NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Just how many old guys can the Celtics stock up on? Let’s see they have Grandpa Kevin Garnett, age 33 with 14 years in the league. Then there is Grandpa Paul Pierce, age 32 with 11 years in the league. Then there is Grandpa Ray Allen, whom they shopped around this winter, but nobody wanted a 3 point shooter that used a walker, soon to be age 34 with 13 years in the league. (Stats from NBA.com)

Now they reach for the geritol and sign Rasheed ‘Technical waiting to happen’ Wallace, age 35 in September with 14 years in the league.

Sure the Celtics won a title two years ago, because for some unknown reason nobody got injured. Last year was more reality than fantasy as Kevin Garnett was injured.

Unfortunately it is a fact of life for Hoop Stars in the NBA that age limits your jumping ability, your quickness, your hops (ability to jump fast), and leaves you more injury prone. Good Luck Boston on picking up an aging brooding Rasheed Wallace.

How will Rasheed Wallace get along in Boston?

Rasheed will always be remembered affectionately in Detroit for being a great teammate and delivering the 2004 title. Thank You, Rasheed.

And with Rasheed Wallace severing ties with the Pistons on Sunday by giving an oral commitment to sign with Eastern Conference rival Boston, the soul has left the building as well.
Multiple media outlets reported that Wallace, 35, agreed to the mid-level exception for $5.8 million per season, and it’s believed to be for two seasons.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The word out of Chicago is that Allen Iverson will go to the Bulls in an NBA sign and trade deal with Detroit for shooting guard Ben Gordon. The deal would put high scoring Alan Iverson on the Bulls for probably the end of his career in a pretty good basketball market. This way the Bulls get something for Ben Gordon.

Allen Iverson to the Bulls?

What do the Pistons get out of this deal and didn’t they already sign Ben Gordon? Right now no one can figure out how this helps the Pistons, because they would be seeking salary cap relief. The deal was made in principal, but the free agent market is not officially open for signings until July 8.

The key for the Bulls is if Iverson would come off the bench as a happy camper.

The Bulls also would want to know that Iverson, 34, would be totally committed despite not making the $20 million he’s accustomed to and without playing the primary role he enjoyed for his entire career until he was traded to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups last season. Iverson did not adapt well to diminished minutes with the Pistons, and late in the season vowed to retire before he would come off another team’s bench.

But Iverson apparently is invigorated by the prospect of getting past the Detroit experience. He wrote on his Twitter account Thursday, “For those of you who thought that I was done, think again! … My only preference will be to play for a coach that knows what I bring to the table and that I am going to bring it every night.”
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Ben Gordon would actually get a bigger contract in a sign and trade deal, but his agent did not even talk to the Bulls before agreeing to sign with the Pistons.

This whole deal seems crazy for Detroit and Joe Dumars takes risk, but does not do crazy.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Joe D has done it again. This time he has lured high scoring combo guard Ben Gordon to the Detroit Pistons for a reportedly 55 million buckaroos and 5 years. A hefty price, but well worth it.

So what does Gordon bring to the Pistons? Ben Gordon brings the ability to shoot and score from range in a playoff situation. If you watch enough NBA ballgames, you will notice that some players can accumulate stats in the regular season and not do it in the playoffs. It is actually a rare ability to score when well guarded. Rip Hamilton can do it on the Pistons and now Ben Gordon will also bring that ability to the Pistons.

Gordon, 26, has been nailing three-pointers and creating his own shot since he came into the league as the third pick of the 2004 draft.

He is scorer who is a great shooter and adept at running the pick-and-roll. He stands 6-feet-3 and carries a career scoring average of 18.5 points. His compact body allows him to get into the paint and finish through contact. The only real knock is that he’s too short for shooting guard since he lacks the playmaking skills to play the point. That leads to defensive mismatches when paired against taller and more athletic players such as Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

Gordon has been on the Pistons’ radar for quite some time. and he upped his value when he averaged 24.3 points during a classic seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in this year’s playoffs.

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Will Ben Gordon co-exist with Rip Hamilton? Many think so.

With the trade of Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets, the Pistons needed a long distance scoring threat at guard and now they have one. Rip can only shoot threes from a set shot position. Nothing wrong with that, but you do not get a lot of those opportunities in the playoffs.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

It was ultimately a player revolt and Coach Michael Curry was the victim. You see, in the NBA the players and especially the star players rule. Michael Curry was a rookie coach and a coach that had my doubts on his ability to do the job from the very beginning.

If being a rookie coach on a team that was on the way down was not bad enough, Curry also had to lose star player Chauncey Billups in a trade for Allen Iverson. Hey, you better have superior leadership and people skills if you are going to coach a team with Allen Iverson.

Once Rip Hamilton turned his back on Coach Michael Curry, he was done

When Rip Hamilton was benched for Allen Iverson in a manner that did not suit Rip, you could see the handwriting on the wall.

Giving Curry every opportunity to correct his rookie blunders was Joe Dumars’ original plan, but then it became apparent that the fractious relationship between Curry and Hamilton was beyond saving.

Curry foolishly alienated Hamilton, not telling him privately about his decision to bench him for Allen Iverson before telling the entire team. And in a recent conversation with the Free Press, Curry didn’t seem to be in a hurry to meet with Hamilton to rectify any differences.

Dumars had no alternative but to trust his instincts, despite the outward appearance of a franchise once again going through coaches like tissues. When in doubt, cut your losses and minimize the damage. If it was going to happen, it’s better for the organization to pull the trigger now rather than wait and fire Curry two weeks into next season
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Early favorite for the job is Avery Johnson, who used to coach the Dallas Mavericks.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The Detroit Pistons face the ultimate test of the Joe Dumars regime. How about we get rid of every big guy around and then go find a friend for Tayshaun Prince?

Draft day came around and Blake Griffin went to the Clippers and will never be heard from again. He almost made the NBA, too bad. That is a joke, but then, so are the Clippers.

Anyway, back to that friend for Tay. When the 15th pick rolled around the Pistons picked 6′ 11″ and 191 pound Austin Daye. That’s right, 191 pounds. Arnie Kander will have to put some beef on that guy, because right now he looks like Tayshaun’s little brother.

Austin Daye better not be late for dinner

AP writer Larry Lage writes that Joe Dumars remarked that Austin Daye is skinnier that Tay, but that he likes his skill set.
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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Chad Ford writes for the ESPN insider and has some definite opinions on basketball.

On Denver vs. the Lakers:

Damon (Socorro, NM): At this point, are the Lakers worrying about Denver?

Chad Ford: They should be. Denver has been great. Chauncey is showing that he was really the heart of the Pistons all of those years and they have a physical front line. They don’t have the depth that the Lakers have, but I think the Nuggets will really, really push them. I’ve been really, really impressed.

Any Piston fan would tell you that Chauncey was an important piece of the puzzle, but as the Pistons aged, Chauncey could no longer carry them. He is great at pulling the team together, but he is not a Kobe or LeBron, where he is the team.

Chauncey Billups is leading Denver to glory

On LeBron James… Read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

The news is just too sad to even think about. How can Chuck Daly be gone? It seems like just yesterday when Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas were wearing those ever so short shorts and winning back to back titles with Chuck Daly keeping everyone happy as the coach.

This story hits home for me after just recovering from cancer myself.

Coach of the Bad Boys and yet a good guy all the time

And his hair was perfect…

And his hair was perfect. Every time I think about Chuck Daly, I think about that old song lyric. Chuck coming down the tunnel, nodding just before going out, and his hair was perfect. Chuck charging down the sidelines, screaming “GIMME A BREAK!” and his hair was perfect. Chuck speeding through a shopping mall, fingering the suits, Chuck grinning through a TV interview, Chuck wearing Armani or Hugo Boss, and his hair — wavy, thick, blown back like a Roman statesman’s — was perfect. It gave him the image of a man in control, always coiffed, always ready.

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Chuck was the perfect coach for all of the strong ego’s on the Detroit Pistons, be it Bill Laimbeer, Mark Aguirre, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, or William Bedford, it did not matter, because Chuck knew how to handle them all.

He used that hunger as a motivator. When the Pistons’ effort weakened, he reminded them endorsement deals weren’t offered to losers. He once famously grabbed a phone from the press table and waved it at a lagging Mark Aguirre, yelling, “Mark! It’s the CBA!” He skipped the bromides about teamwork and spirit. He knew success was the reward, and the reward required work.

Chuck worked. He worried. He could worry the smile off a clown. But he worried funny, if you can do that. He was also as good a manager as you’ll ever meet. He could listen to one player moan, another complain, another whine, and ignore all of them equally. He had one weapon: minutes. He used it artfully, and got five disparate personalities to band together to win a championship in 1989, then came back with an altered cast and did it again in 1990.

Maybe it can be summed up by Isiah Thomas and Charles Barkley. Read more

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

For some reason or other Coach Michael Curry of the Detroit Pistons refuses to start his bench against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Why is that? After all, the starters are not only getting killed, but look lifeless. Come on, Michael. Please explain.

Pistons coach Michael Curry essentially dismissed the notion Tuesday night, but come on. He’s just a coach who has studied the game his whole life and desperately wants to win. What does he know?

So, again: Why not give the subs a chance? Here is why: They have all had their chance.

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LeBron James and Rasheed Wallace

But we all thought the youth movement was on with the Pistons?
What about Amir?

Johnson is one of the most foul-prone players in the league — it has gotten to the point where he is going to start fouling his teammates. He has limited offensive skills. The Pistons have struggled to find an offensive flow in this series. Johnson is not the answer.

What about Jason Maxiell?

Maybe Curry can give Jason Maxiell more minutes. But Maxiell has played here for four years. He is what he is: a specialist, not a starter.

If not the bench then how about feeding the post a little more?

This brings us to another issue: Curry would love to feed a post scorer for easy buckets, but he has a first-year starter (Rodney Stuckey) doing the feeding. Also, he has no post scorer. You may detect the problem here.

Guess, Coach Curry will be looking for a miracle.

Photo source Newscom

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

LeBron James punctuated the Cleveland victory early with a flying over the half court buzzer beating 3 pointer at half time. It literally put the game out of reach and left Cleveland on a super high going into the half.

Listen here to LeBron talking about his team and making his incredible halftime shot.

Meanwhile the Pistons just seem to have caved in and are waiting for it to end. Rasheed will probably be shipped out to somewhere. Allen Iverson will be released and really no one on that team is safe from being released, except for Rodney Stuckey.

For long time Piston fans it was a role reversal. Cleveland was making all the big plays and Detroit was lacking on team defense. In fact, their team defense was pitiful. It is ok to lose to LeBron, but to not even put up a fight is disgusting.

There will be a whole new Pistons team next year.

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NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver for Allen Iverson.

For the Detroit Pistons it was an experiment to see if Allen could revive their stagnant offense and allow them to go to one more conference NBA final and maybe even have a shot at winning the NBA title. We all know now that Plan B was put into effect and Allen represents over 20 million bucks of salary cap that can be released.

For Denver it was a chance to go in another direction. Coach George Karl would finally get the point guard he coveted. Someone that would set up the other players and not have to have the ball to make an impact on the bottom line. That bottom line would be winning games.

Detroit fans still love Chauncey Billups

He brings All-Star talent to the floor, and is only four years removed from being an NBA Finals MVP. But maybe most significant, he provides the kind of leadership that has catapulted the Nuggets to the top of the Northwest division standings.

“A natural leader you do it the right way, everyday,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “And you have a no-nonsense kind of role with people who don’t do it that way. That’s what Chauncey has brought to us.

“The leaders who try to talk their way and not show the way with their actions and attitude, will fail.”

Failure is something Billups has had little experience with in recent years.

In his six-plus seasons with Detroit, the Pistons won an NBA title in 2004, returned to the finals the following season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals every year since.

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J. R. Smith said that he used to just survive on talent and talent alone, but now playing next to Chauncey has him thinking basketball again. It has become a thinking man’s game for many of the Nuggets.

Chauncey has become the leader of the Nuggets and now they have the second best record in the West.

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