There'll be new look to team link: There'll be new look to team - 10/02/06 - The Detroit News Online Wallace's absence resonates link: Wallace's absence resonates - 10/03/06 - The Detroit News Online
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News Friday, October 06, 2006 Johnson is not a 7-footer, yet. But the 19-year-old is close. He was listed 6-foot-9 on draft night, 6-10 last year, and now 6-11 1/2 AUBURN HILLS -- Flip Saunders blew his whistle in the middle of a sloppy scrimmage Thursday morning and sent his players off the court and into the locker room.
Ben rips Flip ESPN.com - NBA/TRAININGCAMP06 - Sheridan: Ben Ben flips the script on Saunders Check it out.
Ben Wallace's word hang in the air at Pistons camp Saturday, October 07, 2006 By A. Sherrod Blakely AUBURN HILLS -- Ben Wallace is gone, but his words -- many of which lately have included some not-so-nice digs at his former coach -- still have a way of resonating loudly with his former team.
Big Ben's bashing suggests parting was best A Rip at Flip By Keith Langlois Another major burr in Big Ben’s behind: In desperate straits in the fourth quarter of Game 6 at Miami, trailing 3-2 in the series, Saunders sat Wallace for the duration, partly because of Wallace’s 27 percent playoff foul shooting and the certainty that Miami would deliberately foul him, partly because the Pistons just plain needed points. “Let’s just put it this way,” Saunders said. “That’s the only quarter we outscored Miami. … Hey, it was tough for me to watch, too. As a competitor, you always want to be out there. I don’t fault him.”
(Hope Skiles has alot of time on his hands. ) Wallace Gets FT Pointers From Skiles At 88.9 percent, Scott Skiles is the fourth-most accurate free-throw shooter in NBA history. At 41.8 percent, Ben Wallace often got pulled from Pistons games late. Sounds like a match made in improvement heaven. "I don't really want to go into it because I don't want to make an issue out of it," Skiles said. "Because I truly believe what I said at [Wallace's introductory] press conference: I don't care if he makes them or not. I don't expect anything crazy to happen where all of a sudden he's leading the league in free-throw shooting. I just want him to relax and work on a couple of things and see what happens." ChicagoSports.com - Wallace gets FT pointers from an expertSkiles
Mlive Oct. 8 Blakely Billups sees a lot of good qualities in Blalock's game, but acknowledges that it'll probably take some time. "The rook is going to be good," Billups said. "He's very, very solid, doesn't make a lot of mistakes . . . just a real good point guard. He's going to need some seasoning, but he's going to be good." The Pistons plan to pick up contract options before the Oct. 31 deadline on Jason Maxiell and Carlos Delfino. They can pick up the fourth year on Delfino, who was drafted under the old collective bargaining agreement.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy Keith Langlois This year’s Chicago is Orlando. The Magic will have gobs of cap room. Ironically enough, they’ll have cap room largely because the contract of Grant Hill – whose departure from Detroit was supposed to be the final nail in the Pistons’ coffin – finally comes off the books.
Five Tiny Tidbits On: The Detroit Pistons It's hard to believe, but the NBA season is just around the corner. Let us celebrate with five tiny tidbits on each team. Today we continue with the Central Division
Pistons show moxie at open practice October 8, 2006 BY KRISTA JAHNKE The play varied from quick and crisp to laughably error-prone. Such is the norm at a scrimmage bright and early on a Saturday morning after a week of two-a-days.
Porter, Cowens bring teaching credentials to Pistons Monday, October 09, 2006 By A. Sherrod Blakely AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons added one of the NBA's career assists leaders, along with a Hall of Fame center to their bench during the off-season -- and neither will log a single minute of playing time this season
NBA champs stay the course Pistons think Heat made the right decision, keeping their roster from title team basically intact. Chris McCosky / The Detroit News SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Last year at this time, Pistons players were scratching their heads at the changes the Miami Heat made to a roster which had taken them to within one game of heading to the NBA Finals in 2005.
A Piston at last By Keith Langlois If the Pistons hadn’t faced such a dire need for a big man in the 2001-02 season, Flip Murray might have been theirs from the beginning. But with Ben Wallace and Cliff Robinson backed by the likes of Mikki Moore and Victor Alexander, the swap of a second-round pick to Toronto for Zeljko Rebraca seemed prudent at the time.
Wallace cries foul over rule NBA has adopted a zero-tolerance policy, meaning antics directed toward officials could bring a quick technical. Chris McCosky / The Detroit News SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- You had to know the Pistons were going to take it personally. The NBA, in an attempt to cut down on the incessant complaining by players to officials, has instituted what amounts to a zero-tolerance rule this season.
Preseason opener a chance for Pistons to see how new players fit in Tuesday, October 10, 2006 By A. Sherrod Blakely AUBURN HILLS -- Tonight's opening preseason game between the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons in Puerto Rico will have little bearing on how either team performs this season. Still, it's a game that for at least one of the NBA's top players -- Heat guard Dwyane Wade -- is still important. "Every time we play them, whether it's preseason or not, it's always going to be there, not just that respect but also that intensity," Wade told reporters in Miami. "Whoever takes the court has to understand that. If they're on their team and rookies, or on our team and rookies, they've got to understand it's the Heat and Pistons and we always battle when we play."
Heat's rivalry with Pistons remains even without B. Wallace By Ira Winderman South Florida Sun-Sentinel (MCT) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Perhaps it's only fitting these teams tip off their preseasons in Puerto Rico. They have, after all, practically spent the last two seasons on an island to themselves, as the East's elite. But after meeting in the conference finals the past two years, the Heat and Pistons enter Tuesday night's exhibition in San Juan with decidedly different looks. This time, coming off its first NBA championship, the Heat enters with the swagger. And this time, Detroit enters without All-Star center Ben Wallace. While Wallace's free-agent defection to Chicago has changed the dynamic of Heat-Pistons, the edge remains.
The nifty nine Chris McCosky / The Detroit News The best starting five in basketball. An NBA-record 73 consecutive starts. The same starting lineup for 2 1/2 seasons. The fab five had been the hallmark of the Pistons dating to Rasheed Wallace 's arrival in February 2004. But even with four-fifths of that unit returning, things are different. PISTONS 84, HEAT 64: Pistons cool down Heat Newer players get experience October 11, 2006 BY KRISTA JAHNKE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- NBA exhibition games are known for turnovers, low shooting percentages and lineups filled with unfamiliar names. Retooled bench passes first test It’s a start By Keith Langlois They’ve yet to hand out the Larry O’Brien Trophy in October – nor in Puerto Rico – but the Pistons took enough good signs out of their offshore preseason opener to suggest they might well be playing into June once again somewhere within the continental United States.
Not sure if this one was posted eslewhere, but here is the Miami-Herald's perpective on last nights game: MiamiHerald.com | 10/11/2006 | Heat scores just 64 points in loss to Pistons Looks like Pudge got the biggest ovation
McDyess in line for bigger role on Pistons Thursday, October 12, 2006 By A. Sherrod Blakely AUBURN HILLS -- When Antonio McDyess arrived in Detroit two years ago, teammates and coaches often referred to him as a sixth starter. Well, it looks like he'll finally get the kind of minutes to back that up. Of the handful of issues left to be ironed out by Detroit during the preseason, figuring out McDyess' role isn't one of them. Saunders focuses on empowering bench Pistons coach wants all invested in team October 12, 2006 BY KRISTA JAHNK And in his opinion, that's a mentality, within the organization, the media and the fan base, that he's ready to change. "There's a separation, and everyone has bought into that," Saunders said. "My mind-set is to try to do more to blend those guys together, so there's not as much of a separation." Saunders has promised more bench involvement before, but rarely delivered on those words, for various reasons. This year, he said he is committed to changing the environment of the team by playing the bench more minutes and with the starting unit more often Players learn to accept playing a zone Prince is no fan of it, but Saunders says it plays to team's strengths, takes advantage of rules. Chris McCosky / The Detroit News In scrimmages, Saunders has empowered Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to call the defense on each possession. More often than not, especially when they need a big stop, they are calling for a zone. Against the Heat, Saunders had the Pistons go to the zone every time the Heat ran their 2-up play. That's the play designed to get Wade isolated at or near the top of the key -- the one that systematically destroyed the Pistons last season.
