Here’s some early pictures from this year’s media day

Get ‘em up!

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Alex Acker, who the Pistons drafted with the 60th pick in the 2005 NBA draft, has signed a one-year partially guaranteed contract.  Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but Chris McCosky of the Detroit News says the contract can be worth up to $687,000.  The addition of Acker gives the Pistons a 15 man roster.

Acker, a 6-foot 185-pounds combo-guard, has spent the last two seasons in the Euroleague with FC Barcelona (2007-08) and Olympiacos (2006-07).

Acker has been bothered with knee injuries over the past couple seasons.

Discuss on the PN Message Board >>

PistonsNation.com recently had the honor of doing a short interview with one of the Detroit Pistons’ new editions Will “The Thrill” Bynum.

Will, a 6-foot, 185-pound guard, caught the eye of the Pistons’ brass with his impressive showing at the Las Vegas Summer League averaging 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.  Bynum is known for his fearless drives to the basket and harassing on-ball defense.  The Pistons will look to utilize Bynum off the bench as a change of pace guy who can pressure ball handlers.

Bynum, a Chicago area hoops legend, started his collegiate career at the University of Arizona.  Will transferred to Georgia Tech during his sophomore season. Will, teaming with Jarrett Jack, helped the Yellow Jacket to the ‘04 Final Four.

Brynum went undrafted, but signed with the the Boston Celtics in August ‘05, and was waived in October.

Will then was drafted by the Roanoke Dazzle with the 5th overall pick in the 2005 NBDL draft.  Will led the Developmental League in scoring for nearly the entire season and was named the Rookie of the Year.  Will got a call up during the season to the NBA with the Golden State Warriors where he played 15 games.

Will then signed overseas with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv in September of ‘06.  Will played two years in Israel averaging 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while helping Maccabi win the 2006-07 Israeli National Championship

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[PN] After a pretty good college career with George Tech you kinda bounced around a little bit, how good did it feel to sign that guaranteed contract with the Pistons?
–-(Will signed a two-year deal, The first year is guaranteed, and the second year is a team option)

[WB] I really don’t consider it “bouncing around” at all. I was on high level teams where I learned a lot which gave me the opportunity to mature as a person as well as a player. The paths of my career is one that I think can be an inspiration to a lot of young people who have to go different routes to achieve their goals in life. Never be discouraged and never give up.

As far as signing that guaranteed contract….it feels really good to know that all my hard work has paid off.

[PN] What are you most excited about going into the season?

[WB] I am excited about having the opportunity to play a full season in the NBA on a team with such great players.

[PN] Detroit has four dynamic guards in Billups, Hamilton, Stuckey & Arron Afflalo. What does Will Bynum bring to the table.

[WB] I will bring lots of energy, defense and the ability to get into the paint, break down the defense and make plays.

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Here’s one that didn’t make it into the former Piston update bullet of yesterday’s press clippings; Mateen Cleaves’ basketball career  is still alive!

Mateen is signing a one-year nonguaranteed minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets.  Cleaves is getting another shot in the league via another former Piston, Chucky Atkins, having to miss the first six weeks of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.  And, according to the Rocky Moutain News, Mateen has a shot to start in Denver.

The last we heard Mateen was in the NBDL playing for the Bakersfield Jam where he earned player of the month honors in March.  He also played in Greece last season after being waved by the New Jersey Nets.

Mateen was drafted 14th overall by the Pistons in 2000 after leading Michigan State to the National Championship and being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

• The Free Press’ Michael Rosenberg throws JOE D’s name into the mix for a Matt Millen replacement as the Lions GM.
• TAYSHAUN’S hs coach, Russell Otis, is being investigated for criminal misconduct
• Sportslines position rankings: BILLUPS #7 PG, RIP #7 SG, TAYSHAUN #14 SF, RASHEED #6 C
• The Pistons will be holding their annual OPEN PRACTICE at Oakland University on Thursday, October 2nd
• One of the Pistons most memorable names, FENNIS DEMBO, is honored at DBB
• Former Piston updates: ALLAN HOUSTON, 37,  is attempting another comeback with the Knicks…CHUCKY ATKINS (Denver Nuggets) will miss six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee…JUAN DIXON has signed with the Wizards…

This from Keith Langlois’ True Blue Pistons blog:

If Rodney Stuckey is going to get 30 minutes a game, as Michael Curry has said, and Arron Afflalo’s minutes are going up appreciably over the 13 a game he got as a rookie, then the only way to accommodate them without cutting Chauncey Billups and Hamilton’s minutes to the bone is to find ways to get three of them out there at the same time.

The logical extension of that premise is Hamilton playing small forward for 10 minutes or so a game, which he proved pretty emphatically he could do last season. The Pistons will want to be careful they don’t give Hamilton too heavy a dose of playing against bigger, stronger players for fear of wearing on his wiry, 185-pound frame. He’d never beg off of that challenge, so it will be up to Curry to make sure Hamilton doesn’t get ground down.

Naturally with Rip’s size, or lack-there-of, that can cause some matchup problems for us, but with Rip’s speed and constant motion it may work the other way too.

You’ve got Rasheed playing center,  Tay possibly playing some PF,  and Rip doing a little moonlighting as a SF.  That’s 60% of the starting lineup who at one point or another will be playing out of their natural positions.

Hot Rod recently gave a short interview while in Flint, MI with the Pistons Tip-Off Tour in which he proclaimed the Pistons will be back to playing “Bad Boys” Defense: “I’ll tell you one thing, our defense and defensive standpoint, things are going to be a lot different. We’re gonna be picking up full court, trying to get back to our old ways of playing Bad Boys defense. That’s something to look forward to this coming year.”

Love Stuck.  Love the moxie.  I believe the Pistons will be better defensively under Mike Curry, but perhaps Stuckey might want to stay late in the film room and break out some old Bad Boys’ game tape.   That kind of defense is a thing of the past in today’s NBA.  Hard nose D is now rewarded with suspensions.  Besides that I really don’t think the Pistons have the personnel to play that physical D.

Guys like Stuckey and Afflalo should be able to put more pressure on ball handlers coming up the court which is something Curry has said he wants more of.  I’d also like to see the tough interior defense that we were known for just a few years ago make a come back.

Anyone else getting antsy for this thing to start?

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It’s being reported that the Washington Wizards have worked out free agent Juan Dixon as recently as yesterday.  Dixon was drafted 17th overall by Washington in 2002 after being named the Final Four’s MOP after leading the Maryland Terrapins to a NCAA title.

The Wiz are most likely trying to look for quick fix after learning their one hundred-eleven million dollar man is going to miss the first couple months of the season following his most recent knee surgery.  The Wizard’s fan and Agent Zero himself have indicated they’d welcome the hometown hero back.

Juan was acquired by the Pistons at last season’s trade deadline from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Primož Brezec and cash considerations.

Fun Fact: Juan’s aunt Sheila Dixon is the mayor of Baltimore.

This is from the Pacer’s blog Indy Cornrows.  Bill Laimbeer and his top seeded Detroit Shock are in Indy to start their best of three opening round playoff matchup with the Indiana Fever.  Today Lambs was on the air being interviewed with 1070 The Fan’s Eddie White and Bob Kravitz.

Bill had some pretty entertaining things to say when the a certain Bean Town rival was brought up:

Kravitz: When you come to Indianapolis in a situation like this can we assume you and Larry Bird will be going out and having a couple of cocktails together.

Laimbeer: Larry Bird?

Kravitz: Talk about the old days

Laimbeer: He’s here in Indiana? (sarcasm oozing)

Kravitz: Yeah.

Laimbeer: Oh .. Oh, that’s right I did, I heard he works for the Pacers now.

Kravitz: He does have a job. We’re very happy about that.

Laimbeer: I don’t really pay attention to how they’re doing. Have they made the playoffs the last few years?

Kravitz: Uhh, I don’t believe so, I’ll have to check the books on that one.

Laimbeer: That’d drive me nuts, boy.

Kravitz: Not making the playoffs?

Laimbeer: I mean, not competing for the championship and being in the playoffs.

Kravitz: And everyone makes the playoffs.

Laimbeer: I’d probably quit.

It’s refreshing to see Bill with the hands still wrapped and the gloves still on.  I think it’s safe to say you wouldn’t see Bird throwing down on some Madden ‘09 if MTV cribs were to stop by Bill’s pad.  Gotta respect Lambs dedication to the rivalry.

I wont steal all of ICr’s thunder, so you should click on over and check out the rest of the interview transcript.

As BDD posted this morning, it’s not going to take training camp to determine that Antonio McDyess won’t be the starting power forward for the Pistons this season.  Dice will help anchor the second unit which he’s made no secret is where he’s more comfortable and productive.

Among the other subjects he touched on, he confirmed what we’ve been suggesting for the past month – that Antonio McDyess will go back to the bench to give more scoring punch to the second unit and better utilize McDyess’ talents. - via: True Blue Pistons

Even though I believe Antonio was the best option for the starting PF slot it was pretty much by default.  I’m also big on “comfort zones” and if Dice believes he’s a better utilized as a 6th man then that’s what he should be.

It’ll be addition by subtraction.  Dice is a greater addition to the second unit then he is a loss to the starting five.  Antonio and Stuck will make a very formidable second wave tandem.

So who will be starting at the four?  Well, if you checked out the Detroit News this morning Chris McCosky is saying the Amir Johnson era is getting a push:

He (Curry) hopes to use a five-man frontcourt rotation. Amir Johnson, it appears, is going to get every opportunity to win the starting spot alongside Wallace. McDyess will be the first big man off the bench, with Brown and Jason Maxiell getting regular minutes — Brown getting more minutes against bigger teams and Maxiell against smaller, more athletic teams.

Like Matt over at DBB I’m figuring if it’s not Dice, It’s Maxiell.  Nope.  Looks like Amir is going to be baptized.  So it makes even more sense when Curry says for the team’s sake Sheed needs to be in shape and on the blocks.  If he’s going to roam it’s going to leave Amir exposed down low.



That’s a pretty intriguing second unit of Stuckey & Afflalo in the backcourt, Maxy and Dice up front and Kwame in the middle.  Not bad.

Season’s getting close, can you smell it?

• JOE DUMARS and Co. are going into the season with the same nucleus.

“We’re going forward with the same nucleus, but I’m still not happy with how the season ended,” Dumars said. “But we’ll put that behind us, and we’ll try to make it right this year.”

Personally, I think a deal could have been done had Joe not made his intentions to shake up the roster so public. Team’s probably figured Joe backed himself into a corner and they’d be able to take trade liberties on the Pistons. Not the case. I would have liked to have seen a move to better the team, but I’m glad Dumars didn’t cave into a regressive trade.

• JASON MAXIELL has until Oct 31st to decide whether or not he’ll accept the Pistons’ 3 year, $15mil contract extention or become a restricted free agent
• Khandor’s Sports blog sees improvement in the Pistons for 08/09
• Assistant coach DARREL WALKER SAYS CURRY is going to put the focus back where it belongs:
  

  “He’s going to emphasize defense, defense again and defense again after that,” Walker said. “I don’t think this team has a problem scoring, it’s just about getting that defensive mentality back that the Detroit Pistons used to have.”

• Coach COWENS IS BIG ON KWAME:
  

  Cowens said he’s been around the NBA since 1970 and he has seen very few guys as big as Brown who move as fast and under as much control. He said Brown, at roughly 275 and with very little body fat, moves his feet extremely well and will be a major factor defensively and as a rebounder.

• COWENS ON AMIR:
  

  “This guy does a lot of things you can’t coach. But he doesn’t do a lot of things, you can coach.”

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AUBURN HILLS — The Pistons open training camp in 13 days, and for the first time in several years, the camp will feature an honest-to-goodness battle for one of the five starting positions.

First-year coach Michael Curry will give Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown a legitimate and fair shot at unseating veteran Antonio McDyess as the starting power forward-center opposite Rasheed Wallace.

“We are looking at how we can inject our young guys into the rotation more, giving them a solid role and still get the most out of our veteran guys and be as efficient as possible,” Curry said. “One of the things we are looking at is having ‘Dyess go back to his role of coming off the bench.”

To be clear, Curry is in no way suggesting McDyess doesn’t deserve to maintain his starting spot. Quite the opposite.

“Whoever wins that starting spot won’t necessarily be the best player,” Curry said. “I think it’s hands-down that McDyess is our second-best post player behind Rasheed. But who we end up starting will be the player who gives us the best balance.”
(via: Detroit News)

I’m kind of torn with this one.  Although I’ve campaigned for Maxiell to start I’m beginning to wonder if that’s the right move.  It would depend on what kind of mood Rasheed was in in any particular game.  If Sheed wants to roam then we’ll lack post presence.  Maxy has developed a nice touch around the rim, but I just don’t see him being a post up threat.  I think he’s perfect coming off the bench with his hustle and energy.  He brings that “no letting up” mentality which we need.

I’d love to see Amir starting but where we left off last year would lead one to believe he’s still not ready.  Although, it does sound like he’ll have an equal chance to show what he’s got when camp opens.

Until further notice Kwame Brown is still Kwame Brown and I don’t think (aside from size) there’s too many of us in Pistons Nation pining for Kwam to be bumped up to the front line.

That leaves Dice as the #1 option still.  He’s older and he’s made no bones about his comfort zone being more in a 6th man capacity, but he still seems like the best option.  He will just have to work on getting into his rythm from the outset and not waiting to see how the game is shaping up.

There’s also the option of PF by commitee?

If nothing else it’s exciting to have abit of uncertainty in the starting five for the first time since about the late 1700’s.

Checked back into Fresh Prince of the Blog and they’re reporting that it’s a jersey number change that has Rasheed’s threads on hiatus from the team store.  Will he be going back to #30?

Even though Michael Curry is a rookie coach he already has all the right answers.  In this Q&A he did with a Traverse City paper (via Need4Sheed) he says what all Pistons’ fans want to hear:

Do you see an expanded role for second-year pro Rodney Stuckey?

We look at Rodney Stuckey as a sixth starter. He’s capable of starting for most teams in this league. We have to find a way to get him 30 minutes a game. We expect a lot out him. He expects a lot out of himself.

I also  like the approach he’s taking with these Pistons:

I’ll explain that 20 years ago, during the Bad Boys era, this team was really good. But the Bad Boys era didn’t carry over to the team that won the championship in 2004. There was a distance in between. I want them to understand there’s also a distance between 2004 and now. This is a new era. We no longer have meaningless regular season games. Regular season games mean something to us

I like that.  It’s hard to make the vets forget that they already have a ring, but they probably need to.  That’s what we all want, this team to show the hunger they had back when they had something to prove.  Easier said than done, but I like what I’m hearing.

It’s a pretty interesting interview.  ‘Stonz fans should definitely take time out to read it in its entirety.

Came across this post from The Fresh Prince of the blog theorizing that Rasheed is on his way out of the door due to the fact that it seems as if you can no longer get a Rasheed Wallace jersey in the team store.

I plugged in Rasheed Wallace into the search (investigative journalism!) and there are technically Sheezy jerseys to be had.  You can choose from the pink fem-jerseys or the baseball style jerseys (not a fan).  So yeah, there’s no authentic, swingman, or replicas to be had.  For good measure I checked Tay, Chauncey, and Rip and the Locker Room store still offers a full line of their jerseys.

IF a trade is in the works I can see why the Pistons would take his gear out of the store and leave him up on the main site.  For one, if he’s being traded you don’t want fans bumping around the online store and shelling out full full price for a guy who’s no longer on the team.  For two, you take him off the main site and that’s a dead giveaway.  Whereas you just start plucking his jerseys from the store and it’s more of a stretch and more explainable.

I guess it’s something to chew on since there’s no actual confirmed news on our ‘Stonz.  If nothing else you now know you can pick up a Ben Wallace penant for $0.15.

UPDATE: There also seems to be a shortage of Rasheed Pistons-centric gear at the NBA Store site? Maybe, just maybe…