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NBA-Blogs.net » Archive for 08/30/2007

Team USA takes on Carlos Delfino and friends

USA faces off against Argentina tonight at midnight (Detroit time) on ESPN2. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay up to watch but I’m definitely setting the DVR — not only am I excited to see what Carlos Delfino can do in a starring role (single tear …), I’m also…

August 30, 2007, 11:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

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 30, 2007, 8:30 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 30, 2007, 8:15 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 30, 2007, 7:45 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 30, 2007, 7:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns

Suns sign Grant Hill

August 30, 2007, 7:15 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 30, 2007, 7:00 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 30, 2007, 6:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns

First Summer in Texas

August 30, 2007, 6:30 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 30, 2007, 6:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns

Ball Club Shirts (Instant Throwback)

UPDATE: The shirts are now sold out. Thanks for the support!

August 30, 2007, 6:00 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 30, 2007, 5:45 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 30, 2007, 5:30 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 30, 2007, 5:15 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 30, 2007, 5:00 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 30, 2007, 4:45 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 30, 2007, 4:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns

Thuggery Wins, Fans lose

Amare and Boris out a game, Horry out two.

August 30, 2007, 4:15 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 30, 2007, 4:00 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 30, 2007, 3:45 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 30, 2007, 3:30 PM ET from The Rising Suns

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 30, 2007, 3:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns

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 30, 2007, 3:00 PM ET from The Rising Suns

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 30, 2007, 2:45 PM ET from The Rising Suns

Local TV schedule announced

Just in case you care about these types of things so far in advance, the Pistons released their local television schedule today.

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

Alex Acker and Barcelona kiss and make up

Remember how Alex Acker got dumped by his new Spanish team when they discovered a hidden knee injury? According to Keith Langlois, Acker has reached a new deal with Barcelona and will play in Spain after all. And yes, the Pistons still own his NBA rights.

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

Shock advance to East finals

It’s not my cup of tea, but some people will get excited for this: the Shock have advanced to the WNBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

Who would you build a team around?

If you were starting an NBA team from scratch, who would you pick to be the cornerstone? You can choose anyone, ignoring pesky things like salaries and contracts but taking into consideration age and long-term potential. It’s a tough question, but Bethlehem Shoals, Tom Ziller and I have come…

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

Tayshaun Prince returns to action for Team USA

Yesterday, A. Sherrod Blakely posted this on MLive.com: Because Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince are Team USA role players, being worn down when the season starts in a couple of months shouldn’t be an issue with either. Still, even with limited minutes, the chances of getting hurt remain…

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

On the 2004 Olympics and Bill Walton

Like many of you, I saw this AP article pop up in a few places about how some people wanted to send the Pistons to compete in the 2004 Olympics. It’s a cool idea, I guess, and I remember sportswriters talking about it at the time, but I don’t know why it’s being discussed now as…

August 30, 2007, 2:30 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

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 30, 2007, 2:30 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 30, 2007, 2:30 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 30, 2007, 2:30 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 30, 2007, 2:30 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 30, 2007, 2:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

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 30, 2007, 2:15 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 30, 2007, 2:15 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 30, 2007, 2:15 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys

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 30, 2007, 2:15 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 30, 2007, 2:15 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 30, 2007, 2:15 PM ET from The Rising Suns

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,…