Not much here, but thought I would post this. Pacers part is towards the end of the article
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...p-253313c.html
Mitch Lawrence
Pistons brace for Brown out
If ailing Larry leaves, team may do Flip flop.
The Pistons are preparing for the possibility that Larry Brown throws up his hands and surrenders his position as Detroit's coach, so they're reaching out to former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders ... just in case.
The Pistons need Larry Brown on their bench to have any chance of getting past Miami and repeating as NBA champions, and those closest to the Pistons coach are convinced he will be there when the playoffs start. After suffering from a urinary infection resulting from hip surgery, Brown returned to coaching Friday after raising the idea he might not make it back this season.
"My read on it is that he'll be there for the playoffs," said Brown's brother, Herb, an assistant with Atlanta who was with the Pistons when they stunned the Lakers last June.
"I know Larry does not want to go out on this note," said Herb Brown. "He's just trying to make sure that the infection is taken care of. He wants to do the right thing. He does not want to walk away from his job."
Brown still might walk away at season's end, although he's spent most of the season trying to dispel the idea he'll wind up leaving Detroit to coach Kobe Bryant in L.A. The Pistons apparently are preparing for that possibility. They are interested in Flip Saunders and have begun working back-channels to reach out to the ex-Minnesota coach, sources said. It's all being kept on the hush, of course, with Brown still on the job.
But just a few seasons back, when Rick Carlisle was still their coach, they reportedly felt out Brown about taking over. It smacks of being unethical, but it's common in the NBA. As Knicks fans might recall, Dave Checketts talked to Phil Jackson about coaching the Knicks in the spring of 1999 when Jeff Van Gundy was their coach.
If the Pistons go after Saunders, they're sure to get competition from Portland, which tried to hire the former Timberwolves coach a few seasons ago. Milwaukee is said to be interested, if the Bucks give Terry Porter his pink slip.
One word of advice to everyone: Bring money to the negotiations. Saunders doesn't have the best playoff record, but that won't stop him from asking for $7 million per season.
Stern on steroids
With baseball in the midst of a steroid scandal, and the NFL being summoned to Washington to talk to Congress about its anti-steroid program, the NBA is planning to beef up its anti-steroids policy during ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
The desire for a stronger policy had been expressed by the league before baseball's congressional hearing and before negotiations for a new CBA began. The players' union is OK with it and hopes to get a "give-back" for stronger penalties - namely, an independent review when the commissioner punishes players in disciplinary matters, including fights. The players have been calling for such a review since Stern handed down record suspensions for the Detroit-Indiana brawl last November.
The NBA's anti-steroid rules were first put on the books in 1998, with almost no objection from players, when the league went on a crusade to add marijuana to the list of banned drugs.
"I think (steroids) was starting to be an issue back then," said Knicks coach Herb Williams, who was a member of the union negotiating team during the 1998-99 lockout. "I guess they were trying to be on the fast track, to get a head start on it.
"That's David Stern. He's always trying to get the jump to make sure that everything is above board with the NBA. But I've never heard a player in the NBA talk about using steroids."
Since testing started, only two players have tested positive. As it stands now, a player testing positive for steroids the first time gets an automatic five-game suspension without pay. A second positive test results in a 10-game suspension without pay, a third positive 15 games without pay.
As for negotiations, don't expect an agreement by the end of the regular season on April 20, as Stern had hoped to accomplish. The two sides are inching along, with Stern and union chief Billy Hunter meeting several days a week in sessions attended by only small groups of lawyers from each side.
Slam dunks
League snoops report that in recent weeks David Stern bounced off several league officials the idea of a reinstatement for Ron Artest for the playoffs. While some officials said it would create buzz for the playoffs, others rejected the idea out of hand. Those against the idea argued that it would give the appearance of Stern caving to pressure from the Pacers, while making the league look bad for softening its stance. Stern apparently sided with those who thought Artest's season-long suspension had to include the playoffs, just as the league has been publicly saying all along.
Milwaukee's Michael Redd is telling close friends he's ready to re-sign with the Bucks, which will break more than a few hearts in Cleveland and Denver.
It's going to be difficult not to vote for Ben Gordon for Sixth Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The Bulls are winning and the Mount Vernon product has scored 10 points or more in the fourth quarter more than any player in the league. He's done it 22 times. That's something his closest competition for rookie honors, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor, can't touch.
Add the Nets to the list of teams looking to land Memphis' Stromile Swift this summer via free agency. Jersey thinks he'd bring much-needed shot-blocking to the back line. The Hawks and Hornets are also interested. Memphis likes the strides Swift has made, but some in the organization are wary of paying top dollar to a guy who doesn't play hard every night.
Illinois' Deron Williams has overtaken Wake Forest's Chris Paul on several teams' draft boards. After an inconsistent season shooting, Williams' skills and will to win against Arizona in the Illini's monumental comeback win could make him top PG selected in draft. ... While some scouts rate UConn's Charlie Villanueva a mid-to-late first round pick, one called him a "poor man's Tim Thomas, very skilled but with little lift."
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...p-253313c.html
Mitch Lawrence
Pistons brace for Brown out
If ailing Larry leaves, team may do Flip flop.
The Pistons are preparing for the possibility that Larry Brown throws up his hands and surrenders his position as Detroit's coach, so they're reaching out to former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders ... just in case.
The Pistons need Larry Brown on their bench to have any chance of getting past Miami and repeating as NBA champions, and those closest to the Pistons coach are convinced he will be there when the playoffs start. After suffering from a urinary infection resulting from hip surgery, Brown returned to coaching Friday after raising the idea he might not make it back this season.
"My read on it is that he'll be there for the playoffs," said Brown's brother, Herb, an assistant with Atlanta who was with the Pistons when they stunned the Lakers last June.
"I know Larry does not want to go out on this note," said Herb Brown. "He's just trying to make sure that the infection is taken care of. He wants to do the right thing. He does not want to walk away from his job."
Brown still might walk away at season's end, although he's spent most of the season trying to dispel the idea he'll wind up leaving Detroit to coach Kobe Bryant in L.A. The Pistons apparently are preparing for that possibility. They are interested in Flip Saunders and have begun working back-channels to reach out to the ex-Minnesota coach, sources said. It's all being kept on the hush, of course, with Brown still on the job.
But just a few seasons back, when Rick Carlisle was still their coach, they reportedly felt out Brown about taking over. It smacks of being unethical, but it's common in the NBA. As Knicks fans might recall, Dave Checketts talked to Phil Jackson about coaching the Knicks in the spring of 1999 when Jeff Van Gundy was their coach.
If the Pistons go after Saunders, they're sure to get competition from Portland, which tried to hire the former Timberwolves coach a few seasons ago. Milwaukee is said to be interested, if the Bucks give Terry Porter his pink slip.
One word of advice to everyone: Bring money to the negotiations. Saunders doesn't have the best playoff record, but that won't stop him from asking for $7 million per season.
Stern on steroids
With baseball in the midst of a steroid scandal, and the NFL being summoned to Washington to talk to Congress about its anti-steroid program, the NBA is planning to beef up its anti-steroids policy during ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
The desire for a stronger policy had been expressed by the league before baseball's congressional hearing and before negotiations for a new CBA began. The players' union is OK with it and hopes to get a "give-back" for stronger penalties - namely, an independent review when the commissioner punishes players in disciplinary matters, including fights. The players have been calling for such a review since Stern handed down record suspensions for the Detroit-Indiana brawl last November.
The NBA's anti-steroid rules were first put on the books in 1998, with almost no objection from players, when the league went on a crusade to add marijuana to the list of banned drugs.
"I think (steroids) was starting to be an issue back then," said Knicks coach Herb Williams, who was a member of the union negotiating team during the 1998-99 lockout. "I guess they were trying to be on the fast track, to get a head start on it.
"That's David Stern. He's always trying to get the jump to make sure that everything is above board with the NBA. But I've never heard a player in the NBA talk about using steroids."
Since testing started, only two players have tested positive. As it stands now, a player testing positive for steroids the first time gets an automatic five-game suspension without pay. A second positive test results in a 10-game suspension without pay, a third positive 15 games without pay.
As for negotiations, don't expect an agreement by the end of the regular season on April 20, as Stern had hoped to accomplish. The two sides are inching along, with Stern and union chief Billy Hunter meeting several days a week in sessions attended by only small groups of lawyers from each side.
Slam dunks
League snoops report that in recent weeks David Stern bounced off several league officials the idea of a reinstatement for Ron Artest for the playoffs. While some officials said it would create buzz for the playoffs, others rejected the idea out of hand. Those against the idea argued that it would give the appearance of Stern caving to pressure from the Pacers, while making the league look bad for softening its stance. Stern apparently sided with those who thought Artest's season-long suspension had to include the playoffs, just as the league has been publicly saying all along.
Milwaukee's Michael Redd is telling close friends he's ready to re-sign with the Bucks, which will break more than a few hearts in Cleveland and Denver.
It's going to be difficult not to vote for Ben Gordon for Sixth Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The Bulls are winning and the Mount Vernon product has scored 10 points or more in the fourth quarter more than any player in the league. He's done it 22 times. That's something his closest competition for rookie honors, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor, can't touch.
Add the Nets to the list of teams looking to land Memphis' Stromile Swift this summer via free agency. Jersey thinks he'd bring much-needed shot-blocking to the back line. The Hawks and Hornets are also interested. Memphis likes the strides Swift has made, but some in the organization are wary of paying top dollar to a guy who doesn't play hard every night.
Illinois' Deron Williams has overtaken Wake Forest's Chris Paul on several teams' draft boards. After an inconsistent season shooting, Williams' skills and will to win against Arizona in the Illini's monumental comeback win could make him top PG selected in draft. ... While some scouts rate UConn's Charlie Villanueva a mid-to-late first round pick, one called him a "poor man's Tim Thomas, very skilled but with little lift."
Comment