Amir grabs another chance by the horns

It looked like Amir Johnson cracked his own glass ceiling almost two years ago now, his second NBA season, when he went down to the D-League and dominated, flirting with triple-doubles consistently.

It looked like he was poised to grab a spot in the Pistons' rotation in the summer of 2007, when he hit restricted free agency and immediately drew the attention of several well-stocked NBA teams, none more prominent than the San Antonio Spurs, fresh off of their third title in five seasons, eventually re-signing with the Pistons for three years at a price that raised eyebrows for someone who'd appeared in all of 11 games in his first two seasons.

It looked for all the world that he had arrived midway through last season, when Flip Saunders threw him into the fray one night in Philadelphia and kept coming back to him in subsequent games with Johnson always stuffing a stat sheet out of all proportion to his minutes played.

And it really looked like the education of Amir Johnson was complete when Michael Curry scanned his roster over the summer, considered his options and decided what Johnson had to offer - the uncanny speed and athleticism - was the perfect additive to a veteran starting group that sometimes needed a kick-start, not to mention a way to return Antonio McDyess to the second unit where he'd anchor the scoring and not get caught in Rasheed Wallace's shadow so much offensively.

But something always shoved Amir back past the middle, if not fully to the end, of the Pistons' bench. A penchant for fouling in bunches, the signing of Theo Ratliff, the trade for Allen Iverson. Always there was a need to tweak the lineup, and always it was Amir who was first in line to be tweaked.

So all parties, Amir Johnson included, would be well-advised to take his Friday night performance against Oklahoma City for what it was - a bright second-half cameo that might well have spared the Pistons from a perplexing loss to the NBA's least successful team - rather than a sign of things to come.

Actually, Amir is probably the last one who needs that reminder. He's managed to keep an upbeat perspective through all the ins and outs, remarkably so, really. Young players who do everything they're asked and perform up to and beyond expectations when called upon understandably are quick to frustrate and backslide when their roles are diminished for reasons outside their influence.

But after playing precious little since the Dec. 7 debacle in New York - when the Pistons dug a huge early hole for themselves at Madison Square Garden and lost to the Knicks - Johnson was ready when called upon against OKC. On a night the Pistons were palpably lethargic - predictably so, after taking two logy days off for Christmas - Johnson lit a fuse when he bounded into the game in the second half.

So even on a night Allen Iverson was every bit the fourth-quarter Answer, Curry was moved to say, "I thought as great as Allen was, the player of the game was Amir Johnson, by far. While he was in the game, we were able to get stops."

"It's all about staying ready," Johnson said with his typical earnestness after the game. "Just staying after practice and shooting around. I was just ready whenever the coach was going to call my name. When I got in, all I could think about was playing hard and help our team get stops."

Curry can't always count on Johnson playing error-free or flawlessly, but he can count on his 21-year-old - and that bears keeping in mind, too; Johnson is still younger than many players who'll be discussed as lottery picks next June - to be appreciative of every opportunity to play.

"He knew I was ready," Johnson said of Curry. "I always stay focused in practice, and stay after and get shots in. When a coach sees that he is going to know that you're ready. So you have to do the little stuff and always stay after practice, so that the coach will always have faith in you."

A young player showered with the accolades Johnson has elicited might have grown disaffected by this point, looking for an out, to an organization that, in his mind, would have recognized his greatness by now and carved out a role for him without having to earn it every day.

The Pistons have always been struck by Johnson's passion for the game, dating to the day they brought him in for his predraft workout in 2005 and he was in the gym at 8 a.m. - 5 a.m. to his California body clock - dunking. Big guys are rarely described as gym rats. Johnson fits.

One of these days, he'll seize an opportunity like he has so many times in the past - and won't let go. Maybe that day happened Friday night in an otherwise unremarkable win.

• It's still a little early to start seriously considering the ramifications, but the disappointing seasons they're experiencing in both Minnesota and Toronto could pay dividends for the Pistons come draft day. The Pistons own both teams' second-rounders - Minnesota's for the trade of Ronald Dupree, Toronto's (and a 2011 second-rounder, as well) for the Carlos Delfino deal - as well as their own first- and second-rounders. As of today, Minnesota's pick would be the second in the second round and Toronto's would be the 10th, giving the Pistons three picks in the top 40.

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