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Category: Pistons

About Posey

You are seeing a lot of talk about the Pistons and free agent James Posey. Of course, the Pistons would love to add Posey to their bench, but it's not likely to happen. Posey is looking for, and deserves, at least a full mid-level exception -- which is a deal starting at $6 million a year. The Pistons, as we reported Monday, aren't looking to give out their full mid-level to one player.

Now, if Joe Dumars exhausts all the possible trade scenarios and doesn't get anything done, and Posey is still available, he could certainly re-think his position on giving out the full mid-level. But right now, I wouldn't hold your breath on Posey being a Piston.

Category: Pistons

CDR talks back

My friend and colleague Dave D'Alessandro from the Newark Star-Ledger talked with Chris Douglas-Roberts on Monday. Apparently, Chris has a bit of a chip on his shoulder after falling to No. 40 in the draft. He doesn't appear to be in the mood to take any blame for it, never mind he wouldn't work out for teams at the back end of the first round, including the Pistons, who asked twice.

Here is a snippet of CDR's presser:

How upset were you at dropping to 40?

"Ooof. That first day I was extremely (upset) - extremely. I'm pretty sure anybody in the world knows how I feel to be under-appreciated. That's all it was. But once I looked at the situation and once I looked at where I was picked, I looked at it in a positive way. Because it's a blessing to be here (New Jersey). I could have ended up on the Lakers, you know? Somewhere like that, where there's no playing time. So being here is great for me. I looked and over all it's great. Being picked 40 is horrible, and I don't know what people are thinking, but overall I'm happy."

Chip on your shoulder?

"Big. Big chip. Big. That's the biggest motivation I have. Getting picked 40, I'm gonna write a book."

Where did you think you might go?

"Oh, I was, like, 15 to 25. And it just so happened that some teams I didn't work out for had 25 to 30, and I didn't workout (for them)... that's how it happens. That's just how it happens. Why? I still don't know why. But that's yesterday's news. You have to be mentally strong to be in this business, and you have to form amnesia. And that's with anything in basketball. You make a mistake on the floor you can't let it affect the next four trips down the floor."

You know they are upset at you in Detroit?

"Oh, yeah. They are. They are."

So why did you turn down their workouts?

"I didn't. That was. ... I don't know where that came from - it was the same with Memphis, they said I turned their workout down and I didn't. Detroit said I turned theirs down and I didn't. But that's yesterday's news."

Why did your agent not schedule a workout with the Pistons?

(Long pause) "Too close. Too close to home."

So, there it is. Some semblance of truth. First he says he didn't turn the Pistons down, then he acknowledges his agent never set up a workout with the Pistons. Then finally it comes out - he didn't want to play in Detroit. Too close to home. Same reason he left the state to play at Memphis. You can't be mad at him for that. You just kind of wish he'd come clean and say that up front.

But you know how these things work out, right? First time the Pistons play the Nets, CDR's going to post a career-high. Always works out like that.

Category: Pistons

Nothing to Davis rumor

Pay no attention to the report out of Oakland that the Pistons and Warriors talked about a deal that would send Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups to Golden State for Baron Davis. That deal was a total fabrication, nothing of the sort was ever discussed.

Category: Pistons

About Billups for Anthony

Have the Pistons and Nuggets talked about the possibility of trading Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince for Carmelo Anthony? Yes.

Are the talks recent and on-going? No.

Is the deal dead? Not quite, but nearly.

Here's the deal (this will be on the detnews.com website in a more formal manner later on tonight): Two weeks ago, Nuggets vice president Mark Warkentien called Pistons president Joe Dumars. A story had leaked out of Denver that the Nuggets were interested in Billups. Warkentien called initially to apologize for the information leak, but in the process, asked Dumars what it might take to pry Billups away. Dumars said, straight-up, Anthony.

They talked about that for a bit. Prince was added because, obviously, Anthony plays Prince's position. But in the end, Warkentien said the Nuggets weren't looking to move Anthony. He asked if Dumars wanted Marcus Camby or Allen Iverson. Dumars said no. If the Nuggets wanted Billups, then he wanted Anthony. That's where it ended. Two weeks ago.

But, the rumors persisted. In the meantime, Anthony started to get upset. He had his agents confront Warkentien about the rumors, which led to the reports Saturday night that the Nuggets "vetoed" the proposed trade.

Now, come on. You can't veto a trade that never got beyond the preliminary discussion stages. You can't veto a trade that you initiated. But, Warkentien and the Nuggets are trying to mollify and reassure Anthony that they still love him. If that means spinning things a certain way, then so be it.

So where do things sit? Anthony's agents -- Bill Duffy and Calvin Andrews -- are meeting with the Nuggets on Monday. Part of the meeting will be to discuss Antony's latest DUI arrest. The other part will be to discuss Anthony's future with the team.

I suppose there is a chance the meeting could go bad -- maybe the Nuggets threated to punish Anthony for the DUI or something -- and the Nuggets decide that they want to trade Anthony. More likely, though, the Nuggets will declare their love for Melo and announce to the world that they are not trading him.

Category: Pistons

Sullivan back?

The Newark Star-Ledger reported today that assistant coach Pat Sullivan was leaving the Nets to join Michael Curry's staff. If true -- I will get confirmation soon -- it's a great hire. For one, he knows this team. He was an assistant here during the Larry Brown era. For another, he was Rasheed Wallace's roommate at North Carolina. The two have a great relationship.

Joe Dumars said he wanted a mixture of veteran coaches and young energetic coaches on Curry's staff. Sullivan, now with five seasons under his belt, is all three -- veteran, young and energetic.

BREAKING NEWS: Flip is out as Pistons coach

The Detroit Pistons say Flip Saunders won't be back next season after leading the team to three straight Eastern Conference finals appearances. The team made the announcement Tuesday in a news release with president of basketball operations Joe Dumars saying he feels it is necessary to make a change despite Saunders' successes. In his three seasons, the Pistons were 176-70 in the regular season and 30-21 in the postseason, but they lost in the conference finals each year. Saunders had a year left on a four-year deal that he signed in 2005. He replaced Larry Brown, who won a title in two trips to the NBA Finals

Category: Pistons-Celtics, EC Finals

FINAL: Celtics win, 89-81, win series, 4-2

Now the question becomes, what happens to this Pistons team? Is it now time to break up the core? Do they keep coach Flip Saunders? If they do make trades, who goes? Who stays? They'll probably look back on Game 3 as the key to this series. Had they won that game, things would have been a lot different. But they did not, and the Celtics did what they did for most of the season. Hard to believe the Pistons couldn't force a Game 7, as Atlanta and Cleveland did, but the Celtics clearly felt they had more to gain at this point -- a trip to the Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. What a shame -- the end of an era.

Category: Pistons-Celtics, EC Finals

Celtics 85, Pistons 79 with 1:05 to go

It looks really dire right now. The Pistons can't make a shot and aren't protecting the ball. That was a killer, letting Rajon Rondo swipe it away from you, Tayshaun. It's not over yet but it's smelling like it now.

Category: Pistons-Celtics, EC Finals

Down the stretch

The Pistons can't turn it over, can't commit stupid fouls, can't really make any mistakes. They don't have any leeway. The Celtics have the luxury of a Game 7 on their home floor if it comes to that. The Pistons don't. They have 5:25 to make it happen or they're going to spend another long summer wondering what happened.

Category: Pistons-Celtics, EC Finals

Slappies

Look, it's fine to be rooting for your home team that you cover, but as a reporter, it really is unseemly to be pumping your fist. But that's what the slappies from Boston (not all of them, mind you, just the ones in front of me) are doing.