Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle Uses Ping Pong Paddle Against Cancer
He Needs You
If your playing in your garage or at your local YMCA, you probably call it ping pong but if your an enthusiast like Rudy J you refer to it as table tennis. Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle also an avid player is using table tennis to raise money to fight a pancreatic cancer.
Carlisle who in the last 12 months watched as he lost two very good friends, former Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly, and Indiana Pacers co-owner Melvin Simon succumbed to the disease. Pancreatic cancer is the most under-screened, but most aggressive form of cancer there is. ‘When the director of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, called Carlisle about participating in a fund-raising event, he instantly raised his ping-pong paddle and wanted to do something different from the typical bowling or golf fundraisers.
If you had followed Sports Grind Entertainment for some time you are well aware that the fight against cancer is something that holds deeply to our heart. So if your in the Dallas weekend stop in on the Purple Ping Pong event on Sunday at SMU’s Moody Coliseum from 1-4 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Ping-pong tables will be set up on the floor of Moody that will include numerous local table-tennis professionals and Olympians taking part in an invitational tournament in the center of the floor.
There will be 16 celebrity teams including J.J. Barea, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Caron Butler. Former Rangers Jim Kern and Jeff Russell will participate, as will Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Nastia Luiken and Carly Patterson.
Detroit Pistons Rodney Stuckey Collapses During Game
Scary
Detroit’s Pistons Rodney Stuckey was conscious and breathing on his own as he was taken to a hospital after collapsing on the Pistons bench during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons said Stuckey was taken to the Cleveland Clinic and his vital signs were stable, but was going for further testing and observation.
Stuckey was wheeled off the court on a stretcher during the third quarter after he collapsed into a trainer’s arms on the bench during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stuckey walked off the floor for a timeout showing no signs of illness. After a few moments in a chair, though, Stuckey slumped over.
Medical personnel rushed over to the Pistons’ bench with a stretcher. Play was halted for 12 minutes as the medical staff worked on Stuckey, placed an oxygen mask on his face and wheeled him into an ambulance.
ESPN’s Heather Cox reported that Stuckey had a seizure in her early reports.
WTF: Anderson Varejao
Ridiculous
Snuggies have got to be the stupidest invention ever. Then topping it off you have Anderson Varejao aka Sideshow Bob all porn star sprawled out on some peather couch trying to real you in and waste your hard earn money on a Cleveland Cavaliers Snuggie.
The Cavaliers will try to set a Guinness World Record for the most dumbasses to wear a Snuggie in a single gathering March 5 at home against the Detroit Pistons by giving every fan that attends one. Disgusting.
Juan Dixon Test Positive For Steriods In Europe
"Damn homie, in high school you was the man, homie"
Another athlete has been suspended indefinitely from play but this time the player isn’t affiliated with baseball. It’s former Maryland star Juan Dixon, who is the program’s all-time points leader, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone and was indefinitely suspended by the International Basketball Federation. Dixon is currently playing in Europe for the Spanish team Unicaja. He took the drug test in November.
He was drafted by the Washington Wizards, then played with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and was cut by the Atlanta Hawks last October before resorting to earning a paycheck overseas.
Glen Davis Tells Fan To Suck His…
Boston Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis was fined $25,000 by NBA executive vice president of operations Stu Jackson for directing inappropriate language at a fan. The language was picked up through the Celtics TV broadcast.
David used inappropriate language when addressing a fan during the second quarter of Boston’s 92-86 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills who was making fun of his obesity.
Davis was repeatedly called fat boy and chubs by the fan.
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-Rasheed Wallace
Jason Maxiell, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-DaJuan Summers
Gerald Wallace, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
Darko Milicic NBA Days Are Over
BYE
One of the top five all time NBA worst draft picks Darko Milicic is hanging up his NBA game at the end of 2009-10 season.
If you recall back in the summer of 2003 Joe Dumars choose to pass up NCAA champion Carmelo Anthony because their roster already included Tayshaun Prince for overseas superstar Darko Milicic with the number two overall pick.
Milicic began his career buried on the Detroit Pistons bench, then buried on the bench in Orlando, Memphis, and now New York. The latest has finally run its course on Darko as he has decided to take his game back overseas no matter the outcome of this season.
“Whatever happens, I’m going back next year,” the 7-foot-1 Milicic said to the New York Post. “It’s 100-percent certain. I have to be real and not lie. I’m not going to get it done in the NBA. I’m not going to get another opportunity and there’s nothing wrong with going back to Europe. I don’t want to create a bad atmosphere here, but it’s not working in the NBA. I don’t give a bleep about the money,” Milicic said. “I just want to enjoy the basketball. I’d like to have the ball in my hands and have an offense run through me. I’m not just a defensive player.”
I remember that summer asking that there was no way Dumars had watched any of the NCAA tournament in March, because if he had he would have for sure would have given former coach Larry Brown an opportunity to tinkle with Prince and Anthony in the lineup.
Other possible Pistons: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, David West, hell Dumars could have taken the Red Rocket Matt Bonner and things might have worked out better than Darko.
Tracy McGrady Returns In Houston Rockets Win
3 Points
The NBA saw the return of Tracy McGrady to the Houston Rockets who is the second overall leader in All-Star votes for the Western Conference guards. It’s McGrady first NBA action since February 9th of last season.
The Rockets saw seven minutes of action from McGrady following micro-fracture surgery on his left knee was much needed since the NBA suspended Trevor Ariza for one game. An announced crowd of 14,899 at Toyota Center were surprised to see the seven-time All-Star make his first appearance since February at the 7:44 mark left in the first period and gave him a standing ovation.
McGrady’s only points came with 1:34 to play in the period, taking a pass from Nick Lowry and drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. He finished the night scoring 3 points on 1-for-2 shooting as the Rockets won for the sixth time in their last eight games in beating the Detroit Pistons 107-96.
The Rockets play in Denver on Wednesday and coach Rich Adelman said he’ll play McGrady about the same amount of time.
Detroit Pistons Fans Deprived Of Game Due To Fire
Bring Back The Fort Wayne Zollner Piston
We are all aware of the troubles that the city and the people of Detroit are going through and last night it was no different for fans of the Detroit Pistons. You see a fire broke out in the production truck during the second half and cause the live feed to be lost for the rest of the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Pistons ended up losing 104-96 to the Clippers. No one was hurt physically but more than likely will be hurt in the pocket.
Viewers saw the feed from the arena’s scoreboard once a connection with Palace of Auburn Hills was made, but the FSN Detroit live cast never came back. Play-by-play man George Blaha narrated the final minutes of the game over the scoreboard feed.
No one was hurt physically but more than likely will be hurt in the pocket.
BLOCK CITY: Your Victim-Shannon Brown
Jason Maxiell, you have been charged with the crime of Representin.
And the verdict is Guilty.
Rudy J’s Bid On The Silverdome Comes Up Short
SOLD
Rudy J of Sports Grind Entertainment and his bid of $172,360 on the Silverdome came up short against an unidentified Canadian real estate company, snatching it up for a mere fraction of its original value.
The Toronto-based real estate company winning bid came in at $583,000 for the under-used stadium, which is currently owned by the City of Pontiac, Michigan. The company has hopes and plans to refurbish the Silverdome into a possible stadium for men’s Major League Soccer and women’s professional soccer teams.
Rudy J released a statement saying that although sadden that his bid fail short he is happy the sale takes a large financial burden off the hard-hit city of Pontiac.
The 80,000-seat Silverdome was the biggest stadium in the National Football League when it was built in 1975 for $55.7 million playing host to the Detroit Lions. The Silverdome once played home to the Detroit Pistons, a World Cup game between Brazil and Italy and it’s biggest even was not the Super Bowl XVI it hosted but Wrestle Mania III in 1987, when 93,000 fans packed into the stadium to watch Hulk Hogan body-slam Andre the Giant.
NBA Attendance Only Down 2% Despite Economy
Est. 1946
It’s fairly earlier so don’t shoot the messenger but the numbers are out for early attendance in the NBA and despite the economy and the earliness of the season they are only down 2% from this point last year. Also the statistic is skewed by two teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies, who are drawing less than 70 percent.
The 76ers averaged 15,802 in 2008-’09, in five home games this season they’ve averaged 11,377, and are down more than 20 percent of capacity from last year. The Memphis Grizzlies ranked 29th in attendance last year only filling 70 percent of their arena are now only filling 66 percent, only outdrawing the 76ers. The Detroit Pistons have cause for concern, dropping from first in average attendance to 16th, falling 19.6 percent. The Spurs, a team retooled and trying to avenge their first round playoff exit rank 12th but are down 8%
Not all is doom and gloom as the Chicago Bulls are up over 100 percent of capacity after filling 97.7 percent of the United Center last season. The Cleveland Cavilers are in a similar boat, selling out each home game so far after drawing 97.3 percent last season. The Atlanta Hawks have seen significant gains, rising from 89.4 to 95.4 percent. Even the Minnesota Timberwolves fans are showing support no that Kevin McHale is ruining their team by filling their stadium by 8% more than last season.
Source: SportsBusiness Journal
Average attendances and percentage for each team:
| Rank | Team | Average Attendance | % (+/-) from year prior |
| 1 | Chicago | 21,111 | +3.3% |
| 2 | Cleveland | 20,562 | +2.7% |
| 3 | Portland | 20,350 | -.8% |
| 4 | Dallas | 19,823 | -1.4% |
| 5 | New York | 19,625 | +1.7% |
| 6 | Utah | 19,611 | -1.5% |
| 7 | LA Lakers | 18,997 | (no chg) |
| 8 | Boston | 18,624 | (no chg) |
| 9 | Toronto | 18,131 | -3.2% |
| 10 | Denver | 18,039 | +4.3% |
| 11 | Washington | 17,975 | +6.7% |
| 12 | San Antonio | 17,957 | -.8% |
| 13 | Oklahoma City | 17,882 | +.5% |
| 14 | Atlanta | 17,862 | +6% |
| 15 | Golden State | 17,827 | -5.7% |
| 16 | Detroit | 17,541 | -19.6% |
| 17 | Orlando | 17,541 | +2.4% |
| 18 | Miami | 17,421 | -4.1% |
| 19 | Houston | 17,130 | -2% |
| 20 | Phoenix | 16,771 | -9% |
| 21 | Minnesota | 16,088 | +8.2% |
| 22 | New Orleans | 15,156 | -10.5% |
| 23 | New Jersey | 14,919 | -1.4% |
| 24 | LA Clippers | 14,748 | -7.4% |
| 25 | Milwaukee | 14,636 | -4% |
| 26 | Charlotte | 14,633 | +.4% |
| 27 | Indiana | 14,439 | +1.4% |
| 28 | Sacramento | 12,422 | -.9% |
| 29 | Memphis | 12,095 | -3.5% |
| 30 | Philadelphia | 11,377 | -23.7% |
The Goon Presents 83 Players From 36 Countries
Est. 1946
David “The Goon” Stern’s 2009-10 NBA season starts tomorrow night with 83 international players from 36 countries and territories on official rosters (active and inactive), matching the record of international players on opening night rosters (2006-07). Twenty-seven of the 30 teams have at least one international player. Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and the Los Angeles Clippers are the only teams without an international player.
The Milwaukee Bucks roster features the most international players with seven. The Charlotte Bobcats, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors each feature five international players. Omri Casspi (Israel) of the Sacramento Kings, Jonas Jerebko (Sweden) of the Detroit Pistons, and Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania) of the Memphis Grizzlies are representing their countries for the first time on an NBA roster. France has the strongest representation with a record ten players.
At the end of the 2008-09 regular season, the NBA featured 77 international players from 33 countries and territories on team rosters (both active and inactive). In comparison, the NBA had 36 international players from 24 countries and territories in 1999-2000.
“Godfather” can try and take his game to London but when talking global “The Goon” is got that talk on lock.
Step Right Up & Buy Yourself A Silverdome
Come On It Had WrestleMania III
Time is running out for you to buy Michigan’s largest vacant home.
The Pontiac Silverdome, home of the Detroit Lions from 1975-2002, the Detroit Pistons from 1978–1988 and WrestleMania III with the Hogan/Andre the Giant main event, will be sold next month to the highest bidder, no matter the bid, as the cash-strapped city looks to offload the $1.5-million annual upkeep costs at the empty facility.
The Silverdome also hosted the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl XVI, Motor City Bowl from 1997-2001. It also hosted concerts by The Who, Led Zeppelin, Elvis and Michael Jackson. In 1987, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there.
Step on up and buy you a little piece of Americana.
Interested bidders should contact Dan Falls of Williams & Williams at 918-362-6558 which is conducting the auction and accepting sealed bids until Nov. 12. There is no minimum bids for the facility that stands on 127 acres.
Porn Star vs NBA Star
Twitter War
Porn star Valerie Luxe (@ValerieLuxe) has a bet going with Detroit Pistons rookie DaJuan Summers(@dsummers35) on Twitter on who can attract 4,000 followers first. You might not even know who each person is but that does not stop them from having fun on Twitter. According to Luxe she is the “baddest, realest, funniest bitch on Twitter”. The prize at hand of course is attention whoring.
Summers is a NBA basketball player who was recently drafted 35th overall out of Georgetown University by the Detroit Pistons in the June draft and Luxe is, well, is a porn star. Whats really up for grabs? According to Luxe its dinner and “an amazing massage” if he where to pull off the upset but she wants a “trip to a waterpark” if she where to win. Really? Are you kidding me?
