(Quick aside: Is it just me or is the NBA offseason easily the most fun of any sport?) Anyway, it appears, based on Woj's sources, that this rumor is likely to gain very little steam, primarily because Danny Ainge is dealing with "Bring in Rasheed Wallace to win a championship" Joe Dumars, as opposed to "Draft Darko, Trade Chauncey for Iverson" Joe Dumars.
All rumors involving the Spurs are interesting, and not just because of the team's status as one of the league's best year after year (after year after year). San Antonio does things differently, and ape as other franchises might try, no one can quite replicate the funky method to the Buford/Popovich madness. Even if a rumor susses out false, the anatomy and evolution of said rumor deserves attention. Every bit of understanding helps.
As such, the burgeoning rumor placing Olympiakos center Yiannis Bouroussis in a Spurs uniform for three years, $10-12 million, as reported by 48 Minutes of Hell and backed up by Greek sources ... that makes you pay attention. S.A. is always always looking for an appropriate running mate for Tim Duncan, and anyone who follows European basketball knows Bouroussis' reputation as a bad-ass bruiser. It seems like a match made in Heaven.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
After being discovered in a pickup game by NBA superstar Chauncey Billups, Alex Acker was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, where his first encounter with Rasheed Wallace was truly one for the history books. Acker also spent two seasons with the best teams in Europe -- Olympiacos (Greece) and FC Barcelona (Spain's powerhouse) -- where he faced pepper spray and flare guns during games. In this FanHouse exclusive we hang out with Acker at his L.A. home and get a true inside look at the life of an NBA player.
For the first time in seven years, the Pistons will not make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals -- and it's only fitting that Ben Wallace was present to witness the dismantling. He was the foundation of Detroit's first four appearances, the face of the franchise up until the moment he left as a free agent three summers ago before ultimately landing with the Cavaliers at the 2007 trade deadline.
Even though a lot of Detroit fans haven't forgiven him for leaving, he clearly enjoys coming back. After seeing him roam the hallways behind the scenes this weekend, I can understand why: he's still greeted warmly by former teammates, locker room attendants, Pistons front office staff and even members of Detroit's media. It may be easy for jilted fans to switch allegiances on a dime, but as explained this weekend, the bonds he formed during six long years in Detroit will always be there.
The Blazers and the Rockets are both playoff teams that have their share of obvious flaws. In fact, neither one of them have any business getting out of the first round this season. But thanks to the way the seedings shook out, one of them will advance by default.
Unfortunately for Portland fans, that team is going to be the Rockets, and the reason is rather simple: This Blazers team is just not built for the playoffs.
Maybe they should rename the building, "The Palace King James Tore Down."
The Cavaliers took no time in putting their foot to the throat of the Detroit Pistons, closing them out in the third quarter with 16-6 run. The Pistons, a powerhouse over the last seven years, will not reach the conference finals for the first time in seven years. The cause of their downfall? The only man with less fear of the Palace than Ron Artest.
LeBron James had 36 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists to again create the majority of the punch for the Cavs, who will now have up to a week of off time before facing the winner of the Atlanta-Miami showdown.
With the way the Cavaliers are playing, those teams might want to put off facing the Cavs as long as possible.
The Cavaliers did indeed beat the Pistons in Game 3 of their first round playoff match-up, stretching their lead to a near insurmountable three games to none in the process. And because Cleveland was able to comfortably pull away in a 79-68 victory on the road, that pretty much means this series is all over but the Rasheed Wallace shouting at the refs.
Because it is. Look a little more closely at how this one went down, and you'll see that so much had to go wrong for Detroit to even make a game of it, and you'll see that the rule is this. Cleveland looks like the best team in the East, possibly the league right now, and it may not be that close.
CLEVELAND -- They posted the result on the end scoreboards at Quicken Loans Arena, and gradually, the crowd noticed and erupted. "CHI 105 BOS 103," the news flashed, followed by "ROSE 36." I'm not sure what more this ohhhhhhh-noooooooo, disbelieving city requires in regard to positive reinforcement, but when the Celtics lost at home to Derrick Rose and the Bulls, it should have reminded every doubting soul in northeast Ohio that the Cavaliers have an express lane to the NBA Finals.
And if that wasn't enough, what about You Know Who, launching a prayer just past the midcourt stripe and watching it bank in as the halftime buzzer sounded? What more do you possibly need, Cleveland? Isn't it time to forget those deep, ugly wounds and start buying into this "ONE GOAL" stuff printed on every T-shirt?
The Pistons and Cavs have a lot of history together, which is fortunate, because that's the only thing that makes this series the least bit compelling. The Cavs finished the season as the most dominant team in the NBA, leading the league with a franchise record 66 wins and terrorizing opponents with an 8.9 point differential. The Pistons, on the other hand, posted their first losing record since 2001, winning just 18 times in their last 50 games. This could get ugly.
NEW YORK -- A beautiful thing happened to the Detroit Pistons on their way to the playoffs. Oh, they haven't quite reached the postseason yet, but there isn't much doubt that is where they're headed, where they belong now that the team has been made whole again.
It took the subtraction of Allen Iverson to mend the Pistons, and while there is a chance his removal came a bit too late, Detroit needs to win just one more game to seal a playoff berth. The Pistons are now tied for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls, a lucky spot that means avoiding a first-round clash with LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
There's a little NBA trading spice coming out of Woj's internet-making machine recently, in the form of (another?) rumor involving Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. This time, they were reportedly offered to Detroit in a deal that would have sent Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey to Beantown.
All rumors involving the Spurs are interesting, and not just because of the team's status as one of the league's best year after year (after year after year). San Antonio does things differently, and ape as other franchises might try, no one can quite replicate the funky method to the Buford/Popovich madness. Even if a rumor susses out false, the anatomy and evolution of said rumor deserves attention. Every bit of understanding helps.
After being discovered in a pickup game by NBA superstar 
For the first time in seven years, the Pistons will not make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals -- and it's only fitting that 
Maybe they should rename the building, "The Palace King James Tore Down." 
The Cavaliers did indeed beat the Pistons in Game 3 of their first round playoff match-up, stretching their lead to a near insurmountable three games to none in the process. And because Cleveland was able to comfortably pull away in a 
FanHouse previews the 
NEW YORK -- A beautiful thing happened to the Detroit Pistons on their way to the playoffs. Oh, they haven't quite reached the postseason yet, but there isn't much doubt that is where they're headed, where they belong now that the team has been made whole again.
