newc's Pistons[8-8] Race 2 MVP + Rookie rankings

[newc]

Hi and welcome to my new dynasty!

This is my 3rd try for a dynasty, I haven't been satisfied with my previous ones so I hope this one will end better. The goal for me is to make Detroit Pistons into a contender and try to win the championship trophy. I choosed Pistons, because there is no other active dynasty on this forum with the Pistons (sorry if i'm wrong ) and because I see a potential to win it all and make it interesting for you with this team. I will be playing on NBA 08 using TUP patches, because my computer is too old to run NBA 2k series games. Haven't decided yet how many games will I play, but the idea is to play about 1/3 of games, so I don't get bored. OK, wish me luck and I hope you'll enjoy this!

[newc]

2009-10 Roster



C- Al Jefferson (81)
PF - Ben Wallace (75)
SF - Richard Hamilton (82)
SG - Ben Gordon (81)
PG - Rajon Rondo (80)



6th - Jason Maxiell (71)
7th - Zaza Pachulia (72)
8th - Sam Young (67)
9th - Roko Ukic (65)
10th - Will Bynum (65)
11th - Jonas Jerebko (65)
12th - Ryan Hollins (63)


IR 1 - DaJuan Summers (64)

[newc]

Records

Points - 49 (Ben Gordon, Oct 28 vs. NJ)

Rebounds - 14 (Al Jefferson, Nov 21 @ PHO)

Assists - 18 (Rajon Rondo, Nov 15 vs. LAL)

Blocks - 4 (Ben Wallace, Nov 1 vs. PHI)

Steals - 8 (Rajon Rondo, Nov 15 vs. LAL)

FG made - 20 (Ben Gordon, Oct 28 vs. NJ)

3pt made - 7 (Ben Gordon, Oct 28 vs. NJ)

Transactions

1) Stuckey, Brown for Rajon Rondo, Eddie House

2) House for Roko Ukic

3) Atkins, Daye for Sam Young, Steven Hunter

4) Prince, Villanueva, Wilcox for Al Jefferson, Zaza Pachulia, Ryan Hollins (Three team trade)

[newc]

Prologue

Year 2004

Ivo Steinberg was an ordinary laborer in one of Latvian wood furniture manufacturers. Perhaps you are surprised about the name Latvia? It is a small country of North Eastern Europe, from which thousands of people emigrated in 2004 because of search for a better work. A large part of them chose Ireland as their destination, but our hero, reached age of 18, went to look for happiness in the U.S.. For a year he had been contacting with somebody called Mike Abdenour through the Internet, who lived in Detroit. He kindly promised the new Latvian to stay at his house before Ivo could find his own place.

***

After a severe 12-hour flight, Ivo finally was there, in his dream land - the U.S. Mike was already waiting for him in the Detroit airport.

"Hey, you must be Ivo", greeted Mike
"Yes, I am," replied Ivo
"OK, let's move quickly, cause I do not have much time. i have an important event at evening"
"Whatkind of event?"
"Well, I work for the system of Detroit Pistons and this year, we won the championship..."

***

Summer 2009

Pistons had experienced a terrible season, so the club's president held a press conference in which he said that the club is looking for a new GM.
Ivo's career had been changed rapidly since the 2004. At first he took a job in Deotrit Pistons system as a athletic trainer's Mike Abdenour's asistant, after that he step by step gained team's owners and players respect. At the end of 2008/2009 season he was one of a team head coach assistants , but this summer he had something special ahead of him.

***

August 15th, 2009 Press Conference

Club president: "Today we are gathered here to get known with the new GM of Deotrit Pistons. I'm proud to represent you - Ivo Steinberg"

After these words Ivo came into the room, he was very nervous, but he pretty well answered journalists' questions. One of them was: "What is your relationship with the players? And whether you've already planned a trade?"
"My relationship with the players are very good, I know many of them for 4 years, so I think I won't have any problem with them. I can not talk about trade yet, because I am on my first day of work and I haven't spoked to the rest of GM on possible trade yet. "

_____________________________________________
I know this prologue sucks, but I had to start with something...

[kibaxx7]

I would start Big Ben

[Martti.]

I would start Big Ben

[Lamrock]

Trade for Beans.

[Azzdogs]

Looking forward to this. I like the Pistons

[newc]

First day at work

Ivo came in his new cabinet - it was excellent. He had dreamed about this since his first day in the Pistons system. When he had looked around everything and tried out his new chair, Ivo looked at secretary's prepared day plan. The first line said - 9 am team training at teams training facility. I should certainly attend this Ivo thought to himself, while turning on his computer. First he opened his e-mail, and saw that he had two new letters. The first of the letters was from the Ivo's assistant Don:

Hey Ivo,

good luck on the first day. Here are a couple of rumors and news from the NBA:

Boston will try to trade Rondo?

Ellis requests a trade.

Ivo opened the first link:

Boston will try to trade Rondo?


Rajon Rondo will not sign a new contract with the Celtics, according to agent Bill Duffy.

The two sides met to discuss a possible deal recently. Duffy feels as though Rondo should be among the top five highest-paid point guards, but the Celtics do not feel the same way.
Assuming the two sides do not reach an agreement by Friday, Boston will put Rondo on trading block, according to close sources.

"Ask my agent," Rondo said, asked what does he think about his possible trade. "I do not really think about that (possible trade), if it's going to happen it's going to happen. If not, I'll play it out. I want to be wherever I'm wanted the next 10 years."

After reading this article Ivo re-opened his e-mail to see who has sent the second letter. It was from the Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge ...

***

Training session was held peacefully, without any incidents. The intensity was really great, although there wasn't much of playing basketball, it was more running to get players into shape. players didn't complain about that, they were smiling, joking. Especially Ben Wallace looked happy, who had returned to the team with whom he had won the championship title. He joked a lot and laughed together with his old pals Prince and Hamilton. Rookies, of course,had to collect all the basketballs and carry them to the repository, after the training session. At the end of the workout, Ivo called coach John Kuester for a small talk.

John, I have great news, Ivo started just made an excellent tradefor the team!

Wait a minute, aren't you rushing things? This is your first day as GM. Kuester was very skeptical

Well, when you hear who I traded, you won't show that woeful expression on your face! So I contacted with the Celtics, and guess what, we get Rajon Rondo, isn't that great?

Well, he is a great player, but it certainly means that we have to give up Stuckey. I love how Rodney plays.

Well yes, we are giving Stuckey and Brown away, but ... Ivo started

What? Kuester didn't let him end We give up Brown too? Are you serious? Two starting players against, i admit, a good player, but I've heard about his concentration problems. You can not make such trade. Kuester got angry

What nonsense! He does not have any concentration problems, and we culd be able to build a new dynasty around him. Plus, the trade has already happened, tomorrow is the press conference.

Well done! Great job Ivo! Hope we all won't regret it. Kuester said and rushed out of the gym.

[newc]

I would start Big Ben

I would start Big Ben

Well, if Rondo trade goes trough, he will start but i hope not for long...

Trade for Beans.

i will be looking for a new center, cause neither Brown or Wallace is the starting center calibre, so this is possible

Looking forward to this. I like the Pistons

Thanks and hope you will enjoy this

[Clutch]

Pistons are a team that actually look decent on paper but their record doesn't reflect it. not sure i'd give up Stucky since i like his size/scoring ability over Rondo and with the right trainer he could be fierce; but i guess you're looking for more of a pure PG

anyway, looks interesting; good luck

[Martti.]

Interesting deal. I remember there was some talk about Rondo going to the Pistons in the summer so the deal has some true background.

Good luck!

[newc]

Pistons and Celtics makes a trade!

Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons have agreed on a trade that sends Rodney Stuckey and Kwame Brownto Boston, and Rajon Rondo and Eddie House to the opposite direction. However House will not stay in Detroit because he is involved in another trade with Milwauke, which states that Detroit will get Roko Ukic.

I will lie if I say that I did not expect, that I could be traded says Rajon Rondo Danny (Ainge, Bostons GM) told me to be ready and that I could be traded. I have already spoke with Pistons GM Ivo Steinberg and head coach John Kuester. They were excited about my arrival and expressed their desire to build a team around me.

Rajon Rondo acquisition cost alot for Pistons - they had to give up two potential starting 5 players Brown and Stuckey.

Yes, these players are good, but we can't build a team around them the Pistons GM Ivo Steinberg explained reasons for the trade on the other side we will be able to do it with Rondo.We hope to see him in Detroit for the next 10 years.

Pistons head coach John Kuester didn't comment on the trade.

The second player, who was acquired from Boston, Eddie House, was immediately traded to Milwauke against Roko Ukic. Ivo Steinberg also commented on this trade:

We traded away experienced House for the new Croatian pg Ukic. This guy has great potential, we see him as an excellent substitute for Rondo.

Following these transactions Pistons took another trade sending Chucky Atkins and Austin Daye to Memphis in exchange for Sam Young and Steven Hunter, whom this is the last year of his contract.

Young is a great player and a great man commented Ivo Steinberg with his excellent defense and athleticism, he will fit very well into our system. It was a mistake, that this player was drafted only in the second round.

Pistons.com rates trades.

In: R.Rondo, R.Ukic, S.Young, S.Hunter
Out: R.Stuckey, K.Brown, C.Atkins, A.Daye

You can look on this trade from two sides, the negative side is that Pistons gave up two Starting 5 players, including potential star in Rodney Stuckey for Rajon Rondo, a player about whom we all have heard rumors about his attitude on training. But... Rajon Rondo is a potential superstar, he have already shown some signs of his real strength in last years play offs, where he nearly averaged a triple double. But if rondo is the real player around whom you should build a dynasty? Well, I think we will see that in couple of years. On other trade Pistons lost veteran PG Atkins for young and inexperienced croatian PG Ukic. This trade has some unanswered questions, like is really Ukic beter 3rd PG at this point than Atkins? Cause he certainly isn't better than our second point guard Bynum. The third trade asks some questions too - yes, Pistons got good SF in Sam Young, but is he really better than Daye? And does Eddie House is so bad that we would want him out of the team, getting just expiring contract for him? New GM is excited about these trades, we in pistons.com are'nt so positive about this, but the future will show, who was right.

Grade: B- Although there is many questions about these trades, you can't ignore that we got an all-star calibre player in Rondo and some good pieces in young and Ukic.

[kibaxx7]

Nice acquisition in Rondo

[newc]

Pistons are a team that actually look decent on paper but their record doesn't reflect it. not sure i'd give up Stucky since i like his size/scoring ability over Rondo and with the right trainer he could be fierce; but i guess you're looking for more of a pure PG

anyway, looks interesting; good luck

Thanks. Rondo will make playing games more interesting to me

Interesting deal. I remember there was some talk about Rondo going to the Pistons in the summer so the deal has some true background.

Good luck!

Thanks! I did knew, that there was talks about Rondo being traded, but I didn't new that there was a possibility, that he could land in Detroit. Even better

Nice acquisition in Rondo

Thanks, what do you think about acquiring Young and Ukic?

P.S. First game recap coming soon..

[newc]

Detroit beats Nets in season opener


Rondo makes hard two point shot plus draws a foul

-Detroit managed to start the season on a positive note with a victory over the Nets. Major factor for this victory was Ben Gordon, who played a fantastic game for Detroit, making 20 of 27 field goals. He was shooting the lights out hamilton commented on Gordons play tonight, he himself came into the game from the bench and scored 12 points. Did he miss any shot? wondered another hero for the Pistons, Rajon Rondo, who completed the game with 21 points and 17 assists.

The first game, for both teams, of the season in Detroit began with a 10-2 run for the guests. We started the game very nervously said Pistons head coach John Kuester, however, we managed to calm down and win the game. The first quarter ended with a 25-25 tie. The second quarter continued in a similar battle, but at the end of quarter Nets managed a small breakthrough that allowed them to complete the half-time with a plus 6, 57-51.

Tayshaun Prince commented the game on half time break We have to start playing much better defense, 57 points allowed in half game is too much against a team like Nets. We're familiar for our good defense, not for a great offense. Fortunately for us we were rescued by Gordon, who made almost all the shots, he took.

The same thing to team seemed to be told by the coach Kuester, because Pistons after the break began to play more aggressive, especially on defense, the first 7 minutes of third quarter, they held Nets to only 10 points, but after that, everything started to go down. Nets ended quarter "back in the chair" 81-79, plus 2 for the visiting team. Gordon took over in the start of the fourth quarter, he had 9 points in a row, which allowed the Pistons to make a crucial run. Which resulted into a win aftter the buzzer. Detroit was able to celebrate their first victory ofthe season, 118-117. However, Pistons can't be fully satisfied with the game.

Gordon played a great match today, coach Kuester praises his teams leader, however, I have a few harsh words about the other players. Prince was on the starting five, but scored only 7 points, making only 3 shots out of 11. It is a terrible figure, the same can be said about Rondo's 7 missed free throws out of 10. This kind of shooting from the line I couldn't forgive even my Center player, so if they don't make adjustments to these elements of the game, they will start the game on the bench. Maxiell, on the other hand, who as usually started the game from the bench gave the team energy, we needed. However, overall I am not happy with the game.

Player of the game

Ben Gordon

49 Points

3 Steals

3 Rebounds

20-27 FGM-A

7-12 3PM-A


Notable Performers

Pistons [1-0]

Rondo 21pts, 17ast, 3stl, 3-10 FT
Maxiell 10pts, 4reb, 3ast, 3-3 FG
Hamilton 12pts 6-10 FG

Nets [0-1]

Harris 22pts, 17ast, 5 TO
Douglas-Roberts 17pts, 2stl
Hassell 26pts, 3ast, 3stl

Highlights:


Gordon with an easy lay up / Maxiell with a put back dunk


Rondo's crucial late game steal / Douglas-Roberts got invited to a block party

[kibaxx7]

Nice start man. Superb game by Rondo.

[Andrew]

Huge game from Gordon, congrats on starting out the season in style.

[Azzdogs]

Gordon what a game 7 treys

[newc]

Nice start man. Superb game by Rondo.

Thanks. Yeah Rondo was great, but coach seemed to be not satisfied with him..

Huge game from Gordon, congrats on starting out the season in style.

Thanks, glad to see you in my dynasty section Gordon was great, he really wasn't missing a shot

Gordon what a game 7 treys

Yeah, it was awesome shooting performance from him.

P.S. Happy New Year to everyone!

[newc]

Pistons suffers a blowout loss in Cleveland.


Shaq posterizes Big Ben

-Detroit Pistons failed to show any resistance to LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and the Cavaliers team, experiencing a loss by 41, 83:124. This is one of most miserable moments in my career Rip Hamilton said after the game I do not remember the last time my team would have lost by such a large number.

Before the game, both teams were in different positions. Detroit had finished the first home game series with a perfect record 3-0, while the Cavaliers had begun their season with a 1-4 record. However, looking on the court, you couldn't tell which team haven't lost this year, and which team has only 1 victory. Cleveland started the game with a 20-9 run, mainly thanks to the big players on the team - O'Neal, Ilgauskas and Varejao. They dominated under the basket, while the Pistons big players struggled to show any resistance.

Tonight I played really bad, Ben Wallace was self-critical, he was unable to get any point. Most of the first half was spent under Cavaliers mark, but at the last minutes of the half Pistons team showed a tiny sparkle of hope - they scored 9 points in a row and reduced the difference to minus 14, but Cavaliers pulled away again, 41:60 after the half.

In the second half nothing did change, Cavaliers continued their dominance under the basket and LeBron James took it to the 5th, no more likely the 3rd or 4th, gear and completed the game with 26 points. Of course, I am not happy with the game and the result, said John Kuester to reporters after the game We started the season very well, so we went a little irresponsible for this game. We took a lot of difficult shots, didn't make free, easy shots. However, the main problem is our defense - 124 pts allowed, it is a phenomenal result, of course, in a bad sense. We will work on this on our training sessions.

Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace finished the game with 0 points, Ben Gordon threw 33 shots, but made only 10, Rajon Rondo had 8 turnovers. These are key statistics that shows the flow of the game. For the Pistons team it's now better to forget the game and prepare for the upcoming matches.

Player of the game

Shaquille O'Neal

26 Points

13 Rebounds

11-14 FGM-A

4-7 FTM-A


Notable Performers

Pistons [3-1]

Rondo 21pts, 9ast, 3stl, 8 TO
Gordon 24pts, 5reb, 4stl, 10-33 FG
Villanueva 14pts, 6-6 FG

Cavaliers [2-4]

James 26pts, 8reb, 4ast
West 15pts, 3ast
Williams 14pts, 8ast, 4 TO

[redhotz]

Daaamn, hard loss. Good shooting performance by Shaq.

[Azzdogs]

Big Ben was demolished by Shaq

[Dee.]

Absolutely loving the screenshot.

[kibaxx7]

Almost perfect game by Shaq, they killed you