~ Detroit news ~
Hill's fire still burns
Magic forward undeterred in rebounding from injuries
By Joanne C. Gerstner
To borrow a little old-school LL Cool J, Grant Hill doesn't want to call it a comeback. He's been here for years.
Still, it seems all Hill has been doing the past few years is making one comeback after the next from injuries.
Hill, a forward who has been with the Magic since the Pistons traded him in 2000, is back in Orlando's lineup. He missed 19 games this season because of a hernia but is expected play tonight against the Pistons at The Palace.
Strong man
by Chris McCosky
This week's Sporting News will feature the strongest men in sports. And among the strongest men in the NBA, naturally, will be Ben Wallace.
"Strongest man in the world," Wallace joked, when told of the feature.
At his peak, Wallace was bench-pressing 460 pounds. But, as a senior at Central High School in White Hall, Ala., Wallace weighed 190 pounds. His transformation into the NBA's version of The Hulk didn't start happening until he transferred to Virginia Union. That's where he discovered a small, dank weight room known as The Cage.
"I loved what that place stood for," Wallace said. "You didn't walk into that place unless you were dead serious about working out."
The Cage, sadly, is no more. It has been remodeled and upgraded and now looks pretty much like every other college weight room in the country. But the legacy of The Cage, and Wallace, will live on.
Burning Questions Pistons ignore 70-win idea
They'd rather have home-court to the playoffs
By Chris McCosky
Q. Do you think the Pistons will win 70 games this season?
A. Let's not get carried away. First of all, it's way too early to speculate on something like that. There are still four months left in the regular season. Too many things can happen, both to the Pistons and to the other teams in the league.
You should know the players aren't giving it any thought, whatsoever. All they are looking to do is have the best record in the league so they can have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. That is their goal.
Diogu makes a name, too
Paul gets noticed among rookies, but 6-8 warrior plays big
By Chris McCosky
If things continue as they are, Chris Paul of the Hornets will be the NBA's rookie of the year.
He was averaging 16 points and 7.4 assists before Monday, both tops among rookies, and he has helped keep an otherwise bad team afloat.
And, if things continue as they are, you would have to call Atlanta's Marvin Williams (the second overall pick, averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds) and Charlotte's often-injured Sean May (the 13th overall pick) as top disappointments.
Toronto's Charlie Villanueva and New York's Channing Frye are having major impacts on their teams, but the unsung hero of this draft class has to be Golden State's Ike Diogu.
At 6-feet-8, he has wrested the starting center job away from $40 million man Adonal Foyle. The Pistons certainly had their fill of him a couple of weeks ago, when he hit them for a career-best 27 points, hitting 13 of 15 shots.
Alley-oop ... to Amir Johnson
By Joanne C. Gerstner
Q. Saw you one day at practice without your braids in, and you had a pretty Ben-like 'fro going. Do you ever cruise around a lot without the braids?
A. When I can't find anybody to braid my hair, then I've got to go with the 'fro. That's the only way I'll wear the 'fro.
Q. Why don't you go with the 'fro one game night? You and Ben could have a 'fro-off.
A. Yeah, that would be really cool. But I think he'd win. He's been growing his longer than me. I got some more growing to do.
Slam dunks
By Chris McCosky
Here's something you don't want to hear from your franchise player 28 games into a season: "We're a big question mark. We have no real identity at this point."
That was Kevin Garnett, talking to the St. Paul Pioneer Press after the Timberwolves were whacked by the Lakers and fell to 14-14.
Here's another thing you don't want to hear from your franchise player. Houston's Tracy McGradysaid this season is starting to feel like the 21-win season he endured in Orlando.
"It's just like it," he said. "It's tough. Having been through it I know how frustrating it was. I know how difficult wins were to come by. I see that that's where we're heading right now." The Rockets are 10-18.
Basketball 101: Drug Testing
By Chris McCosky
Earlier this season, Seattle forward Reggie Evans was late coming out of the locker room for the second half.
Why? He had been detained by the NBA's drug-testing agency, which demanded he submit one of the four mandated random tests.
That will be the last random test conducted during a game -- the agency overstepped its bounds there. But, it still does tests before and after games. Teams have complained the agency has asked for the tests as close as one hour before tip-off.
Under the league's collective bargaining agreement, all players not only have to give four random samples throughout the season, but the league and players' association also have the right to order a test whenever they have reasonable cause to do so.
NBA: Roundup
Pacers end their losing streak
Indiana makes seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, scores its most points this season.
Fred Jones scored 26 points and Stephen Jackson 22 to help the Indiana Pacers end a four-game losing streak with a 115-96 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Monday night.
Looking ahead (upcoming games) Detroit News Power Poll JoAnne C. Gerstner's Top 5 Bad breaks
Some NBA stars have spent more time in the trainer's room than on the court. Here are some of the bad breaks (literally and figuratively) this season:
~ Detroit Free Press ~
Hunter better, but not ready
By Chris Silva
Lindsey Hunter is back. Sort of.
His surgically repaired left ankle has healed, and after a three-month layoff, Hunter appears to be good to go.
But don't expect him to play in any of the Pistons' three home games this week.
The Pistons' home stand, which starts tonight against Orlando, will help Hunter because the team will practice Wednesday and Thursday, coach Flip Saunders said.
"Then we'll reevaluate him," Saunders said. "But I would say it would be very doubtful that he would play."
~ The Oakland Press ~
Pistons regroup after loss
By Dana Gauruder
Losing just doesn't feel right for the Detroit Pistons. They have gotten so used to winning that it seemed strange to come back to practice Monday after a poor performance.
As long as these experiences don't occur regularly, they can take something positive from them.
"Sometimes, a loss can be a good thing," Chauncey Billups said. "You don't like it, but it makes you shape back up."
Coach Flip Saunders had plenty of flaws to pick out of the Pistons' 97-84 loss at Cleveland on Saturday, which snapped their nine-game winning streak. After taking Sunday off, the team watched film and had an extended practice to correct those errors.
~ Booth Newspapers ~
There's plenty of reasons for Hamilton to be an all-star
By A. Sherrod Blakely
Richard Hamilton isn't saying much about it. Afterall, he's been through this before.
He's having his best season ever, with career-bests in scoring (21.7 points per game) and shooting (50 percent from the field, 47.2 percent from 3-point range). The Detroit Pistons have an NBA-best 24-4 record, with Hamilton playing a vital role in the team's success.
However, Hamilton has that same old feeling that, as in the previous three seasons, it still won't be enough for him to land a spot on this season's all-star team.
"I don't worry about that any more," the Pistons guard said. "If I did, I'd go crazy." His statistics alone will get him on the short list of All-Star Game candidates.
When you put it in the context of what he has done since coming to Detroit in 2002, it's difficult to fathom how a player as consistent as Hamilton, on a team as successful as the Pistons, has never been an all-star.
~ Orlando Sentinel ~
Oft-injured Hill hints at retirement
By Brian Schmitz
Returning to his old haunt tonight -- the home of the Detroit Pistons -- Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill is playing almost like vintage Grant Hill.
It might come as a shock then when Hill says he's given serious thought to retiring after next season.
Then again, after all he has gone through, perhaps such thoughts are really not that surprising.
"Retirement. . . . Yeah, that's a possibility," Hill told the Sentinel. "That's a definite possibility. That's very real. I'll have to really look and see where I'm at that point."
Where he'll be is at the end of the seven-year $92-million contract he signed after leaving the Pistons in 2000.
Where he'll be physically after next season, however, could determine whether the seven-time all-star will play on.
~ USA Today ~
One-on-one: Readers split on Pistons winning 70
By David Dupree
The Detroit Pistons are clearly the best team in the NBA a third of the way through the season, but winning 70 games and challenging the Chicago Bulls' all-time record of 72 wins is unlikely. The Pistons are a wise, veteran team with only one goal — to win the NBA championship. Securing home-court advantage by having the best record is a priority, but breaking the Bulls' record or becoming only the second team to win 70 games is not.
Readers responding to this week's question were split on whether Detroit will crack the 70-win barrier and possibly break Chicago's record.
~ Chicago Sun-Times ~
Bulls' win record long way from falling
By John Jackson
The Detroit Pistons are off to a fabulous start and are winning at such an impressive rate that some folks are talking about them possibly challenging the Bulls' NBA record of 72 victories set in 1995-96.
As someone who witnessed that remarkable Bulls season 10 years ago, I have a message for anyone entertaining such thoughts:
Just stop it.
The Pistons' 106-101 victory Thursday against the Miami Heat gave them a 24-3 record heading into their road game Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers -- the same record the Bulls had through 27 games in 1995-96.
But, please, I don't want to here anything about the Pistons being on pace with the Bulls. With their 24th victory, the Bulls were one game into a massive 18-game winning streak. To keep up with the Bulls, the Pistons must not lose another game until early February.