Pistons Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

Richard Hamilton(notes), Tayshaun Prince(notes) and Ben Gordon(notes) have returned to action after lengthy absences but that hasn’t solved all of the Pistons’ problems.

The Pistons carry a season-high eight-game losing streak into their home game against Chicago Thursday afternoon. Their top wing players are still rusty after missing a combined 63 games. They combined for 39 points on 14-for-43 shooting when they returned against Toronto Sunday and scored a collective 35 points on 12-for-34 shooting against New York Tuesday.

“It’s not something we expect to happen overnight, especially with me and Tayshaun being out as many games as we have, and (Gordon) being out as many games as he’s been out,” said Hamilton, who missed 13 of his first 14 attempts against the Knicks.

Their offense will eventually come around but the Pistons’ defensive slippage has been troubling. They have allowed opponents to shoot at least 49 percent in all but one of the losses during the current slide.

“We have a lot of basketball left but we have to take advantage of all these opportunities,” head coach John Kuester said. “(Just) getting people back does not put you in a position to win. What does is your effort, your energy and your understanding of the game plan.”

Kuester is disappointed that the rest of his team has not been rejuvenated by the addition of three key performers.

“They’re going to have moments where they have to feel their way through this,” Kuester said of Hamilton, Prince and Gordon. “That’s why everybody else has to pick it up. We can’t just rely on saying, ‘these three guys came back, so now we’re ready to make our run.’ We have to understand teams are going to come in hungry and we have to be more aggressive and more hungry than they are.”

Knicks 104, Pistons 87:   Rodney Stuckey(notes) scored the first basket of the game and the Pistons never had another lead while losing their eighth straight Tuesday. Knicks center David Lee(notes) scored a season-high 30 points while the Pistons were held to 41.8 percent shooting. They were also out-rebounded by the team ranked No. 28 in that category league-wide, 44-33.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Rookie Jonas Jerebko(notes) started 26 games at small forward with Tayshaun Prince sidelined by a back injury. Prince returned to the lineup this week but instead of putting Jerebko on the bench, head coach John Kuester made Jerebko his starting power forward.

“It’s an adjustment but not a really big one,” said Jerebko, a second-round pick who played in Italy last season. “I can try to stretch the defense and run the floor. There’s bigger guys playing defense on me, so I could probably take advantage of it.”

The 6-foot-10 Jerebko doesn’t get plays called for him but offensive rebounding and hustle plays have helped him reach double-digits in 11 of the last 16 games. He also showed defensive tenacity against the likes of Kobe Bryant(notes), LeBron James(notes) and Carmelo Anthony(notes) and now must show he can guard the post and rebound well enough to keep his starting spot. Jerebko had just four rebounds against New York.

“He can play both positions,” Kuester said. “I was so impressed how he defended the threes (small forwards) that he had to guard day in and day out. Now, he has to guard fours and I want to see what he does rebounding-wise. Jonas has risen to the occasion pretty much every time he’s stepped on the floor.”

• With the Pistons’ backcourt fortified by the return of Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon, Will Bynum(notes) had the luxury of resting his sore ankles against New York. He has been bothered by sprains to both ankles for weeks but kept playing because the Pistons were already shorthanded.

The 6-foot Bynum is averaging 12.1 points and 4.3 assists.

“He’s been complaining for a while. Obviously, he feels he needs time to get this thing right,” Kuester said. “He wants to get that explosion back but more importantly for us, we need his ability to change the complexion of the game defensively. He’s able to get up and pressure people.”

Quote To Note:   “I’m not sure what we were thinking, because in the NBA, you have to be aggressive in all phases.”—Head coach John Kuester, after his team was blown out at home by New York Tuesday.

ROSTER REPORT

Rotation:   Starters—Point guard Rodney Stuckey, Shooting guard Richard Hamilton, Small forward Tayshaun Prince, Power forward Jonas Jerebko, Center Ben Wallace(notes). Bench—Guard Ben Gordon, Guard Chucky Atkins(notes), Forward Charlie Villanueva(notes), Center Chris Wilcox(notes).

Player Notes:  

• G Chucky Atkins did not play against Toronto Sunday but served as the backup point guard against New York Tuesday with Will Bynum sidelined. Atkins had seven points in 11 minutes. Atkins will fall out of the rotation once again when the Pistons are at full strength.

• F Charlie Villanueva was scoreless in 12 minutes Tuesday. He’s not only battling plantar fasciitis in his right foot, he is recovering from a viral infection. Villanueva is averaging just four points in the last five games.

• C Chris Wilcox has taken over the backup center role behind Ben Wallace. He’s averaging nearly 16 minutes in the last six appearances. Wilcox gives the Pistons a better offensive threat than Kwame Brown(notes), who had been Wallace’s main backup.

Medical Watch:  

• G Will Bynum (ankle sprains) is doubtful for Thursday’s game against Chicago.