I like him. He is a fan too. That station has a few guys that are mainly hockey and you can tell they just talk Pistons because they have to. With Matt, its nice hearing from a true fan.

Looking at a couple of factors:

• severity of injury
• heal time needed for release
• psychological factor of adaptation
• the healing of presence

Taken in a meandering order; it goes without saying that a stretch might be a far way from a pull and it is best left to Arnie...time is working against a percentage of mobility.

I would take an approach that an absence CB would be an advantage for the Pistons. Working class is supreme for adaptability. Flip has astutely combined the bench roles for familiarity and the feeling of comfort: interchangeable parts for the whole are no longer a surprise. There is (and at times more deleterious) a duty of what is expected, right down to the person not dressing.

There is always, with marginals, the feeling of the wall. This is a huge tacit dimension. It is never a physical barrier, but rather the gathering of energy to overcome. The bench will be ready.

CB needs to sit this one out. Their will be introductions for him to be a presence starting with game five. This will be the edge that the team needs. The use (and the correct use) of a wounded warrior can be a distinct advantage.

pass99 - thats very true. Most times teams do step it up when a key player is out. Pistons did that a couple of times when Billups and Rip had to miss some games. Point it we only need 1 win in Orlando to make this a short series.

Shouldn't Kander have stressed flexibility with the Pistons players?

He didn't even do the splits and he's injured.

At this level, there is no short. You take it as it comes. There has been a huge mentoring aspect involved with this team; which has come beyond the aspect of total victories. It involves the presence of hunger and the trashing of the bone gnarled bare.

I have a feeling of maturity with this team ...and it's mission. A combination of aged presence...with a combination of youthful familiarity of job reaching for expectations. Flip is an easy presence of a calmness writ large...comprised of stability.

This is good.

In other words all the time spent developing these young guys ( Stucky in this case ) is going to pay off? I agree with that. He was not out there for all those mins for nothing.

The role playing is a huge mesh. Most think that the irrelevance of the moment is the now: How are you going to tag this team?

The deeper the team, the greater the draw from familiarity and the experience component rising to the moment.

This team has a mission.

why don't you try very slowly stretching to your farthest to your toes... now go as fast as you can and tell me how that works out for you. Muscles respond to being stretched slowly, it takes a lot of relaxation to stretch them something CBill had nothing of when he did the split the other night.

Byron Scott suffered his hammy in practice before game 1 as the Lakers who were undefeated coming into the finals, were kind of "rusty" from being off for a few days waiting for the Pistons finish their 6 game series with the up and coming Bulls. I think they went to Hawaii to relax instead of keeping sharp. Scott never recovered to play in any of the 4 finals games

In game 2 Magic suffered his hamstring injury in the 3rd qtr. There were two days off between game 2 and 3 just like our current situation now. Magic tried to play in Game 3, but after playing about 5 mins, he could not go any further and he was done for the playoffs. Without Scott and league MVP Magic Johnson, the Pistons swept the lakers in 89.

I am not sure that CB will give it go or not, but I am all in favor of him sitting it out until game 5.

I am just surprised no one has started a should he play or should he sit it out poll?

What you are saying is true for cold muscles. Billups was warmed up, and those muscles had already been stretched prior to tipoff.

Arnie himself even stated that Billups simply went slightly past his maximum range of motion.

That being the case, I believe Tayshaun has a valid point. Increased range of motion would have possibly prevented the injury.

Arnie would probably tell us that it isn't really functionally necessary for a basketball player to be able to do the splits. I would have to concede that point as well.