Chris Wilcox's Draw Pistons' Notice

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Published on Monday, 21 February 2011 17:48

Vincent Goodwill / The Detroit News – December 23, 2011

Auburn Hills— Chris Wilcox's strong play during training camp was lauded by
coaches, front-office officials and teammates alike, but by the start of the season, it
seemed like an urban legend.

Chris Wilcox's draw Pistons' notice

Vincent Goodwill / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills— Chris Wilcox's strong play during training camp was lauded by
coaches, front-office officials and teammates alike, but by the start of the season, it
seemed like an urban legend.

Until Monday night. Wilcox was everywhere during the Pistons' comeback in their 105-
100 loss to Charlotte. He was blocking shots, finishing above the rim and making sound
plays as the Pistons' rally from 23-points down came up short in the final seconds.

"He did a real nice job, he got us back into the game," Pistons coach John Kuester said.
"I was impressed with his energy."

His activity around the basket is something the Pistons sorely need. He grabbed eight
rebounds and blocked three shots in 23 minutes. He followed it with another strong
showing in Wednesday's victory over the Celtics, with 10 points, eight rebounds, three
steals and a highlight-reel block of Glen Davis' layup.

"He's our most athletic big guy. Hopefully he'll continue to move forward," Kuester said.
"He was a big key, just being very active around the boards."

Kuester often hesitated to use Wilcox, in spite of his strengths. Kuester repeatedly
stated he didn't want to use more than four bigs, which often leaves Wilcox on the
outside looking in.

"Six minutes, that's not a lot of time to get loose and get ready," Wilcox said. "I was only
coming in when we were down 20 or up 20."

Wilcox often wore a look of frustration when other bigs had their way with the Pistons.

"It's definitely frustrating when you see guys come in and get 30, 40 points," Wilcox
said. "You know you match up well. At the end of the day you have to continue to stay
ready, even if you don't get a minute."

Daye's night

Austin Daye made the most of his 12 minutes on Wednesday, scoring 12 points, all in
the second quarter. At one point, Kuester was going to take him out for Tayshaun
Prince , but after Daye hit a 3-pointer Prince walked back and told Kuester to keep him
in.

"It's just a sacrifice for me," Daye said. "It's a good feeling for another player to take a
step down but he played great tonight."

Although the addition of Tracy McGrady has cut into Daye's playing time, he's still
learning from the veteran.

"He's a knowledgeable guy at the position," Daye said. "He's a playmaker. He's not just
a star player, he's a playmaker."