The AP reports: Businessman and former NBA great Dave Bing says he’s seriously considering running for mayor of Detroit because of scandals surrounding the incumbent and other problems in the city where he played for most of his Hall-of-Fame career. Bing said Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s legal and image troubles, a federal probe into a sludge recycling contract and Detroit’s underachieving public schools, are hampering the financially strapped city’s ability to attract business, investment and people. Reports of a physical confrontation last week involving Kilpatrick and a sheriff’s deputy who was trying to serve a subpoena on a mayoral ally only adds to Detroit’s growing embarrassment, Bing said. State police are investigating the incident.
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Pistons sign Will Bynum
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Will Bynum to a contract. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to add Will Bynum to our roster,” said Dumars. “Will played well for us during summer league and we think he possesses skills that can help our team and provide depth at the guard position.”
Bynum averaged 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Detroit at the 2008 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Chicago native played last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli League where he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
The 6-foot, 185-pound guard played 15 games with the Golden State Warriors during the 2005-06 season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.3 assists per game. He was named 2005-06 NBA Development League Rookie of the Year after leading the league in scoring at 24.0 points per game with the Roanoke Dazzle.
Bynum began his collegiate career at the University of Arizona before transferring to Georgia Tech during his sophomore year. As a junior, he led the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 NCAA Championship game after making a game-winning layup against Oklahoma State in the Final Four and scored 17 points in a loss to Connecticut.
How to determine schedule for any team
The Oklahoman (Mike Baldwin) reports on a team’s 82-game regular season schedule: “Four games against division opponents. Four games against six out-of-division conference opponents. Three games against the remaining four conference teams. Two games against teams in the opposing conference. A five-year rotation determines which out-of-division conference teams are played only three times.”
2008-09 Salary Cap set to $58.680 million
The National Basketball Association today announced that the Salary Cap for the 2008-09 season will be $58.680 million. The new Cap goes into effect immediately as the league’s “moratorium period” has ended and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.
The tax level for the 2008-09 season has been set at $71.150 million. Any team whose team salary exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million.
The mid-level exception is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 season and the minimum team salary, which is set at 75% of the Salary Cap, is $44.010 million.
For the 2007-08 season, the Salary Cap was set at $55.630 million, the tax level was $67.865 million and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million.
Pistons summer league team roster
The Detroit Pistons announced today their roster for the NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports in Las Vegas, NV. The Pistons will play five games versus L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Milwaukee, Dallas and Charlotte from July 11 through July 18. All games will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center or Cox Pavilion located on the campus of UNLV.
InsideHoops.com will have full summer league info and coverage. Our initial info update comes tonight or Tuesday.
Following is the Pistons Summer League Roster:
NO PLAYER POS HT WT COLLEGE/COUNTRY BIRTHDATE NBA EXP.
6 Alex Acker G 6-5 185 Pepperdine 1/21/83 1 year
28 Arron Afflalo G 6-5 215 UCLA 10/15/85 1 year
23 Derrick Allen F 6-8 238 Mississippi 7/17/80 R
7 Will Bynum G 6-0 185 Georgia Tech 1/4/83 1 year
34 Ryvon Coville F 6-9 250 Detroit 3/1/84 R
20 Kentrell Gransberry F/C 6-9 270 South Florida 8/1/85 R
25 Amir Johnson F 6-9 210 Westchester HS (L.A.) 5/1/87 3 years
44 Trent Plaisted F 6-11 245 BYU 10/20/86 R
35 Cheikh Samb C 7-1 195 Senegal 10/22/84 1 year
14 Walter Sharpe F 6-9 245 Alabama-Birmingham 7/16/86 R
12 Marcus Stout G 6-4 195 Fordham 6/20/86 R
3 Rodney Stuckey G 6-5 205 Eastern Washington 4/21/86 1 year
8 Deron Washington G/F 6-7 210 Virginia Tech 12/12/85 R
Chris Douglas-Roberts got bad draft advice
The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports: “Chris Douglas-Roberts was never an option for the Pistons, and the fact that he fell to No. 40 in the draft was like a reality check from the basketball gods. The Pistons were the first team to call him. Even before official workouts began, the Pistons asked Douglas-Roberts, a kid from Detroit, if he wanted to begin his workouts with them. He refused. They asked him again the Monday of draft week if he wanted to conclude his workouts with the Pistons. He refused again. Douglas-Roberts got some bad advice. He thought he would be picked a lot higher than No. 29. Instead, by refusing to work out for the last 10 teams in the draft, he cost himself first-round guaranteed money.”
Pistons have made good late first round picks
The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports: Here’s the thing about the Pistons and late first-round picks — they don’t generally throw them away. In the past few years they have plucked Arron Afflalo (27th), Jason Maxiell (26th), Carlos Delfino (25th) and Tayshaun Prince (23rd) out of the back end of the draft. So with the 29th pick tonight in the NBA draft, the Pistons are expecting to get another useful player. “No question, the goal is to get value, get the best player regardless of where you pick them,” Scott Perry, Pistons vice president of basketball, said. “That’s the rewarding part of the evaluation and scouting process. To be able to find a player in the later stages who can become an integral part of your rotation, that’s really the exciting part.”
Pistons coach Michael Curry has his assistants
New Pistons head coach Michael Curry now has his assistants.
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has signed Darrell Walker, Pat Sullivan and Harold Ellis as assistant coaches.
See more info here.
The big question for Detroit is what their roster will look like last year. I was surprised that Flip Saunders got fired. The team had a terrific regular season, and they were better than everyone in the East except the team that wound up winning the league championship. It’s not like they lost to the Hawks or Wizards or something. But still, management seems to feel change has to happen, and Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups, two guys getting up there in age a little, are still the favorites to go, if any of the core does get sent away.
Mark Madsen cannot believe Flip Saunders was fired
Mark Madsen writing on his own blog: “I cannot believe that Flip Saunders was fired. I cannot believe it. This man can flat out coach and while I hope that the Pistons have success in the future, let’s not forget that Flips tenure as head coach of Detroit took the Pistons deep into the playoffs every year. Coaching is not an exact science and it’s not easy at the NBA level with mature and grown men all of whom have strong competitive natures. I wish Detroit well, but they lost a gem with Flip.”
Michael Curry to be new Pistons coach
The Detroit Pistons have called a press conference for Tuesday, June 10 to announce the team’s new head coach.
The AP reports: Michael Curry will be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons after having played for the team and worked as an assistant… Curry agreed to a three-year deal worth $2.5 million a year, with the team holding the option for a fourth season.