Archive for the ‘Blog Entries’ Category

It's the Roc!

What’s going on World?

John W. Davis here.  Everything is everything here in the D but I have some bad news to share with you.  Our beloved Pistons have lost a major monetary sponsor in Rock Financial.  Check this out…

Rock Financial’s parent company, Livonia-based Quicken Loans Inc., is owned by Dan Gilbert. Quicken has decided to focus its marketing efforts toward the NBA team that Gilbert owns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who happen to play in Quicken Loans Arena, Hauser said.

Because the Rock Financial presence is only in Michigan, supporting the Pistons doesn’t help parent Quicken Loans highlight its national presence the way sponsoring the Cavaliers will.

As the presenting sponsor, Rock Financial was featured in all Pistons broadcasts, all print ads and other printed materials and promotional items. In addition to prominent in-arena advertising, several Pistons players have been featured in Rock’s Metro Detroit ads. Sports marketing consultants said the price of the sponsorship was in the $1 million to $3 million range annually. Rock was the team’s major sponsor for five years.

“They will still have a presence at The Palace,” Hauser said, including signs inside the arena and continuing some community programs. “The details of our future arrangement are still being worked out,” he added.

The Pistons hope to announce a new presenting sponsor in the coming weeks.

I guess Quicken Loans feels the Cavs are ready for national prominesce and there’s no point of wasting their money on the Pistons and our horrible real estate market.  One positive is that a new presenting sponsor will be announced soon.  Who do you think it should be?

My vote is for General Motors.  The Pistons can help give them some positive national and global publicity and we all know they need it. 

Who do you think it will be?

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Denzel says come back Rock Financial!

The Golden Piston!

What’s going on World?

John W. Davis here. We received two emails congratulating Tayshaun Prince today for winning gold that I would like to share with you.

Ericka from Alabama by way of Pontiac: Hey guys, what’s goin’ on!

How bout our boys bringing home the gold! Most importantly, Tayshaun bringing home the gold! I have watched every game by way of my DVR, all the USA Basketball redemption specials on NBA TV, the exhibition games..all of that! So imagine my frustration when right when our boys were stepping up on the platform to finally get that medal…MY DVR SHUT OFF!!! I just sat there in disbelief. My question to you is, do you know of anywhere online where I can get this footage? I was waiting to hear Tayshaun’s name when he got the medal and the timing of the DVR took that away from me.

Thanks in advance,
Ericka

Darian from Nebraska: Hey Pistons Cast!!! Whats good!!

Let me just say!! GOOOOO TAYSHAUN DURELL PRINCE!!! What a stud! He’s got a gold medal and no one can take that away! I stayed up till like 4 watching that game and tay played GREAT in the first half! He made me so happy!!! But yah i just wanted to give a shout out to our boy Tayshaun Prince!!!

DEEEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL!!!

Here is the link we all want to see especially Ericka. Tayshaun and the US Basketball team getting their gold medals.

US MEDAL CEREMONY!!!!

Props to nbcolympics.com.  If you want to congratulate Tayshaun do it in the comments section.

ITS TIME FOR SOME DETROIT BASKETBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Which one was better?

As I have noted in the past, I was born in Detroit and grew up a Pistons fan. And since sports allegiance doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) change as you age, I remain a Pistons fan.

My memory of the Pistons extends all the way back to the days of Bob Lanier (I can still remember when he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks). But I truly began to follow the Pistons when Isiah Thomas was drafted (in 1981 when I was eleven). The story I believed growing up was that Isiah put the Pistons on the map, and it was Isiah who led the Detroit to the team’s first two championships.

As I noted last summer, the story I grew up believing is not told by Wins Produced (see Looking Back at the Bad Boys). Wins Produced indicates that The Bad Boys were led by Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer (not Isiah Thomas).

After Rodman and Laimbeer moved on, the Pistons became quite a bit worse. The Grant Hill era saw some success, but it wasn’t until another productive big man - Ben Wallace - came on the scene that the Pistons once again contended for the title.

Which backcourt dynamic duo was greater?

Discussing Chauncey and Isiah on Pistonscast

Unlike what we saw with Rodman and Laimbeer, though, when Big Ben left the Pistons didn’t fall apart. Since Wallace departed in 2006 the Pistons have had two +50 win seasons. And the leading producer of wins on each team has been Chauncey Billups.

Table One: The Detroit Pistons in 2006-07 and 2005-06

Table Two: The Detroit Pistons in 2007-08

All of this serves as a background to a recent conversation I had with John W. Davis and Deven Khrucell. John and Deven are the hosts of Pistonscast, “the number one podcast for die-hard Pistons fans.” As I remember, last spring I was a guest on the program and the subject of Allen Iverson came up. As I often note, “the Answer” is not quite as productive as many believe. And I noted at the time, I think Isiah was a more productive player than Iverson.

Such a statement may make Iverson fans unhappy, but is not exactly disputed by “die-hard Pistons fans.” But as I often do, I could not leave well enough alone. I also indicated last spring that Chauncey Billups - the current point guard in Detroit - is more productive than the one considered the greatest player in team history.

When I noted that Billups offers more today than Isiah did in the 1980s, Deven expressed some unhappiness. As a result, I was asked to return to the show to debate Deven on the relative merits of Chauncey and Isiah.

This debate is now posted at Pistonscast. The specific podcasts you need to hear - if you are interested in this discussion - are Episodes 62 and 63. Episode 62 is the first half of our discussion. We begin on the topic of Kwame Brown, but after awhile move into the discussion of Billups and Thomas. This debate is then continued in episode 63.

Essentially, Deven’s perspective is that the numbers are not enough to tell us that Chauncey is worth more than Isiah. Of course, I disagree. The numbers in basketball do explain wins. And those numbers go back to the individuals. Furthermore, it’s not clear to me how we could ever objectively test the propositions put forward by the non-numbers crowd. At least, I can’t see how we can test such propositions without numbers.

If Iverson was the Answer, Was Isiah the Question?

More on Billups, Isiah, and Iverson

For those who wish to see more numbers on this subject, here is a comparison of the career numbers of Billups, Thomas, and Iverson.

Table Three: Comparing Chauncey Billups, Isiah Thomas, and Allen Iverson

As Table Three indicates, the key stats are shooting efficiency and turnovers. Unlike Isiah and Iverson - who are both below average with respect to shots from the field and turnovers - Billups excels with respect to each of these stats. Consequently, Billups has a bigger impact on team wins.

If we turn to Wins Produced, we see the following career marks [in Wins Produced and Wins Produced per 48 minutes]:

Chauncey Billups: 90.9 Wins Produced, 0.181 WP48

Isiah Thomas: 97.4 Wins Produced, 0.132 WP48

Allen Iverson: 64.8 Wins Produced, 0.090 WP48

And if we look at each player’s career best marks [in WP48], again we see Billups coming out on top:

Chauncey Billups: 16.0 Wins Produced, 0.304 WP48 [2007-08]

Isiah Thomas: 18.6 Wins Produced, 0.289 WP48 [1984-85]

Allen Iverson: 10.0 Wins Produced, 0.152 WP48 [2004-05]

So those are the numbers. My sense is that Deven will not be convinced. And hopefully as you listen, you will hear that it’s okay if we don’t all agree. The conversation, by itself, is still quite fun (and hopefully interesting).

One More Interview

Last Thursday I was also a guest on the Jack Warkenthein’s Show - Where Wall Street Meets Main Street - on the Biz Radio Network. If you turn to the Podcasts for Jack’s show you can listen to my two segments on August 21 (part two and three). One should keep in mind, though, that this interview was done at 7:20am Central Time (the show is broadcast in Texas). This is 6:20am at my home in Utah. You are listening to me speak just minutes after I woke up that morning. So I don’t guarantee that I am entirely coherent (which probably makes the whole conversation even more interesting).

Still, I do think I offered some reasonable comments on Olympic basketball, the Rockets acquisition of Ron Artest, and the Mavericks acquisition of Jason Kidd. I think I also said something about why high oil prices could be good news. Again, the whole conversation was pretty early in the morning.

- DJ

www.dberri.wordpress.com

The WoW Journal Comments Policy

Our research on the NBA was summarized HERE.

The Technical Notes at wagesofwins.com provides substantially more information on the published research behind Wins Produced and Win Score

Wins Produced, Win Score, and PAWSmin are also discussed in the following posts:

Simple Models of Player Performance

Wins Produced vs. Win Score

What Wins Produced Says and What It Does Not Say

Introducing PAWSmin — and a Defense of Box Score Statistics

Finally, A Guide to Evaluating Models contains useful hints on how to interpret and evaluate statistical models.

A lonely Theo Ratliff card. Injured like he seems to always be...

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here. I found this on the web and had to share it with you. Background time… If you didn’t know Theo Ratliff has officially signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He will get a 1-year deal worth about 1.4 million dollars. So in the immortal words of the great Chicago White Sox Baseball Announcer… HE GONE!

Anyway so Theo was recently interviewed about going back to Philly. He also talked about the fact that he feels he still has what it takes to be better than average in the NBA. Just read below.

“I’m a lot older,” said Ratliff. “I definitely have to take care of myself. I can’t go out there no-holds barred anymore like I used to. I can’t play 35 minutes a game, but I still feel like I’ve got a lot of game in me. I can go out on the court and be competitive. I still intimidate people coming into that hoop.”

My questions are, one, does Theo still have NBA game? Two, does he still intimidate NBA players driving the lane? Watch this video of the Top 10 Dunks on Theo Ratliff. LOL. Whoever made this video is mean. They must not be a fan of making 11 million dollars a year for being injured. HAHA

You know what to do. Leave a comment or drop us a line.

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

P.S. I thought I would leave you with some old school Theo Ratliff. This is how I will remember you Theo. R.I.P. to your Pistons career.

The Prince of the Palace waiting for his Olympic Coronation!

Whats Going on World?

John W. Davis here.  Our boy Tayshaun Prince is back at it again.  Showing the world that a true Detroit Piston player can always contribute, even on a world stage.  His unselfish play is exactly why the Pistons are who they are and its exactly why we don’t get the national respect we deserve.

Coming off the bench is different for Tayshaun Prince because since his 2nd year in the league he has STARTED every game.  Props to the Detroit Free Press, I really like the game by game coverage the FREEP has given the Prince of the Palace.

Hey, Tayshaun Prince had a triple-single in Team USA’s 116-85 win over Australia on Wednesday in Beijing — nine points, a rebound and a steal.

Prince is contributing but as a reserve, averaging 12.7 minutes a game, not the 32.9 he gets with the Pistons, and 4.7 points instead of 13.2. And he’s accepted his role on a roster with guys named Kobe and LeBron.

“The toughest part is trying to come in and really respond and help the team in any way you can,” Prince told the Lexington Herald-Leader, which wants his story because of his days at Kentucky.

“… Obviously, the caliber of guys that we have, we just have to be ready. And I think today I was ready. I think in the games I have been ready, whether it’s shooting the basketball or playing some defense or doing whatever.”

Whatever Coach K is selling, it’s been working. The Redeem Team is 6-0 going into the medal round.

“We’re not overlooking nobody,” Prince said. “You know why? Because we play the same way every game. … Everybody’s been playing hard and aggressive.

“So we’re gonna go down fighting, no matter what.”

Two more games until Gold Tayshaun,  keep doing your thang!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

My name is Rasheed Amir Wade! Really it is!

Whats Going on World?

John W. Davis here.   Just had to share this story with you from Pistons.com.  No this is not Rasheed’s child or Amir’s.  It just a die hard Pistons fans infant child.   Just read the story. LOL

Clifford Wade and Latanya Bussell had an agreement about the naming of their first child. If Latanya had a boy, Clifford would name him; a girl, and Latanya would have the honor. Clifford, a lifelong Detroiter who says he comes to five Pistons games a season on average, knew precisely which name he wanted to go with. And it definitely wasn’t Dwyane.

“Rasheed is my favorite [Piston] and I also wanted as the middle name somebody off the bench so I chose Amir Johnson,” said Clifford, who named his son Rasheed Amir Wade.

Coincidentally, Clifford’s son has the same initials as Rasheed Abdul Wallace - and that’s where the similarities end for now. Fortunately for Clifford and Latanya, the four-month-old hasn’t exhibited any technical foul-worthy tantrums just yet. “He’s a great baby, nice, handsome little boy,” the proud papa gushed. “He’s very good. I just love him.”

Rasheed Amir Wade was born the morning of April 27, 2008. That night, the Pistons defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their first-round series. The 93-84 victory sparked a five-game winning streak and signaled the end of the Sixers’ season. Wallace had one of his best performances of the playoffs, 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“Hopefully that can rub off on my mine and we can be watching him in the future, because I do want him to be one,” Clifford said. “Not just a basketball player but a Piston.”

What Piston would you name your child after?  Haha. Leave a Comment. 

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Ben Gordon on the Pistons?

Whats Going on World?

John W. Davis here.  I was emailing with one of our Top Listeners my boy Nate from DC.  Here was his email.

 Sup PC?  We gotta get Ben Gordon I think.  Pleassse discuss on Pistonscast.  In my opinion, we have a defensive backup SG with Arron Afflalo but we would get a beastly offensive SG backup who would become our sixth man in Gordon.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can make the argument that we don’t wanna take away time from other Bench Babies but I think he’s worth it.

Well Nate brings up an interesting player.  Ben Gordon is the last big name free agent left on the market and his offensive capabilities are NBA tested and proven.  Simply said he can put the ball in the basket.  Here was my response to Nate’s email.

Ok Nate its an interesting idea but you have to give me more.  1st who would you trade for him.  Remember he is going to make 10-12 million and he’s a backup.  Would he really like that?  Dont you think the Pistons would be over paying for a bench player?

Just giving you some food for thought.Okay so I want

to hear from from you.  Ben Gordon on the Pistons? Yes, No, Maybe so. Thoughts please.  Go to the Contact section on this page and drop us a message or just leave a comment to this blog.

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

What’s going on World?

John W. Davis here.  The Olympics are in full swing and I’m loving it.  If you know anything about me, you know I’m all about running especially track and field.  We have witnessed Usain Bolt run a 9.69 WR in the 100m and I have a feeling he will put on a show later this week in the 200m with another gold medal winning performance.

As Detroit Pistons fans, we are all rooting for our boy Tayshaun Prince. 

The following is an excerpt from a recent Detroit Free Press Article:

In Monday’s game, coach Mike Krzyzewski played Prince extensively after the second quarter, assigning him to Germany’s best player, Dirk Nowitzki, who creates difficult matchups for most players because of his size 7-feet, 243 pounds) and versatility.

Prince, a four-time NBA All-Defensive second team player, limited Nowitzki to 14 points.

“I think I’ve done a great job of making the best of it,” Prince said. “I’m trying to get some offensive rebounds and get some easy shots. Hopefully things will get back on track here in this next game.”

What Prince would like when the U.S. plays Australia in the quarterfinals Wednesday is a performance similar to the one he gave against Spain on Saturday. In what was by far his most productive game, Prince scored 10 points in 14 minutes, making 3-of-4 3-pointers.  “That last game when I came into the game I hit some big shots,” Prince said. “So obviously I think I can do it. Everybody is getting less minutes than they’re used to, but they’re taking advantage of it, and that’s what matters.”

I’ve said it before and said it again, Tayshaun Prince will be a neccessary key component to winning that Olympic gold.  Against Germany, he stopped Dirk Nowitzki.  Check 1.  Against Spain he helped stopped their powerful team that has many capable NBA players.  In the medal round look for Tayshaun to check the best player on the oppossing team for at least 15 minutes a game.

No doubt in my mind that Tayshaun will EARN his gold medal.

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

What’s going on World?

John W. Davis.  I was doing a little youtube searching and look what I came across, some go ole’ Marcus Stout footage.  Check out the video below and watch him make a great game winning layup.  (Marcus is wearing Number 1)  Shoutout to Marcus Stout for being on Episode 61.  Best of luck to Marcus and he has an open invitation to come on Pistonscast anytime.

 Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here.  Let me update you on the Pistonscast Haiku Contest.  We have had eight entries so far.  

Check out the comments section here http://www.pistonscast.com/blog/2008/08/08/pistonscast-haiku-contest/#comments to read all the great Piston inspired Haikus.

Whose Haiku is best?  Deven Khrucell, John W. Davis and a special guest host from SLAM MAGAZINE will judge our top entries and determine the winner on an upcoming episode.

As always, drop a comment or shoot us an email at hosts@pistonscast.com.

Peace,

John W. Davis