IP Was There

Here are some recent pictures taken by IP photographer Brian St-Pierre of fans at a recent Pistons game.


Chris Green of Sterling Heights, Josh Hobbs of Troy, Ian Roy of Sterling Heights and Bill Majewski of Madison Heights.


Sisters Amber and Autumn Cherbeny of Flint.


Ryan Eade of West Bloomfield poses with his Jonas Jerebko viking helmet.


Tabatha Morgan, Karen Maksymowski and Jade Ash of Flint.







Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

Pistons Might Be Back To 100%

The Pistons' Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are all listed as game-time decisions for tonight's matchup against the Raptors in Toronto. Fortunately, it's sounding like all four will play.

Assuming everybody sees time on the floor, it will mark the first time since the first game of the season that Detroit's entire roster is available for minutes. John Kuester, Pistons Head Coach, hasn't announced a starting lineup, but it's expected to consist of Prince at small forward, rookie Jonas Jerebko at power forward, Ben Wallace at center, Hamilton at shooting guard and Rodney Stuckey at point guard.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

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Pistons Still Without Prince, Hamilton and Gordon

It wasn't so bad when they were on a winning streak, but the ailing Pistons have now lost four games in a row. They're still without Ben Gordon (sprained left ankle), Tayshaun Prince (small ruptured disc) and Rip Hamilton, who returned for one game after recovering from an ankle sprain only to injure his hamstring.

Even some of Detroit's players who are back are still playing through injuries. Will Bynum continues to battle despite two sore ankles, and Charlie Villanueva is competing despite a broken nose and plantar fasciitis. Last night in the Pistons' home loss to the L.A. Lakers, Villanueva took off his mask he had been wearing to protect his nose - a gutsy move to say the least.

In addition to their injuries, the Pistons are struggling with how to best utilize guard Rodney Stuckey. Typically a point guard, Stuckey has had to spend time playing shooting guard to compensate for the injuries to Hamilton and Gordon. Even as a point guard, he's primarily been looking to score as opposed to setting up teammates on the offensive end. His assists have been extremely low to the point where John Kuester, Pistons Head Coach, had addressed the issue publicly.

The Pistons remain hopeful that they can get back to full-strength and insert Stuckey back to the point guard spot. Having a healthy Hamilton and Gordon would instantly provide Stuckey with better scoring options on the perimeter.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

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DETROIT’S RODNEY STUCKEY NAMED NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

by Steve St-Pierre
Pistons Sports Writer
Email
In Play Magazine

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2009 – The Detroit Pistons’ Rodney Stuckey today was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 7, through Sunday, Dec. 13.

Stuckey led the Pistons to a 3-0 week, averaging 27.0 points on .529 shooting from the field, 6.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals. On Dec. 12, Stuckey led the Pistons with a season-high 29 points and added seven assists, helping Detroit to its fifth straight victory, a 104-95 win over Golden State. On Dec. 9 at Philadelphia, Stuckey led all scorers with 27 points, including the game-winning field goal with 8.7 seconds remaining.

Stuckey on the December 2009 cover of In Play! Magazine.

Photo by Brian St-Pierre

Here is a recap of the week for Stuckey:

Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons

Dec. 9 @ Philadelphia: Posted 27 points, eight assists and five rebounds in a 90-86 win over the 76ers.

Dec. 10 vs. Denver: Scored 25 points to go along with three assists and two steals in a 101-99 win over the Nuggets.

Dec. 12 vs. Golden State: Tallied 29 points, seven assists and two rebounds in a 104-95 win over the Warriors.

Other nominees for the Eastern Player of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James and Toronto’s Chris Bosh.

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Hamilton Returns; Gordon Likely Next

Rip Hamilton returned to the Pistons' lineup as the starting shooting guard, scoring 18 points. Fellow guard Ben Gordon is expected to return tomorrow from his injury. Forward Tayshaun Prince and guard Will Bynum remain out with various injuries of their own.

The Pistons currently boast a record of 11-12, sixth in the NBA's Eastern Conference. They've done so despite five players missing a total of 49 games with injuries. Detroit continues to be one of the top stories in the league this year.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

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Pistons Remain Upbeat Despite Injuries, Losses

by Steve St-Pierre
Pistons Sports Writer
In Play Magazine
December 2009 Cover Story

It was already going to be a difficult season for the Pistons after bringing in several new, young players to go along with a brand new rookie head coach. Having played essentially the entire season without key veterans Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, the losses have continued to mount. Yet, the team hasn’t let it stop them from competing their hardest every night, and that has been a sight Detroit fans haven’t seen from the Pistons in years.

“You always miss players that are an integral part of what you want to get accomplished, but other players (have to) step up and play big roles…” says John Kuester, Pistons Head Coach. “…We have young players that are starting to educate themselves on what we’re trying to get accomplished.”

“It’s tough,” adds forward Charlie Villanueva. “It seems like injuries have been a part of the factor throughout this whole season for us. We can’t get a break, but no one’s going to feel sorry for us.”

“Our other guys (have to) step up, and it’s going to take a team effort,” says center Kwame Brown. “We can’t rely on our guys to be out there when they’re hurt. We’ve got guys who can step in and play hard.”

One of those guys has been Ben Wallace, whose play has been one of the top stories this season in the entire NBA. Wallace signed with the Pistons this summer for a minimum-salary contract and was expected to be the fourth or fifth big man in the rotation. However, with the reemergence of his stellar defense, rebounding, hard-work and leadership, Wallace quickly won a starting position in training camp and has been an outstanding role model for Detroit’s younger players.

Read the entire article HERE

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Pistons Injury Update

The Pistons' Rip Hamilton are Tayshaun Prince are still being listed as injured indefinitely, and now it's looking like fellow swingman Ben Gordon could miss additional time with an injured left ankle.

Detroit plays tomorrow in Philadelphia against the 76ers before returning home to host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Hamilton and Prince have been ruled out for both games, while Gordon is questionable.

For the time being, the team will likely continue to bring power forward Charlie Villanueva off the bench while he adjusts to having to play with a broken nose. Rookie forward Jonas Jerebko has been starting alongside Jason Maxiell and Ben Wallace in the frontcourt, and it's possible Jerebko will stay in the starting lineup once Prince returns, sliding over to the four-spot.

Steve St-Pierre
Sports Writer
In Play! Magazine
sstpierre@inplaymagazine.com

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