http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... s_are.htmlPistons say work in weight room will be worth it for rookie forward Austin Daye
Austin Daye has a personality that should be in broadcasting and a body that needs to be in the weight room. When he is not on the court, the Detroit Pistons rookie forward, who redefines "slender" with his 6-foot-11, 200-pound frame, spends a bit of time in front of the camera and a lot of time lifting weights. His workout partner is Ben Wallace. “Different weights, though,” Pistons coach John Kuester said, smiling. “Different level weights.” No doubt about that. After all, Wallace, 35, is known as one of the strongest players in the NBA. Daye, 21, is known as a rookie with a sweet shooting stroke who needs to add muscle if he wants to have a successful NBA career. Daye could dress up for Halloween as a mailing tube. Seriously, Wallace could use him as a toothpick. So what is it like to work out with Big Ben? “It's not easy,” said Daye, who referred to his sessions with Wallace as “jailhouse workouts.” Daye said he lifts with Wallace regularly after practice and hit the weight room after every game when he went through a span of not playing much in the middle of the season. “That's something I definitely want to keep in my regimen,” said Daye, who added he has put on seven pounds this season. The Pistons say that regimen is the key to his development.“Austin’s strength and conditioning will dictate his progress,” Pistons president Joe Dumars told Pistons.com last week. “Austin has an exceptional basketball IQ. Austin has definite NBA skill -- surely offensively. I think he has length, that he can be an adequate defender. But all of those things are dependent on his conditioning and his strength.”
Kuester agreed. “He's somebody that cannot just sit back and think that his improvement as a basketball player is going to be only on the basketball court,” Kuester said. “He has to work off the court as well, and that's one of the things I think he's really done.” Daye, the 15th pick in the 2009 draft, is averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing limited minutes. He saw plenty of playing time early in the season, when the Pistons were decimated by injuries, then hardly played for a lengthy span once Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon returned to the lineup. Daye had a career-high 16 points in a Jan. 18 loss to New York, then grabbed a career-high eight rebounds two days later in a win against Boston. He has been on the court regularly as of late: Daye has played in nine of 10 games in March after playing in just six of 13 in February. In addition to working out with Wallace, Daye contributes to the Pistons off the court. The Pistons have featured Daye on the scoreboard at The Palace in a feature called “Daye Walking,” a takeoff of the popular “Jaywalking” feature on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In it, Daye walks around public places in and around Detroit and asks people trivia questions, most of them involving the Pistons. Daye's sense of humor makes “Daye Walking” one of the most popular features for fans at Pistons home games. “It's something that I want to do after basketball,” Daye said of broadcasting. “Something like Jalen Rose and Chris Webber and Charles Barkley and all those guys. It's something that would be so fun to do and still be involved with your sport.”
Eli Zaret, a longtime Detroit sports television personality who works for the Pistons, said Daye is a natural in front of the camera. “Austin's part of a generation that grew up with a video camera in their face,” Zaret said. “He's somebody who likes it. He obviously likes to act, and there is a little acting involved in it. “He's a performer. He likes engaging people. He has a presence.” Daye said his favorite “Daye Walking” exchange took place when he asked a woman which former Pistons player is the mayor of a city in Michigan. The answer, obviously, is Dave Bing, the mayor of Detroit. “She said 'Kwame,' ” Daye said. “That was pretty funny.” It's unclear whether she was referring to Kwame Kilpatrick or Kwame Brown, but either way, she was a bit off. In one clip, no one can name the person who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. (Last name: Obama.) But everyone can name the sea creature who lives in a pineapple. (Last name: Squarepants). Then there was the woman who answered the question, “Who's the greatest Pistons player ever to come from the University of Gonzaga?” She answered: “Darko.” “That,” Daye said, “was horrible.” Darko Milicic came out of Novi Sad, Serbia. Austin Daye played two seasons for the Zags -- and likely many more than that for the Pistons. Especially if he sticks with Wallace and the weights.
