It’s appearing more and more likely that the Pistons will open training camp with 14 players under contract, one under the league maximum. That’s Joe Dumars’ preferred mode, giving him roster flexibility as the season unfolds in the event of injury or opportunity to add a veteran free agent – maybe one who gets bought out, a la Chris Webber two seasons ago, or someone who comes out of retirement late in the season for a playoff run – to fill a niche role.
Dumars said in late August during the Q&A I conducted with him on Pistons.com that if Lindsey Hunter didn’t decide to come back for one more season, he would likely leave the 15th spot open. That was before the confusing story about Hunter’s involvement in a mortgage deal gone bad leaked. One enforcement agency considered Hunter the dupe, while another was reportedly investigating him as the perpetrator. It’s apparent Hunter will have his hands full for the immediate future untangling the facts of that case. If he’s exonerated and expresses an interest in coming back at some point during the season, it’s possible he’ll ultimately be the one to fill that 15th role.
One player who used the summer to enhance his prospects of occupying a roster spot with the Pistons someday – not this season – was Deron Washington. The third of the three second-round picks the Pistons exercised last June, Washington impressed Dumars and Michael Curry in Las Vegas with his athleticism and tenacity, then opened more eyes in August when he was working out with the other young Pistons at the practice facility.
Washington recently signed a contract to play with Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Premier League. Pistons VP Scott Perry told me that Washington will be playing at small forward and developing his perimeter offensive skills. The Pistons think he’s already an NBA-quality defender who showed them a little more offense than they thought he had over the summer. Two of Washington’s teammates might be familiar to fans of American college basketball – 6-foot-8 Curtis Withers from Charlotte and guard Luis Flores of Manhattan.
Trent Plaisted, the second of Detroit’s second-rounders, had signed in July with Angelico Biella of the Italian league.
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Award-winning journalist Keith Langlois, most recently lead sports columnist at The Oakland Press, joined Pistons.com as the web site editor on October 2, 2006. Langlois, who brings over 27 years of professional sports journalism experience to Palace Sports & Entertainment, serves as Pistons.com's official beat writer and covers the team on a daily basis.