Big test for Bynum
By CURTIS ZUPKE The Orange County Register EL SEGUNDO - Andrew Bynum will get his biggest test of the season to date when he faces Orlando’s Dwight Howard on Sunday at Staples Center. The 6-foot-11 Howard leads the NBA in rebounds with 15 per game and comes off a 30-point, 23-rebound game…
December 01, 2007, 8:30 PM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Weekend brings the Bucks and Nets
The Pistons have a busy weekend, playing the Bucks in Milwaukee tonight (Skeets says this one’s in the bag — Book it, baby!) before flying back overnight to host the Nets at the Palace on Sunday. As it happens, I have a busy weekend as well — I’m actually in Chicago, posting…
December 01, 2007, 8:00 PM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Q&A: Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty, Ballhype, and Fanhouse
With the Warriors facing their NorCal rivals the Sacramento Kings tonight at Arco, I thought it would be an ideal time to check in with our man Tom Ziller. TZ has the most dangerous triple threat of any hoops blogger alive with his excellence on SBN brother site Sactown Royalty, his…
December 01, 2007, 3:15 PM ET from Golden State Of Mind
RECAP: Warriors 114, Rockets 93 -- The Bruce Bowen Effect
Final Yahoo! Boxscore After starting 0-6 and looking like a one-trick-pony that the “We Believe” haters had continually harped them to be, the Warriors have roared back to a respectable 8-7 record. The Warriors, beating the Houston Rockets 113-94 at the Roaracle, kept…
December 01, 2007, 3:00 PM ET from Golden State Of Mind
GSoM Adonal Foyle POP QUIZ: 2 FREE Tix to Monday's Magical "WE WANT FOYLE!" Game
Unless the Warriors and Magic meet up in the NBA Finals (haha, probably not) this will be the only time Warrior legend and former face of the franchise Adonal Foyle comes to the town. I expect to hear "WE WANT FOYLE!" in between every "Let's Go War-ri-ors!" chant. …
December 01, 2007, 2:45 PM ET from Golden State Of Mind
Open Game Thread # 14: Bulls vs Charlotte Bobcats
[Thanks to chgobr for today's game thread. -Matt] The Bobcats 6-8 come to town with a four game losing streak. They have some good talent in an emerging star point guard Raymond Felton (Charlotte Observer), Emekar Okafor and Gerald Wallace. They are athletic and usually play with a lot of…
December 01, 2007, 2:15 PM ET from Blog a Bull
Definitive Obstructions
Photo by Barry Gossage via Getty ImagesEveryone knows they're favorite players strong points. They know how D-Wade loves to pull up for the mid-range jumper when guys are playing them too loose, just to keep them honest. They know all about how any time Dwight Howard catches a ball near the hoop…
December 01, 2007, 10:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Suns stay hot, doubters get fuel
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.So if you read NBA previews, a lot of people picked the Suns to nab the number one seed in the West and picked the Spurs to repeat. A lot of people knocked the Suns for letting Kurt Thomas go and poo-pooed the Grant Hill signing. A lot of people think this team…
December 01, 2007, 10:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Suns warming up
Sorry for the lack of updates Suns fans. I've been a little busy and some games I'm catching on radio (free NBA Audio League Pass FTW) or other means. This past week brought some dysfunctional Eastern conference teams to PHX.The Knicks came to town with Stephon Marbury. Apparently Isiah Thomas told…
December 01, 2007, 09:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Suns' Week in Pictures
* The pics that mention scores link to box scores.
December 01, 2007, 09:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Win for the Godfather
Sunday's night game is definitely one I would have loved to have been at. While the Suns play was uneven, the halftime festivities were special as Jerry Colangelo was added to the Ring of Honor. The Suns responded by making a run and put away the Cavaliers in the second half 103-92I was happy the…
December 01, 2007, 09:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
A Season In Review
How far are we into the season? Three games? It's practically over, right? Okay. Then it's time to review the performance of our players, clearly.Thus far, in 2/3rds of our games (That's 67%!) the Suns have beat a team that they should have no problem beating. So far, in 3/3rds of our games…
December 01, 2007, 09:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Time to get in shape
Here's ten things I thought about during last night's loss.1. Even people who don't watch basketball want to know if Kobe is getting traded. Some dude at the gas station asked me about it. I think he was a terrorist.2. Tons of people complimented me on my KJ jersey yesterday. One Spurs fan at work…
December 01, 2007, 08:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Suns beat Sonics in season opener
Suns take the season opener 106-99 over the Seattle Supersonics.Not gonna write much of a recap because it's kinda late and I watched the game on DVR. We've got the Lakers tonight though so that should be fun. Feel free to talk it out in the comments. Just as a heads up, I usually write about…
December 01, 2007, 08:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Being Steve Nash: 07-08 Phoenix Suns Preview
The end to last season sucked. (As I type this the Sp*rs are getting their rings.) We've heard plenty of whining, complaining, conspiracy theories and trade rumors to try and cope with that fact. The new season is here.We've taken time this summer to look at how the returning players on our…
December 01, 2007, 08:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Phoenix Suns - 07-08 Season Preview
It's that time of year again, preseason is finishing up and regular season is approaching as rapidly as someone doing 25 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. (Slowly. Very slowly.) To prepare you, the fan, for the upcoming season... here is what you can expect out of the Suns upcoming season. The facts, the…
December 01, 2007, 08:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
So that’s what Jeff Ruland has been up to …
Also, in case you missed it, Ryan Pretzer of Pistons.com was in Ft. Wayne for the Mad Ants’ opening night a week ago today.
December 01, 2007, 07:45 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
From Start To Finish
While watching the first game of the preseason, something struck me as peculiar towards the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. We went through a stretch of the game where the most consistent outside shooter on the floor for the Suns was Marcus Banks... which means a couple…
December 01, 2007, 07:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Chad Ford talks with Pistons.com
Ryan Pretzer of Pistons.com chatted with ESPN’s Chad Ford about why he’s picking the Pistons to win the title this year.
December 01, 2007, 07:30 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
More Surgery
Arizona RepublicSuns All-Star center Amaré Stoudemire did not get on the team bus to Tucson today because he is scheduled to undergo an arthroscopy on his right knee Tuesday morning.It will be Stoudemire's third knee surgery in two years but it is not the knee that undwent the microfracture…
December 01, 2007, 07:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Still waiting for Stuckey
Turns out his “earlier than expected” return won’t happen after all. From Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press: Pistons rookie Rodney Stuckey left a doctor’s visit Wednesday without the news he hoped to hear. He wasn’t cleared for anything beyond the non-contact…
December 01, 2007, 07:15 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Carousel of the Sun
The Suns have had a long history of being a team that will "make the deal". This theoretical deal, of course, is the deal where they will make a big trade in order to get better, or to fix the team. From the deal sending Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang to Philly for the off beat yet…
December 01, 2007, 07:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Pistons and Cavs: revenge, or just a regular season game?
I’m going with the latter — what about you? I’ll be taking off soon for tonight’s game between the Cavs and Pistons at the Palace. As usual, check out HOOPSWORLD for my pre-game, halftime and post-game reports. Random display of self-awareness: I’ve been linking to…
December 01, 2007, 07:00 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Marion wants out
Shawn Marion has asked to be traded and has gone public with his feelings. He's sick of the trade rumors and wants to end it with an actual...trade.EDIT: Marion wants to go to the Lakers.According to Suns beat writer Paul Coro, well publicized talks with Utah for AK47 as well as the Lakers dangling…
December 01, 2007, 07:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Sammy Mejia cut by Ft. Wayne
It’s a fine, fine line between being good enough to play in the NBA and being banished overseas. Sammy Mejia, who almost made the Pistons roster, was waived by the D-League Ft. Wayne Mad Ants. From Chris McCosky’s blog for the Detroit News: Don’t know if you caught this, but…
December 01, 2007, 06:45 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
The Marion Paradox
Everyone who follows the NBA knows about the Suns by now. They know about the Suns style, they know about the Suns players. They know about the run and the gun, they know about the Steve Nash alley oops and the Amare dunks, the three point barrages, the ups and downs the Suns go through over the…
December 01, 2007, 06:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Premature evaluation: grading the Pistons 13 games in
Yes, it’s insanely early to grade the team after 13 games, but Kevin Sawyer does not live by the rules of mere mortals. So read on and share your grades in the comments. ___________ By Kevin Sawyer Chauncey Billups – A- Most players excel prior to signing a contract, then experience a…
December 01, 2007, 06:30 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Amare Stoudemire - Chris Bosh
Boshosaurus Rex and STAT, respectively.I wrote this elsewhere (in a forum) in a discussion as to whether or not you would rather have Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh on your team. I found that this practically wrote itself, as there's so much to talk about on both subjects, so I imagine I will be…
December 01, 2007, 06:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
An early, early look at the Coach of the Year race
It’s pretty damn early to be having this conversation, but if we’re already grading the players, let’s take a look at the Coach of the Year race, too.
December 01, 2007, 06:15 AM 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…
December 01, 2007, 06:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Coach Rasheed?
During Friday’s game against Philly, I wrote in my halftime blog entry at halftime over at HOOPSWORLD that Rasheed Wallace was active on the sidelines, despite being relegated to street clothes because of a knee injury: It’s a little strange to see Rasheed Wallace on the sidelines in…
December 01, 2007, 06:00 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 06:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
On Antonio’s naked arm
On Wednesday, in his first game back after missing three with a shoulder injury, Antonio McDyess scored 20 points against the Knicks. After the game, he said that he’d probably continue to wear the sleeve for a few more games … but there he was on Friday and Sunday without it. What…
December 01, 2007, 05:45 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 05:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Pistons and Jazz play an early one
Pistons and Jazz have an early afternoon matinée at the Palace. I’ll be courtside for HOOPSWORLD — be sure to check out my pre-game, halftime and post-game thoughts. As usual, leave your thoughts and observations in the comments.
December 01, 2007, 05:30 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 05:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
You, Me and Ronald Dupree
Elie Seckbach always cracks me up, especially when he’s talking to the Pistons. I’m guessing that’s from the Pistons’ recent trek through Elie’s neck of the woods at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Other random links: My latest from HOOPSWORLD, taking stock…
December 01, 2007, 05:15 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Suns sign Grant Hill
December 01, 2007, 05:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Pistons host Sixers
The Pistons host the 76ers tonight — ball tips at 8pm. No time for a proper preview, but be sure to check out HOOPSWORLD for the latest on Rasheed Wallace as well as some other pre-game thoughts. And, of course, leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.
December 01, 2007, 05:00 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 05:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Zeke and Co. visit Detroit
The Knicks have become something of a joke in the media (not that I mind — it certainly makes my FanHouse duties easier), but they get to escape the pressure-cooker that is Madison Square Garden for a quick one-game road trip in Detroit before the holiday. Two schools of thought for this…
December 01, 2007, 04:45 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 04:45 AM ET from The Rising Suns
DBB t-shirt in the wild, and something to do with Facebook
That’s DBB reader Q Dog, reppin’ Detroit Bad Boys before a game during the Pistons’ recent stop in Portland. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a picture of someone else wearing a DBB t-shirt, so I was pretty psyched when he passed this along. Check out his…
December 01, 2007, 04:30 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
First Summer in Texas
December 01, 2007, 04:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Arron Afflalo on UCLA and being drafted
For Arron Afflalo, last week’s trip to Los Angeles to play the Lakers was a trip back home. For those who followed his career with UCLA, you’ll appreciate this interview he did with SportsHubLA before last Friday’s game.
December 01, 2007, 04:15 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
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…
December 01, 2007, 04:15 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Boo on those who booed
What a shame that Derek Fisher, just nominated for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year award, got booed repeatedly by Utah fans. Fisher was the main leadership for a Utah team that reached the Western Conference finals last season, wasn’t he? “I’m choosing not to…
December 01, 2007, 04:15 AM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
TrueHoop talks with Bennett Salvatore
Henry Abbott sat down with Bennett Salvatore recently for a big long interview that’s been broken into several installments on TrueHoop. Go now and read it, even if it takes your entire lunch break. (more…)
December 01, 2007, 04:00 AM ET from Detroit Bad Boys
Ball Club Shirts (Instant Throwback)
UPDATE: The shirts are now sold out. Thanks for the support!
December 01, 2007, 04:00 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Definitive Obstructions
Photo by Barry Gossage via Getty ImagesEveryone knows they're favorite players strong points. They know how D-Wade loves to pull up for the mid-range jumper when guys are playing them too loose, just to keep them honest. They know all about how any time Dwight Howard catches a ball near the hoop…
December 01, 2007, 03:30 AM ET from The Rising Suns
Jazz 120, Lakers 96
SALT LAKE CITY – There’s a star on the rear, left side of Lamar Odom’s head. He had his barber leave hair there to make that symbolic design for Odom going into this season. Is that the only star the Lakers will get from their trade of Shaquille O’Neal more than three years ago? Odom (seven…
December 01, 2007, 02:15 AM ET from Lakers: Locker Talk by Kevin Ding
Sonics headed for third win?
The Sonics have looked in control so far and lead 49-48 at the half. It's the first time the Sonics have led at halftime since playing at Charlotte, when Seattle held a 49-47 lead. Of course, Seattle got blown out in the second half. Rookie Kevin Durant leads all scorers with 13 points, including…
December 01, 2007, 01:00 AM ET from Sonics Insider by Frank Hughes
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