Being Amare Stoudemire
This is the man who wants revenge.Amare seems to respond best when people question his ability to accomplish something. So here are a few questions for Amare.You've said you want to be Most Improved Player and Finals MVP this season, will that improvement be on defense?You've mentioned adding a…
August 27, 2007, 10:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Being Raja Bell
If there is one player who wants another shot at the Finals, it's Raja Bell. Raja got a chance as a rookie to run with the Sixers and ended up guarding Kobe Bryant in their 2001 NBA Finals loss. He's come a long way as a player . Raja turned his buzz-worthy '06 postseason into a great '07 season…
August 27, 2007, 10:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Being Leandro Barbosa
The long summer continues as we wait for the Suns to bounce back and get Revenge. Next up is Leandro Barbosa. LB had a terrific season in 06-07. He won the Sixth Man of the Year Award, he gained some nationwide popularity and he became yet another star in the Suns' lineup. Barbosa emerged as one of…
August 27, 2007, 10:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Being Boris Diaw
Once again, returning to Amare Stoudemire's suggestion that the theme for the 07-08 season should be 'Revenge,' let's take another look at a player returning next season. While there was plenty of discussion about what Marcus Banks could have done last season, Boris Diaw had a letdown after winning…
August 27, 2007, 9:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Suns sign Grant Hill
August 27, 2007, 9:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
The State of Affairs
What, another Zei post? "Chances are it will be about something super important!" you all undoubtedly mutter as you get ready to tune out the numbers.First things first, aside from being rather disgruntled about us not taking Tiago Splitter at the #24, in the end it will prove to be a valuable move…
August 27, 2007, 9:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Thoughts on the Draft
So the iPhone came out yesterday. I'm on the iPhone team at Apple and it was a pretty fun night. In between calls, we'd read about the lines all over the country and the folks on the East coast trying to cash in on ebay and Craigslist. It was an energetic night that all of us had been looking…
August 27, 2007, 9:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
First Summer in Texas
August 27, 2007, 8:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Being Marcus Banks
So Amare suggests the motto for the 2007-08 season should be 'Revenge.' To regroup, run through the league and topple the Spurs- the Suns have to get better. The effort may or may not include Kevin Garnett but as the summer moves on I'm going to write about Suns who are likely returning next…
August 27, 2007, 8:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Ball Club Shirts (Instant Throwback)
UPDATE: The shirts are now sold out. Thanks for the support!
August 27, 2007, 8:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Trade Marion?
OK, it's all over the internet (like every summer) and it's all over our comments too. Should the Suns trade Shawn Marion?A few posts down, Zei breaks down the team's financial situation. They need to figure out a solution for the potential luxury tax bill by the trade deadline next season. The…
August 27, 2007, 7:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Raja and Kobe
I've been in the car all day so I missed shockwave sent through the NBA with Kobe Bryant demanding a trade...before being chilled out by Phil Jackson. Kobe may be openly loathed but I doubt there is any basketball fan who wouldn't want the guy on their team. The thought of a Kobe/Nash backcourt…
August 27, 2007, 7:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Kicked in the lottery balls
So the Portland Trailblazers won the Greg Oden sweepstakes and fans in Boston, Memphis and Phoenix all looked on in disappointment. Atlanta got the three pick and Memphis and Boston fell to 4 and 5 respectively. The Suns won't get the Hawks lottery pick but on the bright side it will be unprotected…
August 27, 2007, 7:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Upcoming Offseason
Well... I know I'm not the only one who thinks the offseason came entirely too soon. I didn't want to have to be writing this post until late June... but here it is, in the middle of May, that the Suns season ends and 07-08 starts.The first order of business, the order of business that dictates…
August 27, 2007, 7:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Fade to Black (SAS wins 4-2)
First, I had fun writing on this site and connecting with more fans and the writers.The Spurs ended the Suns' season 114-106.I didn't see the game but I did hear it on the radio while driving to Austin where I'm writing this post. I was tempted to swing by the arena and see if I could get a ticket…
August 27, 2007, 6:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
* (SAS 3-2)
Not much to say. Close game, somewhat expected result. Great shot by Bowen. On to Game 6.
August 27, 2007, 6:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Thuggery Wins, Fans lose
Amare and Boris out a game, Horry out two.
August 27, 2007, 6:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
2-2
UPDATE: What was Game 4?Was it the key win? Was it a season or roster defining win?We'll only know as this epic series delivers it's fantastic finish. Something happened in the fourth quarter of Game 4. The Suns became the team we've grown to love... and want them to be. They got stops. Marion was…
August 27, 2007, 6:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Spurs win slugfest (SAS 2-1)
With the long buildup between games and all the talk about dirty play, it was clear Game 3 would set the tone for the rest of the series. In a physical game, the Spurs got big performances from their big three and wore down the Suns in 108-101 victory.The Suns started well. After Amare Stoudemire…
August 27, 2007, 5:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Enjoy
UPDATE: Amare calls Spurs dirty after a couple plays in Game 2. The most blatant is Bruce Bowen kicking him on a dunk.
August 27, 2007, 5:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Tayshaun Prince goes down with sprained ankle
File this one under “well that kind of sucks:” Tayshaun Prince sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the United States’ game with Brazil on Sunday night in the FIBA Americas tournament. The 6-foot-9 forward for the Detroit Pistons fell and stayed on the floor after going…
August 27, 2007, 5:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Detroit is still young
The “Detroit is suddenly young” meme is catching on: “Middle of last season, people’d say Detroit’s window was closing. That 2010 roster doesn’t look so terrible now, does it?”
August 27, 2007, 5:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
The Playoffs: Where the Top Seed Means Jack
From my latest on Hoopsworld: What does this prove? That entering the playoffs with a top seed doesn’t guarantee anything. In fact, looking back at Detroit’s string of five Conference Finals appearances, the only times they managed to advance to the NBA Finals came during the two…
August 27, 2007, 5:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Suns Pull Away, 101-81 (Series Tied, 1-1)
An anonymous zombie-witch hybrid screams at the officials.I'm sure everyone out there is thinking "Hey, I wonder what Zei thinks about the game tonight!", and I'll not disappoint! ... Nobody is wondering? Nobody? Okay... but I'm still going to tell you. The Suns played with energy and really wanted…
August 27, 2007, 5:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Tony Ronzone on ESPN’s Daily Dish
Chad Ford had Tony Ronzone on the ESPN’s Daily Dish podcast earlier this week to talk Team USA basketball. (more…)
August 27, 2007, 5:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Alex Acker gets bumped in Spain
Alex Acker didn’t play much for the Pistons as a rookie, but he seemed to make serious strides playing in Greece last season. For a while, I figured it was a near certainty that he would return to Detroit this coming season, but when his Greek team declined his option the Pistons didn’t…
August 27, 2007, 5:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Will Billups and Prince get worn out this summer?
Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and the rest of Team USA kick things off with a game against Venezuela tonight at 11 pm on ESPN Classic (and a replay at 1am on ESPN2, for all your third-shift readers). As a fan, it’s kind of cool to see a couple of Pistons on the squad, but it also has me a…
August 27, 2007, 5:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
No Doubting Thomas
I'm paying special attention to the Kurt Thomas effort tonight. My observations will be in the comments.UPDATE: KT was awesome. Great move Coach.
August 27, 2007, 5:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Carlos Delfino update
You may have heard about Carlos Delfino’s recent knee injury, but fortunately for the Raptors, it’s not serious. In fact, he’ll likely miss only a game or two of the upcoming FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas before returning for Argentina before the end of the first…
August 27, 2007, 4:45 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Bill Laimbeer might be God
David Stern has issued a gag order preventing anyone under the NBA’s umbrella from speaking about Tim Donaghy. Bill Laimbeer reacts, with my added emphasis to highlight his awesomeness. From the New York Post: The crisis is so deep Stern has placed a gag order on NBA coaches and GMs.…
August 27, 2007, 4:45 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups are on Team USA
Coach Mike Krzyzewski made the final cuts for Team USA, and as expected both Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince survived. From the AP: The U.S. roster includes: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Redd, Miller, Tyson Chandler,…
August 27, 2007, 4:45 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Spurs steal Game 1 (SAS 1-0)
Winning on the road is a necessity on the playoffs. I watched this game on the road, in Reno on my way home from my grandmother's funeral. The Spurs outexecuted the Suns down the stretch and earned a 111-106 to steal homecourt advantage. This recap will be short because I need sleep after all the…
August 27, 2007, 4:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Praise for Hayes
Washington Post Wizards beat writer Michael Lee wishes Jarvis Hayes success (via PistonsNation)
August 27, 2007, 4:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Jarvis Hayes meets the media
Given the length and breadth of the comment thread in the previous post, I’m not too sure there’s anything that’s been unsaid about the Jarvis Hayes pickup. Nevertheless, he met with the media for the first time as a Piston this afternoon, and I feel compelled to tell you as much.…
August 27, 2007, 4:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Surprise! The Pistons sign Jarvis Hayes
The Pistons announced today the signing of Jarvis Hayes. From Pistons.com: We are pleased to add Jarvis Hayes to our roster,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “Jarvis has proven himself as a solid NBA player over the last four seasons and we like the…
August 27, 2007, 4:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Closing Out the Series - 119-110 Suns (Series 4-1, Suns)
Game 5, and the Suns showed up to play. I expected them to play a bit lazy, I expected them to come out a bit slow... but not so much. The game started with a four point play from James Jones and a quick 8 points from Raja. The Lakers fought hard the whole game, but the Suns really just put them…
August 27, 2007, 4:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Two TBJ links for the price of one
Two TBJ links for the price of one! Skeets and Tas dropped another podcast (”episode one eight four,” for those counting at home), and Skeets live-blogged Team USA’s first game last night (well, the first half, at least — read it twice if you want to know how the rest of the…
August 27, 2007, 4:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Tim Donaghy already kind of bores me
As I mentioned in the brief note on the right, Tim Donaghy finally turned himself in. The media responded as expected with a flurry of new articles about something most of us got bored talking about a long time ago. The only new development I’m even remotely interested in is that the actual…
August 27, 2007, 4:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Tim Donaghy heads to jail
Tim Donaghy, the NBA’s disgraced referee, finally turned himself in today. Am I the only one who doesn’t understand why it took more than three weeks for this to happen? Update: Here’s his official guilty plea.
August 27, 2007, 4:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Impressive Performances, 113-100 Suns (Series 3-1, Suns)
Tonight's game was just... absolutely... and... well... wow. Speechlessness is really the only appropriate way to describe exactly how ridiculous Nash and Amare played tonight. Two players with absolutely insane nights, on the same night.For those of you who didn't catch the game, I suggest…
August 27, 2007, 4:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Mamba is Coming
It’s almost time: Who Shot Mamba? Alternate title: “The Time-Consuming Project That Better Be Worth It Since It Kind of Ruined What Used to Be One of My Favorite Sites.” (Relax, I’m kidding! Kind of.)
August 27, 2007, 4:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
The case for Nazr Mohammed
Here’s my latest from HoopsWorld: As fate would have it, though, Mohammed once again appears to be Detroit’s fallback plan. Webber remains unsigned, and although rumor and logic still connect him with his hometown team there has been no solid indication he and the Pistons are even talking…
August 27, 2007, 4:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Tony Ronzone is making Team USA serious about scouting
As Henry Abbott explains on TrueHoop, Team USA has traditionally never paid much attention to scouting, but that’s changed now that Pistons director of basketball operations/international scouting guru Tony Ronzone is on board as an advance scout. Abbott recently caught up with Ronzone to…
August 27, 2007, 4:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Lakers Bounce Back, 95-89 Lakers (Series 2-1, Suns)
A confused Raja talks to a visibly disgusted Nash.Well, it was bound to happen and, honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that it happened. The Suns go nuts in game 2 and absolutely demolish the Lakers in every aspect. Everyone jumps on the "SWEEP!" bandwagon, people start talking like the series is…
August 27, 2007, 4:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns
Introducing... R Dizzle : Are you ready for some football?!
Two sport athletes have always intrigued me. There's been the flat out studs with their superior all world athletic talents and mental sharpness with respect to their sports that never ceased to amaze me. The expressions Bo Knows and Prime Time come to mind. Bo Jackson Royal by…
August 27, 2007, 2:45 PM ET from Golden State Of Mind
GSoF Version 2.0 - It's in the Game!
First, thanks to the starting 5, Tony.psd, , and the whole GSoM community for the warm welcome! It feels amazing to be part of the movement, and I know this football season will be a great one! With so much drama in the No Fun League over this last off-season, who knows what's in store for…
August 27, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Golden State Of Mind
Knicks 2007 Report Card (A to Z): Nate Robinson
KnickerBlogger: New Yorkers absolutely loved Nate Robinson when he first came to the Knicks. Coming out of the University of Washington, Robinson was a lilliputian guard with colossal physical abilities. Last year Robinson did what you’d expect from an undersized shooting guard. He led all…
August 27, 2007, 07:15 AM ET from KnickerBlogger.Net
Tayshaun Prince goes down with sprained ankle
File this one under “well that kind of sucks:” Tayshaun Prince sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the United States’ game with Brazil on Sunday night in the FIBA Americas tournament. The 6-foot-9 forward for the Detroit Pistons fell and stayed on the floor after going…
August 27, 2007, 03:15 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Like tallying praise to find out the favorite son
It may not get as much press as Luol Deng's globe-trotting ways, but Ben Gordon was doing his own similar deal over the weekend in his hometown, cheering up the community while dressed for apparently some super-cool funeral. Got me thinking (this is what happens during the down days of the…
August 27, 2007, 02:30 AM ET from Blog a Bull
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