We’ve essentially got three quality shooting guards. If we’ve learned anything from history is that that does not work.  To try it again would be loony.

Say this trade does happen, what does that mean for Charlie Villanueva?  Like the very astute PN reader & Tweeter brgulker asks: “does CV come off the bench then? Or do we go small?”

Great question.  And, if I hear that tired ‘it’s a nice problem to have‘ rhetoric I may have to kick whatever is closest to me at the time.

I guess we’ll know Wednesday how sturdy this rumor’s legs are.  That’s when trades can “officially” be made.