It's inevitable the Pistons will cool down, way down,
in January. Their schedule is filled with land mines,
beginning with five consecutive games against winning
teams. How about playing Boston (after a tough game in
Toronto the night before), Dallas and San Antonio in a
row?
This is also the time of year when the schedule seems
relentless. The playoffs are still 3 1/2 months away,
the weather stinks and the energy of a fresh season is
gone.
A wealth of extra bodies should help the Pistons get
through it. Their young players and newcomers (Brezec,
Herrmann) are happy to get any playing time thrown
their way. They won't come on the court looking like
Darko or Delfino, who felt a sense of entitlement
about playing and brought energy only by accident.
Another thing that has helped - these guys never get a
serious injury. They are on an incredible run in that
regard. Just look at the team they're playing tonight
- Gilbert Arenas and Etan Thomas are out for extended
periods and Antonio Daniels is coming back tonight
after missing seven straight games. The Pistons have a
full complement of players. Some of it is luck but you
can never say enough good things about Arnie Kander,
the team's strength and conditioning coach. His
training programs and rehab methods are the best in
the league.