Foul Shot: "No. 3! Chauncey!"

 Technical Foul: Stephen A. Smith drops the ball and bungles NBA champ Mr. Big Shot's jersey number on ESPN's First Take - "No. 3! Chauncey!"

NBA Grapevine: Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups involved in potential 3- way trade

There are rumors on the NBA grapevine that an imminent deal is on hand involving three parties- the Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons.

The Carmelo Anthony situation in Denver is becoming untenable day by day ever since the All Star forward indicated that he wants out of the Mile High City and the Nuggets are pushing hard to get as much value in return if they are to part with their prized player.

The deal is said to involve shipping the Nets' Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two first round picks to the Nuggets, who will then send Anthony and Billups to New Jersey in return.

The deal will also send disgruntled Pistons guard Rip Hamilton to the Nets in exchange for power- forward Troy Murphy and his $8 million expiring contract which will be shouldered by the Pistons.



Photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America

Detroit Pistons' Spare Tires

The once proud and mighty Detroit Pistons were once again bamboozled and humiliated by Lebron James and Co. in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

I will not be surprised if ever the Cavs will run over the hapless Pistons and sweep the series since the spirit and enthusiasm of the Detroit players were absent all season. Gone are the swagger of a confident and proud team. They're ripe for the taking by a very hungry and determined team.

So, what can a Pistons fan do?

Well, we need to take the ass-whipin' on the chin and look at the bright side. No, we're not talking here about the next season. We're talking about a way to cope with the embarassing decline of the franchise.

Thank God for the Pistons All- Male Cheerleaders, the Spare Tires, We Pistons fan can still have a good time.

So here's Hooper and his Spare Tires

Pistons All The Way!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Will Allen Iverson be the Answer to the Detroit Lions’ rotten football season?

No, we're not talking about practice. We're not talking about basketball either. We're actually talking about Football here.

The NFL’s Detroit Lions at 0- 12 as of this writing are winless and are on track of finishing the worst season in franchise history. It is the laughingstock of the football world and is the butt of all kinds of jokes in their football- crazy hometown.

I can still remember vividly what the driver of the Ford Rouge Factory tour bus had said when we passed by and pointed at the Lions’ training facility in Allen Park on our way to the F- 150 factory in Dearborn, “that’s the state of the art training center of the Detroit Lions, they got all the beautiful high tech toys and gadgets in there. If only they learn how to win a game, my world will be better.”

Yes, the Lions, the odd-man out in Detroit’s highly- successful Sports franchises is so pathetic that many people in Motown are actually clamoring for Allen Iverson to ditch the Pistons and lead the hapless Football team as its starting Quarterback.

Now, of course that’s just one of the silly prepositions and the current outrageous joke circulating in various sports bars and tail-gating venues, that maybe, the Answer, who once played QB back in high school (and even won a state title back then) could be the answer to the team’s woes even for a day.

But with the current rot that the Lions are in, I really think that it's worth a try.

Oops…


Anyway, here's AI playing QB and leading his team in High School...

Trading Places: The Answer for Mr. Big Shot et al

My home team, the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets have made the decision to exchange point guards. Allen Iverson will wear the Pistons jersey for at least a year while it will be a homecoming of sorts for Denver native Chauncey Billups and original Nugget Antonio McDyess (who was added together with reserve center Cheikh Samb to sweeten the deal and create some salary cap rooms in the Pistons locker).


The Pistons are looking to Iverson to finally Answer the riddle why they always end up stuck in the Eastern Conference Finals the last four years despite going all the way to the championships in 2004 while the Denver Nuggets are looking to Mr. Big Shot’s shots in the crucial stages of the game to finally get over the hump which is the First Round of the NBA playoffs.

Whether this blockbuster trade will work out and benefit both teams remains to be seen. At least for now, both teams are happy and think that they made the right decisions to make their teams better and their fans happy. But one thing’s sure; these players albeit in the waning years of their careers will have a sudden impact in their new teams.


Hoop Notes: If the Nuggets will waive him off, just let McDyess go back to the Pistons, the guy just has class and still got some game left in his 34 year old body. But only if the Nuggets will once again decide to part ways with him for the third or will this turn out to be the third time’s a charm for him in Denver?

PISTONS prove they are worthy of Title

The Detroit Pistons officially are the new king of the NBA.

They steamrolled and ran over the favored Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the 2004 NBA World Championship Series at the Palace of Auburn Hills. They brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to the Motor City after 14 long years when Isaiah Thomas and his bad Boys won back-to- back titles in 1989 and 1990.

The road back to glory is not paved in gold and roses.

They took the road less traveled and persevered against the odds. The press wrote them off early as mere pretenders to the throne reserved only for the NBA’s royalty.

They were labeled as a crop of big-time chokers once and were pronounced just lucky to eke out a win over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Championships.

Many said the series would be lopsided in favor of the mighty Lakers and the Pistons would be lucky to win even once against them.

Instead, the Pistons did not roll over and die in the series. Their engines and batteries did not conk out as most people predicted them to. They showed the world that they’re made of much sterner stuff than what many of their detractors believed.

The 100- 87 final score in Game 5 said it all and showed their dominance of the series that left the Lakers stunned and the people in awe.
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The News- Herald
A Heritage Newspaper Michigan, USA
C2004