Detroit Pistons Face Another Long Road Trip Beset by Injuries

Their Western Conference road trip is now over.

What do the Pistons now have to look forward to?

Another long string of games.

Five games in seven days, to be exact.

For a Pistons team that has been banged up over the past couple of weeks, this could be a crazy, unpredictable week.

First off, Rip Hamilton is still being bothered with a slight tear in his groin and is listed as day to day.  When he comes back, he may have to come off the bench—which he is none too happy about.

Rodney Stuckey is battling back spasms, and had to leave the game against Utah before half in order to get them checked out.

Antonio McDyess is suffering from a multitude of injuries ranging, from sore ribs to a bruised thigh.

You get the point. The Pistons are banged up.

But fortunately, the first part of their schedule is going to give them time to recover:

Tuesday 1/13 Charlotte

Wednesday 1/14 @ Indiana

Friday 1/16 @ Oklahoma City

The first two games on their schedule (Charlotte and Indiana) should give them time to play the bench players for some of the game, which will give the Pistons time to rest their starters in hopes of a full recovery from their injuries.

Oklahoma is going to be an unpredictable game, though, as to what they are going to do in terms of rest for the starters.

If anyone can recall, last time the Pistons played Oklahoma City, it came down to the wire, with Allen Iverson making a little nine-foot jumper in the lane to win it.

We will have to see how the game goes—they may not have to play more than 15 minutes on the floor, or they may have to play the whole game.

The only reason I am saying that the first part of their five games in seven day streak will be the easiest is because they have New Orleans, and Chris Paul, who has been dominant all year, and Memphis after that.

Memphis is included in the harder part of the schedule, because against New Orleans the Pistons will do a lot of running up and down the court. When they face Memphis two days later, they may be all out of energy.

Tuesday, the Charlotte Bobcats come to the Palace in hopes of upsetting the Pistons. Let's hope the Pistons can start another eight-game win streak by downing the Cats.