http://www.hooplog.com/nba/tayshaun-prince/index.php NBA basketball news, rumors, insider analysis and more from around the country. Updated hourly by Team RxSN. Copyright 2009 Thu, 02 Feb 2006 10:19:43 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Detroit, MI - Richard Hamilton netted 21 points and Tayshaun Prince added 20 as Detroit posted a 90-74 victory over Minnesota at the Palace of Auburn Hills. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-get-back-to-winning-ways.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-get-back-to-winning-ways.php Tayshaun Prince Thu, 02 Feb 2006 10:19:43 -0800 The Detroit Pistons made coach Flip Saunders' return to Minnesota a winning one as they routed Saunders' former team 107-83. Chauncey Billups scored 18 of his 27 points in the third quarter and Tayshaun Prince ... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-give-coach-saunders-winning-return-to-minnesota.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-give-coach-saunders-winning-return-to-minnesota.php Chauncey Billups Wed, 25 Jan 2006 13:34:50 -0800 Richard Hamilton scored 30 points and Detroit tied a team season high with 10 3-pointers in a 93-83 win over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. The win allowed Detroit (11-2) to maintain the best record in the NBA this season, one-half game ahead of San Antonio (11-3), which was idle Wednesday. Hamilton's 3-pointer gave the Pistons an 87-78 lead, their biggest of the game at the time. It came after a missed shot by Tayshaun Prince that New Jersey's Jason Collins fumbled out of bounds. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-beat-nets-maintain-best-record.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-beat-nets-maintain-best-record.php Tayshaun Prince Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:23:45 -0800 So BV did his draft recap and now it’s my turn. Like he said, we start 10 players (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, UT, UT), with three bench spots, 12 teams. So it’s a pretty deep league, and it’s very competitive. Hard to slip sleepers past these guys. Guys like Zaza Pachulia, Marquis Daniels, Eddie Griffin, Mike James, etc. were all gone by the 9th round, for example. My strategy going in was to heed my rankings, take the best player available with most picks, not get too hung up on positions, and not to ignore percentages, which always seem to give me problems. Let’s see how I did.

1st Round (4th overall): Dirk Nowitzki, PF
I was hoping that Marion would fall to me, but he went #3. It’s hard to complain about Dirk, and if continues to trade in a few 3s for a few more blocks, I’ll take it. He’s 27, clearly in his prime, clearly the top option on a perennially high scoring team, and he set career highs in blocks, assists and points last year. I’m banking on a repeat. I was tempted to take Kobe, and even a little tempted to shock the world and take Kirilenko, but in the end Dirk was the obvious choice.

2nd Round (21st overall): Yao Ming, C
I told my dad the day before that draft that if Yao was there for me at 21 I would take him, and I stuck to my word. Even in his “disappointing” season last year he finished 17th on the player rater, and he seems bound to take a leap forward this year, if he can continue to improve his game and his minutes per game by 3 or 4, which is a distinct possibility. I certainly liked him more than Jermaine O’Neal, and I was thought about Vinsanity and Mike Bibby, but a dominant center in the second round without reaching was too good to pass up.

3rd Round (28th overall): Pau Gasol, PF
I deliberated a whole lot here. Gasol was the highest person left on my board, but I’ve drafted him the past two years and have been burned before, by a frustrating rotation and injuries. And did I really want to go with three big men with my first three picks, after I preach about PGs so much? In the end I decided to trust myself and go with Gasol. All three players so far are big men with very solid percentages and Gasol, like Ming, seems likely to increase his effectiveness and playing time as he enters his prime and will be the featured player on a thinned-out Memphis squad. His foot problems are a concern, but I went with him over Bosh, Joe Johnson and Rashard Lewis.

4th Round (45th overall): Kirk Hinrich, G
I was absolutely thrilled to get Captain Kirk near the end of the fourth round. He was my highest ranked player left and I desperately needed a top flight PG. The next four picks – Boozer, Camby, Redd, Parker – show what a drop-off there was. Kirk’s FG% is rather brutal, but I’m hoping those first three guys could help offset it.

5th Round (52nd overall): Cuttino Mobley, SG
The middle rounds are always the toughest, and my strategy was to not give in to hype and to instead draft players who I felt would be sure-thing, solid contributors all season. Mobley may have been a bit of a reach, but he has a history of playing 40 mpg and he could very well see that on a thin Clippers team. And you know he’ll be launching his share of 3s, as well. I was strongly considering Lamar Odom, but figured I had plenty of boards and could use a gunner.

6th Round (69th overall): Rasheed Wallace, FC
Another steady, unspectacular pick. Rasheed has a solid all-around game and the fact that he qualifies at center means that I don’t have to worry about depending on one of those “who the hell knows?” guys that ended up going in the next few rounds. His percentages are rather weak, and he might have some clashes with Flip Saunders, but his track record shows steady production and good health. I might very well regret not going with Rafer Alston or Donyell Marhsall at this spot.

7th Round (76th overall): Richard Hamilton, SG
The ultimate safe pick. I’m not a huge fan of Rip’s fantasy game, but in the 7th round it’s hard to argue. I often overlook points, and Rip is always a nice source. He’s another great free throw shooter, and even if he doesn’t match his 5 apg of last year, he should be a solid contributor (see a theme developing?) there. He’s another person who you can leave in the lineup and not worry about, and I think my first seven picks, while lacking in flashiness are extremely solid.

8th Round (93rd overall): Mark Jaric, G
Here’s where you can start going for riskier picks. Or, at least that’s what I’m saying in retrospect. I don’t love this pick, at all. I’m a huge fan of Jaric’s potential, but he’s always hurt and depending on him as my #2 PG has disaster written all over it. If he stays healthy, I’m rather confident this pick will be a steal, but that’s very iffy. His high assist rate might also drop since Minnesota runs its offense through KG.

9th Round (100th overall): Josh Childress, GF
On the other hand, I was thrilled to land Childress in the 9th round. He was actually the only player that I’ve hyped up this season that ended up on my team. He was almost a top 50 player in the second half of last season, and can help in just about every category. Tayshaun Prince went three rounds earlier and I think Childress will end up with the better numbers at the end of the year.

10th Round (117th overall): Eddie Jones, GF
BV hates this pick, but I stand by it. If he was able to finish 52nd on the rater last season when he averaged nearly five points less than he had the past few seasons, he looks to have a slight resurgence in Memphis where he will be looked to as one of the main options behind Gasol. He had a horrid preseason, but this is one of those cases where I’ll take the 10 years of stats over the few preseason games. If he turns out to be a total bust, it’s only a 10th rounder.

11th Round (124th overall): Brendan Haywood, C
OK, this was a pure homer pick, I admit. Brendan is my girlfriend’s favorite player and I figured by having him on my team, I just bought myself a good 40-50 extra hours of basketball watching this season, at least. And for a third center, he’s not so bad, and it’s always nice to have a player on your favorite team to root for. It was the 11th round – Juan Dixon, Lorenzen Wright and Charlie Villanueva were the next three picks – I feel fine about this. That said, it came down to him and Mike Dunleavy and if I wasn’t a Maryland grad who was a Wizards fan, we know who I would have picked. I hope this one doesn’t haunt me.

12th Round (141st overall): T.J. Ford, PG
This one really upset BV, who cried shenanigans since I have not spoken well of Ford at all here on FBB. But hey, player value is all relative – in the 12th round, with Hinrich and Jaric as my only two PGs, I feel this is a strong pick. I still think Mo Williams is just as good of a player, at least this season, and Ford is a major injury risk, but I needed the depth.

13th Round (148th overall): Mike Sweetney, PF
With my last pick I decided to go with someone with some decent upside but also someone I wouldn’t mind jettisoning early on. Each year the waiver wire offers a few players who emerge in the first few weeks of the season that turn out to be quite valuable and you have to be ready to pounce on them. With news that Sweetney will be coming off the bench initially, and knowing that Scott Skiles can be downright Sloan/Hubie Brown-ish when it comes to rotations, Sweetney might be packing his bags soon.

So there’s my team. I think that it’s pretty (here comes that word) solid top to bottom. My top four picks are all young and in their primes, and the rest of my squad is a good mix of established vets and young, but not necessarily green, players. I don’t have any one-category studs and instead am relying on a group effort to put me at the top of most categories. I’m admittedly thin at point guard, but you know that I’m always ready to rotate through the flavor of the week at that position.

Thoughts on who has the better squad, myself of BV???

Enjoy the first games of the season tonight. Go Dirk! ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out-part-2.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out-part-2.php Joe Johnson Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:39:57 -0800 Tayshaun Prince is in, and, from the looks of things, Ronald Dupree might be out. The last two pieces of unfinished business will be cleared up today, as the Pistons prepare to open the regular season on Wednesday against the... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/tayshaun-getting-5year-pistons-extension.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/tayshaun-getting-5year-pistons-extension.php Tayshaun Prince Mon, 31 Oct 2005 09:37:44 -0800 1 to 30
31 to 60

This is where things start to get tricky. In the first four or five rounds, you have to take the best player available. There is a limited number of true impact players, and the more you can get your hands on, the better. By the time you get the middle rounds, you need to start addressing team needs. Most of these players have specific strengths and weaknesses and are pretty interchangeable, really.

61. Shareef Abdur-Rahim – Career averages: 20 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, 47% and 82%. Was always healthy before last year, could be bargain this low.
62. Kyle Korver – Will lead the league in 3s – probably by a lot. Philly isn’t very deep (especially after C-Webb goes down), so PT shouldn’t be an issue, plus he grabs his share of steals.
63. Kurt Thomas – Not a whole ton of upside, but he’s missed just five games in four seasons and will be a key part of one of the league’s top offenses.
64. Chris Paul – A bit of wishful thinking perhaps, but he should have every opportunity to run with the starting job and backup Claxton has a knack for getting injured.
65. Damon Stoudamire – Should fend off B-Jax and be a solid #2 PG; you know he’s not shy about launching 3s.
66. Stromile Swift – At the very least, should average around 2 bpg, and that C-eligibility is pretty sweet, to boot.
67. Jalen Rose – Not the most exciting pick, but he should be on the court enough to rack up some pretty nice numbers.
68. Tony Parker – Remember, he’s just 23 and has gotten better each year; fixing his FT% and continued improvement will make him as solid as the rest of the PG in this batch.
69. Grant Hill – Can’t see production or health getting better this year, only worse.
70. Samuel Dalembert – Another one of those failed sleepers picks that can provide nice value the following year; could be the next in the Camby/Chandler mold.
71. Kenyon Martin – Always overrated; usually fights injury issues and just doesn’t fill up the box score all that much.
72. Jamaal Magloire – We think you’ll probably be able to slip him by later than this; don’t forget he was 14/10 with 1.2 blocks and 47% and 75% before injury-marred 04-05.
73. Stephen Jackson – Depth and sanity issues, but he’s a 3-point gunner who gets decent steals.
74. Antawn Jamison – He might get more trigger happy from long range, which would help boost his overvalued stock.
75. Marko Jaric – He’s been an FBB favorite and an FBB most hated; brings a nice combo of 3s, assists and steals, but health has always been a major, major issue.
76. Tayshaun Prince – If you’ve made some risky picks, he’s a guy you can plug in for the entire season and leave alone.
77. Carmelo Anthony – Probably the single most overrated player in fantasy, but young enough to improve.
78. Jason Williams – Just sense trouble in Miami; also, has missed at least 10 games in three of last four seasons.
79. Josh Childress – This kid could blow up, and you’ll want to get in on the ground floor; I see Tayshaun Prince, others see Shawn Marion – could realistically land halfway between the two.
80. Drew Gooden – Hard to ignore last year’s 28th place finish on the player rater, but he always seems to rub folks the wrong way and this is a deep squad.
81. Caron Butler – Don’t at all expect more of April’s numbers, just hope he can regain his rookie steals magic.
82. Luke Ridnour – He’s almost a solid #2 PG, and if he can get up to 37 mpg, he surely will be.
83. Quentin Richardson – Actually averaged 2.5 ppg less last year than with the Clippers; great rebounder for a guard.
84. Jamal Crawford – Expect lots of people to be scared to draft Knicks; there’s a certain risk involved, but this late you can afford to take a chance.
85. Deron Williams – Just remember that Jerry Sloan can be an extremely frustrating coach, and he is a rookie point guard.
86. Mike Dunleavy – Hey, it’s a contract year and the Warriors could put up 120 regularly.
87. Antoine Walker – Fewer minutes may make percentages more bearable, but will have negative impact overall.
88. Andrew Bogut – We tend to tread very carefully with rookies on FBB; it’s all about how many steals and blocks he can give you.
89. Raef Lafrentz – If he can repeat last year’s unspectacular but healthy season, he’ll be a bargain this low.
90. Shane Battier – With Memphis’s thinned-out roster, more PT will be available for the stat stuffer – especially when the inevitable injury hits. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/overall-rankings-6190.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/overall-rankings-6190.php Chris Paul Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:33:25 -0800 The most intense competition in Pistons camp is for playing time behind starters Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Maurice Evans, Carlos Delfino and Ronald Dupree are competing for one or two spots. Dupree is fighting not only for a spot... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/delfino-battles-to-make-pistons.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/delfino-battles-to-make-pistons.php Tayshaun Prince Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:16:38 -0800 The Pistons will apparently meet with Tayshaun Prince's agent, Bill Duffy, to finalize the fourth-year small forward's contract extension as soon as Duffy can arrange it into his schedule. Duffy didn't return a call seeking comment. The two sides have... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-giving-tayshaun-a-4year-deal.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-giving-tayshaun-a-4year-deal.php Tayshaun Prince Thu, 06 Oct 2005 08:59:06 -0800 It’s nearly impossible to define the “typical” small forward. Some are long-range bombers, some excel at crashing the boards. Others are defensive whizzes. Taken early, your small forward will determine how some of your late picks turn out. Taken late, a small forward can really fill a need – or make a small one even more glaring. Let’s sort through the variety:

Tier One
LeBron James, Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko.

The cream of the crop. James is either the first or second pick in any draft. Marion is a top-5 pick, and if he stays healthy, AK-47 has top-5 talent as well. The health is certainly a risk, but we’re huge fans of AK, so we’re putting him in the top tier.

Tier Two
Peja Stojakovic, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis, Richard Jefferson, Corey Maggette.

These are some of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. Some are like shooting guards who can rebound. Others are power forwards who can step outside. Each really has unique skill set. You’ll notice we’ve got Ron Artest up here. That’s not a mistake. He’s lined up for a comeback fantasy player of the year award, if such an award existed.

Tier Three
Bobby Simmons, Antoine Walker, Quentin Richardson, Caron Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Jalen Rose, Al Harrington, Tayshaun Prince, Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith.

All of these guys could end up as top-25 players by the end of the year. All of them could also end up being one of the worst players on your team that you just can’t drop. I’m a personal fan of Carmelo this year if you can get him late enough that the risk is low. Meanwhile, Bobby Simmons might end up being overvalued this year in some drafts. He’s just not a 4th round pick – none of these guys are. But by the end of the fifth round, you have to start thinking about this tier.

Tier Four
Grant Hill, Mike Miller, Josh Howard, Darius Miles, Mike Dunleavy, Michael Finley, Gerald Wallace, Marvin Williams, Andres Nocioni, Wally Szczerbiak.

One of the problems with tiering the small forwards is that they have such different strengths, it’s tough to differentiate on an overall level. None of these guys will be fantasy studs this year. However, each has a chance to be a solid contributer to your teams, whether it’s in 3’s (Miller or Finley), boards (Nocioni), or head cases (Miles). These are important players to research for the mid-late rounds of your draft. While they’re never great picks, they’re generally pretty safe in the 10th round of so. Don’t target them necessarily, but if a player you were going to take goes right before you pick, these guys are nice second options.

Tomorrow: Power Forwards. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/2005-fantasy-tiers-by-position-small-forwards.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/2005-fantasy-tiers-by-position-small-forwards.php Shawn Marion Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:42:59 -0800 Discussions on a contract extension for Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince are inching closer to an agreement, Pistons president Joe Dumars said Sunday. "I guess if you have to characterize things, it would be that I'm optimistic that we're going to... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/prince-near-deal-with-pistons.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/prince-near-deal-with-pistons.php Tayshaun Prince Mon, 03 Oct 2005 09:31:27 -0800 Joe Dumars, now that he's back from a trip to Turkey, has restarted negotiations on a contract extension for Tayshaun Prince. Dumars planned to speak to Prince's agent, Bill Duffy, Tuesday night. "I think we will get something done long-term,"... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-getting-tayshaun-a-new-deal.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-getting-tayshaun-a-new-deal.php Tayshaun Prince Wed, 07 Sep 2005 09:37:30 -0800 The Detroit News reports that Detroit is offering Mo Evans $1.5 million per in a multi-year deal.

They apparently want him to back up Tayshaun Prince. He played almost all of his minutes last season at shooting guard, and spent more time at the point than backing up Peja.

It was pretty obvious once Francisco Garcia was drafted and Bonzi Wells was brought over that Mo wasn't in Sacramento's plans for next year. We're surprised, though, it took a team so long to make a play for him. The Spurs were reportedly interested, as were the Timberwolves. But we haven't heard anything in weeks.

I still wonder if a sign-and-trade involving Darius and Mo can't be worked out in the next seven days (the time Petrie has to match the offer before Detroit gets Mo).
]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/motown.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/motown.php San Antonio Spurs Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:58:49 -0800 The Pistons may have found a back-up for small forward Tayshaun Prince. The team is expected to make a multi-year offer to restricted free agent guard Maurice Evans. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-to-make-offer-to-maurice-evans.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-to-make-offer-to-maurice-evans.php Tayshaun Prince Wed, 24 Aug 2005 14:58:22 -0800 So what is the Pistons next order of business? Starting negotiations with forward Tayshaun Prince's agent regarding a long-term deal. "It's certainly on our radar for priority," said John Hammond, the Pistons' vice president of basketball operations. "We'd like to... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-work-to-sign-tayshaun.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/pistons-work-to-sign-tayshaun.php Tayshaun Prince Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:01:23 -0800 Detroit wants to lock up one of my favorite players: Tayshaun Prince. If they don't succeed, he'll be a restricted free agent next summer. Michael Finley says he has limited his options to the Suns, Heat, and Spurs. Phoenix... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/wednesday-bullets.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/wednesday-bullets.php San Antonio Spurs Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:00:07 -0800