Tayshaun Prince, AND1 and Bad Santa

by | Aug 7, 2007 | 38 comments

Tayshaun Prince made an appearance on ESPN’s Streetball. I was alerted to it by a faithful Need4Sheed reader and I scoured the TV guide for the replay. I had no idea why Tay was on the show until I watched the clip.

Tayshaun was in California and decided to catch one of his old high school teammates, Kenny Brunner (AKA Bad Santa) play. I actually remember the hype surrounding Kenny when he was a freshman at Georgetown. They said he was the second coming of AI.

I had actually had forgotten about him until I saw this clip about what happened to him and his career. I didn’t really know the whole story until now. It’s actually pretty sad, he had a ton of potential and would probably be in the NBA right now had it not been for a bad decision he made as a youngster.

Video Courtesy of ESPN and AND1

I not actually sure what kind of game he has right now, but I wouldn’t mind the Pistons giving the guy a shot to see what he can do at the backup point guard position. We still don’t know about Lindsey Hunter, the Will Blalock experiment is over, Alex Acker is apparently a free agent and Rodney Stuckey is a hell of a combo guard, but he’s not a true PG.

Tayshaun speaks so highly of Brunner it has convinced me that the guy has game, although he might be a little past his prime at 29(I can’t seem to get an exact age). Why not give Bad Santa a shot to see what he can do, hell Scott Pollard is still hanging on. At this point what could it would hurt, unless Joe D. has something up his sleeve.

I’m not saying he’s the Answer, I’m just thinking outside of the box. As much as I appreciate Lindsey Hunter how many more seasons are we going wonder if it’s his time to take that position in The Pistons front office?

For anyone who regularly watches AND1 Mixtape Tour, give us a scouting report on Brunner (Bad Santa) in the comments.

38 Comments

  1. Junior

    there is no doubt he has game. After watching this episode you start to think of the hundreds of players with nba talent who are just too immature or have slipped through the cracks one way or another. Bad Santa does look a little old, and in my opinion the NBA waved bye-bye to him a long time ago. I could see him being successful overseas. But he has a pretty good gig now. He really should be thankful for that. I personally think A.O.(aaron owens) is much better suited for NBA play. I am pretty sure he attended Gratz HS in philly as well as Sheed.

    Reply
  2. jessi

    wow tay had a lot of good to say. Tay seems like the type of person who doesn’t say something unless he means it and he had all good to say.. I think a NBA team shoud give he him a chance and I think he would be a good addition to the pistons, we need a point and a good one off the bench its what we have looked for the last few years. I don’t see it happen but I think Joe D shoud give him a chance he seems like the type of player who would fit in with the pistons one of the mistfits from that christmas show.

    Reply
  3. Natalie

    Junior….
    AO is a personal favorite of mine as far as AND1 is concerned. Thanks for pointing out that he played at Gratz with our boy Sheed. Your rigtht about all the player that could have been.

    Jessi..
    “who would fit in with the pistons one of the misfits from that Christmas show”

    LMAO, Classic!

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    Of course it would b worth it 2 give him a chance, Joe D. likes to build his team based on chemistry and character as well as talent, so why not try him out and see if he fits. He seems to have so much desire and motivation, the pistons need a player like that to bring hard work to the table.

    Reply
  5. Wolf Blitzer

    The guy clearly can play. yet… so can a ton of other players, currently playing streetball; currently playing D-league; currently playing overseas. Just because a guy can ‘play the game’ does not equate instant roster position in the League. Look here son, Tayshaun isn’t gonna speak poorly of someone on that “someone’s” personal video diary/ video resume or whatever that was i just watched. Tay is definitely not gonna bust the guy’s chops for not having the mental toughness to hack it in college, nor would he dis his high school boy on camera while Bad Santa is likely 3, 4 feet away. Rafer Skip To My Lou Alston was indeed a rarity to make it from immature transgressions –> streetball –> NBA….and most recently, arrested in Houston. Why, with the increasingly blossoming young talent in this country, as well as globally, would someone take this guy. Gimme 10 Horace Jenkins over him. No chance this guy plays in the league.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    maybe he could have done something in his day, but you dont just sign guys cause the story of there careers or lack there of are sad or whatever, he couldnt cut it mentally then, and he cant cut it mentally OR physically now,

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    Nat, i never heard of him and he looks like he has a lot of skills BUT i dont think any NBA teams would wanna give him a chance because of his background it seems and we all know now a days thats a HUGE thing, and you noticed that with the NFL & NBA draft.

    Vin
    Connecticut

    Reply
  8. Dominic

    AAAAAHHHHH Barry Bonds just hit 756. congradulations to the biggest slugger in MLB history. I know this is a basketball site but still this is a historic moment

    Reply
  9. Dominic

    Oh and as for him looking old well look at Greg Oden 🙂 when I saw him his age screamed 38 at me!

    Reply
  10. Amanda

    I don’t know who the hell y’all are talking about. The only one I noticed was T Prince. lol Just kidding.

    It looks like the guy is having a great time doing what he’s doing and he’s good at what he’s doing. I say, let him continue.

    Reply
  11. kyle c.

    BARRY BONDS!!!!

    YAY

    Reply
  12. wolf blitzer

    HAHAHAHAHA GREG ODEN, OLD, THAT, IS, FUNNNNNNNNNY. How come nobody has pointed that out before

    speaking of old, being 25, apparently I have a ton to look forward to over the next 18-20 years

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/more/07/25/summer.basketball/1.html
    ^^
    i thought this was interesting.. something chauncey participated in

    …whats even better is in the 2nd picture down chauncey has his shirt off :]

    but speaking of rafer alston (12:26) does anyone know of this rumor of him being true…

    “Rumor Has It: When Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston was a junior in high school and a defender went up to block his layup, Alston is said to have let the ball roll down his arm, behind his neck and down the other arm before flicking it to a streaking teammate for a layin.”

    …that would be pretty cool to watch in a live game

    Reply
  14. Natalie

    I never did get to see enough of Horris Jenkins but he did have a great story and I will root for him to this day.

    I am a big fan of Tony Delk though, I thought he made the best of the little time he had with the Pistons.

    Reply
  15. basketballnmike

    I say why not let him try out. He looks like he’s got some talent, he seems like he’s turning his life around, Tay will porbably help him some, and he’s shown some perserverence. He may have messed up earlier in his life, but who hasn’t? Who knows, maybe we’ll find our next great pg (not likely, but could happen) or worst comes to worst, we cut him and say o well. Might as well let him try out.

    Reply
  16. Jay R

    This guy is victim of circumstance. Yes he made mistakes, we all have. That has nothing to do w/ his mental readiness for the NBA. To this day NBA players still play in street ball tournaments. What KB was sayin in this tape is true. He has continued to show dedication to his craft with tournaments, NBA camps, and etc. I think if a high school student has the ability to come into the league, why couldn’t he have done so? He deserves a chance. Its not like he gave up on it and is sitting around hoping the NBA will see his past. He continues to shine and TP along with other NBA players have witnessed to his abilities. I don’t think it will happen but I think he definitely deserves the opportunity. So many of the street ballers like Skip do…its just that they are frowned upon. A sad fact but true.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous

    You don’t give a guy who is probably 27 or 28 his first chance in the league with an title contender. If anybody would give him a chance it would have to be a lower level team with a point gaurd need. AKA Atlanta or the Clippers.

    Besides that, the real question on this kid is What is he doing with swords? Who carries a sword around?

    Reply
  18. Natalie

    Well put Jay R..

    “What is he doing with swords? Who carries a sword around?”

    I was thinking that same thing myself, actually I burst out laughing at it for about 5 minutes. It just struck me a funny.

    Reply
  19. Anonymous

    if people are that stupid they shouldn’t have a second chance

    Reply
  20. Anonymous

    In that picture from the pickup game, Chauncey is wearing Nike Shox. Wouldnt he be in violation of his contract with adidas?

    Cliff

    Reply
  21. Anonymous

    Abd1 is a joke. It’s NOT basketball, it’s the WWE on hardwood. There’s a reason why those guys aren’t in the L.

    Reply
  22. Anonymous

    chauncey is SOOOOOOO hott =]

    Reply
  23. Anonymous

    enough about chauncey being hot, fuck

    Reply
  24. Anonymous

    ^^chillll crazyy .. people need to express their feelings

    Reply
  25. Amanda

    lol Oh, people make me laugh.

    I thought the funniest part of the video was when Brunner said his friend (or whoever he was with when the incident took place) made a comment about Irish people being drunks and then Brunner proceeded to say the two of them (his friend and him) had been drinking at the time. lol

    You’re right, Anony 2:57, Chauncey IS hot.

    Reply
  26. Anonymous

    ^dear amanda,
    thankkk youuu for using the word proceeded right.. you are one of the only people iknow (well not really know ha)who knows when and how to use that word .. as well as preceeded.. and i agree mr chauncey big shot smooth billups is sooooooo hotttt :]

    Reply
  27. Dominic

    I heard that Reggie Miller who is 42(!) is interested in joining the Boston Celtics wow that would be interesting so now theyll have like what 7 players on the roster? lol

    Reply
  28. Anonymous

    bad santa is the 2nd best strtbller ive ever seen
    if he joined the nba he would be 1 of the best players in the league

    Reply
  29. Anonymous

    i think the pistons should sign bad santa to replace lindsey hunter,i mean no disrespect to him but hes past his prime. bad santa would help the pistons win another championship

    Reply
  30. Amanda

    You’re welcome, Anony 4:41. I always knew that staying awake in English class that one day would pay off. lol

    Didn’t Reggie Miller talk about coming out of retirement last season? Why’d he even retire? lol It’s only been 2 years hasn’t it? Wow. That’d REALLY make what’s going on in Boston interesting. Maybe the Celtics will want to add this Brunner guy, too. haha

    Reply
  31. Anonymous

    IM A BIG STREETBALL FAN,BUT I STILL LOVE THE NBA,,AND IM GLAD TO SAY THAT WHEN IM PLAYIN AT THE PARK…IM TRYING TO IMITATE CHAUNCEY BILLUPS..NOT HOT SAUCE..LOL…IVE WATCHED ALMOST EVERY STREETBALL EPISODE TO DATE..MY SCOUTING REPORT ON BAD SANTA WOULD BE THAT HES QUICK AND DEFINATELY MORE OF A SCORING TYPE THAN A DISTRIBUTER(THINK MAUBURY)…BUT I WILL SAY THAT HES STRONG AND DEFINATELY ONE OF THE BEST ON BALL DEFENDERS IVE SEEN PLAY STREETBALL..I RARELY SEE THIS GUY SHOOTING THREE’S,BUT THAN AGAIN THEY WOULDNT SHOW THOSE KIND OF THINGS ON SHOW.LOL..HE DOES DESERVE A SHOT..IF BARON DAVIS AND TAYSHAUN SAY SO THEN SO DO I

    Reply
  32. Natalie

    Thanks to Dominic who just informed me that Bad Santa is 29 years of age.

    Reply
  33. Anonymous

    Nat, good thing your single.

    Reply
  34. Anonymous

    We are trying to get other players right now. For example, if we could keep chris webber, we probably would. Also, what about Mo Peterson? I really want him on our team he would be a great fit. Before thinking about getting players from streetball, let’s focus more on experienced, NBA players.

    Reply
  35. The Spin

    The guy looks a little old, but hey, why not give him a shot? There’s really not much to lose. I’m sure he’d sign for the NBA minimum. Who wouldn’t?

    http://www.clutch3.com

    Reply
  36. Anonymous

    Man, he really seems like the kind of guy Joe D would go for. He’d probably jump at an inexpensive contract too. Hmmm. If we didn’t do so well in the draft AND just sign Shamb I could see him being drafted but it doens’t look like it.
    ~Richie~

    Reply
  37. Anonymous

    The problem with And1 mix tapes is A) it’s a highlight reel, not scouting film and B)The game those guys play isn’t even CLOSE to NBA legal. Sometimes it’s more entertaining but really the skills just aren’t the same. Basketball is basketball until you can dribble the ball off a guys face and take 7 steps to the hole before monster dunking. Honestly he looks great on that film but so do ALOT of street ballers on those tapes.

    As for Baron and Tay saying he could make it…. well if every NBA player was a great evaluator of NBA talent then Kevin McHale would be a MUCH MUCH more successful NBA GM.

    Reply
  38. Cord Aka Straw

    Man I watch And1 Every Now And Then And I Feel What Bad Santa (Kenny Brunner) Is going threw I was a top point guard in middle school and i was gonna play high school ball and keep going and i had made a mistake with Some People and got introbule with a gun thing And now i go to a school that dont have a basketball team so i play for detroit commuinty center on 7mile and all that Hopin ill go back to linclon to play ball but i just made my chances worse by doin it and Bad Santa is a really good player he can hoop he belongs in the nba and it would be sweet if we could get him on the Detroit Pistons Roster spot casue he desirves a chance Like me and hopefully he gets in the nba and i get to play high school ball and go higher.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pistons

  • Rasheed Wallace
  • Greg Monroe
  • Andre Drummond
  • Josh Smith
  • Brandon Jennings
  • Caron Butler
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  • Jodie Meeks
  • D.J. Augustin
  • Gigi Datome
  • Spencer Dinwiddie
  • Jonas Jerebko
  • Kyle Singler
  • Tony Mitchell
  • Stan Van Gundy
  • Arnie Kander
  • Mike Abdenour
  • Tom Gores
  • Greg Kelser
  • George Blaha
  • John Mason

Pistons Past

  • Chauncey Billups
  • Rodney Stuckey
  • Brandon Knight
  • Tayshaun Prince
  • Richard Hamilton
  • Jason Maxiell
  • Tracy McGrady
  • Will Bynum
  • Austin Daye
  • Chris Wilcox
  • Dajuan Summers
  • Peyton Siva
  • Kim English
  • Terrico White
  • Josh Harrellson
  • Charlie Villanueva
  • Vernon Macklin
  • Viacheslav Kravtsov
  • Ben Gordon
  • Ben Wallace
  • Isiah Thomas
  • Maurice Cheeks
  • Lawrence Frank
  • John Kuester
  • Chuck Daly
  • Bill Laimbeer
  • Joe Dumars

Archives