Tommy John
10-14-2004, 12:51 PM
A=> Pistons Loving McDyess: If the Pistons are going to turn in another special season, they're going to need to have a big year from their only prominent free-agent addition this summer, McDyess spent the better part of the past 2 seasons nursing injuries and pondering, at times, retirement. However, when Larry Brown (who coached him in the Olympics) and Chauncey Billups (a close friend) came calling this summer, McDyess decided to give his creaky legs one last go.
'When they asked me, I couldn't say no. It was a privilege to help them defend a championship.'
The results, so far, have been nothing short of miraculous.
For the first time in over two years, McDyess is playing without any pain. His freakish athleticism is returning by the day and teammates and coaches alike all claim that he looks like the old McDyess again.
'I feel great,' McDyess said. 'The biggest test for me was to get through training camp pain-free and that's happened. I haven't had any pain since camp started. My legs have come back. My explosiveness is coming back. It's all coming back. I'm ready to give them what the old Antonio used to give them.'
McDyess admits that he's had to alter his game somewhat to compensate for the past injuries.
'I try not to think about jumping every play. I'm not trying to dunk on people every time. I've had to adapt my game a little bit,' he said.
'But as time goes on, I think I'll be bringing back all of those things, jumping, running getting dunks, whatever. I always have in the back of my mind, 'Should I go for this?''
That tentative McDyess that he describes was nowhere to found on Wednesday during the Pistons first exhibition game.
McDyess looked fabulous running the floor, swatting shots and leaping into the air for rebounds. He ended the game with 10 points, 4 boards and 2 blocks on 5-of-6 shooting in just 15 minutes of playing time.
If he can keep up that pace, the Pistons with Ben Wallace and
Rasheed Wallacealready in the fold will sport one of the top two or three front lines in the NBA this year. Factor in Elden Campbell, Derrick Coleman and Darko Milicic and they also might be the deepest.
B => Sheed misunderstood: We have to admit a healthy dose of skepticism this summer once Rasheed Wallace signed his five-year, $55 million deal with the Pistons.
Was Sheed just being on his best behavior last year because he was in a contract year? Or have the Pistons really convinced Wallace to change his ways?
When he showed up to camp more than 10 pounds overweight, the hand- wringing really began. But since camp started, Wallace has been a model citizen. He is often the most vocal player on the floor encouraging everyone, including the young guys like Milicic, to do it right. He's also the locker room clown.
On the court, Sheed looks much more comfortable than he did last year.
He's playing center and spending more time playing with his back to the basket on offense. He's also showing off how intelligent of a player he can be. He can really make excellent decisions on the block and seems to have a great sense of where his teammates are on the floor.
He made some unbelievable passes in the two scrimmages and one exhibition game I saw him play.
As for all of the stuff with the ejections and technicals? Sheed claims he's just misunderstood and that his problems are a thing of the past.
'When I'm out there, I'm working,' Sheed said. 'Not everybody has a happy face at work every day. Sometimes you don't feel like going to work on a given day. . . In Detroit it doesn't feel like work so you know, it's cool.'
C => Big Ben's presence still felt: Ben Wallace still hasn't been cleared for to play after undergoing an emergency appendectomy this summer. But that hasn't stopped him from trying to play.
Wallace has been present at every practice, cheering on teammates, interjecting his opinion and then, after practice, working on his shooting with assistant coaches for an hour after practice.
Says head coach Larry Brown, 'I don't feel like we've lost Ben at all. He's always around and keeps himself around the team. I have no concerns about him at all.'
Wallace is expected to be cleared shortly for full contact.
D => Delfino quickly earning respect: After some opening day miscommunication where Larry Brown accused rookie Carlos Delfino of being out of shape, the two seem to have quickly developed a rapport.
Brown has gushed about Delfinio's maturity, toughness and basketball IQ and vows that he'll be an integral part of the team this year.
'How good was Argentina when you consider that this kid never got off the bench?' Brown said.
'I think we're going to see a kid pretty well-advanced for a 22-year- old. His game is a lot more advanced than I thought. He has a great understanding of how to play. He seems to have the respect of all of his teammates.'
That respect grew leaps and bounds after Delfino's opening night performance.
Delfino produced the two most memorable plays of the night for Detroit ; a soaring James Worthy-esque dunk over Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce in the first half and a last-second, game-winning 3- pointer to give the Pistons their first victory of the season.
In between those two highlights, Delfino struggled a bit in his first NBA game. He got beat badly on several defensive plays and shot two air balls that drew groans from the crowd.
'I still need to understand the rules and the league and everything,' Delfino said after the game.
'My game before the shot was terrible. I need to continue to work hard in the gym every day. I can do better. Today I shot two air balls. It was a bad game and I have many things to make better.'
Pistons president Joe Dumars was glad he struggled.
'I think it was a great lesson for Carlos. He experienced everything, both the good and the bad that comes from playing in the NBA. He,' be able to take a lot away from this game,' Dumars said.
But the thing we love is that he has the confidence, even when things are going badly to take and make a clutch shot like that.'
E => Poor Darko: With so much depth on the Pistons frontline, it looks like Darko's only real chance to earn any playing time this year would be with some great performances in the exhibition season.
Unfortunately, Darko injured his quad on Sunday and had to miss practice the past three days. The result? Brown refused to play him in Wednesday's game. It's just the latest in a long line of tough blows for last year's No. 2 pick in the draft.
Dumars, for one, doesn't feel sorry for Darko at all.
'No, I don't feel sorry for him. We are behind him 100 percent. The young kid has come a long way. He's gotten a whole lot better and he has to keep getting better. He'll be fine,' Dumars said.
'This is a grown man's league. He's nicked right now but he'll bounce back. There's no milk and cookies here, buddy.'
The good news for Darko is that Brown agrees with Dumars' assessment about his improvement. The bad news is that Brown isn't promising Darko any minutes.
'I think he's much further along than he was last year, but I still don't know that he's going to break into this line-up,' Brown said.
'I'm happy with his improvement. I think he's only going to get better because of his surroundings. He tries; He's in a situation now, though, where he's playing on a veteran team and he's just 19 years old. He should be a sophomore in college this year.
'He's just got to keep his head up. I still believe he's going to be a heckuva player.'
Darko is expected to begin practicing with the team again on Thursday.
'When they asked me, I couldn't say no. It was a privilege to help them defend a championship.'
The results, so far, have been nothing short of miraculous.
For the first time in over two years, McDyess is playing without any pain. His freakish athleticism is returning by the day and teammates and coaches alike all claim that he looks like the old McDyess again.
'I feel great,' McDyess said. 'The biggest test for me was to get through training camp pain-free and that's happened. I haven't had any pain since camp started. My legs have come back. My explosiveness is coming back. It's all coming back. I'm ready to give them what the old Antonio used to give them.'
McDyess admits that he's had to alter his game somewhat to compensate for the past injuries.
'I try not to think about jumping every play. I'm not trying to dunk on people every time. I've had to adapt my game a little bit,' he said.
'But as time goes on, I think I'll be bringing back all of those things, jumping, running getting dunks, whatever. I always have in the back of my mind, 'Should I go for this?''
That tentative McDyess that he describes was nowhere to found on Wednesday during the Pistons first exhibition game.
McDyess looked fabulous running the floor, swatting shots and leaping into the air for rebounds. He ended the game with 10 points, 4 boards and 2 blocks on 5-of-6 shooting in just 15 minutes of playing time.
If he can keep up that pace, the Pistons with Ben Wallace and
Rasheed Wallacealready in the fold will sport one of the top two or three front lines in the NBA this year. Factor in Elden Campbell, Derrick Coleman and Darko Milicic and they also might be the deepest.
B => Sheed misunderstood: We have to admit a healthy dose of skepticism this summer once Rasheed Wallace signed his five-year, $55 million deal with the Pistons.
Was Sheed just being on his best behavior last year because he was in a contract year? Or have the Pistons really convinced Wallace to change his ways?
When he showed up to camp more than 10 pounds overweight, the hand- wringing really began. But since camp started, Wallace has been a model citizen. He is often the most vocal player on the floor encouraging everyone, including the young guys like Milicic, to do it right. He's also the locker room clown.
On the court, Sheed looks much more comfortable than he did last year.
He's playing center and spending more time playing with his back to the basket on offense. He's also showing off how intelligent of a player he can be. He can really make excellent decisions on the block and seems to have a great sense of where his teammates are on the floor.
He made some unbelievable passes in the two scrimmages and one exhibition game I saw him play.
As for all of the stuff with the ejections and technicals? Sheed claims he's just misunderstood and that his problems are a thing of the past.
'When I'm out there, I'm working,' Sheed said. 'Not everybody has a happy face at work every day. Sometimes you don't feel like going to work on a given day. . . In Detroit it doesn't feel like work so you know, it's cool.'
C => Big Ben's presence still felt: Ben Wallace still hasn't been cleared for to play after undergoing an emergency appendectomy this summer. But that hasn't stopped him from trying to play.
Wallace has been present at every practice, cheering on teammates, interjecting his opinion and then, after practice, working on his shooting with assistant coaches for an hour after practice.
Says head coach Larry Brown, 'I don't feel like we've lost Ben at all. He's always around and keeps himself around the team. I have no concerns about him at all.'
Wallace is expected to be cleared shortly for full contact.
D => Delfino quickly earning respect: After some opening day miscommunication where Larry Brown accused rookie Carlos Delfino of being out of shape, the two seem to have quickly developed a rapport.
Brown has gushed about Delfinio's maturity, toughness and basketball IQ and vows that he'll be an integral part of the team this year.
'How good was Argentina when you consider that this kid never got off the bench?' Brown said.
'I think we're going to see a kid pretty well-advanced for a 22-year- old. His game is a lot more advanced than I thought. He has a great understanding of how to play. He seems to have the respect of all of his teammates.'
That respect grew leaps and bounds after Delfino's opening night performance.
Delfino produced the two most memorable plays of the night for Detroit ; a soaring James Worthy-esque dunk over Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce in the first half and a last-second, game-winning 3- pointer to give the Pistons their first victory of the season.
In between those two highlights, Delfino struggled a bit in his first NBA game. He got beat badly on several defensive plays and shot two air balls that drew groans from the crowd.
'I still need to understand the rules and the league and everything,' Delfino said after the game.
'My game before the shot was terrible. I need to continue to work hard in the gym every day. I can do better. Today I shot two air balls. It was a bad game and I have many things to make better.'
Pistons president Joe Dumars was glad he struggled.
'I think it was a great lesson for Carlos. He experienced everything, both the good and the bad that comes from playing in the NBA. He,' be able to take a lot away from this game,' Dumars said.
But the thing we love is that he has the confidence, even when things are going badly to take and make a clutch shot like that.'
E => Poor Darko: With so much depth on the Pistons frontline, it looks like Darko's only real chance to earn any playing time this year would be with some great performances in the exhibition season.
Unfortunately, Darko injured his quad on Sunday and had to miss practice the past three days. The result? Brown refused to play him in Wednesday's game. It's just the latest in a long line of tough blows for last year's No. 2 pick in the draft.
Dumars, for one, doesn't feel sorry for Darko at all.
'No, I don't feel sorry for him. We are behind him 100 percent. The young kid has come a long way. He's gotten a whole lot better and he has to keep getting better. He'll be fine,' Dumars said.
'This is a grown man's league. He's nicked right now but he'll bounce back. There's no milk and cookies here, buddy.'
The good news for Darko is that Brown agrees with Dumars' assessment about his improvement. The bad news is that Brown isn't promising Darko any minutes.
'I think he's much further along than he was last year, but I still don't know that he's going to break into this line-up,' Brown said.
'I'm happy with his improvement. I think he's only going to get better because of his surroundings. He tries; He's in a situation now, though, where he's playing on a veteran team and he's just 19 years old. He should be a sophomore in college this year.
'He's just got to keep his head up. I still believe he's going to be a heckuva player.'
Darko is expected to begin practicing with the team again on Thursday.