Nazr Mohammed will try to replace Ben Wallace, which is almost impossible.  Mohammed should be able to rebound well, but he’s not in the same league as a defender as Wallace is.  Mohammed is a better offensive player than Wallace, so the Pistons are hoping that will even out.  Nazr has only averaged 18.8 minutes per game over his career, so the Pistons might have to watch his workload.  Mohammed has averaged 7.1 points & 5.7 rebounds per game over his career.

Dale Davis will be around for veteran leadership and a few minuted here and there.  For his career, Davis has averaged 8.2 points & 8.1 rebounds per game over his career.

Look for Antonio McDyess to get a few minutes at center too.

Tayshaun Prince had his best season on offense last year.  Prince averaged 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  Prince is a very athletic player that uses most of his energy at the defensive end where he is a stopper.  Tayshaun does have alot of offensive skills but the veterans carry the scoring load on the Pistons.  Prince has averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over his career.

Amir Johnson could get some time here for the Pistons.  Johnson has only played 3 games in his NBA career, but he flashed some skills averaging 6.7 points per game in only 38 minutes.

Ronald Dupree will also be a reserve small forward for the Pistons.  Dupree is a good 3-point shooter (41.7% career) but that is one of his only skills.  Dupree has averaged 4.0 points & 2.4 rebounds per game over his career.

It’s not often that the Pistons get bullied in a basketball game, but that’s exactly what happened last night.  The Kings out-rebounded the Pistons 50-35 and they’re already starting to miss Ben Wallace.  The Pistons shot the ball like there was a lid on the basket as they only hit 39.4% of their shots from the floor as a team.

Chauncey Billups poured in 25 points to lead the Pistons.  Richard Hamilton (20 points) and Flip Murray (13 points) each helped out on offense.  Rasheed Wallace had a strange game.  Wallace shot 0 for 9 from the floor and didn’t score, but he grabbed 15 rebounds and had 3 steals.

The Pistons aren’t playing with any fire this season as they drop to 2-3 on the year.

The Pistons played hard, but in the end the Jazz were just a tad better than Detroit.  Rasheed Wallace gave an inspired effort with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.  Center Nazr Mohammed had another good game with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  Flip Murray (15 points), Richard Hamilton (14 points) & Chauncey Billups (10 points) all played hard but the team came up short.

The Pistons got back to playing “Piston basketball” on Saturday night.  The Pistons shot the ball real well, hitting 50.7% of their shots as a team.  The Pistons also amped up their defense and held the Grizzlies to 37.8% FGs.

Richard Hamilton led the way with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.  Rasheed Wallace had a solid game with 15 points and 13 rebounds.  Center Nazr Mohammed continued his fine play with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  Jason Maxiell (13 points) and Tayshaun Prince (12 points) pitched in as well.