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Rasheed Wallace did some shooting and light running drills on Tuesday, but a decision on whether he plays against Philadelphia on Wednesday won't be made until shortly before tip-off.

Wallace said the sprained left ankle injury is "so-so," but added that his mobility still isn't where it needs to be in order for him to be an effective player. "It's going to be a game-timer" Wallace said. "Who knows."

If Wallace doesn't play, Theo Ratliff will make his third consecutive start at center.

Cheeks, Sixers doing well : Wallace has always thought highly of Sixers coach Mo Cheeks, who used to coach him in Portland. That's why Wallace isn't surprised at how the Sixers are playing now. Philadelphia comes into Wednesday's game having won 12 of the past 16 games, and would be a first-round foe of the Pistons if the playoffs began today.

"Mo's a veteran coach," Wallace said. "He's like the majority of the coaches in this league (who) coach veterans. Don't try to drive them into a hole; just try to go out there and have a light practice, but work hard in a game. That's the way we did it in Portland."

Richard Hamilton gave Rasheed Wallace a taste of his own medicine after practice Tuesday. As reporters crowded around Wallace to inquire about his sore left ankle, Hamilton unleashed a most Wallace-like verbal attack. "You asking him about his fake injury," Hamilton said. "He ain't hurt. You saw him dancing before the game (Sunday). You saw him dancing in that circle. He ain't hurt." Technically, Wallace is not "injured" -- there is no structural damage to the ankle. But it is sore enough he has missed the last two games and is questionable tonight against the 76ers. "It's so-so," Wallace said. "It'll be a game-timer (as to whether he plays). Who knows?" Since little is at stake, the Pistons are going to allow Wallace to take all the time he requires. "He just did some shooting today, nothing else," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said of Wallace's participation in practice. "We are just going to wait and see how he feels." Wallace stayed after for about 30 minutes doing conditioning and shooting drills with physical therapist Arnie Kander. He had good lift on his jump shots and was landing on both feet -- which are good signs. "Yeah, I am still limited," Wallace said. "That mobility, that instant burst of speed (isn't there). If we come down and turn it over and I have to run back on defense, that burst isn't there."

First-round preview: If the playoffs started today, the resurgent 76ers would be the seventh seed and the Pistons' first-round opponent. "Mo (Cheeks , 76ers coach) has them playing well," said Wallace, Philly born and raised. "They are a playoff team right now, and I know they are doing what they need to do to try and get out of that seventh spot (to avoid the Pistons)." Chauncey Billups said the Pistons weren't approaching the game like a playoff preview but still held the 76ers in high regard. "They playing good, man, and they are tough to play because they have so many athletes and they have who I think is a great point guard in Andre (Miller )," Billups said. "He gets everybody the ball, and he scores -- he's one of the most underrated point guards in the league." The 76ers are playing an almost Western Conference up-tempo style. "They are going small and have really uptempo'd their game defensively," Saunders said. "They are using a lot of full-court pressure and trying to create offense out of their defense. If you turn the ball over, you will have a lot of problems."

Sample time: Saunders said he plans to use the remaining games to experiment and tinker with his team. "We are going to look at different combinations (of players) and work on different ways to handle pick-and-roll situations," he said. "We haven't played much small-ball this season, and there might be times when we want to do that."

Injury update: Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace, who missed the past two games with a sore left ankle, took part in some of Tuesday's workout and spent time after practice running through shooting and conditioning drills. The team will evaluate his condition at today's shoot-around.

The skinny: Philadelphia comes to The Palace off a home loss Monday to Boston in the first sellout of the season. The 76ers are 12-4 since Feb. 5, though only three of their 12 wins have come against winning teams and only one of those three has come on the road, a five-point win at Phoenix on March 1. Philly has gone to more of a small-ball lineup and played at a higher tempo to take advantage of the athleticism of players like Andre Igoudala and rookie Thaddeus Young, who went 12th in last June