Archive → April, 2011
Greg Monroe makes David Thorpe’s All-Rookie team over DeMarcus Cousins
Greg Monroe made David Thorpe’s All-Rookie team:
This spot seemed to belong to DeMarcus Cousins, and in some respects, Monroe is the anti-Cousins. If Cousins had been off the board at No. 5, the Kings probably would have taken Monroe, so this has worked out beautifully for Detroit. To start the season, Monroe lacked assertiveness, but he quietly ramped up his production while keeping mistakes at a minimum, another contrast with Cousins. He has become a consistent force with upside — he’s just 20 years old.
Monroe is a lock to make the actual All-Rookie team, which doesn’t specify positions. To make Thorpe’s All-Rookie team, which designates positions, over DeMarcus Cousins is a little more impressive.
However, Monroe didn’t make Thorpe’s list of the five rookies with the most promising futures. John Wall, Blake Griffin, Derrick Favors, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins did. I get Wall, Griffin and Cousins. I’d say Monroe is about equal with Favors. But Patterson? C’mon.
PistonPowered’s NBA awards voting
The TrueHoop Network made its choices for NBA awards, and Patrick and I explain our voting:
Most Valuable Player
Dan Feldman
1. LeBron James
I don’t care how he left Cleveland or what he did in previous years. This season, no NBA player has produced as positive results.
2. Dwight Howard
He’s an excellent defender, and he’s become very good offensively, too.
3. Derrick Rose
He had a great year, but it’s a shame he’s been anointed MVP before he actually deserves it.
4. Chris Paul
I nearly had Paul ahead of Rose, but Paul faded down the stretch.
5. Dwyane Wade
He’s learning how to impact the game without the ball in his hands, and considering he can still play with the ball, he’s that much more effective.
Patrick Hayes
1. Dwight Howard
I’m biased towards big men, Orlando’s roster is collectively not good and Howard simply controls games from the defensive end. Dominant bigs are often overlooked in MVP races (as evidenced by Shaquille O’Neal only winning it once in his career.
2. Derrick Rose
Love Derrick Rose, hate Derrick Rose fans. He’s a fantastic teammate and leader, he worked harder to make himself a MVP candidate in the offseason than just about anyone, but it’s really annoying to listen to shrill Chicago fans insist that Rose is the only option in this year’s race.
3. LeBron James
It will be hard for LeBron to win this award again simply because of the ‘Decision’ backlash, but he’s as great as ever. He’s the best player in the game.
4. Chris Paul
Perennially under-appreciated, a healthy Paul has the Hornets back in the playoffs again. There is no point guard I’d rather have running my offense than Paul.
5. Dirk Nowitzki
Dallas, much like Orlando, doesn’t have that impressive a roster around Dirk and would be nowhere near the top of the standings if Nowitzki weren’t still a MVP-caliber performer.
Rookie of the Year
Dan Feldman
1. Blake Griffin
He’s had the best rookie season by a big man since Tim Duncan.
2. John Wall
Some of his efficiency numbers are down, but that’s only because he was asked to do so much in Washington.
3. Greg Monroe
He could challenge Wall for second place, but Monroe has had the luxury of playing within himself. The Pistons haven’t asked him to do anything he wasn’t ready to do at the time.
Patrick Hayes
1. Blake Griffin
No contest, Griffin was the most NBA-ready rookie since LeBron (granted, it certainly didn’t hurt Blake that he got a year to sit out after he was injured all of last season).
2. Greg Monroe
Wall is the better player in the longrun, but it’s much more difficult for bigs to make an impact in the league immediately than guards who have Wall’s tools. Monroe has been the most consistent rookie not named Blake Griffin.
3. John Wall
Wall is fantastic, and once Washington removes some of the knuckleheads from that team, I’m really excited to see a Wall/Jordan Crawford backcourt.
Defensive Player of the Year
Dan Feldman
1. Dwight Howard
He’s in a league of his own, defensively.
2. Kevin Garnett
Garnett is a fairly weak defender for the second-best defender in the league. Otherwise, he’s great.
3. LeBron James
I went back and forth between LeBron and Andre Iguodala, but LeBron has a big advantage: he never has to guard LeBron.
Patrick Hayes
1. Dwight Howard
No one impacts a game defensively like Dwight.
2. Andre Iguodala
Rose gets a lot of hype for his summer at the World Championships turning into a great season, but Iggy has re-established himself as a key component on a fun, tough Philly team after his Worlds experience as well.
3. Tyson Chandler
Chandler’s presence helped transform the Mavs into one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Sixth Man of the Year
Dan Feldman
1. Lamar Odom
Offensively and defensively, he’s close to an ideal bench player.
2. Thaddeus Young
Young has one of the NBA’s top adjusted plus-minuses, because he does all the little things necessary to make an impact.
3. Jason Terry
He doesn’t do much more than score, but the Mavericks don’t ask him to do much more than that, and he does it so well.
Patrick Hayes
1. Lamar Odom
He does anything the Lakers need him to. Perfect Phil Jackson type of player.
2. Thaddeus Young
Thad is one of my favorites to watch run the floor, he makes hustle plays and he’s an impact player whenever he steps on the court for Philly.
3. Jason Terry
There’s no bench player in the league I’d trust more to take a big shot than Terry.
Most Improved Player
Dan Feldman
1. Kevin Love
He’s played so well, even the mismanaged Timberwolves have had to do the smart thing and play him big minutes.
2. Derrick Rose
The move from very good to great might be the most difficult, but Rose made it.
3. Kyle Lowry
Maybe I overrated LaMarcus Aldridge and underrated Lowry last year, but I never suspected Lowry would play as well as he did this season. I thought Aldridge could.
Patrick Hayes
1. Derrick Rose
The most underrated aspect of Rose’s game? The way he totally and fully bought into Tom Thibodeau’s defense-first system. Not many superstars, particularly young ones, would do that so willingly.
2. Russell Westbrook
Westbrook has steadily progressed every year in the league. Not sure he can make the great to superstar jump Rose did, but he’s very close.
3. LaMarcus Aldridge
After injuries once again could’ve devastated the Blazers, Aldridge made the leap into go-to scorer that Portland had been hoping for the last few seasons.
Coach of the Year
Dan Feldman
1. Tom Thibodeau
He’s teaching the Bulls to play smarter, and because that’s led to positive results, they’re playing hard for him.
2. George Karl
Karl installed a system that’s effective enough to give the Nuggets the NBA’s No. 1 offense and an above-average defense and adaptable enough to work with two different rosters.
3. Gregg Popovich
I’m still not entirely sure how the Spurs won so many games this season, but Popovich’s system just works year-in and year-out.
Patrick Hayes
1. Tom Thibodeau
No one has impacted the culture of a team the way Thibs has this season.
2. Nate McMillan
McMillan has managed potentially catastropic injuries virtually his entire tenure in Portland and he keeps producing hard-nosed, playoff caliber teams nonetheless.
3. Lionel Hollins
Hollins has made the Grizzlies one of the scarier potential playoff opponents in the West.
Executive of the Year
Dan Feldman
1. Gar Forman
The Bulls have wisely created a hard-working and gritty culture and added talented players who are capable of playing that way. Plus, they hired the Coach of the Year.
2. Pat Riley
His big moves – signing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – were great and outweigh everything else. But the Heat dumped productive role players like Dorell Wright, Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook and replaced them with a poor supporting cast that might be the difference between a title and failure.
3. Sam Presti
Presti accurately recognized that most contenders have significant flaws – too old (Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Mavericks), too inexperienced (Bulls) or to incohesive (Heat) – making this a great year to go all in. Presti did most of his key work in past seasons, but nabbing Kendrick Perkins made the Thunder darkhorse title contenders.
Plus, you have to love a GM who can find a way to pay Nick Collison more than $13 million this year – in a wise deal.
Patrick Hayes
1. Pat Riley
Like it or not, Riley simply pulled off a historic coup by signing three franchise players in one offseason.
2. Rich Cho
Loved the Wes Matthews signing. Loved the Gerald Wallace trade. Love the entire Portland team.
3. Sam Presti
No one manages his organizational model in as disciplined a way as Presti.
Sportsmanship Award
Dan Feldman
1. LaMarcus Aldridge
He always seems more concerned with his game than any other nonsense happening around him, the mark of a true professional.
2. Luol Deng
Deng always plays hard, and he’s made a real effort to play smarter this year.
3. D.J. Augustin
4. Stephen Curry
Curry might be a little more immature than most of the other guys on this list, but that’s more a nod to them than a knock on Curry.
5. George Hill
Nothing against Hill, but what made him stand out enough to get nominated for this award?
6. Deron Williams
I’m not voting for someone who may have helped force Jerry Sloan out of Utah.
Patrick Hayes
1. Luol Deng
Deng is one of the quietest, toughest players on the perimeter in the league.
2. Stephen Curry
He’s young, but he made peace with the sometimes difficult Monta Ellis, which is something I guess.
3. Deron Williams
The Sloan thing was ugly, but Deron was a good soldier in Utah for a long time as the organization failed to upgrade key positions. He’s still a good guy.
4. LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge calmly held the pieces together in Portland after the Roy/Oden injuries and led by example.
5. D.J. Augustin
I respect anyone who can deal with the Larry Brown abuse and still emerge with confidence intact.
6. George Hill
No idea … quite a recovery to make this list after Hill’s, ahem, unfortunate pubulicty in the past.
Citizenship Award
Dan Feldman
1. Ron Artest
Artest deserves a lot of credit for diving head first into an area – mental health – that doesn’t receive much attention. Celebrities like Artest attracting attention to the issue will be a huge way to erase the taboos of discussing it.
Patrick Hayes
1. Ron Artest
Artest is one of the most interesting players in the league, and not only his charity work with mental health organizations, but his willingness to discuss his own battles, are worthy of tremendous respect.
All-NBA
Dan Feldman
First team
- G- Derrick Rose
- G- Chris Paul
- F- LeBron James
- F- Dirk Nowitzki
- C- Dwight Howard
Nowitzki earned the slightest edge over Kevin Durant.
Second team
- G- Dwyane Wade
- G- Kobe Bryant
- F- Kevin Durant
- F- Zach Randolph
- C- Pau Gasol
I’m still unsure whether Randolph or Kevin Love deserved the final forward spot. They’ve both produced at a similar level, but I gave Randolph the edge because he’s played in more meaningful games.
Third team
- G- Russell Westbrook
- G- Rajon Rondo
- F- Kevin Love
- F- Carmelo Anthony
- C- Amar’e Stoudemire
Westbrook is having a heck of a season, but he still ends up on the third team in a year stacked with guards.
Patrick Hayes
First team
- G- Derrick Rose
- G- Dwyane Wade
- F- Kevin Durant
- F- LeBron James
- C- Dwight Howard
Wade might be forgotten some because of sharing the spotlight with LeBron, but he’s still having a better season than Kobe Bryant.
Second team
- G- Chris Paul
- G- Russell Westbrook
- F- Kobe Bryant
- F- Dirk Nowitzki
- C- Pau Gasol
Yeah, Bryant’s not technically a forward, but he, Westbrook and Paul all deserve to be no worse than on the second team.
Third team
- G- Rajon Rondo
- G- Manu Ginobili
- F- Zach Randolph
- F- Amar’e Stoudemire
- C- Al Horford
Horford might be a bit of a surprise pick, but he’s been a rock for Atlanta virtually his entire career and he’s the Hawks’ most important player.
All-Rookie
Dan Feldman
First team
- John Wall
- Landry Fields
- Blake Griffin
- Greg Monroe
- DeMarcus Cousins
If Blake Griffin had played last year, It’d be a tough call whether Ed Davis or Derrick Favors deserved the final first-team spot. In reality, this was fairly automatic.
Second team
- Gary Neal
- Ed Davis
- Patrick Patterson
- Derrick Favors
- Omer Asik
I tried my best to count only what a player actually did, not his per-36 minute projections. But when quality players got sparse, Asik may have gotten a slight bump.
Patrick Hayes
First team
- John Wall
- Ed Davis
- Blake Griffin
- Greg Monroe
- DeMarcus Cousins
No postional constraints with the All-Rookie team, so I gave Davis the slight edge over Fields. I like Fields, but I’m a firm believer in the Mike D’Antoni offense bump.
Second team
- Gary Neal
- Landry Fields
- Paul George
- Derrick Favors
- Omer Asik
Paul George was one of my favorite players in last year’s draft. He’s erratic, but will be really fun to watch for Indiana.
All-Defensive
Dan Feldman
First team
- Andre Iguodala
- LeBron James
- Kevin Garnett
- Andrew Bogut
- Dwight Howard
After Howard, Garnett, James and Iguodala, there are several players who are near-equal. On a different day, I might go with someone other than Bogut.
Second team
- Chris Paul
- Rajon Rondo
- Kyle Lowry
- Tony Allen
- Tyson Chandler
Allen has probably played the best defense of Bogut and these five. But he didn’t play a ton of minutes, lowering the amount of positive defense he provided his team.
Patrick Hayes
First team
- LeBron James
- Kevin Garnett
- Andrew Bogut
- Andre Iguodala
- Dwight Howard
My big man bias shows once again – I wavered on Bogut because of his injuries, but he’s so good when healthy.
Second team
- Chris Paul
- Kyle Lowry
- Rajon Rondo
- Tony Allen
- Tyson Chandler
I considered Rondo and Lowry for first team, but I think both had a few lulls during the season.
No offseason for PistonPowered
I know I can speak for Patrick when I say we really appreciated the complimentary comments we received yesterday as the Pistons’ season came to a close. Honestly, they mean a lot.
But we’re not going anywhere.
This won’t be a quiet summer for the Pistons, who have a new owner to get to know, a high draft pick, key free agents, players they probably want to trade and a soon-to-be-fired coach. Just like during the season, there are still ideas to generate, decisions to analyze and charts to make.
Patrick and I have big plans for the offseason – however long it may be. To give a preview, we’ll have:
- More Draft Dreams
- A review of The Big Questions
- Myth Week
That won’t be all, so stick around and join us as the Pistons hopefully enter a new era.
Austin Daye atones for earlier mistakes in Pistons win over Philadelphia
With a crazy scoring binge by Jrue Holiday in the fourth quarter that helped make the Pistons lead evaporate, I was all set to conclude the Pistons season by writing a familiar recap: the Pistons couldn’t hold on in a game they controlled.
And I was also all set to focus on a player who had a disappointing night despite hitting the 30 minute mark for only the third time in the last two months.
Austin Daye‘s development is a major key to Detroit’s future viability. That’s what has made his ending to the 2010-11 season so disappointing. It’s not that Daye has been bad over the final two months. He hasn’t at all. It’s just that, despite a slight up-tick in minutes over the last two months (about 21 a game in March and April vs. about 19 a game for the season), I was hoping to see Daye start to pull away and make his case for a starting spot next season. Against Philly on Wednesday, getting extended minutes, Daye wasn’t leaving a good impression.
He shot the ball badly — 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Many of those looks were good, open ones. His defense was poor — he was beat off the dribble badly by Jason Kapono, of all people, for a layup late in the fourth quarter that cut the Pistons lead to one. With Philadelphia down just three with seconds remaining, Daye gave Kapono, Philly’s most dangerous 3-point shooter, way too much space on a corner three that luckily rimmed out.
But on one play, Daye somewhat atoned for his bad night. With the Pistons up two and less than :30 seconds to go, Daye caught the ball in an iso on the wing, faced up, put the ball on the floor and got to the basket, finishing in traffic and giving control of the game to the Pistons.
I don’t want to grasp at straws too much and act as if one play is going to make or break Daye’s future, but after having a bad game, after missing open shots that he normally makes, the Daye from earlier this season wouldn’t have been aggressive in that instance. He would have given the ball up to a teammate or maybe even not called for the ball at all. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have even been on the floor. But regardless, the play represented an aggression, a growth in Daye that is a positive. The Pistons need growth out of a lot of their young players next season, but Daye is the guy who, some nights, looks like he can score 20 points per game. Some nights, he looks like he can become a bothersome perimeter defender because of his height. If Daye takes the mentality he had on that one Philly possession and builds his offseason around it, things will be looking much better for the Pistons next season.
Stuckey’s game-winning plays
That’s how you close a season. We’ve talked about Rodney Stuckey’s play a lot over the last few games. Since coming back from his two-game benching, Stuckey has played with every bit the promise Joe Dumars has seen in him all these years. It remains to be seen whether Stuckey has finally figured out what it takes to be a success in this league or if he was simply playing harder than normal to try and rebuild some value as he hits restricted free agency. An aggressive, engaged Stuckey is a dangerous player, and his season-concluding line against Philly was impressive: 29 points (9-for-15 shooting), 8 assists, 2 steals, 10-for-11 free throws. He also made two game-winning plays in the fourth quarter.
The obvious one is the shot. With the game tied at 97-97 and just over a minute left, Stuckey’s jumper gave the Pistons the lead for good.
But the not so obvious one was on defense right before that shot. Stuckey got the Pistons the ball back by stepping in front of Spencer Hawes and drawing a charge.
Stuckey proponents have long maintained that he has immense potential at the defensive end because of his strength, quickness and wingspan. The problem, just like on offense, has been getting Stuckey consistently motivated enough to make plays at both ends. The Pistons are a different team if Stuckey can actually play as hard as he has the last couple weeks for an entire season. As soon as the news about him refusing to enter the lineup against Chicago broke, I was ready for the team to move on. Now, I’m right back to square one with Stuckey: he’s a maddeningly frustrating player who gives the impression that the second you give up on him, he’s going to put it all together.
He’ll likely be back in Detroit on the qualifying offer next season, and if that’s the case, I’ll be extremely disappointed by anything less than high level production from him.
A relief it’s over
Dan and I are sure to bombard you all with more season wrap-up stuff over the next few days, as well as some cool offseason features over the summer. But for now, it just feels good to be through this.
The players on the Pistons team are not bad people. I will truly root for Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton if both end up elsewhere next season. If Ben Wallace retires, expect a PistonPowered post from me expecting his jersey to be immediately retired (and not the No. 6) as well as extolling his Hall of Fame virtues. I’ll still be an irrational, unapologetic fan of Tracy McGrady, as I was before he was a Piston.
I think everyone who followed the team from beginning to end — and there have been a few loyalists in the comments who have stuck with us all season while others have, somewhat understandably, needed to step away for a bit — probably feels a range of emotion about this season. After we spent months with little hope, with the team in a holding pattern, with the organization able to do or say little about the situation it was in, the single most important piece of news of the season didn’t break until this month when Dancin’ Tom Gores purchased the team.
Now I kind of can’t wait for next season to start. The Pistons have exciting young players in Greg Monroe, Jonas Jerebko, Daye and (if he’s engaged and motivated) Stuckey. They’ll add a lottery pick to that mix. They’ll possibly have sign and trade options for Prince, who had a nice bounce-back season. Hamilton even repaired some of his value by closing the season shooting the ball better and fighting with the coach less. The Pistons’ prospects are not as bleak as they looked most of this season and I have a feeling that next season will bring a lot of excitement back to the Palace.
Don’t panic about Platinum Equity buying the Pistons with Tom Gores
Dan Primack of Fortune wrote a post that has scared many Pistons fans. A couple key excerpts:
Gores isn’t really going to be the next Detroit Pistons owner.
Go back to the press release, which was titled "Karen Davidson and Tom Gores Reach Agreement on Sale of Detroit Pistons." At the end of the first paragraph, you’ll notice that the sale actually is to "Tom Gores and his investment firm, Platinum Equity."
That’s right: The Detroit Pistons are about to become the first major professional sports franchise in North America to be owned by a private equity fund. Not by flesh-and-blood individuals who made their fortunes in private equity (like the Boston Celtics or Golden State Warriors), but by a $2.75 billion financial vehicle. What that means is that this the Pistons are about to become an investment, not a labor of love. Something bought for the purpose of later being sold, not to keep in the Michigan-loving family for generations.
The NBA is obviously aware of this reality – my understanding is that Platinum has fully explained to league officials how PE funds operate – and apparently is okay with it.
Gores may well still hold a candle for Bob Lanier, but his primary motivation (and fiduciary duty) today is to turn a profit. If that can be done by maximizing other assets acquired in the transaction — including the Auburn Hills arena, an outdoor concert venue and a music festival — while using the ball-club as a loss leader, then that may be what happens.
Even to a financial novice like myself, the article seemed like it was just inducing unnecessary fear. So, I asked a friend of mine who’s a business school graduate and a law school student what he made of Primack’s post. Here’s an edited version of what he said:
Does it being a private-equity firm matter? We don’t know without more information.
For instance, the amount of money the firm borrows to fund its purchase could change its operating strategy. A concern about private-equity firms is that, despite their names, they sometimes buy a company using the acquired company’s own assets to secure a large loan to fund the purchase. Borrowing money requires paying interest each year. The responsibility to pay interest means you must generate the cash flow needed to cover it each year. An over-leveraged firm may need to make short-term cuts to meet its debt payments. But debt is appropriate in many, if not most, circumstances–you’d be much more likely to find a company that borrows money than one that doesn’t.
This compares with an equity investment. This is what happens when you buy a stock. You are an owner entitled to any profits. The firm has no legal duty to generate a certain amount of profits for you each year. Owners, of course, will be unhappy (and perhaps sell their shares) if they aren’t earning an appropriate return on their investment, but the firm doesn’t have to generate a certain amount of profits each year.
Companies typically finance acquisitions through a combination of both. The mix of debt and equity will change in every situation. Without knowing more, we don’t really know how this will affect the team’s operating strategy, if at all.
Primack also notes that that the firm will have a fiduciary duty to its investors. They may be the only team owned by a private-equity firm (or maybe not), but they surely are not alone in having a fiduciary duty. Madison Square Garden, Inc., a publicly traded company, owns the Knicks. They without a doubt have a duty to investors. Other NBA teams may be owned by partnerships in which the operating partners have similar duties to the other partners.
Even if fiduciary duties do exist, we don’t know what this even means, as Primack points out. Winning might be the best way to maximize profits.
We made it: Pistons close the season vs. surprising Sixers
Essentials
Teams: Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers
Date: April 11, 2011
Time: 8 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Detroit Plus
Records
Pistons: 29-52
76ers: 41-40
Probable starters
Pistons:
76ers:
- Jrue Holiday
- Jodie Meeks
- Andre Iguodala
- Elton Brand
- Spencer Hawes
Las Vegas projection
Spread: Pistons +5.5
Over/under: 207
Score: 76ers win, 106.25-100.75
Three things to watch
1. 76ers offer hope for the future
The Sixers last year were a strange mix of veterans and young players who never really meshed under a coach whose style didn’t fit the roster.
This year, with a smart, veteran coach in Doug Collins, with a solid lottery pick in Evan Turner, with players having a better understanding of their roles, with veterans like Elton Brand returning to form, the Sixers turned into a surprise playoff team. There’s no denying how poorly this season has been for Detroit, but there’s still talent on the roster and it only takes one or two good moves to galvanize a team. There’s no reason, with a good draft, smart coaching hire and a trade or two, the Pistons can’t take a step forward next year just like Philly did this year.
2. Hopefully Jrue Holiday is OK …
This was just heinous:
Why did you jump, Jrue? Why did you do it?!
3. One more, then the business starts
This is undeniably the biggest offseason of Joe Dumars’ career as GM. His team rapidly fell from contender to bottom feeder, his once pristine reputation among fans has deteriorated and made him one of the most polarizing figures in Detroit sports, his most recent non-draft transactions have been flops and although he received an endorsement from new team owner Tom Gores, it’s unlikely the flashy, dancing machine will be quite as forgiving if the team doesn’t show real improvement next season. It has been insinuated that Dumars has been severely limited in what he could do to improve things for nearly two seasons because of the ownership situation. As soon as tonight’s game ends, it’s time to get busy planning, prepare for Gores’ ownership to become official soon and prove that he still has the ability to build a title contending team from scratch.
Pregame Reading
- For those hoping the Pistons would take a flyer on Greg Oden next season, he is reportedly going to be out of action at least five more months
- Pat Caputo rarely pays attention to the Pistons, and it shows
- The Onion has some fun with the Pistons
- Dan writes about the playoffs for ESPN
If you need a hotel room for tonight’s game, visit Cheaphotels.org.
Could Mike Woodson replace John Kuester as the Detroit Pistons’ coach?
In the middle of a solid column worth a read anyway, Terry Foster of The Detroit News reported the Pistons might be interested in Mike Woodson:
Keep an eye out on former Hawks coach Mike Woodson. He’s always been a favorite among Pistons management, even when he was an assistant under Larry Brown. He is a defensive-minded coach and a little more bullish than Kuester.
My gut feeling is I’d be OK with this. Woodson wouldn’t be a slam-dunk hire, but I think he got a semi-raw deal in Atlanta. On the other hand, how much respect would another former Larry Brown assistant generate in the Detroit locker room?
Charlie Villanueva suspended five games for fight with Ryan Hollins
The NBA has suspended Charlie Villanueva five games for his fight with Ryan Hollins on Monday. Villanueva will serve the suspension tonight against Cleveland and during the first four regular-season games of next year.
The length of the penalty seems about right.
What’s next for Pistons players?
Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News wrote a great article about what’s in store for each Piston player next season. Parts of the analysis of three players stood out to me, and I’ve pulled them for further discussion. Definitely read his full article for more thoughts on these three and everyone else.
He averaged more 3-pointers (4.3) than rebounds (career-low 3.9).
This a great stat (in terms of its ability to tell an accurate story, obviously not great for the Pistons).
Dumars almost got rid of Hamilton three times over the last 12 months. The fourth time likely will be the charm for the Pistons.
Trading him to the Nets in the aborted Carmelo Anthony trade, trading him to the Cavaliers at the trade deadline and…? Does anyone know the third time? Does he mean this? The Carlos Boozer trade was on the table two years, not 12 months, ago. If anyone knows of a move I’m missing, please post in the comments.
Management held onto him at the trade deadline because he’ll be valuable for sign-and-trade, as surely he’ll play for a contender next season.
Every free agent wants to sign with a contender and make a lot of money. Obviously, few of them can do both. Maybe Prince can, but the odds aren’t in his favor.
Also, sign-and-trade aren’t so easy, especially when a contender receives a higher-end player. Most contenders are over the cap, meaning they’d have to send Detroit (or a third team) a player making an amount similar to Prince. If that player is good, why would the contender make the deal? If he’s not, why would the Pistons?
The upside in return for signing-and-trading Prince is higher than a late first-round pick in this draft, which the Mavericks offered for Prince prior to the trade deadline. But making a sign-and-trade happen, especially to a contender, is a lot easier said than done.
Why voting Derrick Rose for NBA MVP might be journalistically dishonest
If you hold a vote for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, meaning you’re a media member, and plan to list Derrick Rose first on your ballot, take a moment to ask yourself why you’re doing that.
Do you really believe Rose is the NBA’s most valuable – and I don’t really care how you define that, as long as you’re not bending the definition you used in previous seasons to fit Rose this year – player? Or do you believe the next logical chapter in his story is an MVP award?
I can’t speak for every reporter on the panel that selects the MVP, but for those of you unfamiliar, here’s how much of the mainstream media believes reporters should operate:
They should stay objective, if not unbiased. They should never inject themselves into a story, just remain neutral observes.
For example, there are even some reporters who didn’t think the media should vote in college football’s AP Poll, because that meant having an active role in which teams play for the national championship.
Of course, like any attempts at hard-and-fast rules, there are exceptions. Voting for the NBA’s MVP, in itself, violates the notion of reporters staying out of a story. However, reporters still choose the award for several reasons. I think the two main reasons are that’s how it’s always been done and reporters simply like doing it. They also justify it by asking themselves, if they didn’t pick the MVP, who would? Many other possible voters – e.g., players, coaches and general managers – have ties to specific players. They can’t remain objective and unbiased. Reporters can.
Besides reporters, who else has the appropriate knowledge of the game and the responsibility to vote fairly?
In a not-very-well-kept secret, I believe many reporters are ignoring that responsibility vote fairly this year.
Rose will win the MVP over LeBron, because Rose has become the hero after LeBron set himself up as the villain last summer.
Reporters like how friendly Rose is. They like how his team is exceeding expectations. They like how hard Rose worked in the offseason to improved. They like how Rose leads. They like how tough Rose seems. They like how Rose is thriving in Chicago, Michael Jordan’s city. They like how a hometown kid is carrying his team. Especially, they like how he’s not LeBron.
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop best summed up the sentiments of the pro-Rose crowd:
Players like Derrick Rose should be rewarded.
Without a doubt, Rose has a great story.
But at what point does that story become self-fulfilling? Rose’s MVP award will make a fitting next chapter to his career, but will he win it only, or at least in part, because it will make a fitting next chapter to his career?
I have no problem with a voter holding LeBron’s immaturity and selfishness against him. Personally, for the purposes of this award, I wouldn’t hold those negativity personality traits against him anymore than they hurt his and his team’s on-court performance. But if you’ve always believed the MVP should go to a player who excels most on and off the court, I’m fine with that.
I do, however, have a problem with voters who hold themselves up to be bastions of journalistic integrity and are altering their previous criteria for MVP in order to give the award to Rose and his story.
The MVP goes to a player, not a story. The story comes afterward. It shouldn’t be the driving force.
Not to mention, it cheapens Rose’s story if reporters hand him an award he doesn’t deserve so they can continue telling his story. The previous parts of Rose’s rise were authentic. This MVP award will be tainted by the fabricated justifications driving votes toward Rose.
If you vote for Derrick Rose, at least in part because you think the next chapter of his story should include an MVP award, you’re violating journalism’s ethics – especially if, after the fact, you write about how great Rose’s award fits into his story.
