Detroit Pistons News

It's Thursday night at a Southfield eatery and two women are discussing the famous man sitting far across the bar area.

It is in no way a sure bet that Avery Johnson will be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Two players who didn't seem like they were going to be available to the Cavaliers ended up in the team's crosshairs at the end of day one of the NBA free-agency period.

Three former Huskies who are teammates with the Pistons, at least for the time being: RICHARD HAMILTON >> UConn career: Rip played three seasons at UConn and was named Big East player of the year as a sophomore and junior.

AUBURN HILLS -- OK, what now? The Pistons have agreements in place with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars needs to get moving if he wants to have a coach in place by the time the team leaves for play in the Las Vegas summer league next week.

An NBA source says the Celtics have offered Pistons free agent Rasheed Wallace a contract, according to a report published in the Boston Globe.

I've always thought of sports as the ultimate form of escapist entertainment. And a whole lot of people need to "escape" right about now.

Auburn Hills -- Although Joe Dumars added a coach search to his to-do list Tuesday, very little changed on the free-agent front in the hours leading up to midnight, when teams could begin negotiating with players.

"We hope to meet with him soon," Ainge, the Celtics general manager, said last night, debunking an Internet report that team management already had met with Wallace on Tuesday night.

With the free agent negotiation period fast approaching , some destinations for the players who are going to become free agents are starting to be reported.

In this April 10, 2009, Detroit Pistons head coach Michael Curry gestures during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Jersey Nets at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich.

Michael Grange TORONTO - From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Wednesday, Jul.

After months of positioning and planning, teams will begin to find out today whether their hopes can be turned into reality, and players will discover exactly what their worth is on the open market.

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Seemingly every time Taj Gibson boarded the elevator at the downtown Chicago hotel where the NBA staged its predraft camp in late May, James Johnson 's smile greeted him.

Head coach Michael Curry of the Detroit Pistons during a timeout in a game during the 2009 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2009.

Blame it on the economy. Or that so few NBA teams are far enough under the salary cap to sign an impact free agent.

The Detroit Pistons have introduced their top draft pick, Austin Daye. He and DaJuan Summers grew up watching Pistons Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas on TV.

Asked about the timing of the Amir Johnson trade, president Joe Dumars said it wasn't the first move to set off many more moves before free agency starts Wednesday.