Season Opener!!!
[smilie=djparty.gif]

http://img416.imageshack.us/img416/1857/200605031903328420333op3.jpg


Game Preview: (http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/pistons_gameday.html)
The skinny: The Bucks expected Andrew Bogut, last year’s No. 1 pick, to be out 6-8 weeks when he suffered a left leg injury one week into training camp. Bogut was cleared to resume all activities on Monday and the Bucks say he'll play in the opener. Not so lucky was Milwaukee’s major 2005 free-agent acquisition, Bobby Simmons. He’s expected to be out until the middle of November with a heel injury. Hard-nosed Ruben Patterson takes his spot at small forward. Mo Williams is in as the new point guard, taking over for T.J. Ford, swapped to Milwaukee for power forward Charlie Villanueva.

What to watch: Everybody wants to see how Flip Saunders is going to divvy up minutes. Jason Maxiell’s eye-popping preseason changed the mix up front. Dale Davis’ hamstring injury eases the logjam some and Antonio McDyess won’t be quite at full strength, either, straining a groin muscle late in preseason. It will be important for Carlos Delfino to get off to a decent start or he’ll risk seeing an expected 20 minutes a game dwindle.

The 2006 championship run has begun. :cool:

Dale Davis to be inactive.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/SPORTS0102/610310415/1004/SPORTS


Dale Davis was excused from practice Monday for personal reasons. His agent, Chubby Wells , said it had nothing to do with his legal issues in Miami, where his case on multiple assault charges is pending.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders confirmed Monday that Davis, who has a strained left hamstring, would start the regular season on the inactive list.

with davis out, jason maxiell is gearing up for the game....

http://img416.imageshack.us/img416/3523/barbqjpgnw1.jpg

I wonder if Amir or Blalock will be the 12th man?

I wonder if Amir or Blalock will be the 12th man?

wasn't there talk about Amir going to the NBDL?

lol
...
Cant wait for this shit

wasn't there talk about Amir going to the NBDL?

Yes, but I don't think they planned on him leading the NBA in preseason FG% either. lol

With DD inactive, I assume that either Blalock or Amir will get the last spot. The only other option is only going with 11 guys for no good reason.

Hopefully Jalen takes a spot after Wednesday (wishful thinking, I know).

I hope Amir gets the last spot and gets some playing time. It'd also be nice to have Jalen Rose getting some Pistons minutes...

http://img307.imageshack.us/img307/3964/wtfdetroitmola1py7.gif

Pistons 93, Bucks 84 - Chauncey tears Mo Williams up and Maxiel eats Ruben Patterson "just because he can".

MOLA.... where's the "Milwaukee Bums" logo?

i'll be in the chatroom tonight for the game. anyone else going to make it?

I'm gonna try to make the chat, assuming work doesn't kick my ass to the point of distraction.

http://czabe.com/daily/archives/picoday_bucklogo.jpg
had to go back a bit to find this but it was worth it

Hope Ill be in there, not like I can watch the game :(

99-87 Pistons

Hey, don't we have a BucksFan here?

Oh, yeah, http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/member.php?u=524

Hope Ill be in there, not like I can watch the game :(

99-87 Pistons

i'm going to try to setup a Skype broadcast of the game if you're (or anyone else) interested.

PM me if you can't watch the game and would like to listen to it online (assuming 1130AM blocks their online stream).

anyone ever tried to broadcast on tvu?

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7937/pistonh24ip.jpg

^^^ LOL

I might be down for that Matt, I assume youll be in the chat so if Im around Ill let you know in there.

So the only Pistons gear I own is a Ben Wallace jersey, would it be bad luck to wear it on gamedays now? I was thinking of ironing a 6 on there hehe

MOLA.... where's the "Milwaukee Bums" logo?
Can't find the Milwackee Bums logo.

krista is very do-able. lost weight or something. either way she can get it.[smilie=blaha.gif]

Pathetic defense.

rasheed will get kicked out of this game

Rasheed getting a T without saying a word just for looking excited over a bad call. This gonna be a long season...

And there goes Sheed. I'm beginning to like the NBA less and less.

this will get out of control, especially for paying customers I pay 270 per game and now I will not get to see a star player, ridiculous

giving a T to sheed for getting mad is like giving michael jordan a T for sticking his tongue out

Well then 'Sheed's just going to have to start acting like an adult for once in his life.

I don't know what it is, maybe it was the way the Pistons bowed out last year, or coming to the realization that the NBA and its refs blatantly favor superstars like Wade and LeBron, or maybe it's the Pistons horrific off-season losing Ben Wallace and trying to replace him with a clown like Nazr Mohammed.....but I am not a fan of the NBA right now.

Bucks = 70 points in the paint

i don't think we could score 70 points in the paint if we did layup lines for 48 minutes....

Berry is doing the Clip Suns game with Walton. I'm afraid of what this might create.

Is it too late to say that we might suck?

1 game does not a season make, but I didn't see much of anything that resembled the Pistons of old cept for Sheed getting a T and CBill doing some damn good last minuten shots. The problem is that we were down 10-14 pts.

This first game was NOT pretty.

it does suck, because stern sucks. unfortunately i can't help but still watch because i've grown up on basketball and can't stay away from it.

but just to show how stupid stern is, he was talking tonight on TV about red auerbach and how he consulted red one time when he (stern) was considering raising the height of the baskets!

what a friggin idiot. why don't we make it a 3 on 3 game while we're at it? or make travelling legal?

the longer stern is around, the more i hate him. he's exercising way too much control instead of just letting the game develop on its own. he has decided how the game should be played and HE is making this a hollywood version of basketball. as a result the real game of basketball is being destroyed or lost altogether.

anyway, great loss tonight. the bucks have always seemed to have our number. or at least michael redd does.

it's one loss and the sky is not falling. but i truly believe we need to be open to further changes on this roster between now and the trading deadline.

this team ain't gonna get it done and while i don't advocate tearing the WHOLE team apart and starting from scratch, i DO think we need to develop our young guys in order to have any chance in the future. AND we need to find ways to add more athleticism and youth.

NBA.com video highlights:

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/recaps/recap_8_mildet.asx

If it doesn't load up:
1. Copy link
2. Open Windows Media Player
3. File -> Open URL -> paste link

Bucks 105, Pistons 97
Wallace ejection caps ugly opener (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS0102/611020368/1127)
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons might or might not be able to survive the absence of one Wallace. But the Milwaukee Bucks showed emphatically Wednesday that they will not survive the absence of two Wallaces.

Ben Wallace was in Orlando with the Bulls on Wednesday. Rasheed Wallace was in uniform and at The Palace, for a little while, but his game was elsewhere.

And the Bucks spoiled the home opener, sending a large chunk of the sellout crowd home early, with a 105-97 rout.

"It was an embarrassing situation, the way we played," coach Flip Saunders said.

It came as no surprise that Rasheed Wallace became the first victim of the NBA's new no-tolerance edict on prolonged and demonstrative disputes with officials. Wallace reacted angrily to a call by referee Ken Mauer and was slapped with a technical late in the second quarter. Wallace immediately started a dialogue with referee Luis Grillo which never stopped.

With 7:03 left in the third quarter, Wallace calmly disputed a foul called on Nazr Mohammed. Grillo told him to stop talking, Wallace continued and Grillo hit him with the second technical foul and an ejection.

"A rule is a rule," Chauncey Billups said. "If you violate that, you are going to pay."

Even before the ejection, though, Wallace's presence was negligible. He was scoreless, taking just three shots. He had three rebounds. He was continuously tardy on his weak-side help. He was, in a word, absent.

"We had four points (actually five) from our power-forward position," Saunders said. "Everybody knows Rasheed's importance. When he plays well, we play well. When he doesn't, we struggle. We did not have the presence we needed in there."

Truth be told, the Pistons didn't have a presence of any kind on defense. The Bucks shredded the Pistons for 70 points in the lane. Twenty-six of their first 30, and 40 of their first 55 points were scored inside.

"That is unacceptable," Billups said.

Ben Wallace, if he was watching, was laughing hysterically. The Bucks continuously attacked the basket and were met with little resistance. The Pistons guards were allowing penetration and when the frontcourt defenders came up to help, the Bucks deftly made the extra pass for easy baskets.

At the end, it looked like they were running a layup line.

"That's what happens when you try to ease into a game and you are playing a hungry team," Billups said. "We came into the game feeling like we were a superior team and that's what happens every single time. They get it going and it's like a snowball effect. You can't stop it. We couldn't ever get over the hump because we set the wrong tone at the start of the game. This is disappointing."

Rasheed Wallace, by the way, left without speaking to reporters.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 37 points. Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva scored 16 points each and combined for 21 rebounds.

"I told the guys, I had a concern even the last couple of weeks of training camp about our sense of urgency," Saunders said. "You have to play with emotion and you have to play with an edge. We didn't. It was like we got knocked out early and never regained our balance."

The offense was just as bad as the defense. The Pistons committed 22 turnovers, a ridiculously high number for a team that led the league in fewest turnovers per game (11.3) last season.

The Bucks turned those turnovers into 23 points.

The Pistons didn't play very smart, either. They got the Bucks into the bonus with nine minutes left in the third quarter and got within a basket. But the Pistons managed to shoot just five free throws the rest of the quarter and the Bucks were able to spread the lead back to 13.

The bulk of the Pistons' scoring came from the backcourt. Richard Hamilton and Billups each scored 25.

"We won 64 games last year and a lot of teams remember that," Saunders said. "They are coming in here with an edge and we have to match that edge. Now we will play five of our next six on the road, so it's going to be tough. We have to get better real fast."

Nazr Mohammed, in his Pistons debut, fouled out with eight points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes.

The bench, the focus of so much attention in the exhibition season, contributed 23 points, eight by Carlos Delfino, who provided a brief spark in the second quarter. Flip Murray added 10, scoring five in the final two minutes.

Ugly start.

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Opening-night observations (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/SPORTS03/611020428/1051)


• There's a new order in which the Pistons' starting lineup is announced: Tayshaun Prince, Nazr Mohammed, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, then Chauncey Billups. Ben Wallace, of course, used to have his name called last.

• Most creative sign: One that had a photo of Ben Wallace and an inscription reading: "Never Ben Better," with the "Ben" written in red ink and the other letters in black. Hmmm ... any regrets yet?

• Automotion, the Pistons' dance team, has some new faces -- and some new outfits that reveal even more skin, if you can believe it.

• The Pistons got chummy with fans before the game, tossing T-shirts into the stands. Hamilton also thanked the crowd.

Chris Silva

[smilie=reporter.gi:

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/24/full.getty-71797747ae004_pistons_bucks_9_34_51_pm.jpg

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(Jason Maxiell spared his life this time...)

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6830/fullgetty71797747gs003mwk2.jpg
"My hair!! Don't mess up my hair!!"

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"aw shit, i can't shoot a three from here, can i?"

You guys that are blaming Stern or the NBA are looking in the wrong direction. I have loved the Detroit Pistons for as long as I can remember but this team's attitude has been hard to take as of late. If I was not a Piston fan to begin with I honestly think I would hate this team. I think we all need to take a step back and look at what is going on here. RASHEED WALLACE IS A CRYBABY! The guy is constantly bitching and whining to the refs and I, for one, was glad to see this no tolerence rule. I was also glad to see it put into effect. There are many things that I hate about the NBA (superstar calls, not calling traveling or carrying, etc.), but this is one thing that they are getting right. I know that this is not going to be a popular opinion around here but I can take it.

We also need to take a look at what is happening to the team identity. Detroit Pistons have always been associated with hard nosed defense. Remember the team we all fell in love with that held teams to under 70, that is now gone. The bullfighter defense (sounds good but it means letting a guy go by you and shouting ole) at the perimiter will not fly this year. Ben is not there to back these guys up. That was painfully obvious last night. This team is becoming a one end of the court team and to me, that sucks.

I agree, blaming Stern is an excuse.
The team doesn't give a shit about defense. All Flip talks about is his offense, and the occasional mention of zone defense. The team had no interior defense, the Bucks came in with a gameplan to simply attack the hole (where Ben Wallace used to be) and it worked beautifully. We continually hear about Flip's offensive playbook. And Sheed is a bitch. Shut the fuck up. He just kept jawing to the ref. Fucking baby.

I can deal with the team losing if they make an attempt at defense. But not in this pussy pansy way. 70 points in the paint. Hell it woulda taken us, what, 3 or 4 games last season to get that many in the paint?

Frankly I think people are taking offensive trend in the NBA too far and too literally. It doesn't mean that you just abandon defense, just because Phoenix runs and guns with no defense. SA, Dallas, even Miami and Cleveland and now Chicago do play decent defense.

Hopefully this game was just an abberation.

I'm madder this morning than I was last night, damnit!

For all this talk of points in the paint, 22 turnovers was the key. Rip getting 5 TOs is one thing, but can anyone name the last time Tayshaun Prince had 5 fucking turnovers -- in the same game, no less?! Speaking of which, this idiocy with Tay at PF needs to be nipped in the bud! We really needed Dale Davis in the game, or at least Amir Johnson to get some play. The three guard bullshit is, well, bullshit. Why not play Delfino after he had a good first half? Did Flip think that was cheating, or did he like seeing Redd abuse FlipM like a fucking doormat all night long?

And don't get me started on Rasheed...

I think it was Kstat that posted an article on how David Stern initiated changes after we won our title. The changes definately restricted our style of defense. So after JoeD builds a great defensive team, Stern puts a kabosh on it. He want the LJames and Wades to succeed not 5 pistons playing team defense, imo.

The no bitching rule is fucking stupid imo. Refs aint perfect and players should let them know when they're wrong. I know that NO player thinks he ever fouls anyone, but this little bit of bitching has been going on since the begining of the NBA. Whats wrong with calling a tech on a player when the bitching is too much, like its been for years?

Prolly too late to do that Sheed for Odom deal, huh?

What a fugly start to the season.

I love the new bitching rule. I hate all the whining by the players after calls are made. Let the coach do the whining and arguing with the ref.

The players need to keep their heads in the game.

For that matter where the fuck was Sheed last night. If he would stop crying so much and just play the frigging game.

I wouldn't mind the no bitching rule if they evened up the rules for the rest of the players.

I'm sick of the unfair playing field these guys have and superstar treatment. Players should be allowed to bitch when their opponents are being sucked off during the game by the refs. (This, obviously, does not apply to the Bucks game, as I thought officiating was fine, but as a response to the rule in general)


Better refs = less bitching. Fuzzy math.

the no bitching rule is going to speed up the game, I bet the average game lenth drops significantly from last year to this year

I haven't read all the comments, so I'm sure I'm echoing some others on here, but Sheed needs to learn to adapt and adapt fast. These shorter leashes have been well-publicized and it's obvious refs are taking them seriously. The first tech was a surprise to me, but knowing how quick they'll T you up and knowing how much your team needs you, Sheed should have swallowed his pride and shut up. I thought Milwaukee played a great game last night and we may not have won even with Sheed (not like he was doing anything anyways).

I think last night showed how much Sheed struggles against a younger, quicker, more athletic guy. Charlie Villanueva was beating him to every board and really just having his way with Sheed. In turn, I liked the energy Maxiell gave us out there. I think he'd be a great part of the rotation, and by the end of the year, will make Sheed expendable. I really think he's gonna be a difference maker out there once he gets completely comfortable with the NBA game.

Even though we were only down 3 when Sheed got the boot I agree that we probably weren't going to win regardless.

22 turnovers made sure of that.

well, this is the pistons being 'fine', i guess.

this is just game one of an 82 game explanation of why we gave up the wrong wallace.

the good news though is that even if joe does see the light, we have little wiggle room that we probably cant even make a significant trade this year.

and its a fucking shame, too. i think prince is geared to have a real great year (all nba 3rd team great), and had we even stayed even, we'd be the favorites right now.

sheed did a great job last night of reminding me why i said i cant root for these pistons anymore. what a clown. he really doesnt give a fuck. the whole team is generally unlikeable, but he really is the banner boy.

you really think the whole team is unlikeable?

i'll give you Sheed, because you love him if he's playing well on your team, but usually hate him when he's on the other team.

chauncey, rip, tayshaun, dice.......all those guys seem relatively likeable to me, even outside of Detroit. none of them are known boneheads or braggarts or have histories of trouble making.

they got whiney and they got a little full of themselves (ben too). i dont like the style they play or the fact that they dont bring it all night every night.

dislikeable might be a little too strong. just kind of sad though. the 2004 (2005 too) pistons would have blown right through this crew like they didnt even notice them.

i really would have liked to have seen ben, rip, chauncy, and tay get one more chance at it.

Yes we are cry babies and there is no conspiracy against us. The NBA did the right thing from clothing to immediate techs. Its genius, pretty soon we'll have robots on the court bending to our every command.

Again enjoy the new NBA, more and more of my dough is going towards football.