A daunting double-double for Tayshaun Prince

Where some see imminent catastrophe, others see opportunity. We could be talking about the immediate future of the American automobile industry - or Tayshaun Prince's All-Star candidacy.

In a little more than a 24-hour period, the Pistons' would-be, almost, near-miss All-Star gets a chance to stake his claim for a berth on the Eastern Conference's 2009 All-Star team - although the challenge is enough that some would instead be trying to stake their claim to an emergency federal bailout.

Tonight, you see, Mr. Prince gets to guard the early frontrunner for the 2009 MVP award, LeBron James, and tomorrow night, while suffering the after-effects of bumping and grinding for 40 minutes with the 260-pound Cleveland sledgehammer, he gets to go up against the 2008 Finals MVP - and, perhaps, James' nearest competitor for this year's award - Boston's Paul Pierce.

Nice double-double, huh?

Compounding matters, making the East All-Star team at small forward this season will be like trying to make it back in the 1960s as a center, when Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain could be penned onto the roster in August. Except worse. Because there are 15 teams in the East today - more than twice as many as there were 40 years ago.

Look at the East this year. Danny Granger has exploded in Indiana, which is exceeding expectations. He'll get credit for that. Richard Jefferson, no longer overshadowed by Jason Kidd and Vince Carter in New Jersey, is going to get plenty of chances to put up big numbers in Milwaukee. Hedo Turkoglu, coming off a Most Improved Player award in Orlando, will draw heavy consideration. Shawn Marion is new to the East this year and Miami is poised for a significant recovery. Joe Johnson, though technically a shooting guard, can easily play the position at 6-foot-8 and is the likely beneficiary of Atlanta's resurgence. Caron Butler commands great respect in Washington. Andre Igoudala will merit consideration in Philadelphia.

And they're all likely scrapping for one spot, assuming both Pierce and James are in one piece come mid-February.

But Prince is putting up career numbers: 16.9 points, 7.7 assists, shooting .464 and knocking down a preposterous .591 percent of his 3-point attempts - all while spending more and more time facilitating Detroit's offense.

Remember this, though: Coaches tend to reward success. Prince doesn't have a chance to win the fan vote, not with James and Pierce on the ballot. But coaches are drawn toward winning teams in filling out the rest of the All-Star roster. And with Prince emerging more prominently than ever with the Pistons, if they stay in the thick of the race for the No. 1 seed, they're going to notice Prince's numbers and they're particularly going to notice his versatility.

Against Cleveland, for one relevant example, he'll spend a considerable portion of his night as the de facto point guard on offense and as the power forward on defense. The Cavs' new look includes using James at power forward for 12 to 15 minutes a night. Prince will guard him for virtually every minute James is on the floor.

The difference will be that James will have to defend Prince, too, at his new position - and James, Pierce and other small forwards aren't necessarily accustomed to guarding players in the middle of the floor.

Prince doesn't think that plays greatly to his advantage, but he does think he has an edge as a 6-foot-9 point guard peering over the top of defenses.

"I just think I can read the defense a lot better to get the other guys open shots," he said. "A lot of times if Allen (Iverson) or (Rodney) Stuckey is at the top of the key and those guys are coming off screens down there, it's tougher for them to make passes over the top if they see the bigs open at the rim or if there's miscommunication or a bad defensive play by the other team. That's the only object I have as far as running (the offense) up there, but at the same time I have the opportunity to make a play."

Prince was going to have that opportunity this season regardless of the Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade, but it was going to be more when Billups was on the bench and Prince was running things with the second unit to start the second and fourth quarters. Now? It's close to becoming the staple of the offense.

"Allen and Rip (Hamilton) are so pivotal on those wings as far as where they like to create," Prince said. "With the addition of Allen, I think that was why you see it a lot more now. But I think coach Curry was going to give me the opportunity to make it happen anyway, just to give teams different looks and at the same time just for our offense to be more efficient."

Cleveland and Boston, in a little more than 24 hours, get a chance to see firsthand that different look Prince provides. And Prince gets a chance to put the NBA on notice that his All-Star candidacy deserves full consideration.

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