AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have re-signed forward Walter Herrmann.

Terms were not disclosed.

Team president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says in a statement issued Monday that the 29-year-old Herrmann “is a player with tremendous work ethic and showed last year that he is a player that can contribute” to the team.

The 6-foot-9, 229-pound Herrmann was acquired by the Pistons in 2007 along with Primoz Brezec in a trade that sent Nazr Mohammed to the Charlotte Bobcats.He played in 28 games with Detroit and averaged 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game.

Herrmann was undrafted and signed with Charlotte as a free agent in 2006. He played six seasons in his native Argentina and four seasons in Spain.

According to freep, the Pistons have come to terms with Memphis’ Kwame Brown on a 2-year $8 million deal.

In case you weren’t around at the deadline, Brown was dealt in part for that blockbuster trade the Lakers pulled off for Pau Gasol.  He was picked #1 overall in ‘01, but has lived up to his early picking about as much as Darko did back in the day (although not quite that bad).  At 6′11″, Washington drafted him for his athleticism, which hopefully can be squeezed out of him, considering he averaged under 4&4 in his 15 games with Memphis last season.

The guy hasn’t really put up decent numbers since 2004, I can only hope that the steep price tag pays off (yes $4 million is steep).  He’s getting paid slighter more than Amir Johnson is, and I honestly see exponentially greater potential in Amir.  Granted, he did get paid $9.1 million last year, but that’s just ridiculous.

Looks to me like Joe D is banking a little too heavily on the whole “diamond in the rough” mentality.

Former Piston Carlos Delfino has signed a three-year deal with BC Khimki according to Eurocup Basketball. Delfino played four seasons in the NBA, three with the Pistons and one with the Toronto Raptors. Last season with the Raptors, Delfino averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.The Pistons had been rumored to be interested in the 6-6 shooting guard earlier in the free agent signing period.Delfino played in Europe prior to his four years in the NBA.

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Virtus Roma pulled off another big signing on Sunday with the announcement that center Primoz Brezec will join the club. Brezec (216, 29) arrives from Toronto of the NBA. He returns to Europe after seven seasons in the NBA, spent with Indiana, Charlotte and Detroit before joining Toronto. He played in the Euroleague with Union Olimpija before heading to the United States. Brezec’s best season overseas came in 2004-05, when he averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds in 72 games for Charlotte. His career averages in the NBA are 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 321 regular season games.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Pistons’ very own Jarvis Hayes plans to depart for New Jersey.

Judging from a disturbing trend of former Pistons flourishing on their new teams, I have no doubt that Hayes will shine in Jersey.  I didn’t like how he was benched the entire playoffs, even when we needed his catch-and-shoot the most. I would want to leave too if I were him, even if it was mainly too to Flip Saunders’ decision-making. I still think that Jarvis Hayes is one of the most valuable 3-point shooters in the league when you’re in need of the points- I guess the Pistons disagreed.

The only justifiable action in this scenario would be the re-acquisition of Carlos Delfino, who is currently speaking with the Pistons on a potential signing. Delfino, although not as good a spot up shooter as Hayes, was more mobile and could work wonders around the basket. Very underappreciated- especially by Pistons fans, but it would be great to see him back without the Saunders drama this time around.

The Pistons have been in contact with several free-agent swingmen around the league, and one name is particularly interesting.

Former Piston Carlos Delfino is among the free agents the team is considering signing. Tomorrow is the first day NBA free agents can sign contracts, although they can agree to deals earlier.

Delfino, a 6-foot-6 forward from Argentina, averaged nine points per game in 82 games for the Toronto Raptors last season, his fourth year in the NBA.

A restricted free agent, Delfino received a qualifying offer by the Raptors in June, which means Toronto has the right to match any offer he gets.

But the Raptors have a glut of swingmen and might be reluctant to match.

Tayshaun Prince earned a spot on the USA Basketball team for the Beijing Games, a person in the NBA told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Dwyane Wade will join Prince on the team barring a last-minute change for the Miami Heat guard, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The two sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the roster will be announced Monday during a news conference in Chicago.Prince’s Pistons teammate Chauncey Billups pulled himself out of consideration for a spot on the U.S. team earlier this week. The All-Star point guard might have had a hard time making the team anyway because of available guards such as Jason Kidd, Wade, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Play hard or sit. Basically, that is Michael Curry’s coaching philosophy and it seems to be exactly what the Detroit Pistons need.

The Pistons gave Curry his first head coaching job Tuesday in part because they’re confident he can get the most out of their remaining veterans, some of whom are former teammates.

“I don’t think you make anybody play. I think you substitute,” Curry said at a news conference. “You remove the ones that are unmotivated. That’s pretty simple.”

A week after firing Flip Saunders, Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars did not sound concerned about the 39-year-old Curry going from peer to boss.

“Guys either respect you or they don’t, and they respect this guy,” Dumars said. “Those guys trust him.

Michael Curry should be a pretty good fit with the rather “unmotivated” Pistons. I admire the respect he demands and his “play hard or sit” strategy should prove effective. His ability to step up and lead a team remains in question- only time will tellif he’s ready for this job.

Should be interesting.

Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings for reeling in the 4th Stanley Cup in 11 years- the 11th in team history.

I’m sure many of you have been keeping up with the Wings, especially in the Finals. It would have been nice to have two June trophies in Detroit, but one is better than none!

Congrats to Dallas Drake on his first Stanley Cup in 15 seasons, to Mike Babcock on his excellent coaching job as well as his first Cup, to Henrik Zetterberg on winning the Conn Smythe trophy, and to the “Big C” Nick Lidstrom on becoming the first European captain to bring home the Cup.

Props to the Wings on coming out victorious in the war that was the NHL Finals.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - The Detroit Pistons say Flip Saunders will not be back as coach next season.

“Decisions like this are difficult to make,” team president Joe Dumars said on the team’s Web site. “However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change.”Saunders was 176-70 in three seasons in Detroit and guded the team to three straight Eastern Conference finals. But the Pistons fell short of the NBA finals each time.

David Stern, you got your wish.

The Spurs are gone, and now the Pistons have joined them.

What an exciting NBA Finals it will be! Surely, a feel-good story featuring a team that has risen from the ashes and a team that is just finding its niche- and with everyone’s favorite MVP!

Just like old times, right? Celtics and Lakers at it once again, after all these years. Since the Pistons have already played the Lakers in the Finals and everyone is sick of seeing the Spurs, I guess it really was time for a change in scenery.

Undoubtedly, the ratings will soar. You’ll be a very rich man, David! Maybe so many people will watch the Finals that that Tim Donaghy mumbo jumbo will just kind of slip from their memories.

This is what needed to happen to get the NBA back on its feet. I understand.

Besides, who wants to watch any more playoff games with those two boring teams that always seem to linger around? Who would want to watch that, other than the pure die-hards in Detroit in San Antonio?

No David, it’s all about the story, right? I mean think of the reaction! Boston! In the Finals! They made it! After all the struggle in years past, they traded their whole team away and made it all the way solely on the efforts of three people. From worst to best! What sports fan in their right mind will be able to flip past that?

Who wouldn’t want to watch a washed-up flopping “superstar” and two franchise players that collectively abandoned their teams and their fans for a fatter paycheck and a better shot at winning.

But we don’t hear about that do we? Nope, we hear about how much effort these guys went through to start a “band of brothers” that gave up so much to be together, happily ever after.

I can’t imagine how much emotional pain and anguish Kevin Garnett must have had to overcome to pick up that pen and John Hancock a contract to cash in $72,408 every quarter ($23,750,000 overall). How can you not give your utmost respect to such a team player? I mean, it must have killed him to leave Minnesota.

But hey, what happens happens. We can’t turn back time now.

Anyways, why would we want to?

“All that bull[expletive]-ass calls they had out there. With Mike [Callahan] and Kenny [Mauer] — you’ve all seen that [expletive],” Wallace said. “You saw them calls. The cats are flopping all over the floor and they’re calling that [expletive]. That [expletive] ain’t basketball out there. It’s all [expletive] entertainment. You all should know that [expletive]. It’s all [expletive] entertainment.”

Call me crazy, but as much as Sheed runs his mouth, he’s right.

In honor of Rodney Stuckey’s valiant playoff performance, our very own #3 has earned himself a spot in the Piston Post wallpaper section.

Cash in on the goods here.

… Dice was everywhere.

Hitting open jumpers, grabbing gritty offensive boards, and diving for loose balls- there was a win to be had and Antonio McDyess wasn’t soon going to let it slip away.

Finishing the night with a huge 21 points and 16 rebounds, Antonio once again showed his priceless worth to a team that often searches for a leader.

“You only have so many opportunities, and they’re limited, especially for me,” [McDyess] said. “I’m at the end of my career, and I just feel like leaving everything out on the floor.”

And then there was this.

The epiphany of what the Pistons strive for - hustle. In a block that rivaled Tayshaun’s ‘04 swat, Jason Maxiell snatched 2 points away from the KG and gave Detroit the early power boost it had been looking for in the series. A little bit of the highlight reel never hurt anyone, right?

By and large, a crucial win for the Pistons. To go down 3-1 and be forced to win two games in Boston would have been a daunting task, to say the least. Unfortunately, due to the Game 3 debacle, they’re still going to have to steal one from Celtic turf to prevent another Conference Finals disappointment.

Look for the Pistons to come out firing Wednesday, they will need a win and they will need it bad.

All Game 7’s need not apply.

At the Pistons’ shootaround Tuesday morning, Saunders was asked a standard question about what he planned to do while filling out the active roster for Game 1, and the coach gave his standard answer:

“Joe [Dumars] and I will talk about it,” Flip Saunders said.

After the chat, the Pistons decided to activate little-used forward Amir Johnson, who gives the team more depth in the frontcourt, and deactivate guard Juan Dixon, forward Walter Herrmann and rookie Cheikh Samb.

Johnson did not play in Game 1, as Saunders went to a nine-man rotation.

But just the fact that the Pistons have to sit down and make decisions regarding whom to activate for a playoff game proves that one of the organization’s main priorities last off-season — developing a deeper bench — has come to fruition at the most crucial time of year.

“When we signed some guys over the course of the summer and the draft, and as far as the trades we made,” Saunders said, “we had the ability to play a lot of different guys depending on the style of play we’re playing against, who we’re playing against and what we feel we need to do.”

I guess Dixon’s deactivation can be justified with Stuckey’s performance, but I would have liked to see at least an attempt to stick Walter Herrmann on Kevin Garnett.  Not only do I think his great defense on mobile big men could possibly shut KG down, but I’m not sure if KG would be able to guard such a versatile player such as Herrmann. Call me Walter-biased…

With San Antonio’s narrow victory in New Orleans, the Final Four of the NBA is set and ready to go.

Eastern Conference Finals

Detroit Pistons

vs.

Boston Celtics

Western Conference Finals

Los Angeles Lakers

vs.

San Antonio Spurs

Make sure to vote in the poll on the left for who will make it to the Finals.

Tune in tonight at 8:30 on ESPN to watch the ECF kick off in Boston!