More Notes From Vegas

Posted by Chris McCosky (The Detroit News) on Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 8:53 PM
More notes from Vegas

Austin Daye, understandably, is tired of answering questions about his slim physique and whether it can or cannot survive in the NBA. When I asked after the Pistons 86-77 summer league win over the Kings Friday how he thought he fared with the physicality of the game, he said, "What did you think?"

I said I thought he was productive and he said, "That's what I am saying. It's the same thing people always said about Tayshaun (Prince), but if you can play basketball, then you can play basketball. Obviously it's going to hinder you at times, but I am going to do my best to change it and do what I can to help the team."

His stat line doesn't really show the impact he had on the game. He only played 19 minutes, mostly because Mike Bramos (13 points) and Clay Tucker (11) were cooking. But Daye had eight points with a couple of assists and a couple of steals. He only got two rebounds, but he got his hands on several more. He wasn't strong enough to maintain those, but many of them wound up being scooped by teammates.

His length is a real issue for teams to deal with. He's always in the passing lane, even if he's several feet away.

I asked him how long before teams start to figure out and respect his length, and he said, "I don't know but they better stop making passes when I am around."

Deron Washington, most likely, is going to replace Arron Afflalo on the Pistons roster next season. The Pistons are talking to Denver about a possible deal that would allow the Pistons to clear Afflalo's salary. Washington is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Pistons soon, starting at roughly $740,000.

But he struggled a bit Friday. He's billed as a pesky defender but he got all he wanted from Kings rookie Tyreke Evans, who beat him off the dribble with regularity. Washington also missed seven of nine shots and made three turnovers. Tough night.

Will Bynum isn't going to play this summer. He's dealing with some family issues. Walter Sharpe is not here, either, and that will probably spell the end of his brief stint with the Pistons. The Pistons added guards Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga and Travis Walton of Michigan State to the roster.

Several familiar faces are scattered among the 22 teams here. Among them: Former Pistons Ron Dupree (Denver), Alex Acker (New York) and Amir Johnson (Milwaukee), and locals Courtney Sims (Michigan, New Orleans), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State, Portland), Paul Davis (Michigan State, Toronto) and Brent Petway (Michigan, Toronto).