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New parts
There are eight new players on the Pistons roster. This is how they were acquired:
Player Acquired
Chucky Atkins Signed as free agent (Sept. 28)
Austin Daye Drafted 15th overall
Ben Gordon Signed as free agent (July 8)
Jonas Jerebko Drafted 39th overall
DaJuan Summers Drafted 35th overall
Charlie Villanueva Signed as a free agent (July 8)
Ben Wallace Signed as a free agent (Aug. 12)
Chris Wilcox Signed as a free agent (July 22)
World party
By making the Pistons roster, Jonas Jerebko became the first Swede on an NBA roster. Jerebko is one of 83 international players from 36 countries on opening night rosters, matching a record of international players (2006-07 also featured 83):
• Argentina: Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio), Andres Nocioni (Sacramento), Fabricio Oberto (Washington), Luis Scola (Houston)
• Australia: David Andersen (Houston), Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee), Nathan Jawai (Minnesota), Patrick Mills (Portland)
• Brazil: Anderson Varejao (Cleveland), Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix), Nene (Denver)
• Cameroon: Luc Mbah A Moute (Milwaukee)
• Canada: Joel Anthony (Miami), Steve Nash (Phoenix)
• Haiti: Samuel Dalembert (Philadelphia), Jamaal Magloire (Miami)
• China: Yao Ming (Houston), Yi Jianlian (New Jersey)
• Congo: Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City)
• Croatia: Roko Ukic (Milwaukee)
• Democratic Republic of Congo: DJ Ilunga-Mbenga (L.A. Lakers)
• Dominican Republic: Francisco Garcia (Sacramento), Al Horford (Atlanta)
• France: Alexis Ajinca (Charlotte), Nicolas Batum (Portland), Guadeloupe Rodrigue Beaubois (Dallas), Boris Diaw (Charlotte), Yakhouba Diawara (Miami), Ian Mahinmi (San Antonio), Tony Parker (San Antonio), Johan Petro (Denver), Mikael Pietrus (Orlando), Ronny Turiaf (Golden State)
• Georgia: Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta)
• Germany: Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
• Great Britain: Kelenna Azubuike (Golden State), Luol Deng (Chicago), Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Houston)
• Iran: Hamed Haddadi (Memphis)
• Israel: Omri Casspi (Sacramento)
• Italy: Andrea Bargnani (Toronto), Marco Belinelli (Toronto), Danilo Gallinari (New York)
• Latvia: Andris Biedrins (Golden State)
• Lithuania: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland), Darius Songaila (New Orleans)
• Mexico: Eduardo Najera (New Jersey)
• Netherlands: Francisco Elson (Milwaukee),Dan Gadzuric (Milwaukee)
• New Zealand: Sean Marks (New Orleans)
• Poland: Marcin Gortat (Orlando)
• Puerto Rico: Carlos Arroyo (Miami), Jose Juan Barea (Dallas)
• Russia: Andrei Kirilenko (Utah)
• Senegal : DeSagana Diop (Charlotte)
• Serbia: Marko Jaric (Memphis), Nenad Krstic (Oklahoma City), Darko Milicic (New York), Sasha Pavlovic (Minnesota), Vladimir Radmanovic (Charlotte), Peja Stojakovic (New Orleans)
• Slvenia: Primoz Brezec (Philadelphia), Goran Dragic (Phoenix), Rasho Nesterovic (Toronto), BenoUdrih (Sacramento), Sasha Vujacic (L.A. Lakers)
• Spain: Jose Calderon (Toronto), Rudy Fernandez (Portland), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers), Sergio Rodriguez (Sacramento), Adonal Foyle (Orlando)
• Sweden: Jonas Jerebko (Detroit)
• Switzerland: Thabo Sefolosha (Oklahoma City)
• Tanzania: Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis)
• Turkey: Ersan Ilyasova (Milwaukee), Mehmet Okur (Utah), Hedo Turkoglu (Toronto)
• Ukraine: Kyrylo Fesenko (Utah), Oleksiy Pecherov (Minnesota)
• U.S. Virgin Islands: Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Raja Bell (Charlotte)
Pistons at Grizzlies
Tip-off: 8 tonight, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.
TV/radio: FSD/WXYT 97.1
Outlook: Tayshaun Prince (cut toe) and Charlie Villanueva will play.
Tayshaun Prince rates Pistons' chances as 'D'
His signature block has been captured on posters all over the city. It came on a play that changed the 2004 Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers. On that block on Reggie Miller, Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince gave every ounce of energy to run cross-court on what the NBA called one of the 60 best plays in history. Hustle plays like that made the 2004 Pistons champions.
But Prince doesn't see that hustle and grit now, not on this Detroit team. And that's why he's disturbed as Detroit opens the season tonight in Memphis. Prince believes the Pistons are a decent team, but he realizes they need to play better defense if they expect to challenge in the competitive Eastern Conference. "That is what we have to do to win," he said. "That is what I have to do. It has shown (during the exhibition season) we struggle defensively."
The Pistons are a bad defensive team struggling in a league that has put more of a premium on offense. Team president Joe Dumars seems to be buying into the new emphasis on scoring, as evidenced by his offseason acquisitions (forward Charlie Villanueva and shooting guard Ben Gordon). The young players are all terrific scorers but not good defenders.
Working together
But it was defense that helped the Pistons reach six consecutive conference finals and two straight NBA Finals. And Prince, well, he was the team's best perimeter defender. But now, Prince believes he must lay down some old-school principals to his younger teammates.That includes better footwork, more communication, and teamwork. He saw disturbing trends during the preseason -- the Pistons allowed 100 points or more in five of seven games, and during one three-game stretch, gave up an average of 116.6 points. "Obviously, this is a different team," Prince said. "We can put up a lot of points on the board but it's more about how we play defense if we are going to win games. I think me and Ben (Wallace) and Rip (Richard Hamilton) are going to have to come in and help the younger guys defensively in order to win games.
Prince is willing to lay down the hammer because he believes this team can win. But when you look at the East, it's Boston, Orlando and Cleveland jockeying for a spot in the Finals. "My personal expectations is that I know we are a team in transition," Prince said. "But I still feel that with the team we have here that we can win some games." The Pistons can win with their offense. If the goal, however, is to secure a nice playoff position, they must show better effort on defense.
Prince's job remains to defend the opponent's best offensive player. He has done his job well but there has been slippage the past couple seasons because he does not get as much help. "The thing that bothers me is that the defensive teams we had were great units," Prince said. "When you have a great defensive unit you can make plays that stand out. That's one thing we do not do, and I do not do, because the league is not as physical as it was when we had our success. "But still you have to move your feet, communication is important and you have to help each other out."
Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Andrew Bynum added 26 on his 22nd birthday as the reigning NBA champions opened defense of their title Tuesday night with a 99-92 victory over the Clippers, their Staples Center co-tenants who played without injured No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin.
Artest scored 10 points in his debut in the starting lineup. Pau Gasol sat out with a strained right hamstring and was replaced by Lamar Odom, who had 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Eric Gordon scored 21 points for the Clippers, who lost their ninth in a row to the Lakers. Chris Kaman added 18 points and 16 rebounds, Marcus Camby had 14 points, and reserve Craig Smith 12. Baron Davis was held to two points on 1 of 10 shooting.
Oden scored just two points, a tip with 58 seconds left, but had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 96-87 season-opening victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
Reserve Travis Outlaw scored 23 points and Brandon Roy added 20 points and five assists for the Blazers. Portland hit 20 of 22 free throws and outrebounded Houston 51-33.
Aaron Brooks had 19 points for the Rockets, who defeated Portland in six games this past spring in the first round of the playoffs.
Finally healthy after two seasons virtually lost to knee injuries, Arenas had 29 points and nine assists as the Wizards took an early lead over the revamped Dallas Mavericks and never let go on their way to a 102-91 victory Tuesday night.
The assists included several nifty passes that set up Brendan Haywood for dunks. He also helped set up reserves Andray Blatche for 20 points and Randy Foye for 19 in his first game with the Wizards. Caron Butler added 16 points, with injured forward Antawn Jamison watching from the bench. He's likely to miss the first eight to 13 games because of a shoulder injury.
But the Mavericks fell into the old habit of trying to ride a big night by Dirk Nowitzki. He scored 34 points, but was only 10 of 25. He was 12 of 13 from the foul line -- all in the first half.
Boston's Big Three -- plus Rasheed -- spoiled Cleveland's overhyped season opener on Tuesday night with a 95-89 win over the new-look Cavaliers, who may have LeBron James and Shaq but appear to be a long way from true title contenders. Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 in his first regular-season game since last March as the Celtics, overlooked by some this preseason, ended an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland and snapped a 16-game skid by visiting teams in games between the Eastern powers who figure to meet again sometime in May or June.
Paul Pierce scored 23 points, Ray Allen 16 and Kevin Garnett 13 in his first regular-season game since last March as the Celtics, overlooked by some this preseason, ended an 11-game losing streak in Cleveland and snapped a 16-game skid by visiting teams in games between the Eastern powers who figure to meet again sometime in May or June.
Pierce made two crucial jumpers and two free throws in the final 1:03 to pace the Celtics, whose drive to a second straight title was derailed when Garnett injured his knee late last season. Rasheed Wallace, added as a free agent during the offseason, had 12 points.
Iverson more optimistic about playing
Former Piston Allen Iverson recently said it was a "long shot" that his hamstring injury would be healed in time for him to face his former team in the opener. However, he was more optimistic following non-contact workouts Saturday.
"If it's up to me, I'll play," Iverson told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. "I feel like I can go."
Pistons' plan is to keep Ben Wallace fresh
The stat line for Ben Wallace from the Detroit Pistons' 95-93 preseason win at Milwaukee last week -- five points, 14 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots -- was vintage Wallace. But don't be fooled. Ben Wallace isn't the same player he was during his first stint with Detroit. However, Wallace will play a major role in Detroit's success and likely will do it as a starter in Wednesday's season opener at Memphis. Pistons coach John Kuester has yet to announce his starting lineup, but it's expected to include last season's returning starters -- Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince -- joined by Wallace and Charlie Villanueva. "I'm just going out there and play," Wallace said after Tuesday's practice. "I might wear down over the course of the season. But for every minute I'm out on the floor, I'm going to give it my all."
Kuester has raved throughout the preseason about what Wallace, a 35-year-old veteran, has meant to the Pistons defensively and in terms of leadership. But he understands that as much as he needs Wallace, he has to keep him as fresh as possible over the course of an 82-game season. That's why he gave Wallace games off during the preseason, a strategy Kuester will consider doing in the regular season as well. Wallace said he and Kuester haven't discussed him missing games to rest. "I came back to play basketball," Wallace said. "If I wanted to sit around, I would have stayed at the house." That competitive drive has been instrumental in Wallace's emergence from being an undrafted player from tiny Virginia Union into a four-time Defensive Player of the Year who helped Detroit win an NBA title in 2004."We know he has the energy," said Arnie Kander, Detroit's strength and conditioning coach. "We just have to maintain it throughout the season."
In addition to limiting his play in games, the Pistons also have limited Wallace at times in practice. "We don't want to abuse it too much in here; save the energy for games and not let him become his worst enemy," Kander said. "His greatest gift is his passion and energy. That can work against him if he's killing himself in shoot-arounds and practice." Even Wallace's weightlifting routine has been altered. Wallace's workouts now include more stretching and flexibility exercises designed to improve his "connective strength." "You need the things that hold things together, a little bit more when you get older," Kander said. One of Wallace's exercises, for example, involves improving the flexibility in his ankles. "If you can't bend your ankles, nothing else can occur," Kander said. "When he rebounds, that ankle flexibility is so important. Because if you lose that, the next thing you know, all these other type of injuries start to occur."
Detroit Pistons November 2009 Schedule Wallpaper
We all know the season starts Wed the 28th, but here is your schedule wallpaper for the month of November with the Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon representing the D for the very first time.
Download the Wallpapers here and throughout the month of November on the sidebar of the site.
1024×768 | 1280×800 | 1680×1050
Technically the Pistons have three games in the month of October, but making a special wall for three games just didn’t seem right, so here is the info for you:
Wed 28th @ Memphis 8:00pm FS Detroit
Fri 30th vs Oklahoma City 8:00pm FS Detroit
Sat 31 @ Milwaukee 8:30pm FS Detroit
Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva in an elite class
Had he played 36 minutes a game last season (instead of 26.9) Charlie Villanueva would have averaged 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds. Just seven players last season hit that mark taken over 36 minutes:
PLAYER AGE RB/36M PTS/36M
Dirk Nowitzki 30 8.0 24.7
Al Jefferson 24 10.7 22.7
Charlie Villanueva 24 8.9 21.7
Chris Bosh 24 9.5 21.5
Shaquille O'Neal 36 10.1 21.3
Zach Randolph 27 10.3 21.3
Yao Ming 28 10.6 21.1
Kuester still undecided about who'll start for Pistons
First-year Pistons coach John Kuester still isn't disclosing the starting lineup for tonight's season opener. Asked to shed some light on who will hear their names announced at Memphis' FedEx Forum tonight, Kuester replied: "We're still debating some of this stuff and we're very close to making that decision, but we'll have pretty much a definitive answer tomorrow night." Kuester can keep his secrets for now, but it's pretty safe to say Rodney Stuckey will be at point guard, shooting guard Rip Hamilton will be coming off screens for his patent mid-range jumper and Tayshaun Prince will get first crack at guarding Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay.
But the two frontcourt spots are still up in air. The three candidates -- Ben Wallace, Kwame Brown and Charlie Villanueva -- all got starts in the exhibition season. But circumstances dictated the starting decisions. Villanueva missed the first five exhibition games with a left hamstring injury, and Brown missed the last two with stretched ligaments in his left hand. Wallace got two games off -- one for rest and one because of a sore knee. Brown and Villanueva appear to have the edge. Brown will take on the bigger big men in the league and the Grizzlies' Marc Gasol, who stands 7-feet-1 and weighs 265 pounds, qualifies. And with fellow free-agent acquisition Ben Gordon coming off the bench, it's hard to see Villanueva doing that as well.
The Pistons also are going to be conscious all season of keeping Wallace's 35-year-old legs fresh. "I'm ready and willing to play every game and every minute if need be," Wallace said. "Every minute I'm on the floor, I'm going to give it my all. "If they decide not to put me out there or decide to play me for 2, 3 or 5 minutes then that's on them."
No matter the starting lineup, it will be interesting to see how Kuester will mesh eight newcomers to the 14-man roster. "We know it's not going to be all great from Day 1," Prince said. "We got to build chemistry and a bond. "It will take time for us develop, but we just got to see what happens when we start the season off."
NOTEBOOK: Hamilton was excused from practice for personal reasons Tuesday, but Kuester said he will be in the lineup tonight.
Prince said his sprained right big toe was improving and felt a lot better.
It looks doubtful that Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson (torn hamstring) will play tonight.
The Pistons' radio broadcasts have a new home with WXYT-FM (97.1). When there is a conflict with other Detroit sports teams, the Pistons will normally air on WWJ-AM (950).
A closer look: The Pistons' roles
The Pistons can activate 12 players for games. Here's a closer look at each player's role on the 14-man roster:
Chucky Atkins: Point guard
Won't be called on most nights, but will provide experience as third point guard in second stint with the Pistons.
Kwame Brown : Center
The 6-foot-11, 270-pounder's role is guarding big men like Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard. Showed offense in the exhibition season.
Will Bynum: Point guard
Firmly established as the backup point guard and will push starter Rodney Stuckey. Will get anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes per game.
Austin Daye: Small forward
Slender rookie could get playing time, but this is more of a learning year. He's suspended for tonight's opener for an exhibition fight.
Ben Gordon: Shooting guard
Will provide the best scoring punch off the bench since the days of Vinnie Johnson. Could even lead in scoring like he did for the Bulls.
Rip Hamilton: Shooting guard
Looking to put the drama of last season in the past and prove that he is still one of the top shooting guards in the league.
Jonas Jerebko: Forward
Can play all three frontcourt positions and appears to have a place in the rotation. He's also suspended for tonight's game for an exhibition fight.
Jason Maxiell: Power forward
This is a huge year for the four-year veteran. Can he be a consistent performer in this league on a good team?
Tayshaun Prince: Small forward
No longer a young gun, the seven-year veteran will provide leadership with his professional attitude. He'll be rested more than in the past.
Rodney Stuckey: Point guard
He thinks he can be a star in the NBA. The Pistons believe he can be a star. It's time to prove it.
DaJuan Summers: Small forward
Will probably be in street clothes most nights; Daye and Jerebko appear to be ahead of him. But don't count out his offensive game.
Charlie Villanueva: Power forward
Hampered by a sore hamstring during the exhibition season, but can obviously score. Will the defense come?
Ben Wallace: Power forward/ center
In the exhibition season, he showed there might be life left in his 35-year-old legs. But will those legs be this lively in March?
Chris Wilcox: Power forward/ center
Free-agent acquisition has a lot of talent, but can he turn that talent into production?
Joining Pistons was easy choice for Charlie Villanueva
Charlie Villanueva is known for being the guy who accessed Twitter.com last season with the Milwaukee Bucks during halftime of a game. He did it to give his followers some knowledge. The move irritated Milwaukee coach and former Michigan State star Scott Skiles — never mind that Villanueva had a strong second half in leading the Bucks to an upset of the Boston Celtics.
But Villanueva, who will make his Pistons debut tonight when the team opens the regular season at Memphis, will tell you there is a lot more to the 6-foot-11 forward who is approaching 61,000 followers on Twitter, the social networking Web site where Villanueva said he markets his “brand.” Villanueva and the Pistons will tell you he is a pretty good basketball player who at the age of 25 isn’t even close to his prime.
And now that he is in Motown — and not basketball outpost Milwaukee — everyone else will soon know it. “A lot of people really didn’t know too much about the Bucks,” Villanueva said Monday. “A lot of people really didn’t know there was a team in Milwaukee or Wisconsin. “Now I’m in a place where more people are going to be able to see more games. People know who the Detroit Pistons are. This has been a winning tradition here and now that I’m here people are definitely going to recognize me because of my basketball talent.”