Pistons in August

The D signed Jarvis Hayes, a 4-year backup forward from the Wizards, to a deal this week. Hayes averaged about 8 points a game off the bench for the Wiz last season. The move bolsters the bench and gives them another perimeter player...but is a bit odd, considering the drafting of Arron Afflallo, who was supposedly "that guy" to do what Hayes does. That now gives them a lot of perimeter options...but unfortunately, puts Nazr squarely in the middle of their starting lineup next season, alongside disgruntled Rasheed.
That gives them 14 guaranteed contracts at this point, and since an NBA team only carries 15 players on their everyday roster...it looks as though 2nd-round pick Sammy Mejia, a point guard who played great in the Vegas Summer League, may not be in the Pistons' plans this year, especially since suck-a Will Blalock, first round pick 2 years ago, is one of the guaranteed contracts as well.
Those 14 contracts also don't include C-Webb, who claims to still be wide open as to his plans for next season. There aren't many options remaining for free-agent moves at this time...I was kind of hoping they would have signed someone like Scot Pollard, who signed with the Celtics earlier this week, to give them another veteran post player. Hopefully the signing of Hayes means that Tey-Tey will continue to be played at the 4, which made the Pistons fun to watch last season. Hayes can also defend bigger players, and Amir Johnson is another 6-9 athletic forward who can do the same thign.
I'm hoping Dice is able to give them some big (24+) minutes a game consistently next season...which may be hoping for a lot, since he hasn't averaged more than 23 minutes a game since the 2000-01 season.
Also, Rodney Stuckey has taken Stinky Ben's uniform number 3...which will inevitably lead to many people taping over the Wallace on the back of their jerseys and replacing it with Stuckey's name....I'm just looking forward to the first Stuckey Bowl/Ed reference getting worked into a Pistons telecast.

Boys of Summer

"Summers Fly, Winters Walk"
That was a title of one of the many Peanuts books that I used to read as a kid, and a line that has stuck with me throughout the years. I believe that Linus told that to Charlie Brown after lamenting the inevitable back to school drudgery.
That quote seems to be in the front of my brain right now after thinking about where this summer has sprinted away to. Sure, we are currently enjoying/enduring record heat here in Cincy, where we are threatening the all-time record of 17 consecutive days of high temps over the 90-degree mark.
After spending virtually the entire month of June in West Michigan and many of the following days in July in gyms reffing, it's hard to think about the onrushing school year starting without getting back home for 9 at the Creeks or a G&L special.
Days like today make me think about all those Pubfish Thursday nites over the past few summers. At the time, they seemed as if every summer would be spent golfing, playing softball, drinking, and being with friends. Now, those nights seem to be long, long gone, especially living away from home.
Here's hoping that the RAFFLE draft will be a great one and everyone appreciates what they have while thinking about the times I've had with the people reading this during many of the summers which have flown by our eyes.

beisbol

For the first time this decade, the Astros are not in a playoff race. Their best rookie, Hunter Pence, is on the DL, Brad Lidge has been a complete roller-coaster, Jason Jennings, acquired in an off-season trade from Colorado has been extra-mediocre, and Lance Berkman is having one of his worst statistical seasons of his career despite the giant insurance policy in the lineup known as Carlos Lee.
There is definitely the potential for light at the end of the 2007 tunnel, however. Biggio and Bagwell have giant contract numbers which end this year, so hopefully the Astros can go out and get a legit, mid-level starter to complement Roy O and Wandy.
Tigers and Cubs seem to be headed directly toward post-season berths, which make everyone reading this happy baseball fans, including giant Cub fan Kristen.

Rock & Roll!!

Ahhh...there's nothing like a good ol' fundraiser. Whether it's a bake sale, car wash, or working a concession stand at a national rock-music tour filled with bands I've never heard of, fundraisers can be a great way for teammates to bond over some good old-fashioned work.

This was certainly the case yesterday, as Kristen and I (along with members of our women's basketball team) got to see the Vans Warped Tour up close and personal. Over 30 bands played on numerous stages, each (of course) plastered with corporate names at a concert which originally was rather sponsor-free in its early stages. Of course, that was 13 years ago, and now there's money to be made and myspace.com tents to be visited by the scores of Gen Y-ers who descended upon Riverbend yesterday.

At our stand, we sold 20-ounce drinks for $3.50 apiece. While that certainly isn't a bargain, anyone who has attended any pro sport events or concerts are usually prepared for that kind of sticker shock. My shock came in the form of THOUSANDS of kids dressed in different forms of all-black outfits on a steamy 93-degree day. I kind of enjoyed some of the more creative outfits, as many concertgoers chose some resplendent knee-high socks, ultra-short shorts, and mohawks with spikes of hair big enough to play ring toss with. Needless to say, the piercing count was also high, including a guy who had the ubiquitous "spacer" earrings complete with mini-padlocks in each ear. That gave me nightmares.

And it goes without saying that the ink count was also rather high as well. I was surprised to not see a tattooist on-site; what I was NOT surprised to hear was the amount of angry music. I guess I don't understand at all how people can get so angry on such a nice day.

Big News!

Never thought I'd say this again....I'm engaged!
Kristen has said yes (for some completely unknown reason) and we are planning to get married next summer in Vegas, baby, Vegas!!!
Tentative plans are to get married in early July, followed by a reception in the greater Ravenna metro area in mid-July. Some potential reception spots include...
Al's tree-lined 32 acres
A 2-site affair between the greatest 2 garages in Northeast Ravenna...Skot's and Andy Emery's.
Lower Court (obviously)

Reception spots would NOT include...
DOG DAZE (said with deepest voice possible)
Wastewater Treatment area
Upper Court (obviously)

We are both happy and appreciate all of the well-wishes that have been given to us already. I look forward to planning what should be a fun Vegas trip, and we hope that many of the people reading this blog head to Sin City with us.

Back at it like a crack addict

NBA Draft wrap-up...

Anthony Stuckey-Bowl....I hope he develops a jumper as quickly as the man that everyone is comparing him to, Dwayne Wade, did in the NBA. Otherwise, the Pistons have Flip Murray, V. 2.0.
Afflalo, I really am not sold on him. He is a very good mid-range shooter with questionable lateral quickness....wait a minute, we now also have Rip, V. 2.0!
I did like the 2nd round pick of Sammy Mejia, a big point guard from DePaul. He is athletic and I believe will be a solid backup guard eventually.
All of the post-draft talk seems to center around guys that they didn't actually draft...will Billups re-sign? What about C-Webb or Dale Davis coming back? Will Amir Johnson be a legit backup wing next year? Too many questions surrounding this team, and I wonder how close they ever got to dealing Rasheed prior to the draft.

I really didn't like the Bulls taking Noah, don't understand why they needed another non-scoring post player. I did actually like the Sonics trading Uncle Ray-Ray a ton, I think Jeff Green and Durant will be very good playing next to each other.

Had a great time during the last 4 weeks with everyone, as always, it went by way too quickly. Just like Charlie Brown always said, "Summers fly, winters walk." Enjoy the fireworks the next few days, just don't roll any snap-and-pop aluminum foil tamales unless you want to be known as Captain Hook for the rest of your life.

NBA Draft/Trade talk

Alrighty, it's upon us...one of the biggest nights of Pistons' fans sports season, the NBA Draft, or as I like to call it, "Remember the Darko"
The Pistons own 2 first-round picks...the 14th overall pick, which is the first choice outside of the lottery, as well as their own selection later in the first round.

If the Pistons do keep the 14th pick, which at this point it looks like they will, I have every digit crossed that either Texas A&M guard Acie Law or Eastern Washington guard Anthony Stuckey are available. Both players are scoring guards that have the ability to take over games on the offensive end who were great in college. I believe that Law would be a great pick for the D, and he may or may not be there depending on which mock draft you believe.

I, for one, am still hoping that Rasheed gets traded. It appears as though the Suns are intent on moving Shawn Marion this off-season, as he is headed into the last year of his deal and would be tough for them to re-sign for salary cap purposes. The dumbest man in W. Michigan radio apparently said yesterday that Sheed for Marion would be a bad move for the Pistons. That is (as usual) a completely misinformed and incorrect thought. Marion is over 3 years younger, much more athletic, and if paired with Tey Tey, gives the Pistons a pair of incredibly athletic forwards that can match up with virtually anyone on opposing teams.

While the Pistons have had scoring issues and Marion, an erratic shooter with no true go-to move, may not answer that problem, that trade would seemingly show free agents Dice and Chauncey that the Pistons are actively looking to get better.

I really believe that Durant will be a great NBA player...once the Sonics get a good nucleus around him. Right now, Seattle has no consistent post scoring and needs to figure out what to do with Uncle Ray-Ray and Rashard Lewis, a free agent that would also fit rather nicely with the Pistons in a sign-and-trade situation.

I'm intrigued to see what Yi looks like in the NBA. He has apparently told NBA teams that he is only interested in going to 4 of the lottery teams, which really should make him a well-liked guy early on if he sucks.

I would love it if the Pistons took a flier on Glen Davis, the oversized LSU forward with their 2nd first-round pick, I think, much like Maxiell, he could be a good undersized skilled post player in a year or two.

Lastly, I do not want to hear one syllable tonight from Jay Bilas or Stephen Smith. My TV gets automatic mute when they both open their traps.

Blogs will once again get a bit more regular at this point.

An Ode to Ryno

I am going to take a couple of moments to say something nice about Mr. Ryan Wright, my longtime John Street hetero companion/neighbor who is about to tie the knot in roughly 3 hours.
His future wife, Jennifer Diamond, seems to be a rather intelligent person...which leads me to wonder why she's marrying him in the first place. OK, so I had to get one shot in.
I remember MANY days in my childhood when Ryan and my brother Phil would tag along for many baseball games at DeJonge's house. He always seemed to be a happy kid growing up on the mean streets of south John Street. He's always been a solid member of the Outlying Ravenna Area League and here's hoping that some school district gives him a job soon.
I wish Ryan and Jennifer nothing but the best of luck and I hope this day provides them with a lifetime of memories!

With that out of the way, let me now say that the postings will still be a bit sporadic. I must say, however, that my least favorite ESPN trio has hosted a few Sportscenters this week--Scott Van Pelt and Larry Beil in studio, and Stu Scott at the NBA finals. I can't take that lineup any more. I also don't get why SC went to the lineup at the side of the screen...it works for PTI, a halftime rundown talking show. I really don't like it for SC at all.

Lastly, I have already managed to get to G & L once this week, and I plan on getting there a few more times this month. Love me some chili dogs!

Lower Court Coaching Experience

Prior to a lengthy Piston talk, I want to wish Ryno and everyone involved safe travels and lots of fun this weekend.

Okay, so you're playing on the Lower Court against ______ (Fill in with your favorite Ravenna basketball legend). No matter who it is, from a DeJonge to Todd Place to Pierson to even Al Braspenninx, there is a way to defend them 1 on 1 (I'd like to think that I know all of these ways, and I won't be releasing them to the general public until after next year's 20th Anniversary edition of the Ravenna Proud Day 3-on-3 Tourney).

If you can't guard that person, you have the following options:
#1--Switch with someone else.
#2--Foul them hard.
#3--Make them work on defense.
#4--Double team them.
#5--Throw a pine cone at their eyes.

Seems simple enough, right? Well, apparently not to Flip Saunders in defending Bron Bron last nite. Let's analyze previously stated options:
#1--They attempted this. Since no one would rotate over quickly enough to help Tey-Tey when he would be beaten off the dribble by LeBron (and just for the record, that isn't anything to feel badly about, and ANYONE who says it's Tey's fault that LBJ went off is an idiot), Flip attempted to put Rip, Chauncey, Lindsay, and even tried Joe D and Fennis Dembo for a possession.
While this strategy is good, without a legit shot-blocker in the middle (Dice, perhaps) if no one does it quickly enough, then you end up with a 1-man layup line, which is what the 2 OT's looked like at times.

#2--They failed to attempt this, aside from one Rasheed takedown in OT. It's OK to foul someone, and hard, especially in the playoffs, rather than have them continually get the 2-handed hammer. If Dice can hit Sideshow Bob that hard (Which, IMO, did NOT warrant an ejection. It wasn't premeditated, wasn't retaliatory in any way, and was early in the game), then surely 95 year old Dale Davis can take a shot at Lebron.
PS--If Dice is suspended for G6, it's complete BS.

#3--The first half of last nite's game was genuinely enteraining to watch. Kristen even watched the entire half without getting a magazine or painting a nail, which was a first for this series.
For some reason, however, that ball movement, scrambling, trapping zone defense and fast breaking went COMPLETELY out the window during 2nd half and OT's. I very much advocate going after Eric Snow and Damon Jones(Top Ten Hate Lister, to be abbrev. as T10HL from here forth) whenever possible on offense, but at least make it a screen-roll or SOMETHING ELSE besides a simple back-down, everyone stare and watch. The Pistons AREN'T GOOD AT THIS ON OFFENSE!!!!!
Nearly every 2nd OT possession was a post-up or a perimeter clear-out. That's why a mediocre defender like Sideshow Bob can make that block on the last possession of the game--everyone in the building knew 6-3 Billups was going to take the last shot, especially when he dribbled to the point where no offensive rebound was going to occur, so he could rotate over quickly with no fear of a big man behind him getting to the rim.

#4--Here's where I simply must lack the knowledge to grasp the Pistons' intricate defensive schema in the OT's. HOW ABOUT, oh I don't know, TAKE THE BALL OUT OF HIS HANDS??? This was done quite well for short stretches in the 4th Q and 1st OT, when Pavlovic (forced to score on the baseline off the dribble) and Gooden (forced to score back to basket) were given the ball in places that they weren't comfortable in.
There was a possession in the first OT where LBJ passed it to Snow at about 17 feet, and he didn't even LOOK at the rim. Can't you somehow manage to keep LBJ out of the paint when you know that one dude isn't going to shoot the ball EVER? (And if you wanted to ever imagine yourself in an NBA game, put yourself in Eric Snow's shoes--a slow, old, non-shooter who gets PT because he isn't afraid to hack, slap, and do whatever it takes to win).
The Pistons even did this on the next to last possession of the game, when Sideshow Bob got his 19 pushed in at the rim after the Pistons tripled LBJ near the FT line.
I simply don't understand how a veteran team can't do this more. It's not rocket science. The zone trap worked to begin the game because the ball stayed outside the paint--the Cavs had exactly zippo paint points in the first quarter. As the game went along, Pistons got lazier on defense, LBJ got to the lane more without help defense sliding over, and as a result, Cavs win.

As for #5, that might be what the D needs on Saturday night. I'm reasonably confident for no logical reason that they win G6, other than they've done this NUMEROUS times before. But I'm seriously tired of watching people complaining about calls. No one else on the team has the right to talk to a ref other than Tey-Tey, who busts his butt on nearly every play and occassionally is lucky enough to shoot.

I'll shut it down at this time with this--If they lose G6, they are officially the NBA version of the Atlanta Braves. At least the Buffalo Bills got to the Super Bowl every year. The Braves, with a raft of talent, seemed to find a way to lose in every postseason and got just 1 ring. The Pistons are on the precipice of that right now, thanks largely to (at times) unfocused play at both ends of the floor and the Darko pick.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take that pine cone and jam it into my own eye.