Trey Burke Sits Down for ‘NBA Job Interview’ With Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Chris Burke

recently took his turn in the hot seat on Bill Simmons and ’s “NBA Job Interview” feature for Grantland. The former Michigan point guard discussed with the ESPN personalities his NBA Draft prospects, as well as what parts of his game he’s been working on lately (oh, and whether he’d rather date Rihanna or Kim Kardashian).

Simmons repeatedly praised Burke, saying at one point, “I think he’s the only player in this draft I feel 100 percent about. I know he’s going to be a good pro, I just know it.”

Burke, meanwhile, compared himself to Chris Paul: “We’re similar size, he was having the same type of doubts when he was coming into the NBA. It all comes down to the heart and the will, really.”

Here’s the full five-minute interview:

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Detroit Pistons’ Joe Dumars Must Break Through With Another Big Trade Move This Summer

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Max DeMara

needs another big trade— and a much better one than when he dealt for Allen Iverson in 2008—to turn the Pistons around this offseason. (mrzh, Flicker)

In the last several months, ’ fans have been treated to a smorgasbord of heartbreaking basketball trade what if’s courtesy of the national media.

Just some of the names that were rumored to be heading to Detroit at some point over the past eight years? , and , among others. All the deals were reportedly close to being done, and any would have helped spark a turnaround as well as provide the Pistons with the headline grabbing, star power filled deal they needed to change course. For one reason or another, none of the moves happened, and now they only come to represent tantalizing near misses.

Now, with plenty of money available this summer, Joe Dumars needs to find and complete a bold move like this to get the franchise back on the right track and spark some new interest in the team. No longer is coming close acceptable. The roster’s status quo, as everyone knows, has been terrible and cannot continue. Continue reading →

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The Day in the D: Andre Iguodala to the Pistons? Plus, an Update on Ryan Broyles

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Chris Burke

“The Day in the D”, takes a look back at the five most important local sports stories of the past 24 hours.

1. Should the Pistons Chase ?

The would love to find a reliable scorer to play on the wing, and one just became available with Andre Iguodala opting out of the final year of his contract in Denver.

But Mike Payne of DetroitBadBoys.com cautions against the Pistons’ pursuit of Iguodala — which Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced was a possibility in a post this week. Payne’s reasoning? For as much as Iguodala might provide as a scorer, his age and financial demands don’t make a lot of sense for a Detroit team that’s closer to completing a successful rebuild than at any point in the past several seasons.

Continue reading →

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Pavel Datsyuk Signs 3-Year Contract Extension With Detroit Red Wings

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Chris Burke
Pavel Datsyuk contract

The Red Wings are hoping Datsyuk will finish his career in Detroit.

has signed a three-year contract extension with the , according to a Tweet sent out by the star forward early Tuesday. That extension means that Datsyuk’s current contract now runs through the 2016-17 season. It had been set to expire at the conclusion of next season.

FoxSportsDetroit.com reported late Monday night that the Wings and Datsyuk were on the verge of this extension. Datsyuk’s agent, Gary Greenstin, told Fox Sports Detroit: “We’re close.” Greenstin added that he planned to fly into Detroit Tuesday.

There had been speculation that Datsyuk would leave Detroit for the KHL at that point. However, all signs since the end of the season pointed toward Datsyk landing a lucrative extension to stay in Detroit for several more seasons.

Datsyuk hinted at Tuesday’s possible big contract news on Twitter:
Continue reading →

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Detroit Tigers Game 68 Grades: Max Scherzer Rolls to 10-0 With Austin Jackson’s Help

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Chris Burke

moved to an incredible 10-0 on the season — and did so by punching out 10 Baltimore Orioles in six innings en route to a 5-1 victory.

The ’ lineup, which has struggled so mightily away from Comerica Park, woke up just enough to provide Scherzer a little comfort. opened the festivities with a two-run homer in the first inning, and the Tigers then went on to their 39th victory.

Our grades for Game 68:

The Lineup

1. : A. This is precisely why the Tigers were missing Jackson atop their lineup. He led off the game with a single, scored on Cabrera’s homer, then put up two more hits, another run and an RBI in the win.
Continue reading →

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10 Observations on Detroit Red Wings Prospects From Games 4, 5 of Calder Cup Finals

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Chris Burke
Petr Mrazek Griffins

had a tough weekend as the dropped a pair of games.

Good luck, I am not. I picked up tickets for Games 4 and 5 of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ series against the Syracuse Crunch, hoping to see my hometown team celebrate a championship.

Unfortunately, the Griffins lost a ref-aided heartbreaker on Friday night, then turned around and took a 5-2 whacking on Saturday to prolong the series. The upside of relatively cheap lower-bowl tickets was getting a first-hand opportunity to see some of the next wave of prospects (including guys who had played important roles in the 2013 NHL season, like , , , Brian Lashoff and ).

Some thoughts on a few of the Griffins from Games 4 and 5:

1. It’s been a disappointing reality that Jan Mursak will leave the Red Wings organization this year, as he’s been squeezed out of a competitive forward depth chart. But it was even more upsetting after seeing Mursak play live a couple more times. He was arguably one of Grand Rapids’ best forwards in the team’s final two home games, using his speed and creativity with the puck to create opportunities wide.
Continue reading →

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Torii Hunter Hits 300th Career Home Run: Video

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Chris Burke

reached an important career milestone during the ’ win over Minnesota on Sunday. Playing against the team with which he spent much of his big-league career, Hunter belted his 300th career home run (and his third HR of the season).

The historic moment came early in the first inning off Twins starter P.J. Walters. After led off the game with a line-drive single to left, Hunter unloaded on a Walters pitch and hammered it into the left-field seats.

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