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Practice was over, and Ben Wallace was working with Pistons assistant coach Mike Woodson. Ronald Dupree and Darvin Ham were shooting jump shots, and coach Larry Brown was chatting with point guard Chauncey Billups at halfcourt.
The relationship between Brown and Billups should be one of the most interesting
of the season. Brown, a former point guard at North Carolina and in the American
Basketball Association, has a reputation for being tough on players at that
position.
So far, he and Billups have worked well together, and Billups is eager to learn from one of the game's great teachers. Ticketmaster
"We've had conversations," Billups said Tuesday. "He has told
me how good I already am and how much better I can be. It has been great for
me. I think it's an advantage for me being a point guard playing for a guy who
played the same position at the highest level. A lot of times he's seeing the
same things I'm seeing, and he'll see some things that I don't see."
Billups emerged as one of the team's clutch scorers while handling the offense
last season. If a play broke down, Billups and shooting guard Richard Hamilton
had the green light from coach Rick Carlisle to make something happen.
The strategy often worked, and the Pistons finished 50-32 and reached the Eastern
Conference finals.
But with Brown in charge, and Wallace, Mehmet Okur, Elden Campbell and Zeljko
Rebraca available on the front line, the Pistons will emphasize looking inside
for baskets more often.
"I'm fine with that," Billups said. "We have the ability to do
that now. Last year, whenever we had a breakdown, it was me or Rip. Now we have
an inside presence. He's allowing Ben to look at the goal and guys will have
to guard him. Mehmet has gotten a lot better. We can play inside out and when
the ball comes back out we can be aggressive. Ticketmaster
"It's a great way to get into the bonus early. It's a great way to slow
down other running teams. We just have to pick up on it and act on it."
Billups said he still would take his three-point shots and take advantage of
a smaller point guard if the situation arose. But going inside first likely
means he'll shoot fewer low-percentage three-pointers with the shot clock winding
down.
"It's out of my hands a lot of times if we're getting the ball inside,"
Billups said. "But that's the way we played with most of the teams I played
for. In Minnesota we'd always drop it in and when the ball came back outside
we'd be aggressive."
As he gets accustomed to the new offense, Billups is averaging 12 points, third
on the team in the exhibition season. He's also averaging five assists.
WALKING WOUNDED: Add backup point guard Lindsey Hunter to the list of Pistons
who aren't 100 percent. He has a right hamstring pull and is questionable for
tonight's game against Boston. Ticketmaster
Starting small forward Tayshaun Prince has a sore knee, although he practiced.
Rookie forward-center Darko Milicic might not play because of a hip pointer
that has bothered him for a couple of days.
Hamilton has been slowed by a right thigh injury.
"It sort of just flared up on me during the last exhibition game,"
he said. "I found myself dragging. It's real, real tight, like a deep thigh
bruise. When I run I can't push off like I would like to. Hopefully I'll feel
better. Arniehas those miracles, so you never put not playing out there with
him around."
Arnie Kander is the strength and conditioning coach.
Brown said if the veterans can't play, "it would give the younger guys
like Justin (Hamilton), Derrick (Zimmerman) and Ron (Dupree) a chance to play."
Zimmerman, a free-agent point guard, was added to the roster Saturday. Ticketmaster
NOTEBOOK: New Lions kick returner Reggie Swinton is a cousin of Corliss Williamson.
. . . Okur practiced for the second straight day as he recovers from a left
ankle injury. Brown said Okur doesn't have the spring he had before the injury.
. . . Guard Hubert Davis is still sidelined with a left hamstring injury, and
guard Bobby Sura is still out with a stiff back.