Super-rook Rodney Stuckey needed surgery to repair his
fractured left hand, an injury he suffered in the
Pistons' final preseason game. Stuckey probably won't
be back until December.
It's a blow, but not a severe one. The Pistons have
plenty of depth at the guard spots.
Remember when everyone was speculating that Flip
Murray would be irrelevant, if not released, this
season? Well, suddenly Murray is the first guard off
the bench.
Murray outplayed Arron Afflalo at the shooting guard
spot during the preseason. Now, Murray will back up
Billups until Stuckey heals. Murray, who dropped 15
pounds, has shown more quickness and confidence this
preseason.

If it doesn't happen in training camp, it will happen
in a couple of months. Or just before the trade
deadline in February. Or maybe it will stretch into
the summer, like the Kevin Garnett saga.
It's inevitable that the Lakers' brass will reaching a
breaking point with Kobe Bryant's whining and mood
swings and get the best package possible for him.
All signs point to Bryant heading to either Chicago or
Dallas, though I don't know if either needs him to
make the Finals. The East is so wide open right now,
there are 6 or 7 teams who could run the playoff
gauntlet to the championship round. Chicago, which
finally won a playoff series last season, has the
personnel and experience to break through without
making a major move.
The Mavs were victims of Warriors Mania last season
but they're still neck-and-neck with San Antonio and
Phoenix as the top contenders in the West. Why would
then want to mess with their chemistry? Well, you
never know what Cuban might do to get that elusive
ring.
As for the Pistons, Bryant probably wouldn't waive his
no-trade clause to come to Detroit. And the Pistons'
package would probably have to include Rip and Tay,
for starters.
It's not out of the realm of possibility but the
Pistons believe they're still prime contenders with
what they have. If they struggle the first half of the
season, that thinking could change. But by then, Kobe
may have already been shipped to his next team.

We've past the midway point of Pistons training camp
and this much is clear: Even with competition for some
reserve spots, it's painful to watch these preseason
games.
The veterans aren't going full out, they're just
trying to avoid injury. Unfortunately, Richard
Hamilton didn't. He sprained his ankle against Denver
Sunday. Coincidentally, he played 18 minutes and
didn't take a shot. Maybe it's true what they say -
you're more susceptible to injury when you're not
going full speed.
The biggest negative has been Amir Johnson's inability
to play, also because of an ankle sprain. Johnson,
according to Flip Saunders, will need a crash course
at the end of camp to get up to speed. I don't think
it will cost him a rotation spot, though. Joe Dumars
didn't sign him for three years this summer to just
sit on the bench.