Flip Saunders met with the grand jury regarding the Gilbert Arenas gun situation and has also banned gambling from the team plane. Flip met with them on Thursday, while several Wizards’ players were scheduled to meet with them on Friday.

The New Jersey Nets have also banned gambling on the plane and our guess is the NBA will come out and officially do the same for all teams at some point. A day after Arenas’ indefinite suspension, anything pertaining to Arenas has been removed from the Verizon Center in Washington. It appears that Arenas will never play for the Wizards again, and he will have to re-build his image with another team.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Orlando Magic G Vince Carter left Friday’s game after spraining his left shoulder while fighting through a screen against the Wizards. He was in tremendous pain on the floor and went directly to the locker room, although he did not require a wheel chair for his shoulder injury. J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus should absorb most of his minutes while Carter is recovering.

Philadelphia: Allen Iverson hit 7-of-13 shots for a season-high 22 points to go along with two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, but the good news ends there. Iverson was hit in the left knee tonight, aggravating a previous injury, and is not traveling with the team to Detroit for Saturday’s game.

Washington: Randy Foye started at point guard for the Wizards on Friday, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers in a win over the Magic. He hit just 5-of-17 shots and left the game to get stitches in his mouth, but looks like the starting point guard for the Wizards for the foreseeable future.

Washington: Mike Miller returned from a 21-game absence with a calf injury Friday and started, scoring six points in 39 minutes. He also had six rebounds, six assists and a 3-pointer, which is a pretty encouraging line for his first game since November.

Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant missed Friday’s practice because of his right ankle, which he evidently sprained Monday against the Bulls.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey (knee) will be in the Pistons’ lineup when they face the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday. Stuckey left Wednesday’s game after landing awkwardly on his knee, but he practiced Friday and coach John Kuester said he liked what he saw from his durable guard.

It turns out that former NBA player Jayson Williams will not be in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday. State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman delayed a hearing in Somerville in which Williams was expected to plead guilty, indefinitely. A person with direct Knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a gag order imposed by Coleman, told The Associated Press that the delay was partly because of travel problems Williams experienced getting to New Jersey from his home in South Carolina.

Several sources have reported that Williams will plead guilty to an assault charge that would carry a minimum 18-month sentence because a gun was involved. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted of covering up the shooting at his central New Jersey mansion. The jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter count and as a result, Williams has been awaiting a second trial for reckless manslaughter, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

Williams has been free on bail since the Feb. 14, 2002, shooting of Costas “Gus” Christofi. He paid more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Christofi’s family. At the 2004 trial, witnesses testified that Williams, who had been drinking, was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom when he snapped it shut and it fired, hitting Christofi in the chest and killing him. They also said Williams put the gun in the dead man’s hands and told them to lie about what happened.

Years of legal sparring followed the trial and came to a head this fall when current and former prosecutors were forced to testify about a former investigator’s use of a racial slur to describe Williams. The slur was made in a law enforcement meeting before the trial but was not divulged to defense attorneys for more than three years after, leading to defense claims that racism had tainted the investigation. But Coleman denied Williams’ lawyers request to throw the case out because of prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias.

The 41-year-old Williams played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.

Houston Rockets SG/SF Tracy McGrady and Head Coach Rick Adelman on Friday both denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the two had engaged in a heated argument behind closed doors on Wednesday.

McGrady said he put on his game uniform Wednesday, despite having no targeted date to return from a knee injury, because “I was excited. I put it on, like a little kid. It felt refreshing to put it on because it was in sight.” Adelman said he simply reminded McGrady that he wouldn’t play, at the earliest, until after his Nov. 23 MRI, and that “We haven’t had any arguments. He wants to know what we’re going to do.” Check back after Nov. 23 for updates. It has long been rumored that the Rockets would like to trade McGrady, but there have been not takers.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Toronto: Toronto Raptors C Andrea Bargnani hit 9-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on Friday. Bargnani, who is starting to live up to his talent, is averaging nearly 18 points, six boards, two threes and more than a block per game thus far in 2009.

Miami: Heat G Mario Chalmers hit 9-of-15 shots and five 3-pointers to score a career-high 30 points in Friday’s loss to the Raptors. Chalmers also added three assists and three steals on the nigh.

Philadelphia 76ers: Lou Williams hit 12-of-16 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 31 points to go along with two rebounds, five assists and six steals. Even with the steller performance, Williams and his team lost to Memphis at home.

Indiana: Pacers F/C Troy Murphy returned from a six-game absence with a back injury and had 12 points, 10 boards, on three pointer and two steals in 24 minutes. Barring a setback, Murphy should see steady minutes in Indiana.

Minnesota: An X-Ray revealed that Kevin Love’s broken hand is progressing, but he’s still about two weeks from practicing and three weeks from playing in a game. Love did some outside shooting Friday, and though he says he feels almost no pain in his hand, he is unable to do anything physical. If he returns Dec. 11 against the Los Angeles Lakers, that would put him right in the 6-to-8 week recovery time originally reported when he broke his hand Oct. 16

Washington: Wizards C Brendan Haywood had 14 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Thunder.
Haywood has play great thus far this season, averaging 11 points, 11 boards and 2.5 blocks.

Boston: Celtics F/C Rasheed Wallace hit just 4-of-16 shots and was 0-for-8 from downtown for nine points, 13 boards, three steals and a block in Friday’s loss to Orlando.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Indiana Pacers

2008 Record: 36-46
Division Finish: 3rd – Central
2008 Playoffs: Missed the playoffs.

Head Coach: Jim O’Brien
Season: Going into second season
Record At Indiana: 36-46
Career Record: 218-204

Offseason Acquisitions:
TJ Ford, G, 12.2 ppg, 6.1 apg. – Traded from Toronto Raptors
Radoslav Nesterovic, C, 7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg., – Traded from Toronto Raptors
Austin Croshere, F, 3.9 ppg., 2.4 rpg. – Signed from Golden State Warriors
Maceo Baston, F, 2.7 ppg., 1.7 rpg. – Traded from Toronto Raptors
Josh Davis, F, 2.5 ppg., 1.7 rpg. – Signed as free agent
Jarrett Jack, G, 9.9 ppg., 3.8 apg. – Traded from Portland Trail Blazers
Josh McRoberts, F, 1.5 ppg., 1.3 rpg. -  Traded from Portland Trail Blazers

Offseason Losses:
Jeremaine O’Neal, F-C, 13.6 ppg., 6.7 rpg – Traded to Toronto Raptors
Ronald “Flip” Murray, G, 11.0 ppg., 3.5 apg – Signed with Atlanta Hawks
Kareem Rush, G, 8.3 ppg, 2.4 ppg – Signed with Philadelphia 76ers
Shawne Williams, F, 6.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg. – Traded to Dallas Mavericks
David Harrison, C, 4.2 ppg., 2.1 rpg. – Signed with Minnesota Timberwolves
Andre Owens, G, 4.0 ppg., 1.5 rpg. – Sign with Serbian League
Ike Diogu, F, 5.6 ppg., 2.8 rpg. – Traded to Portland Trail Blazers

Offseason Transactions:
Signed Jeff Foster, C, to a contract extension.
Exercised the option on Stephen Graham,G, through 2008-09 season.

Rookies:
Roy Hibbert, C, 7-2, 13.4 ppg., 6.4 rpg., Georgetown
Brandon Rush, G, 6-7, 13.3 ppg, 5.1, rpg., Kansas

The Skinny:
Before the Detroit Pistons were the team to beat in the Eastern Conference it was the Indiana Pacers that everyone had to get through to make it to either the conference or NBA Finals. However, the last few years have not been kind to the Pacers, but they look like may have turned the corner and will be a playoff team in 2007-08.

Six years ago the Pacers won the Central Division with a 61-21 record, which is the franchise record for victories. With Reggie Miller only getting better with age like a fine wine and Jermaine O’Neal playing great basketball, the team was on the doorstep of the NBA Finals. They lost to eventual World Champion Detroit in the Eastern Finals.

There are certain moments in sports where you know where you were when something happened. I was in my living room casually watching the Pacers and Pistons in the fall of 2004 when the infamous brawl between the two teams broke out. That might have changed the relationship between the fans and players in all of professional sports It also started a downward spiral for the Pacers.

Indiana managed to get into the second round of the playoffs in 2004-05, but the next year they were bounced in the first round. Three years after playing for the Eastern Conference title, the Pacers were a dismal 35-47. Last season was not much better for the team as they posted a 36-46 record.

But things are not as bad as they may seem in Indiana. As bad as the East is, they still had an outside shot at the playoffs last season and made a great effort to get in. The Pacers won nearly a third of their games during the last month of the season, going 11-5 down the stretch and 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Unlike some teams – New Jersey I am looking in your direction – that purge their teams with a fire sale, Indiana has gradually made changes over the last two years. Last season they brought in Jim O’Brien as head coach, who had Boston in the conference finals in 2001-02 and his teams have made the playoffs in three of the five full seasons he has coached.

Two years ago they started trimming the fat and brought in Troy Muphy and Mike Dunleavy, Jr from Golden State. During this last offseason they traded the face of the franchise, O’Neal, to the Toronto Raptors. While those two trades completely changed the face of the organization, I think they were greatly needed. Between the fight with the Pistons and the retirement of Miller the team needed a new identity. I think they have made the right moves for a fresh start.

I will admit that I have never been a Dunleavy fan, dating back to his days at Duke, but I am also one to admit when I am wrong and this case I am wrong. I would have never guessed that he was averaging double figures the last six years and last season he posted a career-best 19.1 ppg,, an improvement of five points per game. That improvement got him in the running for the NBA Most Improved Player award.

A player who probably does not get enough credit is forward Danny Granger. He quietly led the team with 19.6 ppg. last season. Granger has made huge strides in his three years in the league. He upped his scoring averaged by six points from 2006-07 and by 12 since his rookie season.

While Indiana gave up O’Neal – who has been hampered by injuries of late – they did pick up a big piece of the puzzle in point guard T.J. Ford. The Pacers desperately needed an experienced point guard and Ford’s 6.1 assists per game and 12.2 ppg. will fill that role nicely.

The departure of O’Neal obviously leaves a whole in the front court. As part of the O’Neal trade the Pacers got center Radoslav Nesterovic. He was a spot starter for the Raptors, but was a key part to the San Antonio Spurs’ success, including their 2005 NBA Championships team. I could see him being the starter for the first portion of the season until rookie Roy Hibbert comes along. I am a big Hibbert fan and I like that Indiana has him instead of Australian Nathan Jawai that they originally drafted.

Troy Murphy is a solid power forward, but probably the weakest link in the Indiana starting five. Do not get me wrong, his 12.2 ppg. and 7.2 rpg. is solid, but I think that is the one area that still needs to be addressed. He averaged a double-double for two seasons with Golden State, but his production has slipped of late.

Prediction:
If Indiana stays healthy I think they are a playoff team. They made a good run at the endof the season and have made some good moves to make their team even better. Their biggest problem is their depth.

One through five they have a playoffs caliber team, but their reserves are shaky. Nesterovic and Hibbert are two solid players at the center and Ford has a very good back-up at the point guard position in Jarred Jack. He was a good back-up for the Trail Blazers and Indiana should not miss a beat with him in to spell Ford.

Another spot where they have a good back up is at the shooting guard position. I like players who know how to win and Brandon Rush led the Kansas Jayhawks to the national championship. He will make a good reserve behind Dunleavy and one day could be a great starter in the league. I like that Indiana swapped the draft rights of Jarryd Bayless for Rush.

That leaves the two forward positions as the susceptible ones. Behind the very talented Granger they only have Stephen Graham, who is below average. The Pacers have brought in a bunch of players to compete for the back-up spot to Murphy. The four players Indiana signed – Austin Crosher, Maceo Baston, Josh Davis and Josh McRoberts – did not averaged as many points combined as Murphy. Crosher is the choice for now. He played for Indiana during their heyday, but is starting to get old. Do not ask me why McRoberts left Duke early. He could have used an extra year there. Instead he has been mediocre, but most Duke pro players do not pan out.

With a strong starting five I think Indiana will get into the playoffs this year. I expect to see them a few games over .500 or right around there. That should put them in the sixth or seventh seed. I think their frontcourt is too weak to get them beyond the first round, but if they upgrade the power forward position they could make a run in 2009-10.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Philadelphia 76ers

2008 Record: 40-42
Division Finish: 2nd – Atlantic
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-1, to Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference First Round

Head Coach: Maurice Cheeks
Season: Going into fourth season
Record At Philadelphia: 113-133
Career Record: 275-272

Offseason Acquisitions:
Elton Brand, F, 17.6 ppg, 8.0 – Signed from Los Angeles Clippers
Jared Reiner, C, – Signed from Spain
Donyell Marshall, F, 3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg. – Signed off waivers
Theo Ratliff, F-C, 3.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg. – Signed off waivers
Kareem Rush, G, 8.3 ppg, 2.4 ppg – Signed from Indiana
Royal Ivey, G, 5.6 ppg, 2.1 apg – - Signed from Milwaukee

Offseason Losses:
Calvin Booth, F-C, 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg – Traded to Minnesota Timberwolves
Rodney Carney, F, 5.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg – Traded to Minnesota Timberwolves
Andre Emmett – Waived
Maurice Rice – Waived
Corey Underwood – Waived
Justin Reed – Waived

Offseason Transactions:
Re-signed Andre Igoudala
Re-signed Louis Williams
Exercised option on Thaddeus Young
Exercised option on Jason Smith

Rookies:
Marreese Speight, F-C, 6-10, 14.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, Florida
Antwayne Robinson, F, 6-8, – Signed from France

The Skinny:
Few teams may have made a bigger move during the offseason than the Philadelphia 76ers. Whether that gives them the edge they need to move up from a middle of the road team in a weak conference or a contender for the Eastern title remains to be seen.

During the middle of the summer it looked like the Los Angeles Clippers were going to be a major player in the Western Conference when Baron Davis was about to sign with the team to go along an already improving and young team. However, the Clippers had the rug pulled out from underneath them when the foundation of the team, power forward Elton Brand, signed with the 76ers.

Brand signed a five-year, $79.9-millon deal with Philadelphia and may be the missing ingredient the team needs to challenge Boston and Detroit. The 76ers had some solid talent, particularly in the backcourt, but needed a real superstar to be the go-to guy and bulk up their front court. They may have gotten that in Brand.

After a lackluster showing in the opening round of the 2005 playoffs, Philadelphia brought in Maurice Cheeks to be their head coach. Following some growing pains in his first two seasons, Cheeks appears to have the ship turned around as they won 40 games and made the Eastern Conference playoffs despite being under .500.

Up until this season the 76ers may not have had a person with the presence of Brand in the frontcourt since the likes of Charles Barkley. Brand is no Barkley, but he’s better than anything they have had since the Round Mound of Rebound.

Going into his 10th season, Brand is one of only four active players that have a career average of 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He had a monster year in 2005-06, averaging a career-best 24.7 points per game. His scoring production has dipped the last two seasons, but a big reason for that is he has had better players around him so he has not had to carry as much of the scoring load.

Brand does come to Philadelphia as a bit of damage goods. Before the start of last season he ruptured the Achilles’ tendon in his left foot and missed the majority of the season. He managed to play only eight games last season, averaging 17.6 ppg. and 8.0 rebounds per game.

If Brand is back to his old self he has got the potential to make the 76ers a great team. Philadelphia brings back its top six scorers from last season and that group averaged 79.5 ppg.

Heading up this list of returning players is swingman Andre Igoudala, who is one of the top all-around players in the country. His 2007-08 numbers were 19.9 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 4.8 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. Point guard Andre Miller does a good job of running the offense as he dished out 6.9 apg., while scoring 17.0 ppg. Add in guards Willie Green who averaged 12.4 ppg. as well as Louis Williams coming off the bench at 11.5 ppg. and you’ve got a pretty solid back court.

The front court was a different story. Six-foot-eleven center Samuel Dalembert did a solid job last season, averaging a double-double with 10.5 ppg and 10.4 rpg. The problem was without another good player in the frontcourt teams were able to focus on Dalembert and limit his scoring. Now with Brand beside him he could really make a big improvement this year.

Prediction:
Philadelphia is one of the teams I am high on this year as a potential sleeper in the East. As we stated here time and time again, the Eastern Conference is pretty weak. The 76ers are living testament to that as they made the playoffs last year despite a losing record. Outside of Boston and Detroit no team is really a major threat and no made a major move like Philly did. Jermaine O’Neal to Toronto does not really count.

The 76ers frontcourt was there major weakness and they did a lot to improve it by bringing in Brand. Yes he comes in having suffered a major injury, but up until now he has been pretty healthy so I do not see why he will not be back to his old form. He will make Dalembert a much better player and he will need to be against some of the top big men in the conference.

The addition of Brand really only leaves small forward as the only hole in the team’s line-up, but there is some potential there. Thaddeus Young stepped into the starting role in his rookie season and averaged 8.2 ppg. and 4.2 rpg. A year wiser and having Brand on the court could allow him to really grow in his second season.

Green and Williams give 76ers a pretty solid pair of reserves in the backcourt. The addition of TJ Ford in Indiana via the O’Neal trade made Kareem Rush expendable and he will be able to spell Iguodala or Young.

The team is a little thin in terms of its frontcourt bench. They tired to sure that up by drafting 6-foot-10 forward-center Marreese Speight from Florida, who averaged 14.5 ppg and 8.1 ppg. If they can stay healthy in the front court they could be a very good team.

I like all the moves the 76ers have done in terms of getting Brand, signing Rush and drafting Speight. After reserves Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff, Brand is the oldest player on the team at 29-years old. If they can keep this team together they could be a contender for the next few years.

I think Philadelphia will surprise a lot of people this year. I like them to win about 50 games this year and move up to second in the Atlantic. If all the chips fall into place they could win the division. I like them to get to at least the second round of the playoffs and do not be surprised if you see them on the doorstep of the NBA Finals.

As the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, the Detroit Pistons were a member team of the old National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) before joining the NBA in 1949 and becoming the Detroit Pistons in 1957.

Today, the three-time champion Detroit Pistons play their home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their head coach is the newly-hired Michael Curry, and their general manager is Joe Dumars, who played on the back-to-back title winning Pistons of 1989 and 1990.

Early Years in Detroit

When the Pistons first moved to Detroit in 1957, they immediately established themselves as a tough team to beat. They made the playoffs in each of their firsts six seasons in Detroit, though they didn’t get past the division finals.

The 1960s and 1970s were far from kind to the Pistons, who boasted some big names of the era but could not translate that into winning seasons. Between 1963 and 1973, the team only appeared in the playoffs once, despite having high-profile players like Bob Lanier, Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, and Jimmy Walker.

Despite a few playoff berths in the mid-1970s, the Detroit Pistons did not begin to establish themselves as an NBA contender until they drafted an Indiana point guard named Isiah Thomas in 1981.

Isiah and the Bad Boys

The Pistons continued to build after drafting Thomas. They acquired guard Vinnie Johnson and center Bill Laimbeer in 1982. This paid quick dividends for the team, as they returned to the playoffs in the 1983-84 season. They lost in the first round to the New York Knicks, but things were beginning to look up for Detroit.

The Pistons picked little-known shooting guard Joe Dumars in 1985, and they picked up forward Rick Mahorn in a trade that same year. Thomas, Dumars, Mahorn, Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman would form the core of the team that would earn the nickname “Bad Boys.”

The Detroit teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s had a rough, physical style of play that earned them the nickname. Rodman, Mahorn, and Laimbeer were well-known for their ability to get under the skin of opposing players. The team, under the leadership of head coach Chuck Daly, had a defense-first mentality that cast them as the polar opposite of flashier teams like the L.A. Lakers.

Championships

In the 1987-88 season, after amassing 54 regular season wins, the Pistons established themselves as the class of the Eastern Conference, beating the Washington Bullets, the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics on their way to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1956 (when they were the Fort Wayne Pistons). They battled hard with the Western champion Lakers, but they eventually fell in seven games.

The following season, the Pistons won 63 games and returned to the NBA Finals bent on revenge against the Lakers. They got their revenge, sweeping the Lakers in four games.

The following year, the defending champion Pistons won 59 games and returned to the NBA Finals, this time against the Portland Trail Blazers. The opponent was different, but the result was the same. Detroit beat the Blazers in five games, making the “Bad Boys” back-to-back champions.

By the 1993-94 season, most of the core players had either retired or been traded, and the Bad Boy era came to an end.

Joe Dumars, the last holdover from the championship era, retired in 1999 and was named Detroit’s general manager in 2000. From the bottom up, he built a team that would eventually consist of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace, among others. With these players, and the guiding hand of head coach Larry Brown (hired in 2003), Dumars constructed a team that would give him a third championship ring, and the team defeated the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Lakers in the 2004 Finals. That Finals victory had at least an indirect impact on the fate of the Lakers, who, until then, were considered the first NBA dynasty of the new millennium.

2007-08 Season

With much of the championship core still in place (Ben Wallace left for the Chicago Bulls in 2006), the 2007-08 Pistons racked up 59 regular season wins and looked to be a favorite to win the East. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games and the Orlando Magic in five games before falling to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in six games.

At the end of the 2008 season, head coach Flip Saunders left the team and was replaced by assistant coach Michael Curry.

2008-09 Outlook

Rasheed Wallace, Billups, Prince and Hamilton return, though they are a year older. Young players like Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey will be expected to take on additional minutes and relieve some of the pressure off the older players. If they can do that, the Pistons will be a contender to win the East.

Greatest Players

Dave Bing, Chauncey Billups, Joe Dumars, Richard “Rip” Hamilton, Grant Hill, Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas