http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/20 ... 641751.txtThey lost their sacred cow status months ago. When the barn opened, they still answered the cattle call. There were plenty of familiar faces around during Pistons media day Monday afternoon, as well as the same old expectations. It's once again championship or bust. "We look the same," said Chauncey Billups, one of several prominent Pistons whose name was floated in trade rumors that were never fulfilled this summer. "I think we'll probably play a little different, but we look the same." President of basketball operations Joe Dumars ripped his players shortly after last season for not having the same hunger as Boston during the Eastern Conference Finals and strongly suggested big changes were coming. His "no sacred cows" proclamation put all of his stars on notice, but they wound up standing virtually pat. "Going through four years in a row that I've been here and not getting back to the Finals three of those years, it is surprising," Antonio McDyess said. "Anyone else would have pulled the trigger any time." Now, the Pistons have to prove they can take the next step with virtually the same pieces. "That's good," Rasheed Wallace said. "That keeps it going. We've been to the mountaintop with this core group and it's just good to know Joe has the confidence that we can get back there."
Actually, Dumars' confidence in his core group wavered, but he ultimately decided there wasn't a good deal to be made. That might have left some bruised egos, though his regulars shrugged off the fact they were on the trading block. "I wasn't worried at all," said Wallace, who reported to camp in his "playoff weight" of approximately 260 pounds. "I'm not saying that I knew he wasn't going to trade me but if it happens, it happens. I've been in this business long enough to know things like that can happen. You've just got to go to the next city and keep on playing." Billups doesn't bring any extra motivation from the trade rumors into training camp, which begins today. "I'm not here to prove anything," he said. "I did all that before. I'll do what I do — continue to play great basketball and try to lead my team to a championship. That's all I can do." There are some differences, mostly notable at the top. They have new leadership in Michael Curry, who has replaced Flip Saunders as head coach. Wallace, who clashed with Saunders, says Curry has the respect of the players despite his lack of head coaching experience. "It's definitely a good change to me at the helm," he said. "Everyone's hungry, especially the younger guys. Just playing with them since the beginning of August up here in the practice facility, I've seen the hunger in a lot of the guys' eyes and that's always good to have."
Curry plans to use those younger players — Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson and free agent acquisition Kwame Brown — with greater frequency at the expense of the veterans' minutes. Maxiell, Johnson and Brown will be competing in camp for a starting spot, as Curry plans to move McDyess back to the bench. "I've always thought we had a great young guy core," said Richard Hamilton, who arrived with a Baron Davis-style full beard. "They deserve to be out there at times. When they're playing well, we're playing well. It gives us a different energy. I love them. They're going to make us better." Those 20-somethings have to make them better because the rest of the ol' gang is still here, sacred cows or not. "When he said that, I didn't think too much of it because if I did, I would have worried about it and I wouldn't have had a good summer," Olympic gold medalist Tayshaun Prince said. "With the Olympics and the USA stuff going on, I wasn't around that too much. I was having fun in a good way."
