Blakely


Rasheed's right ankle could be a problem

It appears some of Rasheed Wallace's frustration from last night's loss has to do with a tender right ankle that has swollen up this week. It's the same ankle Wallace sprained in Detroit's 74-72 Game 4 playoff loss to Cleveland in May.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders revealed on Thursday the ankle has been bothering him for some time, which for those of us who cover the team on a daily basis, helps explain why he hasn't seemed like himself lately.

It's to the point where Saunders said if Detroit had a game today, Wallace would not have been able to play. And now his left knee is somewhat sore because he was over-compensating due to the right ankle injury.

He'll probably play Saturday against New Jersey, but I suspect Wallace's minutes will be cut back some in the coming games which probably means more minutes for Nazr Mohammed and Dale Davis.

One more note ... no timetable for Lindsey Hunter (hamstring) to return, but don't be surprised if he plays on Sunday against Seattle. After the game against the Sonics, Detroit's next game will be four days later, at Cleveland.

Double boo.

:mccosky:


Sheed is ailing

OK, finally, we find out at least a part of what's been bugging Rasheed Wallace. His right ankle, yes the same one he badly sprained in the playoffs last year, has ballooned up on him again. He's trying to play through it, but he's in pain. As so often happens when you play through an injury, you wind up getting sore someplace else. Wallace's left knee has also gotten sore.

No doubt there were other things that have been bothering Sheed, but he isn't willing to talk about them right now. And it could just be part of the overall irritation from the injury. A lot of little things tend to bug you more when you are in pain. I am sure Wallace hasn't enjoyed getting outplayed by two of his proteges -- Zach Randolph (who busted him for 31 a couple of weeks ago) and then Jermaine O'Neal Wednesday (26 and 14). Wallace is prideful man and to not be able to fire back against those guys, well, you can understand why he would be frustrated.

Because Wallace kept playing on that bad ankle last spring, most don't realize how severe the injury was. Tim Duncan sustained the same injury in Detroit earlier last year and missed more than a month. Wallace was limping and taking treatment on that ankle all the way through July. Now it's flared up again. The worst case scenario is, he eventually has to get surgery. That's not been discussed at all, and, really, nobody at this point expects he will even miss a game. But it's something that will require Arnie Kander's attention and care all year.

The bad ankle aside, though, I think the Pistons -- be it Flip Saunders or Chauncey Billups -- need to be a little bit more aware of Wallace on the offensive end. They have to run a few more plays for him, especially early, and try to get him going. He is only averaging 11.9 shots a game, that's his lowest output since 1999 in Portland. Wallace isn't the type of guy who will demand the ball. And we all know how hard it is for him to anchor himself down on that low block -- even though there are very few forwards who can guard him down there. But I know Saunders has enough plays in that monster play book of his to get some more looks for Wallace. They can't ask Sheed to lead the team in rebounding, be the main shot-blocker and low-post defensive presence and then ignore him on the other end. That's not going to cut it.

The Pistons should have a regular practice Friday. That will go a long way in determining Wallace's status for Saturday's game in New Jersey.

Start dyess and play mad Max!

I can't confirm this, but apparently Joe D was just on WDFN and says Sheed's out for the next two games.

I'm betting Flip starts DD and Max gets no additional PT. just a hunch.

Word from practice today was that he will be out at least a week. (sheed)

Does Maxiell see the light of day? What about Amir?

If Maxiel doesn't get a shot here after everything he's shown, I can't be held responsible for my actions.

Max will prob see 10 mins if hes lucky...Amir wont play until hes 30.

Here's an amazing update on Sheed.




Sheed is Sheed...
Rasheed Wallace said his ankle isn't any better, but it's not any worse. He will give it a test during Wednesday's practice to see if he can/should play Thursday at Cleveland...so stay tuned...

http://www.math.pitt.edu/~bard/bardware/popeye/popeye1.gif