Random stuff
You long-time Pistons fans are in for a treat here in a couple of days. Pete Skorich, Stan Fracker, Diane Ferranti and the Pistons' broadcast team have been putting together some amazing shows in connection with the team's 50-year anniversary celebration. At 7 p.m. Tuesday on TV-20, they will unveil the Pistons' all-time team. I was part of the panel that picked the top 25 players in the team's first 50 years. There were a lot of obvious selections, but I think you are going to be surprised by some of the inclusions and omissons.
That all-time team will be honored at the game that night against Knicks. (Hopefully, Isiah Thomas will still be coaching the Knicks.) Every member of the team will be represented -- with the exception of the few players who still play on other teams (Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse, Ben Wallace, for example). Yes, Dennis Rodman is supposed to be here for the ceremony. How cool will that be?
Besides that, Pete and his crew will wrap up their season-long historical series in the coming weeks. If you've been watching them all year, you know they have gotten their hands on some terrific footage. It's good stuff. I've been telling Pete to make me a complete DVD, but I don't think he's listening.
Back to the business at hand, if you guys were chomping at the bit to see more of Cheikh Samb, back off. It's not happening. Here's Flip Saunders after practice today:
"We'll play him some, but it's not like we say we're going to play Cheikh a lot of minutes because I still want to play Amir a lot. I still want to play Maxey and play Walter, too."
Flip was also interesting today, comparing Rodney Stuckey to Stephon Marbury, whom he coached as a rookie in Minnesota. "I commented to Joe (Dumars) when we drafted Stuck and we had him in the summer league that I thought he was a lot like Marbury with his ability, as far as his speed, his strength, his ability to create shots, to make shots. He's very similar and he's bigger than Steph, too."
Speaking of sizes, the Timberwolves should be ashamed of themselves to list Randy Foye at 6-4. Stuckey was much bigger. Of course, the Pistons need to check themselves, too. They list Stuck at 6-5 and there's no way he's 6-5. Stuckey is more like 6-3 and Foye is 6-1. "If they list Foye at 6-4," Saunders said, "then Stuck's about 6-8."
Flip wouldn't divulge who he might rest against the Nets. Chauncey Billups said he was playing. Rip Hamilton was held out of scrimmages again, so he's questionable. Good bet Antonio McDyess gets the night off.
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