Grizzlies at Pistons
It is sinking in to five-time All-Star Blake Griffin that he now is a member of the Detroit Pistons. Griffin is expected to make his Detroit debut against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday after being acquired earlier in the week from the Los Angeles Clippers in a stunning blockbuster trade.
Griffin signed a five-year, $171 million deal in the offseason and there weren't even rumblings about him being traded prior to Monday's deal. "The only thing, I just wish I had known or had the opportunity to talk to somebody beforehand," Griffin said on Wednesday during his introductory press conference in Detroit. "Finding out through Twitter, through other people, is a tough way to find out when you've been with a franchise for so long. But at the end of the day, basketball is a business, and I want to play where a team wants me, and that's why I'm excited about being here." The Pistons ended their eight-game skid with Tuesday's impressive 125-114 win over Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have lost four of their last six games after falling 105-101 to Indiana on Wednesday in the opener of their four-game road trip.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (18-32): Tyreke Evans was sent back to the team hotel prior to the loss to the Pacers as the club frantically shops the 28-year-old, who is averaging 19.5 points in a solid bounce-back season after back-to-back injury-ravaged campaigns. Published reports say Memphis doesn't want Evans to play in any games prior to the Feb. 8 trade deadline as it doesn't want to risk an injury, as the guard has had a history of knee problems during his nine NBA seasons. "I know it's a business," Evans told reporters prior to leaving the arena for the hotel. "I have to come to work and do what I do every day. It's not in my hands."
ABOUT THE PISTONS (23-26): Detroit parted with starters Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley in order to land Griffin, and coach Stan Van Gundy is eager to get his new star familiar with his teammates. "First of all, guys like that bring instant respect in," Van Gundy told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "So everybody in (the locker room) knows what he's accomplished and how good a player he is, so there's instant respect, and just from my little bit talking to him, I think he wants to be a guy that gets to know people and comes and plays his game." The 28-year-old Griffin asserts that he will team up well with All-Star center Andre Drummond (14.8 points, league-best 15.3 rebounds) after conducting offseason workouts in Los Angeles with the 24-year-old in recent years.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split two meetings last season, with the road club winning each time.
2. Memphis SG Wayne Selden drained a career-best six 3-pointers while scoring 24 points against the Pacers.
3. Detroit F Stanley Johnson moved into the starting lineup after the trade of Harris and scored a career-high 26 points while matching his personal best of 10 rebounds in the win over Cleveland.