Thread: NBA 2008-09 Season

Report: Dumars Takes Pistons’ Standouts Off the Market
By LARRY LAGE
Posted Sep 18 2008 4:21PM




DETROIT, Sept. 18 (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons expect to start the season next month with the same nucleus they've had in recent years.
That wasn't Plan A.
Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told The Associated Press on Thursday he's keeping the team together because no one offered him a good deal after he publicly put his players on the trading block in June.
"We talked to teams this summer, but nothing was presented to me that would make us better than we already are,'' Dumars said. "This can be one of the elite teams in the league that contends for a championship.''
When coach Flip Saunders was fired, Dumars said
Rodney Stuckey

was the only player he wouldn't trade in a win-win deal.
"Whatever I said at that press conference wasn't new to the players,'' Dumars said. "They know where I stood then and where I stand now, unhappy about how last season ended.''
Detroit was eliminated on its home court in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals by the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the title. The Pistons lost in the same round the previous two years, getting sent home by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

Chauncey Billups

,
Richard Hamilton

,
Tayshaun Prince


,
Rasheed Wallace


and
Antonio McDyess


have been Pistons since the 2004-05 season, the year after the franchise won its third championship.
Billups, Hamilton and Prince are entering their seventh season in Detroit, hoping to at least advance to the conference finals for the seventh year in a row.
But Dumars is confident new coach
Michael Curry


will motivate the old nucleus to play hard.
"Part of the reason we hired Michael Curry was that he can instill a sense of urgency in how we play and the discipline that we play with,'' Dumars said. "Those two things were missing last year, in my estimation.''
The Pistons open training camp Sept. 29, and their season-opening game is Oct. 29 at home against the Indiana Pacers. "We're going forward with the same nucleus, but I'm still not happy with how the season ended,'' Dumars said. "But we'll put that behind us, and we'll try to make it right this year.''

FSN's Davis going to OKC

Anyone know who's playing on Christmas this year?

Originally Posted by SabresRule

Anyone know who's playing on Christmas this year?

Are you ready for this? The NBA is showing a quintrupleheader on Christmas Day this year!

12 Noon ET- Hornets at Magic (ESPN)

2:30 ET- Spurs at Suns (ABC)

5:00 ET- Celtics at Lakers (ABC)

8:00 ET- Wizards at Cavaliers (TNT)

10:30 ET- Mavericks at Blazers (TNT)

Originally Posted by BillD1984

Are you ready for this? The NBA is showing a quintrupleheader on Christmas Day this year!

12 Noon ET- Hornets at Magic (ESPN)

2:30 ET- Spurs at Suns (ABC)

5:00 ET- Celtics at Lakers (ABC)

8:00 ET- Wizards at Cavaliers (TNT)

10:30 ET- Mavericks at Blazers (TNT)

All five matches look great- although any of these teams could go into the tank.

Originally Posted by SabresRule

All five matches look great- although any of these teams could go into the tank.

The NBA is showcasing all it's big stars that day.

Originally Posted by BillD1984

The NBA is showcasing all it's big stars that day.

True, but you never know what will happen.

Remember last year's Sonics/Blazers game, which was supposed to be Durant vs. Oden?

Not only was Oden hurt, but Seattle was AWFUL.

Danny Ferry Fills Out Roster | WaitingForNextYear

Well, we all thought that Danny Ferry was now done with this year’s roster after the
re-signing of Delonte West

last week, but evidently we were wrong. The Cavaliers are
expected to sign SF Ronald Dupree

, as per HoopsHype,

“Ronald Dupree, who will go in history as the last player inked by the Seattle SuperSonics, will be signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

Not that this is anything Cavs fans should jump up and down about. Dupree, at 6′7″ and 208 lbs is a slashing player who cannot hit a jump shot to save his life, but what he is, though, is a very tough defender and a quick, athletic player. He’s also actually a very efficient rebounder on a per minute basis. I wouldn’t expect to see him get on the court much this year, but he could potentially be used as a defensive sub in situational spots where the Cavaliers need to get a stop.
The interesting thing about this signing is that it puts the
Cavs roster


now at 16, one over the league max:

1. Mo Williams
2. Wally Szczerbiak
3. LeBron James
4. Ben Wallace
5. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
6. Delonte West
7. Anderson Varejao
8. Daniel Gibson
9. J.J. Hickson
10. Tarence Kinsey
11. Sasha Pavlovic
12. Lorenzen Wright
13. Darnell Jackson
14. Eric Snow
15. Lance Allred
16. Ronald Dupree

Eric Snow is definitely going to retire, but the question will be when that decision is finalized and when the Cavs can get him off the books. There are advantages to having him on the inactive roster as his expiring contract can be used to possibly facilitate a trade deadline deal. More likely, this will probably mean the official end of Lance Allred with the Cavaliers.

Wizards/Cavs may not be a smart idea because:

1. Agent Zero's hurt and may miss the Christmas game

2. It's a lopsided rivalry, with the Wiz never winning big games; IMO, it's the NBA's version of the Roadrunner and the Coyote.