(OT) Players revolting in Detroit

[illmatic99]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...t=AjagfAppehW_wgfgcKhoqCG8vLYF?urn=nba-326449

It's hard to say. It is the dead of winter, the Pistons are in freezing Pennsylvania, and we've heard conflicting reports as to why five players didn't show up for work on Friday.

The Detroit News is quoting a "team source" as saying that the Pistons held a "player protest," but the News also quotes the team as telling its fans that several of the missing had legitimate excuses for missing shootaround.

For the worst-case scenario, it doesn't take a divining rod to figure out why the players would pass on practice. The Pistons are terrible, the trade deadline passed without any member of the team happily being sent elsewhere in a deal, no buyouts were structured for players to flee the area, and the entire roster seems to hate coach John Kuester.

Tracy McGrady(notes), Richard Hamilton(notes), Tayshaun Prince(notes) and Chris Wilcox(notes) all missed the team bus to shootaround, and as we mentioned above, the Detroit News quotes a team source as saying that the missing Pistons were staging a "player protest."

None of of those guys are playing in this game today vs. PHL. Kuester is a dumbass coach, but wow. Haven't seen anything like this in the NBA.

 

[maxiep]

If I were the Pistons' GM, I'd suspend all of them without pay.

 

[Shapecity]

It's embarrassing for the "veterans" of this team to quit on their fans and other teammates.

 

[illmatic99]

I don't know about that. This is really out of character for guys like Prince and Rip.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

What's the coach's name? Mohomar Kuesterofy?

 

[ebott]

They don't like their coach so they don't show up? Can you imagine any real world person just not showing up cause they didn't like their boss and getting away with it. It's this kind of crap that makes it really hard for people to side with the players during collective bargaining.

 

[Minstrel]

I don't know about that. This is really out of character for guys like Prince and Rip.

For Rip? Didn't he stage various protests when Gordon took his starting spot last year?

 

[illmatic99]

Wow. Kueseter got ejected, and the camera shot to the Pistons' bench and the guys who skipped practice were bowling over with laughter.

http://twitter.com/STEIN_LINE_HQ

You can't write this stuff: Kuester ejected in Philly ... where he lives in offseason and with his daughter, who plays for St. Joes, at game... benched guys laughing after Kue ejection

 

[maxiep]

Man, the inmates are running the Pistons' asylum. If I were the owner I'd address the team and say, "Perhaps if you were any good you could laugh, but you suck."

 

[Darkwebs]

It was the beginning of the end for the Pistons when they traded away Billups. Not sure what they saw in Stuckey that made them think he could take the reigns. He looked like a decent player, but not franchise-player good.

 

[hasoos]

I don't even want to judge them, I have no idea what their relationship with their coach is like.

 

[illmatic99]

Can you imagine this ever happening in Portland?

wow.

[video=youtube;FzK-YbJWb_c]

Eric Snow, the Sixers' analyst, was absolutely trashing the Piston players for being disrespectful. TMac, WTF. Detroit was the only team to give you an opportunity, and you return the favor with insubordination?

 

[Nikolokolus]

If it was just McGrady (or and some of the other guys on that team that you wouldn't be shocked to hear do something like this) I'd be more inclined to call them out. But Rip and Tayshaun? ... I dunno, maybe they have a legit beef?

 

[THE HCP]

I think that shit is funny! I learned in the Army that you can't MAKE people respect you. You have to earn it!

 

[hasoos]

Did anybody bother to think maybe whatever Kuester said in order to get kicked out might have been rather funny? It's not against the law to laugh.

 

[Minstrel]

It was the beginning of the end for the Pistons when they traded away Billups. Not sure what they saw in Stuckey that made them think he could take the reigns. He looked like a decent player, but not franchise-player good.

Dumars thought that core was getting too old and wanted to rebuild. He traded Billups for AI in order to get cap space since AI had an expiring contract. Then he used that cap space on Gordon and Villanueva, locking in the mediocrity he had hoped to avoid.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

somehow reminds me of the last weeks of the Derek Anderson era... *shudder*

 

[OddEnormous]

Can you imagine any real world person just not showing up cause they didn't like their boss and getting away with it.

Can you imagine any real world person wearing shorts and a tank top to work and running around all over the office trying to make baskets and getting away with it?

 

[maxiep]

The title of the thread not only describes the behavior of the players, but their play this season.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Can you imagine any real world person wearing shorts and a tank top to work and running around all over the office trying to make baskets and getting away with it?

Casual Friday!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

The title of the thread not only describes the behavior of the players, but their play this season.

I knew there was a "The peasants are revolting!" joke in there somewhere.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Coach and player does not equal boss and employee. Similar, yes, but not the same.

 

[MARIS61]

Those dumbasses just cost themselves a bundle on their next contracts, when few teams will have any interest in their intermittent services.

 

[Natebishop3]

Most of that team needs a change of scenery. Gordon was pretty good for the Bulls, and I'd like to think that Prince and Hamilton still have some gas in the tanks.

 

[crandc]

Can you imagine any real world person wearing shorts and a tank top to work and running around all over the office trying to make baskets and getting away with it?

Sounds a bit like my workplace. Well, you have to go to the court (choice of outdoor or indoors) if you want to shoot baskets, but in summer half the company is in shorts. Some of the gals & guys wear skirts, though, in hot weather.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Dumars thought that core was getting too old and wanted to rebuild. He traded Billups for AI in order to get cap space since AI had an expiring contract. Then he used that cap space on Gordon and Villanueva, locking in the mediocrity he had hoped to avoid.

Exactly right. Joe D. didn't have a lot of options that offseason - he should have just held onto the cap space for a while. I am amazed that JD the GM doesn't value the fundamental characteristics of JD the player.