http://www.nba.com/news/mediablog2006_central.html

Some of my favorite ones.

No Pistons ones yet.


Posted by Charlie Bell on Oct. 2, 2006 at 1 p.m. ET

The summer was great. This was the first summer spent where I had a guaranteed contract for the next season so it was very relaxing. Every year before, I had to work out for teams or I would have to sit by the phone waiting for a call for a workout.

Now I was not worried about whether I was playing overseas or not. This year though, I got to work on specific things for myself and the team. I was relaxed and I got to spend some time with my family.

The whole team seems to be excited about this season. We've just been playing some pick-up games but you can tell the difference already. The defensive intensity already exceeds last season.

The new uniforms, which I love, reflect our new attitude. The material is a shiny material and the red in the uniform is upbeat and I think that matches what we want to be on the court, which is up-tempo.


Posted by Gary Payton on Oct. 2, 2006 at 1:22 p.m. ET

I got everything from the championship framed this summer. All of us got one shoe from everybody else, we framed all that. I went on a lot of trips and went to a lot of weddings of all of the guys in the NBA. It’s been nice. I took my daughter to her college of choice. She chose LSU because of Shaq so she’ll be going there next fall. It was short, but I was was with the family a lot so it was a good time.

I have a personal trainer to stay in shape. I don’t really try to play much basketball in the off-season because I think that’s a way of getting hurt or having a freak accident. I work out one-on-one with my trainer. I do a lot of shots, a lot of cardio. I try to get myself in shape when we get to practice with my own team because there is better structure than going out and playing basketball with other people.

It’s going to be a different feel this year. Teams are going to come at us. We don’t expect nothing. We have our whole team coming back; it’s going to be fun. I’m glad to get back with the guys. It’s going to be another nice ride for us. When Coach Riley said he was coming back, it was a big part of my decision to come back. I don’t think I could have went through another coach, especially a new coach taking over a team that’s a championship team. We wanted to be on the same page for the same ride.

The best one by far...


Posted by Gilbert Arenas on Oct. 2, 2006 at 12:50 p.m. ET

What’s poppin’ Pippen? When we had a break during the Olympic try-outs out in Las Vegas I went to do a promotion in L.A. and I got a tattoo of a tiger’s face on my chest. I had the original eyes, nose and mouth and I just decided I’m a stronger tiger now than I was before when I first got it, so I got it filled out.

My summer also included going to a boot camp out in San Francisco for a week, probably the hardest workout I’ve done, ever. It was a lot of running up hills, sandy hills, and running on soft sand on the beach. I also got the Colorado altitude tent put in my house. It’s not the hyperbaric chamber; it’s the altitude tent so I’m always above sea level. Right now altitude is at 21 in Washington, and I’m sleeping anywhere from 15-12. It pumps more blood, and gets your blood thicker. The tent company came to our facility and I liked their presentation very well, so I had to have one. I also got into video gaming now. I hooked up with a company called MLG and I’m trying to be, not the David Stern, but a big head in the organization. I sponsor a team called Final Boss, they are the number one Halo team in the world.

My individual goal this year is to become a defensive player. To actually stick those scorers out there, the Kobe Bryants of the league, the LeBron James and Dwyane Wades. I’m going to take the challenge this year. For team goals, we’ve been to the playoffs. We have to do better. We have to go deep. We have to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, we just have to get there. First and second round is no good anymore. It’s the same cast with the addition of Songaila and Stevenson that actually helps us in scoring and helps us on defense.

Here's Chauncey...


Posted by Chauncey Billups on Oct. 2, 2006 at 7:15 p.m. ET

I'm excited to be back. I had my third daughter, Cenaiya, on June 28th and have spent most of the summer with her and the family. A lot of sleepless half-nights, but it was beautiful. I've been looking forward to training camp. But I wasn't trying to rush back. I was burned out, I was tired after last season. We want to get back to The Finals, win the East and have a chance to win it all. That's going to be hard to do. We have the talent and we have the coaching. It's feasible.

We're going to miss Ben Wallace. I wish him the best in Chicago. That's professional sports. Guys move on and guys take advantage of sutuations.

I think the guys will be a lot more comfortable with coach Flip Saunders this season. I've been comfortable because I knew Flip from when I was in Minnesota.

Posted by Ben Wallace on Oct. 2, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. ET

I had a lot going on this offseason, trying to find a situation that was right for me. I was looking for something that would suit my needs and the team. Talking to Chicago, what they were looking to do on the court fit perfectly with what I wanted so things just came together for me here.

It was both a little frustrating and also a good feeling to see how many teams were pursuing me before I ended up with the Bulls. I needed to make the right choice, but it was a great feeling to know how many organizations respected my talent and wanted me on their team. In the end it worked out great here in Chicago.

I’m hoping to come out and start performing at a high level right away for the Bulls. Our goals early are to zero in and start playing well together as a unit, and I can’t wait to get started with that. I’m looking forward to this situation and this opportunity as it seems like a new starting point for me. I think this team is going to be very successful when we put it all together.

For Pharaoh...


Posted by Dwight Howard on Oct. 2, 2006 at 2:37 p.m. ET

I was a little disappointed at the end of the summer. I had the feeling that us, as a team put in a lot of effort to win the gold and to come up short was kind of upsetting. But you know, I’m just glad that I got a chance to play. It was a great experience for me because I was the youngest player on the court mostly at all times. Just to be able to step out on the court and play with some of the guys I was playing with was awesome.

God has blessed me in my young career. I’m going to keep giving him the praise and the glory for everything in my life that has happened as far as basketball and off the court. Being somebody to keep the flame going for basketball, especially NBA basketball, is a great honor for me. I take that honor with pride and try to do the best I can to represent the NBA.

I tried to get a little bit of rest after the World Championship but when I got back I had to do some more traveling and some more appearances. It was real tough to sit down and not do anything because I knew that a couple weeks ahead I was going to have to get ready for training camp.

I think we’re going to have a great year this year. We’re going to do something special. By me and Carlos and Darko overseas playing basketball, we’re learning things about each other that we might not have learned by just sitting down and taking a break off from the season. My main goal this year is for our team is to make it as deep as we can in the playoffs. And for me, just to try and dominate every single game and try to be the best I can every night. I’m not really focused on numbers or trying to get 30 rebounds, stuff like that, but just focus on doing whatever it takes for our team to be successful. I learned that going out there and playing hard is something that the successful guys do every day in practice, even when it’s a day when there’s only three guys in practice, you have to be out there playing hard.

Some confidence from Mike James, not surprising.


Posted by Mike James on Oct. 2, 2006 at 2:20 p.m. ET

The main thing that I did this summer was that I boxed. It was the greatest workout I had in my life. I wanted to do something other than the normal shooting and other basketball drills.

I wanted to work on things like my balance and my left hand. What I found was that my left was weaker than I thought. Working with heavy bag and the speed bag helped me a lot.

I love the sport and I want to box a little bit…but I would be heavyweight and that’s the problem. I could not even beat a 50-year old Mike Tyson at heavyweight. I would like to fight at a lower weight but it's hard as I am a lot of muscle and it would be hard to lose all that.

As far as this upcoming season, I think for me the thing is don’t change what I do keep. Playing with the Big Ticket (Kevin Garnett) is going to be great. I mean the whole team is a good bunch of good players. I truly believe that we can be better than any team in the NBA this year.

That's professional sports. Guys move on and guys take advantage of situations.

just for you anthony[smilie=blank.gif]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat_mailbox/mediaday_livechat.html


Pistons Media Day Live Chat

Detroit Pistons Media Day -- where players and coaches get their headshots taken, meet with members of the local media, and complete promotional responsibilities for the team -- took place at the Pistons Practice Facility on Monday, October, 2.

Moderator: Pistons.com here live from the Pistons practice facility. We will start once the first guest reaches the table.

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Kenny (Woodburn, IN): To the younger guys on the team: How different is the NBA from college or high school in terms of lifestyle and basketball?

Amir Johnson: It's a whole different level of speed and strength. Lifestyle feels the same as since I was a kid, I'm still playing basketball. I just want to say that hard work is the way to get to the NBA - you have to work really hard.

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Malachi, Detroit: I am really excited about the new year, the new faces. How are you all dealing with the comments that you are not as strong now without Ben Wallace?

Flip Murray: We haven't started yet, but the chemistry is starting today. We have to get used to the guys and the system that have been in place, and try to fit into the chemistry that is already here.

I'm happy to be here. It's going to be an exciting year and a good year.

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Laura Stevfens, Ashburn, VA: Which team are you most looking forward to playing? What will be the biggest difference in the team now that Ben is gone, on and off the court?

Ronald Dupree: Minnesota... For some reason they didn't find a significant role for me and it was a frustrating season. I'm looking forward to going back with Detroit and proving myself. At the same time, being able to come back to Detroit is great.

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Lois Johnson: Are you guys worried that the Heat are very motivated to repeat this year?

Ronald Dupree: That's probably the team that we are all looking forward to playing against. We have something to prove again and an Eastern Conference championship to regain, and eventually a world championship. That's the team we have to go through to get it.

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Bennie Covington: What is the new strategy now that the team has changed? Will Tayshaun Prince or Rasheed wallace be asked to become a bigger part of the offense?

Antonio McDyess: Just to keep all the principles the same, not to expand all our energy in the regular season and save some for the playoffs.

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Detroit: How is the Pistons defense looking this year?

Antonio McDyess: We won't know until training camp. Nazr was a great addition. We might play a lot more zone than in the past, to clog the middle and put a double-team on anybody in the paint so they won't get any easy shots.

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Marlena (Detroit): Richard Hamilton- Do you set goals before the season as to what you want your season scoring average to be?

Richard Hamilton: I set a lot of goals -- personal and team. In order to be successful you have to test yourself. I wanted to lead the league in three-pointers, which I did last year. I want to lead the league in free-throw percentage and be on the All-Defensive team this year. As a team I want to win a championship.

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Jasmine (Ann Arbor): Richard, which TV character would your friends say you are most like? Who would you say?

Richard Hamilton: Superman... Batman... Bugs Bunny because I run all around. I would say the same and Spiderman too.

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Kelley from detroit: This is for Chauncey and Rip. What do you do to calm yourself or relax yourself before the game and in crunch time, because I play basketball and I get really nervous. Even when I watch your games I get nervous at crunch time and you guys look perfectly calm. i just want to know, how do you do it?

Chauncey Billups: Before a game I listen to jazz music to calm myself down and during the game I just try to take deep breaths.

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Corey(Norristown): Chauncey, what did you work on this summer to get ready for this year?

Chauncey Billups: I tried to work on my conditioning, which is always pretty good, and then just staying consistent and working on my mid-range game.

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Moderator: Fans, thanks for checking out Pistons.com's live 2006-07 Media Day chat. We received a great response and look forward to more chats as the season progresses.

Due to time constraints, not all players were able to stop by the Pistons.com table.

Automotion Blog bitches!

http://www.nba.com/pistons/features/automotion_bootcamp.html