Dear Detroit Pistons

These four might as well not see the court again... No bailout needed

In the wake of this ridiculous spending and fear filled marathon, otherwise known as the trade deadline, the NBA season has picked up A LOT. Carmelo finally did what everyone knew he was going to do, Deron Williams was burned at the stake by the Mormons Jazz, and Jeff Green is now that kid in your neighborhood that moved away. Not even Baron Davis or Mo Williams were safe. To say it was a panicked trade deadline would be tame. It's funny that the team that stayed pat is still worse off that most squads.

If it isn't closing public schools, or boasting in car commercials, it's keeping your team the way it was at the beginning of the season, allowing what was a respectable franchise last decade to turn into a laughingstock. Detroit, for the past four years, I don't think I've seen a team fall so far from grace. You've been in the middle of 'rebuilding' since 2008 when you shipped out Chauncey Billups for Allen 'Turkey' Iverson (double entendre, don't even ask me how). Rodney Stuckey has been decent at best, Tayshaun Prince has been little more than the big fish in a small, moldy pond and long gone are the days when two men named Wallace were the pillars of the Motor City. That said, you've seen better days, but none worse than last Friday when half of your team staged a 'player protest'.

What's funny about the protest is that between Tracy McGrady, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Chris Wilcox none of these guys have played extensively enough or well enough to warrant any loyalty. Your team has tried to commit to a tenet of keeping around veterans, when it's clear that these players couldn't hack it if they had arms made of axes. Sure McGrady's had a few good games, but what else can you expect from a former scoring champ? The Ben Gordon experiment has proven that combo guards don't work in the Motor City, and Charlie Villanueva has barely showed flashes of brilliance, mostly in meaningless games. To put it shortly, your rebuilding process has NOT gone well.

Ironically, some good has come out of your laconic season. Austin Daye is proving that he wasn't just a no-name WCC player with a highlight tape and Greg Monroe is playing incredibly, making double-doubles look easy. If anyone is worth keeping, it's those two guys. Will Bynum? Expendable. DaJuan Summers? He peaked at Georgetown. Jason Maxiell? He's the poor man's Milsap with no jumper. The rest aren't worth a line. Except for one other person: your coach, John Kuester. Kuester has proven that trying to turn a bunch of former somebodies into 20 minute per game rotation players will NOT work. He's completely mismanaged your team and you know it. Joe Dumars might as well coach this team himself. I'm sure he could help what good pieces you do have grow some cojones before the rest of the East becomes a whirlpool of talent again.

The trade deadline came and went, and you guys stayed pat with a mediocre team. Even though the CBA is hanging by a thread, Detroit, you still have a chance to bring this team back to relevance. A) You need to drop John Kuester immediately. Everything about that man screams pushover in the locker room and it's obvious with how erratically you play on the court. B) Get rid of the old, dead weight. That includes Hamilton, T-Mac, Prince and Wilcox. You can't start rebuilding for the next dynasty if you have leftovers from the first one. C) Make sure you keep Austin Daye and Greg Monroe. Those two look like a dynamic duo in the making, just waiting for Austin Rivers a great point guard to take the reigns. No, it won't be easy. No, it won't be quick. But it's better than believing you can recreate another Bad Boys replica with a bunch of Grumpy Old Men, especially ones that call sitting out of practice for a day 'protest'. Long live the car industry, because basketball isn't happening for a while...

ESPN x Allen Iverson

If you haven't seen it by now, ESPN's 30 for 30 series is crack. The series brings filmmakers together with sports to chronicle the lesser known and more controversy-riddled stories in the history of sports. The last one was a riveting highlight of the intense rivalry between the Pacers and Knicks in the early 1990's. Coupled with hip-hop music and first-person narratives from those involved (Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Larry Brown, Pat Riley, John Starks, etc.), the movie showed younger fans what the NBA used to be like. Regardless, 30 for 30 is set to take on another basketball story tonight: that of Allen Iverson. Not too many people remember the trouble that plagued The Answer just 3 years before he took the NBA by storm. Filmmaker Steve James returned to his hometown of Hampton to document the bowling alley brawl that almost put Iverson behind bars, as well as the brawl's effect on the racial affairs of Hampton, and on Iverson himself. From the trailer, you can tell it's going to be a pretty heated affair. It's definitely going to spark some discussion and paint AI in a different light than many know him now...

Dear Allen Iverson

Okay, since it's Twitter-official, I figured it's high time I wrote this letter, Allen. No player, besides Michael Jordan, has had your effect on the game in terms of style, attitude and overall flair. From the braids (RIP), to the tattoos, to the headband, to the arm sleeve, to the sneakers, you put so many trends on the map and are the author of so many INSANE chapters in the NBA. You're one of my favorite players to watch, but always have been a frustrating prospect because of the negatives you bring. That killer crossover beget almost 4 turnovers a game for your career. That fearless attitude on the court brought you scoring titles and an MVP, but title. In some ways, going to the Memphis Grizzlies will be a second chance to show that you can play nice with the kiddies. On the other hand this might be your last bow out. Giving you a one year deal is essentially the Grizzlies begging for veteran leadership.

Now, are you gonna be Jewelz, the team-destroyer and shot-hogger, or are you gonna step to the plate and be the spark that OJ, Rudy and the rest of the young Grizzlies need to realize their potential? On paper, you going to the Grizzlies is a Godsend, but we all know what happened in Detroit, Mr. "I'd Rather Retire Than Come Off the Bench". At this point in your career, when your body isn't covered in Teflon anymore, your KNOWLEDGE of the game is gonna supersede your physical additions to the team. Do yourself and the Grizzlies a favor, and TRY to co-exist. If not to get the Grizzlies out of the bottom of the Southwest Division, do it so that I don't lose all faith in the awe-inspiring player you used to be. Seriously, AI, toss some alley's to Rudy and Sam Young, and try to let OJ get a couple of shots in. It won't be a lost season and it'll make my choice to bang with the Grizzlies (along with the Warriors, Clippers and Mavericks) in NBA 2K10 not as outlandish...

Despite his troubles, who can debate the greatness that is the Answer??


Even Jordan caught it...


Two of my favorite basketball commercials EVER...