Scott Skiles ramblings

It is time for your intrepid author to keep you updated on all the trivial, ..er, important happenings in the NBA. How about that really important Piston vs. Bucks game?

Scott Skiles is suspended for the game.

Skiles will miss the Bucks’ road game at Detroit on Friday, and Jim Boylan will serve as the team’s coach.

Skiles was whistled for two quick technical fouls by referee Sean Wright with 29.7 seconds left in the first quarter on Wednesday. The Bucks coach went out on the floor to dispute a non-call after Hakim Warrick went to the basket and scored. Skiles wanted a foul called on Wizards center Brendan Haywood.

An angry Skiles was hit with a technical by Wright, then quickly was whistled for a second technical foul and an automatic ejection.

The NBA said in a statement Friday that Skiles was suspended for one game without pay “for his actions directed at a game official and for not leaving the court in a timely manner.”
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Why does your intrepid author want you to know about Scott Skiles exhibiting a temper? Isn’t that like Tiger looking at a blonde girl that is not his wife? Ohh, cheap shot there, my apologies. No, it was interesting because Jim Boylan coached as an assistant for Tom Izzo who coached as an assistant for Jud Heathcote, both at Michigan State University. Scott Skiles played at MSU for Jud, while Tom was the assistant coach. Also, starting guard Charlie Bell played for Tom Izzo.

Scott Skiles with one of his best friends

And if that is not remarkable enough, then how about this, your intrepid author, NBAObsessed himself, went to MSU during the Magic Johnson years and was at the MSU victory over Wofford tonight. Yes, the mighty Wofford Terriers.

Skiles suspension is symbolic as MSU is going through a series of suspensions on their football team right now and Scott got in a lot of trouble at MSU, mostly for drinking.

Charlie Villanueva

In a return to Milwaukee, Charlie Villanueva had to send out tweet.

Villanueva did not play in the Pistons’ 92-85 loss in Chicago on Wednesday after suffering a broken nose in a game Sunday against Atlanta.

But Villanueva sent out a tweet a few hours ago that said, “Watch for the mask man in tonight game against the Bucks.”

Villanueva will have to wear a mask to protect the injury, which he sustained on a play in the fourth quarter of the Pistons’ 94-88 victory over the Hawks. He was fouled by Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia and as Villanueva fell to the floor he collided with teammate Ben Wallace.
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Now it is time to play who makes more in the NBA as provided by Hoopsworld. The answers will be at the bottom of the blog.

Are you ready?

A) Who makes more Boston Celtics… Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, or Kevin Garnett?

B) Who makes more Cleveland Cavaliers… LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neil, or Mo Williams?

C) Who makes more Denver Nuggets… Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, or Kenyon Martin?

D) Who makes more Los Angeles Lakers… Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, or Ron Artest?

E) Who makes more New Orleans Hornets… Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, or Peja Stojakovic?

F) Who makes more San Antonio Spurs… Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, or Richard Jefferson?

G) Who makes more Dallas Mavericks… Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, or Dirk Nowitzki?

H) Who makes more Orlando Magic… Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, or Vince Carter?

I) Who makes more Miami Heat… Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley, or Jermaine O’Neal?

J) Who makes more Detroit Pistons… Ben Gordon, Charlie Villenueva, or Rip Hamilton?

Tim Duncan makes a lot of cash!

Answers from Hoopsworld:
A) Paul Pierce $19,795,712.
B) Shaquille O’Neal $21,000,000.
C) Kenyon Martin $15,613,636.
D) Kobe Bryant $23,034,375.
E) Peja Stojakovic $13,392,000.
F) Tim Duncan $22,183,220.
G) Dirk Nowitzki $19,795,714.
H) Rashard Lewis $18,010,791.
I) Jermaine O’Neal $23,016,000.
J) Rip Hamilton $11,625,000.

Photo source Newscom

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It is the impossible world of exhibition basketball where teams have veterans with years of pounding on their bad knees that won’t bother to really run up and down the floor and teams also have rookies just dying to make a big play or provide some extra hustle.

Yesterday we discussed how Dwyane Wade lead the Miami Heat in scoring against the Detroit Pistons, but we failed to go into a play that made Detroit Piston’s rookie Austin Daye’s day.

The Heat star had just taken an outlet pass and was going to glide in for an emphatic dunk late in the second quarter of the exhibition opener for the Pistons and Heat.

But midway through the glide, Pistons rookie Austin Daye came over to block the dunk and knock it out of bounds, eliciting a cheer from the sparse Palace crowd.

Wade looked around and grinned.

Later in the possession there was a Pistons foul, and Wade just joked and laughed with the Pistons’ bench — particularly Tayshaun Prince — telling it that it was a great play.
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Dwyane Wade is a superstar and does not feel the need to be offended by Daye’s’ block of his dunk, so he took it in the spirit of fun and gamesmanship. Meanwhile, Daye could barely contain himself knowing what he had accomplished. If he wanted to be noticed, it worked.

Dwyane Wade laughs and has fun with Pistons Austin Daye

The new Pistons are a younger group with a long way to go to win anything and just don’t seem to be as serious as the old Pistons. It remains to be seen if that translates into victories.

Dwyane Wade is probably in the same boat, just waiting for the players to arrive to give him a good enough supporting cast.

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How strange it felt last night flipping through the channels on the big screen while waiting for my wife to come downstairs. We were going to watch the season ender for Warehouse 13 that was recorded on the DVR. Then there it was, a NBA basketball game. The Detroit Pistons against the Miami Heat. It did not seem right. The game was only exhibition and it just seemed too soon. Pro sports seasons are so long the off seasons seem too short.

Most of my friends don’t even watch basketball until January, when football switches over to the playoffs and bowl games. But there it was.

Dwyane Wade led Miami in scoring

It was a nothing game and Detroit and Miami are two teams that are going to race up and down the court to make up for some defensive deficiencies and some lack of height and that is what they were doing.

It was a good night for Dwyane Wade.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 18 points.

The Pistons led by as many as 17 in the second half, but Miami came back in the fourth quarter. The Heat comeback was helped by a mistake by the replacement officials with 1:21 left. Bynum made two free throws to apparently put Detroit up 87-78, but the Miami players pointed out that Bynum hadn’t been fouled on the play.

After a discussion, the points were taken off the board and Maceo Baston was sent to the line, where he missed both shots.
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Chris Wilcox and Ben Gordon each scored 11 points and will play a big part in the Pistons this season.

The game was hard to watch, because there is just no intensity in a preseason game.

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You have heard it by now. Allan Iverson is claiming the Detroit Pistons lied to him about his role with the team. Allan claims the Coach Michael Curry, now fired, said to Allan Iverson, now a Grizzlie, that he would start Allan and would never disrespect Allan by bringing him off the bench.

Allen Iverson claims Detroit lied

Hmm, not sure about you, but how many coaches go around guaranteeing a player a starting job, especially when he has a former All Star and current team leading scorer in Rip Hamilton already at that position? Did you say zero? Thought so.

“They told me, straight up, ‘Allen we would never disrespect you or your career like that’ by making me come off the bench,” Iverson said in an interview with ESPN.com. “That’s what they told me to my face. And after that, I never thought about it again. I just went back to playing. Then, they came to me saying that they felt it would be in the ‘best interest of the team’ if I came off of the bench behind Rip (Richard Hamilton).

“… After that, they told me that if I didn’t come off the bench — the team was going to lie down [not play] on me. … When he told me that, that’s when I felt that this was the worst career move I’d ever made and it was the worst year of my career.”
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Geez, the story gets more credible all the time. Now the team, as in the Detroit Pistons, are going to lay down when Allen is on the court, because the only thing on the line is their jobs and the playoffs. This makes no sense at all. What we are most likely getting is the Allen Iverson version of what happened to a player that never fit in with the crumbling Pistons. Allen will remain one of my favorite players, but this just sounds like an excuse for it just didn’t work out.

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Many hoop fans are also big time football fans. Rodney Stuckey has a bit of advice for new quarterback Matt Stafford. Rodney wants Matt to know there will be days and there will be days. In other words the ups and downs will be normal for the first year.

Toss the rookie into the cauldron. He’ll get burned often. He’ll look spectacular occasionally. But more often, he’ll look overmatched by the game’s speed, contributing to moments of internal doubt and the inevitable public lament that the novice may never live up to the hopeful expectations.

Stafford will have those days.

Stuckey had that year.

“I was overwhelmed and confused,” he said Monday during the Pistons’ media day.
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Rodney is ready for year two when things begin to appear to slow down and you do not have to just rely on natural instincts.

Rodney S

With new coach John Kuester devoted to the running game and new teammates Charlie Villenueva and Ben Gordon giving the team more firepower and running ability, it could be a banner year for Rodney. At the very least he will get to show off more of his natural abilities like his ability to run, find the open man, and penetrate with the ball.

There will be plenty of talent and experience surrounding Stuckey, but it will remain to be his ability to harness and direct that talent and experience that will determine if the Pistons are to go anywhere this season.
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They did not pick Joe Dumars as number 1.

So lets step through some of the highlights.
How about Pat Riley at number 8. He built a team in his image, always ready, always tough. He has rebuilt the Heat several times.

But he’s also rebuilt his Heat a few times, he’s been in the playoffs seven times during the last decade, and while his moves during the summer of 2005 may have been pound-foolish, it won the man and his superstar (Dwyane Wade) a ring. Something you can’t say for LeBron James general manager.

Mitch Kupchak at number 6. Hey, its the Lakers, you have to be good or you are gone.

But smart lower-round draft picks, luck (other teams had better packages in place for Pau Gasol, but Memphis didn’t want to deal; by the time Mitch came calling with his package, the Grizzlies were desperate to unload), and the help of Jim Buss (who pushed to draft and then keep Bynum) have had the Lakers in the Finals in consecutive years, with a win in 2009.

You have to like Danny Ainge at number 4. He brought the Celtics back from oblivion all the way to a title. Getting Kevin Garnett was a sweetheart deal that drew other good players.

But this is a decade-long list, and while some of the men at the top of this page may have better futures (and won’t have to pay Kevin Garnett over $21 million in 2011-12), Ainge’s drafting acumen and willingness to take chances make him a winner in my book. If not one in the standings, from 2003 until 2007.

Joe Dumars only checked in at number 2, in spite of living in the Eastern Conference finals.

Dumars started by playing it smart, working with teams in cap hell, leaving things flexible, sometimes acting as if Bird Rights didn’t matter and he had an NFL-styled hard cap to work with. The Pistons were in the Eastern Conference finals every year between 2003 and 2008, and it was only the players’ fault they didn’t win more titles.

Tim Duncan helps R. C. Buford look good!

And the Number one is R. C. Buford of the San Antonio Spurs. It does not hurt to have Tim Duncan, but he always does a good job of surrounding him with unselfish talent.

We don’t know how much impact Gregg Popovich has had on Buford’s wheelings and dealings, and R.C. has had help (current Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti was on his payroll for years). Buford also had nothing to do with the acquisitions of David Robinson (1987) or Tim Duncan (1997).

But there’s no denying Buford’s impact on the Spurs’ rise to power this decade. Even though he technically wasn’t the team’s personnel boss (that would be Popovich) when the Spurs drafted Manu Ginobili (2000) or Tony Parker (2001), he was the man who recommended the franchise take both future All-Stars.

Still for my money, it is Joe Dumars. He made all the moves himself and has never had a Tim Duncan to work into the mix. Make Joe Dumars the number one GM in my book!

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Just listen to Tayshaun Prince tell it like it is concerning the next season for the Detroit Pistons. He claims they will have plenty of firepower from the top to the bottom of the lineup.

On how the new pieces will fit: “As a coach, the more firepower you have, they say the more problems you have. But I’m pretty sure he’ll love that problem. … With Ben (Gordon), his ability to score the ball at will, almost, will be helpful to us. And Charlie (Villanueva), being able to play inside-out, will cause some problems, being able to put him in pick-and-rolls. We’ll definitely have a lot of firepower on the perimeter.
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The real key was picking up Ben Gordon. Most of my friends just don’t seem to understand how valuable Ben can be to that team. Over the years of watching teams go into the playoffs one thing has become very clear. The level of defense in the playoffs is way greater than the level of defense during the regular season.

Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton will have the same jersey now!

You will see players that can score at will during the season and can’t get their normal shot off in the playoffs. This is where Ben Gordon can pay dividends. He can get off his normal shot in the playoffs and be a dependable high scorer. If you look at the Pistons roster, Rip Hamilton has that ability and has proven it. Charlie Villanueva will also be expected to produce in that manner, so the Pistons could have as many as 3 playoff type scorers on the team.

Now they have to get into the playoffs.
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Ok, we need to set the stage for my surprise. No, it is not a surprise from me to you; it is where your intrepid author gets surprised by who is picked to be the top rebounder of the last 10 years.

The list is based on rebounding rate, which takes into account the number of available rebounds while the player is on the court. Dennis Rodman would be the all time leader at .23 rebounds. In other words he pulled down 23 out of every 100 rebounds available while he was on the court.

It kind of went like this:
Uhh, number 10 is Zach Randolph. Huh? Well, yeah, guess that does make sense. Zach was a bench player at Michigan State University that was drafted after his freshman year. Pretty incredible.

Number 9 Eric Dampier, Number 8 Shaq, well of course, the big fella would make the list, Number 7 Kevin Garnett, Number 6 … Wait a minute Kevin Garnett? Don’t really think of him that way. He is such a big time scorer.

Number 6 Marcus Camby always an underrated player.
Number 5 Tim Duncan, hard to be that tall and not get a lot of boards and Mr. Fundamental would always get good position.

Hmm, Number 4 Jeff Foster. What? Is this because his man always left him to help out on someone else? Jeff Foster?

Number 3 Reggie Evans a pure rebounding machine. Can’t do much else, but man can he board.

Number 2 Superman Dwight Howard. This guy is for real and is simply stronger than you. A definite glass cleaner.

And Number 1 is … Ben Wallace! Ok, your author is a lifetime Piston fan living in Michigan and should have known this, but after having Dennis Rodman around it seemed normal to have Ben Wallace leading the league in rebounding.

Ben Wallace rules the boards

Ben was incredible and when he was on top of his game it was a treat to see him soar in the air and rip down a board.

Ben’s at 10.3 rebounds per game on his career, despite averaging just under 31 minutes per game, while looking to strike up some of the Piston-powered magic again in Detroit for 2009-10. It was the site of his finest turn, when he pulled in over 23 percent of available rebounds in 2003, while averaging 15.4 rebounds per game.
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Bill Laimbeer came out of the California high school system as a center and played at Notre Dame. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing in Italy for a season, Bill returned to Cleveland and played two years before being traded to the Isiah Thomas led Detroit Pistons.

While playing for the Pistons, Laimbeer teamed up with Rick Mahorn to win a NBA title and develop a reputation for meanness on the court. One of his favorite moves on post defense was to swipe his hand down to rake your arm as you tried to turn to shoot. He did it in a way that was mostly hidden from the referees. It drove players crazy.

Bill Laimbeer NBA factoid: Bill Laimbeer and his Detroit teammates are the only players to have a playoff winning record against NBA legends Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. source

Still Bill was more than that or he would not have lasted or played on the Pistons as they won a second title without Rick Mahorn. The Pistons became known as the Bad Boys because of their aggressive defense that was played in a very physical style. After the two titles the NBA changed several of their rules to tone down the defense.

There is Bill Laimbeer, but can he guard Barack Obama?

Bill was amazingly competitive and a top notch darts player. One year he announced he would win the rebounding title and then went out and did it. He was a 4 time All Star.

After the NBA there were no takers for Bill’s coaching services. It was often stated they only remembered him by reputation and did not want him around. Bill began coaching in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and won 3 titles in 6 years. Again no NBA coaching offers came to him. Finally he quit the Shock with the stated intention to become an NBA coach.

Now along comes Kurt Rambis from the Los Angeles Lakers and hires Bill Laimbeer to be his assistant on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

New Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis will add former Detroit Pistons bad-boy center Bill Laimbeer and former Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus to his staff, according to a league source.
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