Washington Wizards announcer makes hilarious mistake on buzzer beater
Washington Wizards play-by-play announcer Steve Buckhantz called what he believed was a game winning buzzer beater from Trevor Ariza. Instead of the ”daaaaaaaaagggggggggggerrrrrr!” Buckhantz yelled it was an air ball.
Richard Hamilton birthday cake
How Much Did Khalid El-Amin Eat
Richard Hamilton posted a picture of his birthday cake on Twitter and look at this thing. It has 4 Richard Hamilton’s, each representing the various teams he’s played for in his college and pro careers while sitting around playing poker.
JR Smith airballs free throw & bench loves it
JR Smith’s shooting was the source of embarrassment on Monday in the New York Knicks 99-85 win over the Detroit Pistons. A career 74.5 percent shooter from the line, Smith airballed a free throw during the second quarter.
Metta World Peace throws punch in Detroit
Metta World Peace turned back the clock in his return to Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills arena and threw a sneaky jab while initiating the contact with Brandon Knight. Peace was given a flagrant foul on the play.
Fog Machine Malfunction Halts Play In Detroit Pistons Game
It was Halloween. It was opening night. The Detroit Pistons had big plans for their “Halloween Spectacular” halftime show. The show was so big, in fact, that it started a minute too early.
With 58 seconds remaining in the first half of the game between the Houston Rockets and Pistons, play was halted due to excessive fog behind the basket. One of the fog machines for the halftime show started ahead of schedule, sending Palace employees into a frenzy.
John Calipari Cuts Overweight Charlie Villanueva From Dominican Republic Olympic Team
Long Term Effect
“Charlie was not in good form when we saw him,” Calipari said, per FIBA.com. “He was overweight, and unfortunately, we could not slow down the entire team and it was a decision taken collectively.
“Last year, Charlie behaved really well with us and his only problem was his weight. An NBA player like him deserves respect and for respect, we have (made) this decision.”
Villanueva played in just 13 games for the Detroit Pistons this past season, averaging career lows in minutes (13.8), points (7.0) and rebounds (3.7).
Calipari led the Dominican team to a bronze medal at last summer’s FIBA Americas Championship.
Even without Villanueva, Calipari likes the Dominican Republic’s chances to earn one of the three remaining spots in the Olympic tournament at the 12-team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas.
“We have the athleticism to play against anyone,” Calipari said.
Matt Geiger Interferes With Foul Ball
Booooo This Man
Former NBA center Matt Geiger, perhaps best remembered for refusing to waive a no-trade clause in his contract that held up a trade sending Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons, got a little too involved in the Minnesota Twins-Tampa Bay Rays game during the top of the eighth inning, and was asked to leave his seat as a result.
Geiger, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, did his best Steve Bartman impression, interfering with a catchable foul ball.
With one out and a man on first, Twins left fielder Josh Willingham sent a foul ball towards the seats down the first base line. Rays first baseman Carlos Pena probably would have caught the ball, if he didn’t have to compete with the 7-footer’s arms.
Geiger reached for the ball, missed, and ended up grabbing Pena’s glove as the ball bounced harmlessly away. Geiger was booed instantly by fans and then security cheered as they escorted to a different section in Tropicana Field.
Detroit Pistons Giving Season Ticket Holders Jackets With Microchips
Genius
The Detroit Pistons marketing department is thinking outside the box in trying to get season ticket holders to renew. Fans who renew their season tickets for the 2012-2013 season will be receiving an authentic on-court team jacket with a microchip embedded in the sleeve.
The jackets can be used to receive 20 percent off food and beverage items and 30 percent off merchandise at The Palace. Members at both levels will also receive a one-of-a-kind authentic on-court Pistons team jacket. This also forces the fans to wear team apparel when they show up to attend the games.
Dennis Rodman Broke & Extremely Sick
Dirty Boy
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman is “broke,” “extremely sick” and unable to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in child and spousal support payments, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 51-year old former Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers star owes $808,935 in back child support for two children he had with third wife Michelle Rodman, said her attorney Jack Kayajanian in court documents. Rodman also owes $51,441 in spousal support, said the attorney.
Rodman, nicknamed “The Worm” and “Dennis the Menace” during his days as the NBA’s premier rebounder, faces a court hearing in Southern California Tuesday. He could be jailed for 20 days for failure to pay child and spousal support. Per the Times:
Dennis Rodman’s attorney, Linnea Willis, said in court documents that the former Laker is barely capable of paying for his living expenses, let alone the $5,000 he has for one child from another relationship, and the $4,500 monthly payment for spousal and child support to Michelle Rodman. The attorneys who have represented him to date have worked pro bono, Willis said.
“Respondent Dennis Rodman is broke and cannot afford any additional fees,” according to court documents filed on his behalf. He is “extremely sick” and his marketability is diminishing with age and illness, according to court documents
Kobe Bryant Ditches Black Mask After Going 1-6
Who Is That Masked Man
Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant decided to don the black mask against the Detroit Pistons last night over the transparent one he has been wearing since suffering a broken nose in the All-Star game.
However Bryant started the game 1 for 6 and the life of Black Mamba wearing the black mask was a short lived one. Prior to the game, Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell explained Bryant picked the black mask over the three new masks he had made in Detroit by the maker of Richard Hamilton’s mask because the black one was simply the most comfortable.
Rajon Rondo Gets Ejected For Throwing Ball At Referee
Boston Celtics were trailing the Detroit Pistons by a score of 66-54 when Rajon Rondo got angry and started jawing at referee Sean Wright and in frustration tossed the ball at Wright which took him by surprise and it nailed him in his chest. The Pistons won the game by a score of 90-78.
Fast forward to the 2:05 mark
Old Man Dancing At New Jersey Nets Game
NBA ratings maybe up so far this season but that’s probably because everyone is staying home as evidence in last nights Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets game where this old man caught the eye of the few spectators and the Nets announcers.
Vince Carter Says Fans Sat Next To Dallas Mavericks Players Were Cool
Great Seats To A Bad Product
A few nights ago when the Dallas Mavericks visited the Motor-city they not only faced a familiar but played hosts to some Detroit Pistons fans on their very own bench. Aaron Cohen and Chris Smokes sat next to Vince Carter and Delonte West and now the Carter is breaking his silence on the fans.
“They were cool,” Carter said. “I just didn’t have enough room to sit so I went on the other side of them. That happens sometimes. They were good dudes. That was where their seats were, so it wasn’t any big deal. But I have to admit, it looked funny when I saw the video.”
Yeah, Vince “That happens sometimes.” You’re just always seeing players get pushed off their bench and sitting with the fans. Not really, but OK.
The seats cost $750 for Cohen, which had Carter technically not on the Mavericks bench, but the NBA watching from league office caught wind of the situation when local cameras started to point it out to viewers and called to have Vince moved back to the bench area. Cohen said that night of the incident
“Because of the way it’s arranged and I guess there’s two vacant seats at the end (of the row) — we got (seats number) three and four, which is pretty much after the last player,” Cohen said. “Having those two seats open the players will down there and sit over there at times.”
Cohen has been sitting in those very seats since the season started, it’s just now that it has become a hot topic as he had previously posted pictures of him on Twitter from the edge of the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can You Move Down One?
NBA contacts players on Twitter
Making Up Rules As They Go
The NBA has set up a Twitter account, @NBA_Labor, with the apparent intention of clarification misperceptions about the lockout and the under-negotiation collective-bargaining agreement, CBSSports.com first reported. The account’s profile reads, “Collective Bargaining news and facts directly from the NBA office.”
So far the tweets have been sent out to correct an ESPN report that stated amnesty contracts would not count toward players share of basketball-related income. However another tweet was sent to Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva and Oklahoma City Thunder center Nazr Mohammed, to which Mohammed replied,
“Don’t tweet me during this lockout! Isn’t that a fine or something lol?!?! #NBALockout That’s hilarious! I can’t workout at our team’s facilities or have contact with coaches but @NBA_Labor & @NBA can harass me on twitter lol SMH.”
Mohammed, of course, is referring to the gag order imposed, which prevents teams from discussing the lockout and being in contact with players.
The NBA responded, “The no-contact rule doesn’t prevent NBA from responding to misinfo about collective bargaining, no matter the source.”
NBA Players To Still Get Paid During Lockout
Choose Your Agents Wisely
Despite the ongoing NBA lockout, clients of the Raymond Brothers will still get paid unlike the majority of players due to the wording and structure of their deals. The lucky clients of the Raymond Brothers include Detroit Pistons Ben Gordon, Memphis Grizzlies Zach Randolph, Los Angeles Clippers Al Farouq Aminu, and Dallas Mavericks Caron Butler.
The Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-2011 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games.
“They will not know financially that they’re in a lockout,” Raymond Brothers said. “If there is a lockout, you’ll able to pay your bills. And you’re already used to a certain way of living because your paychecks will be consistent.”
Larry Brown To Interview For Minnesota Timberwolves
Never Trust A Man Who Wears A Bow Tie
Larry Brown is the latest candidate for the Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching job as the team has finished interviewing former coaches Rick Adelman and Don Nelson over the weekend after firing for Kurt Rambis. Bernie Bickerstaff, Terry Porter and Mike Woodson have all interviewed for the job as well.
Brown is sixth on the NBA’s list of all-time winningest coaches with 1,098 and has coached nine NBA teams, the last being the Charoltte Bobcats, who fired him in December. Brown and President of basketball of operations David Kahn have a relationship that dates back to the late 1970s, when Brown coached at UCLA and Kahn was a reporter at the school newspaper.
Brown has also expressed interest in joining new Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank’s staff.
Minnesota Timberwolves Lay Off Employees
Bring Back This Logo
Minnesota Timberwolves laid off at least 11 business side employees on Tuesday, many of them in the sales department, as the effects of the NBA lockout start to sink in across the league. So far the basketball side of the operations have been spared with the exception of former head coach Kurt Rambis.
The Timberwolves are at least the third team in the league to start laying off employees. The Charlotte Bobcats laid off at least seven last week, including radio play-by-play announcer Scott Lauer and the Detroit Pistons fired 15 employees earlier this month.
President of basketball operations for the Timberwolves David Kahn has continued though the search of who will replace Rambis by bringing in Mike Woodson, Terry Porter for an interview with the possibilities of still Don Nelson, Bernie Bickerstaff and Memphis Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger as candidates.
University Of Detroit To Name Basketball Court After Dick Vitale
Diaper Dandy
The University of Detroit Mercy Titans announced that the school plans to name its basketball court after former basketball coach and athletics director Dick Vitale. Vitale is now best known for his college basketball broadcasting duties with ESPN. The school will hold a ceremony on December 5, when the Titans play St. John’s in a nationally-televised game and Vitale will also be celebrating his 32nd anniversary of calling games for ESPN that day.
“What Dick has done for the game of college basketball is nothing short of remarkable, and it is only fitting that we honor him in such a special way given his career started right here at U of D as a head coach,” UDM athletics director Keri Gaither said. “Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall will serve as a perpetual and lasting tribute to not only Dick’s time at Detroit but also his significant contributions to the sport over several decades.”
Vitale coached at Detroit Mercy from 1973-1977 and served as athletics director for one year before becoming head coach of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. He went 78-30 during his time as the Titans coach, including a run of 21 consecutive victories during the 1976-1977 season.
Orlando Magic’s Stan Van Gundy Wonders If Scottie Pippen Was A Superstar
Who's Luigi?
Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy decided to give his opinion on the whole Scottie Pippen comments that Miami Heats LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan comments. Van Gundy was contacted by Orlando Sentinel writer Mike Bianchi to speak on how Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks are proving during the NBA Finals that a one-superstar team can compete with James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat.
Van Gundy noted that some of the greatest teams in recent NBA history weren’t exactly loaded with superstars and listed the Detroit Pistons of a few years ago, a team that went to six straight Eastern Conference finals and won one championship.
Then he went onto the Chicago Bulls where he wondered if that that perhaps Jordan was the only superstar on that team.
“I have always wondered, as good as Scottie Pippen was, would he have been considered a star if he hadn’t played with Jordan and had to carry a team on his own,” Van Gundy explained. “We’ll never know, but my point is that sometimes we make the determination after the fact. In other words, after Chicago won championships, we branded Pippen a star.”
Former NBA Player Calls Phil Jackson Most Overated Coach Of Our Time
Entitled To His Opinion
Former Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics center Scott Pollard who battled Phil Jackson’s Los Angeles Lakers when they had Shaquille O’Neal, told on KHTK that he thinks Jackson is overrated:
“I just think he’s one of the most overrated coaches of our time. He’s only had the greatest players of our era on his teams. Put him in charge of the Sacramento Kings this year, and I don’t mean to offend Sacramento fans, but put him on a team with no Hall-Of-Famers on it at least no one that has established themselves as a Hall-Of-Famer already, put him as the Head Coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers right now and let’s see how he does next year with no Hall-Of-Famers on the team. That’s all I’m saying.”
Pollard went on to say that he respects Jackson’s championship rings, but he has “never taken a team that wasn’t a playoff team and turned them into a playoff team.”
Grant Hill Blames Injuries On Detroit Pistons & Orlando Magic Medical Staff
Digging For The Truth
Phoenix Suns Grant Hill told Fox Sports Radio’s Jason Whitlock that the medical and training staffs of the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic mismanaged his injuries and adversely affected his career. The belief is that Hill played through an injured ankle in a first-round series against Miami Heat in 2000 to prove his toughness.
“I did not try to prove at any point how tough I was. At no time did I go against doctor’s orders or team orders to play in my time in Detroit or my time in Orlando. I followed the orders.”
Hill broke his ankle in that series and was impacted by the injury for the next four seasons.
“At the time I got hurt, I felt like the game was becoming very easy for me,” Hill said. “I was entering my prime. There was an understanding of the game. I felt the next four or five years would be an opportunity and a time to really make my mark and really go for it.”
Despite having surgery in May 2000 and needing crutches when he visited Orlando in July, the Magic signed Hill to a $92 million contract in August. Hill was playing in pickup games for the Magic the next month.
“They had me out there playing,” Hill said. “I might play once a week. My ankle was hurting. I wasn’t really supposed to be out there. I wasn’t supposed to be playing. I’d never really been hurt before so I didn’t know what rehab really was. I’m trying to play. I’m icing all the time. I’m getting through the month, probably playing pickup three or four times in the whole month. We get to training camp, I might have practiced once or twice during camp. I stumble through preseason playing three or four games.”
Hill was in the starting lineup when the Magic’s season opened that year on October 31.
“The next day the doctor who performed (my) surgery picks the paper up and saw that I played like 30 minutes and he was irate,” Hill said. “I wasn’t supposed to be on the court doing basketball-related activity until December. So somewhere along the line, the ball was dropped. And certainly I didn’t know that until the doctor informed me of that. Apparently he had forwarded all the information down there to Orlando. I was told to follow the instructions. I played in another game in Miami the next night and they shut me down to do rehab for five or six weeks. By then it was too late. What should’ve been a six- or seven-month recovery before you get on the court to play, I was on the court in three or four months.”
Hill played in just 57 games over the next four years for Orlando.
Former NBA Player Oliver Miller Arrested For Assault
How Much For One Rib
Former NBA player Oliver Miller was arrested on Tuesday for pistol whipping a man at a barbecue spot in Maryland. The former Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Harlem Globetrotters was charged with first and second degree assault, reckless endangerment, using a handgun in a violent crime, possessing a handgun in a vehicle and disorderly conduct.
The 41 year-old Miller, who was drafted by the Suns in the 1992 draft with the 22nd overall pick, beat the man down with a 9MM Glock according to several eye witnesses.
Detroit Pistons Not Sold To Billionaire Tom Gores But Equity Fund
Looks Like A Young Tom Jones
Back on Saturday, we posted the story of billionaire Tom Gores buying the Detroit Pistons however according to Forbes, who know more about finances than I do, are reporting that it is not Gores that is buying the team. The Pistons are to be the first major professional sports franchise in North America to be owned by a private equity fund. Not by individuals who made their fortunes in private equity but by a $2.75 billion financial vehicle meaning they would become an investment not owned out of someones love for the sport. The NBA is obviously aware of this reality and okay with it all.
From Forbes:
So is Joe Dumars job safe or not?
Detroit Pistons Sold To Billionaire Tom Gores
Looks Like A Young Tom Jones
Billionaire Tom Gores has reached an agreement with the Detroit Pistons to purchase the NBA franchise.The deal between Gores and team owner Karen Davidson also includes The Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE Energy Music Theatre.
“We are pleased to welcome Tom Gores as the new owner of the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment,” Davidson said in a statement. “Just as my late husband, Bill Davidson, was the face of the Pistons, I am confident that Tom will bring the same energy, dedication and love to this organization.”
Gores is acting chairman and CEO of the California-based Platinum Equity firm. According to Forbes list of 2011 billionaires, he is worth an estimated $2.4 billion. The value of the agreement was not released.
