Saturday, February 27, 2010

Villanueva Must Utilize Size

One goal the Pistons should set for their final stretch of the season should be revitalizing forward Charlie Villanueva, who's been extremely inconsistent of late. At 6'11", he has both the size and ball-handling to be a legitimate scoring option near the basket, something the team is in dire need of.

Lately, Villanueva has struggled with multiple injuries. Because of this, he appears hesitant to take the ball into the defense. Instead, he's been drifting around the perimeter seemingly on both ends of the court. If he's not healthy, Detroit should sit him down and use other big men like Kwame Brown or Chris Wilcox.

If his injuries are indeed behind him and he's healthy enough to play, Villanueva needs to start playing with a higher degree of physicality. He should get down low on offense, particularly if he's playing on the second unit against backup players. Villanueva has the ability to post-up inside - he was doing that at the start of the season before his injuries started - and can do so either with his back to the basket or facing his opponent and driving the lane.

At this point, the Pistons are still trying to guage the talent on this current roster. They signed Villanueva last summer to a hefty contract on the first day of free agency, so they obviously have enough confidence in his game. They did not sign him, however, to simply drift around the perimeter. They had that the last few years with Rasheed Wallace, and it proved to be ineffective offense.

The time is now for Detroit to imply an offense that allows Villanueva to get closer to the basket for scoring attempts. Above all, it would allow him to take and possibly make easier shots, gain some confidence and enable him to step outside after establishing a rhythm. This creates better scoring opportunities not only for Villanueva but for his teammates as well, and the Pistons will take any points they can get.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Rip Hamilton Drops 30 on Kings. Pistons 101-89

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&from=customplayer_en-us_entertainment_tvhub&fg=MsnEntertainment_entertainment2_tvhub&vid=bdbd7d87-f4c3-4a1e-a9cd-4437b802adbf" target="_new" title="Pistons pummel Kings">Video: Pistons pummel Kings</a>



Thursday, February 18, 2010

Pistons Stand Pat At Trade Deadline

Joe Dumars, Pistons President, has decided not to make a trade. It was rumored that the team was contemplating a trade involving veterans Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and/or Kwame Brown, who has an expiring contract and will become a free agent at the end of the season.

It's clear that the Pistons will focus on developing their younger players the rest of the season and preparing for the future, including the 2010 NBA Draft this June.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

DETROIT PISTONS PRESIDENT TOM WILSON RESIGNS IMMEDIATELY

AUBURN HILLS, Feb. 17 - - Tom Wilson is resigning his position as president and chief executive officer of Palace Sports & Entertainment, Inc. and the Detroit Pistons Basketball Company. Immediately assuming Mr. Wilson’s executive roles is Alan Ostfield, currently chief operating officer of the Palace and Pistons.

“I have had the honor to be a part of the Pistons family for the last 32 years, 31 of them working along side Bill Davidson,” said Mr. Wilson. “He was a dear friend and partner. I believe that, with Mr. Davidson’s unfortunate passing, however, the time is now right for me and my family to explore many exciting opportunities that have come my way recently. With Alan, I leave the Pistons and Palace in very good hands.”

“Mr. Davidson and I built an organization of talented people and planned for an orderly leadership transition. Alan Ostfield, has been involved in every aspect of our business and helped to make every important decision we’ve made over the last 10 years. Alan has outstanding experience in all areas of sports franchise management and operations, including strategic planning. Now, Alan is ready to help guide the Pistons’ and Palace’s future.”

During his 32 year tenure, Wilson was lauded as a visionary in the sports and entertainment industry. Under his and Mr. Davidson’s leadership, The Palace earned Arena of the Year honors nine times, DTE Energy Music Theatre was the nation’s top-attended outdoor venue 19 consecutive years and the Pistons is heralded as one of the best marketed and most highly valued teams in the NBA. The extraordinary staff that Wilson and Davidson built remains intact.

Alan Ostfield joined the Pistons and Palace in 2000 as senior vice president for legal affairs and assumed his current title as chief operating officer of Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons and as assistant general manager of the Detroit Pistons in 2002. Previously, he was senior vice president and general counsel for the San Diego Padres major league baseball club. A resident of Beverly Hills, Michigan, Mr. Ostfield earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA and JD degrees from Boston University.

“I have the deepest respect for Tom Wilson and the culture of excellence he and Mr. Davidson developed here,” said Mr. Ostfield. “Working with Tom has been an extraordinary professional and personal experience, and I am confident the management team we have in place can build on his achievements and momentum. I appreciate Mr. Davidson’s confidence in me as well as ownership’s trust and support as I assume these new responsibilities.”

“Alan Ostfield and Tom have functioned as an outstanding senior management team in anticipation of a seamless transition,” said Jonathan Aaron, co-personal representative of Mr. Davidson’s estate. “Tom has left his indelible mark on our organization and we want to thank him for his years of exemplary leadership.”

“I would like to wish all the best to Tom Wilson,” said Karen Davidson, wife of the late Bill Davidson. “He was close to Bill personally and professionally and was instrumental to this organization’s growth, reputation and success.”

“Our organization is like an extended family, and Tom has been a valued member of that family for years,” said Ethan Davidson, Bill Davidson’s son. “While change always brings challenges, we are very confident in the future success of the Palace and Pistons.”

Update:
NBA Commissioner Stern released the following statement.

"Tom is one of the most innovative and respected leaders in the NBA. He revolutionized the sports and entertainment business and his vision propelled The Palace and the Pistons to the forefront of the industry. I have great admiration for Tom’s accomplishments and wish him all the very best in the future.”



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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Jerebko Scores Six, Helps Rookies Upset Sophomores

He only scored six points in just 15 minutes of playing time, but the Pistons' Jonas Jerebko was extremely active and had two big steals to help the Rookie Team upset the Sophomore Team in last night's 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend, 140-128.

Most of the players focused primarily on scoring, but Jerebko - who came off the bench - made a fairly instant impact, displaying his usual scrappy play, getting several deflections that led to fastbreaks for the rookies. All in all, it was a solid performance for the Swedish forward.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Jerebko Could Start In Rookie Challenge

Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko is representing Detroit this weekend at American Airlines Center in Dallas for Friday's T-Mobile Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Jerebko is one of only four frontcourt players on the Rookie Team, and that includes injured forward Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls, who will be limited in terms of minutes.

In all likelihood, Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will start at the guard spots, with the Sacramento Kings' Tyreke Evans playing small forward. DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs is the only player listed as a center on the squad's roster, so he'll probably start at that position.

That leaves power forward up for grabs between Jerebko, Gibson and the Kings' Omri Casspi. It's possible Casspi could get the start as he's been the best scorer of the three this season, but he's more of a perimeter player. Jerebko has demonstrated the most versatility of the three and would have a better chance of defending the bigger players on the Sophomore Team.

The decision's not going to be a deciding factor as the Sophomores will likely dominate the much-smaller Rookie Team, but Pistons fans would get a nice treat to see Jerebko earn a starting nod. Be sure to watch tomorrow night at 9 p.m. on TNT.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pistons Finally At Full Strength

The Pistons are reportedly expecting to have their entire 14-man roster available to them for tonight's game in New Jersey against the Nets. That includes forward Charlie Villanueva, who has been out the last couple of days with back spasms, and guard Will Bynum, who has missed 16 straight games with a sprained left ankle.

The starting lineup is expected to consist of Tayshaun Prince, Jonas Jerebko and Ben Wallace up front with Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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Monday, February 1, 2010

Gordon Back In Lineup; Bynum Still Out

Despite enduring a current five-game losing streak, the Pistons received some pleasant news in the return of reserve guard Ben Gordon. Unfortunately, the team is still without fellow guard Will Bynum, who has missed the last 16 games with a sprained left ankle.

John Kuester, Pistons Head Coach, continues to search for an answer at the starting power forward position. He's gone back to using rookie Jonas Jerebko, who has started most of the season at small forward before returning to the bench in favor of veteran Tayshaun Prince. It remains to be seen if Detroit can pull off a trade for a veteran big man or if forward Charlie Villanueva will be reinserted into the starting lineup.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com


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