• Good write up on the Pistons in the NY Times

“At the end of last season, Joe Dumars made our off-season mantra to instill youth and energy into this team,” Hammond said.Wear and tear on the starters was one concern, but their age was another. Hamilton turns 30 next month, Billups is 31 and forward Rasheed Wallace is 33.

“We didn’t want to reach a point where we had to tear down the roster and completely rebuild,” Hammond said.

• Chris McCosky continues his defense of Tayshaun Prince:

Understand this: If Prince wanted to, he could easily have put himself in a situation where he was the first or second offensive option on another team, and he would certainly be putting up All-Star worthy offensive numbers.

• John Denton of Hoops World has an ax to grind with Rasheed Wallace:

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit’s enigmatic center, is far and away the NBA’s most underachieving player based on his enormous level of talent and spotty, unreliable production.In many ways, Wallace is this age’s Derrick Coleman. Chuck Daly, one of the keenest eyes for talent in NBA history, used to say all the time that Coleman was by far the most skilled and talented player that he ever coached. However, Coleman was a legendary dog of a competitor because of his often unfocused and lazy demeanor.

• Flip Murray staying positive while waiting for his opportunity:

“I’ve been in this situation before,” Murray said. “I know what they’re trying to do here as far as developing the young fellas, as far as getting them some time to be able to play. And me being a veteran, I’ve seen that before. I know what it takes for a team to be able to do that, try to develop their young players. But just in case I’m called on again, (I have to) just be ready.”

Former Piston clippings

• Here’s a Q&A with Chris Webber from Warriors.com. I was hoping they would have asked him something Pistons related, but I can understand why they didn’t. (finder’s fee to Nick)

• Here’s Mehmet Okur vid from FanHouse of Memo apparently giving some heckling fans the one finger salute
• Larry Brown inquired about the Cavs’ first seat

Teeth back in skull….check, clear up passport issues…check. Back down to the D for Mr. Samb…check.

Via: InsideHoops.com

The Detroit Pistons announced today that they have re-assigned rookie center Cheikh Samb to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.The assignment will be Samb’s second this season. He was originally assigned to Fort Wayne on Monday, December 10. In two games (both starts) during his first stint, Samb averaged 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in 31.5 minutes with the Mad Ants.

Samb was acquired by the Pistons on draft day from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Maurice Evans on June 28, 2006. Drafted by the Lakers with the 51st pick in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, Samb spent the 2006-07 season playing overseas with WTC Cornella in the Spanish LEB2 League.

The 7-foot-1, 215-pound center made his NBA debut with the Pistons at the L.A. Lakers on November 16, scoring two points with four rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. In two NBA games this season, Samb is averaging 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 10.5 minutes per game.

No timetable has been set for his return.

ALSO…

Sammy Mejia, who was Ft. Waynes leading scorer (19.5 ppg) is leaving the Mad Ants to go play in Europe with an Italian ball club.

“Fort Wayne wasn’t the problem,” said Mejia, who missed the first 10 games of the NBA D-League season with a leg injury. “It’s hard to be in one spot, and everybody’s goal is not to be there. It’s a different kind of comfort being over there. Nobody who is part of the Mad Ants wants to be in the Mad Ant uniform. I got comfortable in a different kind of way.” (Via: Ft Wayne Journal Gazette)

Mejia was named D-League performer of the week for the week of December 24th

The Pistons (31-13) will be at Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse to take on the Pacers (19-26) tonight at 7 pm est from the The Game can be viewed locally on FSN Detroit.

Pacers’ Snapshot
Home record: 9-10
Last game: 1/26 (Sat) L 96-98 @ Heat
Last 10: 3-7
Injuries: Jamaal Tinsley (sore left knee), Jermaine O’Neal (bone bruise, left knee), Kareem Rush (sore left knee)
Last meeting: Dec. 29th Pistons (98) @ Pacers (92)

The last time we seen the Pacers it was for a home-and-home series at the end of December where the Pistons blew the Pacers out in the first game at the Palace, and then the Pacers made it a more respectable game the next night in Indy. Those two wins made consecutive wins #7 & 8 for the Pistons on their way to a season high 11 straight. The Pacers have been hampered by injuries and have gone  4-10 since then. This game will start a much needed four game homestand for the Pacers who’ve played 9 of their last 11 on the road.

The Pacers will be with out Jermaine O’Neal tonight so they’ll be going all in on the small ball.  The Pistons need to use their size and not be tempted to join in on a shoot out with Indy.  Look for Tayshaun Prince to extend his career long pwning of Mike Dunleavy.  This might even be the perfect game for Amir Johnson to preview some of his promise we’re all eager for.

NOTES:

• Indiana’s currently on a 3 game skid
• The Heat got their first win of ‘08, and also ended a 15 game skip Saturday Vs. Indiana
• The Pacers 19-26 is good enough right now for the 8th seed in the East
• For some Pacer POV check out www.IndyCornRows.com