Loyality Matters! Grant Hill to stay with the Suns

Trevor Ariza poster, featuring Grant Hill as Crash Test Dummy #1

In the land of immediate satisfaction, players are used to going to the well to see if they can join a winner…

Grant Hill decided to finish what he started in Phoenix.  That and they kept him relatively healthy… ESPN.com gives the details…

Grant Hill will return to the Phoenix Suns for $3 million next season and a player option for a second year, his agent said Friday.

Lon Babby said Hill received interest from seven teams, narrowed his choices to the Suns, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics and decided on Phoenix “largely because he feels he has unfinished business there. The Suns placed their faith in him. He didn’t want to leave Phoenix on a sour note.”

Boston would have been interesting, because that would have been a situation that where he could place himself with a contender.  But, he didn’t want to go out like one of my favorite players….

damn, why at the end of your career? Come when you have more in the tank!

or like this team…

Wow... I guess the Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays...

Hill, 36, was on a Hall of Fame track early in his career but was derailed by injuries. He achieved a personal triumph this past season by playing in all 82 games for the first time, but the Suns failed to make the playoffs.

Even though Phoenix traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer and Amare Stoudemire has been mentioned in trade discussions as well, Babby said “Grant assessed the quality of the team he would be returning to in Phoenix and feels comfortable they are going to be extremely competitive, and they’re excited about that.”

Way to be comfortable with what you have done and your paper stack…

CheapASSness by Dumars prevents Avery Johnson from being coach… Pistons hiring John Kuester from the Cavs…

Hello Chauncey! He isn't here anymore...that's okay... I have the Answer! He is leaving too? Well if I can control Rasheed's temper I am good to go! He left? F@#K! Who is left?!?!?!

Avery Johnson will not be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons, who are instead closing in on hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach John Kuester, according to ESPN.com

Johnson, an ESPN NBA analyst, confirmed in a SportsCenter interview Tuesday afternoon that he and the Pistons have broken off contract talks after more than two days of negotiations.

“At our present stage, we just feel it’s important that we continue to make decisions that are best for our team,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.

Sources close to the process told ESPN.com that the job would instead go to Kuester in a deal likely to be completed later Tuesday or Wednesday.

They had met several times and it seemed like they were on the path for an agreement.  Doug Collins stepped down and Flip had already signed with the Wizards (although it is tough to come home again…)  ESPN.com explains the reason for the empasse

The Pistons’ pursuit of Johnson ended, sources said, because Detroit — having paid both Flip Saunders and recently fired Michael Curry last season and still owing an estimated $5 million to Curry over the next two seasons — was only prepared to extend a two-year offer to Johnson with a team option for a third season.

So Joe Dumars did it because he is cheap…that is a sad commentary on the state of the economy…

It’s believed that Johnson wanted no less than the security of a four-year contract, given where the retooling Pistons stand in the Eastern Conference hierarchy after a 39-43 season and the fact that Detroit is looking for its sixth coach in Dumars’ 10 seasons running the front office. When that gap couldn’t be bridged, sources said, no formal offer was made to Johnson.

“I looked at it, I was interested in it, but I was only interested in it if we could agree on a vision for the team going forward,” Johnson said in the SportsCenter interview.

Dumars told the Detroit News: “Where we are right now as a team is kind of like where we were at the start of the Rick Carlisle era. And a $4 [million] to $5 million [per year] coach is not what we need right now. We didn’t have one of those until we were close to contending for a championship when we got Larry [Brown].”

Memo to Joe D… You are right in that you are no where near a championship team right now.  When are the owners going to hold your feet to the fire for this?

You drafted the guy NOT on the cover...

Doug Collins pulling out is not a surprise.  I think that he enjoys being courted and gets some weird vibe from rejecting others.  This might be the fourth job he has turned down, after kicking the tires and looking around and taking it out for a test drive…

TNT analyst Doug Collins withdrew from consideration last week after sources told ESPN.com that he was formally offered the Detroit job. Boston Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau is the only other known candidate, but sources say Dumars was always planning to move quickly to Kuester if no deal with Johnson could be reached.

It’s believed that Kuester’s offensive expertise and his history with the Pistons after working in Detroit as an assistant under Brown appeal greatly to Dumars. That’s despite that fact that Kuester — who was expected to travel to Detroit to meet face-to-face with Dumars later Tuesday — has never been a head coach in the NBA.

I cant believe that the finances and mistakes by Joe Dumars are going to cost the Pistons plenty by not getting a good coach like the Little General.  But, lets meet John Kuester

John Dewitt Kuester Jr.^[1] (pronounced: QUE-ster^[2]) (born February 6, 1955, in Richmond, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6’2″ (188 cm) 180 lb (82 kg) guard and played collegiately with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from 1973–77.^[3][4] He played in the NBA from 1977 to 1980. He is reportedly the new head coach of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

Here is his coaching bio

After his playing days, Kuester began a basketball coaching career, volunteering as an assistant at the University of Richmond in 1980 to 1981.^[4] From 1981 to 1983 he was an assistant to Rick Pitino at Boston University, before succeeding him in 1983 as the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I .^[2][3][4]

From 1985 to 1990 he was the head coach at George Washington University. His 1988-1989 Colonials team compiled a 1-27 record, one of the worst ever in NCAA history.^[4][6]

He continued his career on the sidelines in the NBA, joining the Boston Celtics in 1990 and serving as an assistant from 1995 to 1997,^[4] and from 1997 to 2003 an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers under head coach Larry Brown. In 2003-04, Kuester followed Brown to the Detroit Pistons where he also served as an assistant. In 2004-05 Kuester was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets,^[3] and returned to the 76ers once more in 2005-06. In July 2006, Kuester was named as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic.^[7]

On August 12, 2007, it was reported from league sources that Kuester would be named to Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown‘s staff, replacing the departing Kenny Natt.^[8]

His record as a head coach doesn’t inspire feelings of championships.  Admittedly, he was the youngest coach in Division One, but all the shows is that he was over matched.

School	Season	Record
		Overall	Conference
Boston University	1983-1984	20-9	0-0
Boston University	1984-1985	15-13	0-0
George Washington	1985-1986	12-16	7-11
George Washington	1986-1987	10-19	6-12
George Washington	1987-1988	10-17	0-0
George Washington	1988-1989	1-27	1-17
George Washington	1989-1990	14-17	10-6

You started to turn them around, but the 1-27 was probably too much to overcome.  He has NBA bench experience, but…all we can do is wait and see if Dumars dumpster diving is going to work out…

Guess who’s back? Phil X commits to Lakers for next year…

That is a confident smile of "Damn, I won AND I am going to beat up the coochie"

Just like Malcolm X, Phil Jackson deserves the X to signify greatness.  To push the record further out of reach, he has decided to come back for another year.

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest made retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than it already was.

And Jackson’s status is no longer an unknown, thanks to statement on the Lakers’ Web site Friday afternoon.

Jackson issued a statement confirming that he will be back to complete the final season of his contract, following an ESPN.com report earlier Friday that an announcement was forthcoming early next week.

“After consulting with Lakers team internist Dr. John Moe, I feel confident that I can gainfully pursue an NBA season with another long playoff postseason,” Jackson said in the statement. “All things point to go!”

Jackson left Los Angeles on Wednesday to make the drive back to his offseason home in Montana after completing a positive series of medical check-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.

In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by “early July” and insisted that health concerns would be the only factor that could keep him from completing the final season of his contract in 2009-10, worth an estimated $12 million.

Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson, 63, has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to two hip surgeries and occasional back and leg problems.

So, even though he is being held together with resin, bubble gum, basketball netting and a buring hatred of all things Celtic, he came back.  Part of the reason could be attributed to the signing of Artest, to play the role of Dennis Rodman.

A riddle, wrapped in a enigma, shrouded in mystery...that is the NBA and WCL trades

One theory already in circulation holds that Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to sign Artest in part to entice Jackson with a challenge to come back after winning his record-setting 10th championship ring as a coach, breaking his longstanding tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.

The ability to keep Dennis Rodman plugged in with the Chicago Bulls, something only Jackson and Michael Jordan managed after Rodman’s early days with the Detroit Pistons, helped him win three of those rings.

Asked during a SportsCenter appearance Thursday if he believes he’ll be playing for Jackson when he reports to Lakers training camp in October, Artest said flatly, “He’s my coach.”

Artest also told the Los Angeles Times: “I had a great talk [Thursday] with Phil. I’m a huge fan of his and I can’t wait to show him what I can do.”

Memo to Bulls GM: Lying is not a good negotiation strategy

Gar Forman, the GM of the Chicago Bulls

The News is out that Ben Gordon is leaving Chicago and going to the Detroit Pistons. How did it get to this stage?

ESPN Chicago details what sounded like a team who wanted to re-sign Ben Gordon

When he was introduced as the team’s GM on May 21, Forman spoke about Gordon.

“We like Ben,” Forman said at the time. “He’s our kind of guy. He’s got great makeup and character, a great work ethic. Our goal is to re-sign Ben Gordon. In the conversations we’ve had, I think Ben wants to stay here in Chicago.”

Listening (or in our case reading) that, you would think that the Bulls would resign this guy.  Remember the series that he had against Boston?

But, the truth comes out…ESPN Chicago continues…

Gordon was reminded that the Bulls said re-signing him was a priority.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Like I just told you, there was no offer made. So you guys can put it together. I’m happy about my new situation now. I’m looking forward to it.”

Maybe he should have taken the first offer two summers ago, but he didn’t.  Now, he is going to make almost 10 million more.  A risky gamble, but one that paid out.  Players often talk about respect, but owners,  you should read that as money…

“As far as the organization giving me my respect, I really don’t know what they thought of me. When you go through the negotiations I’ve gone through, the writing is kind of on the wall.”

Gordon reportedly rejected $50 million offers from the Bulls the last two summers. Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Gordon’s agent Raymond Brothers wanted to accept the five-year, $50 million offer last summer after initially rejecting it, but the Bulls decided it was too late and took the offer off the table.

Bulls, this is what you lost….Hope you have something to replace him…

But, wait a minute, didn’t they say that they were going to try to re-sign them?  I understand if they get outbid, but to not make an offer is disingenious.

Gordon visited the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday — the first full day of NBA free agency — and committed to a five-year deal for between $55 million and $60 million, sources told ESPN.com. Contracts can’t be signed until July 8.During an interview on ESPN 1000’s “Waddle & Silvy” show, Gordon was asked how aggressively the Bulls pursued him.

“I mean, they didn’t pursue me at all,” Gordon said. “They didn’t even make an offer, so it was pretty much a one-man race.”

This is not a good look if you are trying to attract free agents to your spot, if they know that you are a liar…

Is this guy worth the headache?

NBA's most wanted...Not the ref, who wants him? But, Rasheed Wallace

Here’s how badly the Boston Celtics believe Rasheed Wallace can be the difference in winning an 18th NBA championship next season: Coach Doc Rivers and the Big Three have made a recruiting trip to woo him, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Sports

So if you need nicknames, then you might have found your man.  But Rasheed has been in decline and has been known to be a disruptive force before. I dug in the crates for this older news piece from the NY Times

June 4, 2005

After Being Driven to Distraction, Pistons Are Seeking a Way Back

By LIZ ROBBINS

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 3 – Rasheed Wallace was laughing and hitting trick 3-pointers on Friday, seemingly carefree for a player who was fined $20,000 by the N.B.A. for suggesting a referees’ conspiracy after the Pistons lost on Thursday night to the Heat in Miami.

In a profane outburst, Wallace said the referees would call Game 6 in the Pistons’ favor just to extend the Eastern Conference finals to seven games. Ka-ching went the N.B.A.’s cash register.

Wallace, who did not talk to reporters on Friday, contributed 2 points and 1 technical foul in 27 foul-plagued minutes during the 88-76 loss. Becoming unhinged – as he has throughout his career – Wallace typified the instability of the Pistons.

The defending champions have no time left to cry foul, no room for their big men to come up empty. Their playoff run is in jeopardy.

I love his intensity and his ability to bring big men out of the lane, since they have to guard his jumpshot, since his range is out to the 3pt line.  But, a team could not bring him aboard without a strong veteran presence to keep him in line.  In Portland, they were all pretty young, so he was the leader of the lost boys.

Lord of the Flies Battle between coach and player

but the possibilities….Rockets, I might start here instead of Gortat…just be a crazy ass team with him and Artest.