Detroit Pistons guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who tore his ACL in January, might be available to play on opening night, or even in Thursday's preseason finale against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Pistons.com's Keith Langlois. Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy had previously deflected questions about Dinwiddie's progress, but the rookie has now participated in five-on-five scrimmages during two practices.
"Whatever Stan says is the way it goes, him and Arnie," Dinwiddie said of his coach and the Pistons physical therapist, the latter his shadow since the team drafted him in June, five months after he?d suffered a torn ACL. "I made the joke that they're like my parents, but it's the truth. I just suit up, sit on the bench and wait for them to say, 'Hey, get in the game.' Whether that's the last preseason game or the next game or the game after that, nobody knows."
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"I thought he looked good on Tuesday, struggled a little bit from a playing standpoint on Thursday, but he hasn't played a lot," Van Gundy said of the two practice days the Pistons slotted in around their three-game road trip last week. "Physically, he looks fine and he's got great confidence. He doesn't seem to have hesitation on anything."
If he is indeed ready to play, everything has fallen into place for Dinwiddie to receive some playing time. Detroit just traded backup point guard Will Bynum to the Boston Celtics in exchange for big man Joel Anthony, and there might be minutes available at shooting guard due to the injury to Jodie Meeks.
Players generally don't return from major knee injuries at anywhere near full strength, and Dinwiddie has to make the difficult adjustment to the NBA, so it would be wise to keep expectations low for now. Still, this is encouraging news for fans of the No. 38 overall pick, who has a chance to be a steal if he stays healthy.
