“I didn’t go to the Draft! So here is my draft night hand shake. 7 months later” — Kim English, Detroit Pistons second round pick, upon meeting Moby
(via Zac Dubasik)
Archive for the ‘Detroit Pistons’ Category
Kim English gets draft night handshake seven months late
Posted by Trey Kerby under 2012 NBA Draft, Detroit Pistons, Quickies on Jan 23, 2013
Video: Rasheed Wallace shows true college allegiance during Kyle Singler interview
Posted by Trey Kerby under Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Score Video on Jan 18, 2013
Even if he might miss the rest of the season, I hope Rasheed Wallace keeps hanging around the Knicks so we can get little moments like this, where he just quickly walks behind Kyle Singler and yells “North Carolina!” because he bleeds Carolina blue and can’t let a Duke player enjoy his time in the spotlight. Just the best.
(via Courtside Collective)
Ben Gordon thinks his time in Detroit was ‘a failure,’ is right
Posted by Trey Kerby under Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons on Jan 09, 2013
Ben Gordon in 2009, courtesy of the Daily Mail:
‘I don’t have any regrets, and I don’t have any bitter feelings for the Bulls,’ Gordon said. ‘Business is business. I’m going to a situation now where winning is the number one priority. I’m happy with my decision.
Ben Gordon in 2013, courtesy of the Detroit News:
Gordon, 29, didn’t shy away from assessing his three years as a Piston, terming it “a failure.”
“Yeah, because when I came here, it was — is — a great, storied organization,” he said. “I had visions of going to the playoffs and things of that nature.
“We didn’t make it while I was here and that was disappointing to me. We had the talent, but for some reason we were never able to reach that goal of being one of the better teams in the East.”
In the three years that Ben Gordon spent with the Detroit Pistons, his team won 52 games. During those same three seasons, the Chicago Bulls won 153. That’s a one Pistons win every Bulls three wins average, to paraphrase Jay-Z in the most awkward and useless way possible.
Not to mention, Gordon’s three years in Detroit double as his three worst seasons in terms of points per 36 minutes average, PER and usage rate. Basically, that means he played the worst he ever has while getting fewer opportunities than he ever has, all while functioning as one of his team’s three highest paid players. In other words, very cool for everyone involved.
Of course, now that he’s a Bobcat, Ben Gordon probably looks back on his Detroit days with longing in his heart. Can’t wait to read his quotes in three years.
Tonight is ‘Star Wars Night’ in Detroit
Posted by Trey Kerby under Detroit Pistons on Jan 04, 2013
The Detroit Pistons are dead last in home attendance and sell a whopping 15 percent less of the Palace’s seats than any other team in the league sells of their arena’s seats. But all that changes tonight (probably not), as they’re going to lure every nerd from age 16-60 in the midwest to their thriller against the Hawks.
How are they going to do this? The Force. Via Pistons.com:
“Star Wars Night” is back at The Palace of Auburn Hills this Friday, Jan. 4 when the Detroit Pistons play the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m.!
Billy Dee Williams – or Lando Calrissian to fans of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – will sign autographs during “Pistons Power Hour” from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Palace North Pavilion as part of “Friday Night Out,” presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
Lando will be joined by Chewbacca, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Jedi Knights and – from the dark side, Darth Vader and his Storm Troopers – throughout the evening. The Pistons’ Star Wars-themed halftime show will also feature Star Wars video footage courtesy of Lucasfilm and a performance from our Pistons Entertainment teams.
Star Wars-themed food and cocktails, like the Darth Burger and the Yodatini (Hint: It’s green!), will be available for purchase in the North Pavilion throughout the game.
Oh man, Billy Dee Williams (age 75) and Yodatinis? Sounds wild. And there are going to be a whole bunch of people wandering around in costumes? Should be a very fun environment, so sign me up.
And hey, if this works and people actually go to a Pistons game, why not go for a famous movie promotion every night? A “Titanic Night” where a string quartet never stops playing could be very successful, and an “Avatar Night” where everyone plugs their USB cords in to each other’s heads sounds brilliant. I’m no marketing expert, but this is a team that needs to draw some fans, so anything helps. And if no one shows up, just call that game “John Carter Night” because no one will know the difference.
Video: Kenyan orphans re-enact 1987 Eastern Conference finals for charity
Posted by Trey Kerby under Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Score Video on Nov 21, 2012
Great video, better cause, so this is 100 percent the best. High-fives to all these kids.
Video: Andre Drummond turns a terrible pass in to a great alley-oop
Posted by Trey Kerby under Detroit Pistons, Score Video on Oct 19, 2012
Sometimes, as HoopSpeak’s Beckley Mason points out, the best alley-oops come from the worst passes. I’m not sure if that’s technically an oxymoron, but it’s close enough.
And it’s the reason why Mo Williams remains the best alley-oop passer in recent memory, because that guy couldn’t get a lob close to the rim if he tried, which was very cool when he played with LeBron James. Bad passes are awesome.
The TBJ 2012-13 NBA season prediction countdown: 21-19
Posted by Scott Carefoot under 2012-13 NBA Previews, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors on Oct 18, 2012
Join me as I count down my predictions of the regular season finishes for the 2012-13 NBA season, at a rate of three teams per day. Tell me why I’m wrong in the comments.
21. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were 21-21 over the final 42 games of last season, Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight figure to improve with another season of NBA experience, and rookie center Andre Drummond appears to be more NBA-ready than previously expected. Knight could be the key catalyst for the Pistons possibly knocking on the door to the playoffs, since they still appear to lack offensive firepower unless he can improve as a playmaker.
Monroe showed signs of reaching All-Star level last season, but he’ll probably play a significant number of minutes at power forward next to Drummond and Slava Kravtsov so there could be an adjustment period. He frequently got torched on the defensive end at center so it could actually be a net positive for the Pistons to play him next to a superior help defender at the five. As for how minutes will be distributed at the Pistons’ wing positions among their collection of misfit guards and forwards, your guess is as good as mine.
20. Golden State Warriors
As far as “nothing to lose” gambles go, the Warriors’ trade of Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson was a very good one. Jackson was immediately flipped to the Spurs for Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford and a draft pick, but Bogut will anchor a team defense that figures to be not completely atrocious for the first time since the mid-2000s. To get a sense of Bogut’s potential impact on that end of the floor, consider that the Milwaukee Bucks were top-five in Defensive Rating in 2009-10 and 2010-11 when he played at least 60 games each season. He played just 12 games for them last season and the Bucks’ team defense fell to 16th in the league.
Of course, Bogut will need to be on the court to make that impact, and that’s become an increasingly dodgy prospect in recent years. He fractured his ankle in January and it’s still giving him enough trouble that he’s questionable to be ready for the Warriors’ season opener. Speaking of which, that’s a recurring problem for point guard Stephen Curry, who missed 40 games last season with his own ankle injury. If most of the Warriors top players can spend more time on the hardwood instead of the trainer’s table, there’s no question they have the talent to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
19. Toronto Raptors
With the arrivals of Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors are the beneficiaries of significant upgrades at point guard and center. Valanciunas is a particular source of excitement for Raptors fans since he shows potential of developing into their first star center since… ever, I guess. He’s probably not a threat for Rookie of the Year honors, but fans and broadcasters alike will be forced to learn how to pronounce his name (“Val-en-chew-nus”) with the impact he’ll have on both ends of the court.
Now entering his seventh NBA season, power forward Andrea Bargnani remains a frustrating enigma. He missed 35 games last season to a weirdly recurring calf injury, but he showed flashes of finally putting it all together early in the season. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo appears to have structured this lineup to surround him with strong defenders and rebounders so that Bargnani can focus on his “Dirk-Lite” scoring ability. And if anyone can get the most out of this roster, second-year Raptors coach Dwane Casey is that man. He took an atrocious defensive team and brought them up to league average in his first year at the helm, and now we’ll see if he has the firepower to match that level of success offensively.
