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Rasheed Wallace to sign with Celtics

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:21:39 +0000

This offseason just keeps getting better and better.

Everybody should be hyped up for the coming 2009 NBA basketball season now as early as July with the number of blockbuster deals we’ve seen.

Get this; Richard Jefferson is now in San Antonio, Shaquille O’Neal will now play with LeBron James in Cleveland, Vince Carter returns to his home state in Florida to play for the Orlando Magic and Ron Artest just joined the defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers. And just when you thought it won’t get any better, another deal comes out.

And the latest is Rasheed Wallace agreeing to play for the Boston Celtics for at least two seasons. Although nothing is final yet since free agents can’t officially sign with new teams until July 8 this Wednesday, ‘Sheed has committed his 34-year-old ass to Boston, grabbing this opportunity to play for a legitimate title contender now than waste the remaining few years of his career with the inept management skills of Joe Dumars in Detroit.

The Boston Celtics wanted him bad too. A contingent from the Celtics organization, including owner Wyc Grousbeck, president Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and Boston’s ‘’Big Three'’ of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen all descended on Wallace’s suburban Michigan home for a three-hour meeting with the free-agent forward.

During the course of the meeting, the Boston Celtics offered Rasheed Wallace a contract using their entire mid-level exception. And since everything is just whacked as fas as the Detroit Pistons and their chances of playing for a title again are concerned, ‘Sheed didn’t think twice.

Besides, he’s good friends with Kevin Garnett already...

2009 NBA Playoffs Preview: East

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:41:22 +0000

Although everybody knows the Western Conference is always better, I always found the East to be more entertaining.

Probably because I’ve always hated watching John Stockton and Karl Malone play in those stupid shorts in Utah or watch the seven-foot Vlade Divac get taken down by six-foot-three point guards in Sacramento. And while those guys’ playing days are over, I’d still keep my eyes glued on the East for the 2009 NBA Playoffs just because this side of the NBA has two of the hottest commodities in basketball today, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Oh yeah, the East still has the Pistons too although I’m not counting on them to win anything this year.

Yup, the Detroit Pistons, after all the struggles they went through all year, still found their way to the postseason as the no.8 seed. How about that huh? Still, the festive mood in Detroit could end sooner than you think since they have the overall no.1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers waiting for them.

Unlike the Detroit Pistons, the Cavaliers have been playing tremendously that the merit the trip to the postseason. They have the best home record and would definitely not lose a home game to the struggling Pistons.

The Pistons have now lost Allen Iverson for the year and Rasheed Wallace now comes off the bench, how in the hell can their fans expect their team to overcome a hungry Cavaliers squad led by an even hungrier LeBron James?

The defending champions Boston Celtics have the Chicago Bulls in the first round and if the 2007 playoffs were to tell us anything, it’ll have to be the fact that you can’t underestimate Chicago. You see, it was two years ago when the no.5 seeded Bulls squad shocked the world when they swept the no.4 seeded Heat contingent led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal in the very first round.

The Miami Heat team the Chicago Bulls swept...

Pistons to play Nuggets on Tuesday

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:43:42 +0000

Iverson hopes he'll be able to return in time for this game.

And while Piston fans like yours truly hope Chauncey will be back in a Piston uniform, since the Pistons really really need the guy back this 2009 NBA basketball season, that simply won’t be the case.

You see, the Detroit Pistons made the big mistake of trading Chauncey Billups away to Denver for Allen Iverson this season and this will be the first time that Chauncey returns to Detroit since that deal that virtually tore the Pistons, along with their chances of another title, apart.

It’s going to be the Denver Nuggets visiting the ailing Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills as All-Star guard Chauncey Billups pay his former teammates a visit and probably make Pistons manager Joe Dumars look more of an ass than a Piston Hall of Famer.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that the Nuggets got the better end of the Allen Iverson - Chauncey Billups deal. Billups, even with Carmelo Anthony out most of the time, has been able to lead the Nuggets to one of the best records in the West.

Allen Iverson, on the other hand, destroyed the chemistry the Pistons established for five years while leading Detroit to playoff elimination this early into the season.

For what it’s worth, the Pistons are beginning to get it together lately and I’m not surprised that they are doing it WITHOUT Iverson. With Iverson out because of a sore back, the Pistons were able to bring Richard Hamilton back in the starting lineup and it paid off. Hamilton scored 31 points in a 93-85 win over the Orlando Magic before scoring 25 in a 105-95 win over the defending NBA champions...

2009 NBA Playoff Race Heats Up

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:34:37 +0000

We are less than a couple of months from the postseason.

You read it, and that only means one thing, the 2009 NBA basketball season will just get interesting from here. Unless of course, if you’re a Piston fan like myself.

The second half of the season has already started and we have quite a handful of teams moving up and down the proverbial food chain. One of which is the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons clearly has some serious problems, no matter how much the team (including their fans…) deny it or not. Detroit suffered the consequences of trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, thinking that the young Rodney Stuckey was already ready to step in for Mr. Big Shot.

Enngggrrrkkk… WRONG! A lot of people thought the Allen Iverson deal was the move that could put the Pistons over the hump. After three straight losses in the Eastern Conference finals, losing to Miami, Cleveland and Boston in three straight years, Joe Dumars felt that the move will finally bring Detroit back in the NBA Finals and change the makeup of the team for the better.

The makeup did change, but it wasn’t anything better. From being one of the powerhouse teams in the East, the Pistons are just hovering above the .500 mark with Rodney Stuckey and Allen Iverson running the backcourt. All that is left for this team is hope that teams in the 9, 10, 11 spots won’t be talented enough to overtake them.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, is a team surging in the East. With the injury to Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett, it seems...

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game is Set

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:58:20 +0000

The representatives for both the Eastern and Western Conference were finally determined.

With the 2009 NBA All-Star Game only a few more days away, we finally learned who among the league’s top players will be representing the two conferences for the mid-season classic.

And since this year’s All-Star game will be in Phoenix, let’s start with the two guys who’ll be representing the host city on February 15, Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who was voted in as a starter, and Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, voted in as a reserve by NBA coaches.

You read it, Shaquille O’Neal is back in the All-Star game, moving past NBA greats such as Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Jerry West to land in second place in the all-time All-Star appearances made by an NBA player. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was selected 19 times, still leads everybody.

The 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars will be led by reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. He will be joined by New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the West’s starting backcourt.

Rounding up the Western starters are Tim Duncan and Yao Ming, joining Stoudemire in the frontcourt.

Joining Shaq as a reserve for the 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars include Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and David West. The Western Conference will be coached by the Lakers’ Zen Master Phil Jackson.

For the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars, defending NBA champions Boston Celtics will have two representatives with Kevin Garnett starting at the...

Pistons + Allen Iverson = NBA Title?

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:03:00 +0000

In case you didn't know it yet, Iverson was traded to the Pistons last Monday.

We’re only in the first two weeks and yet we already have the first big trade of the 2008-09 NBA basketball season. Allen Iverson, one of the game’s most prolific scorers, is now a Piston after the Denver Nuggets traded him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

Was this a deal that just might give the Detroit Pistons the NBA title come June? Sure, having a guy like Iverson on your team is a huge advantage but was giving up on Billups and McDyess the right way to go?

Billups was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and was one of the key factors why the Pistons have been in the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years. It would be hard to fill in those shoes considering that the guy has made a career of making big shots in Detroit. But if there’s anyone who can fill the void Billups leaves, Allen Iverson can.

Iverson has been known as a guy who never gives up on the court easily. And while the Pistons continue to promote the blue collar style of basketball the last few years, Iverson has always been a blue collar guy even way back when he was still playing with the 76ers.

Next, we have Antonio McDyess, the third guy of this three-man deal between the Pistons and the Nuggets. The trade will bring McDyess back to the Nuggets, the very franchise that made him one of the most talented big men in the game a few years ago. But for some reason, McDyess doesn’t want to play for any team other than Detroit, and I won’t be surprised to see him back in the Pistons lineup this season or the next.

STILL, the Denver Nuggets are looking for better things with the trade. They are hoping to finally get some leadership from their point guard now that Denver native Chauncey Billups has...

The 2008 NBA Finals are almost here!

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:17:43 +0000

The Pistons, the Celtics, the Lakers and the Spurs.

Those teams are your FINAL FOUR in what has been an intriguing 2008 NBA playoffs. Two teams in Boston and L.A. have rediscovered the winning form from their past while two teams in Detroit and San Antonio will look to continue their dominance of the present era.

Let’s start with the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals series between Detroit and Boston. The Celtics came into this series still perfect at home in the playoffs. And while that is impressive, their dominance at home is being overshadowed by their poor performance on the road.

When the Boston Celtics lost Game 2 to the Pistons, their once indestructible homestand, all of a sudden, was destroyed after Detroit won a playoff game in a place where many have failed. The Celtics just dropped a game at home.

The Detroit Pistons, all of a sudden, pushed the Celtics to do something they’ve never done in the postseason, win a game away from Boston. After Game 3’s convincing win for the Celtics, KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce silenced their critics and finally won their first road game of the 2008 NBA playoffs.

As of press time, this best-of-seven series has Boston leading 3-2. Who'll advance? There's only one way to find out.

Looking at the 2008 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Spurs, Los Angeles jumped on the defending champs right from the get-go as they took care of business at home to take an early 2-0 lead in this series.

The Los Angeles Lakers now look primed to...

Can the Pistons even series with the 76ers 1-1 in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs?

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:53:06 +0000

Who would've thought that the Pistons will come in Game 2 against the 76ers down 0-1?

Yes people, the Pistons lost homecourt advantage in their first round series of the 2008 NBA playoffs after Andre Miller and Willie Green came up with a great performance for Philly.

Andre Miller scored 20 points while Willie Green had a career playoff-high 17 to help the Philadelphia 76ers steal homecourt advantage from the Detroit Pistons, winning Game 1 of their best-of-seven first round playoff series in the Eastern Conference.

Perhaps the Detroit Pistons are the ones to blame for this mess. You see, they treated the very first game of the 2008 NBA playoffs as a preseason game, joking around with a former teammate in the front row as if the rest of the 76ers would just roll over for them.

The Philadelphia 76ers made them pay for it as they shocked the no.2 seed Pistons, stealing homecourt from Detroit after winning Game 1, 90-86, last Sunday.

Pistons star Rasheed Wallace took most of the blame, probably because they blew a huge lead after he spent most of the game talking to former teammate Flip Murray while the rest of the 76ers continued to do what they came there to do.

Rasheed Wallace had a game-high 24 points, 9 rebounds and...

Kevin Garnett to miss 2008 NBA All-Star Game

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:02:12 +0000

Because of an abdominal sprain, Kevin Garnett will miss the 2008 NBA All-Star Game.

He will be replaced in the Eastern Conference lineup by Rasheed Wallace, making it THREE Pistons in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. After Kevin Garnett pulled out of the extravaganza in New Orleans following Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers’ decision to keep KG inactive until the team returns from the break, Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace got the invite, joining teammates Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups with the rest of the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Putting Rasheed Wallace in place of the injured KG was a no-brainer. Wallace averages 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds this season, helping the Detroit Pistons to still remain as one of the top contenders in the East amidst all these trades happening in the league these days.

And there sure are a lot of trades happening lately. We even had one already even before the 2007-08 NBA basketball season started. The Boston Celtics made one before the regular season to grab BOTH Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for the year, finally getting Kevin Garnett out of Minnesota, a place KG swore he would never leave.

As expected, many people counted out the Detroit Pistons already with the talented lineup the Boston Celtics now have for the season. However, nobody told the Pistons to move over for Boston. Detroit was able to give the Celtics a run for their money and Rasheed Wallace is one of the...

NBA Betting Results: Miami Heat Win Against The Spread, Despite 100-95 Loss To Detroit Pistons

NBA Blogger — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:07:39 +0000

NBA Betting Line: Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons -15.5 The Detroit Pistons have greater chances of garnering the top spot in the East. When the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat met to open the NBA regular season in November, both teams felt they had a chance of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA finals. Now, only one of them is still harboring those hopes, and that goes to the Detroit Pistons. The Central division leading team Detroit Pistons finished off the lowly Miami Heat, 100-95, at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Despite being emotionally down because of their team mate Shaquille O'Neal's trade to the Phoenix Sun for NBA All-Star Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, the Heat managed to take the lead in the first quarter. The Miami Heat even outscored the Detroit Pistons in the first and fourth quarters, but the game turned in the third when the Pistons pulled away with a 27-16 advantage. Despite trailing by 11, the short-handed Heat did not give up. Shooting guard Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups made enough free throws on the next three possessions to seal the win for the Detroit Pistons.