Bill Davidson goes to the Hall

Published by Matt Watson on September 5, 2008 in Former Pistons and Interviews. 20 Comments

The Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are tonight — 7:30pm ET on NBA TV and ESPN Classic — and there will be some Detroit connections: Pistons owner Bill Davidson, former player Adrian Dantley and former coach Dick Vitale are all getting the nod. We’ve known this was coming since April, but it’s still nice to see.

Davidson doesn’t give many interviews, but when he does, you’re guaranteed to get some interesting answers. Fortunately for us, Mitch Albom scored an interview in today’s Free Press. Some highlights …

About his relationship with Isiah Thomas, which has since been repaired:

Q: Can you say anything — and I recognize it’s been a complex relationship over the years — about the falling out you two had at the end of his playing career?

A: Well, I was very, very close to Isiah, and there were times he was almost like a son. But, because of his background, um … I told him he had to change — you know, coming from where he came from. I said, “You’ve got it made now. Don’t keep doing those things that you’ve been doing.” I won’t tell you what they are. But he couldn’t change.

On his short leash with coaches:

Q: Speaking of coaching, let me ask you about a few coaches. Larry Brown. What can you tell me about him?

A: Well, Larry Brown is not what he appears to be. And he’s built a reputation for himself based on his own PR people. He’s not what he appears to be.

Q: What about Flip Saunders? Another case of someone who lost his players?

A: It’s a story by itself.

Q: Anything you can share?

A: No. He had definitely lost the players.

On referees dictating games and missed opportunities:

Q: What do you think of the whole Tim Donaghy scandal?

A: That’s the tip of the iceberg with referees.

Q: Do the refs’ calls upset you that much?

A: Yeah, it’s what they call and when they call it — and on whom they call it. And when you see what they do, you know that they’re kind of taking over the game and making the outcome certain — all they have to do is call a couple ticky-tack fouls on say, (Chauncey) Billups, and you’re not gonna win that game.

Q: Which of your teams, in your view, underachieved the most? Which was most frustrating?

A: Well, the worst loss was out in L.A. (in 1988) when I was in the room with David Stern getting ready to accept the trophy, and they call a foul on Bill Laimbeer against Kareem. Bill pulled down a clean rebound, and Hugh Evans calls a foul. You know that he was set up, and you know … I don’t say he had a bet on the game, but that was … that was unconscionable! And that cost us a championship, which we should have had. Which we had.

Q: What others?

A: The other bad one was the steal in Boston, when we had that game (and Larry Bird stole the ball). So the Bad Boys had two championships, which — one was legitimately taken away and the other was illegitimately taken away — and they still won two. So they basically should have had four.

It’s a rather lengthy interview and there’s there that I’m not mentioning, so I urge you to read the whole thing.

Hall-bound Bill Davidson on all the banners and all the bummers / Detroit Free Press

Preseason schedule (finally) announced

Published by Matt Watson on September 3, 2008 in From the news. 9 Comments

Almost a month after releasing the regular season schedule, the Pistons revealed their preseason schedule today. Three of the eight games will be televised on FSN Detroit, and my guess/hope is that the other five games will be picked up by another local station.

October:
Sun 05 @ Miami 6:30pm
Wed 08 vs Milwaukee 7:30pm (FSN Detroit)
Fri 10 @ Washington 7:00pm
Sat 11 @ Milwaukee 8:30pm
Tue 14 vs San Antonio (Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI) 7:00pm (FSN Detroit)
Thu 16 vs Dallas 7:30pm
Wed 22 vs Cleveland 7:30pm
Thu 23 vs Atlanta 7:30pm (FSN Detroit)

Also, individual tickets for preseason games will go on sale Friday at 10am.

Will Dave Bing be the next mayor of Detroit?

Published by Matt Watson on September 3, 2008 in Former Pistons and From the news. 16 Comments

The polls think he could be. I usually avoid reading anything about the latest twists and turns in Detroit’s embarrassing mayoral mess, but I’m glad I made an exception this morning. From Daniel Howes of the Detroit News:

A new poll for Detroit Renaissance, to be released today, suggests how that race might shape up: Dave Bing, the former Pistons great turned industrialist, would beat all likely comers in a special election to replace Kilpatrick. Some 72 percent of those polled believe Detroit would be better off with someone other than Kwame Kilpatrick as mayor, and 75 percent say the city charter should be amended to elect council members by district.

[…] In a head-to-head race with Kilpatrick, Bing holds a commanding 77.5 percent to 15 percent lead. In a four-way race including Kilpatrick, Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans and Kilpatrick’s general counsel, Sharon McPhail, Bing polls 57.5 percent, with Evans coming in second at 17.5 percent.

[…] “The numbers I’ve heard are high,” Bing told me Tuesday, adding that he hasn’t seen the poll results. As he told me two weeks ago, he says a final decision on whether to run depends on extricating himself from his $1.3 million investment in the $58 million Watermark luxury condo development on the riverfront.

“The feedback I got was very positive” about a likely run for mayor, Bing says. “But you’ve got to perform. You’ve got to deliver results. That’s what my life’s been about, so that doesn’t scare me.”

Bing needs no introduction among Pistons fans, but it’s worth pointing out to those who only know him for his Hall of Fame career that he’s been just as successful in the business world as he was in the NBA.

He’s been investing in Detroit real estate for years, and his automotive supply company, The Bing Group, is one of the most successful minority-owned businesses in the entire country. It’s a privately-held company so exact financial numbers are hard to come by, but it had an annual revenue of $344 million in 2002 and was projected to hit $1 billion by 2008. And to top it all off, he’s remained committed to keeping his business in Detroit, even when most other companies have sought greener pastures (and higher profit margins) elsewhere.

There was talk last month that Bing might throw his hat in the ring, and after seeing these polling numbers, I think it’s time for me to start paying closer attention.

Wednesday’s Layup Drill

Published by Matt Watson on September 3, 2008 in Around the Internets and Videos. 3 Comments

It’s another video, followed by a link-dump. I’m ready for the season to start, please.

“Because he’s an All-Star!”

Published by Matt Watson on August 28, 2008 in Videos. 94 Comments

This is only tangentially Pistons-related (Zeke makes an appearance at the 7:35 mark), but after putting it on FanHouse, I had to post it here, too. Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis did a bang-up job during player introductions last year, but they didn’t even come close to this.

More background on Hunter’s legal problems

Published by Matt Watson on August 27, 2008 in From the news. 17 Comments

Dave Dial at MLive’s Full-Court Press has unearthed a little more background on Lindsey Hunter’s brush with the FBI, finding alleged victim Bruce McClellan’s personal account of the story at FlippingFrenzy.com.

McClellan describes every step of what went down, and it’s worth pointing out that Hunter seemed to have a hands off approach in the early going, at least in terms of apparently never meeting McClellan face-to-face until after months after the purchase was consummated. Hunter did add McClellan to one of his bank accounts, but even that was done over the phone:

On March 30, 2007, Ivan Johnson called to tell me that he needed me to meet him at LaSalle Bank in Farmington Hills, MI, where it was necessary for me to add my name to Lindsey and Ivy (wife) Hunter’s bank account. When I asked why my name was being added to Lindsey’s account, Ivan told me that this was necessary so it appeared to the bank that I had more money than I really did, which would help me qualify for the loan. When I asked Ivan why Lindsey wasn’t worried about adding me to his personal account, Ivan told me that Lindsey knew that I was an honest person and that I would never attempt to steal from him (which of course was true—I would never steal money from anyone).

Ivan Johnson and I went to the bank together where Ivan called Lindsay Hunter on his phone. Lindsey spoke to LaSalle Bank employee Shatha Atcho-Salmu, and from what I could hear of the conversation, it was obvious that they knew each other. Anyway, with the assistance of LaSalle Bank’s Shatha Atchoo-Salmu, and without Lindsey Hunter or his wife Ivy Hunter present, I signed my name onto Lindsey and Ivy’s account, which I was told Lindsey had authorized.

When the house didn’t sell and McClellan grew antsy, he demanded to meet Hunter in person — and as far as I can tell, this was the first time McClellan actually met Hunter in person:

A few days later, Ivan called and told me that Lindsey had invited me to a Detriot Pistons home basketball game for the day of October 24, 2007. After being treated like a VIP in a private suite during the game, Lindsey, Ivan and I went to an upscale restaurant in Bloomfield Hills (MI), where Lindsey proceeded to tell me that everything for the real estate investment deal was in great shape—he reconfirmed that they had a buyer lined up and ready to buy the house from us for $2.1 Million—and that he wasn’t going to do me wrong or get me involved in any illegal activities. Lindsey even went as far as to tell me that he was financially set for the rest of his life, he wanted to make me and Ivan millionaires within the next one to two years, and that he wanted to make me a partner in L&I Enterprises, LLC.”

I recommend reading the entire article, but bear in mind it’s completely one-sided. We still don’t know Hunter’s version of events, and we probably won’t until the investigation is complete. Even though this side of the story is coming directly from McClellan, who makes no attempt to hide his belief that Hunter has wronged him, Ivan Johnson, the business partner who found McClellan and walked him through every step of the process, comes across as more culpable. Time will tell.

That call may not be about what you think it is

Published by Matt Watson on August 26, 2008 in Around the Internets. 20 Comments

There’s a bit of unintentional humor at the end of Part III of Keith Langlois’ interview with Joe Dumars, which took place last week but was published today:

KL: I assume there’s been no news on this, but are you still talking with Lindsey and is he still making up his mind?

JD: We are definitely still talking. My BlackBerry just went off and that was Lindsey’s agent saying can you give me a call. It’s in real time.

Was his agent calling about that 15th roster spot? Or was it a head’s up that his client would soon be in the news? My guess is the latter.

On a serious note, Dumars confirmed that if Hunter passes (although, who knows if that spot is still being saved now), the team will keep that 15th spot open for while.

There’s nothing earth-shattering in the rest of interview, but hey, it’s August and you’re probably starved for any Pistons news, so if read the whole thing and you’ll probably be entertained. Dumars talks a bit about the Zoo Crew: cautiously praising Rodney Stuckey, talking up Amir Johnson, gauging Cheikh Samb’s progress, explaining Will Bynum, predicting what to expect from Walter Sharpe … and heaping praise on Arron Afflalo:

Every guy you draft, acquire, trade for, sign as a free agent, is not going to have superstar potential. That’s now how you put a team together. But you still have to acquire guys who can help you become a great team. Arron Afflalo is one of those guys that all the good teams have to have on your team. Afflalo is just one of those guys that we were just recently talking about James Posey and what he did for Boston and Bruce Bowen and what he’s done for San Antonio over the years. I’ll date myself – Michael Cooper and what he did for the Lakers back in the day. Through the history of basketball, he’s one of those guys that you have to have on your team when you’re considered a really good team because those guys are willing to do whatever it takes to help your team win. It’s never about them individually. They just do whatever is necessary and that’s what he’s shaping up to be in the league. One of those guys that if it calls for defending somebody or face-guarding somebody, he’ll do it. If it calls for trying to score, he’ll do it. If it calls for diving on loose balls all night long, he’ll do it. When you’re putting a team together you’re always looking for guys like that. Guys who’ll do whatever it takes to win.

The FBI is investigating Lindsey Hunter

Published by Matt Watson on August 25, 2008 in From the news. 21 Comments

Lindsey Hunter has bigger fish to fry than simply deciding if he’s going play next year. From Crain’s Detroit Business:

So far, Wayne County investigators consider him a victim, with someone else serving as what they describe as “a mastermind.” The FBI, on the other hand, according to sources close to its investigation, has him as its main focus and as a leading participant in at least two possibly fraudulent deals that went awry.

To Bruce McClellan of Waterford Township, a boiler operator with the Pontiac Schools, there is no doubt about Hunter’s role.

McClellan said he is cooperating with the FBI investigation and told the agency that he was a willing but naïve straw buyer in the purchase in April 2007 of a home at 1718 Morningside Way in Bloomfield Hills for $1.25 million, a home that is back on the market now for $780,000.

McClellan thinks it started when his near-perfect credit became known to a lifelong friend, Iron Johnson. Not long after Johnson sold McClellan a car at Golling Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Bloomfield Township, Johnson approached him with a possible business deal.

In the deal, Johnson also involved his business partner, Hunter. The two are principals in Southfield-based L&I Enterprises, a limited liability corporation formed in 2006, according to the Michigan Department of Labor.

“They ran my credit through and were jumping up and down. They said ‘We’re going to make you a millionaire,’ and they’d get back to me. Two months later, they called and said, ‘We’ve got a great deal for you. Lindsey wants you to purchase a house for a friend.’ ”

You really need to read the entire article, and even then it’s a little confusing what happened and why. According to documents filed with the state of Michigan, L & I Enterprises is a “real estate investment company.”

Hunter’s attorney has responded by saying that Hunter was strictly a silent partner in L & I Enterprises, but that doesn’t seem to jive with McClellan’s recollections … or the bank records. McClellan only makes $36,000 a year but was able to qualify for a $1.25 million mortgage through direct help from Hunter:

On March 30, 2007, Lindsey and his wife, Ivy, added McClellan to a bank account they had at LaSalle Bank, according to a bank document. Twelve days later, McClellan signed the loan-disclosure documents.

McClellan’s attorney, Michael Smith of Sterling Heights-based Michael J. Smith & Associates P.C., said he assumes McClellan was added to the account so a credit report would show more assets than he actually had.

I’m sure there’s more to the story than what’s been reported, and unfortunately for Hunter, I’m guessing we won’t hear his side until this investigation is complete. That may take a while, because this isn’t the only investment the FBI is looking at. From Crain’s:

Anthony Barbour, owner of a Utica-based business, Fireside Heating & Cooling, is also cooperating with the FBI in another deal involving Hunter and Johnson. He told Crain’s he would discuss his case with the approval of his attorney, but the attorney declined.

Stay tuned — I’m guessing this story won’t be going away for a while.

Joe Dumars thinks he’s done for the summer

Published by Matt Watson on August 25, 2008 in From the news. 15 Comments

Keith Langlois interviewed Joe Dumars last week, and several of the questions centered on the lack of expected turnover this summer. From Pistons.com:

KL: We’re a little more than a month out from when training camp will open. I know the Rip Hamilton-Jerry Stackhouse trade happened late, but are we getting kind of close to the window closing and you say we’re going to training camp with who we’ve got or are we already at that point?

JD: I think that I would be very surprised if anyone called at this point to offer the type of deal I was open to and had been open to doing. I don’t expect that call. So therefore, I expect us to go to war, if you will, with the guys we have on this roster we have right now, with the 14 guys we have now. And I say that just because I don’t expect to hear from anyone at this point about the size of the deal we were talking about doing.

If the right deal never materialized, I can’t blame Dumars for refusing the pull the trigger. That said, I also can’t help but wonder if the bar was set too high. Everyone overvalues their own players, it’s a fact of life. You and I do it in fantasy sports, and I’m sure Dumars does it in real-life.

I know the dangers involved of doing a trade for the sake of doing a trade, but honestly, what’s really so wrong about a lateral move? If this team’s biggest problem is a sense of complacency (I’m not convinced, but that’s the company line), isn’t there something to be said for disrupting the status quo?

Olympic liveblog

Published by Matt Watson on August 22, 2008 in Around the Internets. 57 Comments

As mentioned yesterday, I’m liveblogging the Olympic basketball semifinals for FanHouse. Come join me in watching USA (Tayshaun!) vs. Argentina (Delfino!).

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