Wolverines in the NBA/PISTONS/NBA in general

[iam416]

LOL

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh

[*JD*]

Excuse me, while I puke....

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2012/08/pistons_other_nba_teams_could.html

[*JD*]

I just found this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7VlyeWgL8E&feature=share"]Story Time With Jalen Rose: Kobe Bryant Scores 81 - YouTube[/ame]

[hodgkal]

I just read that Alex Karras is near death from kidney failure. He is 77 and has suffered dementia for more than 10 years. His family is signatory to a players' lawsuit against the league for failure to deal effectively with the problem of head injuries.

He had a successful TV career in the 1980s playing the role of a family man. I never watched it but it was quite popular.

I may be the only one here who really remembers Karras other than through historical references. He was indeed one of the most dominant DTs to play the game during the 1960s. The Lions came "oh so close" several times during that decade but could not quite put it all together.

He was drafted 10th in the 1958 NFL draft by the Lions after being a star for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

[Detroit Dan]

Karras had a fantastic NBA career after graduating from UM...

[*JD*]

He certainly was unstoppable in the post with Webster checking him.

[lineygoblue]

Alex Karras has passed away this morning at age 77.

He was an icon in Detroit. One of the toughest dudes to ever play on the DL.

[Hannibal]

He'll always be Webster's dad to me.

[*JD*]

I was too young to have seen him play so I remember him for Blazing Saddles and Webster.

RIP

[madootra]

Karras was Lyle Alzado without the drugs or hype. Great player, great character, Good man, decent actor. RIP, Mr. Karras.

[*JD*]

Big Hope has arrived.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkQg65PGqSo"]Andre Drummond vs Bucks: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists (HD) - YouTube[/ame]

[lineygoblue]

Pistons suck.

Lottery team.

[*JD*]

I think they will be somewhere around .500 this year. I see 35-43 wins, depending on how much Knight and Monroe have improved. Drummond should get at least 20 minutes a game. His offense is not very refined but he has a nice touch around the basket and should be a rebounder and shot-blocker at the very least.

I might bring him off the bench for the first 2 or 3 weeks and then let him start. He's ready to be an impact player on defense, at the very least.

Knight looks better with the dribble but still has thrown some lazy passes.

Maggette will add scoring punch off the bench and JJ looks like he's completely recovered from his injury.

I'm hoping (former lottery pick) Terrance Williams makes the team. He's a good defender and looks like he could steal Will Bynum's minutes as the back-up PG. That would be a double blessing.

If Detroit could only find a way to have a team take Daye, Villanueva and Bynum off our hands, we would be blessed.

I also like what I've seen from "Sir" Kim English and Kris Middleton. Kyle Singler hasn't looked bad either. I don't think there will be much PT for any of them, though, if Joe D doesn't clear out some of the dead weight.

All in all, it still looks to be the most entertaining year since 2008.

[*JD*]

After Opening Night vs. Houston, Detroit has a really tough 6 game road trip against a lot of the West's best (@ Phx, lakes, Denver, OKC, Houston again) so it may take a while for us to see what kind of team this is.

Of course, if they are near .500 at the end of that, that would really mean something. I'm not counting on it.