Charlie Villanueva Suspended For Five Games

((HT: FSDetroit/NBA/ESPN/Clevelandsports247))

The Pistons-Cavs game really meant a whole lot of nothing as the NBA season came to a clse, but it wasn't without its fireworks...

Villanueva brings a new definition to "moving pick" and "swinging gate."
Interesting...


As a result, Villanueva has been suspended five games without pay for the fight with Hollins and "attempting to escalate the altercation by entering the Cavaliers' locker room on two occasions following his ejection..."

It's one for this year and the first four of next year...
Well done, Charlie...

Are The Pistons In Mutiny...???

((HT: WXYZ-TV Detroit))

Chris Wilcox, Austin Daye, Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton all missed the Pistons bus to the arena in Philadelphia yesterday for one reason or another. Daye and Stuckey caught their own rides, but missed the shootaround and didn’t arrive at ((what is now)) the Wells Fargo Center until the media availability was almost over.

Wilcox and Hamilton never showed up.

Tracy McGrady was excused with a headache and Tayshaun Prince had a stomach ache. Ben Wallace, who’s been dealing with a family matter, also missed the shootaround.

That left Charlie Villanueva, Greg Monroe, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, DuJuan Summers and Jason Maxiell as attendees.

Here's an interview with for now-head coach John Kuester after the mutiny...
Sorry, "shootaround..."


Naturally, the Sixers won 110-94
FOSG Beau Estes has the highlights
((HT: NBA/NBA.com/youtube))


And, by the way, Kuester only played the six that showed...

Cavaliers lose again...26 and counting...

This says it all/Courtesy: joey morona-cleveland.com

It was a game that some people thought might be the one. The one to break what is now about to become the all-time pro sports record for most consecutive losses.

The Cleveland Cavaliers put up barely a fight in losing Wednesday night to Detroit, 103-94. It ties the Cavs with the Tampa Bay Bucs, who lost the first 26 games they ever played in the 70's. It gets worse. Not only do they tie, and more than likely pass the record later this week, they've now lost 36 of their past 37.

More from Cleveland.com RIGHT HERE

Really, there isn't much more that you can say about this other than what has been said. If the Cavs win 2 more games this year, they avoid the worst NBA record of all-time. But we are beginning to wonder if that will happen. They are now 8-45 on the year. Which means at one point this season, they were 7-8.

Seemingly, it's no one issue that is causing this collapse. They've been competitive in a lot of games and then they've had a bunch of turkeys too, where they almost didn't show up. In the NBA, if you don't have the talent the other team does, you still have a chance to win...if you are willing to work harder than the team that you are playing. The Cavaliers either don't understand or aren't willing to do that.

Your highlights, Courtesy of NBA.com:

Carmelo Anthony could head to New Jersey in a team changing deal...

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups/Courtesy: Zimbio.com

Yeah, it sounds like it's getting close to happening. Today's NBA,  a league where you can be a great player in a small market, complain, and then end up in a big city. The new poster child for this appears as though it will be Carmelo Anthony.

The Bergen Record, and now several other outlets are reporting that Denver, New Jersey and the Detroit Pistons are about to pull off a trade that could involve up to 14 or 15 players and a couple of draft picks.

Yeah, you heard correctly. 14 or 15 players. According to the Record, the Nets would be giving up 6 players and 2 draft picks to get Anthony, who while a very good player, won't be able to play by himself.

Read more from Al Iannazzone of the Bergen Record RIGHT HERE

Here's the best breakdown we can ascertain from this: The Nuggets, get a couple of good, young players...Devin Harris and Derrick Favors and with this can basically start rebuilding. The Nets, would get Chauncey Billups...if he agrees, along with Anthony. They would team with Brook Lopez and Richard Hamilton who would come from Detroit. The Nets become an instant playoff team.

Of course, this hinges on two things: Anthony being willing to sign an expensive contract extension and Billups being willing to come with him.

As for Detroit. They get two expiring contracts to clear space for the pending sale of the team. Getting rid of Hamilton cleans out a whole lot more. They pretty much are resigning themselves to the draft lottery.

There is also speculation that getting Anthony in New Jersey, which will soon be playing in Brooklyn, NY, would help the Nets draw good buddy Chris Paul from New Orleans sometime in the next two seasons and create another "Alleged" SuperTeam for new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

We will continue monitoring this and have the full details if or when it happens.

Here's video of Anthony, playing "Pop-A-Shot" on the Jimmy Kimmel show:

Ilitch looking to take over Detroit Sports

Illitch's//Courtesy: littlecaesar's.com

Kind of like the way Ted Leonsis has 2 of Washington D.C's 4 sports teams, Mike Ilitch wants to do something similar in Detroit.

Ilitch already owns the Tigers and the Red Wings, both pretty successful teams and we guess profitable teams. He now wants to step up and purchase the for sale Detroit Pistons.

As usual the Detroit Free-Press has a lot to say about this. More from columnist Mitch Albom RIGHT HERE
Vince Ellis has a good summary of what would happen RIGHT HERE

Illitch's logic is good. He wants the team to package with the Red Wings and put in a new arena closer to town. That, theoretically will be a profitable move on the pizza king's part.

It's an interesting theory and might not be such a bad thing for Detroit or its sports franchises. The other part of this probably will require a new arena to be built in downtown Detroit, which, while on the surface would be a good thing, is also something a crumbling city with major unemployment and financial problems probably can't afford.

Well, since WXYZ's TV Story isn't there even though the site claims it is, we'll move on to our friends at ClickOnDetroit.com. However their video is not embeddable, so if you want to see the TV version of this story, then just click RIGHT HERE

Stuckey Okay After Cleveland Collapse

((HT: Detroit Free Press/Ellis))

Rodney Stuckey of the Detroit Pistons is doing well the day after collapsing on the bench during the third quarter of the pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers game Friday night.

According to Pistons officials, Stuckey is at the Cleveland Clinic awaiting further testing. If those continue to come out positive, then Stuckey will be given permission to return to the team.

With two-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter mark of the third quarter, Stuckey came to the bench during a time-out, complained of dizziness and motioned for strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander. He looked like he was having a seizure of some kind before collapsing in Kander's arms.

He passed out and was taken from Quicken Loans Arena on a stretcher with an oxygen mask. An EKG was also administered to Stuckey.

This happened to him last season as well. He experienced dizziness and had to helped from the floor in another contest, and went on to miss the following two games.

Kander told Cleveland media Saturday morning that Stuckey seems okay: "He's doing well. All the tests have come back negative. It was a more dramatic this time because it was on TV," Kander said. "I think he's going to be OK. When we talked last night, he sounded normal."

Here's last night's coverage from WOIO-TV in Cleveland...

Pistons Fire Michael Curry

((HT: MyFoxDetroit/WJBK-TV))

The Detroit Pistons fired Michael Curry ((pictured, thanks WJBK-TV)) on Tuesday after finishing under .500 in his first year as coach and was swept in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pistons began the season with big hopes but couldn't recover from the loss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups in a November trade to Denver for Allen Iverson.

The Pistons went 39-43 and exited the postseason in four lopsided losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joe Dumars, the team's president for basketball operations, said after that series that Curry would return.

"This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said in a statement Tuesday. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."

Immediately after the season, Dumars defended Curry in the face of Detroit's demise.

"It was an up-and-down season for him," Dumars said. "And, an up-and down-season for us. ... The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been."

"During the season I said to myself, 'What effect is this having on him as a first-year coach.' I tried to put myself in his shoes."

A message was left on Curry's cell phone Tuesday seeking comment. In January, he said he expected to be held responsible for the team's fortunes.

"It's part of the job," he said. "When you lose, it's the coach's fault. When you win, the players get the praise."

Dumars fired coach Flip Saunders last year after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry was an assistant under Saunders for one season.

The Pistons parted ways with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown in 2005 after he helped them win a title and almost repeat during his two years with the team.

Rick Carlisle was fired after two years with the Pistons following an Eastern Conference finals appearance in his second season and NBA Coach of the Year honors in his first.

Curry is a former president of the NBA Players Association. He played for the Pistons in 1995-1997 and 1999-2003.

Here's Dumars full interview with MyFoxDetroit's Jennifer Hammond...

Chuck Daly Dies At 78

OSG has learned of the death of former NBA and Olympic head coach Chuck Daly, he was 78. Daly had been battling pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. He passed away Saturday morning.

What set Chuck Daly apart from most of his coaching peers was that he got it. Daly knew the NBA was a players league and that "they allow you to coach them or they don't, once they stop allowing you to coach, you're on your way out." Daly was quoted some years back.

How else can you explain how Daly coached the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980's and early 1990's to a pair of NBA Championships with the group of characters on those teams. Guys like Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn who would just beat the hell out of you, Dennis Rodman who was just out there and one of the best guard combos in NBA history with Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.

Perhaps Daly's finest moment was coaching the Dream Team to the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Daly's coaching reputation was making the right moves and perhaps his best was in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. That's when a group of college players Daly coached defeated the Dream Team in a controlled scrimmage. The humbled NBA superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and the rest got the point.

Chuck Daly became the only head coach to win an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.

What's crazy is that with all his success Daly was never named NBA coach of the year. That's too bad, he was one of the best.

"The Daly family and the entire Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment family is mourning the loss of Chuck Daly," family and team spokesman Matt Dobek said. "Chuck left a lasting impression with everyone he met both personally and professionally and his spirit will live with all of us forever."

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images