There appears a chance that at least one and perhaps both of Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace could return for the Denver game or at least sometime soon. Hamilton expressed more optimism than previously about the status of his groin strain on Wednesday, and another 48 hours since that time might be enough to allow him to give it a try if it responds well at the morning shootaround. Wallace’s foot injury appears to be one more about pain tolerance than inflicting further damage, but as he’s said, it’s better to get it behind him in January that have it linger into the spring. The pounding of a weekend back-to-back probably doesn’t augur well for a return at anything close to full-time status. Antonio McDyess seems to be playing through his multiple injuries (ribs, thigh, finger) without incident. The latest nagging ailment is a stiff back that flared up on Rodney Stuckey during the loss to Portland, perhaps explaining a subpar night after a dynamic start. If he’s good to go, the Pistons at least match up well with the Nuggets. Arron Afflalo will get a heavy dose of Smith off the bench. Michael Curry might choose to use Jason Maxiell more than usual against Kenyon Martin. Kwame Brown, coming off a strong game in Portland, is a good matchup for Nene. Tayshaun Prince has the defensive range and size to blanket Kleiza inside and out. Starting shooting guard Dahntay Jones isn’t a big enough part of Denver’s offense to worry the Pistons much that his tremendous size advantage over Allen Iverson will be a major problem.
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