Shortened NBA season curtailing Pistons' practices

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Practice? Yeah, were talking about practice the drudgery that Allen Iverson referred to scornfully on one of the occasions when he clashed with coach Larry Brown in Philadelphia. Practice time is a rare commodity this season in the NBAs compressed 66-game schedule. Teams like the Pistons, that are rebuilding with new head coaches and younger players, are being pinched more than the established winners. There has been little relief for Lawrence Frank in his first season as head coach of the Pistons. The Pistons are 4-14 going into Wednesday nights home game against the powerful Miami Heat, and they are in the midst of a brutal period in the schedule. Monday nights 99-79 loss at Oklahoma City began a stretch of seven games in 10 nights five on the road, two at home. With a day off between games, Tuesday was one of those rare opportunities to practice, and even then it had to be shoe-horned into a travel schedule that leaves precious recovery time for players. The Pistons arrived home sometime after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning after the wipeout loss to Oklahoma City. They were on the practice floor at 12:30 for a workout that lasted about two hours. If anyone was dragging, it wasnt noticeable certainly not Frank. Practice? Its great, especially when you have a game like last night, Frank said. The first thing you want to do is hit the practice floor. You want to get rid of those bad memories and start cleaning up the bad things that happened last night. For all of us, its a great opportunity to hit the hardwood and work and work hard. Aside from a talent infusion, what the Pistons need is more practice time especially for rookie Brandon Knight, a 20-year-old point guard who should be the leader of the future. The schedule works against that. After an off day on Thursday, the Pistons play five games in six days home against Atlanta on Friday night, at Philadelphia on Saturday, off on Sunday, then three straight on the road against Milwaukee, the Knicks and New Jersey. Practice? It comes in dribs and drabs under this seasons schedule, which is a result of the NBAs failed leadership with commissioner David Stern the chief culprit in contract talks between the owners and players. It leaves little time for coaches to teach young players the nuances of playing in the NBA. There is something about Frank that inspires belief that the Pistons can make a turnaround. There are no guarantees, especially in the NBA, when a teams fortunes can change at the whim of a superstar who can force a trade, depart via free-agency or tune out a head coach. Frank has a command quality that was badly lacking in his two immediate predecessors John Kuester, who presided over a team mutiny the last two seasons, and Michael Curry, who was in over his head the previous season. Frank isn't looking for excuses. The situation is what it is. What you have to do is maximize your time, Frank said. Shoot-arounds, pre-game, day after games. You dont give it an out. Its not, Hey, its just the way the season is. You take advantage of the time. Once you start making excuses, the floodgates open. The opponent is irrelevant. Its about us and our habits, and obviously, when you play against a team like Miami they make it harder on you because theyre experienced and very, very talented. Our every day focus is on us, and what we need to do to get better as a group. As Frank spoke to a small group of reporters, one player was still on the court about 30 minutes after Tuesdays practice had ended. It was Brandon Knight practicing.